[IC] Witness Protection

[Optimist]

A cold rain beat a tattoo against the SUV windows. Seth was glad to be in his vehicle and dry. He was waiting outside a safe house for the transfer of a witness in a gangland murder trial. He was eating an American cheese and turkey sandwich, as he waited, and guzzling black coffee from a thermos. 

Seth was a muscular man with a narrow waist and wide shoulders. They were accentuated by an expertly crafted business suit. His dark brown hair was cropped short with just a hint of sideburns. He carried an automatic pistol under his coat and had on a bullet proof vest under his suit. His firm chin was covered in a five o'clock shadow. He had a straight nose and brown eyes. 

Next to him sat Rafael, his partner. Rafael was half a head shorter with thick, curly black hair and tanned skin He wore a blue blazer with a red tie. Joey was eating donuts like they were going out of style. Seth had always been jealous of Rafael's' ability to eat anything and remain skinny. Seth himself had to watch every bite, to keep away the weight he had lost a since graduating from Penn State. 

Another black SUV showed up in the alley. It was time! There witness was finally here. The other SUV opened up and three figures, shrouded in raincoats got out and hurried over to them. He opened his window to hear the password, and then got out briefly to open the rear passenger side door to the smallest of the three figures. "Hurry up and get in. We are way to exposed here." 

[KatherinWinter]

Liz hesitated. She didn't want to climb out of the car. Not because of the rain that fell at a steady pace. But because her life was about to change. Again. She had just gotten use to having Lee and Marco with her nearly ever minute of the day. She had gotten use to their likes, dislikes, hobbies, and routine. Now she had to start over. All because she had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

With a sigh of regret, Liz climbed out of the SUV. Her long blonde hair was plastered to her by the time she walked from one SUV to the other. Her blue jeans looked black and clung to her like a second skin. The light blue short sleeve shell she chosen was as dark as her Navy blue eyes and showed off ever curve she had. But she was going to make an impression on her new guardians. Who wouldn't want to guard a drowned rat, she thought as she climbed into the second SUV and closed the door.

[Optimist]

Seth watched the package being transferred with clinical interest. He did not know much about her, other than she had witness a major organized crime figure committing a murder and now needed to be protected so that she could testify. It was not his job to make friendly, or be a friend. It was his job to be vigilant. Getting to close to the package could effect his job performance.

Still, he noted her curves as she approached the car and climbed in. After all, he was a professional, not a saint. Rafael had a different attitude towards the job. He was a people person. He was already halfway turned around in his seat and chatting her up.

"Don't worry ma'am, we'll be at the safe house in ten minutes, and we can get you into some dry clothing. I'm Rafael, by the way, and this is Seth. Looks like we will be babysitting you for the two weeks."

[KatherinWinter]

"Liz." She replied automatically. She blushed at the mistake. She wasn't suppose to use her real name. She usually remembered but the change in guardians was shaking her up. This was her first transfer. She had been warned that it probably wouldn't be her last. "Wet clothes are the least of my problems but thanks."

Liz hated what her life had become. All because she had trusted the wrong person. She stared out the window thinking about the night that changed her life. She had been engaged to Samuel Powers. President of Powers industry. Thing were finally looking up for her. Until the night of her engagement party. She had gone back to the house to get Samuel's gift which she had forgotten hidden in her drawers. She had planned to run in grab the gift and get back before anyone noticed she was gone. If only that had been the way things had happened. Instead she opened the door to find Samuel holding a gun to a man's head. She later learned that the man's name was Jonathan Thomas a local drug lord. She stood in silent disbelief as the man she loved shot another man in cold blood. How he didn't hear her enter or run out, but she thanks the Lord every day that he hadn't noticed her.

[Optimist]

Seth listened to Rafael chat, as they drove through the night. He might not have approved of Rafael's methods, but he was a good agent and got results. Not for the first time, he wondered if Rafael was right about him. Was he to uptight? No, he just cared about his job.

They drove through the of Chicago, headed toward the safe house. Their drive took them into a neighborhood with old row houses. The car pulled up to the row house, and Seth stepped out and looked over the area around the house, while Rafael stayed at the wheel. The coast looked clear, so Seth made a motion for Rafael to bring their witness out of the car.

"O.K. ma'am," Rafael said, "Get out and walk calmly up the stairs to number 128B. Seth will let you in." Seth was already at the top of the stairs by now, opening the antique front door. A musty smell, like cobwebs, came from the house. Obviously it had not been used in a long time.

He looked at the woman and Rafael, as they approached and spoke. "Stay here a minute please." He walked into the front room, his hand on is gun in its holster under his jacket. The room appeared to be empty. He flipped on the light switch, revealing wooden wall panels, circa 1980s furniture and an old fashioned big box television. Yes, this place needed to be updated.

He headed back to the tiny kitchen and checked it as well. It had white tile walls and green appliances. Next he headed upstairs to check the bathroom and the bedrooms. They both had floral print comforters, light blue walls and smelled of mothballs. Seth headed back down the stairs, satisfied that the house was safe. Poking his head out the door, he spoke. "Come on in."

[KatherinWinter]

Liz decided that she liked Rafael. He actually talked to her. Treated her like a person rather then an object. Seth ignored her. Making feel more like a package then a person. When the arrived at some row houses Liz knew this was where they were going to stay. Generic and nondescriptive was the way the FBI did things. She took a deep breath and tried to appear as natural as she could. She followed Seth up to the porch. She waited nervously while he checked the house. She felt exposed standing outside like this. When he said it was safe to enter she rushed inside.

[Optimist]

Seth closed the curtains in the living room as the other two made their way inside. Rafael locked the door and dead bolted it. They both nodded at each other and then Rafael sat down in one of the comfortable chairs, after taking off his suit coat. Seth continued to pace, as if something serious was about to happen. It irritated Rafael. He could never figure out why his partner was so uptight. They had been working together for a few years now and he had never seen Seth not being a full on agent.

Rafael gestured to the chair next to his. "Sit down Mrs. Powers. We're going to be together for a couple of weeks, so we might as well get to know each other."

[KatherinWinter]

Liz watched Seth pace. She wondered why he was so nervous. "Is he always like this?" She asked as she made herself comfortable on the couch. "Thank you for being kind to me." She directed to Rafael. "What would you like to know. My other protectors mostly shared little unimportant things. Like their likes, dislikes, and hobbies so that we would have an easier time living together."

[Optimist]

"Rafael nodded. Yup, he is always like this. I've never seen him relax." Seth glared over at Rafael, who quite ignored him. "Sounds like a pleasant enough way to pass the time. I have read your file of course, but that is never the full story. Why don't you tell me your story and I will tell you mine. " He smiled at her amicable.

Seth finally stopped his pacing and settled on the arm of a chair. He sat tensely, his fingers drumming on his knee. Rafael watched him with mild amusement, wondering if he relaxed at all on his days off. They had never hang out together socially.

[KatherinWinter]

"My story?" Liz said uncertainly. "You mean how did I end up being a guest if the FBI? I'm sure it is the same story you have heard hundreds of times. I was a med student when I met a handsome older man. He was the owner if a business that was near my campus. I often saw him during my free periods. He wooed me. I had no idea he was also a mob boss. If I had really paid attention Im sure I would have seen the signs but I was young and in love. So any signs there might been i ignored." Liz explained.

[Optimist]

"Well, kind of," said Rafael, while his partner sat down finally. "I was thinking more about what makes you you. For instance, I was raised by a single mother, after my father started to abuse her. She ran away from him and raised me on her own. I was raised on the west side of Chicago, in an Italian neighborhood, despite the fact that I am half Mexican and half Irish.

I always did well in sports and school, eventually majoring in criminal justice in college and I speak fluent Spanish and Portuguese, which is part of why I was able to get into the FBI. I like chili con carne, the Chicago Cubs and old movies. My favorite book in Tom Clancy's The Hunt for Red October. That sort of thing." He knew he hand thrown a bunch of facts at her, but figured that something would stick, if he threw spaghetti against the wall. Something would resonate with her, and they could form a conversation from there. If he was wrong, he might have turned her off to conversation, but it was to late to take back what he had said now.

[KatherinWinter]

"Oh. I see." Liz said thoughtful. "My father raised me on his own. My mother died shortly after I was born. My father was a busy doctor so is dint see alot of him growing up. When I did see him he was pressuring me to met the image of what he thought a doctors should be like. Which I never quite succeeded in doing. I like Philly steak sandwiches, I'm not a big sports fan but I will watch football, I'm not a fan of old movies I prefer the newer ones, I enjoy reading but I don't know that I could name one book as my favorite."

[Optimist]

Rafael thought for a moment. The only thing they seemed to have in common was being raised by a single parent. Still, it was a start. "I am sorry to hear about your mother. My father died also, but he was not with us when it happened, and I can't say I was all that grieved." That was a lie. He had been ten when he heard that his father died in a gang shooting and he had cried like a baby. Still, the lie had slipped out, since it was a lie that he told himself as well.

"Well, we can share the television. I don't mind new movies. What sort of movies do you like? I can't say I love football, being a baseball fanatic, but you can watch the games if you want." He thought it was a mistake to have only one television in the safe house. His partner would probably not even watch, saying it would distract him from his vigilance.

[KatherinWinter]

"I prefer comedies and sci-FI." Liz told her. "I don't mind not watching the games since your not a fan. Are we really just going to sit her and do nothing? Can we get some board games or a wii or something? What about books? We need something to kill the time."

[Optimist]

Seth could not believe what a waste of time the last few minutes had been. It was almost ten o'clock and he hoped that their charge would just go to bed soon, so he could work in peace. He sighed and walked over to the television cabinet, before opening it up. "Look, the agency provides cable, a DVR, a gaming system and a library of movies. If you want books, we can provide those if you tell us the titles and such." He turned toward his partner. "Mr. Arboleda, can I talk with you, in the kitchen, now?" He walked to the kitchen, fulling expecting his partner to follow.

From the kitchen he could here Rafael apologizing for him. If anything, Rafael should apologize for himself. He was unprofessional and someday it was going to get someone hurt, or worse.

[KatherinWinter]

"It's alright." Liz assured Rafael. "You better go talk to him." Liz felt bad for not being responsible for causing the two men two fight. She would have to be more careful. She didn't want them to be distracted because of her. It would be hard but she could enertain herself. She sighed deciding she would call it a night. Tomorrow would be a long lonely day tomorrow.

[Optimist]

Samuel Powers hated prison. He hated the orange jumpsuits, being locked in a tiny cell with a smelly bunk mate and he hated the food. It was nothing to his hatred for his wife though. The bitch should have kept her mouth shut, but instead he was in prison. The law said she did not have to testify against her husband, so this had been her choice. She had chosen to send him to prison.

He had contacts though, and money. A few bribes, and he knew just where she was, who was babysitting her and what they were having for breakfast. Revenge would be his.

Rafael made breakfast early the following morning. He fried up some eggs and bacon and had toast in the toaster. Seth was grumpy, as usual, though a cup of coffee was in his hands. They were waiting for Mrs. Powers to emerge from dreamland.

[KatherinWinter]

Liz debated staying in her room. She wasnt sure that she wanted to go out there and cause a bigger gap between the two men. But it wasn't long before hunger drive her into the kitchen. She silently made her way to the kitchen. She didn't say anything as she helped herself to some coffe. She took at seat at the table before helping herself to some breakfast.

[Optimist]

Rafael though furiously as he sat down to eat his breakfast. He had to figure out a way to kill the witness, and make Seth look like the murderer. He had been planted in the FBI program, by the mob, years ago, specifically for a time such as this, and he did not intend to fail the family now.

"Good morning Mrs. Powers. I trust you slept well?"

Seth had already eaten a quick breakfast of oatmeal and toast and was cleaning his back up firearm in the corner of the kitchen.

[KatherinWinter]

"I slept fine thank you." Liz told him. She could feel the tension in the room. She hated that she had caused so much tension between the two men. She silently eat the meal put in front of her. She wished she knew a way to undo yesterday. When she finished her meal, Liz put her plate in the dishwasher. She silently made her way into the living room. She flipped through the channels until she found a movie.