Red woke, just before the sunrise, the two of them in the same position gently cuddled together, as they were when they fell asleep, as if they'd been frozen in time. He moved ever so slightly to gaze upon her face as the sun began to rise, filling the sky with shades of rose, violet and orange; the sun's rays falling gracefully upon her perfect pale skin. He gently woke her from her slumber and watched as she came to and smiled sleepily up at him in a manner that tugged at his heart stings. He'd really been lonely too and yet, he found himself frightened to do more than just hold her and protect her, no matter how much more he might dream of being to her.
He called for breakfast as she showered, then he jumped in afterwards. They talked about the rest of the performances over breakfast, but Red needed to address the Tom issue before he checked them out of the hotel.
"Lizzie. About last night, and about Tom …" He watched as her happy, cheerful demeanor soured. "When Dembe took him home, Tom was muttering about finding you, and making both of us pay. I fear that if he knew you were here, and who knows how he found that out, he knows where you are living right now." He paused, waiting for her to respond; he saw her shudder under her thoughts.
"I don't know what to do. I left him a year ago, just packed my stuff and left while he was in England, no note, and no indication that I had left except for my absence. I managed to find a little apartment in the East Village. Now he's managed to find me, and I can only imagine what he has planned for me." He saw the tears welling up in her eyes.
"Well, I have an proposal if you are open to it. My apartment next to the theatre has two bedrooms. You are more than welcome to the second. Dembe has the apartment next to mine, so you would have his added protection." He let out a nervous chuckle, almost a giggle. "I know it's a bit soon, but do you want to move in together?" He was trying to make light of the situation, and get her to laugh a little. She threw a croissant at him, giggling through the tears, right along with him. "We can check out of here, and Dembe and I can accompany you to your place so you can gather your things. I want to make sure that Tom isn't there."
She agreed. They finished their food, gathered their belongings and Dembe was waiting with the car as Red settled the bill with the front desk. "Dembe, we will be stopping at Lizzie's apartment on the way home."
The ride was silent, the tension rising, as they got closer to Stuyvesant Town. As they arrived, Lizzie saw that there had been an accident; a car was parked in the foyer of the building. They went around to an alternate entrance and approached her unit, the doorjamb was damaged and it looked as though the door had been kicked in. Dembe took the lead and entered first, surveying the damage and looking for the potential intruder. After he called back that it was safe, Lizzie entered, not prepared for what she saw. Chairs and tables completely shattered, drawers emptied onto the floor, cushions thrown and shredded, pictures dragged from the wall and dropped onto the floor where they lay broken, and there was glass strewn everywhere. The contents of the kitchen cabinets were completely covering the tile floor. She was swimming in her thoughts, realizing that this was the work of Tom, and if she'd been here when he showed up, she would have surely been killed. She made her way to the bedroom; it was just as bad as the rest of the place, except he had decided to spray paint obscenities on the walls. Her eyes were met with the words 'SLUT', 'SKANK', 'BITCH', and 'FUCKING DIE'. Her bedding was thrown onto the floor and her mattress had been ripped open. The mirror to her vanity was shattered, and her desk was broken in two. All of her dresser drawers were missing, piled in the corner of the room, her clothes were soiled, and she didn't want to know with what.
She felt Red standing behind her. "Red … if I had been here …"
"I know. I don't want to imagine what would have happened. Gather what things you can. I will make some calls and get this taken care of." She heard him leave, glass and debris crunching under his feet. She went to the closet and gathered what clothing was left that Tom hadn't destroyed. She was resigned to the fact that she was going to need a shopping trip. She pushed the bed over and pulled the floorboards up, exposing a hidden compartment. Inside was a medium sized box, containing what little bit she had left of her childhood. She gathered up the box, what little clothing was left unspoiled, and a few pictures that were not completely damaged, then whet to meet Red and Dembe in the hall. Red was explaining the situation to her landlady, and she saw him hand her a large thick envelope.
"Miss Milhoan, I'm glad that you're ok. You will be missed. Please take care of yourself. Things will be taken care of, and this will not go against you." The lady gave her a small hug, and walked away.
"Lizzie, how would you like to handle this? Would you like to have the police involved? Dembe can acquire the surveillance footage, showing Tom being here."
Shaking her head she rejected that idea. "No, it's not worth it. Tom has friends that work for the police department; they'll fudge the reports and get him off. I just want to leave. We do not suffer by accident, do we?" She pushed the anger and frustration down, and forced a smile. "Besides we have a show tonight!" She headed down the hall, and out the door to the car. Dembe took her things and she waited in the car for Red. He appeared a few minutes later, and they were off; off to her new home. She knew at least now that she would be safe. In the car he leaned over, and gently took hold of her hand. "You're safe now Lizzie. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."