Chapter 35:
Stephanie grabbed her cup of coffee off the counter and sat down at the table to read the paper. Paul had taken the girls to do a little last minute shopping before her parents came for dinner. They were headed to her brother Shane's on Christmas Eve and they decided to do Christmas a little early. She had just taken a sip of her coffee when she felt a pain shoot through her. She fell to the floor and took a breath as it registered that she'd been shot. She lay there in the floor, trying desperately to breathe. Tears escaped her eyes as she tried to pull herself up to get to her cell phone. She pulled herself up and reached toward the middle of the table, her fingers tainted red from the blood that was now flooding the front of her white blouse. She'd almost reached it, when the rest of her energy gave out and she fell back to the floor. She laid there, watching the floor around her with the broken glass and the blood covering the floor, willing her eyes to stay open until Paul could come home. He should have been on his way back by now. The door opened and she said a silent prayer of thanks that someone was coming to help her. But the person standing above her, hovering over her like a ghost from her past kneeled beside her and took her wedding rings off her hand careful not to step in any of the blood. His eyes looked sad. As if he really didn't want to do what he was doing.
"I'm sorry." Was all he said in response as he quickly left the house. She blinked a few times, the edges of her vision becoming dull and blurry. She was willing herself to stay awake. Willing herself to survive. But as she slowly slipped into unconsciousness, the hope began to fade.
Keleigh sat straight up in bed, covered in sweat and breathing heavily. Her face was wet with tears. Randy sat up next to her and put his hand on her shoulder causing her to look over at him. Worry covered his face. Keleigh had been tossing and turning in her sleep for the last hour. She'd been talking in her sleep for the last few minutes and then she'd just bolted awake.
"She died. She…she never saw it coming." Randy wrapped her in his arms and leaned back on the bed.
"Shhhh, it was just a nightmare. It's okay."
"It felt so real Randy. It was…." Her cell phone rang and she sat up and grabbed it from the nightstand looking to see that it was Jerry. "Hey Dad."
"Hey honey. I uh…I need to talk to you. Where are you?"
"I'm at Randy's apartment."
"Okay, I will be there in a few minutes." He hung the phone up and surveyed the scene. Stephanie was laying on a gurney, covered from the waist down with a sheet. Paul was in the living room holding on to the girls, his face blank as the small children sobbed because Mama was asleep and wouldn't wake up. His mind traveled back to when he'd had to go to the morgue and identify Trent and Katherine's bodies. He remembered that same blank expression from when he'd seen her face, the life drained out of it. He'd felt so empty inside. He walked out of the building and headed to the car. He needed to deliver this news to her personally. He couldn't let her know that her best friend was dead over the phone. His cell phone rang as he got in the car.
"Lawler."
"I need you at head quarters ASAP!"
"On my way."
John groaned at the shrill ringing of his cell phone. He'd been having a great dream and was warm snuggled next to Eve in their bed. He knew that his phone ringing at 3 AM couldn't be good news.
"Cena."
"John, it's Jerry. I need you to head to the office ASAP. An agent was killed earlier this evening."
"Do we have any idea who it is?"
"It's Stephanie." John closed his eyes for a second and then he jumped out of bed running around to put on his clothes. His mind flashed to Keleigh and how she would take the news. She would be devastated.
"Does K know?"
"I am on my way to tell her now."
"Alright. I will be there in a few." He hung the phone up and looked over at Eve who was now sitting up in bed. " I have to go."
"What's the matter?" He looked over at her as he sat down on the end of the bed to put on his shoes.
"Stephanie is dead."
Adam walked into Batista's apartment and placed the rings on the table. He couldn't believe that he'd done it. He'd actually gone through with killing her. The sight of her looking up at him with the life beginning to fade from her eyes would haunt him forever. He hadn't wanted to do it but he knew he had to prove his loyalty to Batista.
Dave turned to look at him slightly and then turned back to his drink. He knew that if Adam killed the only woman he'd ever loved, it would prove that he was loyal to the cause. Loyal to making his enemies pay for what they had done to him. Keleigh was going to be crushed and once he got her away from Randy, he could be there for her. He could comfort her and let her know that it would get easier with time.
"You did well." He said not looking at Adam again. "Go on home and wait for further instructions."
Adam nodded and walked back out to his car. He sat there for a moment staring out the windshield. Stephanie was dead and he'd been the reason for it. He wasn't sure he could live with himself. But he'd come too far to turn back now. The words of the visitor he'd had the other night echoed in his mind.
I told you in the beginning to do what you had to do.