Branded by the Badge

Chapter 6

The next morning found Marlena woken up  by the sound of the office door shutting as Russell came back in with fresh coffee in his hand, one for each of them. He leans down and hands her one, his body stiff as he gives her a tight smile and kisses her forehead. The sun hadn't even begun to peek over the horizon yet, the streets outside still quiet and still, too early yet for anyone to be up and about. "Head home, doll. Get cleaned up and changed before you come back in for the day." He orders, his voice soft, but his words still holding that tone that left no room for argument. She could tell that the Russell that'd spent the night with her the night before, that had held her through the night, waking her up throughout the night with tender kisses and soft touches had been locked far away. She nods and gets up, pulling on the clothes she'd worn the night before, sighing when she finds her underwear once again missing. She rolls her eyes and looks at him, laughing as he simply pats his chest pocket. Russell watches her gather her purse and attempt to tame her wild curls, a grin stretching over his lips as he sees the dark marks he'd left peppered across her tanned neck and shoulders. He steps forward and runs his index finger over them. "Today might be a scarf day, doll. Go on, be a good girl and go." He leans down and places one more kiss to her lips, softly patting her ass before pulling back, watching as she walks out of his office, looking back at him one more time. Russell straps on his gun belt and grabs his keys, watching out the window until he sees Marlena get into her car and drive away. He calls Keith, briefing him on his upcoming absence, telling the deputy only what the man needed to know, letting him know that he'd be out of town on a case for a few weeks and that Keith was in charge in his absence. He knew he couldn't tell Marlena. She'd ask too many questions, but after the messages he'd received the night before, he knew he had to pay a visit to his contacts in Austin and find out if his cover was still intact. The possibility that someone had found him out, found out that he had double crossed Valenciano, was the worst case scenario, especially since whoever had the information obviously knew about Marlena. Marlena had gone home just as she had been told, a smile on her face. She knew something was off with Russell, but she knew better than to pry. She simply took solace in the knowledge that he had sought comfort in her. After her trip home, Marlena had returned to the office to learn of Russell's absence from Keith, her heart sinking. She couldn't deny that it had stung that he hadn't told her, but could she really have expected him to? She was only his secretary, after all. She fetched his coffee, black, always, and strong enough to start a jet engine. She answered his phones, ran money and drugs and coordinated meetings for him and when he was in the mood, she was his release, his piece of ass. She liked to think she was more, but this was only proof, at least to her, that she wasn't and likely would never be. She fought back tears as she sits at her desk, listening to Keith explain that Russell would be gone for a few weeks on a case. 

Weeks had gone by without a word, Marlena had kept the office in order, keeping the paperwork done, the phones answered. No one in the office had heard from Russell which was unusual when he was actually on a case. She knew something was wrong. When finally, after three weeks, he came dragging into the office, a few days growth of dark beard on his face, a dark bruise around one eye and his left arm in a sling, she knew something had gone terribly wrong. He doesn't look at her as he storms past her, into his office and slams the door, the window in it rattling with the force of it. She gives him a few minutes then pours a cup of coffee, standing up on shaking legs and carrying it to his office, knocking softly. She jumps as she hears his loud, booming voice. "No!" That was the only answer she received. She stands there a few moments, still waiting, her hands shaking around the hot ceramic of the coffee mug. She should be smart, she should turn around and go back to her desk, leave him be, let the beast stew in whatever hell he'd created, but she couldn't. At the end of the day, he had her heart. She loved him, and he was suffering. Her basic instinct was to comfort him in anyway possible. Taking a deep breath, she slowly reaches for the door handle, turning it and pushing it open, stepping in quietly shutting the door behind her. She doesn't see him at his desk and walks further into the office, seeing the door to the small connected bathroom open. She watches as shaves the beard away, his brow furrowed in concentration, more bruises appearing as the hair disappears from his face. She slowly approaches him, placing her hand on his back over the grey tshirt, the uniform discarded somewhere in his office. He jumps under her touch and meets her gaze in the mirror as she sets the coffee on the sink. Russell glares as he meets her gaze in the mirror. "Get the hell out, Lena. Not in the mood to deal with you." He growls, his entire body aching, his mind weary. He was worn out from the weeks travel. He'd gone to Austin in search of answers and had only come back with more questions. He'd run into some of Valenciano's competition there who'd gotten their hands in the pockets of the governor. He'd had to fight his way out of that situation and had barely made his way out of it. After threatening the governor and two other officials, he'd finally been able to find out that the messages hadn't been sent from anyone on the inside. He had a feeling as soon as his old buddy from the academy had helped run further traces, that he knew who was behind the messages. That was something he wasn't ready to address, yet. He had to be certain before he took any action.