The Things People Will Do For An Oval Office
Chapter 2 The Jig is Up
Three Days Later
"Abby have you seen Huck? I need to do a background check on Winston's partner, Olivia inquired. "
"No I haven't. I saw him talking to Quinn this morning. Maybe he told her where he was going. "
Olivia walked down to Quinn's office and peeked her head in as she held the door next to her body. "Hey Quinn, did Huck tell you where he was going today? I need a background check on Winston's partner. "
"I think he said he needed to follow up on a lead. "
"What kind of lead? Does it have something to do with the Winston case, Olivia asked probingly? "
Quinn trying to avoid eye contact, hunched her shoulders and raised her hands in feigned uncertainty, "I don't know. "
"Quinn are you okay? You seem a little off ", Olivia asked with concern.
"Oh, I'm fine. I'm sure Huck will be back soon. He mentioned the follow-up shouldn't take more than a day or so. I can run the background check for you. You need anything else, she said trying to change the subject. "Huck had told Quinn that something was brewing that would hurt Olivia and he needed to fix the problem quickly. He didn't give any details but Quinn could tell from his demeanor it was serious.
"No, the background check is all I need for now, thanks. "
"No problem, I'll get right on it. "
"Good evening Mr. Grant. My, aren't you burning the midnight oil?" Marge called out in her usual welcoming tone.
"Marge how many times do I have to tell you to call me Fitz; "smiling back at the grayed-haired waitress pouring coffee for customers at the diner counter?
"Now Mr. Grant you know your girlfriend frowns upon you interacting informally with us hoi polloi; "she replies casting a playful glance.
"Well she's not around so humor me. We can reserve the need for pretense for when she's around; and she is not my girlfriend. "
"Sure thing Fitz; the usual?"
"Why change now, I'm a creature of habit", he nodded and grinned. " He walked over to his usual booth in the corner, placed his belongings on the seat next to him, sat down and opened his newspaper. To his surprise written across the front of the paper in black ink was the message; "you're father has you under surveillance, leave your phone, jacket and briefcase at the table and go the restroom with this newspaper now!" Fitz looked around the diner. It just looked like only the regulars were present; no one out of the ordinary caught his attention. As he gazed out the pane glass window in front of the diner he did notice two guys sitting in a sedan under the streetlight staring into the diner. The man in the driver's seat reminded him of someone he had seen with his father but he couldn't be sure. Fitz pondered for a few moments on whether to believe the cryptic note or treat the incident as a joke or a case of mistaken identity. Given his father's controlling nature, Fitz thought better and decided to check out the source of the note. He did as instructed and left his stuff, except for the newspaper, at the table.
Fitz slowly opened the door to the bathroom and before he knew what was happening someone grabbed his arm from behind the door, dragged him into the bathroom, and placed a sweaty hand over his mouth. He initially began to struggle but when he recognized who had grabbed him he stopped. "Huck, what the hell?"
"Quiet! I've got to get you out of here fast."
Fitz again, "what the hell? What's going on? Why are you here? Is Olivia here too? Is she okay?"
"No, she's not here, but by tomorrow morning she is going to need you desperately.
"Why? What's wrong?" Fitz was on the brink of panic.
"Look I can't explain things to you here. We need to leave now. I promise I'll tell you everything once we are out of Santa Barbara."
"Why do I need to leave my phone?"
"They've bugged your phone and are listening in on all your conversations. Plus they're using it to track you. Same thing with your briefcase and jacket. Can you save your questions for later; we really need to get going." Huck impatiently pushes Fitz away from the door so he can to peer out.
Fitz knew if Huck had traveled to California without Olivia's knowledge whatever was about to happen was either serious or dangerous. Fitz knew Huck was not a person given to alarm or paranoia. Whatever the threat was, Fitz was sure Huck had the evidence to prove it. Huck protected Olivia at all cost. Hell, he knew her entire team would willingly go over a cliff to protect her. The thought of Olivia being in harm's way was unsettling. He needed to be strong for his Livvie. He needed to protect the one he loved. He needed to give her his love but within accepted boundaries.
"Okay, let's go."
'We'll leave through the exit in the back. There's a plane waiting for us in Van Nuys." Huck disabled the door alarm at the back of diner to avoid alerting Fitz's tail of their escape. They scampered across the alley to the garage behind to the diner and hopped into a late model SUV.
"Fitz what I need tell you will be really be tough to hear? It will shake you to your core; but I need you be strong for yourself and Olivia. The things your father has done are nothing short of a fucking twisted episode of Criminal Minds. He's a sick perverted bastard and you know I know sick. I need to sedate you slightly. I can't afford for you to flip out while we're on the road."
Fitz looks over at Huck with a befuddled grimace; his anxiety now reaching full-blown chest grabbing panic attack level. Oh God, was Gerry responsible for the clusterfuck from 12 years ago, he thought? He nods his assent. Five minutes later. Huck recaps the tangled web of deceit, betrayal and death wrought at the hands of Big Gerry and Mellie. The horrific scheme as politically motivated and designed to eliminate Fitz and Olivia's unborn child and change the dynamics of their intense love affair. As he listened to Huck all Fitz could do was place his bowed head in his hands and rock and wail.
"Oh God Livvie! Oh God Livvie! What have they done to us? Ayliah I'm so sorry my precious baby! We didn't know! We didn't know! Fitz wept from the depths of his soul. How could they? Why? How can anyone be so evil? Livvie, Livvie my love, my heart! What have they done to us? I need you so badly. I won't survive this without you. Our baby, our beautiful baby, for no reason; they crushed us an elected office."
Huck continued, 'bottom line Fitz, there was nothing wrong with your baby. The test results indicating severe congenital birth defects; all fabricated. Liv's tumble down the stairs while pregnant; not an accident. Big Gerry never met Liv's mother. And that crap about Mellie wanting to be a bridge between you and Liv so that you two could remain friends, a bunch of bullshit. You were supposed to hook-up with Mellie on the rebound from Olivia, but Gerry and Mellie underestimated your love for Olivia. Gerry is desperate at this point because you have fucked up his timeline. He plans to marry you off to Mellie before the end of the year and have you sitting in the governor's chair by next November. He's already paid for the guaranteed election victory and made promises to some nefarious heavy-hitters."
Fitz's grief quickly transformed into anger; raw unbridled anger. His desire for revenge also emerged. "I'm going to kill Big Gerry but only after he has suffered in unspeakable ways and I mean Vlad the Impaler inspired torture. I want to cut off his dick and balls with a dull rusty knife and make him eat them like sushi! I want to pull the every hair off Mellie's body, one hair at a time, then roll her honey and place her naked body on a red ant hill at high noon."
"Damn Fitz, you are one vindictive son of a bitch. I like the way you think. Don't worry, every person involved in this asinine conspiracy will pay and pay dearly. I promise you their day of reckoning is coming."
Waves of anger and sorrow kept washing over Fitz. He needed to hit someone or something, anything, to release the tsunami of emotional pain he was experiencing. He asked Huck to pull over by the side of the road for few minutes. He got out of the car and kicked the guardrail, which buckled on impact from his foot. Fitz then dropped to his knees and cried bitterly.