And onto the next chapter.! thanks for the reviews! I love them!
In the morning sunlight, the house was immaculately clean not even so much as a spot of dust on any surface. The counters were wiped clean, the floors vacuumed and everything placed perfectly. There wasn't so much as a hint of what sounded like what would be going on there. He could still hear those noises in his ears as he lay in the mussed bed, one leg wrapped under the sheets and the other in the warming air.
He woke up with a smile on his face and in a complete bliss. He knew she wouldn't be here when he woke, but he didn't seem to mind right now as he replayed the night's events in his head. He rolled over in the sheets and inhaled her scent. She had left just moments ago because he could still feel the lingering heat from the bed and the smell of the oven cooking something. Running a hand through his hair, he stood up and entered the bathroom for a shower.
When he had stepped from the shower, the scent of something cooking still filled the air. It puzzled him. She had left a long while ago because the shower water had to heat up again and the bath mat was dry. Scrubbing his hair with the towel before wrapping it around his waist Ryan wandered down the stairs and into the kitchen of the mansion, wondering how someone as neat and OCD as her could leave the oven on. He entered the obsessively neat kitchen to find everything clean and clear save for his phone and a little box with a deep purple ribbon on it. He padded his way over to it and picked up the note that was slipped under the ribbon.
Your phone vibrated while I was leaving. I'm sorry I opened it. You have the day off. I made you eggs Benedict. It's in the oven. I left you the keys to the blue Aston Martin. ~A
Ryan set the note down and picked up his phone. It was true, he hated people looking at his phone, invading his privacy, but he didn't mind that she had looked at it. Sure enough, there was the text message, open and waiting for him from Horatio. He didn't have to go to work today. He sighed. She was gone at work though. He set the phone down after telling Horatio he'd come in to do some paperwork for some overtime and then went to the oven.
Somehow her plates of food always looked like they belonged in a magazine and her food tasted even better than it looked. Ryan figured it was because of her OCD or something like it, but he didn't mind it, it never bothered him it just made his OCD less noticeable. He took a fork out and sat it at the counter before walking to the fridge to pour himself a glass of orange juice when he noticed the coffee pot with coffee in it. He smiled and reached for it, pouring a glass before settling at the counter in his towel and pulling the package close to him.
He unwrapped the box and pulled out the keys to the car. He would make her happy and drive it today rather than the Hummer partly because he wanted to and partly because the Hummer was low on gas and he knew all her cars kept full tanks. He set the keys next to him as he ate. It was a beautiful morning and he watched out the large window over the sink and watched the waterfront come alive with boats.
Ryan looked over to his bag on the couch. Getting up he grabbed it and opened it, pulling out the file and heading back to the counter. He set the file down and went back to eating. After a few moments he looked around, an old habit, before opening the file he had in his hands.
Her picture was taken as she was climbing out of her yacht on the marine. Her beautiful dark red hair was tied up and back and she was wearing a blue top and white pants. Her eyes where covered by an oversized pair of sunglasses and she wasn't smiling. Even looking like that she was beautiful and Ryan's mouth almost twisted into a smile. He flipped the photo over and started reading her file. What could he possibly want with someone like her? He looked at her page and breathed a sigh of relief; the man knew virtually nothing about her, just the surface details.
But as Ryan read on he got worried. She had her own secrets, just like him. He realized that this woman, he hardly knew, he more likely didn't know. Ryan's face formed a frown as he read about her, about the little the man knew about him. When he flipped the page he was in for a big shock. She wasn't just another single rich heir, oh no, she was the daughter of a man named Marcus Azzolino. Ryan knew that name he just couldn't place it. He shut the folder and stood up, putting the folder back into his bag before clearing his place and putting everything in the dishwasher.
The name had him distracted as he dressed. Not only the name, the fact that her father is still alive. He had never seen a family photo or heard her talking to him or seen so much as an email from her mysterious father. She never seemed to broach the topic of family either and he never thought much about it. He thought about this as he did up his tie in his closet and pulled on a pair of shoes. Feeling curious, Ryan stepped from his closet and walked across the space and peeked into her closet.
It was neat, her clothes neatly hung up in rows, her pants folded and her shoes lined at the bottom. He looked around, looking for some sort of box of memories or photo album or something that would point to her having living family. He found nothing. It puzzled and frustrated him to no end. Once he was satisfied with not finding anything he gritted his teeth and walked back up into the bathroom and out into the bedroom before climbing down the stairs to leave.
He wanted to make Alice happy, so he took the Aston Martin to work. He also wanted a chance to drive her luxury cars. He smiled as he drove, enjoying the attention he got as he drove around. He pulled the car into the station and parked it in his spot just as Natalia, Walter and Jesse were getting out of their Hummers.
"I thought it was your day off man," Jesse called to Ryan as he parked the car. Ryan grabbed his bag and climbed out.
"Yeah," Walter said as he made his way around, "Whoa, nice car."
"Thanks," Ryan said.
"Where'd you get that?" Natalia said in a semi accusatory tone. Ryan shrugged.
"I've have it for a while."
"Yeah all of three months," Walter said, "Dude it's brand new."
"I know," Ryan said, "Anyway I came in to do some paperwork."
"Seriously?" Jesse said, "You came in to do paperwork?"
"Yeah," Ryan lied as he climbed the steps. In truth he wanted to search Marcus Azzolino in the database. He wanted to know what they wanted with her and why that name sounded so familiar. He settled into the elevator and waited to go up with a sigh. Suddenly his phone vibrated and he looked down fishing it out of his pocket.
Well the color must have drained from his face because the elevator opened and there was Calleigh, her eyes wide and staring as the door opened.
"Ryan?" she called to him, "Ryan what's wrong?"
Ryan looked up at her with wide eyes. His hands were shaking and his legs didn't want to move.
"They have her," he whispered angrily, "They have her."
"Who, Ryan, who?" Calleigh soothed, "Who?"
Ryan stared at her and clenched his jaw.
"Alice."