Roger's car came to screeching halt in front of L'Ermitage. He already had a feet out the door when he abruptly stopped moving. He closed the door and put on his sunglasses. What had he been thinking, rushing off like a madman to warn Holly about Richard? He couldn't risk running into the man and having to explain his presence at the hotel.

He cautiously peered out the window, hoping against hope that his ex-wife would happen to pass by at that exact moment. After a few minutes, he sat back and sighed in sheer frustration. He had to find a way to get to her before she found herself in trouble.

He turned the key in the ignition and sped off.


A few hours later, as the sun prepared to set, Holly came back to her room. Her skin was tingling pleasantly from her afternoon in the sun, and with Gilly's help, she was now ready for her presentation the next day.

She could now fully concentrate on the delicious night that awaited her. She was about to undress and head to the bathroom when the phone rang.

"Mrs. Norris? This is the front desk. We have a message for you from a guest also staying at the hotel."

Holly sat back with a frown. Hopefully it wasn't Richard cancelling their plans.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Casey said he would be waiting for you at the Santa Monica Pier at 6:30. He said he would be on the beach, just left of the pier."

Holly sighed in relief then checked her watch. She would have to hurry if she wanted to dazzle him for their date.

She got out of the taxi an hour later and crossed the parking leading to the beach. As she reached the sand, she took off her heels and continued barefoot. The sun was starting its lazy descent into the Pacific and the few clouds were slowly turning a glorious pink. She stopped for a few seconds and enjoyed the view of the pier. The Ferris wheel stood tall and the roller coasters flung their rails around it, and in the distance she could hear the faint screams of the riders.

She was so unaccustomed to take time off that she felt like laughing out loud. She fully intended to make the most of her night.

She walked to the left side of the pier and searched for Richard. There were only a handful of people left on the beach at this hour and she could immediately see that he hadn't arrived. She was about to sit on the sand when she heard a voice calling her from the right. A shiver ran down her spine before her brain could process what was happening. She knew that voice, but she couldn't place it. She turned around and took a few steps in that direction.

At first, she could only see darkness between the huge wooden pillars supporting the pier. Waves crashed against them, making it even harder to discern anything. A figure finally emerged from the shadows, causing Holly's breath to catch on her throat. It was Roger.

He looked around for any signs of Richard and beckoned her to come nearer. As in a dream, Holly obeyed, and they soon found themselves hidden from view under the pier. Even though she could barely make out his features, she could feel that he was smiling.

"Hello, Holly," he said simply. They just stood facing each other for a few seconds, just trying to process the reality of their being face to face after so long.

"Long time no see," she finally replied.

Roger felt like taking her into his arms and holding her until they both couldn't breathe, but instead he stayed still. "I'm sorry about all the secrecy, but I have to talk to you. It's urgent."

Holly looked puzzled, only to frown when the truth dawned on her. "You mean that you arranged to meet me here instead of Richard?" She felt the old familiar anger rise inside her, as always when she felt manipulated by Roger. "Is he in on this? You have two seconds to tell me what is going on, Roger!"

Roger threw his hands in the air in self-defense. He knew that whatever joy she might have felt in seeing him again, if there were any, would be ruined sooner than later by what he had to tell her. He had just hoped to have a few more minutes of unmitigated bliss before all hell broke loose. "No, of course he doesn't know. That's the whole point." He paused with a pained look in his eyes. "I guess this means that you had planned on seeing him tonight."

"How do you even know about him?" Holly asked instead of answering the question.

"I can't tell you that. I just came to warn you to stay away from him, Hol."

"Don't call me that," she snapped.

"Okay! But please promise me to keep your distance from now on."

Holly put her hands on her hips and stared at him defiantly. "And why would I do that? You don't get to control who I see."

"He's dangerous."

"Now, why would I believe you?" she replied dubiously.

"Because I wouldn't lie to you about this. Because I was right about Daniel St. John."

Holly felt the blood rush to her cheeks. "Come on Roger! There can't be two lunatics crossing my path in the same lifetime. That would be crazy even for me!"

"I'm not saying that he's a sociopath like the good doctor, but he's greedy and ruthless. If you end up getting in the way of his plans, I have no doubt that he will sacrifice you without a second thought."

"Do you know that you're the one sounding like a crackpot right now? You are making no sense at all! What plans? What is he supposedly up to?"

Roger took a deep breath. "I can't tell you."

"Of course", Holly replied sarcastically. "Why do I even bother asking?" She took a few steps back and turned to leave. "I'm out of here."

"No, wait! Please, wait," Roger cried.

Holly sighed then turned around. The urgency in his voice was impossible to ignore, even in her present state.

"Okay, then tell me how I could ruin this alleged plan of his?"

"He can't know that we know each other."

"I see. Why not?"

"Because it would put you in danger, for one thing."

"Is that really it? Or is it because I could blow things up for you? What are YOU up to, Roger? I know that you're not working for Spaulding anymore!"

Roger took a few steps back, clearly taken aback.

Holly pressed her advantage. "That's right, I know! And since you've always been a little busy bee, you are clearly working on some scheme. What is it, Roger? Is it illegal? Is that why you can't tell me? Because you're ashamed? Or because you're trying to scam Richard?"

Roger stayed silent and searched for a way to reply without becoming a complete liar. "I'm not doing anything illegal."

"Then why can't you tell me about it?"

"Just because, okay? But I'll tell you what, if you promise never to see Richard again, I might have an exclusive for your TV station very soon. I'm serious, Holly."

Holly shook her head in disgust. "You know what? I shouldn't be surprised that you would end up bribing me, but I am. I thought you were past that. I thought you had changed."

Roger nodded sadly. "I have. More than you'll ever know."

"Then prove it and stop meddling into my business! You have no right to do that anyway," she replied, obviously referring to his married state. This gave Roger and idea.

"What about Fletcher? Couldn't you do it for him, if not for me?"

Holly would regret it as soon as the words came out, but she was too incensed to care. "I'm not married anymore, so there! I can sleep with whoever I please, and it happens to be Richard, and not you. Goodbye, Roger!"

She walked away before he could reply, knowing that he wouldn't dare follow her into the daylight. He watched her go, blindsided by what she had just said. She was free? Since when? And why had she made sure that he didn't learn about it?

Probably because she doesn't give a rat's ass about you anymore, said a cruel voice in his head.

His thoughts turned to Amanda. It was a good thing that her name hadn't come up, because he didn't know how he could have found the willpower to lie about her too. If he told Holly that he was a free man, nothing could stop him from pursuing her after that. And the last thing that he could do right now was to go after her.

He closed his eyes and recalled how her hair had been blowing in the wind as she walk away. Her locks had caught the last rays of the sun. She seemed on fire. But then she always looked that way to him.


Holly drove back aggressively to her hotel, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She had seen Roger again. She had been close enough to reach out and touched him.

But instead of that, she had ended up having a full-blown fight. Some things never change, she muttered while she parked and entered the lobby. But how else was she supposed to react to his desire to control her? To treat her like a helpless child? If she was to follow his advice, didn't she at least deserve to know what was at stake?

She sighed and got up to her room. She was surprised to find Richard waiting by her door.

"I was starting to wonder if you hadn't changed your mind," he said with a smile.

Holly forced a smile on her own lips and shook her head. "Of course not."

"Great! How about dinner then? I took the liberty of making reservations in a cozy little restaurant not too far from here."

"Excellent. Let me change into something less…beach-y, and I'll be with you in ten minutes."

He brought her to a Thai eatery and seemed especially eager to please her that night, regaling her with stories from New York and ordering the most exotic dishes on the menu for her to sample. Holly smiled and laughed in all the right places, but inside her mind was reeling. She could tell that he was genuinely attracted to her, as women tend to have a sixth sense for these kinds of things. But, she thought as her anger subsided, his attraction didn't mean that he wasn't also dangerous.

What if Roger was right?

"Holly? Where are you?" Richard asked at some point after dinner.

They were now slowly walking back to their hotel. Holly twitched and immediately forced a smile on her lips. "I was just thinking about my conference tomorrow."

"Right! The big day! Too bad I'm going to have to miss it."

Holly walked a few steps before Richard's words made their way to her brain. She stopped in her tracks. "You mean you won't be there tomorrow? This is the most important day of the convention. The whole point of attending was to be here tomorrow."

Richard looked contrite. "I know, but I've been called back to New York to work on a scoop. It could be very big for my career." He took her hands and pulled her gently to him. "We can still make the most of tonight though."

He lifted her off the ground and kissed her. Holly wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to get into the mood, but she soon snapped her eyes open with an inward sigh. Roger had done it again; he had succeeded in planting his doubts in her mind, and there was no way that she could spend another night with Richard unless she knew if he was a threat or not.

She pulled away and ran her fingers through his hair. "I wish I could," she lied, "but I have to call it an early night. I'm the first speaker tomorrow and I need my rest. I hope you understand."

Disappointment crossed Richard's face, but was soon replaced by a smile. He squeezed her hands and tugged her gently toward the hotel. "I understand. I would like to see you again, Holly, when I'm done working on the story I was talking to you about."

"You didn't give me any details," Holly said quickly. She sensed that if there was something shady about Richard's activities, it probably concerned the said story. "What is it about?"

"I can't tell you right now." Richard stopped her before she could get into the elevator. He suddenly looked very serious. "All I can say is that its impact on this country will boggle your mind. Nothing will be the same after that."

Holly felt a chill go up her spine. There was something unnerving in Richard's intensity.

"I'll get in touch with you after…after it's done" he added before kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Are you going back to Springfield after this?"

Holly nodded, not trusting her voice to be steady.

"Great. You stay there. Goodbye Holly."

He kissed her again and walked to the hotel's bar, leaving Holly in a deep state of confusion.

Roger was hiding something, and now it turned out that Richard definitely was too. She shook her head and pressed the elevator's button. She was not going to be kept in the dark about this. She was going to find out the whole truth, no later than tomorrow.