An Illicit Gentleman II

                                              Chapter Twelve

            AJ sat in the cold marble hallway outside of an office.  He stared at the plaque on the door that read “Detective A. Ozwith” and waited for the officer to come out and greet him.  After Eve had fallen asleep he found himself up all night thinking about the text message and even when he decided to tell the Detective about it, it still bothered him.  Maybe he should have said something, and then she would have been on alert.  Maybe he should have told the police sooner but he didn’t want her to worry if it was just an accident but it was apparent now, this was no accident.  He wondered with some anger if it was Mats or Thomas, perhaps they have someone on the outside, someone following her but the thought of that just made his anger worse. 

“Mr. Mclean?” A woman’s voice said and he looked up.  “My name is Detective Allison Ozwith, you wanted to see me about the fire at Garden of Eden?”

“Ah yeah, yes.” AJ said nodding quickly as he shook her hand. 

“This way please.” She replied as she pointed to her office door which was now open.  AJ walked into the room and looked around.  Frames holding awards and certificates, pictures lined some of the shelves along with books.  He sat down in front of her desk as she walked around to her chair.

“So what can I do for you?” The Detective asked.

“A day before the explosion happened at the restaurant I received a text message from someone I didn’t know.  I wasn’t sure what it meant but then the fire happened.”

“What did it say?” She asked.

“It said I should have stayed away, I saved everything, so if you need my phone.” He said as he set it on the desk.

“Stay away?” The Detective said confused.

“It still confuses me a little because Eve and I have just started talking again recently, we knew each other a few years ago before she went to Europe.” AJ explained.  “When I got it I thought for a second it could have been Mats or Thomas…”

“The men who kidnapped her.” Detective Ozwith said as she flipped a page of the file in front of her.

“Yeah” AJ replied.  “I know they’re in jail but do you think they could have someone on the outside?”

“We have made contact with the penitentiary they are staying in and we will be getting a list of their visitors, I will need to take your phone for a little bit, with your permission we can see if we can trace the number, perhaps it will match up with someone on the jail list.” She said as she picked up the phone from where AJ put it down.  “I can get it back to you in a couple of days.”

“Ok” AJ nodded.

“It says in the report that Mats was more about revenge against you.” She said as they both stood up.

“That’s what he said, he loved Eve but hated me so much he’d hurt her just to get at me.” AJ said.

“Then it makes sense these would happen after you two started talking again.” She told him as they walked to the door.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.” AJ sighed.

“Thank you for this and I will let you know if anything new arrives.” She told him as the office door opened.  They said goodbye and AJ walked out.  Great, now he had to tell everyone his phone would be out of order, he would have to tell them why it was out of order and fighting with people who think they know best was not on his list of things to do.

He called a cab from the pay phone outside and had a cigarette as he waited for it to pick him up.  When he got in he thought about going back to Eve’s and telling her where he was.  Would she be pissed he didn’t’ tell her right away? Would it freak her out knowing perhaps Mats was up to his old tricks again? He sighed as he looked out the window at the blurry buildings going by. 

AJ laid his jacket down on the sand and took Eve’s hand as they both sat down.  He told her earlier she looked stunning in the dress but how she looked now, under the moon as it reflected off of the ocean, made his heart skip and his breath flutter away.  He reached up and brushed his fingers softly down the side of her neck.  She looked at him as he leaned closer to her and then gently kissed her shoulder.

“Are you cold?” He asked.

“No, I’m good.” She replied with a light smile.  “It’s beautiful out here.”

“Yeah” AJ nodded.  “I always liked coming here, after school when I would get picked on or after a fight with my Dad, it was just a nice place to come and think, especially since it’s a part of the beach that doesn’t get used much at night.” He said as he tossed a stone to the water.

“So was this your big make out place?” Eve asked with a smile as she jokingly nudged him.

“No” AJ replied with a light smile.  “Girls wouldn’t be caught dead with me back in High School, and then when I became a Backstreet Boy I never had the time to date like this.” He said as he looked at her.  “So you’re the first, besides the girls I dated back then would have just bitched about the sand.”

“Well I’m not complaining.” Eve replied with a light smile.

“Good, I want you to have an amazing time because you deserve it.” He smiled.

“I do, do I?” Eve replied with a grin.

“Yes” AJ nodded as his eyes locked on hers.  “You’ve given me something I’ve never had before.” She looked at him confused.  “Certainty.” He told her as he took her hands.  “I know, no matter what happens in the future you will be there for me, you will not judge me, you’ll always want what’s best for me, even if it means hurting yourself and I want you to know you have the same with me.”  She let go of his hands and placed them on the side of his neck, then she leaned in and gently kissed him.  AJ slipped his hands around her waist as their tongues began to explore. 

“I love you.” She whispered as they pulled away.

“I love you too.” AJ replied as he quickly kissed her again.

He looked down the road and saw Eve’s house in the distance and began to dig for his wallet as they rolled up to the house.  Paying the cabby AJ got out of the car and headed up the drive way, he was about to give the door a light knock when it flew open before him.

“Hi” AJ said looking at Eve.

“I just got a call from the Detective.” Eve said looking at him.

“Oh?” AJ said noticing she looked a little mad.

“Do you have something to tell me?” She replied staring at him.

“I didn’t want you to worry.” AJ said as they stood at the front door.  “I got it even before all that stuff with the restaurant happened.”

“And what, Mats and Thomas wasn’t enough to tell me?” She asked as she stepped away and let him in.

“I wasn’t sure what it was, or what it meant Eve, I didn’t want to scare you.” AJ said as he followed her into the house.  “But than all that stuff happened with the restaurant and I realized it could be more, I was up all night last night thinking about it and left this morning to go talk to her.”

“You didn’t think it was weird to get a message like that two days after we started talking again?” She asked as she turned to him in the hall.  “Nothing in you made you think about Mats and Thomas?”

“They’re in jail Eve.” AJ replied.  “I didn’t think…”

“Like you didn’t think Thomas would be in Florida.” Eve snapped.  The words struck AJ in the heart like a knife.  Even when he tried to hate her after Kaci he couldn’t help but feel guilty that he let her go to that ice room alone.  He stared at her, he wanted to leave, right now, just bail the hell out of her house and leave her in the dust but he couldn’t something wasn’t letting him turn around.  Then she started to head into the living room.

“That’s not fair.” AJ said to her as he grabbed her by the arm

“I know and I’m sorry, I’m just not all here.” She said as he saw her eyes start to tear up.  “I’m sorry.”  He frowned pulling her into his arms and held her as she started crying.  “Tell me it’s going to be ok, tell me they’re not going to hurt me again.” Eve cried.

AJ pulled her away and looked at her.  “They’re not going to hurt you again, the police will get to the bottom of it.”  Eve pulled herself back into his arms and he wrapped them around her back.  He wanted to tell her he’d protect her but the last time he promised her that she almost died.