Chapter 11
Mick dodged as a vase narrowly missed his head. "Woah! Didn't a Moroccan Sheikh give you that?"
Josef looked over as Mick walked into the room. "Iranian actually," he muttered, brooding.
"I just saw Simone rush past me. I take it you told her about Sara?"
"Worse. She found her here with Logan." Josef caught Mick's querying look. Impatiently he said, "computer lessons. And Sara had ringside tickets when Simone planted a big one on me."
"Oh man."
"Yeah, understatement of the year, Columbo. I finally know what you felt like when Beth walked in on us with Simone. Talk about perspective. And I don't do perspective."
"Sorry brother, I'm not going down that road again. Beth is still sensitive about that. But Josef, surely you should have said something to her before now?" Mick picked his way across the remnants of the shattered vase, and came to stand next to his friend, both of them surveying the mess.
"I tried to get a hold of her but she was in Milan, working on a damned deal. I had hoped to speak to her the minute she got back. She found me first."
"Yeah, no kidding."
Josef snorted. "All these pearls of wisdom, Mick. What are you doing here anyway?"
"Where's Sara?" Mick looked around.
"Do you really think she wanted to stay around and watch me make out with my human freshie girlfriend person?"
Mick raised an eyebrow.
"What the hell happened to the good old days before freedom of movement? People used to knock before entering, write letters letting you know they were coming, leaving you with more than enough time to charter the first steam boat on to another continent. Now everyone just shows up! No letter, no call, nothing! Dammit!"
"Yeah, like you would part with your mobile. You're inseparable."
"Yeah well, back in the day, I didn't know what I was missing." Josef poured himself another drink and looked at Mick enquiringly.
Mick shook his head. Whiskey wasn't his drink of choice. "Sara stormed out. I'm not sure where she went. I tell you Mick, the look in her eyes when she saw Simone kiss me..." Josef went quiet, as if reliving it again. "I asked Smith to keep an eye on her."
"On pain of death probably. Poor Smith."
"That's why he's paid a fortune." Josef shook his head to clear it.
"Look, my contact at air traffic control called. John Whitley's plane just landed. He's back in the country."
Josef cussed. "Great! Just the news I needed to cap off this sterling day. What's next? You going to tell me that Sara knows about this?"
"No, but she will want to know."
"Ten points to St. John. I see now why business is doing so well, Mick."
"What do you want? You can't have it both ways, Josef. Either you try to make things right with Simone, in which case you need to let Sara go, or you claim her."
Josef turned to look at Mick. "Claim her?"
"What?"
"Claim her? Jeez… Beth Turner has you reading Harlequins, doesn't she?"
Mick sneered. "No!"
"Then where the hell do you come off telling me to 'claim' her?" Josef chuckled reluctantly. "I'm sure that will go down real well, especially after the way Sara stormed out of here."
"What do you want, Josef?" Mick asked as he moved to stand directly in front of his friend. All the better to read his facial expressions.
"What do I want?" he bellowed in frustration. "I want clarity in my life again! I want Kostan Industries' stock to hit the roof! I want things to be simple, clear cut, easy! But that would mean that I wish for Sara to be in a coma again, and I don't! My God, I don't!" he said passionately.
"It's just all so complicated all of a sudden. One day I was wondering which freshie to have for lunch, and the next I was faced with the only woman I had ever pledged, and ever planned to pledge, my life to. I know I love her, I also know I care about Simone, and I was well on my way to making our arrangement a semi-permanent one. I can't just erase what we had. My life has changed. I'm different. Dammit Mick! I want to wake up and think about work again! Not my feelings!" he uttered in disgust. "I want… her."
"The vampire shoots, he scores!"
Logan walked into the room. "Hell, what happened here? The ladies went at each other, didn't they? Man, I saw that one coming!"
"Not now, Fido."
"Mick, you wound me, dude. No more guitar hero for you my friend."
Josef looked at Mick. "You play that crap?"
"It's addictive ok? Besides, I was in a band remember?" Mick glared at Logan.
"What I remember is how bad you were."
Mick took the glass out of Josef's hand and pushed him toward the exit. "You know where you need to be. And it isn't here guzzling whiskey."
"Or critiquing your performance, Mick… Jagger."
Mick made a face. "Ha ha."
"That's quite good actually." Logan laughed. "Mick… Jagger."
"Yeah… right… I'm out of here. And… thanks Mick." Josef walked over the shattered pieces of the vase and the glass crunched under his feet. "Remind me to make a sizable donation to some art gallery in honour of this piece will you?" He didn't wait for a response.
To Logan, Josef said, "playtime is over, Calrissian. Take the rest of the day off."
Logan grinned and saluted Josef as he walked by. "Ur… tell Sara we have a lesson to complete!" he shouted.
"If she's still speaking to me," he muttered.
Josef took the elevator down to his private garage. Smith was driving Sara and he didn't want to have to call a cab. He would drive himself and have someone collect the car and bring it back.
He surveyed the vehicles parked neatly in the open space. SUV's, sedan's, numerous sports cars and other luxury vehicles. Josef didn't hesitate and headed for his red Aston Martin. The DB9 was his favourite, and his appreciation of speed, comfort, class and infinite style.
As he accelerated out of the parking garage, his mobile rang. It was Smith. Sara was home. Minutes later he pulled up next to the curb of his residence.
Josef entered the house and tossed his keys carelessly on the table in the foyer. Polly wasn't home. He knew this because her scent wasn't as strong as it usually was.
"Sara?" He called out. There was no response.
He closed his eyes and listened. There were the usual household noises. He filtered through those and listened more carefully. He heard an excessive amount of movement coming from in her bedroom. Heading there, he knocked to no reply.
"Sara?"
A few beats. "I'm in here."
When he opened the door, he was surprised at what he saw. There was clothing strewn haphazardly everywhere, and Sara was darting back and forth between her wardrobe and a suitcase, which was steadily being filled.
Ripples of alarm coursed through him as he watched clothes being piled on top of each other. She's leaving? Josef had considered so many possibilities of what he might have to say once he faced Sara. He had anticipated having to placate her, explain several times and in great detail about Simone. Hell, he'd even considered that she might give him the cold shoulder for a while, but he had never considered that he might have to beg her to stay.
Panic flooded his system, but he tried to remain casual as he asked, "Hey, what's going on?"
Sara didn't look up and she didn't stop. "I just spoke to Beth. My father is back in New York. I'm catching the next flight out."
