Ch.5
A knock twice on the door and a quick glance in to the peephole.
He was in his usual dark suit, sans the tie.
He leaned in closer to the door aligning his magnified eye with the peephole.
She opened the door laughing, humored at his antics.
He actually grinned.
Martin actually grinned.
She ushered him in to her living room as she took her seat back on the couch, motioning for him to sit.
"You do sit?" She asked amused at his stiff appearance.
He sat.
He looked at her.
For a fleeting moment Martin wondered if it were the real her sitting there. Not Samantha, but the woman she was before.
The woman he had never met.
"What?" Olivia asked, looking at him.
"Sorry, I've never seen you this way."
"What way?"
"The jeans, the ponytail…relaxed."
She laughed.
"I've never heard you laugh either," he observed.
"I guess I just feel good today. I tried putting myself in my happy place this morning."
"Your happy place? And does this person have a name?"
"You assume it's a person?" She smiled.
"It usually is."
Olivia pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, thinking before she spoke.
"I was thinking about Alex this morning, about being in New York with Alex…"
Olivia pulled her jean-clad knees closer to her chest.
"Someone you're in love with?"
Olivia let out a shy, breathy laugh, "yes" was all she would give.
"Well… I'm happy to see a smile on your face."
"Thanks," she said softly.
Alex.
"You're prepared to go to London? Martin asked, changing the subject.
She shook her head, "as I'll ever be I guess. Gareth had a sense of urgency about leaving for London. He is preparing for us to go this weekend."
"Did he say why the urgency?"
''He didn't say. I assume business." Olivia stood up from the couch. "Martin, I'm sorry, I have coffee made or can I get you some tea?"
"Coffee is fine." He said as he watched her move in to the small kitchen.
"You know," she said then stopping herself, "I usually have such a good read on people, a good sense of who they are. Knowing what I know about Gareth, who he really is versus the way he is with me… I mean, I know he's the bad guy, and I know when a man comes across as suave and flawless it is always a tell, tell sign, but he's so kind, and he seems to have a gentleness about him…"
"Samantha..." Martin said standing and quickly walking towards her.
"I know, I know what you're going to say. I just…"
"Samantha…" Martin said, getting her attention. "Celeste is dead."
"What?" She said, taking a step back.
"Her body was found in an alley on the west side."
Her eyes showed horror before she clenched them shut.
"When where you going to tell me?"
… Flawless, it is too good to be true…
"I was going to tell you this morning… she was found yesterday."
"The baby?"
"Gone."
"What?"
"The baby was gone, cut out of her."
"Shit." Olivia mumbled under her breath then hands resting on the counter.
"Do you know how long she had been dead?"
"At least 24 hours before they found her."
"Shit," she said again before bowing her head.
"Samantha, do not trust Gareth. No matter how kind, no matter how sincere."
"I don't, I don't."
She reassured him.
She reassured herself.
Olivia handed Martin his coffee and she made her way back to the couch, still in shock.
"I know this is hard to digest…"
"Martin." She interrupted. "There was a man, last night at Gareth's club. I caught his starring at me. He was creepy… When Gareth left me at the bar, he came over to me… he avoided telling me his name."
"What did he say to you?" Martin asked concerned.
"He called me Samantha, actually Ms. Gray. When I asked had we met before he avoided the question. So I asked again and he said we hadn't met."
"Did he say anything else to you?" Martin asked concerned.
"Just something about he knew Gareth surrounded himself with beautiful women, and that I didn't disappoint."
"Tell me what he looked like."
Dark suit, thin, sharp nose, about my height, dark hair, longer tucked behind his ears… He spoke in French, but his accent was off. He may have been British?
Martin shook his head taking in the information. "Anything else?"
"Gareth came back to the bar, interrupting..."
"Did Gareth seem to know him?"
"He didn't seem to. Actually, he asked me who he was. Another strange thing was when Gareth came over, the man disappeared in to thin air, just gone."
Martin leaned back in the chair, pondering, his coffee abandoned on the side table.
"You need to let me know right away if you see this man again… And you're sure Gareth didn't know him, he didn't seem different, anything?"
"No, I mean I teased him about being jealous of me talking to another man."
"And what did he say?"
"Charming… said something like I bring out the jealousy in him."
Martin was silent.
"Say something." She demanded, not liking his sudden silence and change in disposition.
Martin was her informant, her confidant. He was the only one she had to trust, to speak freely with for the last 6 and a half months.
He was cool, calm, but always cautious. He had her back.
"It's nothing, just taking in the information."
"You're scaring me a little…"
"No you're fine. Just keep your eyes open. I'll see if we can narrow down some of Gareth's associates and his enemies by your description. Go to London, when I see you again, I'll beings shots to see if you recognize anyone."
She shook her head, agreeing.
She then stood up from the couch.
"I should be getting ready. I'm meeting Gareth this afternoon, he said he would let me know travel plans."
Martin stood up.
"Very good," he said thoughtfully, "and you'll let us know immediately?"
"Of course."
She walked him to the door.
"You're not alone Samantha, say the word and I will be right there with you."
She gave a quick smile. "Thanks Martin."
AOAOAOAOAOAOA
Alex opened the apartment door to see Casey already holding out the bottle of wine to her.
"Ah you came prepared!" Alex said taking the bottle from her and letting her in.
"I figured if you had already opened a bottle, we might need a spare!"
"Ha, well you never know!" Alex joked.
Casey followed Alex in to her kitchen.
"Who are the flowers from?" Casey asked, as she couldn't help but notice the more than generous amount of flowers on her counter.
"There from a friend." Alex said almost bruising it off.
"A friend? Does friend have a name?"
"Ben."
"Ben?" Casey said her eyes widening.
"Serious?"
"Fuck buddy."
"Wait fuck buddy's send flowers?"
"Casey!"
"What? Valid question!"
"He thinks it's a thing."
"And you are just using him for sex?"
"And dinner." Alex grinned.
"Naughty Alexandra naughty!"
Alex rolled her eyes, handing the glass of wine to Casey.
"So what's wrong with him?" Casey asked inquisitively.
"You're not going to let this go are you?"
"Nope."
"He's great. Cute, smart… he's an architect. The sex is good. The conversation is good. I don't know…"
"But?"
"But what?"
"But he's not…?"
Alex raised her brow and left Casey headed towards her couch, Casey followed.
"Casey… I'm just not looking for a relationship right now. I have other things…"
"You miss other things." She corrected.
"Give it up Case!"
"You give it up! As soon as you admit it, the better off you'll be. And then you can get used to the idea while she's gone and when's she back, you won't be such a chicken shit!"
"A chicken shit? Really?" Alex said amused.
Casey laughed.
"Alex, you're talking to me. You know I have your best interests at heart and Liv's as well. And I would never betray yours or her confidence. But you guys have played this game long enough and torturing yourselves about your feelings for each other is crazy."
"I know that." Alex said biting at her bottom lip. I just… I've admitted it to myself and I just…"
"Alex you have to know she feels something for you?"
"She told me she did."
"What?" Casey asked a bit surprised.
"When she left, she left me a box of her personal belongings and a note."
"And the note said?"
"That she had feeling for me, that she had for years."
"Then what is the problem?" Casey said trying to make it light.
"I've had feeling for her for so long, and our lives… we just cant seem to either be in the same place or be on the same page."
"Because you've never told her how you feel. Because neither of you have ever told each other face to face."
"It's too late Casey."
"What do you mean it's too late?"
"I mean who am I confessing to, besides you? She's gone, long gone. No one knows where she is, how she is, who she is… she's gone."
"She'll come back."
"Will she?"
"Alex, what do you mean will she? Why are you thinking like that?
Alex shook her head.
"I don't know, I don't know. I tried to stay so positive about her coming back, hell, her just coming back in one piece. But every day gets longer, everyday feels further from the hope that she will. And lately I just haven't been able to get passed the thinking that something is wrong."
"Alex she's in a dangerous situation there's no doubt about that, but she's fine. And she'll come home."
"I know, and I told myself she was ok a million times… now, can't shake that something's not right.