Chapter Fifty Three
Meredith was furious when Rick's attorney hung up on her. He set up a trust? Even worse the trustee was now Martha. Damn it! She threw away her phone in anger; it bounced against the back facing seats and hit the partition to the driver, who opened it immediately.
"Yes, signorina?"
"Drive faster!" Nodding he closed the partition and hit the gas.
She kicked the phone out of her way, opened the bar pouring nearly a full glass of vodka. She wanted to drain it but sipped slowly as she tried to figure out how she could get to New York with Alexis. The film she was doing still had six days left in the shooting schedule. She could not leave because if they went one day over schedule or one dollar over budget, she would lose a very nice bonus. She was nearly broke and desperately needed that money, she had run through almost all the money Rick had given her and she had no one else to borrow from. Maybe she could sweet talk the director into letting her leave early or perhaps she could convince her daughter into staying. After all a girl should be with her mother at a time like this!
Putting the now empty glass back, she pulled some breath mints and a bottle of eye drops from her purse. She popped in several mints and applied the eye drops liberally, so liberally that her eyes looked watery and her eye makeup ran slightly. She rubbed her eyes until they looked red, then she checked the effect in her mirror as she put on her best tragic face. Who could say no to that? Retrieving her phone, she was ready as the limo door opened at hotel. But she was not ready for what she found entering her daughter's bedroom. Alexis was packing, actually it looked like she was nearly done packing.
Dropping her purse and coat, she walked over to her daughter with her arms wide open. "Oh my poor sweet baby, I came home as soon as I heard the news of what happened to your Dad..." She paused for dramatic effect and wiped at her eyes..."but apparently not fast enough."
She stopped when Alexis turned around with her arms still at her side. Her eyes were dry and she looked sad but calm. "Gram called me and then I watched all the stories on the news. Most of them didn't even mention Dad might have been kidnapped, they all assume he is dead. I need to know for sure and be there for Gram..." Sighing she walked over to her closet and checked the bureau and nightstand. "The first direct flight to New York is tonight at eleven. I've already called for a car; it should be here in a few minutes. I can exchange my return ticket at the main gate. I was just checking to make sure I've packed everything." Closing her travel bag, she put it with her other luggage. "I know you really want to come with me, but it's OK Mom, I understand you have to finish your film and you don't want to miss the wrap party."
Before Meredith could even think of what to say or stop her, there was a knock on the suite door. "Your car is downstairs, Signorina Castle. Is this all your luggage? Shall I bring it down for you now or should I have the driver wait?"
"I'm ready now." She grabbed her jacket and purse from the bed. "I'll call you as soon as there is anything new." Alex hugged her Mom. kissed her cheek and smelled the liquor. As she got in the car, she felt her eyes fill with tears. She felt sorry for her mother but not enough to stay or to ask her to come to New York. If she was honest, it was great to have an excuse to leave early. She wanted to be with her grandmother, especially now. She missed her Dad already and did not know when she would see him again...if she could just talk to him again, even by phone. Shaking her head, grow up Alexis, she would soon have college to keep her mind occupied, Gram was engaged again and her father would have Kate to keep him company and out of trouble. Arriving at the airport, she quickly changed her ticket but still had an hour before her flight. Dropping the burner phone behind a stack of plastic bins at the security screening area, she got a bottle of water, found a quiet corner and called her Grandmother. "Hi Gram, I'm on flight 77 and will be back in New York by 1AM your time."
"Oh sweetie, I'm so glad you are coming home to me. Even on a red eye be warned, the press is everywhere. Mike is sending someone to pick you up, he will meet your plane and then drive you here...don't go anywhere near the loft and please, please be very careful because I need you here, I want a hug and I'm sure you want one too."
Alexis felt better when they finally hung up and settled in a comfortable chair with her book waiting for the flight home to finish boarding. She just couldn't deal with people staring or pointing at her right now. Hearing the last call for her flight, she put on her sunglasses and was one of the last people to board. Luckily, there were very few people sitting in first class, after takeoff she removed her sunglasses and dug out her IPOD. The flight home always seemed much longer but tonight it seemed endless. She ate, not because she was hungry, just to kill a little more time. She finally started to get sleepy just as they announced that they were starting the initial decent into JFK. It suddenly hit her that for the first time in her life, her father would not be waiting for her with open arms when they landed. Angry at the tears she could not stop, Alexis put back on her sunglasses and made sure she was the first one off the plane. Feeling ashamed at how much she wanted her Gram there waiting to hug and hold her, she expected that Mike would be there and he would escort her to a waiting limo. Her heart skipped a beat seeing not Mike but Keith waiting for her just beyond the arrival gate. Alexis did not remember moving forward but suddenly she was in his arms.
It felt so good to hug and hold her. Not able to let her go, Keith walked them to the next empty gate, lifted her sunglasses and kissed her. "Welcome home, God I've missed you so much, Alexis!" The kiss escalated until he had her pinned against the wall. His heart was pounding and reluctantly he had to pull back desperate for some air. Her face was flushed, she was panting and her crystal blue eyes were wide open in surprise and a touch of panic. Running his hands down her arms, he realized that she was trembling in equal parts from desire and fear of the unknown. It was very obvious that she had never been with a man before. Yet, this girl, barely more than a child had set him on fire, only thoughts of her father and Mike snapped him back to reality. "Alexis without even trying you seduce me; make me forget why I am here. God help me when you do know what the hell you are doing?" Chuckling at her puzzled expression, he leaned in and pressed his lips to her forehead, giving them both some time to calm down. "Do you have more luggage?" Nodding she pulled her baggage claim ticket from her jeans. They walked holding hands through the nearly deserted terminal to the exit closest to short term parking. He stopped and pointed to a ladies room next to that doorway. "I need to see if there is any press outside, be right back." Returning moments later, "I didn't see any media lurking so I'll go get the SUV and have a skycap get your bags. Wait inside the ladies room for ten minutes, then come outside and I'll be there." Handing Alexis back her sunglasses, he kissed her cheek and left.
Walking into the ladies room, Alexis' heart beat had finally returned to normal but her face still looked flushed. After using the restroom, she splashed some water on her face, pulled her hair into a pony tail and put on a baseball cap. Ten minutes later, she walked outside and was relieved to find Keith standing at the curb with the SUV door open for her. They drove in silence until Alexis noticed he kept checking the mirrors. "What's wrong?"
"There's a van following us, could be just a news crew that spotted us at the airport but I'm not taking any chances, hold on!" Weaving in and out of traffic at top speed, he soon lost the van but continued going at or just above the speed limit. Might as well take advantage of the nearly empty roads, he looked over to see Alexis still had her eyes tightly closed. "Hey Alexis relax, I lost them." Reaching over he pried her hands loose from the seat belt. "Take a deep breath and let it out. I know this has been a hard day for you but there are some things I need to tell you."
"Did something go wrong after I talked to my father?"
"Wait! You talked to your father? When? How?"
"Last night after the yacht blew up. He gave me a burner phone before I left for Europe. He called me when he got to "The Muse". He wanted me to know that he was OK and about the plan for him and Kate to play dead. He asked me to let Gram know and Mr. Beckett but no one else...he also asked me to get rid of the phone or destroy it. I left it in Rome at the airport security checkpoint. Don't worry I wiped it down first and Dad threw his phone into the ocean."
"I wasn't sure how to tell you about the plan. Mike is probably going to be pissed about the burner phone but I'm glad you got to talk to him."
"Dad told me you helped him escape. Thank you Keith, I'm just glad the plan worked. I'll really miss him but as long as he's OK, I can play my part."
"Alexis, I need to tell you everything that happened last night...and about what I need to do now as part of that plan so everyone thinks your Dad is dead."
As they drove towards the beach house, Keith told her about the second bomb, the men on the beach and his part in "leaking" the enhanced video tape. He continued to fill her in on the next steps in the plan as they drove to the Hamptons. "So, basically I need you to insist that your Dad was kidnapped and he is still alive...when you talk to the press, OK?" He glanced over and saw his passenger was sound asleep. "Poor kid, having to deal with all this and jet lag."
Smiling Keith suddenly realized just how tired he was. He managed a quick power nap at his apartment in the city but still needed a cool shower to wake up enough to be at the airport on time. He had been running on adrenaline for the last two days but now he was unable to stop yawning. He slowed down seeing an all-night restaurant just ahead. Unwilling to wake her up or leave Alexis alone even for a minute, he drove past it with a sigh. His patience was rewarded, a few minutes later he saw a drive-thru coffee shop. Pulling in he wanted a gallon but settled for an extra-large black coffee with lots of sugar. He drained it quickly and was very glad they were less than an hour from the beach house. Hopefully, most of the press was gone by now and Mike would let him crash for a nap on the couch or if the FBI was still camped out in the living room, he could snag a bed in one of the quest rooms. If the FBI were using the guest rooms, he wouldn't mind sharing a bed with Alexis...that thought snapped him back to reality. He was playing a part, a part he was being paid to play. When he looked at her, it was so hard sometimes to remember that this was a job...only a job. He wanted it to be much more but he knew that was a dream and his dreams never came true.
