"How did ya find the place?" Timothy asked Ribsky, who was in the driver's seat.
"I contacted some old chums. Most didn't know a thing, or maybe didn't want to. The last one finally ran a DMV for me in all the surrounding states. So here he is, in Ohio, and what a small, quiet town."
"He wanted to disappear, ya say?"
"Seems like he did. Which makes me think more than ever he's in on this. Otherwise, why bother?"
"Likely he wanted to fade away, and if so, he may be guilty. Could be. But how will ya ever get him to own up to it?"
"Not sure," Ribsky said, getting out of the car, "but I'm going to try like Hell."
Timothy also got out. It was a quiet, suburban neighborhood, not unlike the street where Peter Manning's house was. He swallowed, thinking of it again: the dark cellar, his son, shot, Blair, crying, Bitsy, holding Ray . . .
They walked to the first small house, and Ribsky knocked. "Excuse me, sorry to disturb you. I'm looking for the Miller house?"
"Three down, on the left," the woman said, and promptly closed the door.
Ribsky reacted with a slight pull-back. He looked at Timothy. "Well, a little uptight, maybe."
"Just a bit," he agreed. They headed back to the car. "Shall we walk, Mate?"
"We can, if you want to."
Both older men headed down the street, according to the directions provided by the woman at the door. The sun was high in the sky, and both of them labored a bit. Timothy said, slightly out of breath, "I suppose we should have driven, eh?"
"Maybe. It's not much further."
They continued on. Then, Ribsky stopped, a short way from the slate path leading to the doorway.
Timothy said, "Is there something . . ."
"Thinking of what to say. The man was my mentor, my idol at the time. I hung on his every word."
"Was he a good man?"
"Seemed to be, at least then."
"Are ya having second thoughts, then?
"No." He looked at the door. "I've gotta do this. Maybe he didn't do anything himself, but knows something. Whatever it is, I have to find out."
***
Todd and the boys were in the living room, with Jewel, sleeping on his chest. The pizza was all but gone, and Jack and Jenna were snuggling on the couch. Todd said, "Time for bed for the little ones," he said, carefully standing up and cradling Jewel lovingly. Ray ran away, and Sam said, "I'll get him, Dad," and went after him.
Todd looked at his oldest son and said, "Hey, not too much longer. Jenna has to get home."
"Okay, Dad."
"Williams can drive you, if you want."
"Can we copter? Jenna loves it."
"Sure," he said, "just not too late, okay?"
"Okay, Dad. Should I tell Perzno?"
"Yep." He went up to the second level. Sam and Ray ran after him. Ray said, "Dad, when I grow up, will I be big?"
"Yeah, you will."
"Can I be wike you, Dad?"
"Yep, you can, if you want to."
"Okay!" He raced to his room and changed into his pajamas.
Sam went to his room, and did the same.
Bitsy, who had retired earlier so she could paint, stuck her head out of her room. "Todd? Can I help put the children down?"
"Yeah, sure, Momma. Blair's on teen duty. She's cleaning up the kitchen and watching those two."
"Well, let me help, then. I love putting them to bed," she said, taking Jewel from him.
Todd watched her go, and went to Sam's room. He said, "Hey."
"Hey, Dad. Thanks for helping me with the Zeus thing."
"You helped yourself. You really are growing up."
"Well, you went all the way there, to tell him to leave me alone, right Dad?"
"Yeah," Todd said. He couldn't break Sam's heart by telling him the truth about his trek to Greece.
"Well, thanks!" he said, "Night."
"Night, Sam," he said, and went to the bedroom to start a bath for them.
He didn't realize she'd followed, but Bitsy was at the door. "Todd?"
"Hey, Momma, what's up?"
"Todd, can I come in? I want to talk to you. Are you all right?"
"Yes, Momma, I'm fine."
"The way you ran off, I was . . . afraid . . ."
"I'm okay, Momma. I'm not Peter's son, and I have no need to be acting like it anymore."
"Well, I know," Bitsy said, "you never were. You bucked him from the start. Even as a baby. Something in you, was . . . well, rebelling from day one."
"He had me, at one point. I wanted to be accepted by him more than anything when I was a senior in high school and then in college. But it was all a lie. Everything about me, wasn't the real me, I guess. Maybe I was trying to prove something, and at the same time, trying to deal with my rage. Whatever it is, it's done, Momma."
She smiled, tears, welling in her eyes as well, and walked closer to him. "I'm glad. So many times, I prayed you wouldn't think the way he treated us was the way to treat people."
He breathed in and out, and said, "I think I was confused along the way. Not anymore, though."
"Yes, I know. You're a father, Todd, and these children are so filled with love for you that you can't do anything but let them know they're right for it. And they are, my son, they very much are. And that's why . . . I need to tell you something."
***
Ribsky rang the doorbell, and a woman answered. She was, Timothy estimated, about ten years older than Jack, and seemed sullen. She said, "Yes?"
Ribsky said, "Tricia, don't you remember me?"
She squinted, and slight recognition passed over her face. "You look familiar."
"It's been a lot of years," he said, "It's Jack Ribsky, I was Ben's partner, for a short time, a long time ago."
She turned and walked away from the door, leaving it open. Timothy and Jack took it as a sign that she was inviting them to follow, so they did.
The house was modestly decorated, with family photos along one wall: Ben, in his police uniform, graced many of them, and Tricia, at different stages of her life; two young families, complete with children; Tricia and Ben on vacation. She sat on the chair, and they both sat on the couch across from her. She said, "What is this about?"
Jack found her response odd, and Timothy said, "Well, if ya don't mind, Mrs. Miller, we would like to speak to y'ar husband."
"I'm afraid that won't be happening," she said.
"Tricia, it's important. I have to find out . . . I have to talk to Ben about something. A case, from a while back."
"I know, and I'm pretty sure which case," she said, looking to her hands.
Again, both men were puzzled. "If he's not here, we can surely come back," Timothy said, "or ya can tell us where to find him, and we'll be on our way."
"Hmf. Find him," she said, pulling her sweater closed, as if a chill passed over her.
Jack took a risk. "Is he missing?"
"Missing?" she paused. "He's dead."
Timothy saw Jack's reaction out of the corner of his eye, and said, "Oh, goodness, we weren't aware. We're very sorry, we are."
"It hasn't been long," she said. Her affect was flat. "He's been dead three months."
"Tricia, I'm sorry to bring up any painful memories," Jack said. "We just needed some answers . . . I . . ." Jack's voice trailed off, and Timothy took the lead.
"We had come to find out about a specific case, and we won't be keeping ya," Timothy started to rise from the sofa.
"A specific case. As I said, I'm pretty certain which one. We watched the news, both of us. We kept up with things from Chicago. He obsessed that this day would come, expecting it, and so did I."
Timothy slowly sat back down. He said, "Do ya have something ya want to say to us?" Jack was there, but unable to speak. Timothy understood, and pushed forward.
"It's about Peter Manning, isn't it?" she announced.
Jack nodded, and Timothy said, "Yes. Y'all have to excuse Mr. Ribsky, he just lost his wife. Last week."
She looked to Jack and said, "I'm sorry for your loss. It's very hard . . ." she slightly faltered, but Timothy was amazed at how she had kept a porcelain sheen over her emotions the entire time, and the only crack, thus far, was what he just saw in her offering her condolences.
"Mrs. Miller," he started.
"Call me Tricia," she said.
"Then ya must call me Timothy," he offered his hand.
"You're Irish, or Scottish, I can't tell which anymore."
"Irish, born and bred."
"My family, as well."
He let the pleasantries fade between them, and then said, "What did ya want to say?"
"This is about Peter Manning, isn't it?" she repeated.
"Yes."
"Well, Ben was waiting for this day, and not happily. It haunted him every day for years. He left the force years back, and we sort of lived in hiding ever since. He was afraid . . . he feared this day would come. He could never have lived through jail time, or even a scandal."
"I see."
"When we were first married, Ben did everything to keep me happy. This included buying me everything I wanted, without care or concern for the expense."
Jack suddenly came to life, "You were always beautifully dressed. I remember."
"Yes. Well, there came a time when we were about to lose everything. Bankruptcy. He didn't tell me. We were to lose our home, the one my family left to me, that we lived in. He'd accrued too many bills, and was scrambling to keep it quiet. I'm sure you know what's next?"
"Ya need to fill us in, if ya can," Timothy kindly prodded.
She sighed, getting up and walking around the room. Both men had their eyes glued to her. "He met someone, a man, a business man. This man offered him a great deal of money."
"Where did he meet him?" Timothy asked.
"On a case. Suspicion of child abuse. It was reported by a teacher. A child in her class . . . unsettling drawings. Ben was sent to . . . that house. He was sent away, the first time, because of a technicality with a warrant. When he returned, Peter Manning had done his research and knew the trouble that Ben was in, got him talking."
Timothy could imagine the scene; he had a clear picture of "Calvin" in his mind. For a reason unknown to him, that was the name that stuck and resonated with Peter every time he thought of it; a human falsehood, a name associated with an emptiness . . .
His thoughts were interrupted by her voice, "The long and short of it was that Ben was to look the other way. If he did, Manning would rescue the home from foreclosure, and pay him handsomely. He agreed, as Manning explained that he was just disciplining the boy, and was a wretched and spiteful bad seed with terrible behavior. This of course was not the end of it. He was continually assigned to the Manning case, throughout the years, and was paid handsomely. He told me . . . his excuse was winning at gambling."
Jack said, "Is he the one who . . . took the 9 -1 -1 calls from the boy?"
"Yes. The director got a kick back for filtering the calls. The dispatcher was threatened with being fired. She only knew that a certain officer had to take the case incidents. Ben was the man on the phone."
Timothy sighed out. It was over. At least, for Todd. There was no grand conspiracy beyond the director, Molly and Ben Miller, who systematically had kept Todd and his mother in torture for years. He said, "Those are the answers we sought. Ya see, the boy is my adoptive son."
"My God. He lived there until high school was over, with Manning. In fact, Ben was the arresting officer when he tried to kill his father. I believe he was fourteen. I'll have you know, Ben told me nothing of all this until much later in life. Every detail, repeatedly. He kept it all a secret until last year, when we read that Peter Manning had someone's baby."
"That someone was my son and his wife," Timothy said.
"I'm sorry. Then, Ben knew it was coming, and he told me all of it,. every day, over and over. He'd been plagued with it for years. He let me in on small fragments of it, but when the dam burst, finally, it was as if he couldn't stop talking. Most of the end of his life was spent rehashing all of it. And I heard every moment."
Timothy swallowed. Should he press on? What further answers did he hope to gather? "When he was fourteen, then. Ben was the arresting officer."
"Yes. He knew why Todd tried to kill that man. He told me right out what it was. And he lived with the disgusting truth of it, for years, if you want to call it living."
Timothy swallowed. "So did my boy."
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Monday, August 21, 2017
Thursday, August 17, 2017
OLD HABITS DIE HARD: Epilogue
He stared up at the ceiling. Yesterday, he was in the god-awful mental hospital, ironically losing his mind.
“You okay?” Blair raised her head up from Todd’s chest and stared at him.
They finally made it to their destination and the first thing they did was make love. It had been too long. Todd could tell Blair was second guessing herself all the way here but as soon as he could, he proved to her this is where she belonged. They both just abandoned thoughts of anything else and just felt each-others bodies. They were in the middle of nowhere and all they had was each-other. That’s what made the whole thing all the more emotional. They just lay there in silence for the longest time as their bodies cooled. Todd soaked everything in. There was nowhere else he’d rather be.
Todd looked back down at her and softly smiled. “I’m better than okay. I feel like I’m breathing again for the first time in over a year.”
Blair kissed his chest. There was no turning back now. Blair didn’t want to turn back. Everyone else will be telling her what a mistake she’s making but all she knew was that she never felt as safe or as loved as when she was in Todd’s arms. She’ll deal with the scrutiny later. She was right where she needed to be.
“Go to sleep, Todd.” She could tell he was tired. He looked like he hadn’t had a decent sleep in forever.
Todd took a deep breath. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to wake up.” His voice dripping with hurt. It was true. For the past year, this was all he dreamed about. He’d dream about Blair coming to him and them reuniting only for him to wake up and realize it wasn’t reality. The pain he felt every morning when he looked over on his bed and didn’t see her next to him was unbearable. This all felt too good to be true.
Blair moved closer to him and put her lips against his ear. “Close your eyes,” she whispered.
He was tired. He closed his eyes. “You still feel me?” She put her hand flat against his stomach.
Todd grabbed her hand and placed it over his heart. “Yeah. I feel you.”
Blair kissed his ear. “I’m right here.”
She was here. Just the feel of her in his arms again was enough. He felt himself again. After months and months of hell, he was in heaven again. Only with her.
He finally felt calm.
He finally felt sane.
He finally felt whole.
He wasn’t sure what the next day would bring. He didn’t know where he was going to go or what he was going to do.
But he knew he had her again and that was all that mattered.
Todd closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
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Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Todd Manning, Enigma Chapter 8
Todd was quiet on the ride home. John kept looking to make sure Todd was still with them, he had been as shocked as Bo when they had found Todd passed out. Todd really wasn’t in any shape to take on Hesser and Kipling, but Nora said the attorneys for the defense were pushing for a speedy trial. Nora was afraid they had something up their sleeves so she needed Todd to be ready to testify. If she had seen Todd earlier, Nora would have been pressing for a postponement. John pulled up in front of Dragonheart.
Climbing wearily out of the car, Todd noted the very visible cop car parked nearby. The damn vest, Bo insisted he wore, felt like it weighed a ton. He lost it the moment he entered his house, leaving it sitting by the front door. He no sooner got it off, when Blair flung her arms around him.
“Todd I’ve been so worried. I got this weird call from Momma, and then no word from you. Where have you been all this time?”
“He’s been at the station, Blair,” replied John. “We had a couple of incidences. It appears Todd’s dream is still right on target. Shots were fired at both Todd and Jake today.”
“My God, Todd are you okay?” She looked him up and down and saw no signs of any wounds.
“I’m fine Blair, John was in the right place at the right time today. Jake is fine too.”
Todd disentangled himself from Blair and headed straight to the bar. His thoughts were a mess. and he needed a drink.
Blair was bewildered by Todd’s reaction and frowned when he headed for the drink. She looked at John, “What the hell happened?”
John motioned Blair away from the living room and told her what happened at the police station. From Blair’s reaction, he could tell she was as baffled as they had been as to the cause of Todd’s collapse. “Blair, he’s got to be careful. Do you think he’s up to this trial? I don’t know him all that well, but he looks pretty ragged to me. You need to talk him into taking it easy. Something about that dream is getting to him isn’t it?”
Blair was looking at Todd and then back to him. “John the dream is overwhelming him and if he can’t get free of it, it’s going to break him. Do you know when this trial is going to happen?”
“I only know it’s soon. Nora is counting on Todd and Jake, and after today’s attempts, she’s going to be even more worried about the outcome. The killers think they got “Todd Manning” today. So they’ll be doubling their efforts to get Samuel out of the way too. Bo has assigned a couple of officers for your protection, but he would prefer Todd to stay put and not make himself a target again. You need to convince him to do just that.” That said, John took Blair out to meet the officers so she would know they were from the force.
Todd poured himself a stiff drink and sat down staring out the back terrace. He knew John was telling Blair all that had occurred at the station. He had been trying to make sense of it since it happened. The last thing he remembered was feeling incredibly tired and sitting in Bo’s chair. According to Bo, he was unconscious when they arrived back from The Manning building, but he could have sworn he had just fallen asleep. “Samuel, are you there?”
“Yes, and I know what you’re going to ask. I have a vague memory, but I don’t think it’s going to be much help to you. I recall hearing some voices. In particular a young girl’s voice but that’s all.”
Todd reached up to touch his cheek, for just a moment he recalled a soft kiss there, but it didn’t make any sense. He felt cold and drank the rest of his drink feeling the liquor burn its way down his throat warming him. The sensation of warmth was short-lived and he began shivering. “Things just keep getting weirder. I’ve lost more time? Why would a dream have almost knocked me out?” Todd closed his eyes. “What the hell am I missing?” He leaned back and rested his head on the couch. Once again, his arms began to feel heavy and he drifted off. The empty glass rolled out of his limp hand.
He watched as Pete pried the boulder loose and sent it rolling down over Carlo’s legs. Todd felt a perverse pleasure as they crunched down. Pete was on cloud nine viewing this whole escapade while Samuel uttered various reminders and cautions. Tom was nowhere to be found; they had sent him away to the care of Ms. Perkins and Rodd. Todd looked over at Samuel and for a moment saw his friend Sam staring at him with concern and pity. He turned his back on that look. He wasn’t going to be dissuaded. Hesser had it coming to him.
The scene switched. He watched Pete hook Carlo to the damn machine. It was fascinating to watch the strange implant make its way up Carlo’s skull and embed its prongs. He had watched as Carlo screamed in terrified pain, the exhilaration of being in control was heady. In the background, Samuel had turned away, unable to watch any longer. He felt a dark joy seeping into him. Pete silently cheered; Peter’s laughter started, and instead of making him cringe, he started laughing along with Pete and Peter.
Todd moaned.
He was still laughing to himself as Pete exacted his torture then played with both Victor’s and Carlo’s minds instructing them to tell all their secrets to John McBain. He listened gleefully as Pete left the anonymous tip with the police and gathered up the remaining implants. Todd felt euphoric as he realized it had all gone the way he wanted.
Once again the scene changed and Pete was walking through the basement of the Sun, The door opened to reveal Jake’s Gallery of pictures of Blair. Todd looked through Pete’s eyes at his beautiful wife. He had never seen these portraits. “They’re beautiful Samuel,” he turned and once again, he felt like Sam instead of Samuel was staring at him, disappointment all over his face. “You went there. I can’t believe you let Pete take you down that path. Do you think she wanted you to go that far? What were you thinking?”
Todd looked around and Samuel’s words began sinking in. She surrounded him like an angel and suddenly he felt dirty. He listened as Pete hummed softly and placed the remaining implants in the hidden safe at the back of the vault. The humming got louder and Peter’s laughter began again. He was on the terrace at home and Pete began to laugh out loud. Then he was laughing out loud ...suddenly pain ripped through him as the enormity of his actions hit home.Todd awoke gasping for breath. His guts felt all twisted inside. Todd felt sick and looked up to see the portrait of Blair gazing down on him. Unable to stop himself, his stomach heaved and he rolled off the couch on his hands and knees as he lost his drink. He leaned against the couch grateful his stomach had been empty but for the drink.
Blair walked into the room in time to see Todd roll off the couch and hear what was going on. She ran to the kitchen and grabbed several clothes, wetting one down with cold water. She went and knelt down next to him putting the cool cloth around his neck and mopping up the mess. “You shouldn’t have gone out. Larry told you to take it easy and now you’re suffering for not heeding him.”
Todd wearily gazed at her still feeling dirty from the dream. She looked at him with such love, while having no idea of the brutality he was capable of. He had tried his whole life to distance himself from Peter and his cruelty, especially when Pete had taken out his anger on Marty. He had thought himself better than that. He was above those despicable acts. Ha, you been fooling yourself all this time. You’re exactly like him. You‘ve been hiding from it, but you can’t hide anymore. You believe in your heart the dream is real. Admit it, Manning, that’s why you can’t get rid of it. Struggling to get his roiled emotions under control, he ran his fingers through his hair.
“Blair I’m sorry,” he had nothing else to say at that moment. He reached for the couch to pull himself back up as Blair steadied his elbow. He needed another chat with Ray, that was for sure.
“Well, then do me a favor. Let’s forget the dream for the night and concentrate on the kids. John told me they’re going to let the world think ‘Todd Manning’ is dead. You need to have a chat with Sam to let him know everything is alright.”
Todd closed his eyes and straightened his shoulders. “Okay Blair, you’re right, I’ve got to stop with the gloom and doom.” He wrinkled his nose at the odor hanging in the air. “I’m going to get cleaned up, tell Sam, I’ll see him in a few.”
Blair watched him depart upstairs, then she finished cleaning up and opened a terrace door to let some fresh air into the room. Standing at the edge of the terrace looking down at Llanview, was one of the officers John had introduced her too. It was just another sign how out of kilter everything had become. She looked up running her fingers through her hair. “God! Let this nightmare end. He‘s not a bad man. Can’t you give him a break just once?” Blair turned away from the door, her prayer unanswered. “Alright, Blair, follow your own advice, concentrate on the present,” she headed to find Sam.
Todd let the water wash over him. All he could think of was how dirty he felt. It was like there was this film covering him, and no matter how hard he scrubbed it wouldn’t come off. He rubbed till his skin felt raw and then leaned wearily under the water grateful for the sting. The images of the dream stayed with him and he debated talking to his Alters. “Enough of that, you idiot, you promised Blair you’d get off the dream. Sam is waiting for you. Suck it up, Manning.” Todd grabbed a towel. he wrapped it around him and carefully stepped out of the shower, feeling for the countertop and his ring. Putting the ring on everything came into focus and he looked into the mirror. “You’re a fool, Manning. You‘ve been hiding behind the coincidences of the dream because you can’t face the real reason the dream scares you,” he shivered at the stranger staring coldly back at him. He closed his eyes unable to look at himself.
“Todd, don’t do this to yourself. If you shut down and wall this off, you’ll never get to the truth.” Samuel chimed in.
“You didn’t see what I dreamed Samuel. You would be ashamed of me if you knew.”
“Don’t you see Todd, even if we can’t see your dreams we feel what you feel. You feel like you’ve committed some horrible deed. It’s insidious, Todd, the more it affects you the more all of us are affected.”
Todd knew Samuel was right. He shook his head knowing it, but unable to agree with Samuel. “I don’t want to get to the truth, haven’t you figured that out, Samuel. It’s obvious to me, instead of wanting to get to the bottom of this dream, I’m making myself sicker, just to avoid it.”
“Well, then it stops now. You faced so much these last few months, we’ll face this together.”
“It’s all just words, ‘face things together.’ Enough talk, for now, I got to get my mind on Sam.” Todd shut off Samuel like a switch and finished getting dressed. He picked up his watch, but instead, he held two small bloody implants. Todd dropped the items and backed away. He ripped off the ring tossing it on the counter and backed out of the bathroom grateful he could no longer see. Todd found the chair by his bed and sat down. Even with his vision blurred, he felt like the image was burned into his brain. He was still sitting there lost in his thoughts when Sam found him.
Sam walked into his Mom’s room. It was so big and dark. The only light entering the room was the moon shining in the window. He spotted Samuel sitting over by the bed. “Samuel, why are you sitting in the dark?”
Todd turned his head in the direction of Sam’s voice. “Hey Sam, I’m sorry I didn’t realize it was dark. Hang on.” Todd reached up and switched the light on close to his chair. Now he was able to make out Sam’s small shape. “So Sam, did your mom send you up to get me?”
“Uh-huh, she said you had something to tell me.”
“Come here, Sam.” Todd waited for Sam to come to him. “Sit down on the bed, you and me, we’ve got something really important to talk about.”
Sam got settled on the bed, facing Todd. He kicked his legs in and out as he sat on the edge.
“Sam, you know all about good guys and bad guys right?” Sam nodded, “Good, well right now some bad guys are trying to hurt your dad and me. Today something happened at the Sun where your dad works.” Todd reached for the control to his TV and turned on the news. “Sam, we’re going to start a game to fool the bad guys. You, me and your Mom, everybody in the family, are going to play pretend. Your Dad is going to pretend to be dead so the bad guys will stop trying to hurt him. We are all going to pretend that we’re sad. Do you think you can do that Sam? Can you pretend to be sad?”
Todd heard the late breaking news announcement and reached for Sam and pulled him onto his lap. “Now listen, Sam, what you’re about to hear and see didn’t really happen okay?”
“This is Blanca Morales with WVL News I’m standing outside the Manning Building where it is reported that infamous Publisher Todd Manning has been struck down by a bullet. Word has it that Manning was supposed to testify against Carlo Hesser and Ivan Kipling in the upcoming trial. Wait, there is some activity at the door. Yes, it looks like the reports are true. Today, Todd Manning, former Rapist and son of Publisher Victor Lord, appears to have met his maker.”
He turned the TV off and held tight to Sam, giving him a hug. “Okay now you’ve heard the news, but I’m telling you here and now it’s not real. Do you believe me?”
Sam was scared, “it seems real,” he said. Sam looked at his friend. “It really is okay, my dad is alright?”
“Yes Sam, your Dad is alright. I wouldn’t lie to you. You won’t be able to see him for a little while, but he is okay. But this is where it gets tough Sam. You have to pretend that you think he’s dead if anybody talks to you about him. You can’t let people know he’s alive. This is a secret just for the family and it’s really important that we keep it.”
“I think I can do that, but what about Hope, she’s just a baby. How can she keep a secret?”
“She can’t Sam, so you can’t tell her. Starr will take care of Hope. Now, how about you find my cane and we’ll see your Mom.” Todd set Sam down and waited for Sam to hand him his cane, then the two of them made their way back downstairs. Todd’s thoughts were all about the little guy and how he was taking what they had just talked about. He quickly turned his thoughts to Blair and letting her know that Sam had seen the news report and they had talked.
He wondered if word had gotten to the county lockup. If so, then Carlo and Kipling were aware that one of their problems was supposedly out of the way. Todd decided to make a visit to see them. He didn’t want them to get complacent thinking he would be too scared to testify because of Jake’s “death”.
Todd spent the rest of the evening with his family and they discussed the events of the day. Jack and Starr had both come home extremely upset by the news they had heard but were relieved to find out that it wasn’t true. Both agreed to also keep it a secret and pretend to grieve. Vicki had called and informed them she was having Tea and Dani stay with her until after the trial since Jake had been spirited away into protective custody. A memorial service was being arranged for the benefit of the assassin and Hesser’s partners.
He was sitting on the couch thinking about Hesser when he felt Blair plop down next to him.
“Hey, you’re a million miles away.” Blair reached up, playing with his hair. “You know, when I sent Sam to you this evening, I never expected you to let him hear the report about Jake’s “death”. I don’t think I could have done that. It amazes me how you made him understand that it wasn’t real. He put his faith in you that you wouldn’t lie to him, and that tells me a lot. Because of your talk with him, I think he really understands the importance of the secret and he’s going to keep it. By the way, thank you.”
“For what? Talking to Sam? That was just as important to me as to you. He’s a great kid, I didn’t want him to hurt so I had to explain to him.”
“Thank you for that, yes, but what I was really thanking you for was the fact that Jake is still alive because of you. If you hadn’t warned John, we all would really be grieving tonight,” she leaned in and kissed him ever so gently. “Let’s go to bed,” she got up and he took her hand. With their arms around each other, they retired to their bedroom.
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Climbing wearily out of the car, Todd noted the very visible cop car parked nearby. The damn vest, Bo insisted he wore, felt like it weighed a ton. He lost it the moment he entered his house, leaving it sitting by the front door. He no sooner got it off, when Blair flung her arms around him.
“Todd I’ve been so worried. I got this weird call from Momma, and then no word from you. Where have you been all this time?”
“He’s been at the station, Blair,” replied John. “We had a couple of incidences. It appears Todd’s dream is still right on target. Shots were fired at both Todd and Jake today.”
“My God, Todd are you okay?” She looked him up and down and saw no signs of any wounds.
“I’m fine Blair, John was in the right place at the right time today. Jake is fine too.”
Todd disentangled himself from Blair and headed straight to the bar. His thoughts were a mess. and he needed a drink.
Blair was bewildered by Todd’s reaction and frowned when he headed for the drink. She looked at John, “What the hell happened?”
John motioned Blair away from the living room and told her what happened at the police station. From Blair’s reaction, he could tell she was as baffled as they had been as to the cause of Todd’s collapse. “Blair, he’s got to be careful. Do you think he’s up to this trial? I don’t know him all that well, but he looks pretty ragged to me. You need to talk him into taking it easy. Something about that dream is getting to him isn’t it?”
Blair was looking at Todd and then back to him. “John the dream is overwhelming him and if he can’t get free of it, it’s going to break him. Do you know when this trial is going to happen?”
“I only know it’s soon. Nora is counting on Todd and Jake, and after today’s attempts, she’s going to be even more worried about the outcome. The killers think they got “Todd Manning” today. So they’ll be doubling their efforts to get Samuel out of the way too. Bo has assigned a couple of officers for your protection, but he would prefer Todd to stay put and not make himself a target again. You need to convince him to do just that.” That said, John took Blair out to meet the officers so she would know they were from the force.
Todd poured himself a stiff drink and sat down staring out the back terrace. He knew John was telling Blair all that had occurred at the station. He had been trying to make sense of it since it happened. The last thing he remembered was feeling incredibly tired and sitting in Bo’s chair. According to Bo, he was unconscious when they arrived back from The Manning building, but he could have sworn he had just fallen asleep. “Samuel, are you there?”
“Yes, and I know what you’re going to ask. I have a vague memory, but I don’t think it’s going to be much help to you. I recall hearing some voices. In particular a young girl’s voice but that’s all.”
Todd reached up to touch his cheek, for just a moment he recalled a soft kiss there, but it didn’t make any sense. He felt cold and drank the rest of his drink feeling the liquor burn its way down his throat warming him. The sensation of warmth was short-lived and he began shivering. “Things just keep getting weirder. I’ve lost more time? Why would a dream have almost knocked me out?” Todd closed his eyes. “What the hell am I missing?” He leaned back and rested his head on the couch. Once again, his arms began to feel heavy and he drifted off. The empty glass rolled out of his limp hand.
He watched as Pete pried the boulder loose and sent it rolling down over Carlo’s legs. Todd felt a perverse pleasure as they crunched down. Pete was on cloud nine viewing this whole escapade while Samuel uttered various reminders and cautions. Tom was nowhere to be found; they had sent him away to the care of Ms. Perkins and Rodd. Todd looked over at Samuel and for a moment saw his friend Sam staring at him with concern and pity. He turned his back on that look. He wasn’t going to be dissuaded. Hesser had it coming to him.
The scene switched. He watched Pete hook Carlo to the damn machine. It was fascinating to watch the strange implant make its way up Carlo’s skull and embed its prongs. He had watched as Carlo screamed in terrified pain, the exhilaration of being in control was heady. In the background, Samuel had turned away, unable to watch any longer. He felt a dark joy seeping into him. Pete silently cheered; Peter’s laughter started, and instead of making him cringe, he started laughing along with Pete and Peter.
Todd moaned.
He was still laughing to himself as Pete exacted his torture then played with both Victor’s and Carlo’s minds instructing them to tell all their secrets to John McBain. He listened gleefully as Pete left the anonymous tip with the police and gathered up the remaining implants. Todd felt euphoric as he realized it had all gone the way he wanted.
Once again the scene changed and Pete was walking through the basement of the Sun, The door opened to reveal Jake’s Gallery of pictures of Blair. Todd looked through Pete’s eyes at his beautiful wife. He had never seen these portraits. “They’re beautiful Samuel,” he turned and once again, he felt like Sam instead of Samuel was staring at him, disappointment all over his face. “You went there. I can’t believe you let Pete take you down that path. Do you think she wanted you to go that far? What were you thinking?”
Todd looked around and Samuel’s words began sinking in. She surrounded him like an angel and suddenly he felt dirty. He listened as Pete hummed softly and placed the remaining implants in the hidden safe at the back of the vault. The humming got louder and Peter’s laughter began again. He was on the terrace at home and Pete began to laugh out loud. Then he was laughing out loud ...suddenly pain ripped through him as the enormity of his actions hit home.Todd awoke gasping for breath. His guts felt all twisted inside. Todd felt sick and looked up to see the portrait of Blair gazing down on him. Unable to stop himself, his stomach heaved and he rolled off the couch on his hands and knees as he lost his drink. He leaned against the couch grateful his stomach had been empty but for the drink.
Blair walked into the room in time to see Todd roll off the couch and hear what was going on. She ran to the kitchen and grabbed several clothes, wetting one down with cold water. She went and knelt down next to him putting the cool cloth around his neck and mopping up the mess. “You shouldn’t have gone out. Larry told you to take it easy and now you’re suffering for not heeding him.”
Todd wearily gazed at her still feeling dirty from the dream. She looked at him with such love, while having no idea of the brutality he was capable of. He had tried his whole life to distance himself from Peter and his cruelty, especially when Pete had taken out his anger on Marty. He had thought himself better than that. He was above those despicable acts. Ha, you been fooling yourself all this time. You’re exactly like him. You‘ve been hiding from it, but you can’t hide anymore. You believe in your heart the dream is real. Admit it, Manning, that’s why you can’t get rid of it. Struggling to get his roiled emotions under control, he ran his fingers through his hair.
“Blair I’m sorry,” he had nothing else to say at that moment. He reached for the couch to pull himself back up as Blair steadied his elbow. He needed another chat with Ray, that was for sure.
“Well, then do me a favor. Let’s forget the dream for the night and concentrate on the kids. John told me they’re going to let the world think ‘Todd Manning’ is dead. You need to have a chat with Sam to let him know everything is alright.”
Todd closed his eyes and straightened his shoulders. “Okay Blair, you’re right, I’ve got to stop with the gloom and doom.” He wrinkled his nose at the odor hanging in the air. “I’m going to get cleaned up, tell Sam, I’ll see him in a few.”
Blair watched him depart upstairs, then she finished cleaning up and opened a terrace door to let some fresh air into the room. Standing at the edge of the terrace looking down at Llanview, was one of the officers John had introduced her too. It was just another sign how out of kilter everything had become. She looked up running her fingers through her hair. “God! Let this nightmare end. He‘s not a bad man. Can’t you give him a break just once?” Blair turned away from the door, her prayer unanswered. “Alright, Blair, follow your own advice, concentrate on the present,” she headed to find Sam.
Todd let the water wash over him. All he could think of was how dirty he felt. It was like there was this film covering him, and no matter how hard he scrubbed it wouldn’t come off. He rubbed till his skin felt raw and then leaned wearily under the water grateful for the sting. The images of the dream stayed with him and he debated talking to his Alters. “Enough of that, you idiot, you promised Blair you’d get off the dream. Sam is waiting for you. Suck it up, Manning.” Todd grabbed a towel. he wrapped it around him and carefully stepped out of the shower, feeling for the countertop and his ring. Putting the ring on everything came into focus and he looked into the mirror. “You’re a fool, Manning. You‘ve been hiding behind the coincidences of the dream because you can’t face the real reason the dream scares you,” he shivered at the stranger staring coldly back at him. He closed his eyes unable to look at himself.
“Todd, don’t do this to yourself. If you shut down and wall this off, you’ll never get to the truth.” Samuel chimed in.
“You didn’t see what I dreamed Samuel. You would be ashamed of me if you knew.”
“Don’t you see Todd, even if we can’t see your dreams we feel what you feel. You feel like you’ve committed some horrible deed. It’s insidious, Todd, the more it affects you the more all of us are affected.”
Todd knew Samuel was right. He shook his head knowing it, but unable to agree with Samuel. “I don’t want to get to the truth, haven’t you figured that out, Samuel. It’s obvious to me, instead of wanting to get to the bottom of this dream, I’m making myself sicker, just to avoid it.”
“Well, then it stops now. You faced so much these last few months, we’ll face this together.”
“It’s all just words, ‘face things together.’ Enough talk, for now, I got to get my mind on Sam.” Todd shut off Samuel like a switch and finished getting dressed. He picked up his watch, but instead, he held two small bloody implants. Todd dropped the items and backed away. He ripped off the ring tossing it on the counter and backed out of the bathroom grateful he could no longer see. Todd found the chair by his bed and sat down. Even with his vision blurred, he felt like the image was burned into his brain. He was still sitting there lost in his thoughts when Sam found him.
Sam walked into his Mom’s room. It was so big and dark. The only light entering the room was the moon shining in the window. He spotted Samuel sitting over by the bed. “Samuel, why are you sitting in the dark?”
Todd turned his head in the direction of Sam’s voice. “Hey Sam, I’m sorry I didn’t realize it was dark. Hang on.” Todd reached up and switched the light on close to his chair. Now he was able to make out Sam’s small shape. “So Sam, did your mom send you up to get me?”
“Uh-huh, she said you had something to tell me.”
“Come here, Sam.” Todd waited for Sam to come to him. “Sit down on the bed, you and me, we’ve got something really important to talk about.”
Sam got settled on the bed, facing Todd. He kicked his legs in and out as he sat on the edge.
“Sam, you know all about good guys and bad guys right?” Sam nodded, “Good, well right now some bad guys are trying to hurt your dad and me. Today something happened at the Sun where your dad works.” Todd reached for the control to his TV and turned on the news. “Sam, we’re going to start a game to fool the bad guys. You, me and your Mom, everybody in the family, are going to play pretend. Your Dad is going to pretend to be dead so the bad guys will stop trying to hurt him. We are all going to pretend that we’re sad. Do you think you can do that Sam? Can you pretend to be sad?”
Todd heard the late breaking news announcement and reached for Sam and pulled him onto his lap. “Now listen, Sam, what you’re about to hear and see didn’t really happen okay?”
“This is Blanca Morales with WVL News I’m standing outside the Manning Building where it is reported that infamous Publisher Todd Manning has been struck down by a bullet. Word has it that Manning was supposed to testify against Carlo Hesser and Ivan Kipling in the upcoming trial. Wait, there is some activity at the door. Yes, it looks like the reports are true. Today, Todd Manning, former Rapist and son of Publisher Victor Lord, appears to have met his maker.”
He turned the TV off and held tight to Sam, giving him a hug. “Okay now you’ve heard the news, but I’m telling you here and now it’s not real. Do you believe me?”
Sam was scared, “it seems real,” he said. Sam looked at his friend. “It really is okay, my dad is alright?”
“Yes Sam, your Dad is alright. I wouldn’t lie to you. You won’t be able to see him for a little while, but he is okay. But this is where it gets tough Sam. You have to pretend that you think he’s dead if anybody talks to you about him. You can’t let people know he’s alive. This is a secret just for the family and it’s really important that we keep it.”
“I think I can do that, but what about Hope, she’s just a baby. How can she keep a secret?”
“She can’t Sam, so you can’t tell her. Starr will take care of Hope. Now, how about you find my cane and we’ll see your Mom.” Todd set Sam down and waited for Sam to hand him his cane, then the two of them made their way back downstairs. Todd’s thoughts were all about the little guy and how he was taking what they had just talked about. He quickly turned his thoughts to Blair and letting her know that Sam had seen the news report and they had talked.
He wondered if word had gotten to the county lockup. If so, then Carlo and Kipling were aware that one of their problems was supposedly out of the way. Todd decided to make a visit to see them. He didn’t want them to get complacent thinking he would be too scared to testify because of Jake’s “death”.
Todd spent the rest of the evening with his family and they discussed the events of the day. Jack and Starr had both come home extremely upset by the news they had heard but were relieved to find out that it wasn’t true. Both agreed to also keep it a secret and pretend to grieve. Vicki had called and informed them she was having Tea and Dani stay with her until after the trial since Jake had been spirited away into protective custody. A memorial service was being arranged for the benefit of the assassin and Hesser’s partners.
He was sitting on the couch thinking about Hesser when he felt Blair plop down next to him.
“Hey, you’re a million miles away.” Blair reached up, playing with his hair. “You know, when I sent Sam to you this evening, I never expected you to let him hear the report about Jake’s “death”. I don’t think I could have done that. It amazes me how you made him understand that it wasn’t real. He put his faith in you that you wouldn’t lie to him, and that tells me a lot. Because of your talk with him, I think he really understands the importance of the secret and he’s going to keep it. By the way, thank you.”
“For what? Talking to Sam? That was just as important to me as to you. He’s a great kid, I didn’t want him to hurt so I had to explain to him.”
“Thank you for that, yes, but what I was really thanking you for was the fact that Jake is still alive because of you. If you hadn’t warned John, we all would really be grieving tonight,” she leaned in and kissed him ever so gently. “Let’s go to bed,” she got up and he took her hand. With their arms around each other, they retired to their bedroom.
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Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Todd Manning, Enigma Chapter 7
Todd was all set for Addie to come to the house to talk and realized Blair would be there. He quickly called Addie back and arranged to see her at La Boulaie. On his way out the door, he told Blair he’d be back after talking to Bo and the security company. He left quickly before Blair could object.
Addie was waiting for Todd and let him in. She was curious why he had changed the meeting place at the last minute. Leading him into the living room she looked him up and down. She knew he had spent another night in the hospital and that he was supposed to be home resting, but he had come looking for her. Whatever was driving him had something to do with Blair, she was sure of it. “Todd sit down and tell me what this is all about. Yesterday when you called I could tell it was important to you, and now when you should be resting you’re here instead. I’m betting Blair doesn’t know you’re here. We haven’t really talked, have we? I know a lot more about you now than when I was in St. Ann’s. We’ve both changed a lot in that time, but I’m certain of one thing. You love Blair. Why are you keeping her in the dark about this meeting?”
He could always count on Addie to say the unexpected and she didn’t disappoint. Todd sat down and looked his mother-in-law in the eyes. “I’m here to talk about her father and depending on what you can remember, I’ll decide if she needs to be told what I’m doing. I have questions that need answering and I don’t want to hurt her.”
“But Todd why do you think it would hurt her? She knows about what he did to me.”
“I’m aware of that, but humor me will you. This isn’t so much about what he did to you but about him personally. Addie, I’m trying to find out who he really is. I know it all happened a long time ago but do you have any memories of him?”
Addie looked at Todd, she was uncertain how much help she could really give him. It had happened so long ago. She searched her memory going back to the hospital that her mother had put her into. She vaguely recalled a young man constantly being around her in those days. He was handsome and liked by the staff because he was good with the patients. “I can’t give you much Todd, I vaguely remember the man. He was slightly older than me and I found him nice looking and he was kind to me in the beginning. I just remember him coming to me one night. He was charming and began to give me all this attention and then I remember him touching me and I was feeling all these strange feelings as he put me on my bed. It just a jumble of feelings and flashes, Todd. I wasn’t scared, I was just confused and he kept saying nice things to me as he did his thing. I didn’t know what he was doing. When he was done he just left me, and I curled up and went to sleep. I don’t know what happened to him, but he stopped working on my floor, and I was pregnant and carrying Blair. When I gave birth to her, they only allowed me a little time with her before they took her from me, and I didn’t see my baby girl again till she came looking for me and took me out of that place, and took me to Asa’s house. Does that help you? I really don’t see how it can.” Addie looked at Todd and saw his disappointment. She wasn’t sure what he had been hoping for.
“Addie, your last name is Cramer. Why was Blair’s last name Daimler?”
"Because that was his last name. The nurses told me he left because he had gotten caught with another patient and when they found out I was pregnant, they knew he was my baby’s daddy. They asked me for a name when she was born and I told them, Blair. Then they put his name down as the father, Gregor Daimler. When they sent her to the orphanage, she was Blair Daimler.”
Todd’s heart sank, he had been hoping the name Gregor had just been another figment of his imagination and now it wasn’t. “You’re sure his name was Gregor Daimler, Addie?”
“Yes, Todd, one of the few possessions I was allowed to keep was my daughter’s birth certificate. Wait here.” Addie got up and headed out of the room.
Todd walked over to the terrace door. “Samuel, help me out. Why is all this happening? I heard you tell Blair, you felt cut off from me for several months and that would indicate I was in a coma. Wouldn’t it?”
“I don’t know Todd.”
“Why did I get the feeling you knew something else when you told Blair you weren’t sure? Was I out or not? Samuel, are you hiding something from me?”
“I wish I could give you a straight answer Todd. Blair‘s question has me worried because now I’m not sure what I know anymore either.”
“Samuel, in my dream you were there with me when I let Pete torture Carlo and Kipling. I remember your disgust that I was letting it happen. Why is that memory so clear? Am I really going crazy? I feel like I’m living two lives at once and everything in this life is being overtaken by that life.”
Samuel didn’t answer Todd, instead, he looked around and saw a scene playing out and it scared him. Why had he forgotten it? Just what was going on? Why now did Todd’s memory flash through his mind with those simple words “torture Carlo"? He shouldn’t have those memories at all, they didn’t happen except in the dream. Samuel jumped as the beeping sound began. It had been happening more frequently and getting louder. “Todd, can you hear that?”
Todd had been waiting for an answer from Samuel when he began hearing the noise of the beeping getting louder. His heart started keeping time with it and Todd felt himself getting faint. He sat down quickly trying to keep from passing out. Addie’s touch on his shoulder cleared the cobwebs and the beeping receded. Todd shivered, whatever had just happened was becoming more frequent.
Addie had walked into the room and seen Todd close to passing out. She had called his name several times and gotten no response until she had touched his shoulder. “Todd, you should be home in bed. I'm going to get you something warm to drink. Take it easy.” She laid the birth certificate in his hands and went to the kitchen to get some coffee and give Blair a call.
Todd’s hands shook as he unfolded the paper. There in black and white was Gregor’s name. Just more proof that the dream could be real. He was so tired. His mind was spinning out of control and even his alters were finding it hard to cope. He dropped the paper and covered his face with his hands, his fingers rubbing his forehead trying to stop the pain building there. He was trying to look at the dream logically but the coincidences kept popping up. He had to keep it together. If he showed up in court a nervous wreck, Carlo and Ivan would walk away scot free. He heard Addie coming back and pushed his hair back wishing at that moment he had a rubber band. He was this close to throwing up his hands and letting Rodd have some free time. He certainly couldn’t cope any worse than Todd was doing at the moment. But he couldn’t do it. Todd was afraid to go back in after that brief stint earlier. The beeping sound was terrifying.
Todd pulled himself together and took a cup of coffee from Addie. He probably didn’t need the caffeine at the moment but it was warm and he felt cold all the way to his bones.
“Todd, why did Blair’s father’s name bother you?”
He looked at Addie and decided to tell her. If anyone understood crazy then Addie would. “It bothered me because he’s in my dream. At least a man named Gregor Daimler is in my dream. The problem is I knew his name before you told me. It’s just another thing from the dream that came true. Addie, things keep coming true, and there are things in the dream that are horrendous. What if they come true? The man in my dream is a horrible man. If he is real then the stuff he’s capable of could happen.”
Addie knew he was sincere and felt real empathy in that instant. She knew what it was like to be judging your own sanity. She sensed Todd was doubting his. She sat next to him on the couch and took one of his hands in hers. “You’re feeling the need to protect Blair from the man in your dreams, but you’re having a tough time accepting the fact that he’s real. You feel trapped because if you admit he’s real, then the dream is too. Todd, just remember one thing. your love for Blair and her love for you will get you through this. Whatever the truth, you’ll be able to cope if you remember that.”
He squeezed her hand, grateful that she was who she was. Addie was special and he had listened to her before and Starr had been the result. He needed her to be correct now too. Todd leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, Addie. I should tell you there will now be a man outside to guard you. You’re part of my family and there has been a threat made against me. I just don’t want you to be alarmed if you see him. When you go out, let him go with you. Please! Blair would kill me if anything happened to you.” Todd rose and left, heading downtown to the police department.
Todd was just entering the building when he was shoved to the ground. He heard the crack of the bullet as it hit the wall where he had been standing moments before. He looked up to see John McBain searching the buildings across the street and cops were running past obviously in search of the shooter. There were no more shots as John reached down a hand to help him up. “So, it starts.” Todd dusted off his slacks with his shaky hands knowing how close that had come.
“What the hell are you doing,Todd? You were supposed to stay home until we could get your security in place.”
“My bad, John. I wasn’t thinking. Since you just called, I figured I had a little time before they got into town. I guess I was wrong.”
John took the time to dig the bullet out of the wall and let it drop into a waiting plastic bag, then still looking around, he had Todd enter ahead of him into the building. “We have no idea who this guy is or why he was waiting for you to show up here. Every hitter is different. He must have figured you would be coming by here after you got word of the hit being put out. For all we know he could have been the one to alert Interpol. It wouldn’t be the first time the police have been used to bring a target out from cover. You’re just lucky I spotted you coming. So, why did you come here?”
Todd had to admit to himself the only reason he had even come, was so he wouldn’t be caught in a lie by Blair, and he had almost gotten killed. “You wouldn’t understand if I told you, John, let’s just say not one of my better choices lately. Put it down to trying to get my life back on track. Since I’m here maybe you can help me. I’m trying to find out if a guy by the name of Gregor Daimler might have a record here in the US or worldwide. With your connections, I thought you could check for me.”
“Does he have something to do with Hesser?”
“It’s a possibility, I’m just trying to check on something from my dream.” Todd kept it simple, for all he knew Gregor could be a partner of Hesser or he could simply be another rapist. It didn’t matter, Todd just needed to find him. John had Todd wait in Bo’s office since it was an interior one and therefore away from exposed windows. After dropping the bullet off at ballistics, he joined Todd and took a written statement. Bo arrived and was unhappy to hear about the attempt outside the station and quickly set out to make sure all members of Todd’s family including Vicki were covered. Then he sat down and they discussed Todd’s announcement about Jake that had started all this.
Before Todd left he was given a bullet proof vest since this was the fourth attempt on Samuel’s life. If Bo had been given his way, Todd and Jake would already be in protective custody, but neither gentlemen would budge from their lives, making things difficult for Bo. “Todd, why can’t you see reason? Christian’s shot almost took you out permanently. How many more attempts do you think you can survive?”
“I’ll survive as many as I need to, to put Carlo and Ivan permanently behind bars.” Todd knew Bo was right but leaving the city wasn’t going to stop the attempts and he had been separated from his family for eight long years. If they wanted him, they would find him in a safe place, his home. Dragonheart was more protected than Bo realized. “Bo, Dragonheart might be up on the mountain but it has a new state of the art security system and although it looks vulnerable with all the glass, every pane is bulletproof.” Todd saw the look of surprise on Bo’s face. “Samuel was being extremely cautious when he had it built. He knew someone was after him, just not who, and he wanted to provide complete security for our family as well as beauty. The place is a good fortress.”
Todd was getting to leave when another call came into Bo’s office. “Shots have just been fired at the Manning building.” Bo looked at John and Todd “Jake’s been hit. Todd, you’re staying put here till we find out how bad it is. Let’s go, John.” Todd sat down in Bo’s chair and prayed Jake had survived. A wave of lethargy hit him and his arms and legs began to feel heavy as his fatigue threatened to overtake him. Unable to stop himself, Todd rested his head on his arms and fell into an uneasy sleep.
The room was dark, he could hear the machines around him. Every bone in his body hurt. It was difficult to breathe. He listened, straining to make out anything that would tell him what was going on.
“Has there been any change in Mr. Lord’s condition?”
“I’m sorry, but no significant improvement. He’s alive but unresponsive to any stimuli.”
He knew the first voice, it belonged to C.J. He tried to say something, but nothing came out. Why couldn’t he talk?
“Daddy, can I go see him for just a moment?”
“Lily, it isn’t a good time. The nurse just said there has been no change. We’ll try again in a couple of days, okay?”
“But Daddy, maybe if he heard me he might respond. It’s not right, He helped me why can’t I help him?”
“Darling, I know you want to help him, so do I. Something is keeping him from coming back to us. I’ll tell you what. Go give him a kiss and we’ll go. I promise you, we’ll come back later.”
He couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer and he listened for her footsteps. For a brief moment before everything went black he felt her tender kiss.
Todd awoke, gasping for air. He was flat on his back.
“Easy Mr. Toddman, take your time. Do you know where you are?” the EMT began shining a light in his eyes and Todd put up a hand to shield them.
“Stop! What happened?” Todd looked around and saw Bo and John standing back letting the EMT work. “I’m alright. Help me up.” Todd said to the EMT when he tried to push him back down flat. The EMT reluctantly gave him a hand up protesting the whole time, but Todd just waved him quiet. “I tell you, I’m fine.” He knew he was far from fine but he wasn’t going anywhere but home. Todd leaned against Bo’s desk for support.“Sorry Bo, didn’t mean to fall asleep in your office.”
Bo frowned and waved the EMT’s out. “You heard him, fellas, he says he’s fine.” When they left, he turned back to Todd. “You are anything but fine. You were passed out when we got back here, Todd and we couldn’t wake you. You were unresponsive so we called the EMTs What the hell was Larry thinking letting you go home so soon? If you were asleep, you sleep like the dead. The EMT’s said your pulse was extremely low.”
“It’s nothing Bo, must be a side effect of the medication Larry gave me to sleep. Tell me about Jake. Is he alive?” Todd was desperate to get the talk off of him. “I need some good news right now.”
“Yes Todd, Jake is alive. The sniper took a shot at his heart instead of his head. The vest did its job and he survived but the shooter thinks he succeeded. Jake has agreed to play dead until the trial. I wish you would reconsider protective custody. You’re in no condition to play this on your own.”
“I told you, I’m going home. I’m as protected there as I am in one of your safe houses.” Todd had found out two things, Jake had survived and his dream had changed, both were disturbing because of what they meant to him. He needed to get home so he could think about them but most of all he needed to get back to Blair. He stood up to go and almost fell over but for John’s hand catching his arm.
“Oh yeah, you are so alright. John, get him home and make sure the officer assigned is out there.” Bo watched as John helped Todd until his stride steadied. He was worried about the man. Something he never thought he would feel. Ever since Todd had returned he had been a different man from the one they had known for so long. He had worked with the system to bring down Carlo and he had given them a heads up about the assassins and managed to save Jake, the very man who had taken his life. Bo didn’t like the toll all of it had taken on him. The man had barely survived the shooting and Bo wondered if he would survive the night. When they had arrived back from the Sun. Todd had been barely alive. Even the EMT’s had been unable to bring him around and just when they were getting ready to call an ambulance he had stirred. Todd was hanging on by a thread, but for how long.
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Addie was waiting for Todd and let him in. She was curious why he had changed the meeting place at the last minute. Leading him into the living room she looked him up and down. She knew he had spent another night in the hospital and that he was supposed to be home resting, but he had come looking for her. Whatever was driving him had something to do with Blair, she was sure of it. “Todd sit down and tell me what this is all about. Yesterday when you called I could tell it was important to you, and now when you should be resting you’re here instead. I’m betting Blair doesn’t know you’re here. We haven’t really talked, have we? I know a lot more about you now than when I was in St. Ann’s. We’ve both changed a lot in that time, but I’m certain of one thing. You love Blair. Why are you keeping her in the dark about this meeting?”
He could always count on Addie to say the unexpected and she didn’t disappoint. Todd sat down and looked his mother-in-law in the eyes. “I’m here to talk about her father and depending on what you can remember, I’ll decide if she needs to be told what I’m doing. I have questions that need answering and I don’t want to hurt her.”
“But Todd why do you think it would hurt her? She knows about what he did to me.”
“I’m aware of that, but humor me will you. This isn’t so much about what he did to you but about him personally. Addie, I’m trying to find out who he really is. I know it all happened a long time ago but do you have any memories of him?”
Addie looked at Todd, she was uncertain how much help she could really give him. It had happened so long ago. She searched her memory going back to the hospital that her mother had put her into. She vaguely recalled a young man constantly being around her in those days. He was handsome and liked by the staff because he was good with the patients. “I can’t give you much Todd, I vaguely remember the man. He was slightly older than me and I found him nice looking and he was kind to me in the beginning. I just remember him coming to me one night. He was charming and began to give me all this attention and then I remember him touching me and I was feeling all these strange feelings as he put me on my bed. It just a jumble of feelings and flashes, Todd. I wasn’t scared, I was just confused and he kept saying nice things to me as he did his thing. I didn’t know what he was doing. When he was done he just left me, and I curled up and went to sleep. I don’t know what happened to him, but he stopped working on my floor, and I was pregnant and carrying Blair. When I gave birth to her, they only allowed me a little time with her before they took her from me, and I didn’t see my baby girl again till she came looking for me and took me out of that place, and took me to Asa’s house. Does that help you? I really don’t see how it can.” Addie looked at Todd and saw his disappointment. She wasn’t sure what he had been hoping for.
“Addie, your last name is Cramer. Why was Blair’s last name Daimler?”
"Because that was his last name. The nurses told me he left because he had gotten caught with another patient and when they found out I was pregnant, they knew he was my baby’s daddy. They asked me for a name when she was born and I told them, Blair. Then they put his name down as the father, Gregor Daimler. When they sent her to the orphanage, she was Blair Daimler.”
Todd’s heart sank, he had been hoping the name Gregor had just been another figment of his imagination and now it wasn’t. “You’re sure his name was Gregor Daimler, Addie?”
“Yes, Todd, one of the few possessions I was allowed to keep was my daughter’s birth certificate. Wait here.” Addie got up and headed out of the room.
Todd walked over to the terrace door. “Samuel, help me out. Why is all this happening? I heard you tell Blair, you felt cut off from me for several months and that would indicate I was in a coma. Wouldn’t it?”
“I don’t know Todd.”
“Why did I get the feeling you knew something else when you told Blair you weren’t sure? Was I out or not? Samuel, are you hiding something from me?”
“I wish I could give you a straight answer Todd. Blair‘s question has me worried because now I’m not sure what I know anymore either.”
“Samuel, in my dream you were there with me when I let Pete torture Carlo and Kipling. I remember your disgust that I was letting it happen. Why is that memory so clear? Am I really going crazy? I feel like I’m living two lives at once and everything in this life is being overtaken by that life.”
Samuel didn’t answer Todd, instead, he looked around and saw a scene playing out and it scared him. Why had he forgotten it? Just what was going on? Why now did Todd’s memory flash through his mind with those simple words “torture Carlo"? He shouldn’t have those memories at all, they didn’t happen except in the dream. Samuel jumped as the beeping sound began. It had been happening more frequently and getting louder. “Todd, can you hear that?”
Todd had been waiting for an answer from Samuel when he began hearing the noise of the beeping getting louder. His heart started keeping time with it and Todd felt himself getting faint. He sat down quickly trying to keep from passing out. Addie’s touch on his shoulder cleared the cobwebs and the beeping receded. Todd shivered, whatever had just happened was becoming more frequent.
Addie had walked into the room and seen Todd close to passing out. She had called his name several times and gotten no response until she had touched his shoulder. “Todd, you should be home in bed. I'm going to get you something warm to drink. Take it easy.” She laid the birth certificate in his hands and went to the kitchen to get some coffee and give Blair a call.
Todd’s hands shook as he unfolded the paper. There in black and white was Gregor’s name. Just more proof that the dream could be real. He was so tired. His mind was spinning out of control and even his alters were finding it hard to cope. He dropped the paper and covered his face with his hands, his fingers rubbing his forehead trying to stop the pain building there. He was trying to look at the dream logically but the coincidences kept popping up. He had to keep it together. If he showed up in court a nervous wreck, Carlo and Ivan would walk away scot free. He heard Addie coming back and pushed his hair back wishing at that moment he had a rubber band. He was this close to throwing up his hands and letting Rodd have some free time. He certainly couldn’t cope any worse than Todd was doing at the moment. But he couldn’t do it. Todd was afraid to go back in after that brief stint earlier. The beeping sound was terrifying.
Todd pulled himself together and took a cup of coffee from Addie. He probably didn’t need the caffeine at the moment but it was warm and he felt cold all the way to his bones.
“Todd, why did Blair’s father’s name bother you?”
He looked at Addie and decided to tell her. If anyone understood crazy then Addie would. “It bothered me because he’s in my dream. At least a man named Gregor Daimler is in my dream. The problem is I knew his name before you told me. It’s just another thing from the dream that came true. Addie, things keep coming true, and there are things in the dream that are horrendous. What if they come true? The man in my dream is a horrible man. If he is real then the stuff he’s capable of could happen.”
Addie knew he was sincere and felt real empathy in that instant. She knew what it was like to be judging your own sanity. She sensed Todd was doubting his. She sat next to him on the couch and took one of his hands in hers. “You’re feeling the need to protect Blair from the man in your dreams, but you’re having a tough time accepting the fact that he’s real. You feel trapped because if you admit he’s real, then the dream is too. Todd, just remember one thing. your love for Blair and her love for you will get you through this. Whatever the truth, you’ll be able to cope if you remember that.”
He squeezed her hand, grateful that she was who she was. Addie was special and he had listened to her before and Starr had been the result. He needed her to be correct now too. Todd leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, Addie. I should tell you there will now be a man outside to guard you. You’re part of my family and there has been a threat made against me. I just don’t want you to be alarmed if you see him. When you go out, let him go with you. Please! Blair would kill me if anything happened to you.” Todd rose and left, heading downtown to the police department.
Todd was just entering the building when he was shoved to the ground. He heard the crack of the bullet as it hit the wall where he had been standing moments before. He looked up to see John McBain searching the buildings across the street and cops were running past obviously in search of the shooter. There were no more shots as John reached down a hand to help him up. “So, it starts.” Todd dusted off his slacks with his shaky hands knowing how close that had come.
“What the hell are you doing,Todd? You were supposed to stay home until we could get your security in place.”
“My bad, John. I wasn’t thinking. Since you just called, I figured I had a little time before they got into town. I guess I was wrong.”
John took the time to dig the bullet out of the wall and let it drop into a waiting plastic bag, then still looking around, he had Todd enter ahead of him into the building. “We have no idea who this guy is or why he was waiting for you to show up here. Every hitter is different. He must have figured you would be coming by here after you got word of the hit being put out. For all we know he could have been the one to alert Interpol. It wouldn’t be the first time the police have been used to bring a target out from cover. You’re just lucky I spotted you coming. So, why did you come here?”
Todd had to admit to himself the only reason he had even come, was so he wouldn’t be caught in a lie by Blair, and he had almost gotten killed. “You wouldn’t understand if I told you, John, let’s just say not one of my better choices lately. Put it down to trying to get my life back on track. Since I’m here maybe you can help me. I’m trying to find out if a guy by the name of Gregor Daimler might have a record here in the US or worldwide. With your connections, I thought you could check for me.”
“Does he have something to do with Hesser?”
“It’s a possibility, I’m just trying to check on something from my dream.” Todd kept it simple, for all he knew Gregor could be a partner of Hesser or he could simply be another rapist. It didn’t matter, Todd just needed to find him. John had Todd wait in Bo’s office since it was an interior one and therefore away from exposed windows. After dropping the bullet off at ballistics, he joined Todd and took a written statement. Bo arrived and was unhappy to hear about the attempt outside the station and quickly set out to make sure all members of Todd’s family including Vicki were covered. Then he sat down and they discussed Todd’s announcement about Jake that had started all this.
Before Todd left he was given a bullet proof vest since this was the fourth attempt on Samuel’s life. If Bo had been given his way, Todd and Jake would already be in protective custody, but neither gentlemen would budge from their lives, making things difficult for Bo. “Todd, why can’t you see reason? Christian’s shot almost took you out permanently. How many more attempts do you think you can survive?”
“I’ll survive as many as I need to, to put Carlo and Ivan permanently behind bars.” Todd knew Bo was right but leaving the city wasn’t going to stop the attempts and he had been separated from his family for eight long years. If they wanted him, they would find him in a safe place, his home. Dragonheart was more protected than Bo realized. “Bo, Dragonheart might be up on the mountain but it has a new state of the art security system and although it looks vulnerable with all the glass, every pane is bulletproof.” Todd saw the look of surprise on Bo’s face. “Samuel was being extremely cautious when he had it built. He knew someone was after him, just not who, and he wanted to provide complete security for our family as well as beauty. The place is a good fortress.”
Todd was getting to leave when another call came into Bo’s office. “Shots have just been fired at the Manning building.” Bo looked at John and Todd “Jake’s been hit. Todd, you’re staying put here till we find out how bad it is. Let’s go, John.” Todd sat down in Bo’s chair and prayed Jake had survived. A wave of lethargy hit him and his arms and legs began to feel heavy as his fatigue threatened to overtake him. Unable to stop himself, Todd rested his head on his arms and fell into an uneasy sleep.
The room was dark, he could hear the machines around him. Every bone in his body hurt. It was difficult to breathe. He listened, straining to make out anything that would tell him what was going on.
“Has there been any change in Mr. Lord’s condition?”
“I’m sorry, but no significant improvement. He’s alive but unresponsive to any stimuli.”
He knew the first voice, it belonged to C.J. He tried to say something, but nothing came out. Why couldn’t he talk?
“Daddy, can I go see him for just a moment?”
“Lily, it isn’t a good time. The nurse just said there has been no change. We’ll try again in a couple of days, okay?”
“But Daddy, maybe if he heard me he might respond. It’s not right, He helped me why can’t I help him?”
“Darling, I know you want to help him, so do I. Something is keeping him from coming back to us. I’ll tell you what. Go give him a kiss and we’ll go. I promise you, we’ll come back later.”
He couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer and he listened for her footsteps. For a brief moment before everything went black he felt her tender kiss.
Todd awoke, gasping for air. He was flat on his back.
“Easy Mr. Toddman, take your time. Do you know where you are?” the EMT began shining a light in his eyes and Todd put up a hand to shield them.
“Stop! What happened?” Todd looked around and saw Bo and John standing back letting the EMT work. “I’m alright. Help me up.” Todd said to the EMT when he tried to push him back down flat. The EMT reluctantly gave him a hand up protesting the whole time, but Todd just waved him quiet. “I tell you, I’m fine.” He knew he was far from fine but he wasn’t going anywhere but home. Todd leaned against Bo’s desk for support.“Sorry Bo, didn’t mean to fall asleep in your office.”
Bo frowned and waved the EMT’s out. “You heard him, fellas, he says he’s fine.” When they left, he turned back to Todd. “You are anything but fine. You were passed out when we got back here, Todd and we couldn’t wake you. You were unresponsive so we called the EMTs What the hell was Larry thinking letting you go home so soon? If you were asleep, you sleep like the dead. The EMT’s said your pulse was extremely low.”
“It’s nothing Bo, must be a side effect of the medication Larry gave me to sleep. Tell me about Jake. Is he alive?” Todd was desperate to get the talk off of him. “I need some good news right now.”
“Yes Todd, Jake is alive. The sniper took a shot at his heart instead of his head. The vest did its job and he survived but the shooter thinks he succeeded. Jake has agreed to play dead until the trial. I wish you would reconsider protective custody. You’re in no condition to play this on your own.”
“I told you, I’m going home. I’m as protected there as I am in one of your safe houses.” Todd had found out two things, Jake had survived and his dream had changed, both were disturbing because of what they meant to him. He needed to get home so he could think about them but most of all he needed to get back to Blair. He stood up to go and almost fell over but for John’s hand catching his arm.
“Oh yeah, you are so alright. John, get him home and make sure the officer assigned is out there.” Bo watched as John helped Todd until his stride steadied. He was worried about the man. Something he never thought he would feel. Ever since Todd had returned he had been a different man from the one they had known for so long. He had worked with the system to bring down Carlo and he had given them a heads up about the assassins and managed to save Jake, the very man who had taken his life. Bo didn’t like the toll all of it had taken on him. The man had barely survived the shooting and Bo wondered if he would survive the night. When they had arrived back from the Sun. Todd had been barely alive. Even the EMT’s had been unable to bring him around and just when they were getting ready to call an ambulance he had stirred. Todd was hanging on by a thread, but for how long.
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Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Todd Manning, Enigma Chapter 6 (mild Adult)
Todd and Blair arrived back at Dragonheart and Todd was immediately snagged by his granddaughter and Sam. They quickly took him into their playroom and insisted on a story. Todd looked over at Blair for support. He was wiped out and although he loved the kids dearly, this was one time when Sir Dragon just wanted to retire to his cave.
Blair watched him struggle to find the words to tell the kids he was tired and knew any moment he was going to give in, even though he was exhausted. “Hope darling, I know you and Sam want the story you missed out on last night, but the great wizard Larry placed a spell on Sir Dragon. If Sir Dragon tries to tell a story at this time he’ll lose his voice and not be able to tell you any more stories. Do you want Sir Dragon to lose his voice?”
Hope looked at her dragon and took his hand in hers. “It’s okay Dragon, don’t talk, just sit and Hope will tell you a story.”
Todd looked down at his beautiful granddaughter and collapsed into a chair pulling her into his arms hugging her as he tried to keep tears from falling. At that moment, she reminded him so much of Starr at that age.
“Why is Dragon crying? Is Dragon hurt?”
“No Hope, Dragon is just happy you understand he can’t tell a story right now. You go ahead and tell him a story. He’ll be alright. Sam why don’t you come with me and we’ll get some snacks." Blair and Sam left.
Hope nestled deeper into her grandfather’s arms. “I’m glad Dragon is not hurt. I missed you, Dragon.”
“I missed you too, Hope. Now tell me your story.”
“Once upon a time, Sir Dragon went away. Hope looked for her Dragon, but he was gone. Mommy told Hope a bad giant hurt Dragon and Dragon had to hide from giant to get better. Hope and Mommy called to Sir Dragon but he didn’t answer and he didn’t come back. Hope felt bad for her lost Dragon.
Hope began asking Sir God to help her Dragon and then Mommy told Hope Sir Dragon was all better and coming home. Hope got lots of flowers for her Dragon and big pizza bits so Sir Dragon would know he was home.
“I love your story, Princess Shorty." Todd once again was struck with fear that all this would vanish away. He kissed his granddaughter and told her to find her grandmother. When Hope left the playroom he gave into his fear and allowed the tears to fall but as soon as he heard them returning, he wiped his eyes and pretended to be
Blair could see the effort he was putting into being cheerful for the kids’ sake and decided to call the session to a close by grabbing Hope up for her nap and getting Sam started on his homework. She watched as Todd got up. She waited for him to head for their bedroom but instead, he headed down to his office and shut the door. Blair decided then and there, enough was enough. She put Hope down for her nap and headed to confront Todd in his office. He hadn’t locked the door so Blair walked in on him. “You are not going to do it again. You’ve shut me out for two weeks hiding in this office. I‘ve given you all the space I’m going to. It’s time you told me all about the dream."
Todd’s mouth went dry. He had known this moment would come eventually. Now for the first time since he woke up from his coma, Blair wanted to know the details of the dream. Todd got his thoughts together, planning to only tell her the gist of the dream. To go into detail about Carlo’s capture and his role in it would be fruitless. She would never understand something that didn’t happen in this reality.
“Have a seat. For me, it starts with Christian’s attempt on my life. In the dream, I received a flesh wound in the side and a couple of days later, you gave me my ring and watch. Not too long after that, Jake and I planned a raid on Carlo’s hideaway and the night of the raid you stood on the Landing above the foyer and told me to come home safely. Pete was in charge of the raid and we succeeded in capturing both Carlo and Ivan. The following morning, after making a call to John letting the police know where Hesser and Kipling were, I came home, but I couldn’t even look at you. I was ashamed of what I had done, and so I left you.”
“What do you mean, you left?”
“Just that, I disappeared. I changed my name and went to live in Savannah where I had lived before. I was an investigative reporter named Thomas Lord in the dream, and I was in the middle of a story that just got me two bullets in the back right after Gregor took you away from me.”
“I don’t understand how did this Gregor get me, if you left me and went away?”
“I called for help in my dream and you came and found me. I was drowning in my guilt over what I had done to Carlo and you found me and once again, you saved me, Blair. Like you always did.”
Blair really wanted to know what was so horrible that Todd had felt the need to leave her, but it was obvious he wasn’t going to go into it. “I see. So in your dream, I’m in Savannah. What is the stuff about Jake?”
“In the dream, you weren’t the only one I called. I placed a call to John for some help on the story I was working on and John found his way to Savannah, too. The evening after my story was blown wide open, John informed both of us of Jake’s murder. At that time, I chose to send you home with him but you refused and stayed with me. We flew the family down to us in Savannah to get them out of Llanview so the assassins couldn’t use them against me. A couple of days later Carlo and Ivan’s trial started. It was during the trial that the implants wreaked havoc and Michael had to go in to remove them.”
“So that’s how you knew about the implants?”
Todd nodded, he was glad she hadn’t dwelt on Gregor, that was the one place he really didn’t want to go with her.
Blair felt a chill go through her. The implants and the ring had both come true. No wonder Todd had been so insistent about Jake; he believed the assassins were out there and he was trying to warn
“Todd, get a grip, Blair just doesn’t understand what’s happening. You can’t keep letting go. We can’t help you if you pass out." Samuel was almost shouting in Todd’s head trying to break through the fog that was overtaking them all." Samuel stumbled and found it difficult to maintain his feet. As the whole scene darkened, he felt a hand on his shoulder and reached up to grab it, the darkness faded and he found himself holding Blair’s hand. “Blair, he‘s terrified of that dream. He can’t go there, ever..”
“My God Samuel, I can’t believe I even said that to him. You’re right, I’ve got to start thinking before opening my mouth. Are you alright?”
“Yes we’re alright, but Todd isn’t handling this whole dream thing very well. We can’t help him, either, it’s strictly a Todd thing. We’re not privy to any dreams he has, any more than Todd was privy to mine when I was out. That ‘s why we can’t be of much help to you either, Blair, except for moral support.”
“Samuel, Todd says he thinks this is the dream and he’s lying in a hospital in Savannah. If it really happened, wouldn’t you and the other alters remember portions of the dream, too?" Even as she said it she saw a shadow cross Samuel’s face.
“I don’t know, I feel like I’ve been gone for several months cut off from Todd. I don’t know if Tom or Pete have experienced the same thing or not. I can get them for you but Blair what if they have a different story from mine. Then we’ll have to consider the possibility that Todd could be right and we’re all figments of his current imagination. Are you ready to go there because seriously, it sounds crazy.”
“You’re darn right it sounds crazy. Maybe that’s because I am crazy." Todd couldn’t go back out yet. Even as he watched Samuel talking to Blair, he could feel himself losing his grip on the reality in front of him as he kept hearing something in the background. He had heard the incessant beep before and he couldn’t make himself look for it. The
Blair had jumped when Todd suddenly reappeared, and from the expression of horror on his face, she knew something had really scared him. “Shh Todd, it’s alright. I’m sorry about what I said before. It was stupid. I think you need to go lie down and take one of Larry’s pills.”
Todd grabbed both of her hands, “Don’t ask me to sleep right now, please, Blair! I’m really losing it, if I go to sleep now, I’m done for.” He was desperate and he could feel his heart beat elevating, and see fear clouding over his eyes like a faint curtain. He knew of only one thing to take his mind off his problem. Pulling her down onto his lap, Todd began kissing her. He needed to feel her lips beneath his and her body in his arms. She felt real, she tasted real. She had to be real, this all had to be real.
Blair was overwhelmed by the intensity of his kiss and she could feel his heart beating a mile a minute. She remembered another time when Todd had kissed her so desperately, only then they were just getting to know each other and she had backed away. He was kissing her like there was no tomorrow. Blair finally was able to come up for air for just a moment as he looked at her before he devoured her again. His hands had begun fondling her, and Blair was finding it hard to concentrate. Her body began to tingle as he got a little rougher than normal and she didn’t even realize he had opened her blouse till she felt the heat of his hand on her skin. His mouth began exploring and her breathing accelerated. With the movements of his caresses, his breath was warm and he began licking and sucking at her breasts, then blowing on them, the alternating warmth and cold tantalizingly erotic. Blair began to squirm as her whole body reacted to the stimulation. She leaned back, offering herself wide open to his caresses, as he stripped her of her panties and his lips sought her sweetness. The flick of his tongue set her on fire and she begged for release, but he was merciless and continued his delicious torture. “Todd. Oh yes, I’m yours, only yours. God, Todd, Please!” She ran her hands through his hair, over his cheek, and onto his back, pushed to the limit when he finally gave her relief. She almost fainted from the pleasure, her body screaming for more, but completely exhausted.
She clung to him, feeling his scars. His body had been through so much during his life; from the scars from Peter Manning’s
.
His eyes closed, he felt the softness of her lips. His angel healing him in ways she couldn’t imagine. A calm came over him, the feeling of wanting to crawl out of his skin vanished with that kiss. His heartbeat had returned to normal and the only sounds he heard were the ones closest to him. Her breathing was like a soft whisper on the wind, and there was the faintest sound of her heart in time with his. It was so peaceful at that moment.
The moment was broken and Todd wanted to curse the maker of the ringer. Blair rolled away and stood up looking for her clothes and Todd forced himself to reach for the offending item
.
“This had better be important.” Todd listened for a moment and then hung up and reached for his clothes. He dressed and walked around to where Blair stood, waiting. “That was John. Interpol just called. It seems a hit has been put out on both Jake and me, Bo is offering round the clock protection until after the trial.”
Blair searched his face and saw the resignation in his eyes. He was too tired to fight. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "We’re together. We’ll get through this like everything else. Hesser’s partners are one step behind us at the moment and we’ll keep them that way.”
Todd was staring at her listening to every word.
“Although the dream is your nightmare, it’s also a warning and we can use it. You’ve already done that by getting John involved and giving him a heads up about Jake. Now we need to figure out what we’re going to do to protect ourselves and the children.” Todd started to speak and Blair put her hand to his lips. “No! I was wrong to think leaving would be the answer. I don’t want to be chased away from our home. We’re going to take Bo’s protection but also get some of our own and you are going to start wearing a bullet proof vest. No complaints, that’s final.” He had a stunned look on his face and Blair had to laugh. She wove her fingers into his long hair and pulled him into another kiss. When she was finished, she smiled and said. “That was a thank you for all your loving attention earlier. I need to go see about setting up a tighter schedule for getting the boys to school and Starr needs to be alerted to the threat. By the way, Momma called this morning while you were still asleep and said something about a talk you wanted to have. What was that about? You know what, you don’t have to answer that. I’ll bet Momma was just confused about something. You still look like you’re about ready to fall asleep standing up. Please go rest.” after another quick kiss she left.
Todd gulped, sometimes Blair just blew him away. It was that wild spirit that had attracted him all those years ago. They had a lot in common but when it came to taking chances. Blair took the prize. His thoughts drifted back to Blair’s words. He had forgotten about his plan to meet with Addie. Todd reached for the phone. Addie was free and agreed to come out to Dragonheart. Todd had a little time to kill and decided to call Tea and give her a heads up. Things were still uncomfortable between them given the lie she had kept about Dani, but he was relieved she had found someone to love. He still hadn’t been able to spend any time with his daughter and that bothered him. He had made headway with Jack, but because of the coma, Jack had once again pulled away from him. Blair felt Jack was still trying to cope with the wrong he did to Gigi Morasco. Todd had been so wrapped up in his head, he was finding it difficult to relate to anyone and the kids had felt it. His conversation with Tea finished, Todd noticed the date on the calendar and realized it was almost Halloween. He would have to step up his game and plan something special for Halloween night.
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