CHAPTER 15: AN APPLE A DAY

T HE SALSA WAS superb. The enchiladas were tasty. It was all good. After a nice, long lunch, Mariel had a self-satisfied smile on her face as she followed Tina's taller form out of the restaurant and back into the Chicago sun. The wind had died down just a bit and the sun was still shining bright making it feel warmer than it had in days. Pulling out a pair of her own sunglasses and preparing to put them on, the scientist ran straight into Tina's solid back.

"Yow!"

Mariel pulled her face back from the leather she had so suddenly become acquainted with and leaned around the detective, just about to make a playfully indignant query as to what the darn holdup was. Looking at the expression on Tina's face stopped that thought cold. Shifting her gaze, Mariel followed where the investigator's eyes had turned to ice blue. Uh oh.

Sitting on the hood of the Tina's golden Buick were two tough teens and another one standing next to it, all of them wearing some professional sports team apparel and baggy pants. They were laughing and joking around, kicking their tennis-shoed heels against the paint. The one standing was looking in the car window, reporting back to the others on the contents that lay inside. He had longer hair, his face baring just a hint of moustache above his lip. Smiling cockily to his friends, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a shortened baseball bat, waving it around and telling them to clear out.

Mariel watched as the teen swung the bat back and then suddenly, the bat stopped its motion, as if by magic. Mariel hadn't even seen Tina move, she was just...gone. And now standing behind the boy wielding the bat, Tina's strong hand reached out to grab the wood just as he drew it back in a grip so firm, Mariel could see the muscles and tendons standing out in the detective's hand from where she stood. Promptly, the detective jerked the bat and brought the young man full around, his surprised eyes looking up to meet her.

"You don't want to be doing that, kid."

Her voice was menacingly low and she had a look on her face that would have made a grown man think twice about the safety of his most important body parts. The teen roughly pulled his hand back, freeing the baseball bat while his other friends jumped off the car and stood next to him.

"Hey, who the fuck are you, lady?"

The taller teen's angrily surprised words sounded harsh. Mariel walked closer, keeping one eye on them all and one on the detective. She could feel the edgy tension coiled in Tina's body, as if it radiated off of her in visible waves of electricity. The power she could feel coming from the detective was amazing really. With a smile that sent a shiver down even the scientist's back, Tina cocked her head to the side and studied the youths.

"Well, boys, I think we have two problems here."

Tina's voice spoke calmly, as if she were making an observation about the weather. With a raise of her finger, she continued.

"One, you called me 'lady'. I hate that."

Mariel watched as the teens exchanged puzzled looks before turning back to see the detective step a bit closer. Holding up two fingers, her expression changed in an instant, her eyes hardening into two blue pieces of steel, the smile fading to a feral sneer. Tina's voice sounded like the noise a wolf would make right at the beginning of a growl.

"And two, no one....no one touches my Buick."

In that instant, the three boys looked at each other before making a very stupid decision. The taller one spoke excitedly.

"Get her!"

And with that, they all rushed at Tina, three forms of varying degrees of maturity and weight all bent on jumping the investigator. Mariel watched as Tina caught the baseball bat in her hand just as it came at her, snatching the piece of wood from the teen with ease as she backhanded another beefy young man. With ease, she ducked a punch from the tall one before her leg shot out and tripped up the beefy kid she had backhanded, sending him sprawling on the ground. The taller teen reached in his jacket and pulled out a switchblade and stood with it, prepared to slash and run.

The scientist saw the third guy moving around behind Tina, her eyes focused on the glinting blade. He was preparing to kick out the back of her legs. Silently, Mariel came closer and used her finger to tap the teen on his shoulder. He spun around surprised as she smiled sweetly at him, her voice innocent.

"Hi. I'm new in town. Pleased to meet YOU!"

And with the last word, Mariel reached her hands around the teen's neck and promptly brought her right knee directly up into his gut, knocking the air out of him so fast he barely had a chance to make a peep. Tina had turned to watch, hearing the commotion and smiling a little smile as she saw the researcher shrug her shoulders. Suddenly, Mariel's eyes went wide and she pointed.

"Tina, look out!"

The knife-wielding teen surged forward getting in a small jab that sliced through the arm of Tina's leather jacket before the detective's eyes narrowed in rage. With a growl, she swung her cowboy booted foot up and around, knocking the knife from the kid's hand before reaching over and grabbing him by the scruff of his jacket and pulling him forward. The other two teens scurried away from the car and stood off to the side, warily watching both Mariel and Tina now. The detective lifted the guy up with one arm until his feet were dangling off the ground. With a hiss, she snarled at him.

"Tell me why I shouldn't wipe the sidewalk with your face, punk?"

The teen's eyes went wide with fear as he felt the strength in her arm holding him up effortlessly. The look on her face was positively scary. His eyes caught the slowly approaching scientist, coming to stand at Tina's side. Mariel reached out and put her hand against the detective's back, feeling Tina's anger in tight control but nevertheless balancing precariously.

Tina took in a breath and glanced down at Mariel's face, finding quiet understanding there as well as gentle entreaty. Feeling the soft pressure of the scientist's hand on her back, she nodded almost imperceptibly at the silent request. She turned her gaze and narrowed her eyes at the youth, her voice a no-nonsense growl.

"Take my advice before you get yourself killed. If I ever see you causing trouble again in this town, I'm gonna make sure you're singing in the girls' choir, catch my drift?"

The kid nodded, swallowing at the implication that finally sunk into his thick skull. His eyes caught Mariel's briefly as she moved closer to Tina's side, her head shaking and her voice serious.

"That was a stupid thing to do, you know. Learn from it."

He nodded again, his eyes darting back and forth between the short and tall woman, wondering how he was going to explain that he got his ass kicked by two girls. They had paid him a hundred bucks to do some damage and the three of them hadn't managed to do more than make a small tear in leather and the Buick was spotless. Damn.

Mariel looked back at him and smiled. She could see that Tina had no problem keeping his weight up in the air, but she had seen the knife cut and nearly lost her own breath. The scientist could also see by the look in Tina's eyes that she was just a half an inch away from doing some serious damage. With her hands on her hips, Mariel nodded.

"Now say you're sorry."

The kid swallowed as he narrowed his eyes down at the blond. Glancing back into blue eyes that were as cold as anything he had ever seen, he reconsidered the smart-assed comment and nodded at Tina.

"Sorry.."

The detective curled her lip and shook her head before she dropped him to the ground, watching him land clumsily before he scrambled to grab his stuff before he left. A cowboy boot crunched down on the knife as he reached for it while another stepped on the end of the bat, flipping it up in the air right into Tina's waiting hand. He then decided that the best course of action was to get the fuck out of there with his friends. Taking off, he motioned to his friends and they ran down the street, drifting off between parked cars and through alley ways.

Tina watched them go with a head shake before she felt a hand pressed against the leather of her arm. Turning she glanced down to see Mariel looking back up at her with concern.

"Tina, are you alright?"

She smiled down at the scientist and nodded, the tension from the fight easing from her body at Mariel's soft words. With a casual shrug, she spoke as she went to unlock the Buick.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Turning, she glanced at the researcher and let her eyes take in Mariel's form with scrutiny before falling on green as she continued.

"What about you? That was one hell of a knee you gave him."

Mariel smiled brightly as she moved closer, her eyes taking in the detective's expression of concern mixed with admiration. As Tina opened the car door, she came in close and murmured before sliding into the leather seat.

"Thanks...you weren't so bad yourself."

Tina just smirked and gave a slight shrug as she shut the door. Coming around to climb into her side, she put her sunglasses on and started the Buick with a rumble, the smirk still firmly in place as she pressed down on the gas.

* * *

Driving north, the golden car moved down Halsted towards Tina's Lincoln Park apartment. The neighborhood was full of brownstone apartments and smaller businesses. As they turned east on Webster, the scientist shifted in her seat and faced the detective, her hand moving against the soft leather seat.

"So, that was pretty random, huh?"

Tina kept her eyes forward as she slowed the car, finding a parking spot in front of her building. She had her doubts about that since nothing ever happened to her randomly. There were lots of people in Chicago who weren't fans of the private investigator. There was nothing of worth inside the older model Buick and most kids left it alone in favor of higher priced cars. It looked like the three boys who they had caught were there to make a statement. From who, Tina didn't know. It was possible, though, that it was indeed random. Regardless, it meant that she would have to be more vigilant now that the scientist was with her. Tina let her gaze drift over to Mariel and spoke.

"Yeah, but let's keep our eyes open."

The researcher took in the words said and the way they were said, realizing that Tina thought it was possible that their little encounter had not been random street punks. She made a mental note to be prepared, the scope of danger this case might hold finally sinking in. However, watching as the tall detective casually exited the car before turning to do the same, Mariel felt a sense of safety she could only attribute to Tina's quiet strength. Nodding a bit, she got out of the car and found herself standing in front of where she assumed Tina lived. A smile made its way to her face as the detective came around the car and raised an eyebrow at her, motioning with her head to follow. With that, she took off after the detective's long strides as they made their way up into the four-story brownstone.

"So, this is where you live, huh?"

Mariel looked around the starkly furnished apartment that Tina had just led her into, taking it in with curious green eyes. There were only two rooms in this fourth floor corner apartment, the kitchen and the living room which served as a bedroom. It was spacious enough though with hardwood floors as well. Along two walls facing north and west, windows let in the bright sun, the blinds open. In one corner, a futon lay on the floor, the dark green flannel sheets of the detective's bed crisply made. Next to that, a low chest of drawers sat, its dark wood richly brown. In another corner, weights and exercise equipment were set up. A simple table and a chair were the only other furniture in the room. A door along one wall seemed to lead to the bathroom and another door near the futon was probably a closet. There was nothing hanging on the walls, just plain white expanses of plaster. It seemed nice enough albeit a bit spartan and lonely. Turning, Mariel watched as Tina shut the door with her shoulder, noticing the subsequent flinch in the detective's eyes.

"Hey! Come here...you were hurt, weren't you?"

The scientist took a step forward and reached out, grabbing the investigator's hand and pulling her over to the table and chair. With a determined look on her face, Mariel scrutinized Tina's face as she sat the taller woman down, narrowing her eyes when she heard the investigator's voice sounding casual.

"It's not bad. Just a scratch."

Mariel's eyes looked down at the detective's leathered left arm and saw the knife slice where the teen had got her. Her eyes went wide when she saw the slightest darkening of the leather starting to stain around the cut. Her voice was worried, anxious, and slightly angry all at once.

"Dammit, Tina, you're bleeding! Take that jacket off right now."

The detective looked up at the scientist who stood in front of her and smiled, her voice slightly amused.

"Take it easy, Mariel. It's nothing, I hardly feel it."

Mariel narrowed her eyes further and let her hands go to the collar of Tina's jacket. With careful movements, the scientist slipped her hands under the jacket along the investigator's shoulders and started to ease it off. When it became clear to Tina that the young researcher was determined and not in the mood to argue, she helped shrug off the jacket, letting it fall behind her on the chair.

Mariel took a breath at the sight, a red gash along Tina's upper arm stained the white, short-sleeved t-shirt she was wearing. Carefully, the scientist's fingers lifted the sleeve, glancing at Tina's eyes watching her before she leaned in and examined the wound. It was really only a surface slice, not very deep so no stitches required but it was still bleeding and needed to be cleaned. Tina's low voice next to her ear tickled.

"See? It's not that bad."

Sighing, Mariel turned her head and shook it, the momentary worry starting to fade as her eyes met playful blue.

"I've got a rule for you if you want to work with me out there in the field."

Mariel spoke as she moved into the kitchen, locating a couple of napkins and wetting them before coming back to stand in front of the investigator. Tina sat quietly with a smile on her face and her hands clasped together in front of her, forearms resting on her knees. With a raise of her dark eyebrow, she spoke.

"Yes?"

Mariel bent her head and rolled up the sleeve of Tina's shirt before she carefully wiped against the detective's arm, cleaning off the blood with gentle touches. Turning her head, she raised her own golden eyebrow and spoke quietly, her breath softly brushing against the investigator's arm.

"You tell me when you're hurt or else."

Tina chuckled, her eyes catching Mariel's before the scientist went back to her gentle work. Mariel's hands were warm as one lightly circled her arm, holding it gently while the other cleaned the blood from around the wound. With a low voice, she spoke.

"Or else what?"

Mariel straightened up and looked down at her with a head tilt and a smirk on her face, one hand coming to rest on the detective's muscled shoulder.

"Or else I'll hurt you myself, lady. Understand? No more of this tough as nails act of yours."

Tina laughed, both at the name she despised but somehow found endearing coming from Mariel and at the impossibility of the threat. Raising her hands in surrender, she smiled.

"Yes, ma'am."

Mariel smiled and nodded, returning to the kitchen to throw away the napkins, her voice lightly calling back to Tina.

"Good. Now where's your first-aid kit?"

Tina sat back in the chair and let her legs stretch out, her booted feet crossing at the ankles as she eyed her arm. Looking up, she caught the gaze of the scientist who was taking off her jacket and waiting with an expectant look on her face. Might as well let her have her way, Tina mused. Pointing to one of the doors, she spoke.

"In the bathroom, under the sink."

Mariel threw her jacket on the Solo-flex machine as she went by, rummaging in the bathroom before emerging with a small blue and white box. Tina watched as the researcher walked into the room, the determined stride and rather distracting sway of her hips caused her to drop her eyes to her boots momentarily before smiling up at Mariel's voice.

"Ok...let's see what we have in here."

Mariel walked forward, letting herself stand straddling the detective's outstretched legs as she set the box on the table, reaching over to pull out some anti-bacterial cream, a bandage, and gauze. With the material in hand, she looked down at the investigator and quirked an eyebrow, smiling as she stepped back over Tina's legs and came to stand to the side of the seated detective. Tina just looked at her with a return smile and gave a cock of her head, saying nothing.

With nimble fingers, Mariel softly applied the cream along the thin two inch cut, careful not to press too hard. Tina shifted just a bit to watch, her arm moving out. Mariel lifted her eyes to meet the detective's and spoke with a hint of serious teasing in her voice.

"I'm a doctor, let me work here. Now hold still."

Tina raised an eyebrow and chuckled, watching as Mariel put the bandage on her arm and used the gauze to bind it. With an amused voice, she pulled her head back to regard the intently working blond.

"Mariel, you're a PhD, not an MD."

Mariel let her eyes fall on blue and she shrugged, a smile gracing her lips, green eyes sparkling.

"Same diff. Ok, I think you're set here."

Mariel let her hand move down the detective's arm before she patted her forearm. She let her eyes drift over Tina's relaxed form, the white v-neck t-shirt she wore outlined the sloping curves and muscles under it. Her arms were pleasantly sculpted but yet had a feminine smoothness to them, the light hairs barely visible. Her long black hair fell haphazardly on her shoulders, contrasting nicely against the white of the shirt. In faded Levi's, it was quite possible that Tina Amphipoli was the most gorgeous creature Mariel ever wanted to see out of those Levi's. Taking a slight breath, the young doctor stepped back and let her eyes find blue intently looking back at her. Tina's voice was low as a smile found its way across her lips.

"Thanks, Mariel."

The scientist just nodded and swallowed, a smile softly coming to her lips as well. With a shrug, she spoke.

"Anytime..."

Tina gave her a nod before rising, her lean muscular body stretching as she flexed her arm, testing the bandage. With a satisfied nod of approval, she reached down and untucked her t-shirt, pulling it out of her jeans as a hint of muscled abdomen peeked out just above the waistline of her Levi's. With her hands casually holding the cotton fabric ready to take it off, Tina glanced over at Mariel, blue eyes sparkling and voice slightly teasing.

"Ready to get dressed for tonight?"

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 446