Without Compromise (9 page)

              He picked up his, “That’s right.”

              They ordered.

              “How’d you figure it out?” she obviously had no intention of dropping the subject.

              “Molly.”

              Josie leaned forward and slapped her palms down on the table, “Molly knows I met with Dave?”

              “Sorry about that too,” he recognized now that hadn’t gone about the whole affair in the most intelligent manner.

              She narrowed her eyes at him.

              “What?” he laughed, in spite of himself, “How was I supposed to know?”

              She snorted, “By asking me, I guess.”

              He tried a smile.

              “Don’t even think you can charm your way out of this with that grin of yours.”

              His eyebrows shot up, “This grin of mine? What grin is that?”

              She shook her head, “You are a terrible tease, Thaddeus Madden, and you know it.”

              He could even stand being called Thaddeus if she would just continue smiling at him. Tag wondered at his own thoughts and behavior. He had never been so interested in a woman that he bothered to apologize. In most cases, by the time he hadn’t spoken to a woman in a month, he had forgotten her name.

              “What’s your middle name?” her question seemed apropos of nothing.

              “Jacob.”

              “That’s nice.”

              “Thanks. I’ll be sure to tell my mom you approve.”

              “How’s your mom doing these days?”

              “Still insisting she doesn’t need any help,” he was glad for the change of subject. “I went up to her house to mow her yard, and she had already done it.”

              “I thought her doctor said no yard work.”

              “Yeah,” he leaned back so the waitress could put their food in front of them. “Well you go tell her. She told me her heart has carried her this far, and it will keep on ticking as long as God wants her on His green earth.”

              “I suppose she has a point.”

              Tag didn’t comment but waited for her to pray over their food before eating. He didn’t agree with her views on God and religion, but he certainly wasn’t going to criticize her for them. They were a part of who she was.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“I can’t believe you had lunch with Dave and didn’t even tell me about it.”

              Molly called three hours later. Josie had just parted ways with Tag and was walking into her apartment building.

              “I’m sorry, Molly. I wasn’t sure how to introduce the subject.”

              “How about ‘I went out to eat with your ex-boyfriend’?”

              “Molly, he didn’t want me to tell you.”

              “Why?” Molly sounded suspicious. “Was Tag right?”

              “Right about what?”

              “Are you dating Dave?”

              Josie unlocked her door and went into her apartment, “That’s insane.”

              “Is it?” Molly wasn’t being antagonistic. She really wanted to know.

              “He’s still in love with you, Mol. I don’t think that’s ever going to change.”

              “So, why did he call you?”

              “He wanted to check up on you.”

              Molly sniffed, “He could have called me and asked me himself.”

              “He told you he was waiting for you to call him.”

              Molly didn’t answer.

              Josie threw her bag on the couch and went to check her AC, “I could give you his number.”

              “Has it changed?”

              “I don’t think so.”

              “Then I have it.”

              Josie didn’t have any more advice to offer to her sister. Molly was waiting for something, but Josie had no idea what it was. Poor Dave would just have to wait a little longer.

              She snagged a bottle of water from the fridge and went to change into the shorts she had on earlier. It was time for her pilates class, and she didn’t want to have to run there in the heels and jeans that she had worn to meet Tag. He had probably not noticed the time she took with her appearance, but she hadn’t wanted to see him for the first time in a month looking like a scrub.

              Her father called her later that evening.

              “I hear you went out with Tag again.”

              “Wow,” she pulled her spinach salad from the fridge. “There are no secrets in this family, and,” she went on quickly, “it was not a date. I went out for lunch with him because we hadn’t seen each other for a month.”

              “How do you discern between dating and just getting together with a guy once or twice a week.”

              “Dad,” she did not want to defend her friendship with Tag, “we’re not dating.”

              “Your sister says he’s in love with you.”

              “Did he tell her that? Because he’s never even hinted at it to me.  I hang out with him, sometimes with his friends, sometimes with mine. Sometimes it’s just the two of us. He’s never kissed me, he’s never put his arm around me or held my hand. We are not dating.”

              Her father sighed, “Guard your heart, Josephine. No matter what name you put on this relationship or what the outward manifestations are, your heart is involved with a man who is refusing salvation.”

              She hung up and sat down to supper in a considerably less pleasant state than she had been before her father’s call.

              It didn’t take long for Tag and Josie to fall into old habits. They caught up with each other by phone at the end of the day. The occasionally met for a meal or to go for a run. They did not call it dating, and neither of them made any move to change the relationship from friendship to a more romantic one.

              Josie could not get her dad’s words and concerns from her head, though. She wasn’t sure what Tag’s feelings were on the subject, but she knew her father was right on some level. She was not in love with Tag, but she did not like the idea of him dating anyone else. She would have denied it with all her strength, but Josie considered him hers.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Tag was happily oblivious to Josie’s struggles. He didn’t mind that she wouldn’t go anywhere with him on Sunday mornings; he understood her need to go to her church on Wednesday evenings. Once he even went to a volleyball game that Josie and Molly’s church was hosting. He was pleased that he and she could be such good friends despite their religious differences.

              On occasion, he craved the dating life, but he wasn’t going to jeopardize what he had with Josie for a fling with someone else. It was a little surprising to him, considering how much time that had occupied before Josie. He chose not to dwell on it, however.

              “Someone is sure chipper today,” Harry Jacobson leaned up against the lockers and watched Tag change into his uniform.

              “It’s a beautiful morning.”

              “It’s only seven thirty, and it’s already eighty degrees,” Jacobson noted, “but if sticky heat is your thing, who am I to argue.”

              Tag closed his shirt and slammed his locker shut, “You’ll be wishing for these days in February.”

              “Well, I’m wishing for some of those February days here in August, I’m telling you.”

              Tag and Harry went out to the front desk to look at their assignments for the day.

              “Hello, Officer Madden,” Dr. Hanson passed them in the hall. “Officer Jacobson.”

              Tag moved so his partner stood between the doctor and himself, “Dr. Hanson.”

              She smiled, “You can call me Gail now that I am no longer evaluating you.”

              Harry glanced at Tag’s face, “That may not be a good idea, Dr. Hanson. You never know when Tag may need more . . .evaluation.”

              The shrink’s smile tightened, “I’m sure Tag can keep out of trouble.”

              Tag shook his head, “I doubt it.”

              Harry pointed toward the front desk, “We should go look at those things.”

              Tag nodded at Hanson, silently thanking his partner for getting him away from the woman.

              Harry leaned toward him as they leaned on the counter, “You owe me one.”

              The alarm went off as the words left Harry’s mouth. Tag smacked his partner on the back as he ran to put his gear on.

              “I’ll repay by saving your butt out there today.”

              Harry followed close behind, “As if that’s whose butt usually needs saving.”

              The team was out for a hostage situation. The young man was holding seventeen college kids in the school’s cafeteria. The team managed to get him to release the two kids who were injured by the subject’s initial shots, but the kid locked up after that. He wanted the school to change his grades to keep him from flunking out.

              “What do you suppose he plans to do with the good grades once he gets what he wants?” Jeremy kept an eye on the guy through the scope.

              Tag didn’t even look away from the subject’s head, “Wanted to go to jail with a clean academic record, I guess.”

              Lowell’s voice came through their earpieces, “You guys have a shot?”

              “Affirmative. Madden has the shot,” Tag answered.

              “Affirmative. Granger has the shot, sir.”

              “Be ready.”

              Jeremy and Tag watched and listened as their commander continued negotiation attempts. Lowell had to be raw by this time. He had been talking to the subject – Brian Rudolph – since nine o’clock a.m. It was now past three.

              “How are you doing, Brian?” Lowell still stood behind a pillar. “You getting hungry?”

              “Yeah,” Brian glanced around. “I’m kinda hungry. You’d think I’d be able to get some food in here, but the only stuff they’ve got is the condiments. And something that burned when all the kitchen people ran out.”

              Lowell chuckled, “Yeah. I can smell that.”

              “Are they gonna change my grades?”

              “They already did, Brian. Remember? You saw it on that girl’s laptop.”

              “Yeah, but are they going to change it back as soon as I leave here?”

              “I’m not really sure, Brian,” he glanced back at the dean of students. “You want me to ask?”

              “Yeah. Could you do that?”

              “I’ll ask them,” Lowell offered, “but while we’re waiting, are you interested in getting some food in there? The other people in there are probably pretty hungry too.”

              Brian glanced around at the other students, “Yeah. I guess so.”

              Lowell spoke to one of his officers and then called out to Brian, “How about some pizza?”

              “That’s fine,” Brian sat down at one of the tables, but he didn’t move the gun off the group of students huddled on the floor.

              “Okay, Brian. We’re going to get you some pizza, but we need something from you. There’s a girl in there with you. Her name is Chelsea. Can you raise your hand, Chelsea?”

              A slender arm went up.

              Brian didn’t say anything.

              “Chelsea has a heart condition, and she has to take her medicine every eight hours. Her mom says she needs to take it in about an hour. We’d like you to let Chelsea go, so she can take her medicine.”

              Brian stood and began pacing, “No,” he shook his head. “No. You can’t take any more of the hostages. Just send her medication in with the pizza.”

              “We already asked her mom about that, Brian, but she has to have her blood pressure and pulse taken so they know how much to give her. If they give her the wrong dose, she could die.”

              Brian’s pacing increased in speed. Finally, he stopped, “Okay. Fine.  Chelsea can leave, but you have to send someone else in here in her place. And it can’t be a cop. I want a kid.”

              “I can’t do that, Brian. I can’t force another kid to take Chelsea’s place.”

              “I’ll do it,” a voice sounded from behind Lowell.  A short, stocky kid stepped forward. I know Chelsea. I’ll take her place.”

              Lowell tried to hold the kid back, but he pushed past the cops and went into the cafeteria.

              Brian looked at the newcomer with some surprise, but nodded at Chelsea, “You can go.”

              She nearly tripped on her way out of the facility.

              “Prince is in,” Lowell whispered.

              “Copy that,” Tag replied.

              “You think he’d get suspicious if we asked to trade a few more kids?”

              “How many more cops we got who have Prince’s baby face?”

              They waited.

              Prince managed to seat himself closest to the subject, but he didn’t have a clear way of disarming Brian without risking the civilians.

              “What is it you want, Brian?” Lowell called out. “We’ve changed the grades. They said they could leave them that way. What else can I do for you?”

              Brian shook his head, “I don’t know. I didn’t really think that far ahead. I thought I would ask them to change my grades, and they’d say no. Then I was going to start shooting, and you guys would take me down. Now I suppose my parents have already heard about it, so they’re already disappointed in me, and I’m not even dead. I wanted to be dead before they found out I flunked out.”

              “I’m sure your parents would be more upset if you were dead. They’ll probably be disappointed in this, but they’ll be glad you’re alive.”

              “Oh, no they won’t. My father always says, ‘If you don’t have a good name, you may as well be dead.’”

              Tag would like to give that father a piece of his mind.

              Brian pointed a gun at his own head, “Fine. If you won’t do it for me, I guess I’ll have to do it myself.”

              Prince waited until the kid had the barrel up to his head and was turning away from the crowd of students. The officer leapt to his feet and dove for the subject. The gun didn’t even discharge. Most of the kids didn’t realize what was happening before Prince had the kid on the ground and cuffed.

              A swarm of officers filled the cafeteria, followed by school officials and worry-sick parents.

              “Good job, team,” Lowell breathed. “Stand down.”

              Jeremy and Tag looked at each other, each drawing a deep breath.

              “I need a drink,” Jeremy began to put his rifle away.

              Tag looked down at his watch, “We’ve still got an hour on the clock.”

              “You in?”