The Most Magical Place on Earth – Chapter 6: For the Love of Gillian Foster
Thank you all so much for the brilliant feedback and for continuing to follow this story. Thank you also for your patience. Glad to be able to post the next chapter: For the Love of Gillian Foster, aka "Danger in Disney" :)
I really loved hearing what you are enjoying about the story and that you are looking forward to updates. That really is a huge motivator. Thanks for the specific feedback. I was relieved to hear that the plot twist with Robert worked.
Please know that your suggestions and insights have helped me not only with my writing but also with the direction the story has taken. I've definitely tried to put more Cal/Gillian and Robert in this installment as requested. There is also a bit more excitement and the story has taken a mature turn so I've updated the rating.
Very special thank you to Tangledupandsideways for the beta review and constant encouragement. You are amazing!
Be warned – there is adult content in this chapter.
Hopefully this next chapter was worth the wait. Please keep the reviews coming! I can't wait to hear what you think.
I do not own Lie to Me, the characters, dialogue, or events in the episodes.
Before anyone could speak, Ben's phone rang. Answering it, "Reynolds," he paused before continuing. "Yes, we need a translation. Right. Sounded like 'femiya' and 'jetti'." Another pause. "Yeah that sounds like what he had heard."
There was a long pause. Ben looked up at them. Fear and anger prevalent on his face. "So if I'm hearing you right, the words in Albanian are most likely 'fëmijën' and 'gjetur,' which translates to 'kid' and 'found.'"
The energy in the room shifted as they wall went on high alert. This was not good news.
Ben looked specifically at Wallowski before ending the call. "If this is true and they found the kid, then I need to alert my agents that they are all in trouble." As he was speaking, Ben was dialing a number. He waited for the line to pick up, before slamming the phone down against his side in frustration. "Dammit. Why isn't he answering?"
Picking the phone back up, he scrolled through his contacts looking for the number for the Orlando office. Clicking the right one, he held the phone to his ear waiting impatiently for an answer.
Ria, Eli, and Sharon listened to the one sided conversation as Ben explained his credentials and demanded to speak with his agency contact. They exchanged nervous glances as they registered the growing concern on Ben's face and heard him demand, "What do you mean he is missing?"
Ben paused as he listened to the answer. "Why wasn't I notified sooner? Who is in charge of the investigation?"
Another pause. "Fine, then I need to speak to this Agent Prefti."
Rage flared on Ben's face. "Yes, Now! My field agents are at risk here and you're asking me stupid questions?! Get me Prefti NOW!"
Exchanging another concerned look with Ria, Eli motioned toward the door with his head, non-verbally telling her that perhaps it would be in everyone's best interest if they stepped out. Ria gave a small shake of her head no, but Eli turned anyway as if to leave.
"Where do you think you're going? Uh uh. I need you. All three of you." Ben emphasized pointing to them each in turn. "If these triplets really believe they are going after my agents then we are going to do everything in our damn power to make sure that never happens!" Ben's glare conveyed his message perfectly. No one moved.
Turning back to the phone he answered, "Yes. Agent Prefti? This is Agent Reynolds. The missing Agent in question was the contact supporting my Agents in the field. I have reason to believe that their cover may have been compromised."
Ben listened to the other side of the conversation before responding again. "Agents Darcy and Brian Carter. They are under cover with their daughter Ava and a child witness, Robert Childress. He was the son of two Agents we lost in the field."
Ben paused listening. "Yes, the Albanian boys."
Another pause. This one much longer.
"Foster? Gillian Foster?" Ben demanded incredulously.
Eli and Ria exchanged worried looks. Their faces conveyed the same question. How had Foster gotten involved in this?
The tension in the room rose as they all waited for clarification.
Ben was listening intently. Finally, he spoke again, eerily calmly. "So you have reason to believe their cover is blown? Have you been able to contact them in the field?"
Another pause, much shorter. "Understood. My team and I will be in Orlando in three hours. We'll meet you at the hotel. You can reach me at this number if anything changes."
Ben hung up the phone not bothering to wait on a response. Turning to the others he ran a hand over his head with pent up frustration.
"They got to our Agent. Prefti isn't sure how but the man's completely vanished. His car was found with the keys still in the ignition and a few drops of blood on the pavement next to the driver's side door. Looking through his phone records it appears he made call to a burner phone in the D.C. area shortly before he went missing. The call was made after he received a text inquiry from Agent Darcy Carter."
Ben paused and looked at Ria and Eli. "She was asking him to do a background check and evaluation of Dr. Gillian Foster as a potential placement for Robert Childress after he testified."
"But Foster? How…?" Eli looked questioningly at Ben, unsure of how Gillian had gotten wrapped up in this investigation.
Ria appeared just as confused. "Foster's at Disney World with Lightman. They haven't even been involved in this case." Ria paused as a look of suspicion flashed across her face. Turning to Wallowski she asked, "Have they?"
Sharon shook her head in the negative. "No, I haven't heard anything from Lightman since he left with Emily." Realizing that Ria was still eyeing her skeptically, she frowned and held the younger woman's gaze. "I would have told you if he contacted me."
Ria finally broke eye contact, looking property chastised. Reading Wallowski's face, she realized that the detective hadn't lied to her, but more than that she had seen how Ria's distrust had upset the detective. Sharon was visibly hurt. Ria wasn't sure how to handle that; luckily Ben interrupted any attempt at an apology she might have made.
"Wait, Emily's there too?" Ben growled. Ria and Eli nodded. "Shit! Lightman's going to lose his mind."
"We need to get in contact with him and Foster." Ria confirmed. "We need to warn them."
"That's not gonna work." Eli responded glumly. They all looked at him questioningly. He sighed. "Foster left her phone so we can't call her and Lightman's phone's been off since he left the office."
"How do you know that?" Ria demanded.
"I … er … may have tried to call him… once or twice." Eli shrugged.
"Really Eli?" Ria rolled her eyes at him.
Eli ran his hand through his hair in embarrassment. "We could try to get to them through the hotel?" He offered in appeasement.
"Agent Prefti has a surveillance team heading over to the hotel now. They are going to attempt to make contact with our undercover Agents there. They will secure the assistance of the hotel. As far as Lightman and Foster though…," Ben sighed. "Look, let's not scare them until we are sure what we are dealing with. As of right now we are not positive that my Agents' cover has been blown. We don't even know how Lightman and Foster are involved. And the last thing we need is to have Lightman go off. So unless there is a reason, we wait for now."
Ben paused looking thoughtfully. "Is there a reason? Have any of you told anyone about Gillian's location?" Ben demanded. "Did you say anything to the Shehus?"
"No." Ria said as she thought back over their conversations with the triplets. She could tell by Eli's face he was doing the same. "No." She said again more firmly. "I don't remember saying anything about Lightman or Foster."
Sharon and Eli shook their heads in the negative, confirming what Ria had said.
"It never came up in the interview." Sharon recounted in agreement.
"Well there's one positive in this fucked up situation." Ben again ran his hand over his head before sighing. "Ok. You all have exactly no time to run home, grab a bag, and get to the airport. We're taking the FBI's plane to Orlando."
"All of us?" Eli asked in surprise.
"Yes, all of you. I need you to debrief me on the plane. Anything you know about these triplets could be important. We are going to stop them before they hurt anyone else. Understand?" He looked at each of them until they nodded one by one. "Good."
Cal's gaze was locked on Gillian's beautiful blue eyes as she closed the door in front of him. Never in his life had he felt so content and confident. A huge smile broke out on his face and briefly he wondered if Gillian was watching him smile like an idiot from the peep hole. He winked at it, just in case, before shaking himself out of his euphoria.
He looked up and down the halls, realizing that he had no idea where to go. Shaking his head at himself he checked Gillian's room number, then did a double take. Wasn't his room number…? Had he remembered incorrectly?
His eyebrows crinkled up in confusion and a memory from earlier flashed through his mind. The French girl at the counter had appeared amused when she found a room for him and Em. Looking again at Gil's room number he found himself laughing too. The irony was a bit much.
Sure enough, when he looked down the hall he spotted his own room, one door down.
Smirking, he pictured the look on Emily's face when she discovered Gillian had been next door the whole time. 'Wonder how that will fit into her theory?' he thought as he used the key card to open his door.
Moving through the kitchen and living room, he entered his own room. Taking one look at his bed flashes of last night ran through his mind. Her soft breath in his ear, the smell of her hair, the rapid beating of their hearts…
Running a hand down his face, he realized he wouldn't be getting any more sleep and was in desperate need of a cold shower. Dropping his clothes, he entered the bathroom and turned on the taps. Brushing his teeth, he looked in the mirror and realized his eyes were smiling.
'God, Em will have a field day with me.' His usual mask was absent and he felt like nothing could bring him down from this high.
Stepping into the shower he felt the icy blast of the water. Paradoxically, it both woke him up and calmed him down. It didn't take him long to run the shampoo through his hair and the soap over his body. Stepping out, he heard the shower in Em's room turn on. By the time he finished getting dressed and groomed, he could hear her doing the same.
Deciding to make coffee, more for his daughter's sake than his own, he went into the little kitchenette. Going through the routine of loading up the maker, he attempted to school his features. Normally so easy for him, he was finding it ridiculously difficult to mask his happiness. Even more astonishingly, he didn't seem to care.
Emily trudged into the room grunting something that sounded like 'morning' before reaching for the cup of coffee he handed her. He had already added her sugar and cream. Normally, she would have balked at his doing so without the obligatory teasing, but her overly tired demeanor allowed him a temporary reprieve. Taking a large swig of caffeine she sighed happily and rubbed her eyes.
"Alright luv?" He asked hiding his idiotic grin behind his own cup. Normally he hated the stuff but figured he would need the caffeine after barely sleeping at all the night before. Not that he was complaining, the complete opposite actually.
"Ugh." She grunted before yawning deeply. "Did you not hear the neighbors last night? I mean really! They were knocking things over and making such a racket. I barely slept. Had to throw my ear buds in and sleep with my music on."
Cal sputtered and coughed as he choked on his coffee. It took him a minute to compose himself. Luckily the coughing bout explained the blush in his cheeks.
Emily watched him, her eyes narrowing slightly. She still wasn't fully caffeinated but Cal could tell she was coming around and already getting suspicious.
"Somehow I missed that." Cal took another slower sip from his cup.
They drank their coffee in silence.
Cal got lost in thoughts of last night before realizing where his mind had gone. Glancing up he spotted his daughter watching him closely. He must have inadvertently flashed her something because he noticed her eyes widen. Before she could call him on anything, he deflected. "Fancy some nosh darling?"
"Mmmmm," Emily nodded, "Let me just grab my bag." Slipping out of the chair she eyed him again before disappearing into her room.
Cal used the opportunity to turn his back to his daughter and attempt to compose himself. As he rinsed the now empty cups in the sink, he thought about what his daughter had said about last night. He had forgotten that Emily's room shared a wall with Gillian's abode. Blushing, he tried not to think about what Emily would say when she figured out who had in fact made all that racket.
"Ready dad?" Her voice made him jump a little.
"Oh, right luv." Following behind her as she left the room and walked down the hallway, he caught himself gazing longingly at the room next door.
Gillian's heart fluttered as Cal locked eyes with her. When the door closed, breaking their gaze, she sighed dropping against it. She willed her hand to let go of the door handle, so tempted to reopen it and rush back into his arms. 'How did we get here?' she wondered at both the suddenness and inevitability of it all. Looking at the peephole, she giggled at herself, then shook her head. He would probably wink at her if she peered through it after him.
Pulling herself away from the door, she laid down on her bed and cuddled his pillow burying her face in it. She could smell him everywhere.
Thinking back on last night she felt herself blush. It had always been a given that he would be good in bed; the long line of women pretty much guaranteed that. What had surprised her was his gentleness. She hadn't expected that from him.
As she lay there lost in his scent, she tried closing her eyes to see if she could get any more sleep, but it was to no avail. Each time her eyes shut, images of their love making would replay in her brain, causing her pulse to quicken and her breathing to become labored. Conceding there was no chance of a nap, she headed for the shower.
Dropping the robe she had put on earlier for modesty, she spotted her reflection in the full length mirror. Small love bites decorated various parts of her skin, sending a shuddering reminder through her core. Luckily they would mostly be covered by her clothing, but it barely concerned her as her mind drifted to memories of his mouth making those marks.
Turning from the mirror, she hopped into the shower and let the water blast her with its frigidity, not bothering to let it warm up first. The chill that went up her spine helped to finally slow her rapid heartbeat.
Gillian had woken up surprised that she was still so aroused. After the evening's activities, she really should have woken up spent not ignited with desire. Perhaps that was what brought all of those women back again.
It had always been a deep set fear of hers, becoming another in a long list of Lightman's exploits, but for some reason it didn't bother her as much as she'd thought it would. Nothing with Cal had been what she'd expected.
Stepping out of the shower and drying herself off, she sat down on her bed. Last night had been amazing. They had connected so deeply it had left her with a feeling of shared confidence in their decision. Then this morning he had surprised her even more with his words.
She leant back on the pillows in the bed, enveloped once again in his scent, and drifted back to that moment.
Moonlight cast the room in blue and gray hues, creating a hazy and peaceful atmosphere. Their heart beats were slowing down and their breaths becoming more measured as their frantic passion turned into mellow euphoria.
Running the back of his fingers slowly down Gillian's jaw line, Cal felt more than saw her smile. The soft skin of her back pressed against his chest reminded him that there really was nothing left between them. His hand left her chin, continuing a path down the length of her neck and onward. His administrations elicited a sharp intake of breath before she purred out his name. "Cal…"
"Aye darling?" he whispered into her ear causing her to shudder against him.
Turning to him, the light offered him the briefest glimpse of her smirk before she buried her face against his neck. "S'pose I should have known you'd have so much stamina." At least that's what he assumed he heard as the sound was muffled by her mouth doing scandalous things to his skin.
"You bring out the best in me luv." He wondered if he'd ever stop smiling. In the morning, no doubt, Em would take the piss off him for his cheesy grin. The thought made him smile wider.
Gillian must have sensed his train of thought or felt his smile widen because she pulled back grinning herself. "Liar." She teased, giggling as he pulled her lower half even closer to him. She tilted her head, watching his eyes as she traced his grin with her fingertips.
Growling, he pulled her into a deep kiss. "It's true luv" he whispered into her ear as his fingers trailed down her abdomen. "From the first moment I met you, I've wanted to be a better person." Her sharp inhale filled his brain. He figured it was partly because of his words but mostly due to his fingers gently brushing against her swollen clitoris. He felt himself swell even more in response. "I didn't realize it then Gil, but I knew right off you were special. Felt a pull toward you I couldn't explain or understand really." He emphasized his meaning by sliding two of his fingers gently into her and curling them up against her insides. The high pitched moan he elicited was ample reward and he knew he couldn't wait much longer to enter her again. They were both more than ready.
"You understand me more than anyone else ever has and you've been there for me through … well everything." A few more strained moans and he slipped his fingers out before positioning himself at her entrance. "I trust you Gillian." With those words he thrust into her causing her to call out his name and clasp down on his shoulders. She was so close already and he wasn't far behind her.
"There is something I should have said a long time ago," He continued to carry her toward the edge, rocketing in and out. He had meant what he said about her bringing out the best in him. He'd not had this kind of stamina since he was a teenager. But everything about Gillian was different. Every part of him was screaming for her, screaming for release from all that he had been holding back. He felt her shudder and start to clamp down on him.
Pulling out he prepared himself to take them both over the edge. "Look at me Gil," only when she pulled her head back down and forced her eyes open and locked with his did he continue.
"I love you."
He saw the shock register in her eyes only briefly followed by a reflection of everything he felt for her. Fireworks.
His words were the release they both needed. He entered her again hitting that perfect spot; causing her to cry out his name as she came hard. When she clamped down on him he felt his own release. They rode it down together; collapsing in a limp heap. Their skin melted into cellophane, a cling that brought warmth and comfort.
As their hearts and breathing once again slowed, he felt her gently brush the hair off his forehead. He blinked a few times before focusing on her beautiful smile.
"I love you Gil." He said smiling back at her. A warmth spread through him when her eyes light up once again.
Fireworks.
"Dad?"
"Dad?" Em repeated a little louder.
"Dad!" She smacked his arm watching as he jumped. He had been lost in thought.
"What?" He asked her confused, having been pulled out of a memory from last night. Had he really told Gillian that he loved her? Shaking his head he realized his teenage daughter had her eyebrows raised and was gesturing with her head toward the open booth and the waiting waiter. "Oh, right luv."
Cal slid into the booth as Emily flopped down next to him giving him a look that he had lost it. In a way she was right. The waiter left them with menus as he took their drink orders.
"Coffee, please." Em pleaded with him. Cal requested a hot cup'a. He snuck a glance at Emily as he read over the breakfast options. She was too immersed in the menu to catch much. He knew that would change as soon as the caffeine kicked in. He really needed to come back to the present, as hard as that was.
Deciding to jump in, mostly because he was impatient, he started sending her signals. "So," he snuck another sideways glance at his daughter, "I know you didn't get much sleep last night, but did you have a nice talk with your friend? Samantha was it?"
"Yeah, we chatted for a bit. The bath was great." Emily responded not looking up from her menu. Her eyes settled on something and with an almost imperceptible nod acknowledging her food choice was made, she set the menu down and actually looked at her father. "She agrees with me by the way."
"Oh?" Cal asked nonchalantly. "About what exactly?"
"That you should wait to talk to Gillian; give her space." The waiter set their drinks down before taking their food order. Cal handed him their menus.
Emily was busy dumping a ridiculous, in his opinion, amount of sugar into her cup. 'So much like Gil,' he thought, smiling at the idea. The thought propelled him forward with his admission; no time like the present. "Not sure that's an option now luv."
"Hmmmm?" Emily was only half listening as she perfected her sugary caffeinated concoction. "What's not an option?"
"Avoiding Gillian."
"What… why not?" Emily looked up at him her eyebrows crinkling together in confusion and consternation.
"Cause I ran into her last night luv."
"WHAT!?" Emily screamed and almost jumped across the table at him, grabbing his shirt and shaking him a bit.
"Oy!" Cal responded, as his tea spilled onto the table. People at the other tables were glancing over at them. He guessed he should have anticipated such excitement from his daughter. It pleased him more than he'd like to admit, but her volume, on the other hand, was bordering on the ridiculous.
"Ease up Em." Cal gestured toward her hands gripping his shirt and then gesturing with his eyes towards the onlookers.
"Right… right." Emily smoothed out his shirt with her palms then turning to their audience smirked and shrugged her shoulders at them. Most eyed their table warily but turned back to their own affairs.
Emily looked back at her father, "Don't think you're off the hook. I want to hear everything!" She kept her tone lower but she emphasized 'everything' as she leaned forward.
He knew that was off the table. There was no way he was telling her 'everything' about last night. So where to begin?
"Well you know I popped downstairs to have a drink." He figured he'd start at the beginning; that at least was safe. She nodded, intently listening to every word he said. "There was this fellow there, some Irish bloke, he started telling me about this poem right? And he started reciting this verse from a poem; something about autumn and dark hair and a road…"
"Why do I care about some Irish poet at the bar dad? I want to hear about Gillian!" Her hands were now across the table shaking his arm as she tried very hard not to scream at him.
"Right luv. I'm getting to that." Cal gave her a look and took back his arm.
Properly chastened, she sat further back in the booth, but her fingers betrayed her feigned nonchalance as they gripped the edge of the table in barely contained excitement.
"So this bloke…" Noticing her flared nostrils and the fire in her eyes, he held up his hand to calm the beast. "He got me thinking luv. Wanted to know about Gil. I told him how special she is and always has been. I just went on and on. Then he called me out. He asked me, point blank, what I was waiting for."
Emily saw the change in her father's face and her demeanor softened. "And what did you say?"
"Nothing. Em. Abso-bloody-lutely nothing." Cal smiled at her and she returned it with a huge grin. "I finally realized that there was nothing stopping me."
"That's so sweet dad." Emily's face tilted to the side and Cal could tell she was romanticizing the story a bit, but even he couldn't blame her. "And when did Gillian come to the bar?"
"She didn't." Emily's eyes showed momentary confusion so he continued. "I left the bar to go find her. Not really expecting to mind you but I just got up and went to look anyway."
Emily sighed at the romantic gesture, captivated by her father's story. "And you did?"
It was less of a question and more of a statement as he'd already told her he had, still he nodded in agreement.
"Yeah luv, I did. I took the lift up to the lobby and as I was getting off I spotted her walking outside." Cal took a big drink of tea before continuing.
He eyed Em seriously. "I've been scared a lot in my life Em. Seeing Gil, knowing it was time to tell her, well … it was bloody frightening it was. But… I wanted to tell her. It was more than the fear, that desire to finally tell her. I know we, you and me, had talked about waiting. You know right time and that. But somewhere in my… well … I just knew that if I didn't do it right then, right in that moment, then I'd chicken out."
Cal looked up at his daughter, the guilt of his admission apparent on his face. Never had he thought he'd be admitting to her that he was a chicken. But she sat there on the edge of her seat smiling at him as if it was perfectly fine. Inwardly he was relieved that his little girl didn't think any less of him.
"So I followed her outside. She was sitting by the fire…" Cal's eyes went off to the side as he remembered how she had looked curled up on the chair. "She looked so frail and so beautiful…" Cal's voice trailed off before he realized what he had just told his daughter.
Emily gave a cheeky grin at his blush. Before she could tease him, he jumped back into the story. "And cold. Very cold. So I offered her my jacket."
"Awwwww." Emily sighed at her father's chivalry.
"Then we talked." Cal shook his head, "Actually, I mostly talked. She listened."
Emily nodded for him to continue but Cal found he couldn't. There was so much that had happened, so much they had exchanged. And then there was what had followed. He definitely couldn't say any of that. He sat there trying to grab onto something he could tell her. His mind going in circles, he found he was getting nowhere quickly, until Emily beat him to the punch.
She asked him "Did you tell her?"
"Tell her what luv?" Cal asked confused, as his mind was still grappling with what to reveal.
Sighing loudly and rolling her eyes, "Dad, seriously? Did you tell her you love her?"
Her exasperation was evident, but it triggered in him a memory. One he could partially share.
"Yes. Yes luv. I did." He gasped out the words as if he still couldn't believe them.
The beaming smile he was met with was enough for him to realize he had in fact done the right thing. He had told Gillian Foster that he loved her and both Gillian and his daughter had responded with that same big beautiful honest smile. Cal realized he was also breaking into a huge smile in response to his daughter's reaction. Happiness swelled inside him and led him to say it again, only this time louder and more confidently.
"I did. I told Gillian Foster I love her."
From out of a nowhere a small boy's voice responded inquiringly. "You love Gillian Foster?"
Ben downed the last of yet another cup of hotel coffee in an attempt to stave off the lack of sleep from the night before. The plane flight to Orlando had been spent in conversation with Eli, Ria and Sharon as they caught him up on what they knew about the Shehu triplets and little Robert.
Ben hated that a kid was involved. He took his anger out on the now empty cup in his hand, crumpling it in his fist before tossing it into the trash can. Once again he looked at his watch. Where were they?
Earlier he had sent out a small team of plain clothed Agents in hopes that they could safely contact and bring in his undercover Agents. They had been gone far longer than Ben liked and they had yet to return.
Ben continued to pace back and forth in front of the small coffee station the hotel had set up next to the office's door. Agent Prefti had managed to garner the cooperation of the hotel and secured them a small office to use for surveillance. Unfortunately, it was the only space the hotel had available and it was small. The room barely housed them all. In one corner computers and surveillance equipment had been set up on a desk barely big enough to handle all the weight. The chairs placed around the desk were currently occupied by agents attempting to garner intel. A love seat had been brought into the room and placed against the far wall in the hopes that the agents could use it to sleep in shifts.
Glancing around, Ben took inventory of his team. Eli had joined forces with Prefti's tech guys. He was at that very moment tapping into the hotel security cameras. Ben didn't even want to know if he had the necessary permissions for what he was doing.
Shaking his head, he glanced over at Wallowski and Torrez. Sleep had finally caught up with them. Sharon was out cold sitting up on one end of the small love seat. Ria must have tried to do the same but at some point had fallen over. She was now sound asleep with her head on Wallowski's lap. Sharon's arm, Ben realized, was draped protectively over the sleeping Torrez.
He averted his gaze. Yet something else he didn't want to think about.
Running his hands down his face with pent up frustration at not being able to do something, Ben decided another cup of coffee couldn't really do any more to harm his already frazzled nerves. At least it was a distraction from waiting.
He checked his watch again. If they weren't back in the next ten minutes he was going after them.
Emily and Cal looked up at the interruption. A little tow headed boy with curly hair and a smattering of freckles on his nose was staring down at them. It was apparent he had stood up on the other side of Cal's booth in order to peer over and ask his question. He was staring suspiciously at Cal.
"I'm sorry?" Cal asked looking up at the boy curious as to both the child's demeanor and question.
"You said you love Gillian Foster. Do you?" He asked again waiting expectantly for a reply as if this was a perfectly normal thing to ask.
Cal glanced over at his daughter and saw that her mouth was hanging open in astonishment. Apparently she was just as surprised by the tyke as he was. Looking closer at the kid, he noticed things others would miss. While the boy's eyes appeared wide open in innocence, there was tension at their edges. In addition to the suspiciousness evident on his face, the boy appeared nervous and almost desperate.
"Yeah. Yeah buddy I do." Cal nodded solemnly to the kid. That seemed to do the trick as the young boy exhaled the breath he had been holding and nodded at Cal. Cal didn't let it go there though, asking a question himself. "You know Gillian?"
"Oh yes." He nodded quite assuredly. "She's my friend."
"Is she now?" Cal wondered at this.
"Yup." Having satisfied himself of Cal's intentions, the young man jumped down from the booth and walked around to stand in front of their table. He eyed Emily warily. "Are you Gillian's friend too?" He asked her.
"Oh most definitely." Emily smiled reassuringly at him. "Do you want to sit down?" She asked moving further into the booth despite the look her father shot her.
"No thank you." He replied. "We already ate breakfast, but I asked to stay a little longer to finish my puzzle." Proudly, he raised one of those paper place mats they give to kids at restaurants to help them stay entertained during the meal. "Is Gillian going to eat breakfast with you?"
"I don't know." Emily responded before looking at her father with a big shit eating grin on her face. "Is Gillian going to eat breakfast with us dad?"
Cal shot her a look before shaking his head in the negative. "No, not today."
The kid's face registered sadness as he responded simply, "Oh."
Cal could tell he would have liked to have seen Gillian. The boy looked toward the door to the restaurant and then kicked his toes on the floor. It seemed something in that direction was bothering him. Cal was a bit concerned by what he was reading on the kid, so he asked him, "You alright mate?"
The boy bit his lip and appeared to be thinking something over. He must have decided, because he asked Cal yet another question that surprised him.
"You said you love Gillian. Do you trust her, no matter what?"
Both Emily and Cal exchanged surprised and worried glances. Cal focused more intently on reading the little boy's face. The kid was deadly serious. The question was obviously very important to him.
Cal paused. The expression on his little face was something normally only worn by older people. People worn out by life. Those who wanted to be optimistic and believe that something good could happen but were not sure they could handle another blow if things went wrong. It was an expression he remembered from his own childhood; one that should never be seen on a child's face.
No wonder Gillian had befriended this kid. It was almost like looking at a younger version of himself.
Cal couldn't bear to hurt this kid any further. So he answered honestly. "I trust her, no matter what."
The little boy watched Cal closely as he answered. Choosing to believe what Cal said, he nodded in agreement, a single tear rolling down the side of his face.
"Did … did someone not trust you?" he asked gently. This wasn't his area of expertise but it appeared to be the right question to ask.
"No. They didn't. It was really important. The most important thing. But they didn't believe me. They didn't trust me. They loved me, but that's different." The kid looked so small as he said those words. He was staring hard at the table in an obvious effort not to cry.
Emily reached out her hand and placed it on the little boy's shoulder. Her voice was gentle as she told him, "We trust you. You're a friend of Gillian's so that means you're our friend too. And we trust our friends. So we trust you. Promise." She crossed her heart for emphasis as the kid looked up at her wide eyed.
'God she's so much like Gillian; it's almost scary.' Cal thought to himself.
The kid then looked at Cal with those big eyes filled with determination. "You trust me?" He directed the question to Cal. "You promise?" He demanded. "You promise, no matter what, you trust me?"
Cal felt the weight of the question in his gut. This wasn't a simple child's request for a promise. Everything in this boy's demeanor stressed the importance of his answer. He couldn't ever let this kid down. Cal read the determination on the kid's face and decided how to respond. Slowly he nodded. "I promise. I trust you."
"No matter what?"
"No matter what."
The boy surprised Cal yet again by enveloping his midsection in a tight hug. The kid was stronger than he appeared. Looking over the kid's head, Cal caught Emily's gaze. She was just as concerned as he was. Who was this kid?
"Thank you Gillian's friend." The kid smiled up at him as he stepped back, disentangling himself from Cal.
"Actually it's Cal." Gesturing toward his daughter, he continued. "And that's Emily, my daughter."
The kid caught the gist and introduced himself, "I'm Robert."
No sooner had Ben put the cup of coffee to his mouth, when the door to the office opened and in stepped Agent Prefti. He and his team had returned. "Finally," Ben mumbled under his breath.
Turning towards the door, Ben heard his name before he saw the familiar face. "Agent Reynolds?"
Darcy Carter's face was a welcome relief. She entered behind Prefti pushing a small child in a stroller. Brian Carter's face could be seen over her shoulder as he trailed behind her into the room.
"Agent Carter. Agent Carter." He acknowledged them both. "Man am I glad to see you both." Ben put the cup down extending his hand to each as they entered the room.
One of the field Agents under Prefti entered the room behind the Carters, informing Ben, "We were able to intercept Agents Carter and Carter while they were on route to their hotel room. We brought them directly here." He then turned and closed the door.
Ben was confused. He glanced around the room searching for Robert. Surely, he had missed the kid. But the only child present was the one sleeping in the stroller. The hair on the back of Ben's neck stood up.
"Where's Robert?" He asked, already knowing he wouldn't like the answer.
"We don't know." Darcy whispered, her voice cracking with fear.
"I like Cal and Emily," Robert declared to Michael as they left the restaurant and headed for the elevator. "And I believe him. He promised. He trusts me."
As they rode up to his floor, Robert was feeling pretty good about himself, despite the general unease of the morning. Michael had been pretty distracted, which was never a good sign. That had worried Robert too. Which meant Robert was more distracted and less responsive than Darcy and Brian liked.
Then Ava had a meltdown at breakfast. Darcy said Ava was 'ready to go.' But Robert hadn't finished his puzzle. So he had begged to stay to finish it. He promised Brian and Darcy that he would come right up to the room after he was done.
Robert could tell that they were gonna say no. He was per-sep-tiff after all. Plus their faces said so.
But then the waiter said that he'd 'keep an eye on Robert'. Robert liked him a lot and gave him a big smile when Darcy and Brian agreed.
Robert knew that having him and Ava was not easy for Brian and Darcy. He remembered when Darcy first brought him to her house, Brian had seemed mad. Robert didn't know what he had done. Then when they thought he was asleep, he heard them fighting. He felt so bad that he made them fight that the next morning at the breakfast table he told them he was leaving.
"But why Robert? Did something happen?" Darcy had asked.
She and Brian had been surprised. Robert could tell by their faces.
"I don't want you two to fight because of me." Robert said. "I'm sorry. Whatever I did Brian. I'm sorry. I'll leave. It's ok."
Brian had stood up and walked over to Robert. "Hey … buddy. Look. It's not your fault. None of this is." Brian reached out a hand and ruffled Robert's hair. "And you don't have to leave. In fact…" He looked over at Darcy and she nodded. "We are all going to go on… an adventure."
"Living out of our suitcases." Brian had called it.
Robert never really understood that. He couldn't fit in his suitcase, how could he live in there?
What it had really meant was that they would stay in a lot of hotels.
Until one night, when they were eating pizza in yet another hotel room, Darcy told them she had news. "We're going to go stay at a hotel in Disney World."
Ava had screamed. But it was because there was a pepperoni on her slice and she was mad. Robert remembered being excited. Brian had looked surprised.
"It's all arranged." She had smiled then nodded at Brian. "They've taken care of it."
Robert never knew who 'they' were but 'they' often took care of things like hotels and food and clothes.
At first Robert thought that he, Darcy, Brian, and Ava would be staying with Mickey Mouse, but Darcy explained that Mickey was at a 'park' and that the hotel was not at the 'park' but somewhere else. She promised that maybe they could go to the 'park' one day and see Mickey.
As Robert stepped off the elevator onto his floor, he thought about how today was supposed to be the day they went to the 'park,' but for some reason, he still didn't understand, Brian and Darcy had said they couldn't go. Something about 'them' not calling to clear it. Robert wasn't sure he ever wanted to meet 'them.' 'They' seemed kind of bossy and mean sometimes.
Robert walked down the many hallways towards his room, thinking about Darcy, Brian and Ava. They were nice to him. Darcy promised to protect him. Brian said he didn't have to leave. Ava didn't seem to care as long as he didn't have something she wanted. If he did, then boy did she yell.
"I like Darcy, Brian, and Ava." He told Michael. "I do. They are very nice. But…" He trailed off, lost in thought. While he liked being with Darcy, Brian, and Ava, he often felt like he didn't belong. It was a feeling he didn't like much.
"I don't belong with them." He whispered, amazed that he had finally been able to explain to Michael how he really felt. "Do you think I feel that way because my parents are in heaven?"
Robert knew the word orphan. But he hated that word. He wasn't an orphan. He still had parents. They would always be his parents. Even if they weren't here anymore.
"If I don't have parents," Robert continued to open up to Michael, "then who will love me after I tell the court my story? Darcy never said…" Robert stopped in the hallway frowning.
Before Darcy had brought him to her home, she had told him that he had to help her. She said that he had to tell his story to the court so the ugly man, the mean man, and the bad men would go to jail. Until the court was ready to hear Robert's story, he would stay with her, Brian, and Ava. She promised to keep him safe.
But she never talked about what would happen after he told the court his story. And he hadn't asked. He was scared of the answer.
So he tried not to think about it too much. But yesterday something changed.
Robert smiled and began walking again as he thought about Gillian.
"Remember when we saw the pretty lady with the freckles. That was Gillian. But I didn't know her name then." He reminded Michael. "I told you she glowed, and you said she was im-pore-tent." Robert ran his hand along the wall as he continued forward. "She is, you know, she is im-pore-tent."
Robert remembered the conversations he had with Gillian and how she taught him new words like Mommy and Daddy used to do. "She called me inquisitor," he told Michael proudly. "And she sat with me on the bus. Both ways."
Robert smiled as he thought of Gillian. "I like her Michael. I like her a lot." He paused, biting his lower lip. "Do you think she might … well maybe she might… want me to…" A noise down the next hallway made him pause in his questioning.
Michael told him not to, but Robert's curiosity got the best of him and he tiptoed to the end of the hall and peered around the corner. Standing outside of their room, was a face Robert would never forget. It was the mean man. He was yelling at some bad men who were in their room.
Michael was now saying it was too dangerous and that Robert needed to leave right now.
Robert didn't need to be told twice. But before he could duck back around the corner, the mean man spotted him.
Robert turned and ran.
"Are you sure we should have let him go off like that Dad?" Emily looked with worry back over her shoulder. The kid had taken off shortly after their food had arrived and ever since Em had been questioning his decision to not investigate further. "He just seemed so…"
"He'll be alright luv. Obviously, he has family somewhere here." Draping an arm over her shoulders he tugged her into his chest in a half hug. "Besides, he's Gil's friend, so you know he's got the best person in the world to talk to about … well anything really."
Still unconvinced, she bit her lip and took one last look over her shoulder.
They rode the lift up to the lobby in silence. When the doors open they were kept from getting off by some burly looking men speaking another language. 'Maybe a Russian derivative,' Cal thought.
"Excuse us," he shouted, grabbing Em's hand and pushing through the men to get off the lift. "Just a Brit and his daughter coming through."
The men didn't give him a second glance. Cal though took stock of them. He noticed that while they were dressed in casual clothes, their demeanor suggested they were not actually here on vacation. They were also huge, at least twice his size. That plus their demeanor made them look more like thugs than tourists.
Something else about them gnawed at him. It was their faces, he realized. There was no readable expression on any of their faces. Which was … odd, very odd.
Before he could question them the lift doors closed, leaving Cal staring at nothing.
"Dad?" Em asked curiously.
Cal shook his head, then turned back to his daughter. Granted it was odd, but really it didn't matter. There hadn't been anything on their face suggesting he should warn someone. There hadn't really been anything at all on their faces.
Looking at his daughter he smiled at her and shrugged. He had enough on his plate without worrying about strange men in lifts. Perhaps his happiness over Gil was affecting him more than he realized. She'd never believe he had walked away from such an intriguing facial reading dilemma.
As they made their way across the lobby, he stopped in his tracks, having spotted a face that was definitely not one he could ignore. Picking up the pace, he strode after the retreating figure.
"Dad… Dad! Where are we going?" Emily asked from behind him as she struggled to keep up.
He didn't answer her, just continued to follow Agent Reynolds.
"Dad, I don't think we're meant to be back here." They were entering an area that was meant for hotel workers and designated as such.
Cal didn't stop though, so Emily followed after him. Spotting Reynolds entering an office, Cal swept in eyeing the others in the room. He took in his employees, Wallowski, Reynolds, several other Agents, and a kid asleep in a stroller. His common sense told him that there was something very wrong for all of them to be here. "Alo, what's this then?"
"Eli? Ria?" Emily questioned coming in behind her father. She and Cal turned when they heard the click of the door behind them. An agent had shut them in.
"Lightman. Emily." Ben acknowledged them before asking, "Where's Foster?"
"Now why do you need to know that mate?" Cal asked defiantly. "Last I remember, I told you," he glared at Ria, "not to bother us. Now I find you here of all places? I think I deserve some answers?" Cal spoke the last bit to Reynolds who held up his hands in a gesture of appeasement.
"Alright Lightman. You'll get your answers. But if you can tell us where Gillian is, it could save us all a lot of heart ache." He gave a knowing look to Cal.
"What's this then? Is Gil in trouble?" Adrenaline surged through Cal. The same rage and fear that always arose at even a hint that Gillian might be in danger. He puffed himself up threateningly at Ben as there was nowhere else to direct those feelings.
"We're not sure…"
"Not sure?!" Cal interrupted Ben before he had even begun to explain.
"Look, I'm trying to explain." Ben's tone conveyed his own building frustration with Lightman.
Ben was a man of action and being contained in this small room was driving him crazy. Which was why when Eli spotted Lightman on the elevator cameras, Ben had made the quick decision to step out and catch Cal's attention. He knew Lightman would follow him. While the man could be a royal pain in his ass, he was also amazingly adept at using his facial recognition skills to solve cases. Plus having Cal and Em in the room with them meant they were safe.
"We don't know if Gillian's at risk or not. What we do know is that a witness that has been hiding here is in danger and Gillian knows the witness."
Cal's eyes read the truth in Ben's explanation. They then darted over the faces of the others in the room. Honing in on the woman sitting next to the sleeping child, he noticed she was holding a stuffed animal on her lap in a death grip. The fear and stress were evident on her face. It was the expression of a parent going through the worst nightmare imaginable. His mind started putting the pieces together.
"Gillian's friend…" he whispered.
"What was that?" Ben asked.
"You said Gillian knows the witness." While the response was directed at Ben, Cal continued to stare at the woman. "You wouldn't be talking about Robert would you?"
Robert ducked down behind some bushes. He was panting from running. Looking around he spotted a trash can nestled into a little alcove. It was the perfect space to hide and catch his breath. Making sure he didn't see the mean man anywhere, Robert quickly squeezed into the space and sat down with his back to the can. He took a few calming breaths as Michael kept watch for him.
He had never run so fast in his life. Michael had told him where to go as he raced away from the bad men. Robert didn't think he'd have gotten away without Michael's help.
"What should I do now Michael?" he whispered to his special friend, but Michael didn't answer.
Robert sighed and wiped at a stray tear running down his face. This wasn't the time to cry. He knew that. He had to find someone to help him. But Brian, Darcy and Ava were going to their room, and the bad men had been in their room. Robert looked up at Michael with worry.
"Do you think Brian, Darcy, and Ava … ?" His question trailed off as Michael assured him they were alright.
Robert nodded in relief. He knew better than to question how Michael knew that. Michael knew everything.
"Should I try to find them?" Robert thought that sounded like a good plan but Michael told him no. He said that they weren't at the hotel anymore.
"Where did they go?" Michael didn't answer.
Robert chewed on his thumb. He needed help that was for sure. Michael was great, but no one could see him but Robert.
"I need help Michael... I need … a friend."
An idea popped into his mind.
"Gillian! I bet she would help me. You did say she was im-pore-tent. Right? Can you help me find her?" He whispered.
Michael seemed to think that was a good idea.
"Ok." Robert nodded to himself. He had to be brave and go find Gillian.
"Ok, Michael. I'm ready." Robert said squeezing back out from behind the trashcan and following Michael to a door that led back into the hotel.
It didn't take long for them to get Cal caught up on the situation and even less time for Cal to put himself back in charge of his team. Ben wasn't surprised. As soon as they revealed that even a hint of threat to Gillian existed, Ben knew Cal would do anything in his power to protect her. Even if it meant alienating the Agents that were already working diligently to solve this case.
Ben rolled his eyes as Cal attempted to pick yet another fight with Agent Prefti. This time it was because Prefti and Reynolds had made the decision to move his undercover agents and their daughter to a more secure location. Cal thought they should stay in case they might remember something or add additional insights.
Agent Prefti had of course gone ahead with the decision. He left with his team of his Agents to escort the Carters to the waiting vans. The vans would take the Carters to a safe house. Ben wasn't certain if Prefti would have personally overseen such an escort under normal circumstances or if he had chosen to do so as an excuse to get away from Lightman.
Reynolds knew the real reason Cal was blowing up at his fellow Agents was because he felt constrained by not doing anything. Cal was like Ben in that way. Not that Ben wanted to admit Lightman was at all like him, but the fact remained, keeping Cal confided in a small room while Gillian was at risk was like caging an angry tiger.
Knowing this about Lightman, and also about himself, he went against his better judgment and offered up a potential remedy.
"Lightman, lay off alright. We get that you want to make sure Foster's ok. But the Carters have told us all they know and what's safest for them and their daughter is to be moved to a safe house." Ben emphasized the words while shooting a look toward Emily, reminding Lightman that he should know what it meant to keep a child safe. Cal shot him a look but appeared to be properly chastised. "Now what we should be focusing on is how to get Foster and Robert here safely. Is there anything you can tell us about Foster or Robert? Do you know where we might find either one of them?"
Something flashed in Cal's eyes and Reynolds saw him give a quick glance towards his daughter. He didn't get the chance to call him on it though because Ria beat him to the punch.
"Whoa. What was that?" Her gaze caught Lightman's as she stepped forward, her desire to unmask the truth taking precedent over her sense of self-preservation.
"Never you mind." Cal shot her a look as the mask slipped back into place.
Turning toward Ben, he addressed him directly. "Right. Haven't seen Gillian since last night." Now technically it had been this morning, but it hadn't really felt like the morning, so in essence it was fairly close to the truth, making the lie a bit easier to pull off. "Last we saw Robert he was leaving the restaurant. Said he was heading up to his room. Right Em?"
"Um yeah, yeah he said his aunt and uncle told him to come up straight away once he finished his puzzle." Emily chewed on her lower lip looking forlorn.
Cal could see she was kicking herself for not making sure Robert got back safely. He felt like a right tosser himself. "That's it luv." He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.
"Oi, did you find him on the feeds?" Cal dropped the gentle tone he'd used for his daughter when he directed the question at Eli.
Poor Eli was hunched over his laptop screen scanning through several video feeds from the hotel. They were so small he had to squint to try and make out the details. "God I miss the lab," he complained. "Yeah I think I caught him heading toward the elevators but there were so many people and he's so small it's hard to be sure. It looked like he was on the elevator and then got off. I caught a glimpse of him in the hallway on his floor, but now there's nothing. He hasn't popped up on any of the other screens. It's like he vanished."
"How can a kid bloody vanish?" Lightman growled in frustration.
"I mean there are so many kids here, it's hard to find one little blond haired boy in a sea of running children." Eli ran his hand over his face in frustration, his red rimmed eyes searching the tiny screens depicting the various cameras in the hotel.
"I definitely saw those thugs that ran into Lightman. They were on the elevator feeds and then in the hallways. But it was hard to catch their faces. They know where the cameras are and are doing their best to keep their identities hidden." Eli blinked and groaned. "But after the hallway feed, they vanish too. It's like they are there one minute and gone the next. I have no idea where they went." He continued to scan the feeds looking to see where they might pop up.
"And no sign of Foster?" Ben asked him.
"Mmm-mmm." Eli mumbled in the negative still watching the video feeds. "If only I had my other laptop…"
"I told you that you could use mine." Ria picked up her laptop bag for emphasis.
"It would take too long to load the program on yours. What I need is a laptop that already has the …" Eli stopped and sat up in his chair turning toward Lightman. "…program on it."
"You need my laptop." Lightman responded flatly. Inside though he was thrilled. This was his chance to get up to his room and get a hold of Gillian; make certain she was alright. He could pop up there and no one would be the wiser.
"Right." Cal paused as his mind raced to come up with a plan. "I'll just pop up to my room. Grab the laptop…"
"Not so fast Lightman." Ben puffed out his chest. "There are still terrorists loose in this hotel. I'm not letting you go anywhere by yourself."
"Right," Cal agreed quickly noting the surprise on Ben's face and trying not to smirk in response. He'd never really been convinced that Ben hadn't had feelings for Gillian. And if by tagging along, Reynolds happened to find out that he and Gil… well, that was no skin off his back, now was it. Trying not to smile and give himself away, Cal continued as he edged closer to the door. "So Ben and I will just pop up…"
"I'm coming too!" Emily jumped up from her chair.
"Absolutely not. It's too dangerous…" Lightman immediately shot back but Em interrupted him before his rant could get going in earnest.
"I am going. If Robert and Gillian need our help then I'm going too. Gillian's family and family sticks together and as for Robert, well, I promised him and I won't let him down again. I won't." Emily stood with her hands in fists at her side holding her chin out defiantly.
Cal's internal thoughts were in conflict. He was immensely proud of the determination he read on his daughter's face; apple didn't fall too far from the tree. As always he was moved by her love for Gillian. Then there was the question of her safety. While he didn't want Emily running around a hotel that was full of terrorists, he also felt safer when she was where he could protect her. Rational or not, he didn't trust her safety to anyone else, except Zoe and Gillian. They were the only people, other than himself, who he knew in his heart would lay down their own lives to save Emily.
All these thoughts raced through Cal's mind coupled with his fear that Emily would discover where Gillian's hotel room was located. Cal did not want her to know what had transpired between them the night before. He wasn't ready to have that conversation with her yet.
As Cal's mind raced, Ria interjected.
"I should come too. We interviewed the Shehu triplets. I can identify them. Plus they are really hard to read, it's almost like they have a secret language, and I have the most experience with reading them." She rushed through the explanation, trying to ignore Cal's penetrating gaze as she attempted to convince Reynolds. Ria needed to get out of the room, despite the danger. She was going just as stir crazy as her boss.
"And you'll need back up." Wallowski pointed out the obvious lack of Agent presence in the office. Only the tech guys still immersed in reviewing the video feeds with Loker remained.
Ben shook his head and rubbed his face. What the hell was he thinking?
"Right. This is not a bust." He eyed Wallowski. "Not some crime scene television show." He gave Emily and Ria each a look in turn.
"We are simply going to Lightman's room, retrieving his laptop, and then we are coming straight back here. Understood? If I tell you to run, you run." He again looked pointedly at Emily. "If I tell you to hit the floor, you hit the floor." Then he looked at Ria. "And if I tell you to do something you do it." This time he emphasized his point to Lightman.
"I'm in charge. Is that understood?" Ben glared at Cal waiting for a response.
Cal threw up his hands as if in surrender. "You're in charge. Right you are."
Ben eyed him warily. They both knew Reynolds still didn't believe him. Cal shrugged. To be fair, it wasn't like he believed it himself.
Ben shook his head mumbling, "I can't believe I'm doing this," before turning to address Eli. "Eli, is there anything on the feeds from here to Lightman's hotel room?"
Eli asked Cal for his room number then pulled up the appropriate cameras. "If you take these elevators up to the floor, then go down this hallway, it all looks clear."
"Ok. Eli you stay here and continue to scan the feeds. If you catch anything, anything at all, keep us informed." Ben held up his phone and Eli nodded. "We'll stop for a bit in the room so you can give us the all clear before we come back. If Agent Prefti returns you let him know where I've gone."
Getting another nod from Eli, Ben turned toward the door. Cal had beat him to it, but before Lightman could crack it open, Ben's arm shot out to hold it shut. Cal threw a look over his shoulder at Ben questioningly.
"Best behavior Lightman." Ben threatened.
"Scout's honor." Cal replied.
Gillian Foster was having the best dream.
She was lying in bed with Cal Lightman and he was slowly running his fingers along the skin of her arm as he crooned to her, in that beautiful Cockney accent, "You bring out the best in me luv."
Gillian felt herself grinning as she called him out on it. "Liar." She teased, giggling as he pulled her lower half even closer to him. She tilted her head, watching his eyes as she traced his grin with her fingertips.
Growling, he pulled her into a deep kiss. "It's true luv" he whispered into her ear as his fingers trailed down her abdomen. "From the first moment I met you, I've wanted to be a better person."
She inhaled the scent of him. It was so hard to believe he was telling her these things. He'd always had a way of surprising her.
He continued to whisper in her ear. "You understand me more than anyone else ever has and you've been there for me through … well everything."
As he pulled back from her ear, things began to get a little blurry. Gillian tried to focus on Cal's face but it was growing fuzzier by the second.
She squinted at him as she heard him say, "I trust you Gillian."
She sighed and shut her eyes tight hoping that when she opened them he would be more in focus.
"There is something I should have said a long time ago," Cal paused.
It was so important that she listen, that she see him. In her heart she knew what he was about to say, what she longed to hear. She opened her eyes and found herself looking deeply into his hazel ones.
When he didn't say anything further, she encouraged him. "Yes Cal?"
He smiled at her with something new in his eyes. Something she'd waited so long to see reflected there.
"Gil, I love…love…love….love…"
As her brain woke up, the dream meshed with reality. Cal's repetitive wording became an annoying alarm. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she realized she had taken an impromptu nap. Sitting up she reached over to mute the beeping and noticed that there was a light flashing on the room's phone alerting her to a new message.
'That's odd,' she thought. Pressing the speaker button she followed the prompts to listen to the message. There was only one.
"Gillian Foster?"
Upon hearing the woman's voice, Gillian could immediately tell something was wrong. She sounded hesitant and frightened.
"Um hi. This is Darcy, Robert's … aunt."
Gillian's stomach instantly knotted and the hairs on the back of her neck rose. She heard the hesitation when Darcy called herself Robert's aunt. That was odd, but the fear in the woman's voice signaled an even bigger issue. Gillian bit her lip. 'Not Robert, please not Robert.'
"I'm so sorry to bother you, but … well … we can't find Robert."
Gillian's heart fell. "No," she whispered.
"I … I was hoping you might have seen him. Or if you do that you would watch over him. He's … well he's been through a lot … and I promised to make sure he was safe …"
With each word, Gillian could hear the woman's heart breaking.
"If … if you do find him, please call me …" Gillian propped the phone under her ear so she could take the cap off the pen that had been sitting with a pad of paper on the end table. She quickly took down the number as Darcy called out the digits.
Not bothering to erase the message, Gillian hung up the phone. Tearing the slip of paper with Darcy's phone number on it, she tucked it into her purse along with her room key and cell phone. Not even bothering to check her reflection in the mirror, she left the room in search of Robert.
As she checked to make sure the door had locked behind her, she recognized a familiar voice call out, 'Don't forget your key." Gillian turned around. Standing in the doorway of the room next to hers was Sharon Wallowski. The detective was addressing someone already in the hall. In her outstretched hand was a room key.
"No." Gillian whispered, her already fragile stomach in knots.
She didn't want to look; didn't want to confirm what her mind told her she already knew. Her heart wanted to deny it; wanted to believe that after last night, he couldn't have done this. That he wouldn't have jumped into bed with another woman, let alone Sharon Wallowski, after telling her that very morning that he loved her. It couldn't be true.
Swallowing down the bile that rose in her throat, she knew she had to look. So she did, her heart begging every deity in existence that it would not be him.
But it was.
He stood staring at her with his eyes wide open. His head began shaking 'no,' and he opened his mouth to try to explain, "Gil … it's not …"
She didn't wait around for the excuse. Turning her back to him she fled down the hallway. There had been no time to school her features, to put up a mask she wasn't even sure she had the capability of producing.
As she stormed away, angrily brushing the tears from her cheeks, she felt her heart shatter.
Robert froze. His little hands holding the handle to the door that would let him into the hallway. There was no sound in the stairwell above or below him. But he trusted Michael. So when Michael told him to freeze he did.
Leaning his ear closer to the door, he thought he heard something. It was muffled, but sounded like voices. Slowly and as quietly as he could, he opened the door just a crack. Peering through the small opening he saw Gillian. Before he could cry out to her though, a familiar male voice stopped him.
"Dr. Gillian Foster. We meet at last."
The man's voice was heavily accented. The accent was one Gillian couldn't quite place, it almost sounded Greek, but that wasn't right. It didn't help that she was upset and distracted. She blinked away her tears and took in the man's features. He appeared to be in his twenties, fit, well groomed, and impeccably dressed. His stature and demeanor suggested a man who liked to be in control and was used to getting his way.
Gillian's guard went up. Years of training allowed her to school hear features. Standing up straighter she directed her gaze at him. "I'm so sorry. Do I know you?"
"No, not yet." The tone of his voice was calm, yet there was an undertone to it that she didn't like. "But I have made the acquaintance of your colleagues at the Lightman Group."
Gillian didn't remember this man in any of the case files. "Are you a client, Mr. …?"
"Shehu. Agron Shehu." He didn't offer her his hand when he supplied his name. "And no … I'm not a … client."
Gillian heard the unspoken command in his tone. Unconsciously she stepped back and bumped into something unmoving. Looking up she realized it was a man, a very muscular man who was the spitting image of Agron Shehu. Several more burly men appeared behind Agron seemingly out of nowhere.
Gillian refused to let them see that she was afraid. "Well if you're not a client Mr. Shehu, then perhaps we can discuss your business at our offices during normal hours. As you can clearly see I'm on vacation and would like to get back to enjoying myself." Gillian turned as if to walk away, but was stopped when the man behind her grabbed her upper arms.
"No, I don't think my business can wait that long Dr. Foster. In fact, I believe you can help me right now." Agron paused for emphasis as he watched her face.
She schooled her features as best she could, believing this had something to do with her or Cal. As angry as she was at him, she would never betray him. She still loved him. A thought which would have broken her if it had not been for the dire situation she was currently facing.
"You see I'm looking for a friend of yours." Agron pulled out a photo and stared at it for a moment before looking into her eyes.
Believing the photo was of Cal, she was totally unprepared when Agron turned the image around and a familiar curly haired freckled face smiled up at her.
"Robert Carter."
Gillian's shock was evident and unfortunately her recognition of the boy was too.
"So you do know him. I wasn't sure if it was true that you had a connection with the boy." Agron's words were laced with anger, surprise, and pleasure.
She tried to put the mask on, even began to shake her head in an attempt to lie, "No…" Her protest died on her lips when unmasked animosity flashed across Agron's features.
"She knows something." He told the man holding her arms. An evil looking smile spread across his face, causing the blood in her veins to freeze. "Take her."
Gillian twisted in the man's arms, hearing the finality in that statement. If they took her, she wouldn't be coming back. But before she could scream, a cloth covered her face. She tried to pull at the hand holding it there but to no avail. The harsh smelling chemical entered her lungs all too quickly. Spots began to fill her eyes, and the world swam as her legs gave out from under her. The last thing she noticed before passing out was a little eyeball watching her from a crack in a doorway on the side of the hallway. Then the big man threw her over his shoulder and everything went black.