That left Duks and Dar alone in the office. Dar rested her chin on her fist and regarded her friend, who gazed back with an equally serious expression. "We're in trouble," Dar said.
"Yes," Duks agreed. "And the big problem is, if it turns out my people were compromised then that is something that will be very difficult to hide. If it comes out, then this will as well."
"I know." Dar felt very tired. "Let's schedule an executive meeting first thing in the morning. We all need to talk."
"Yes. We do," Duks agreed. "This is a time for teamwork."
The ultimate in non-team players let out a long, aggrieved sigh.
"It's time for something," she muttered. "Right now, I'm thinking maybe a beer."
"Perhaps two," Duks agreed solemnly. "After you, madam."
Dar logged Kerry out of her PC, and shut it off. She flipped the lights down as they left, shaking her head all the way to the elevator.
IT WAS AFTER midnight as they trudged back up the steps to the condo, Dar leaning against the wall as Kerry keyed in the lock and opened the door. Chino corkscrewed up to greet them, and Kerry distracted the dog long enough for Dar to slip inside and close the door behind her.
"Ugh." Dar limped across the living room and headed for the bedroom, holding a boot in one hand. "Ker, can you check in the mailbox to see if they dropped off those drugs?'
"Sure." Kerry gave Chino a kiss on the head, and then she ducked back outside to look for the bag. It was hanging neatly on the hook under their mailbox, so she grabbed it and scooted back inside. "It's here, hon."
"Yippee." Dar's voice floated in from the bedroom. "Y'know, I used to look back on all those long nights and stressful deadlines with some kind of half assed affection." She limped back in, now dressed in just a t-shirt and her underwear. "What drug was I on?"
Kerry handed her the bag. "Why don't you sit down, and I'll grab us some hot chocolate after I change," she suggested. "I need to decompress for a while. My head's spinning."
"Go change." Dar bumped her toward the bedroom. "I'll crank up the drinks." She continued on into the kitchen and set the bag down on the counter, leaving it there while she retrieved a glass from the cupboard and squirted herself some milk.
Her foot was killing her. The long evening encased in her boot had rubbed the injury raw, and her sock had been covered in blood when she'd taken the shoe off. She perched on a stool and added a handful of Advil to the antibiotics, swallowing them all with the help of a mouthful of her milk.
Chino trotted in and sniffed at her foot, giving it a sympathetic lick. Dar regarded the dog with a wry grin, then she got off the stool and retrieved the microwavable pitcher they used for their late night hot toddies.
She filled it with milk, and added the appropriate squirts of chocolate syrup, swirling the liquid around once or twice before she slapped the lid on and gave it a vigorous shake. She pulled open the lid and considered the contents, and satisfied with the consistency she put it in the microwave.
Seating herself back on the stool, she swung her legs back and forth a few times, idly tracing a long, thin white scar crossing her right kneecap. Free of her shoe, her injured foot was beginning to stop throbbing. She cautiously wiggled her toes.
Ick. They felt swollen. She brought the foot up to rest on her knee and examined it, scowling at the red, puffy skin and the tender area that covered the top and part of the bottom of her foot. It hurt. Her head hurt. Her shoulders hurt from the tension of the night, and she wished--
What did she wish?
Dar found herself too tired to focus on the big picture, and resorted to a short term goal instead. She wished she was tucked in bed with Kerry, and a cup of hot chocolate, and Advil. There, that was doable, wasn't it?
Kerry entered the kitchen wearing a knee length t-shirt. "For a day that started out really cool, it sure ended disgusting, didn't it?"
"Uh huh." Dar agreed mournfully. "I want to go back to yesterday."
Kerry came over and leaned against her, rubbing Dar's back with the tips of her fingers. "Did you take your drugs?"
"Uh huh."
"Tired?"
"Ugh." Dar closed her eyes and let her head rest against Kerry's. "I can just see tomorrow's gonna suck."
"Uh huh." Kerry glanced up as the microwave beeped. "I smell hot chocolate." She eased past Dar and removed two mugs from the cabinet, setting them down on the counter and leaning up to retrieve the pot. "Let's worry about tomorrow, tomorrow."
Oo, mental synergy. Dar snaked an arm around Kerry and held her gently, nuzzling her arm as she attempted to pour the hot chocolate out. "Thanks for taking care of the police, by the way."
"No problem." Kerry managed to get the beverage into the cups despite the distraction. "They were very understanding, once I explained about how big a company we are, and how many new hires we have, and how it was natural for someone to get lost on the wrong floor and wander into the wrong office and be discovered accidentally by me."
Dar sipped her chocolate. "You're kidding, right?"
"No." Kerry took her elbow. "C'mon, let's go curl up on the couch. I had all the time in the world, like the thirty seconds it takes the elevator to go from fourteen to one, to come up with that story. I thought I did pretty good."
"Hell of a lot better than I'd have done." Dar agreed, willingly allowing herself to be towed to the couch. She settled next to Kerry on the soft leather, and eased her foot up onto the table.
Kerry used the remote to start a quiet CD, and turn a seascape on the television screen. The lights were low in the room, and she exhaled as she allowed the peace of the moment to descend on her. The chocolate was sweet on her tongue and she could feel the warmth traveling down into her stomach, easing the slight uneasiness from a shared dozen ill-advised spicy chicken wings.
"Ker?"
"Mm?"
"Love you."
Thoughts of chicken wings flew out the window. "I never get tired of hearing that," Kerry admitted. "Love you too."
Dar draped her arm over Kerry's shoulders. "You know something?"
"Nope." Kerry leaned back and put her feet up next to Dar's. "My brain's a cheap plastic colander at the moment."
"Ah." Dar turned her head and nipped Kerry's earlobe. "I knew this yellow stuff reminded me of something." She puffed a bit of Kerry's hair up with a short breath.
"Spaghetti?" Kerry suggested.
"Corn silk."
"Hmm. I don't like corn silk."
Dar pulled back a little. "You don't?"
Kerry shook her head. "No. It makes me itch," She explained. "Every time I get us fresh corn I have to have someone in the store husk it for me. Otherwise I end up scratching my arms raw after I finish digging the suckers out of those honky wooden bins."
"Hmm." Dar took a sip of her chocolate. "Learn something new every day."
"Too bad, too, because I love corn, and I love the smell of it when it's fresh." Kerry went on, a touch mournfully. "Especially the white corn."
Dar considered. "You could wear gloves."
"Oh, Dar. Can you imagine me shopping in Publix in white gloves up to my armpits?"
"I saw someone shopping last year in a mink."
"Real?"
"Dead." Dar clarified, then paused. "Oh, I see what you mean...yeah, I think it was real."
"Ugh. That's so un-PC." Kerry shook her head. She reflected a moment more. "We're babbling like idiots, aren't we?"
"Not really." Dar exhaled, half closing her eyes. "Everything you've said so far makes sense." She put her cup down and put her arm around Kerry. "And you were right. That story you told the cops was a good one."
"Mm." Kerry got rid of her cup and half turned, snuggling into Dar?s embrace. "To hell with the cops. You tell me a story."