OUT THERE
Chapter Two
"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." (Sun-Tzu)
Adam's first instinct was to run back to his apartment, grab his things and head for work as quickly as he could, trying to invent a cast-iron excuse for his lateness as he drove like a maniac through the mid-morning traffic.
His second instinct overrode the first.
No matter how dire the situation was, he could not simply walk out on Elma and leave her wondering where he had gone. That was beyond bad manners. That was cold - and thus, to a warm-hearted man like Adam, unthinkable.
He tried knocking on the bathroom door, but the water was loud and Elma's song was louder.
With a sigh, he returned to the kitchen and plonked himself back in the chair, legs twitching as though, if they had the power to do so, they would have taken charge and carried him away by now. Instead, he reached for a plate and absently started to butter some toast.
At long last, the shower and the song came to an end. Adam continued to eat as he waited. Three slices later, Elma appeared before him, clad in a flowery dress and bearing a smile that spoke clearly of her gratitude.
"Sleep well?" she asked him with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Oh - yes," he replied. "Um... you didn't wake me?"
"You were tired." Elma looked concerned. "Was that wrong?" Her smile slipped and he hastened to reassure her.
"No, not wrong. I guess my body knew what I needed, and so did you. Thanks for the breakfast." He gestured to the luxury spread. "But Elma, I really have to go now. Will you be okay?" Please say yes, he thought desperately, keeping his face as straight as possible.
"Certainly." She bent herself into the seat beside him, reaching for the cereal box and a bowl. "Beth-Anne will be here any moment. She's my home help. You'd like her, Adam. She's about your age, you know... Pretty girl."
Oh, great. That was just what he needed. Help with his love life. Adam stumbled to his feet and coughed to hide his embarrassment. "Look," he said, "I'll come and see you later, if I finish on time. And, you know, if you need me in the night again..."
"Are you sure?" She eyed him sharply.
"Yes," he said, as he walked towards the door, trying not to look like a man in a hurry. "I'm sure."
Having seen Plan B through to the end, however reluctantly, Adam returned to Plan A. Run home. Grab his things. And drive like a maniac.
Check. Check. And check.
The cast-iron excuse was harder. Adam's imagination ran riot as he dodged queues and flew through intersections, clinging to the very edge of safety. I'm so sorry, Mac, okay? I had to rescue a baby from a fire... A cat from a tree... It was fun to be the hero for a while, if only in his head. But Mac was no fool. Deep down, Adam knew that he should keep it simple. Stick to the truth. Something told him that the boss-man would probably understand.
No, Mac wasn't the problem. The problem was blonde and cute (dammit, too cute) and right now she was standing at his workstation, doing his job and making all his colleagues think that she was better than him.
"She's not," he muttered fiercely. But the shiver was there, deep down. The chill that said, what if...? And he was afraid.
Adam's speed increased. The car revved angrily.
A horn beeped, followed by the squeal of tyres - his own, he realised with horror. Fate, or the angel in the car behind him, had warned him in time and averted a nasty collision as instinct made him stomp his foot down on the brake pedal. Jolted forwards and then back into his seat, Adam took a shuddering breath to calm himself down and peeled his fingernails out of the steering wheel.
So he was late. So Haylen was out for his job. So what? There was no excuse for dangerous driving.
He flushed unhappily.
The rest of the journey saw him crawling meekly through the traffic like a mouse. By the time he reached the parking lot, it was midday. Finding a space took another half-hour. Maybe I should just go home again, he sighed. But Adam was nothing if not stubborn. The last corner of the last level yielded a space, dark and cramped, but large enough for him to creep into it. He only hoped that he would be able to reverse out again. Thank goodness his car was small.
He squeezed out of the crack between the driver's side and the concrete wall, scraping his elbow and cursing under his breath.
This day was rapidly going from bad to worse.
Entering the lobby, Adam groaned in disbelief when he saw the sign beside the elevators. 'Out of order'. Of course - why not? He shook his head. "Awesome..." he groaned.
"Psst," said a voice behind him. "Hey, buddy. Follow me, okay? The service elevator is our ride today. What, did you really think they'd make you climb all that way, you chump?"
Spinning around, Adam lowered his gaze and offered a grateful smile to Danny Messer, who was grinning back at him with something of his old enthusiasm. Both hands rested lightly on the wheels of his chair, which were caked with dirt.
"You gonna track that through the lab?" Adam quipped. "Mac'll be so pleased."
"You gonna tell him why you're late?" his friend retorted. "That would take the heat off of me."
"Don't let him bully you," Lindsay said, wandering up to them both and giving her husband a gentle smack across the back of his head that made him chuckle. "We've been to a crime scene," she explained to Adam, patting her case which was also covered in splashes of mud. "Not the cleanest alley in Manhattan."
"Oh," he said simply, following the pair as they headed down the corridor and into the secret world inhabited by maintenance staff and delivery men, on their way to the service elevator. Adam sighed with relief. Five minutes and he would be up there at last, back where he belonged...
Oh, God...
Five minutes.
Mac's face loomed before him. Haylen hovered in the background, beaming smugly.
Well? said the frowning image of his boss...
"You're very quiet, Adam." Lindsay peered at him, concerned. "Bad morning?"
Cat in a tree, his imagination prompted. Adam ignored it. Somehow, Elma's plight seemed a little too private to reveal at this point so he took refuge in a half-truth, knowing, even as he said it, how lame it sounded. "Late night. I overslept. And downtown was grid-locked."
"Happens to all of us. Isn't that right, Danny?" Clearly, Lindsay could sense his reluctance to talk and so she turned the focus of their conversation elsewhere, much to Adam's relief. Her tone was suggestive and her husband let out another chuckle. The wounded look on his face was a clownish parody of innocence. He did not deny the charge.
Lowering his head to avoid Lindsay's penetrating gaze as it swept back over him like a searchlight, Adam felt a sudden irrational surge of envy for the man who rolled ahead of them. Danny was so lucky. He caught himself, startled by the thought. Yeah, right, lucky, he scoffed. But no; it was true. In spite of his recent misfortune, Danny had everything that Adam wanted. Everything tied up in one neat package; loving and loyal and warm. Such a strong bond between them. Such a 'rightness' to their relationship. Where in the world was there a girl who would care for him so deeply?
Beth-Anne. He thought wryly of Elma and her not-so-subtle matchmaking.
Or Haylen Becall...
The last thought was so outrageous that it made him wince. Lab gossip had turned the two of them into an item the moment that Haylen had shoe-horned her way through the door, as everyone mistook Adam's blushes and his stammering for tongue-tied infatuation. Nothing could be further from the truth. He could not answer for Haylen's feelings on the subject - she covered herself too well - but his own were adamant. Not if his job depended on it. Not if his life depended on it...
"Here we are," Danny sang out, stretching up to press the button that summoned the elevator. Weeks ago, such an awkward movement would have been a strain. But each day brought new strength and stamina to his injured back - not to mention a brighter glow to Lindsay's determined eyes.
Adam's own joy at the improvement was a secret one, but equally intense. Seeing his friend reduced to a haggard, pain-etched version of his former self had been hard to bear. He still remembered that night; still dreamed about it too. Thinking back to the shooting in the bar was like gazing through broken crystal; like the sickening aura that comes before a migraine. They had come together quietly to celebrate a life - and the world had fractured all around them. Could they ever put the pieces back together again? He longed to believe that it was possible.
Staring at Lindsay now, through the shards of memory, Adam watched her frown as they entered the elevator. No doubt, she was trying to make sense of his troubled expression. He waited for more questions - but they never came. Instead, her hand slipped out and brushed his arm, unseen by Danny. A moment of quiet reassurance, as though she had guessed exactly what was on his mind. Words were useless. The touch was enough.
"So - what's the case?" he asked her, forcing his voice to adopt a casual tone. The result was oddly convincing.
Lindsay was about to reply when the elevator shuddered to life. Danny's wheelchair rolled and Adam grabbed the handle, giving him a chance to hit the brake.
"Thanks, man," Danny said gruffly.
"The case?" Adam murmured, sensing his embarrassment. Lindsay nodded to her husband and he shrugged.
"It was a mugging. A nasty one. The victim's a mess. It's touch and go, according to the hospital..."
"There was a witness, though," Lindsay put in. "And we found plenty of evidence."
"In the mud?" Adam said with an innocent air.
Danny's grin crept back. "In the mud." The elevator reached the 35th floor and the doors slid open. Rolling out, he turned back and stared at the twin lines of dirt with a look of juvenile delight. Lindsay strode out behind him, her footprints tracking a light brown path beside his wheelmarks.
"Guess it won't be hard to find you guys if I need you," Adam called after them both as they disappeared down the corridor, waving briefly.
"Hehehe..." Laughter floated back over Danny's shoulder, making Adam smile. He couldn't help it.
Darting out of the elevator himself before the closing doors could trap him in the dingy car, he looked around with interest. This part of the lab was less familiar to him, being largely made up of random storerooms and unused offices. Ever since the budget cuts last year, faces had begun to vanish, never to be replaced. It was... unsettling. Adam was all too aware that one of those faces could have been his. Should have been his. Still might be...
He shook off the ugly thought and set off slowly in the direction of Mac's office. Better to get his confession over with as soon as possible. Rounding the corner, he reached the main corridor which ran through the busiest part of the lab. There, he saw Stella in her office, vibrant curls bent over a heap of paperwork. When Adam passed, she glanced up, pinching the bridge of her nose with a weary gesture. He waggled his fingers gently in her direction, hoping to bring a glimmer of happiness to her face. And he did, for an instant - but then it was gone and she bowed her head back over her task.
Seconds later, a familiar golden gleam caught Adam's eye and he halted, slipping to the edge of the wide corridor and hovering just out of sight.
Haylen.
What was she doing?
Whatever it was, she was being assisted by Dr. Sheldon Hawkes, who seemed to be enjoying himself. Adam wondered moodily if he should start a rumour, knowing full well that he would do no such thing. Dr. Hawkes was a kind man, after all, and he was just being helpful. Too helpful. Haylen laughed and tossed her long blonde hair. Shouldn't she tie that stuff up when she was in the lab? Adam's forehead wrinkled into furrows and he folded his arms. The scene was hypnotic. He couldn't tear himself away...
"Adam."
"Oh! Boss..." He gulped. Not ready, his mind begged, but it was too late. Just like him.
"Good of you to join us," Mac observed, pointedly checking his watch.
A clichéd line and yet, in this man's capable hands, it became quite ominous.
Feeling the old familiar panic rise within him, Adam wished that, for once in his life, he could be eloquent. Nerves would always be his downfall and they attacked him now with glee. "Thanks... I mean, no, boss, I'm sorry about that. I should have called you, but..."
"The dog ate your phone?" Mac suggested.
"I don't have... Oh! Right. I see what you... No, I couldn't get to it, okay? Not at first; and then I was rushing..."
"Adam," Mac repeated grimly, tilting his head and sighing. "Get to the point. Why are you late?"
The moment of doom was finally upon him - and suddenly, to his amazement, Adam found that he knew exactly what to say. Looking down at his shuffling sneakers, he gathered his thoughts with care and then directed his gaze straight at Mac. This time, when he spoke, his voice was calm.
"There's an old lady living next door to me and she needed... well, she needed a friend last night. It took a little longer than I thought, that's all. I..." He gave a sheepish grin. "I kind of fell asleep in her apartment. That part was my fault, I guess. The rest... Well, I'd do the same again. But I'm sorry to be so late, boss. Really I am..."
Mac stared back at Adam. Seconds passed, impossibly long. And then, with a twitch of his lips that could almost be taken for a smile, he nodded.
"Conference room. Ten minutes. Be on time," he advised - and finally, there was the glint of humour that often lurked in his eyes for anyone to see if they dared to look closely enough.
Adam watched him walk away and let out the breath that he did not even know he had been holding.
"I did it. I think..." he whispered, full of astonishment.
His triumph was short-lived. A heartfelt groan escaped his lips as Haylen's laughter spilled through the open doorway of the Trace lab. Here was a problem that could not be solved so easily. There was a permanent knot in his stomach these days, and a lurking fear in the back of his mind. Haylen had made her intentions quite clear from the start; to him, at any rate. He had tried to defend himself but she was relentless. The echo of her challenge haunted him - his protest:
"The job you're after? It's mine, okay..?"
And her bold reply:
"I'm not giving up..."
Very well - then neither would he. This job was his and he didn't intend to lose it. Not when he had already come so close.
Pasting on what he hoped was a nonchalant expression, he stepped into the room.
-xx-
A/N: Thank you SO MUCH for all of your reviews/favourites/follows!
And thank you to Lily and Farmgirl, as always.