Questionable Loyalties

Welcome Home

Deckard was supposed to be home in a few days, but something changed. He didn't say what, only that he would let me know when he was home. I didn't hear from him until about a week later.  I received a text  while I was at work.

D: I'm home. Please don't freak out and shoot me when you come home.

S: Don't tempt me. You've been gone way longer than you were supposed to be.

D: I promise I'll make it up to you.

I close a little bit early, and head home. When I get there, the entire living room is covered in vases full of sunflowers. I could smell it before the elevator door even opened.

"Deckard?" I call out.

No response.

I walk back into the bedroom to find my husband facing the windows, and staring down at his phone. I also notice he's got his earbuds in, which is why he can't hear me. I walk up behind him and put my arms around his waist, hugging him from behind.

Deckard tenses momentarily, before looking back and down at me. He steps out of my embrace to take out his headphones, and to put them and his phone down on the bed. "I didn't hear you come in," he says.

"Bit hard with the earbuds," I reply, wrapping my arms around him again, from the front this time. "I'm so glad you're home."

"Miss me?" he smiles.

"Always." I step back, and look for any obvious signs of damage, but he looks okay. "Do I want to know what went wrong?"

"It just took longer to break my source than I thought it would. Have you heard back from your family?" he asks. Deckard watches me as he sits down on the bed.

"No." I shake my head. "I suspect Mia is mad at me. Again, but when isn't she? I'm scared Jakob and Dom tore each other to pieces."

"We'd have heard by now if that happened. Mia would have called to say 'I told you so'."

"True. I love the flowers, by the way," I smile.

"I thought you brought the flowers in," he replies.

"Please say you're messing with me," I reply, feeling my stomach drop.

He's off the bed, walking back out to the living room. I stand, watching Deckard go through each vase looking for something. I only look away when my phone starts to vibrate.

Did you like the flowers? - Jakob

"The flowers are from Jakob," I tell Deckard.

"I'm still going to search all of them for bugs," he replies.

"I expect nothing less."

My phone rings, and I answer it. It's Jakob. I put the phone on speaker. "You really need to work on your security," he teases.

"Please stop breaking into my home," I reply.

"You didn't answer my question. Do you like the flowers?" Jakob asks.

"I liked them a lot more when I thought they were from my husband, but they are pretty," I admit. "Did you and Dom sort everything out?"

Deckard is still checking the flowers. He hands me a palm full of listening devices as he moves to another section of the room. "Put these in water, please."

"Yeah. We're good now. I have to warn you that Mia isn't happy with you," Jakob says.

"Tell me something I don't know." I walk into the kitchen and dump the bugs into a bowl. I hold it under the faucet and turn the water on. "How many bugs are in the flowers?" I ask.