Don't Shoot the "Messenger", Ch. 28

            Todd stood and retrieved his jeans, slipping them on, and reached down to give Blair a hand off the floor. She too slipped back into her undergarments and his heart skipped a beat as he looked at the stunning picture she presented. She was all his and he would never willingly let her go, ever again. After putting his shirt on, he held her blouse and then turned her towards him to button it.

Blair smiled as he slowly buttoned it up, taking pauses to caress her breasts before completing the job. When he started to button his own shirt, she stopped him and laid her palms on his sculptured chest. She ran her fingers across his defined muscles. She kissed them, feeling his muscles respond to the caress. Then she wrapped her hands behind his head and eagerly sought his mouth, his full lips welcoming her kiss and returning it. He was her husband and she would stand by him through this latest crisis. It was important that he understood that. She lingered a little longer in his embrace then pulled back and began to button his shirt. “Okay, It’s time to get down to business.”

“What business would that be?”

“The business of finding Mitch and getting him out of our lives once and for all.”

Todd grabbed her hands. “Hold it right there. I’ll handle finding Mitch, you’re not getting anywhere close to this mess.”

“If you think I’m going to sit on my hands and do nothing all the while Mitch Laurence is on the loose, you’re nuts. I’ve my own reasons for hating the man. Some you wouldn’t know anything about.”

“But Blair, you’re pregnant and Larry said you would need to take care. I don’t want you stressing over Laurence.”

I think it’s more a problem for you than me. You’re not getting sleep because of the nightmares. Now you’ve started having fainting spells because of the stress. Do you have any idea how scared I was yesterday? To see you collapse yesterday after everything else, was terrifying. This baby needs us both. If you’re determined to track down Mitch and confront him, I’m going to be right there next to you. You don’t have to do this alone.”

She was so fierce when she was protective. Her eyes were sparkling with resolve and they were daring him to fight her. In this mood, he knew she would win. “Okay, we’ll do this together. We’ll keep an eye on each other. Deal?” He kissed her fingers and waited for her reply.

“Deal.” Blair smiled, she had won.

“You and Me, Babe. Mitch won’t know what hit him. “

“So... where do we start?”

Todd walked over to his desk with Blair right behind him. “One thing that was curious about today, was the absence of any disciples or guards at the compound. He’s had weeks to gather his flock, but there was no sign of them. I can’t help wondering why Alison didn’t have them swarming all over the place to keep Mitch safe.”

“Todd, you say he’s alive but are you sure?”

“Positive. The dinner table was still set and three plates of unfinished food sat there. It was also pretty obvious all three bedrooms were in use.”

“Well, maybe Alison and Kipling decided to just lie low until Mitch had recovered enough to leave.”

“Maybe but it doesn’t add up. The man’s disciples are everywhere. Usually, he makes a beeline for them. I’m beginning to wonder if he’s just waiting for another attempt on Natalie.”

“So for some reason, his disciples are nowhere to be found. You say there weren’t even guards there to protect Kipling. What have they been up to all this time? From what we learned about Kipling, I would have thought he would have been long gone by now. What’s keeping him with Alison and Mitch.”

“The man’s an egomaniacal scientific genius. He resurrected Mitch and probably wants to remain close to his latest science project. I’ll bet you ten to one, he used something unnatural to restore Mitch to life.” Todd sat down and started searching for churches in the outlying areas.

“What are you looking for?” Blair rested her hands on him from behind and began rubbing his neck and shoulders as she looked at what he was doing.

Todd paused in his search, his muscles relaxing under her touch. He hadn’t even realized he was so tense until she began massaging him. “Mmm, that feels good,” he closed his eyes for a moment, then picked up where he left off.

Blair couldn’t believe how tight his muscles were, it was no wonder he wasn’t getting sleep. He really was too intense and it was reflected in the knotted muscles. She kept working at his shoulders, determined to relax him and observed what Todd had brought up on his screen. “Why churches?”

“I’ve been thinking Mitch and Alison might try to hide out in some obscure, out of the way church. With his background, he could hoodwink some poor minister into thinking, he and Alison were fellow colleagues and get in good with a congregation. Some of these churches are ripe for the picking. He might even go so far as to start recruiting new members for The Messenger.”

“So what is your plan?”

“For now I’m thinking about checking out some of these churches. I can’t just sit around and do nothing. They might lead nowhere, but if anyone has seen Mitch, it could give us an idea of what he’s up too. How about it Babe, want to go to church with me this weekend?”

“Are you sure we won’t get struck down just going there?”

“Hell no, but it would sure spice things up. What do you say?”

Blair hugged him around his neck, her lips finding his ear. “I would go with you to hell and back. So yes. Let’s do it.” she captured his earlobe, delicately nipping and enjoying his little shiver.

He turned and pulled her down onto his lap. “So now that we’ve got that figured out, why don’t we get out of here and go home, Mrs.Manning? I think The Sun can get on the street without us hanging around here any longer.”

“Well, only if we make sure the print shop did as I ordered earlier. It’s a new group of guys than the ones I worked with before. I want to make sure they know I mean business.”

“That’s what I like, a new managing editor who actually manages. Let’s go down there and then home. If they didn’t follow your instructions, they’re out of here.”

Todd felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He had a plan. He wasn’t sure it would pan out but at least he felt like he was doing something. He tucked her hand in his arm and they headed out. He would get through this because she would help him.

His step was lighter when they entered the elevator and Blair breathed a sigh of relief. Todd had a goal, it would keep him motivated and she’d be alongside to keep his eyes on the prize.

***

Mitch walked out into the lab, his thoughts wandering back to the two men he had seen earlier. The dark-haired man filled him with anger and suddenly he was seeing a second face. She was a redhead. She filled him with disgust. She was a slut and a harlot, using her body to beguile him and then turning on him. He would find her and get his revenge. Both she and the man would get their just rewards for daring to harm him. He looked back at the room where Alison lay. She had remained true and faithful. She gave herself to him without a qualm and loved him, it was time to tie her to him completely. He would marry her. He knew she wanted it and it was the least he could do. He liked the idea of an obedient wife. She would never turn on him.

He looked at the monitors again and all was quiet around the compound and in the house. This place was filled with surprises. Kipling had an unusual amount of knowledge about the place and about the men who had come looking today. Another image filled his mind. Why did this one bother him so much? He saw a tomb and then he saw the man from that afternoon. He should be dead. No that wasn’t right, another face popped into his head. The man in the tomb and the man with the other face were one and the same. That was Todd Manning as Mitch knew him. The man in the compound yard shouldn’t exist. It bothered Mitch. That man scared him and he didn’t like the feeling.

Mitch knew it was time to begin asserting more control over his own welfare, he hated being in debt to Kipling and he had a feeling Kipling would eventually want the debt repaid. The problem was, whenever he was around Kipling lately, he had felt like he was under a microscope. The man watched him like a hawk and even seemed to be ecstatic about something. He hadn’t liked the look Kipling gave Alison earlier. It reminded him of a spider watching his next meal and waiting patiently for it to land in his web. Alison belonged to him and there was no way Kipling would get any part of her. Mitch suddenly felt very protective of her, it was strange, he didn’t remember having those kinds of feelings before. He shook his head, the woman had managed to get under his skin and he found it wasn’t so bad. Mitch picked up his bible. There were too many thoughts rolling around in his head. Maybe if he read, he could calm some of them and see them more clearly in the morning.

***

Todd and Blair drove up the driveway to their home and saw the children playing outside with Starr and Cole. They smiled at each other. They loved coming home to this, all their hopes and dreams were finally fulfilled and the past, which had haunted them, seemed a million years ago. Hope and Sam met them at a run. Sam barreling into Blair and giving her a bear hug around the waist, and Hope, running with her arms outstretched, begging to be picked up and held by her dragon.

Todd picked her up and swung her around, hearing her delightful laugh, then held her close and received her hug. “Hello, Princess Shorty, how was your day.”

“I got a new toy and I made a drawing for you. Mommy helped me. She said I could give it to you after supper” Hope prattled on. ‘Did you and grandma have a good day, Dragon?”

“We had an okay day, but we missed you and we’re happy to be home with you. All of you.” He looked at his family. Mentally capturing the moment and keeping it locked away with all his special memories, like meeting Starr for the first time and his very special Xmas gift. He put his granddaughter back down and watched her run back to her parents. Cole picked up Hope and the three of them joined Todd, Blair, and the boys as they headed inside.

Todd turned to Cole and decided it was time for another talk. He was fully recovered and Todd wanted to know if Cole had any specific plans for his future. Todd had no trouble letting Cole live at Dragonheart, but he was curious how long he was going to wait before stepping up to his responsibilities and becoming a proper husband to Starr and father to Hope.

“Cole, could you give me a few minutes of your time while dinner is being prepared.”

Starr and Blair both looked quizzically at Todd and waited for Cole’s reply.

He looked at Todd and had an idea of what he wanted to talk about. He shrugged, “Sure Mr. Manning, whatever you want.” He put Hope down and followed Todd to his office. He had been waiting for this day for a while. It was time to ask for Starr’s hand in marriage. He was hoping Starr’s father would see reason. He walked into the office and closed the door behind him.

“Mr. Manning, before you say anything, you should know that I intend to ask Starr to marry me.” The words hung in the air. Cole gulped, looking at the frost in Manning’s eyes. Would he make it out of the office alive?

Todd wasn’t sure he had heard right. Of course, he had been thinking just a few minutes before that the young man should have the courage to step up and do right by Starr, but he really hadn’t expected him to. He wasn’t sure how he felt. He had come to like the young man, but it was still hard to reconcile the whole Marty factor and the continued fallout from all those years ago. It struck him abruptly that if they married, they would want their own place and would leave Dragonheart. Todd felt the walls closing in as he realized he would have to let Starr go and he had only just gotten her back. Steeling himself, he prepared to talk things over with Cole. “Sit down, Cole.”