Chapter 23
Todd arrived home and found Blair pacing the living room. “What happened?” He asked.
“You were right, I just got off the phone with Momma. Joshua and the kids just arrived this morning. It seems someone attempted an attack on the orchard, but the extra protection that C.J. had in place stopped them. Joshua decided to get the kids out of there while the authorities looked into the attempt. When I asked Momma about Kym, she said C.J. and Kym weren’t in Savannah. Todd, she told me not to worry about them, but I don’t like wondering where they are.”
He opened his arms and folded her in as she turned to him for comfort. “Hey, I think you’re worrying about nothing. If something had happened to them, I’m sure Joshua would have told Addie. I’m just glad the attack on the orchard was unsuccessful. I knew the bastard couldn’t leave Kym alone for long. We’ve got to figure out where he’s hiding. I’ve got the bank records of the saboteur. With those, we should be able to find out where his money came from. Hopefully, it will lead us to Gregor.”
“You’re right, I know I’m jumping to the worst conclusion first, but he’s barely giving us time to breathe and he already knows where we are. You don’t think he would go after Starr or the kids do you?”
“No, I think when I injured him, it became personal between us. The only reason he’s reaching out for Kym is that he thinks she belongs to him. With Gregor, it’s all about what is his. I took Kym away from him and he can’t stand that. What I can’t believe is that he would go so far as to kill someone to keep his anonymity. I should have realized the guy was insane.” Todd stopped as soon as he said it and looked into Blair’s haunted eyes. “Blair, don't go there, you’re as sane as they come. Hell, everyone in this town is cracked. Daimler borders on criminally insane and that makes him more unpredictable.” He cupped her chin and gently kissed her, letting her know he had no qualms about her.
Blair wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. She needed to taste and feel him close to her. Her deepest fear was losing her mind and the closest she had ever come was when she shot Max Holden. And, she remembered softly, Todd had been there for her. They both had scars that went deep, but they had always found their way back to each other. She nestled her face close to his and whispered. “I love you. Please don’t let him take you from me.”
Todd’s arms tightened around her “It’ll never happen.” He looked into her tear-filled emerald eyes and saw the fear in them. She really was terrified Daimler was going to succeed. “I’m doing everything in my power to get ahead of this guy. He made a mistake and picked an arsonist that wasn’t on top of his game. This guy left a paper trail and it's going to be Daimler’s undoing.” He wiped away her tears and led her over to the couch. Before he could say anything else the doorbell rang.
Blair looked at him in alarm, they weren’t expecting any visitors and after talking to Addie, she was little worried. “Todd, you don’t think...?”
“Hey don’t go jumping to conclusions. I don’t think anyone Daimler sent, would announce himself by ringing the doorbell. Stay here. I’ll get it” Todd took a moment to view the front porch monitor and quickly opened the door. “Get in here you two. Blair will be so relieved to see you. She’s been worried ever since she heard about an attack at the orchard. What the hell happened and what are you doing here?”
Todd stood back as C.J. and Kym entered the house. C.J. shook his uncle’s hand and pulled Kym close to his side, a gesture that didn’t get missed by Todd. C.J. realized his uncle was looking closely at the two of them, but before he could say something, Blair joined them in the front hall.
“Thank God you’re both alright, I was so upset to hear about the attack. We’ve had our own share of happenings here and Addie was so mysterious about your whereabouts. Why didn’t you call?” Blair gave both a hug and kiss, then led them into the living room.
Kym had lived in many an opulent home, but she was fascinated by the design of Dragonheart. “Blair this is a beautiful home, the design is unique.”
Blair smiled and tucked her hand into Todd’s arm. “It was lovingly designed by Todd and the portraits were painted by his alter Samuel. C.J., I’m sure you’re not surprised by your uncle’s talent.”
“Actually I’m stunned, I knew he could carve but paint? I’m truly amazed.” C.J. had been thinking a lot like Kym even as they had driven up to the house. His uncle really was a puzzle. He thought back to that night on the dock when Todd had eluded the men guarding the warehouse. It had been disconcerting to find out Todd had Alters like his Aunt Vicki. The fact that one of them, namely Samuel, was a known artist in his own right, really gave new meaning to the phrase leading a double life.
Todd headed to the bar to get drinks. Handing one to C.J. he said, “Enough chit-chat, what happened at the orchard?” Seeing the look that passed between C.J. and Kym and the little hand touch by C.J., he added. “And what the hell is going on with you two?”
C.J. gave a small smile to Kym and looked at his uncle. "Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"
Todd had an inkling what the good news was.”Tell the bad news.”
“Yes well, several days ago Gregor contacted Kym and said he was coming to get her. Kym was all set to leave especially after Gregor made threats to also take Lily.”
“Why that bastard! If he were to dare to lay hands on Lily, I’d...” Todd was stopped by Blair who grabbed his hand. “Todd, relax. There’s no way C.J. and Joshua would ever let him get close to Lily.” Todd reined in his anger and forced himself to sit down next to Blair. “I’m sorry, go on with your story”
“I understand the anger, I felt it too. Like I said, Kym wanted to leave and after some persuasion, I talked her into staying and we began to make plans to stop Gregor legally. We had just finished the ceremony when all hell broke loose at the orchard. A van had broken through the gate and was trying to shoot its way to the farmhouse. We heard the gunshots and rushed to the front porch in time to see the van stopped, completely surrounded by our farmworkers and the guards we had hired extra. The men in the van gave up and we thought the threat was over until we heard a cry come from Lily. She was being held by one man and a second had his gun trained on us.” C.J. felt Kym’s hand shake and he looked at her. ”It’s alright, it all over “ he saw the look on Todd’s face and quickly reassured him. “It really is alright Todd. The van was supposed to be a diversion while the two men came in and took Kym and Lily, unfortunately for the two guys that entered the house, someone had neglected to warn them about Bruno and Claude.”
“Who the hell are Bruno and Claude? If they’re bodyguards they sure weren’t doing their job since the guys actually had hold of Lily. They deserve to be fired.”
C.J. laughed “Oh they will never be fired, they’re beloved family members. You see, Bruno and Claude are family pets. They’re German Shepherd trained to attack and they went into action the minute the weapon was pulled inside the house. Bruno took down the guy who was holding Lily without even putting a scratch on Lily, although I can’t say the same for the guy who had been holding her and Claude got the guy with the gun. The guy with the gun did get one shot off and Claude received a flesh wound, but Chase made sure he got plenty of attention afterward. Joshua and I, along with some of our guests, one of which was the Police Chief of Macon tied up the in-house assailants and waited for the authorities to get them before continuing the festivities.”
Blair had been holding her breath and let it out. “Thank goodness you’re all okay, but what were the festivities for?”
Todd smiled and looked at her, “That’s the good news Blair, can’t you see?”
She looked back at Todd and then over at Kym and C.J. and it finally registered. That was why Momma had said not to worry,”You’re married!” Kym beamed and nodded. Blair immediately rushed over to sit beside her and they began discussing the event, minus the last minute interruption C.J. had just told them about.
Todd nodded at C.J. “Congratulations. Why don’t we let them talk about the happy things and you can tell me why you’re here instead of on your honeymoon? Let’s go out on the terrace.” C.J. got up and followed his uncle out.
“You do realize you put yourself right in the crosshairs along with me don’t you C.J.? I trust you didn’t just marry Kym because you wanted to keep her from Gregor. A lot sure went on while I was in that coma.”
“I love her if that’s what you’re asking and yes, I know Gregor’s going to be real pissed off once he finds out he can’t have her anymore. That’s why we’re here. I know you, Uncle Todd, you’re going after him and I want to help. I figure working together gives us a united front and he’ll have to be more careful. Joshua has removed the kids from Peachtree for the time being and will stay in Savannah keeping an eye on them, and Blair’s mother and cousin. He and Amos are pretty sure they can stay on top of things there because the Feds have been making inroads into the slavering ever since the raid and the corporation that Gregor worked for has put up funds to help capture anyone involved. I’ve got some information I’m sure you would love to hear. Gregor made his call to our land line in Peachtree. Big mistake. We now know where the call came from.”
Todd couldn’t believe his ears. “C.J. this is great. With the info I got today, we should be able to find out if your location and mine are connected. With any luck, we’ll find him and then we can plan our next move. Let’s go to my office, Blair and Kym will want to talk a little longer I’m sure.”
They reentered the living room and C.J. paused long enough to get a good look at one of Blair’s portraits. “You really painted that? “
Todd looked up at the picture of Blair descending the stairs at the penthouse and remembered the day like it was yesterday. Samuel had also recalled it and had painted it when he wasn’t even sure who he was painting. Later he had painted the portrait on the other wall but had been reluctant to sell either one. Samuel had told him, how as soon as the second portrait was finished, he had known he had painted them for this house. “Samuel painted them, I’ve never had the chance to tell you the whole story.”
“You don’t have to, Blair got us all caught up while you were in the coma. When you told me you had alters the night we saved Lily, I must admit I thought you might have been pulling my leg. After Blair filled us in, I’ve got to tell you I was flabbergasted. You’re something else. Samuel is one heck of an artist. Now that you have your sight back do you think Samuel might be able to paint a portrait of Kym after this is all over.”
Todd raised an eyebrow and he grinned ”I don’t know, Samuel’s plate is pretty full right now. He was in the middle of a portrait of your Aunt Vicki when we lost our sight and his Art Dealer has been screaming for something else to sell. Samuel is in demand as an artist, I’ll have to check with him.”
Samuel spoke up in Todd’s head, “Todd quit teasing, tell C.J. I’ll do it after this is all over, you’re going to need the rest, and you might as well let me handle things then.”
Todd looked at C.J. and realized the man had taken him seriously and was standing there shocked.“I’m just kidding, but I have to know, do you understand that when Samuel’s in charge, I’m taking a back seat to things?”
C.J. laughed, “You know, I guess it never really clicked in my head. Blair talked about him like he was real and separate from you, I’m sorry Todd, that was pretty insensitive of me.”
“It’s okay pal, it does take getting used to and you haven’t really met any of them so I can see that just hearing about them would make them sound like there was more than one of me in a room. They had you fooled down on the dock, I remember you wondering why I just hadn’t let them handle everything after you found out about my heart. Now you know we’re never really apart. Hey don’t worry about it, I’ll be glad to take a back seat and let Samuel paint Kym, after all, you're my best bud right.”
C.J. smiled and replied. “You got that right. So let‘s see if we can find Gregor and then we can enjoy some peace when this is over.”
Several hours later Blair found them still working feverishly on the computer. “Hey, you guys need to come up for air. Starr and the boys got home and we thought Chinese sounded good for dinner. The food’s here, come and eat. That can wait.”
Todd looked down at his watch and nodded. “Come on C.J. We’ve got it narrowed down, let’s eat and I hope you and Kym will stay with us tonight. I don’t want to hear any arguments. It’s not safe even here, so like you said, we stay united for right now.” He pulled C.J. out of his chair and they followed Blair out.
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Chapter 22
It had been several days since the incident at The Sun. Todd entered the station looking for John. His sources had reported that the police had picked up the saboteur on his way out of the country. He opened John’s door, “John, when can I talk to this guy who injured my employee?”
“You can’t.”
“Why the hell not? It was my paper, I think I have the right to know why he went after it. Come on, just let me have a few minutes with him.”
“You didn’t let me finish. You can’t talk to him because the man is dead.”
“What did you say?” Todd was stunned.
“The man is dead, he was found an hour ago when they took his breakfast to him.”
“But how?”
“We’re not sure. He was booked yesterday and wouldn’t say anything without his lawyer. I know his lawyer made an appearance last night.”
“How the hell did the guy die? Did he hang himself, slice his wrists, what the hell happened?”
“He was found dead on the floor, no visible sign of violence. We’re going to have to wait on the coroner’s report.”
Todd suddenly remembered that Kym had a similar thing happen to her. “John, someone tried to kill Kym when she was in the hospital down in Savannah. According to her doctors, the last visit she had was from a lawyer. Someone poisoned her.”
John looked up from his paperwork at Todd. He recalled Todd telling him about the attempt.“What are you getting at?”
“Was this lawyer legit? How do we know he wasn’t sent to kill the guy?”
“Hold on Todd, that’s a pretty big leap. Who would want the guy dead?”
“How about the one who hired him?”
“Okay, let me guess. You think all this might have something to do with Daimler?”
“I don’t know. He contacted me before I left the hospital in Savannah. He hinted I should watch
out. I was hoping this guy might be the link to him, but that’s been shot to hell now.”
“Whoa, you’re talking murder here in the police station. We don’t know what occurred yet. You need to wait. I’ll get word to the coroner to check for poison, but it could be he died of a heart attack.”
“Oh come on, you don’t seriously believe that, do you?”
John raised an eyebrow and said. “I can’t rule anything out right now.”
“What’s it going to take? You know this wasn’t merely some simple heart attack. Tell me this. How old was the guy? Did he look in pretty good health? You said there was no sign of violence or struggle, but he just keeled over. Give me a break.”
John understood Todd’s frustration, he had felt it himself when he had been informed of the death. “You’re right Todd, but we still have to wait for the findings. “You might be interested to know the guy had a sizable amount of money deposited in his account the same day as the incidence.”
Todd stopped pacing “Any idea where it came from?”
“Not as yet, but we’re working on it.”
“How about letting me see what you have?”
“No can do, Todd. This is police business and the man died in our jail, you need to stay out of this”
“Damn it, I can help. Let me put my sources to work on the money trail. It might lead back to Daimler or someone else who does business with him. I promise to keep it between us, I need to be doing something.”
“I’ve got to go talk to the coroner, you stay here and stay out of trouble.” John looked down at his desk and moved a file to the top of the stack he was working on and left.
Todd waited until John was out of sight and closed the wooden blinds to mask what he was about to do. He moved to John’s desk and checked out the top file, it proved to be another case. I thought you were helping me, John, but I guess I was wrong. Hold it, what’s this? Oh, good file misplaced in the wrong file. Clever John. Todd took the paper from the wrong file and scanned and copied it real quick, then pocketing the copy he replaced the original back in John’s file. He reopened John’s blinds and pulled out his phone to call Blair.
“Hi, hope your day is better than mine. I’m too late, the guy is dead. ...Yes, I said dead. No, they don’t know how he died. I‘m going to wait and see if John can tell me anymore. Have you heard from Addie or Kym since we got home?... I don’t know, I’m just feeling a little uneasy. Give your Mom a call, I just want to be sure everything is alright.” Todd hung up, he knew he had just upset Blair, but better safe than sorry. Hopefully, his fears would prove groundless.
…
Blair hung up and flung her phone across the room. She had been trying all morning to forget the argument she and Todd had been engaged in since the accident at The Sun. Now it all came flooding back with a vengeance.
“Todd, how could you?”
“What did I do?”
“Not one word all day long from you and I get to hear about the accident and fire on the news. Damn it, you just got back into town and I hear that. I thought the victim might have been you.”
“Blair, I...”
“Let me guess, you thought I wouldn’t hear about it, and you could tell me when you were ready to. Stop trying to protect me. I’m your wife, and that makes us partners. After all that we’ve been through, it’s time you trusted me.”
“But I do trust you.” He had known she was going to be upset, but he hadn’t expected furious. “Blair I wasn’t trying to protect you, I was just trying to follow up on some leads before coming home. Just call me stupid, Vicki said I should call. I’m sorry.”
That should have done the trick. He had apologized. He had taken her into his arms and they had kissed. Then he had begun explaining how he thought Gregor was involved. It was irrational on her part, but as soon as he had said the name, her anger had resurfaced. “You’re doing it again, just like your obsession with Carlo, you’re starting all over with Gregor. Why can’t you just let this go?”
“Blair, I’m not the one who won’t let it go.” He couldn’t believe her. She thought he had started this. “All I’ve been doing since the day I got shot was to try and stop this whole thing. God, I almost killed Carlo with my bare hands. You know what that did to me. How can you stand there and believe I want to go after Gregor?” Todd felt like he had been kicked in the gut. At that moment, he just wanted a drink. He poured himself a big one and took a huge gulp, letting the liquor burn its way down his throat. He needed the distraction before his anger got the better of him.
She stood there mortified. His reaction hit her like a ton of bricks, and she couldn’t take back her words. Of course, he didn’t want this fight. “Todd ….” She could tell, from the way he downed his drink, that he was close to losing it and she had started it. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what made me say that. If I even hear his name I get crazy. You almost died and I keep hoping this whole thing with him will go away.” She walked over and took the drink from his hand. “ Can you forgive me?”
She still recalled the look in his eyes, his monster had stared back at her. Blair had taken a step back. His eyes were cold, remote and unfeeling, his whole body rigid with barely controlled anger. She made an effort to reach him. “Todd, Please!” Her plea hung in the air.
“What’s the matter Blair aren’t you glad to see me? You stood right here a moment ago accusing him of keeping the fight with Gregor going. Surely you realized you were stirring up trouble. Of course, I want to keep this fight going. It’s what I live for. People like him and Carlo deserve everything I can give them and more, but you’d almost succeeded in emasculating me. I’m here and he’s doing everything in his power to keep me contained. The thing is Blair, I’m not a simple alter he can let come and go at his discretion. I’m him unchained.” the coldness left Todd’s eyes and the voice filled with passion. “If he would only realize it he would know. I love you the way he wants to but is afraid to face. I need your help to get through to him. I’m not sure exactly why we’re even having this conversation, but I think I’m out right now because his hold over his emotions is so tenuous. Help me Blair, help us both.”
There was silence and Blair held her breath, she was trying to make sense of Todd’s whole speech. She had never envisioned Todd’s monster as anything other than his anger out of control. Then she had met Pete and had thought Pete and Todd’s anger were one and the same but now she knew differently. “Todd, you meant it when you said Pete wasn’t the one who tried to kill Carlo in that van, it really was you that moment?”
Todd looked at Blair and sighed. He was so tired. “Yes, Blair.” He knew what had just transpired and he really couldn’t explain how it had happened. His monster wasn’t another personality, it had been like having too much to drink and all his inhibitions had dropped and he had just started talking, only the monster had been doing the talking. “I know he wants me to release him, he feels I’m handicapping myself. I don’t want to go where he takes me. I’m not ready and I think eventually I’ll have to face him. When the time is right I will. Blair, do you understand?”
Blair nodded.
No more was said about what had happened, they had finished their second night home trying to pretend there wasn’t an elephant in the room with them. Now Blair wanted to scream because Todd’s call had brought it back into their faces. Her so-called father had decided to escalate the game and in doing so he might have just unleashed his worse nightmare. She was going to do everything in her power to help Todd and if that meant getting him to accept his rage fully then so be it. She believed Todd was stronger then he knew, he was trapped in the past, too wrapped up in what his anger had done to Marty to realize that was only one facet of his rage. He only saw the pain he caused. Justified, his rage could be the weapon they needed to defeat Gregor.
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Chapter 21
Gregor was in the middle of his lunch when the phone rang. “Hello...How did it go?...Excellent.....He was there?.... No, get out of town before they find you. Your money was wired this morning.” He chuckled, everything was going as planned. He picked up his phone. It was time to make his next move before Manning had a chance to recover from the last one. Uchin had managed to locate Kym.
****
Kym and Lily were in the middle of pie-making when the phone rang. “Chase, get that, Lily and I have flour all over our hands.”
“Stevens Orchard, what can we do for you?” answered Chase in his best business voice.
“Excuse me, I’m trying to reach a Kym Daimler. I was told she was there. Is she?”
“Yeah, she’s here, she’s baking a pie with my sister. Do you want to talk to her?”
“If I could, I would really appreciate it.” Gregor couldn’t believe his luck, he had reached a child in the household. They tended to be very trusting. Hopefully, Kym wouldn’t think twice about taking the call.
Chase walked into the kitchen, “Hey Kym, the phone call is for you.”
“Did you get a name, Chase?”
“Naw, he just said he was trying to reach you.”
“Well tell him just a minute, and see if you can get a name. I’ve got to wash my hands.”
“Okay,” Chase went back to the phone. ”Hey mister, Kym said she’d be here in a minute, but she wanted to know your name.”
“That’s quite alright young man, it sounds like she’s busy. Perhaps I’ll try to reach her another time.” Gregor decided to get out of the call. Kym was obviously wary of strange phone calls and now wasn’t the time to get careless, there were other ways to contact her.
“Hey wait, mister, here she comes. Kym, he says he’ll call back if you’re busy.”
“Give me the phone, Chase. I’ll talk to him. Thank you.” Kym took the phone.
“Hello, this is Kym.”
“Dear Kym, it is so good to talk to you. Have you been enjoying your holiday?”
She almost dropped the phone. She hadn’t heard his voice for several months. “Father?”
"I’m so pleased you remember me. I must say I’m deeply disappointed in your actions of late. After all, I’ve done for you, it wounds me that you haven’t come home. I was injured and you were nowhere to be found.”
“Father, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you had been hurt,” she answered concerned. His voice was a trigger that reduced her to the child always willing to please.
Her response thrilled Gregor and he knew he was pulling her back in. Yes, Kym, you know your place and it’s with me. “That’s quite all right, you had no idea the violence your friend was capable of. He wanted to kill me.”
Kym was just about to express her dismay at his statement when Lily walked into the room and all that they had been through flashed through her mind. She snapped out of her father’s spell. “You’re wrong, Father, Tom was only protecting us. You’re the one capable of untold violence. I don’t know why you called, but I want you to stay away.”
Lily heard who Kym was talking to and walked over and took Kym’s hand, giving her support. Kym squeezed her hand and gave a weak smile, gripping the phone tightly waiting for her father’s response.
Gregor felt like his head was going to explode. She was opposing him, something she had never done. “You dare say that to me? I own you, body and soul, and you will not talk to me like that.”
Kym shuddered at his tone and sat down abruptly. She had always done everything he asked and now she felt his anger, like a hand reaching through the phone slapping her down. She dropped the phone pulling away as if from a rabid dog.
Lily grabbed up the phone intent on helping her friend. “You leave her alone! You’re an evil man and I’m going to let my father know you called.”
Kym quickly took the phone back from Lily. “Father, you mustn’t listen to her. Please don’t come for me.”
“Your little rescuer sounds delightful Kym, maybe I’ll take her too when I come to get you. I know where you are now. I suggest you get ready to come home.” Gregor hung up, he grabbed his coffee and threw it across the room. This is your doing Manning, you’ve interfered again. That’s something else you’ll pay for.
Kym hung the phone up shaking and grabbed Lily. “You shouldn’t have even spoken to him. Oh God, Lily, we’re in such trouble. He knows about you now, and he knows I’m here. I’ve got to get out of here, but we’ve got to keep you safe, too.”
Chase walked into the room and saw their faces and knew something had gone wrong. “What’s the matter?”
“Chase go get your father, it’s important. I’ll explain when you both get back here.” Kym hugged Lily. “I won’t let him get his hands on you. I swear.”
Minutes later C.J. and Chase came running into the house. “Talk to me, Kym. What happened?”
“My father called. He knows I’m here, and he says he wants me home. C.J., Lily talked to him and now she‘s on his radar. You need to find a way to protect her. I’ll leave. I never meant to bring this trouble into your home.”
“Kym you’re not going anywhere and we’re not running from Gregor. I assure you, he’ll have to go through me and Joshua if he attempts to get you. He’s just trying to rattle you.”
“He did just that, C.J. I’m scared, he knows me and how to push my buttons. If he says he’s coming, he means it. I have to go. Your children have been through enough because of him.”
"You need to take a deep breath, nothing is going to happen right this minute. We’re going to sit down and figure all this out and decide things together.”
She looked at C.J. and felt something stirring deep inside. Speechless, Kym ran to her room.
“Kym, what’s the matter?”
“Dad, why did Kym just leave like that?” Chase was curious, so typical of his age group.
“She’s very upset about the phone call Chase. You and Lily go find Joshua and tell him what happened, I’ll go check on Kym.”
C.J. went to Kym’s room and knocked on her closed door. “Kym, whatever I said to upset you I’m sorry. Open up so we can talk. You have to know we like having you around and we won’t let your dad take you out of here.”
Kym rocked herself on the bed, wanting to open the door to C.J., but very afraid of what she might do. All her training under her father was flooding back and all she wanted was to please a man. She wanted that man to be C.J.; she cared for him and had hoped that their relationship would be something more. But now her body was betraying her; he would hate her if she threw herself at him. “C.J. you didn’t say anything wrong. It’s me. You know what I was before I came here. Father’s voice brought it all back.”
“Kym, don’t hide from me. I thought we were becoming close. Whatever is bothering you, we can talk about.”
Kym got up and moved to the door. “Don’t you understand C.J., right now all I want to do is wrap myself around you and lose myself in your touch."
On the other side of her door, C.J. stood stunned as he realized what Kym was saying. It had been a long time since he had even held a woman, but holding Kym at that moment was a heady thought. He had been thinking about her for some time. “Kym, open the door please.”
She couldn’t help herself, she needed him at that moment and she opened the door.
She was lovely and fragile, standing in front of him with tears in her eyes. “Kym, don’t cry.” He reached up and brushed the tear from her cheek as it fell. She was so vulnerable, he was almost afraid to touch her. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are and how desirable? I’ve been holding you at arm's length because of everything you went through. I didn’t want to take advantage since you were a guest here.”
Kym didn’t wait for him to say anything else. She wrapped her arms around his neck and began to kiss him. His lips were firm and slightly salty, the tip of her tongue savoring the taste as she deepened her kiss. His arms pulled her close.
At first, shocked by the suddenness of her kiss, he quickly recovered and returned it with a passion that had been dormant for a long time. He lifted her slight form into his arms and carried her back into the room, kicking the door shut behind them. They reached the bed and he laid her down and slowly began to unbutton her blouse. Kym reached up to undo his shirt and C.J. stopped her. “This is for you. We’re going to take this slow.”
Kym’s breath caught as she stared at him in wonder. No man had ever treated her like he was. It had always been about making sure the man was satisfied. She sighed as his hands began to caress her. She was already moist and eager for him but she couldn’t help loving the feel of his calloused hands on her body. They were good hands, hands that worked hard to provide for his family, hands the were causing her to squirm in response to the feel of his fingers making their move to her center. She arched as he brought her to a high she had never felt before. She moaned wanting more and he gave it to her. His tongue began to play with her. Every flick sent little shocks through her. She was tingling all over when he paused and she looked to see him remove his shirt. His muscles rippled and she licked her lips. Her gaze fell to his waistline and she quivered as he shed his jeans. A thrill ran through her as she lifted her hips to welcome him. The fit was tight and she clenched around him as they moved together.
She was slick and ready for him as he entered. Her legs gripped him as she maneuvered him deeper inside, her muscles pulsing in a steady rhythmic way. He nuzzled her neck licking and tasting her flavors. The sweet taste of peaches where she had absentmindedly rubbed her neck with her peach soaked hands earlier. There was a saltiness mixed in too. He even tasted the soap she had used that morning to shower with. The flavors were intriguing telling him about her in a very earthy way.
“C.J.” It came out the barest whisper, her voice catching as he licked her neck. She was feeling all these unusual sensations surging through her body. She wanted him so bad. “Oh God, what are you doing?” she pushed her hips closer, feeling him inside her, filling her. With each drive of his hips, she ached for more, but the combined touches of his tongue on her skin were too much. Every nerve ending was sensitive and she was overloading on the pleasure she felt. She could stand it no longer. “C.J. Please!”
He could contain himself no longer, his blood had been pumping ever louder in his ears with each moan and word she said. Her final plea was his undoing. “God, Kym!” He came as she clutched his back, her cry glorious in his ear. C.J. laid down beside her and stroked her, slowly exploring her small body. He discovered a delicate butterfly etched into her hip but was afraid to ask her about it.
Kym was overwhelmed with feelings as he touched her body. She watched his face as he studied her and when he got still, she realized he had found her butterfly. “I got her when I was in Macon several weeks ago. Lily and I decided to be adventurous after our sessions with the therapist.” C.J. looked up in surprise. "Relax, Lily got a washable one and I got the real one. I guess you could say it was our way of saying our bodies belonged to us and no one else.”
C.J. bent and placed a tender kiss on it, tracing it with his finger. “She‘s as beautiful as the woman who wears her.”
There was a small knock on her door. “Kym are you in there? I hope you’re alright. Dad said he was going looking for you, but we haven’t seen him since we went to find grandpa.” inquired Chase softly.
Kim looked up at C.J. and smiled. “I’m sure your dad’s around somewhere, Chase. I’m alright, why don’t you go back downstairs to your grandfather and I’ll be down shortly.”
“Okay, I’ll tell grandpa.”
She giggled “I guess that means this is over." She reached for his face. “Thank you, you have no idea what you just did.” She leaned over and gave him a kiss and slipped off the bed going to her bathroom to freshen up quickly.
C.J. got up and dressed. He had a lot to think about over the next few hours.
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Chapter 20
Vicki had checked on Todd several times since he had arrived back from his building. He had been making phone calls repeatedly. She was getting hungry and it occurred to her he might be hungry too. “Todd, you really should eat something,” she said as she walked through the door, only to come up short when she found him asleep. She shook her head. He had looked so good that morning, that she had forgotten he had been in the hospital just 72 hrs earlier. “You poor dear, it was not a very good homecoming, I guess.”
“If that‘s pity, I’m out of here.” Todd sat up and swung his feet to the floor.
She hadn’t realized she had spoken aloud; he was kind of prickly whenever someone showed concern. Vicki bent over and brushed off the couch where his feet had been. “That wasn’t pity, just a statement.”
He watched amused as she swept the invisible dirt off. “Why the concern?”
“Todd, you just got out of the hospital and now you’re having to cope with someone after The Sun. You’re pushing yourself too hard. Now, I came in here wondering if you had thought about eating anything. Have you?”
“Have you?” he asked in return.
“Well, no....but...”
“Great let’s go eat, I want to stop by the office and see if the cleaning crews been allowed in yet.” He grabbed her elbow and escorted her out of the room.
An hour later they were standing surveying the printing room. Although the damage was apparent, overall the place was looking okay. The wall by the press was still a gaping hole, but that would be taken care of shortly. Todd also had a new shipment of paper stock set to arrive in the morning. “With luck, this paper will be back up and running by tomorrow, I’ll just have to put out a late edition." He looked around and was grateful no one had died.
Vicki couldn’t get over the damage the small fire had done to the printing room. She stepped up and gripped Todd’s arm. “Todd, this is more than someone just disrupting your paper. This is serious.”
Placing his hand on hers, “Vicki, it’ll be alright. I’m going to get to the bottom of this and find the one at fault.” He shushed her as she started to speak. “Look, I know he’s dangerous and I’ll work with the police as much as possible but I’m not going to let him destroy me or The Sun. Let’s get you back to The Banner, I need to go check on my employee and find out if John got anything earlier.”
“Todd, have you talked to Blair since all this happened?”
“No, I didn’t want to worry her. She’d be all over me to back off and let anyone but me handle the problem.”
“And with good cause. You just got out of the hospital because you tried to handle something on your own. I don’t blame Blair for wanting you to work your way back into things slowly. Getting mixed up in whatever is going on at The Sun is no way to recuperate.”
“Vicki, I’m fine. I need to sort out some legal issues like getting my name back, but aside from that, The Sun is my paper. I started it and named it what I did as a way to prove to the world I was my own man. For eight years, Jake was me, but the paper wasn’t solely his. Hesser and Kipling were manipulating things from the background. This stops today.”
“Where are you going to start? You don’t have any idea who could be behind this.”
“Actually I do, I just don’t have anything to link it to him yet. I got pretty good at finding leads when I was investigating my story down in Savannah. Give me some credit. John’s bound to have some information I can start with. After I see my man at the hospital, I’m going to check in with John. I’ll tell Blair about everything tonight.” They reached The Banner and said their goodbyes.
Todd strolled into Llanview Hospital a short time later and went in search of his employee who was surrounded by his family. He made the choice not to intrude. Instead, he went looking for Larry Wolek.
Larry was surprised to see Todd walking toward him. The last he had heard from Vicki, Todd was still in a coma. “You’re looking pretty good for a guy in a coma. Really, Todd, I’m glad to see you back on your feet.”
“Uh thanks, Larry, I didn’t know you knew about it.”
“As one of your recent doctors, I was contacted when you failed to awaken after your surgery. They were trying to find out any possible causes. I had a couple of discussion with your doctors in Savannah. But seriously you’re looking great and you can see. I guess the long rest did you good.”
“Yeah, I suppose so. Listen, Larry, I’m trying to find out how my employee is doing. Can you tell me anything?”
“He’s doing pretty good, Todd. He sustained some burns on his hand and his heart took quite a shot, but he’s recovering nicely. We’re just keeping him overnight to make sure there aren’t any complications.”
“Thanks, not a very good start to the day for him. The Sun will cover his bills, I’m just sorry it happened.”
“I would guess it wasn’t a very good start to your day either. You just got out of the hospital yourself, you really shouldn’t be under this type of strain. You should go home and call it a day. He’s going to be fine."
Todd looked at Larry. “I wish I could, but I still need to go talk to John.” Larry was about to pipe in, and Todd stopped him. “Hey, you said I looked great, why the about-face?”
“Because I know you, Todd, you’ll run yourself into the ground trying to find the person responsible for this accident. I know the toll the coma and injuries took on you. I’m just saying you should get back into things gradually. Remember when you tried to help Marty because she wasn’t following doctor’s orders? I just think you should follow your own advice.”
Todd hadn’t thought about Marty in a while. Marty, sick while he and Blair were apart, in the alley, face down; he’d rescued her, later, she’d rescued him. They had come to an important understanding shortly after that.
“You've got a point Larry, but this is something that won’t wait for me to fully recover. I’ve got to get the person who’s doing this. I’ll try to stay out of here. That’s all I can promise. Thanks again for telling me about my guy.” Todd turned and left before Larry could say anything more.
Strolling into the police station, he headed straight for John’s office. “Please tell me Natalie got something, John.”
“Hello to you, too. Your case isn’t the only thing she’s working on at the moment Manning, but I’m sure she’ll bring anything she gets as soon as she can. Have a seat if you want to wait.”
Todd studied the man in front of him. “I’m not very good at thank yous, but I’m grateful for what you did. You saved Blair and the others, and in a way, you also saved me. I understand Sid was the one who shot me? I heard he was dead.”
John shrugged. “I’m guessing you wouldn’t have gone to the dock that day if you had thought your life was really in danger. You just wanted to talk and things backfired on you. I just didn’t trust them as much as you did. Men like Sid and his buddies, work for the people they do because they are as unscrupulous as their employers are. You forgot Sid was going to use Kym and the girls as human shields. I didn’t.”
“You’re right, I got sidetracked trying to get the leader and messed up with his goons.”
“Besides, I wasn’t able to stop you getting shot, I only took out the shooter. You survived because you're too stubborn to let go of your life. Blair also held onto you for dear life that day and I think you stuck around for her.”
Todd nodded, “Yeah, I guess so.” He wanted to get off the topic so he switched gears. “How are things between you and Natalie these days? I heard you’re Liam’s father after all. I could have told you that the first time I saw that kid. Too quiet. I guess that makes us related. Who would have thought it?”
John had to think about that for a minute. He knew Todd was Natalie’s uncle. But the blood relative part of that had never really sunk in. It definitely was a small world sometimes. He was spared thinking about that as Natalie came into the room.
Natalie paused as she saw who was standing with John. She didn’t know he had even come back to town. “Samuel?”
“No, it’s me, Todd. What did you find out Natalie?”
“Go ahead Natalie, did we get anything concrete to work with?”
“Okay, we got a print off the inside of the switch box and it matched with an arsonist in the system, who specializes in electrical fires.” She handed the report to John and turned to her uncle. “Todd, does Mom know you’re back in town? Was The Sun more important than letting your own sister know you’re okay?”
Todd was shocked at the anger coming from Natalie. They had been finally coming to a place where they could be civil to each other and now this. “Whoa, I don’t know what I did to get you mad at me again.”
“You disappeared, Mom was worried. Your own wife was driving us all crazy trying to find you.”
“I guess you’ve been out of the loop for a while. Blair and John both found me. I even came back here long enough to testify against Hesser, but it was all hushed up because of the hit out on me. Vicki has known where I’ve been for quite a while. In fact, I had lunch with her a little over an hour ago. She was the first person I looked up since arriving back in Llanview last night.” His gaze was steady and her eyes dropped first.
Then she turned to John, “You knew where he was and didn’t say anything. Why?”
“His life was in danger. Bo and I felt the fewer people who knew his whereabouts the better. He was brought in for the trial in secrecy.”
“But the trial was over almost two months ago.“ She turned back to Todd. “Why did you stay away after the trial was finished?”
“The hit was still on and unfortunately I ran into some trouble.”
“Well, that sounds like the Uncle Todd I know,. Let me guess, you got in trouble with the law again.”
Todd had no answer, he was reeling. She still thought the worst about him.
John reached for Natalie’s arm, “Natalie, Todd was shot and almost died. He’s been in a coma for over a month.”
Natalie was in shock, she realized she had jumped to a conclusion based on old memories of her uncle. “Oh God, I’m sorry. Mom knew?”
John nodded.
“But why didn’t she say something?”
“You and Jessica were going through some rough times, your mom probably didn’t want you to worry about anything else.” John gave Todd the once over and realized he was still processing Natalie’s accusation. “Manning, can I get you something, maybe some coffee.”
Todd shook his head. I can’t win. I should have stayed in Savannah.
"That’s the coward’s way out. You’re Todd Manning, you’ve done enough to meet with everybody’s approval. If they can’t stand you, that’s their problem, not yours. You still have Blair and Vicki and the kids. The rest can go to hell.”
That’s your answer to everything, the lonelier I am, the better you feel. I won’t hide so you feel good. Go away.
Todd felt a hand on his shoulder and looked into Natalie’s eyes. “Todd, I’m sorry I jumped to that conclusion about you.”
“You’ve had good reason in the past, don’t worry about it.” He strolled over to John’s desk. “So any chance of catching this guy who worked on the switch. I’d like to find out who hired him?”
“We’ll try and find him, Todd. I’m not making any promises.”
“Good, well I need to get home to Blair, she still doesn’t know about the incident today. Natalie, take care of my grand nephew.” Todd left quickly, he had to get away from Natalie, her accusation had really gotten under his skin.
You got in trouble with the law again? Todd squared his shoulders. Enough. The people he loved knew he had changed. The rest no longer mattered.
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