Chapter 11

Within minutes she was back on the unit's floor. She was too panicked to notice the odd stares of the other agents as she rushed back to her desk.

When she entered the pen, Elena looked up from her desk, alarmed. She jumped out of her chair, grabbing Samantha by the arm. "Hey, where have you been?" she asked worriedly. "What happened to you?"

Samantha looked at her dazed. "To the moon, Alice, to the moon." She reached out and ran her hand through Elena's hair. Her eyes widening, she grabbed Samantha's wandering hand.

"Come on, let's take a restroom break, okay?" she asked, firmly pulling Samantha away from her desk. Just then Danny, Samantha and Vivian walked in and intercepted them.

"Sam…where the hell have you been?" Danny asked angrily. He took stock of her clothes, wrinkling his forehead.

"I was out, but I'm back now. Remember? I wanted to cash in some of that money but the roof was too big." She sensed she wasn't making any sense. The agents were looking at her bizarrely which she found quite funny. Before she could stop herself, she began to giggle uncontrollably.

Vivian took her arm from Elena. "Can I speak to you for a moment Sam?" Vivian asked, gently leading her away. Danny started to follow, but Vivian threw him a look staying his action.

Once in the hallway Vivian got a good look at Samantha. Samantha fidgeted, her eyes roving everywhere but at Vivian. For what seemed like an eternity, Vivian finally spoke up.

"Sam, I'm going to go ahead and send you home for the rest of the afternoon, okay?"

Samantha blinked. She knew she was in trouble but couldn't focus. "Oh, are we getting a free day today?" she asked dumbly.

"Not exactly…listen I really need you to just call it a day," she said quietly. "We'll talk more about it tomorrow okay?"

Samantha nodded. She turned around and headed for the elevator, but not before catching Danny's eye through the window. The look on his face stayed with her until she left the building.

XXXXXX

Danny was pushing himself to the limit on the treadmill at his gym, trying to beat out the anger and exasperation that coursed through his body. He was flabbergasted at Samantha's behavior and appearance earlier that day. She looked like she rolled around in a dirt lot. And she acted like she was high. Danny couldn't fathom the thought, Samantha just did not seem the type to get involved with drugs.

He continued to pound away on the treadmill when another thought occurred to him. The way Samantha was during sex, it always seemed as if she were chasing a high she couldn't reach, that desperation. It reminded him a lot of an addict.

Finally feeling the exhaustion creep in, Danny punched the emergency stop button. He heard someone clear a throat, forcing him to turn around.

"Well, I'm surprised there is any traction left on that machine," Elena said.

Danny didn't bother to hide his surprise. "Elena, how did you find me here?"

"Ah, Danny, its what we do, find people you know?" she answered. It reminded Danny of Samantha's similar comment when she landed on his doorstep. "I came by to check on you…you seemed upset today."

Danny grabbed his towel off of the machine and stepped down. Wiping his face, he remarked, "It's nothing really, just a lot on my mind."

Elena nodded, perching on the edge of a workout bench. "Right," she drawled in her thick accent. "And would this be about Sam?"

Danny looked at her for the first time. She was wearing a low cut blouse and tight jeans and was holding a manilla envelope. Her hair was curled and Danny could detect a pleasant whiff of expensive perfume. "You got a date tonight or something?"

"Everyone knows you two are involved. Hell, you practically admitted it to me."

Danny shifted uncomfortably. Okay, he was cool with that but he knew Samantha wouldn't be. "What exactly can I do for you, Elena?"

"She isn't what you think she is Danny," Elena said softly. "I'm worried about what she'll do to you, that she'll hurt you."

"Sam…? Look Elena, I appreciate your concern…but we're fine. I mean, I know Sam has been acting pretty strange lately, but I think she is just going through something… a phase. You know, like a phase." Danny wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Elena or himself.

Elena held up her hand. She passed him the manila envelope. "I have something I want to show you…take a look." Danny peeked inside the envelope and pulled out a stack of black and white photos. Elena watched quietly as Danny's face showed first surprise, then shock, then utter disgust as he flipped through the stack of incriminating photos.

"Where, where did you get these?" he stammered, his vision blurred in a red-hot rage. "Where the hell did you get these?"

Elena stood closer to him, lightly placing a hand on his arm. "I knew you were falling for her before you did," she whispered. "We're friends, no? And friends look out for friends."

XXXXXXXXX