Who is Jack? Lyla thought. She watched him sleeping in her bed. She was so grateful that he had stayed the night. He had been so sweet and kind. It was strange for a man who was a vagabond to be like him. She knew that there was more to him than just a wandering man. He was too intelligent, too attentive. There was an authoritative quality about him as well.
Lyla had met men who liked to wander, like Basil. He came to town to study the plant life. It hurt slightly to think of him. He would always show up with a new type of flower that he had pressed dry for Lyla. His serious stare and bright green eyes locked on her face. Lyla would welcome him into her home and her bed. Lyla had loved him. In his own way Basil had loved her. But Basil was never one to settle down in one place. Lyla had a feeling that he had as many women as he had places that he studied. It wasn't enough for her, but she had been powerless to deny him.
But Jack was not like Basil. There was something sturdy about him. Jack was consistent. Last night he had been strong. And when he has found Gina, he'd been surprisingly calm and knew exactly what to do. There was something unsettling about the way Jack has handled the entire situation, it has almost been professional. Maybe in his former life he'd been a paramedic, he certainly seemed to know enough about how to handle the situation. None of it made any sense.
Jack stirred and slowly opened his eyes. When his eyes met Lyla's he smiled.
"Good morning," he greeted. The drowsiness in his voice gave it a languid almost fluid quality. Lyla found her heart beat quicken as he spoke. She tried her best to control her feelings. Jack had made it perfectly clear that he was not looking for anything serious.
"Morning," she greeted. "Thanks for staying with me last night." Jack chuckled.
"You're welcome," Jack replied. He stopped himself for shaking his head. He couldn't remember a single time where a woman had ever thanked him for spending the night. Lyla had an innocence about her that was undeniable. Guilt nudged at him, he shouldn't be getting this woman's hopes up. After this case was done, he would be moving on. She had a strange look on her face. He detected a bit of pain behind her eyes. What had she been thinking of before he had woken up? Perhaps it had been the events of the night before that had made her look as she did. It would be hard for anyone to see their friend in a state like Lyla had seen Gina. Jack knew who was responsible, but also knew that he couldn't touch him. Not now. It was too soon. He sighed heavily. At least for right now he would have to sit tight and wait until one of them slipped up.
Gwen was being stonewalled. Alex had come with her more than willing to talk about what he knew, then Vaughn had interrupted. She could recognize the thinly veiled threat that he had made. Alex had said very little after that. After a half an hour of asking him questions to get him to talk, she finally let him go home. It was aggravating, because she knew as well as anyone else that Vaughn was singularly responsible for the attack on Gina, and Kurt's death. Her head was pounding from a headache. She poured herself another cup of coffee. She was not usually a coffee drinker, but today, she needed the extra pick me up. The case was getting out of hand, and more people were getting hurt. She needed to get to the bottom of this and fast before Vaughn hurt anyone else she cared about.
Rachel sat in the garden thinking about everything. It was hard to believe what she had been told about herself. Her memories were starting to comeback more and more. It was startling.
"Hello," Sanjay greeted. He sat down next to her. "Do you like it here?" Rachel looked up into his kind eyes. She searched for any sign that he may have thought she was an abomination. Even though he had assured her he didn't, she felt like she was one.
"It's beautiful," Rachel sighed. She suddenly felt nervous. Sanjay grabbed her hand. Rachel giggled nervously. "I..." She couldn't think of anything to say. Looking into his eyes made her feel almost entranced.
"Do you know how beautiful you are Miss Rachel?" Sanjay asked. He sounded a bit breathless. He leaned towards her. Before she knew what was happening, his lips were against hers. She felt the excitement flow through her. It felt right to be here with him in this moment. When he pulled away she sighed.
"What was that all about?" Rachel asked. Her voice sounded shaky.
"I'm sorry, was that too presumptuous of me?" Sanjay asked. Rachel smiled and shook her head. In response she kissed him again.
Jamie returned to Flowerbud feeling deflated. He was tired of searching for the girl. He wasn't looking forward to what Vaughn would have to say to him. He also had the feeling that he was missing something.
"What are you doing back here?" Vaughn snarled. Jamie shrunk back from him.
"She's gone," Jamie explained. Vaughn grabbed his shirt collar.
"That's not acceptable!" Vaughn shouted. Alex came into the room. "Both of you are incompetent!"
"I believe you'd said that before," Alex said dryly.
"You aren't taking this seriously enough!" Vaughn shouted. "If it were up to me I'd get rid of the both of you right now!" Vaughn let Jamie go. Jamie felt relief until Vaughn's fist connected with his jaw.