You Know Who - Robin L. Deeter (books for new readers .TXT) 📗

He called Jessie to tell her he wouldn’t be over, that he was exhausted. As usual, she was understanding and didn’t make a big deal of it. Ray needed to regroup after the bombshell that had been dropped on him. He wasn’t hungry, just grabbed a beer from the fridge and climbed the stairs. Entering his room, Ray sat on the bed and drank his beer.
At one fifteen that afternoon he’d been called into Welsh’s office. He remembered the exact time because it was the moment his life had changed. The FBI had chosen him to go deep undercover to help take down a mob syndicate in Los Vegas. An assignment like this didn’t come along every day and it would do great things for his career. Of course Ray was flattered but he had big reservations that didn’t have much to do with the job.
There were strict conditions that he must adhere to in order to ensure not only his safety but that of his family and friends. Anyone close to him, in fact and that included Jessie. He would not have any contact with anyone from his former life. No phone calls, letters, cards, nothing. An assignment like this had no definitive timeline for how long it would last. It could be a couple of months or a couple of years. When Ray asked what would happen if he refused, he was told that his career would pretty much be over. Not only that but IA had been very interested in him lately and taking the job would get them off his back.
Either way you looked at it, he was being forced to do the job. They had so graciously decided that Ray could take the night to make his decision. Yeah, like I really have a choice, he thought. He would be allowed to tell his immediate family only what was going to occur. That left out Fraser and Jessie since they weren’t married. This plan also included putting another cop in Ray’s place who would take on Ray’s persona, thereby providing a decoy so that Ray’s cover would remain intact.
That part bothered the hell out of Ray. He didn’t want some stranger to get to have dinner with his family, work and hang out with Fraser and he certainly didn’t want some other guy having anything to do with Jessie. Welsh had told him that everything had to remain the same in order for the cover to work. The decoy had to keep up the appearance of continuing the relationship with Fraser and the same went for Jessie, at least for a little while.
Ray sighed when his mother knocked on his door. He knew it was her because she always knocked with three raps. It was her signal as she said.
“Come in, Ma.”
She had a look of determination about her as she closed the door and faced him.
Uh oh. She means business about something.
“Raymundo, when are you going to make an honest woman of Jessica? Don’t you think it’s time?”
Oh Lord, no. Not this, not tonight of all nights.
Ray rubbed at his eyes. “Ma, I have my reasons for not asking Jessie to marry me and I’ll explain them tomorrow, ok? I’m too tired to do this right now. Please?”
Mrs. Vecchio could see the pain and confusion in her son’s eyes. Something was very wrong. The mother in her wanted to press him to tell her so she could make it better. He was one of her babies and her instincts were to protect him. But she also recognized that he was a grown man and had a right to his privacy.
“Alright. But tomorrow we talk.” Her firm tone of voice brooked no argument.
“Yeah, Ma. Tomorrow we talk.”
She kissed his forehead and left him.
His thoughts turned to the conversation with Welsh after the Feds had departed the Lieutenant’s office.
“Vecchio, I know this is going to be very hard but I also know that you’re capable of doing it. You’ll be helping to get a lot of scum off the street.”
Ray had just nodded.
Harding sighed. “It’s Jessie and the Mountie, isn’t it?” The superior was aware of the relationship between the detective and the records clerk.
“Yeah. The Feds want me to be ready in two days. I’m not gonna get to say goodbye to Fraser because he’s on vacation and also because he’s not a family member or a cop, at least here anyway. And Jessie-“ He’d had to stop for a minute before continuing. “I have a ring, sir, understand?”
The big man’s face had filled with compassion. He’s suspected that the relationship was of a serious nature but hadn’t realized just how far it had progressed. “I’ll watch out for her and I’ll talk to Fraser, too.”
As Ray sat on his bed, anger and guilt crashed over him. He wanted desperately to throw his empty beer bottle through one of his bedroom windows. Resisting the urge he came to a decision. There was no way he was leaving without leaving an explanation for Jessie. He would be breaking his orders but when had that ever been a problem for him? Resolute he pulled out paper and pen from his nightstand and began to write.

Chapter Eight

His farewell with his family was a sad affair. There were many tears and Mrs. Vecchio extremely upset that her son would be going away and wouldn’t be able to keep in touch. Ray’s heart was aching at the thought of leaving them all. As much as they could all annoy him at times, he loved them and would miss them dearly. He’d always been closest with Frannie and she had been alternately pissed off and crying during the ordeal. They’d eventually all become resigned to his departure, however, and he’d taken his leave of them.
He spent that last night with Jessie, loving her long and well, saving up the memory of every touch, kiss, and laugh. How he wished that he could record her laugh so he could play it when he was lonely and lonely he would be. Everything he was allowed to bring with him was packed and in his car. He would meet his contact at the airport at five a.m.
Watching Jessie sleep, Ray memorized the soft contours of her face, the line of her neck, her compact, curvy body. He couldn’t take an actual picture of her with him so he created vivid mental ones. At four a.m., Ray slipped silently from the bed, dressing in the dark. He spent one more minute gazing at the woman he loved before turning away.
In the kitchen he found sticky notes and a pen in Jessie’s junk drawer. As time had gone on, he had learned his way around her house and was very comfortable there. He wrote a note and stuck it to the exhaust hood over the stove. It was where he always put them because they were so noticeable in that spot. Rereading the note he was tempted to change it and then left it as it was. From the inside of his coat pocket he withdrew the letter he had written Jessie and put it in the junk drawer on top of the contents.
As he stood looking around the kitchen Ray thought about his phone call to Fraser early that morning. He couldn’t tell his best friend what was going on, only that he might not be able to pick him up at the train when Fraser got back. He’d tried to tip Fraser off without coming right out and telling him since that wasn’t allowed but he wasn’t sure that the Mountie had understood.
Squaring his shoulders, Ray put on his coat and stepped out into the night, no longer Detective first grade Raymond Vecchio but Armando “The Bookman” Lanquistini, Los Vegas mob boss.

Jessie’s alarm went off, the radio which was set to a hard rock station blaring. She sometimes had trouble waking up in the morning and so she’d chosen a station that would annoy her awake. She jabbed the shutoff button and stretched. Searching for Ray, she opened her eyes when she found his side of the bed vacant. It was cold, indicating that he’d been gone for a while. She found it odd.
Getting out of bed, Jessie threw on a sleep shirt and padded out to the kitchen. A pink sticky note hung from the stove hood. Plucking it from its perch, Jessie smiled as she read it.
“Hey, sexy. Had to leave early. All my love, you know who. P.S. I left you something in the junk drawer.”
A letter waited for her when she opened the drawer. Her name was written across the front. Its presence was odd and Jessie lifted the envelope slowly, looking at it for a few moments before breaking the seal. The words of Ray’s slanted handwriting met her gaze as she unfolded the missive.

Jess,
By the time you read this I’ll probably just be getting to where I’m going. That’s as specific as I can be about it. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone but what I’m doing is very important. Plus, I really wasn’t given much of a choice. I can’t give you any more details than that. Welsh is going to talk to you this morning but you need to act surprised. I wasn’t supposed to leave anything like this behind but I couldn’t leave without saying anything at all. When you’re done reading this destroy it. It’s too dangerous to leave around.
I know that this is going to hurt you and piss you off. I don’t blame you. This is one of the hardest things I’ll ever do. I miss you already and I haven’t even gone. There won’t be a day that I won’t be thinking about you, wondering what you’re doing and I’m going to be worrying about you and how you’re dealing with all of this. This is all so sudden, I know. I only had a little time to get prepared myself.
There are some things I need you to do for me. Take care of Frannie and Ma and Fraser. Don’t be a stranger at the house. Fight with Tony every chance you get for me. Take care of yourself and don’t go to pieces over me. That might be good for my ego but not good for you. Ha ha. But seriously, I need to know that you’re ok. Not to sound like a bad romance novel, but you completely captured my heart, Jess. I love you and I’ll remember every minute we had together. I’ll have those memories to help get me through. Fraser was so right when he told me that you were a special person. You’re a hell of a woman in every way.
They’re putting a guy in my place and he’s going to take over my life while I’m gone. Be good to him because he’s going to need all the help he can get, especially getting used to Fraser.