Chapter 9 guys. I had a whole idea for this story, spent a two hour car journey planning it out but, because I have travel sickness and writing or reading while on the move is near impossible, I completely forgot what it was by the time I got hold of pen and paper. Need to get a proper plan written down and stick to it! As I said on my other Blacklist fic (They Need Each Other) my son is now at nursery and I have more time to write!
Dembe followed Reddington silently and obediently from Coopers office. The two descended the staircase back in to the war room without speaking a word, neither willing to start a discussion until they were safely away from the concrete confines of the Post Office. Reddington tipped his fedora towards Aram as he passed, turning the young agent in to a nervous wreck, causing him to barely be able to stutter out a good bye. They entered the elevator and two minutes later were driving out through the steel, reinforced gates surrounding the blacksite. They continued to journey themselves and Elizabeth Keen.
Reddington would forever have the image of Lizzie's pain, anger and betrayal laced eyes imprinted in his mind. Until this moment in his life, Raymond Reddington had never felt so... ashamed of himself. The fact was that he was the one to cause all the hurt and devastation in Lizzie's life; and and everything bad to happen to her had been his fault – and he'd never hated himself more for it. By his own selfish reasoning, he thought he was keeping her safe, but he should have known better than to think he could protect her and be in her life at the same time. Reddington knew Dembe felt it to, having known the man for years, he understood when his silence spoke volumes. Dembe had warned him about this years ago, when the situation had first fully been explained to him, and he wasn't the type to say 'I told you so', but Reddington knew it was there, unspoken between them.
Dembe drove them back in the direction of their hotel; if they were leaving the country for a while then bags would need to be packed. Truth be told he would dearly miss being in close proximity and seeing Lizzie everyday but it didn't take a genius to understand that the woman needed her space. He would continue to have Salvador, along with his men, follow her and keep him updated, not only as a precautionary measure but to keep his mind at rest. Even if he could no longer personally look out for her, he could at least make sure someone was.
Heavy traffic prevented them from reaching the hotel for more than an hour. Reddington took this time to make the necessary phone calls to his inner circle; informing them that he'll be out the country for the foreseeable future, but not divulging where exactly he would be going. Not one person was allowed to know, on one, except Mr Kaplan. He called her last, knowing that talking to her would at the very least put a smile on his face.
"Will you be requiring my assistance?"
"No, no, Kate, it's not that kind of business. I'm merely travelling to London for sight seeing purposes, and the odd meeting or two if I'm lucky."
He heard her sigh on the other end of the line. "I know exactly what your business meetings can consist of. Just be careful, Dearie. It's a lot harder to do a clean-up operation from thousands of miles away, and you know how I prefer to oversee these things personally."
Reddington chucked lightly. Yes, talking to Mr Kaplan was just what he needed. "I assure you, I have no plans to be in need of your expertise. In any case, if I did, one of my secondary jets would get you there faster than any commercial flight."
"I haven't flown commercial in nearly twenty years."
"Exactly."
He heard her sigh again. "Very well, Raymond. But, if you make my fly to England's capital, I'll charge you extra."
He chuckled once more. "There's really no need for you to pack a bag, my gun will be safely stowed away."
"You don't always use a gun, Dearie." She was clearly not amused.
Reddington laughed outright now. "You would know. I'll call when I'm back in town. Ciao."
"Safe travels, Raymond."
He disconnected the call and handed the call back over to Dembe in the front seat. They were closing in on the hotel now and within minutes were out of the car with Dembe handing over the keys to the valet before the two of them entered the building and made their way to the top floor. Dembe opened the door to the suite, standing aside to allow Reddington access to enter first. The communal room was far too quiet and the silence was deafening. They both removed their jackets, Dembe hanging his by the door while Reddington chose to simply sling his over the back of the couch, resting his fedora on the arm. Reddington went straight for the partially empty bottle of whiskey he'd left out the previous night, pouring himself a generous amount of the amber liquid and knocking it back without flinching. Dembe move around silently behind him, gathering various items from round the room in preparation for them to be packed. Reddington stood watching him for a few minutes before speaking.
"Dembe." The younger man turned to him instantly. "That can wait. Come sit."
Dembe nodded and they both seated themselves on the two over-stuffed armchairs. Reddington stared in to the empty fire grate for a while before turning to stare at his friend.
"I will tell Lizzie – everything – but not until our return. I think it's time I respect her wishes. She needs some space to process things."
Dembe nodded and only because Reddington had known him for so long did he spot the faintest hint of a smile shadowed on his face. Dembe had been pushing him to tell Lizzie ever since he'd made contact with her, well, ever since Dembe was brought back in to be his bodyguard and right hand man. Reddington hadn't believed she'd been ready the hear the truth, and for the most part he had been right, but he'd also been very wrong, and now he was facing the prospect of being cut out of her life for good.
Dembe, sensing the conversation was now over, returned to gathering their things from around the large room while Reddington continued to nurse his drink. Within the next couple of hours, the entire suite was stripped bare of anything relating to their stay. Their bags were loaded in to the car and Dembe drove them to the airport, where Reddingtons jet was ready and waiting for them. The crew stowed their luggage while Reddington took his preferred seat on the jet, Dembe going to the cockpit to speak to the pilot. They wouldn't reach their destination until the early hours of the morning, just under half a day of travelling.
Reddington reflected on the past two days; on how everything had turned and gone so wrong. Things had seemed to finally been going well with Lizzie. He liked to believe that she was starting to trust him, even if it was only a fraction. She was actually beginning to believe he'd had her best interests at heart over his continued insistence at Tom's lack of innocence. She had never questioned Sam's death before, but only after the fight with Tom had she started digging – Reddington could only guess that Tom had told her he'd been involved. Aram, oh sweet Aram, must have done the real digging, Lizzie didn't have the power nor time to do it herself. If he hadn't had been acting under Lizzie's request Reddington would have had to have a word with him, but it wasn't fair... and it would just upset Lizzie even more.
Reddington wondered how much time he should give Lizzie to calm down and consider working or even talking to him again. At one point he'd had to give his ex-wife a months worth of space to clear her head before he could go near her. He didn't think he could bear being away from Lizzie for that long after being so close to her for months. He reckoned he'd stay in London for a few days, maybe travel Briton for a week or two, then reach out to her. Donald will have helped her come to terms with everything that had happened by then. Yes, that's what he would do.
"Raymond."
Reddington snapped his head up. Dembe was sitting across from him, seatbelt fastened, an expression of concern on his face.
"Yes, Dembe?"
"We're about to take off. You need to do your seatbelt."
"Ah, thank you. I might take a nap when it's safe, will you wake me in a few hours?"
"Of course."
"Good man, good man."
As they took off a few minutes later, DC shrinking below them, Reddington couldn't help but feel dread in his gut. Something was going to happen. Someone was going to get hurt. Lizzie was going to find out the truth before he was ready, and he would regret never telling her before.