- Chapter Fifty-One -

Said too Much

Yellow-gold sun working its way higher in the solid aquamarine sky, the sidewalks were already hot enough to shimmer and singe if you were fool enough to stand still for too long. Pedestrians ambled at their own pace alongside the drawn-out sigh that was the wind, not a one of them in any real rush despite the heat. But why would they? Musicians filled every couple of blocks as far as the eye could see, and the market square was fringed by outdoor eateries and street vendors. Even the birds flocking to the lush green lawns were heedless to the humans going about their lives.

Meanwhile, on the way to the café next door to the hotel, a young interracial couple bickered about nothing. Space between the brick-and-motar buildings next to non-existent, the walk was too short to draw attention. Still, that didn't stop the pair from trying.

Irritated with the continued grip of the glorified nurse, the newly-minted 'blonde' attempted to swat him off with absolutely no luck at all. Resigning herself, she grumbled loud enough for her consort to hear, "I need company, not a second skin."

Heeding the complaint as much as she would expect, the young man pointed to the pure northern canvas above. "You really should relax. The sun is in its stride, the birds are taking wing, the flowers are in full bloom," Rafael pointed to the row of potted tulips that guarded the front door of the single-story coffee shop, "so can't you just take it in for a minute?"

Well, the flowers dotting the tabletops were vibrant and kinda cute...

Pausing to just inhale the glorious morning, he refused to budge an inch until she complied. It was stupid, lingering there like that in the middle of path, but she supposed that he wasn't wrong - after everything that had happened, she really should take the opportunity to be glad for what she had. Her health, her freedom, and...

All things considered it was equal parts premature and stupid to let the thought even cross her mind, however, even in the all too real event that she never saw any of these people again, Daniella was glad to have met them. The travel wasn't so bad either, but it was the connections she was making that really stood out. Miss Frazer, Logan, Rafael, the Drakes... Each had given her something, a taste of everything she had ever missed out on from behind the walls of her ivory towers.

"Listen, I..." swept away in the moment, the edge in the young woman's tone had been knocked down a couple of pegs, "In case I haven't really said it, thank you. I don't really know the circumstances of how we met, but I'm glad you decided to look out for me, instead of... Well, you get the idea." Sam thought that Rafael might be working an angle, but from what she could tell, his only motivation was her pocket book. No different than anyone else really, but at least he was having fun with being the on-call medical expert.

Dragging the heiress forward now that she had mellowed out some, he lightly inclined his head in a show of humble glasnost, "I lost someone important to me. The way I see it, most everyone has at least one person that would care if you died." Being in that position once himself, the young man didn't relish putting the shoe on the other foot, acting as the guy behind the trigger.

Touched by the candor shown, she threaded her arm around her companion and tenderly rested her head against his shoulder. Time and circumstance meaning little enough in times such as these, the shared pain of loss echoed across the usual boundaries. Several details might have been lacking, yet that was okay.

On one hand, the graduate could have bared it all and told his date who it was that he had lost - she definitely had the mannerisms of a woman tip-toeing - but on the other, they were blocking the door. Destination more important, his sob story could wait another day.

"As Alberto tells me, life goes on. Now, lets go get us that coffee, before there's a massacre on our hands." Glancing back at the sunny utopia behind them, he made up his mind. "I think I'd like to come back to this place someday, wouldn't you?"

Jest light and sounding much more like the Rafael she had gotten to know, the young woman wasn't entirely sure if the question was rhetorical or not, so she just bobbed her head. It really wasn't underselling it to call this place a paradise on earth. "True, wars have probably been started for less."

Glad to see that she was finally on his page, he opened the door and allowed the lady to enter first. As she got into the line to order, he followed suit, wondering to himself how he wanted his coffee. Usually he liked it straight black, nothing to distract from the effect, but somehow something sweeter sounded better today. Perhaps with whipped cream or an unusual flavor? Alberto was the one that liked to get all fancy with the zillion and ten different offerings, what the hell did he know about the add-ons?

"Any clue about what we're getting?" Whispering for no real reason other than he didn't want to sound like he was out of his element, Rafael rested his head on the girl's shoulder while she considered the menu.

Focused on the task at hand (dare he hope that she was just comfortable with the position), Dells bit the inside of her lip. Caramel was her secret Achilles heel, so she was set, but what about everyone else? "Well, I know that Sam takes his with sugar and cream... Um, if I remember correctly, Miss Frazer likes chai... I have no clue about Nadine. What about you?"

Why was he not surprised that that was the first thing out of her mouth? No doubt just rattling off "what she knew", it was true that Daniella had sought his honest opinion. But that was conscious, because they were talking and were coming fresh off a positive note. Her going straight to the old man might have been a simple matter of progression, however he suspected that it was unconscious.

Ensuing eye-roll audible next door, Rafael didn't want to provoke any unnecessary ire for the time being, so he chose to instead pretend to read the menu. Cara-mocha whatever, something about a unicorn, it was just baffling. "Surprise me."

Getting to the front of the line by that point, the duo placed their order: a plain black and a black with sugar, a chai tea, and two caramel frapechinos. Rafael had basically just given her permission to order him whatever she wanted, and it wasn't like she was going to not vouch for what she felt to be the very best. As a little more than acquaintances, he deserved that much. More, for saving her skin, but everything in due time.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," willfully ignoring the overt cues from the blue-haired server as he charged the bill to his room, she took it upon herself to handle the carry-out tray, "but isn't this more sugar than it is caffeine?"

Beaming from nothing more than the strong aroma of flavors blending together as one super drug, the heiress nodded, clearly more into the steaming beverages than anyone else, "Yeah... I mean, yes. I think? I just know I love how its tastes."

Tastes, but doesn't make her feel? Reading more into that statement than a normal person would have, he was loathe to bring it up, however it was still prominent in his mind's eye. "Wasn't the point of this little excursion to help everyone face the day?"

If she didn't need the energy boost, what exactly had the pair been up to all morning? Were he actually into that kind of thing, Rafael would have made good use of the free time, especially when he knew that the downtime wouldn't last long. Had he been asked last night, the young man honestly would have said that he could see the two blowing off today just to take the time for themselves, no matter how much they professed to be psyched. What had changed?

"Was it?" She seemed rather unconcerned, her lips tight around the straw of her beverage.

[A Trio of Selfish Dickheads]

"That was Rafe Adler's little girl." Blinking after the two kids as they left the hotel for a forced caffeine run, Nadine rounded in on Sam immediately. "Why are you here with Rafe Adler's little girl?"

Either time had been crueler than they could have guessed, robbing her of that whole episode about getting Daniella back from the Orange Tiger, or this was just Nadine's way of grilling him about what he might have been getting up to with the young woman. Given that Chloe (and travel) seemed to have exhausted her, the man would have liked to think that it was the former, but he wouldn't hold his breath. The really shitty part was that he couldn't even try to deny it and say 'it's not what you think', because it was exactly what everyone had been saying from the very beginning.

"Well," like usual, the brunette deflected the issue, "first I thought we could go looking at condos together - I mean if she's footing the bill, I may as well find a couple I really like - and then-"

Just as capable of playing the angel of mercy as she was of being the devil, Chloe chimed in with a not-so well-meaning snicker, "Picking out china patterns already? And here I was thinking it was just a simple fling."

Impossible to amuse when she set her mind to something, Nadine couldn't share in the levity of her companions. In fact, after learning that maybe there was a redeeming trait hidden someplace deep, deep down, there was a part of the woman that couldn't believe he could find this funny. Chloe had never met Rafe, so she couldn't possibly get it, but Sam... She was truly disappointed.

"That little girl is Rafe Adler's daughter." Repeating herself so that the point might sink in, Nadine was just at a loss. "I was there when that young woman was no more than a little girl. She made me play dolls with her..." Awaiting the snide remark that metal image would earn, it occurred to her then that Sam should have been floating nearby at the time. Not doubt he was either with the girl's father or was drinking with her men. "...You sure kept your distance then."

Positive that he didn't care for the tune the mercenary was singing, there was nothing to defend, so Sam merely shrugged, "Kids really aren't my thing."

Not helpful in the slightest, Chloe reminded them of Cassie, "You seem alright with your niece."

In what twisted universe were they living that he even had to explain himself? Yes, there had been one or two incidents that cut a little close to the moral gray, but those had been honest accidents - Sully could vouch for that. "Look, I wasn't planning on this, alright?"

Children were the last creatures he wanted to be around (with his niece being an exception), so back in Scotland he'd doubled back several times just to avoid seeing Bai and the kid whenever their paths might have crossed. The fact that they had met back up now that she was older and looked like she did...

Sam wouldn't go out of his way to plan that far ahead. He might have spent a fair amount of time concocting various false tales and dreaming about discovering lost treasure, however that long-con spite was just too exhausting to keep up. Did he dislike Daniella's parents? Yeah, but who in their right mind didn't?! The fact that he and Dells had hit it off was a fluke, the shared history nothing more than a coincidence.

Pulling out a cigarette, the brunette kept it there in his mouth as he fished for his lighter. Finding it in his back pocket, the thief lit up and moved for the exit, aware of how unkindly businesses viewed smokers. Followed by the two, he resumed speaking, "She's an attractive woman, what do you want out of me? I ain't a priest over here. And we... we had a moment."

Dammit.

"Oh, a moment. Did you hear that Nadine? They had a moment." Frazer mouthed off in classic Chloe fashion, but shockingly enough, Ross genuinely seemed to get it. At least, he thought the look on her face was understanding.

Either way, it wasn't like he was going to count on Nadine Ross to advocate on his behalf, no matter how right or innocent he was. "Weren't you encouraging this?"

"Still do." Explaining herself at the younger's bewildered expression, the professional driver made it clear she wasn't picking sides definitively on this one, "Heaven help her, something about the girl comes to life when she's around you. It hadn't seemed entirely romantic at first, but hell if we ever get to pick who we fall for. I'll give you that much. One way or another, I have faith you'll do alright by her." The locksmith didn't say the rest, but it was her hope that the heiress might do something for him too.

Nadine scoffed. "I think that ship has sailed."

Sam shot back, "Yeah, along with your men and their share of the plunder." It was a low blow, they all knew it the minute the words were out of his mouth, but he had no intention of apologizing.

Hating when she had to be the sensible one that could still salvage the meeting of the minds, Chloe shook her head, "They'll be back any minute now, do you two still want to be squabbling then?"

Oh, neither was against it, but if Nadine figured out that she had leverage, or worse just blurted it out because she thought they were miraculously passed what had happened all those years ago, well, Sam didn't much care for that outcome. So he surrendered. "Alright. I can be the bigger man here."

Leering the typical daggers, her eyes threatened 'you can be the smallest woman here', however she knew that her friend had spoken the truth. The kids would be back any second now, and it really wouldn't do to be having this argument. Instead, there was another conversation they should have been having. "No, not until I hear how she feels about sleeping with the man that had a hand in her father's death."

"About that-"

Putting two-and-two together before he had the chance to come up with an excuse, Chloe acted on behalf of every woman (or person, really) that had ever been duped and punched her associate squarely in the arm. No mere tap, she made certain that it was going to leave a mark. "Seriously dude!" It was one thing to tell a little white lie, but to keep something like that from a person until after bagging them...

Cigarette falling out of his mouth, the historian supposed that he had that one coming. "Ow!" Rubbing himself where it hurt most, Sam grimaced, "I'm gonna tell her. I just haven't figured out how to yet..."

Struggle to wake up still an uphill battle, Nadine leaned against the side of the building to steady herself. Ordinarily she would still be in bed so that she could greet everyone in a more presentable state, however Chloe had kept her up for the better part of the night doing research for some hotel in China. A more alert Nadine would have remembered where, just like a rested Nadine would have spotted the pleading look scrawled across Drake's face.

"There's the day - I thought the great Samuel Drake knew everything?" Stiffing a yawn, Ross closed her eyes for a moment. Just a moment.

"Flattered you think so highly of me." He actually was too. Although right now he was more invested in solving this one than he was in trading barbs with the woman.

Dells was pretty quiet as it turned out, especially about herself, so that ultimately didn't leave a whole lot to work with. Timetable short enough as it was, it felt like the closer the girl got to returning, the more pressure there was to find the right way to broach the topic. Stomach twisting, it was rather like when he had to tell Nathan that work would have to take him away for about a year... Obviously that hadn't happened, but the brunette had spent so much time agonizing on how to tell his little brother that it was impossible to forget the serpentine sensation.

Left with a skimpy amount of knowledge for how long they had been stuck together, Sam knew that she was sporty, that she could almost hold her liquor, that she had read Gatsby. Educated as she was, there was an obvious disconnect from the rest of the world; Dells tried though, bless her.

Maybe someone else would have something he could use?

"Chloe, you two talk." Raking his brain for anything that might help soften the blow, Sam turned his attention to the one other individual on the rock that knew the heiress. "Do you know anything that might help?"

Understanding what the man was getting at, she accepted the request to offer what help she could; blame was never really aimed her way, although the woman still felt at least partially responsible for what had happened. Also, what good would any of them be out on the field if none of them could cook up a suitable scheme? "I'm guessing it isn't too far off base to guess that you two have already shagged, so you can't get her that again. Well you could, but it would be incredibly tacky. Nadine?"

Due to the nature of her relationship with Rafe, it was obvious that she at least would have a few stories that involved the kid. Maybe the woman had even retained something that could be helpful?

Head hurting from being asked to think critically first thing in the morning, the woman struggled against the heaviness of her crown and the very short night she had to go on. "I remember she idolized her father and would follow him around. She used to dress up like a pirate, and she had a toy owl... When Rafe had finally had enough, he ordered my men to her busy. Knot came up with the idea of planning little scavenger hunts for the girl." She was surprised she recalled so much. "One night, when we had to relocate from the site for weather, we stayed in and had a movie night."

"We?" Chloe teased.

Just in time to catch the heiress and her escort returning with spoils in hand, Sam had the beginnings of an idea forming. It had to be done by Cassie's party, but they didn't have to have that talk tonight necessarily...