Cole had to give the SBPD some credit. They had closed in on the area surrounding Grenadines too quickly for him to get out. He had to leave the rifle in the dumpster behind the restaurant. Knowing it would probably get picked up in the morning, but he couldn't risk getting caught with it. Maybe they were just pathetic enough not to search the area throughly.
As soon as he got home, he turned on the television, if Olivia was dead it would certainly be all over the news. Instead, the reporter was talking about the bravery of a man named Casey. Cole watched a few seconds before he realized what had happened. The big blonde lout Gregory had hired as her assistant had blocked the bullet. Taken the hollow-tipped round in the shoulder that was meant for Olivia's skull.
He took a long look at the picture of Casey they put up on the screen. "You got lucky this time Olivia." It was interesting how the reporters were avoiding mentioning much of why Casey was protecting Olivia. She also hadn't been in any of the interviews. The closest they had been to talking to her was talking to the son, Sean. Gregory must have coached him, because he too was careful mostly to discuss Casey. And how thankful he was Casey was there.
Cole shut off the television as Caitlin arrived. She looked livid, and it gave her a lovely glow. "You didn't tell me your mother was inviting 'Thor' to dinner."
Caitlin flung her purse into a corner and threw herself down on the bed. "She didn't tell me she was."
He reached into the fridge for a beer. "We've lost the rifle too. I had to dump it. Want a beer?"
"We lost the rifle?" She took the beer from his hand, trying to figure out how he could be so calm. "What are we going to do?"
Cole opened his beer and tossed the cap into the open garbage can. "Come up with a new plan."
"That's it?" She demanded, bordering on hysterical. "Just come up with a new plan?"
Shrugging, he settled unto the sofa, flashing his dimples. "Come here." Caitlin sat stiffly next to him while he finished his beer in a long gulp. He set the bottle down and pressed her back as he started kissing her. "You give up too easily."
She wrapped her hands around his head, thinking how romantic it was of him to be so spontaneous. Cole explored her mouth with his tongue, counting on her body to inspire his thoughts.
Bette filled the glass with iced tea from the pitcher turning her head over shoulder to ask, "When is Gregory letting you go back to work?"
Olivia giggled and straightened her chocolate silk robe around her knees. "If it was up to Gregory I might never get to go back. Roger's letting me go back on Thursday."
"Livingston indulges you doesn't he?" Bette flopped back down on the sofa next to her.
Pulling her feet up under her, Olivia rested her chin on her hand. "Roger helps balance out Gregory. He's the voice of reason."
Taking the hem of Olivia's dressing gown and playing with it in her fingers, Bette winked. "Although, considering it's already afternoon and you haven't gotten dressed yet it doesn't seem like you're missing work too much."
"I thought about getting dressed." Olivia began lightly as Bette swirled her ice cubes. "I did- then I realized Gregory would put me to bed as soon as he got home."
"I didn't know you were feeling that much better." Bette replied dryly and Olivia burst into nervous laughter.
"I didn't mean it like that." She hit her shoulder. "You have a dirty mind Bette."
"One woman's trashy is another woman's romantic Livie." She folded her arms across her arms across her magenta suit patiently. "Why does Gregory put you to bed?"
Curling up like a cat in the late afternoon sun, Olivia made a face. "The baby makes me nauseous in the afternoon."
Bette's smile was entirely sympathetic. "Always the afternoon?"
"He's his father's child." Olivia sighed as she tried to ignore the churning of her stomach. "Always living life by the clock on the wall."
"Speaking of that clock, when's your overbearing hubby coming home?" Bette finished her iced tea and eyed her watch.
"Sick of my company already?" Olivia asked sardonically as she pretended to pout.
Bette wrinkled her nose at her, laughing. "As soon as he gets back I can start bugging Livingston to get off work."
"I knew it!" Olivia announced proudly. "I knew you were putting the moves of the dear Dr. Baxter."
Bette smoothed her skirt, looking impervious to her teasing. "He just needs a friend right now."
Olivia started laughing so violently she was almost coughing as she tried to get her breath. "This is from the woman who seduced him in the empty operating room on their first date?"
Fluffing her blonde hair, Bette tilted her head like a beauty queen. "I think the feelings were mutual. Need I remind you of your first liason with Greggy-poo?"
Olivia's cheeks flushed slightly, the color was a nice change from her pale. "No, no. That's all right."
Bette's thoughts became serious, her rekindled feelings for Roger were right on the heels of his bittersweet fling with Alex. "Roger and I are going to work it out. We've got enough of a history to know we're worth waiting for."
Olivia smiled sweetly, she liked to see her friends happy and she worried about Roger. He always ended up with women who left him and he didn't seem to have it in himself to blame them. He just kept smiling. "Roger needs a warm heart like yours."
Clucking her tongue, Bette refused to comment. "Now you're just exaggerating. You are the one with the recent head injury, I think I'm safe disregarding your opinion."
Across the living room the phone started to ring urgently, Bette put a hand on Olivia's knee to keep her from getting up. "I'll get it. You just work on getting that son of Gregory's to leave your stomach alone."
"Casa Richards-" Bette offered brightly as she picked up the phone. "Yes, Olivia's here." She listened for a moment and pressed it to her chest as she walked back over to the sofa. "It's for you dearie."
"Gregory?" Olivia mouthed hopefully, but Bette shook her head.
"A man." She whispered as Olivia held the phone to her ear.
"This is Olivia Richards-"
She didn't get a chance to speak beyond that. The voice on the other end was chillingly familiar. "Don't speak, just listen. Your husband left the office a few minutes ago. He got into his car, the dark gray Jaguar and turned onto Santa Ana Road, just as he has for the last twenty years. He reached the first light and pressed the brakes, just as he does every other day."
Olivia's heart jumped into her throat. Pouding hard enough to make her ears start to ring as she stood up. She tried to say something, but her voice wouldn't respond.
"But today is different, Olivia. Today the brakes failed." The phone line clicked off and she dropped the reciever as it had become a poisonous creature.
Bette jumped up next to her, taking the hand that had dropped the phone. "What is it? Livie what's wrong? Olivia talk to me."
Olivia shook her head, throwing her hands up over her ears to block out the horrible sound of metal tearing against metal. She heard the screech of tires around him, the sickening crunch of the body of the car as it finally came to a stop. "Gregory-" She whispered, choking on his name. The sound of the twisting car frame became a rushing in her head as the living room turned to ice around her. Darkness invaded her vision and quickly slipped through the back of her eyes to swallow her mind.
Gregory slowed down for the gate of the lot at Liberty. The brakes felt a little soft and he made a mental note to drop the car off at the mechanic in the morning. Right now he just wanted to go home. Ricardo still had a car watching the house, and the two officers were only a stone's throw from Olivia at all times. But in his mind an army wouldn't have been enough to keep her safe. Cole St. John had been within a second of killing her. If Casey had been an instant slower. If the bullet hadn't stopped in his chest-
He nearly didn't see the light change to yellow in front of him. Reminding himself to keep his mind on the road he pushed the brakes. Nothing happened. The pedal went all the way to the floor without putting up any resistance. He slammed it down again, feeling the world slide into slow motion.
A car was coming from the left and he pressing his hand into the horn to warn them, he whipped the wheel around, trying to avoid a second car from the right. That presented him with a split second choice. The the red hood of the car that was turning towards him or the sidewalk and the building beyond.
The wheels screeched in agony against the pavement, and it took years for the car to impact against the brick wall of the building. The window exploded inward in a hail of glass as the metal crunched in around the passenger compartment. His wrist bent backwards on the steering wheel as he was jolted sideways. The seat belt clung to him as if it were made of iron, keeping him firmly in his seat.
The airbags exploded, slamming Gregory's head back into the seat as the engine stopped with a shuddering death rattle. Every part of his body was tense, waiting for the next danger- but after the airbag it was quiet. The engine hissed, and he could hear the slow gushing of some fluid from the car.
Tentitively, he raised a hand to his face to check for injuries. The skin on his forehead was abraided by the explosion of the airbag, but everything else seemed intact. He shoved the deflating airbag out of his face and reached for the release on his selt belt. His fingers seemed numb, and he couldn't get the buckle to release. He used both hands and forced it free, tumbling against the door as he did.
The door of the defeated Jagaur creaked open and he tumbled on to the sidewalk. Strangers helped him to his feet, asking if he was hurt.
"I seem to be all right." Gregory told them with a small smile of relief at his luck. "Thank you."
"The police will be here soon, with a fire engine and an amublance." An older woman told him, smiling as she helped brush him off. "I wasn't sure if anyone would walk away from that." Her hand gestured towards the mess that had been his prized car.
His briefcase had been on the floor by the passenger seat. That part of the car was completely crushed in. If it had been Thursday and Olivia was next to him... Gregory couldn't think about that. He refused to even acknowledge what could have happened. He looked over the growing crowd of people. "Does anyone have a cellular phone I could use? Mine was in there." His quiet shake of his head got a few smiles.
A younger business woman handed hers over. "Calling your wife?"
Gregory flipped it open in a rush, watching his fingers dial instead of looking up at her. "How did you know?"
The elderly woman who had first spoken to him tapped his arm gently. "We've seen you in the paper. You and your beauty. So terrible what that bastard is doing to her. You should really see that he gets what he deserves."
"Hush mother." The business woman nudged quickly. "Take all the time you need. Mother and I were just on our way home anyway."
The squads arrived and started directing traffic around away from the street. The ambulance seemed like overkill, but the firetruck looked like they were going to have their hands full with the hazardous fluids leaching out of the crushed convertible. The phone for home rang once, twice and finally Bette answered on the third ring.
"Haven't you done enough you bastard?" Bette's voice was uncharacteristically bitter.
"I don't know what you mean." Gregory replied, slightly startled. "Where's Olivia? Let me talk to her."
Bette's anger disappated instantly. "You can't talk to her right now."
His heart was suddenly going faster then it had been in the accident. Cole was involved. Gregory knew it instinctually and he wanted to choke the life out of him. "What happened?"
"He called her, just a few moments before you did. I should have known his voice on the phone and kept him away from her-"
He cut off her rambling, needing desperately to know about Olivia. "It's all right. Just tell me."
"She fainted." Bette admitted softly. "Whatever he said must have just been too much..."
"I'll be home in ten minutes." He hung up the phone and handed it back to it's owner. Officer Stevens was waiting for him and Gregory cut to the heart of the matter.
"It wasn't an accident. Cole St. John is responsible, have the lot at Liberty checked. I'll fill out anything you damn paperwork you need later." He held up a hand to stop her reply. "Right now you are taking me home."
Paula spent a moment in thought before nodding. If Ricardo was in danger- "I'll take you home."