“Based on what you’re saying, Vance and Eddie caught you in a meeting with Rocco,” Fallon surmised. “That’s bad news for a UC to be caught talking to his handler. How the hell did the two of you explain what y’all were doing together?”
“Good … question …” Tank said.
Jemma’s face burned as all eyes focused on her. She kept her voice nonchalant as she responded, “We pretended to be on a date.”
“You did what?” Lenny sputtered.
“You’re joking?” Fallon said, her mouth agape.
Tank leaned back on the hospital bed with a bright smile. “Kind of brilliant if you ask me. Gives you unquestionable access to Rocco anytime you need to talk to him. That’s a setup I definitely couldn’t have pulled off.”
“It was a hasty move. But our only option considering the secluded place we were caught,” Jemma said, then paused, considering how that admission would sound to her team.
“I think you should move in with Rocco,” Tank said.
“What!” Jemma, Lenny, and Fallon said simultaneously.
Tank held up his hands. “Hear me out. This couple thing is the best way to keep you close to Rocco and give you more opportunities to talk about how to handle the op. I always knew things would get harder for me when Rocco reached the pointwhere he gained access to significant intel. I’d need to be in Dajabon more often and meet with him more, but I hadn’t worked out how. You won’t have that problem if you’re Rocco’s live-in girlfriend from the States.”
Lenny said, “It’s hard to argue with that. Do you think Rocco would go for it?”
“I don’t know …” Jemma said, stunned by the unexpected turn in the conversation.
Tank said, “Run it by him. Rocco is willing to do what’s best for the op, and this is it. I gotta go. The nurse is here to help me bathe.”
“Have you seen Tank’s nurse?” Lenny said, laughing. “Lucky bastard. I have to run, too. I’ll be in touch, Jemma.”
Jemma waved at the two men as their cameras turned black.
Fallon stared at her with a perplexed and suspicious gaze.
“What’s that look for?” Jemma asked.
“Are you sure you can handle this?"
"I’ve been a handler on multiple ops. It’s not my first rodeo."
"That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it.”
Jemma’s mouth was dry.
“Pretending to be the girlfriend of a UC when you’re the handler has disaster written all over it,” Fallon said.
“Right, Captain Obvious. Tell me something I don’t know.”
“How about you let me finish.”
“Go ahead, doctor.”
“When the UC is hot as fuck like Rocco, you could be in serious trouble. He’s as irresistible as they come.” Fallon's concern was genuine, but her words landed like a dire warning. “You’ve never let yourself get close to any man, Jemma. You indulge in a few one-night stands with colleagues in other agencies, but there’s never a connection with any of those guys. You’ve been married to this job for your entire adult life. Because of that, you could be … extra … vulnerable in a fake romance like this. Especially with Rocco.”
“Slow down,” Jemma said. “We won’t be faking a relationship alone in the house. I’ll have my room. He’ll have his. The likelihood of crossing paths with Vance and Eddie again is small. So, we won’t have to act like a couple in public much, either. It’s low risk.”
“Are you listening to me? I get that it’s low-risk for the op. That’s not what I’m talking about,” Fallon insisted. “I’m talking about the risk to you. To your heart.”
“I don’t need you to shrink me right now. It’s not helping.”
“I’m not. I’m talking to you as a friend, not a psychologist," Fallon replied earnestly.
