****
Early Summer 2002
The first thing Alex noticed was the rented silver Jag parked out front of her townhouse. The second thing she noticed was that her door wasn't locked. This was particularly strange because Alex always locked her door when leaving. She even locked it while in the house. She pulled her weapon and quietly slid inside the door. The house was mostly dark, save for the lights coming from the kitchen. There were also mouth-watering smells coming from the kitchen... and singing. The sound of pans scraping against spoons and knives chopping drifted out of the kitchen.
"God damn it Amanda!!"
The woman laughed and handed a glass of white zin to her sister. "Take a pill Lexie. No hello for your kid sister?"
Alex took the glass and set it down, then released the hammer of her gun and slid it back into the holster. "A phone call would have been good Amanda. You DO realize I could have shot you."
"No you wouldn't have. You're better than that and you know it. Now come gimme a hug while I finish chopping up the oregano and onions for the marinara."
Alex finally laughed and kissed her sister on the cheek. Amanda kissed her sister's cheek in return and kept dicing the onions. "How is work going Lexie? Your boss still being a prick?"
"He's better now that we've all gotten used to him and he to us. I think things have turned around since last fall. He's out of town this week for meetings in D.C." She paused and sipped at the wine while leaning against the butcher's block island as her sister turned and slid the finely chopped herbs and onions into the bubbling pot of cooking tomatoes. "How long have you been here?"
"I got into town this morning. You need to put more vegetables in your fridge."
"You need to call when you want to stop by."
"And that being, you need to change the locks if you don't want me to come in without a phone call." Amanda winked and stirred up the sauce.
"Yeah... I probably should do that. But then I think I won't get the pleasure of griping you out for not calling more. How's the circuit?"
"It's the circuit as usual. Old biddies are hacked at me for daring to take the primo parts away from them... never mind that they can't pass for young women any longer."
Alex moved over and took a taste of the sauce. "Still doing Phantom?"
"Yes, but I'm on a personal leave." At Alex's curious look, Amanda shrugged and lifted her own glass of red wine. "I've been offered the starring role in a new play. I'm debating what to do. In the meanwhile, I thought I'd come crash with you."
"How long is a while?"
"Maybe a week or so. The producer is working up a contract and dealing with my agent. As soon as Harrold gets something he thinks I'll like, he'll call Phantom's producers and see if they can come up with a counter offer to keep me there. Take your gun off and stay a while. Dinner will be ready in about an hour after the sauce simmers down."
Alex watched her sister as she hustled about the kitchen. For almost a year now since she'd gotten the starring role in a Broadway play, Amanda had been a different person. When they were kids, she was the laughter and the mischeviousness of the two. Only a year apart, Alex had been the one to take care of Amanda and Amanda had been the one to get the two of them into more trouble than Alex could get them both out of. But recently, when they talked on the phone, Alex could hear something different in her voice.
It didn't take long for Alex to put her weapon away and secure it, then change clothes. When she came back out, Amanda was setting the table. "You OK kiddo?"
"Yeah, sure. I'm always fine." Amanda smiled and sat down with her glass of wine.
"Sure. And I know better. Sis, you haven't been fine in over a year. What's wrong?"
Amanda looked at her sister. "Never could fool you. You remember that trip I took to St. Croix last year?"
"Uh huh, the one where you called me a week into it and said you'd met the most wonderful man?"
Amanda's face fell a bit at the mention of him. "That's the one."
Alex closed her eyes slowly at the tone of Amanda's voice and the expression on her face. "Oh God Amanda, I'm so sorry... why didn't you tell me?"
"How could I tell you that I fell for someone who took advantage of me and dumped me without a thought?" She laughed a light nervous laugh that bordered on tears. "I didn't ask anything of him, how could I? My life was going so well already and meeting him was just one more good thing in a long string of good things. Then, all of a sudden, he's gone like a leaf in the wind. Just a note saying to forget him. I had even discussed continuing the relationship after we came back. You know, considering all the relationships that I've had... and I've had quite a few doozies... considering it all, I have never.. NEVER felt so used in my life."
"Stop it Amanda. If he left you like that after everything you gave him, then he's a fool and not worth your time."
"It hurts Lexie, it still hurts so much." Amanda had lost the inner fight and let loose with the tears. A year's worth of ache and hurt had been bottled up and now the stopper was removed.
"I know baby... I know." Alex came around the table and put her arms around her sister's shoulders. As she let Amanda cry, she promised her silently that this man had better pray he never crossed Alex Cross' path.
****
Early Summer 2002
The first thing Alex noticed was the rented silver Jag parked out front of her townhouse. The second thing she noticed was that her door wasn't locked. This was particularly strange because Alex always locked her door when leaving. She even locked it while in the house. She pulled her weapon and quietly slid inside the door. The house was mostly dark, save for the lights coming from the kitchen. There were also mouth-watering smells coming from the kitchen... and singing. The sound of pans scraping against spoons and knives chopping drifted out of the kitchen.
"God damn it Amanda!!"
The woman laughed and handed a glass of white zin to her sister. "Take a pill Lexie. No hello for your kid sister?"
Alex took the glass and set it down, then released the hammer of her gun and slid it back into the holster. "A phone call would have been good Amanda. You DO realize I could have shot you."
"No you wouldn't have. You're better than that and you know it. Now come gimme a hug while I finish chopping up the oregano and onions for the marinara."
Alex finally laughed and kissed her sister on the cheek. Amanda kissed her sister's cheek in return and kept dicing the onions. "How is work going Lexie? Your boss still being a prick?"
"He's better now that we've all gotten used to him and he to us. I think things have turned around since last fall. He's out of town this week for meetings in D.C." She paused and sipped at the wine while leaning against the butcher's block island as her sister turned and slid the finely chopped herbs and onions into the bubbling pot of cooking tomatoes. "How long have you been here?"
"I got into town this morning. You need to put more vegetables in your fridge."
"You need to call when you want to stop by."
"And that being, you need to change the locks if you don't want me to come in without a phone call." Amanda winked and stirred up the sauce.
"Yeah... I probably should do that. But then I think I won't get the pleasure of griping you out for not calling more. How's the circuit?"
"It's the circuit as usual. Old biddies are hacked at me for daring to take the primo parts away from them... never mind that they can't pass for young women any longer."
Alex moved over and took a taste of the sauce. "Still doing Phantom?"
"Yes, but I'm on a personal leave." At Alex's curious look, Amanda shrugged and lifted her own glass of red wine. "I've been offered the starring role in a new play. I'm debating what to do. In the meanwhile, I thought I'd come crash with you."
"How long is a while?"
"Maybe a week or so. The producer is working up a contract and dealing with my agent. As soon as Harrold gets something he thinks I'll like, he'll call Phantom's producers and see if they can come up with a counter offer to keep me there. Take your gun off and stay a while. Dinner will be ready in about an hour after the sauce simmers down."
Alex watched her sister as she hustled about the kitchen. For almost a year now since she'd gotten the starring role in a Broadway play, Amanda had been a different person. When they were kids, she was the laughter and the mischeviousness of the two. Only a year apart, Alex had been the one to take care of Amanda and Amanda had been the one to get the two of them into more trouble than Alex could get them both out of. But recently, when they talked on the phone, Alex could hear something different in her voice.
It didn't take long for Alex to put her weapon away and secure it, then change clothes. When she came back out, Amanda was setting the table. "You OK kiddo?"
"Yeah, sure. I'm always fine." Amanda smiled and sat down with her glass of wine.
"Sure. And I know better. Sis, you haven't been fine in over a year. What's wrong?"
Amanda looked at her sister. "Never could fool you. You remember that trip I took to St. Croix last year?"
"Uh huh, the one where you called me a week into it and said you'd met the most wonderful man?"
Amanda's face fell a bit at the mention of him. "That's the one."
Alex closed her eyes slowly at the tone of Amanda's voice and the expression on her face. "Oh God Amanda, I'm so sorry... why didn't you tell me?"
"How could I tell you that I fell for someone who took advantage of me and dumped me without a thought?" She laughed a light nervous laugh that bordered on tears. "I didn't ask anything of him, how could I? My life was going so well already and meeting him was just one more good thing in a long string of good things. Then, all of a sudden, he's gone like a leaf in the wind. Just a note saying to forget him. I had even discussed continuing the relationship after we came back. You know, considering all the relationships that I've had... and I've had quite a few doozies... considering it all, I have never.. NEVER felt so used in my life."
"Stop it Amanda. If he left you like that after everything you gave him, then he's a fool and not worth your time."
"It hurts Lexie, it still hurts so much." Amanda had lost the inner fight and let loose with the tears. A year's worth of ache and hurt had been bottled up and now the stopper was removed.
"I know baby... I know." Alex came around the table and put her arms around her sister's shoulders. As she let Amanda cry, she promised her silently that this man had better pray he never crossed Alex Cross' path.
****
