~ Chapter 59 ~
John didn't recognize the speaker's Irish brogue, but he couldn't miss the authority in the man's voice. Though the stranger's comment had been innocuous enough, its hostile undercurrent was evident.
"I suggest you let her go, son."
Frank's tone remained even as he advanced slowly towards John. In a show of defiance, the latter tightened his grip on Marlena, as he turned to face the new arrival.
"I don't know you, I'm not your son, and I don't give a damn what you suggest. How the hell did you find us, anyway?"
"Hell had nothing to do with it," Frank quipped, letting his jacket fall open to reveal his clerical collar. "I prefer to credit divine intervention."
John stared, open-mouthed, at Frank. A vague memory suddenly came into focus.
"You were with her, the other day, at the penthouse."
Marlena drew a sharp intake of breath. The only way John could've known that was if… Her expression darkened, and she glared at him accusingly.
"You've been spying on me!"
John didn't bother denying it.
"It was the only way I could keep tabs on that charlatan you call a therapist!"
"How dare you!"
"You'd kicked me out of our home, but you let him stay. I had to know what he was up to. He's not to be trusted."
"You had no right to subject me to such an invasion of privacy!"
"I had every right. I'm your husband."
"Not for much longer!"
The truth of her retort cut him to the quick, and his hold on her slackened. As she twisted from his grasp, another figure appeared at her side, seemingly out of nowhere. Strong arms reached for her, and she sagged into them gratefully.
"Alex…"
The name was no more than a sigh on her lips, but it resounded like a thunderclap in John's ears, and served only to inflame his rage. As he whirled to confront his rival, a hand shot forward to restrain him. John's attempts to shake it off were for naught, and he promptly found himself pushed onto the bed. Looking up, he glowered balefully at the man keeping him from Marlena.
"Don't touch me! What's going on here is none of your business. It's between me and my wife."
"You mean your soon-to-be ex-wife," Frank gently corrected him.
"We'll see about that," John retorted hotly.
He made a motion to rise, then hastily abandoned the attempt as he noted the priest's immovable figure before him. Frank stood quietly, waiting patiently for John's fury to be spent. After a few minutes, the latter appeared to relax, and Frank took the opportunity to retrieve the bean bag chair. He'd barely lowered himself into the shapeless seat when John went on the offensive.
"You're not my priest. I have nothing to say to you."
"Of course, you're under no obligation to talk to me. But you do seem to have gotten yourself into quite the mess, son. You might benefit from some counsel."
"If you think I'd admit anything to someone associated with that bastard, you're sadly mistaken. You may be a man of the cloth, but I don't trust you any more than I trust him."
"That's truly a shame. While I can understand your point of view, your lack of cooperation won't be looked upon kindly."
"Oh, really? By who?"
"By those I work for. I believe you're well acquainted with them."
Frank pulled his wallet from his back pocket and, flipping it open, withdrew a wrinkled business card. Wordlessly, he passed it to John, whose fingers shook as the implications of what he held sank in. Running a hand nervously through his hair, John returned the paper to Frank.
"I'm in deep trouble."
"But you don't have to be," Frank assured him.
"How can I avoid it?" John questioned hoarsely.
"It's quite simple, really. You stop fighting the divorce. You leave Marlena alone. And you definitely refrain from any more displays of brute force where she's concerned."
"And if I refuse?"
Frank held up the small piece of paper.
"I'm sure you know what they are capable of and, by extension, what I am capable of."
The implied threat hung in the air between the two men, and John scowled. If his years in the ISA had taught him anything, it was how to recognize when you'd been outmanoeuvred by a more skilled opponent, who clearly possessed the advantage. Ruefully, he lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"She can have the divorce. I won't fight it, or delay it in any way."
"You've made a wise decision, son."
"You left me no viable alternative."
"That's true," Frank chuckled, "but at least you were smart enough to realize it."
"Wouldn't take a genius," John muttered, before raising his eyes to meet Frank's gaze. "So, what do we do now?"
"We sit. We chat. We wait until Marlena feels better. Eventually, we go back to Salem. And we all pretend that this little incident never happened."
In the outer room, Alex held Marlena close, murmuring soothing words as he gently stroked her hair. He noted with gratitude that her breathing was slowly returning to normal, and her trembling had eased. For her part, Marlena burrowed into Alex's embrace, resting her head on his chest, and finding comfort in the strong, steady beating of his heart. If she had her way, she'd stay in his arms forever. Knowing that was impossible, she heaved a sigh of disappointment. Alex placed a finger under her chin and tilted her face up to his, where she saw deep concern reflected in his eyes.
"I'm okay. Really."
Her attempt to reassure him fell short of its mark.
"How can you possibly be okay? This has to have traumatized you."
"You're here. We're together. Nothing else matters."
He smiled, and kissed the tip of her nose, before assuming a more serious mien.
"While I'd love to think that a few moments in my arms would be enough to counteract any bad experience, we both know I don't have that kind of power. I saw the look on your face. You were terrified."
"You're right, I was. Especially at first, when I was locked up alone in that dark room. I thought…"
Her words trailed off abruptly, as panic surged through her.
"I know exactly what you thought, because it was the first thing that came to my mind, too."
"That they had come back. That I was their prisoner once more."
"That, in spite of all my training, they'd do something this time that I wouldn't be able to reverse."
"That I was about to lose you all over again."
A wrenching sob escaped her, and he tightened his arms protectively around her as she wept uncontrollably. Eventually, her tears subsided and she collapsed against him, spent.
"You will never lose me," he vowed fiercely. "I'm going to stick to you like glue for the rest of our days."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
The tension that had coiled inside Marlena like a tautly wound spring for the last several hours finally loosened. Gazing at Alex, she noted a far-away look in his eyes.
"Penny for your thoughts."
"I was working out a plan."
"What kind of plan?"
"One that will ensure our future safety."
"From John?"
"No, not from him. There's no way he'd attempt something like this again."
"Oh. You mean from them." Her voice grew quiet.
"They shouldn't view me as a threat, but I need to make sure of it. I want us to be able to live our lives without constantly looking over our shoulders."
She couldn't keep from shivering.
"Is that wise? Deliberately putting yourself in their sights?"
"I don't intend to have anything to do with them. I'm going to let Frank take the lead on this. If anyone can make them see reason, he can."
At the mention of the priest's name, Marlena gasped.
"What is it?" Alex wondered, unsure as to how his words had upset her.
"Frank! We've left him with John all this time."
"John won't hurt him," Alex responded, still puzzled.
"I know that! I suspect that Frank is more than a match for John. But it's late, and he must be tired. Not to mention the fact that I'm positive he has better things to do than to babysit my ex-husband."
"I can't wait till he is."
"Till he is what?" Now it was Marlena's turn to be confused.
"Your ex-husband. I know you signed the papers, but it's not official yet."
"In my heart, it is. More importantly, I made that absolutely clear to John."
"Which is no doubt what drove him to such desperate measures today. And, while I can understand his reaction, there's a part of me that wants nothing more than to go in there and knock him senseless."
"In all honesty, there's a part of me that would stand back and let you. But the other part of me knows how much he's hurting, and how much he's lost. And that's even without him knowing that you're the man I've chosen to spend my life with."
"That will certainly deepen the wound."
Something he'd said triggered a question in her mind.
"How did you know I'd signed the divorce papers? I didn't even receive them till after you'd left for your meeting – which you've told me nothing about, by the way."
"When I got to the penthouse, and I couldn't find you, I pretty much tore the place apart looking for clues as to where you might be. I came across the papers in my search, although I didn't realize what they were until later."
"And your meeting?" she persisted.
"There'll be plenty of time to fill you in on that later. Right now, my priority is getting you home, so that you can rest."
"I won't be able to sleep until we've talked."
"I'm not expecting you to. But I would much prefer to continue this conversation in more comfortable surroundings."
"Then let's go!"
"I'll tell Frank we're ready."
In an effort to bolster her courage before having to face John, Marlena took several deep breaths. In mere seconds, the three men emerged from the other room, and apprehension caused her stomach to tighten. Sensing her fear, Alex moved quickly to her side, while Frank ushered a clearly subdued John down the hall that led to the building's exit.
"Do we have to be in the same car?"
Her voice shook, betraying her nervousness.
"No, we don't. Frank made some calls. There will be a couple of gentlemen outside, waiting to escort us back to Salem."
"People you trust?"
"Absolutely. Not all of them are cold-hearted and vicious," he assured her, giving her hand a quick squeeze.
They stepped out into the crisp, cool air, and Marlena immediately felt her head clear. Two tall men were leaning nonchalantly against the side of the building, and Alex guided her towards them.
"Hey, Richard, Ed. Good to see you both."
The men exchanged handshakes, then turned their friendly gazes in Marlena's direction as Alex made the necessary introductions. Seemingly without effort, the agents put Marlena at ease, and Alex felt comfortable leaving her with them as he crossed the parking lot to confer with Frank.
"Is everything set?"
"Yes. Here's the plan…"
Alex listened attentively, nodding his agreement. In short order, he was back with Marlena, Richard and Ed, outlining the details of what was to come next.
"Marlena, you and I will head out in Frank's rental. Richard will act as chauffeur for Frank and John, while Ed gets to drive John's car home."
"Works for me," Ed declared.
"Me, too," Richard echoed.
"Then we're good to go," Alex affirmed.
Swinging Frank's car in behind the other two vehicles, Alex reached over and took Marlena's hand. She offered him a warm smile.
"I missed you today," she admitted, as she shifted in her seat to lean her head on his shoulder.
"I missed you, too. I can't wait to get home, so that I can show you exactly how much."
"Mmm… I like the sound of that."
A comfortable silence fell between them. As they sped through the darkness towards Salem, they were content to sit side by side, grateful that the evening's ordeal was over, that they'd emerged from it unscathed, and that they were together once more.