#car key...cars...travel...navigation...tracking

A strange woman wearing all black who held onto his keys for a bit too long. What could be going on here?

...

[Bryce stayed calm and composed in this situation. He didn't want to ruin this good night, so he kept the conversation going saying he did know her. But he needed to speak to Renee alone. Leilani could tell this from Bryce's expression and so she asked Vincent for a tour of the restaurant, to give them some alone time]

Renee: Dad you look worried, what's wrong? Don't tell me it's to do with Vince… Bryce: Please don't get upset with me darling but [heavy sigh] are you sure about Vince? Renee: Why are you asking me that? From the dinner, you seemed to really like him.

Bryce: I know. I do really like him, but I'm not so sure about his Mum or his family even. Renee: [gets upset] What does that have anything to do about our relationship? Bryce: His Mum and I have history. Let's just say she cheated on me, so I don't have a good feeling-

Renee: [stands up] What?! You didn't say any of that just then! I didn't even know you dated anyone else. Bryce: That's all in the past. You don't need to know any of it. Renee…we can see that Vince makes you happy and your happiness is what matters the most to us. But I want you to be careful with him ok?

Renee: Dad...not everyone is like their parents. I think you're seeing too much of his Mum in him and you're judging him based on that along with your past experience. He's his own person. Like you said, it's all in the past. From the way Vince talks about her, surely things have changed and she's not the same person you knew.

Bryce: [hugs her] Renee, I'm looking out for you, I don't want you to get hurt again. Renee: He won't hurt me Dad. Vince is a good guy. Even Billy says that and don't you trust him? Bryce: [reflects back on his own words] You're right. I trust him with my whole heart.

...

A few days have gone by since that night, you’ve been throwing yourself into work—picking up extra shifts when you can, doing your best to stay busy, only leaving when the town curfew hits.

Remmick has become almost suffocating, lingering closer when you’re home—watching, always watching. It was odd before, but now it’s near unnerving the way his eyes track each little movement you make. The little pet names have become more frequent as well, rarely does he say your name anymore, more often than not you’ll hear him use Darlin’ or on the rare occasion, Sugar.

Despite your annoyance you can’t seem to find it in yourself to tell him off, your heart betraying you with a little flutter each time a soft term of endearment leaves his lips. You’re not sure when the last time he fed was, if he has been then he’s been better about cleaning himself up afterwards. Though you haven’t seen anything in the news about another missing person, that hasn’t stopped the hunters though—you’ve seen at least three patrols today alone, they’ve been checking on the warehouse more frequently recently since the last body found was that of your coworker.

I still get sick thinking about it…

The nights have gotten near freezing now that winter is fast approaching, with the shorter days and longer nights—curfew has changed so fewer people are out after dark, that becomes quite apparent as you step out of the warehouse. Not a single other vehicle in sight, besides your own. With a soft sigh you make the quick walk over to your car, knowing that even if you dread it, you need to get home before it gets much later.

You pause as your gaze lands on the bright red petals of a camellia that’s settled in the space between your car door and its handle, the soft petals shifting under your touch as you carefully pull it from its spot. A shiver travels down your spine as the heavy feeling of being watched settles over you—your gaze quickly darts around the empty parking lot before you slip into your vehicle, locking the doors.

You take a deep breath of the unforgiving air in a attempt to calm your racing heart, an uneasy feeling filling your chest as you glance down at the flower one last time—quickly cranking the engine before pulling out of the parking lot, just wanting to focus on getting to the warmth of your home.

The drive is thankfully uneventful, navigating the familiar path home bringing a sense of calm over your paranoid mind—even if it’s just for a moment. The faint sounds of gravel crunching beneath your tires filling the silent air around you as you pull down your driveway, your headlights casting your home in an odd light as you stare out at the windows—almost trying to catch a glimpse of him, knowing he’s probably waiting just beyond the front door for you to step inside.

The headlights flicker off as you pull the keys from the ignition, hesitating before stepping out of your car and heading up towards the porch—pulling your jacket closer around your body as the chill in the air begins to get to you, just as you reach the front door it’s pulled open. Wild dark eyes settle on you, staring for a long moment before you’re greeted with a fanged smile.

“You’re home!.. I was startin’ to get worried about you, sugar.” Remmick steps to the side to let you in as you step forward, his hair wild and fluffed as if he’d been running his hands through it. He follows closely behind you, taking your jacket and hanging it up as you pull it off. “Yeah, had to work another double…” You murmur the excuse easily, your heart skipping a bit from the small gesture.

The frown that settles on his lips is almost enough to break your composure, having to avert your gaze from him as you move further into the house. “Can’t someone else pick up the extra shifts? Seems like they’re overworkin’ you, darlin’…” He studies you for a moment as he continues to trail after you. “Is it your boss, he makin’ you take the shifts?” He questions, an odd tone to his usually calm voice.

The question makes you pause for a moment, images of your boss being dragged from the warehouse in a body bag filling your mind—your heartbeat picking up as you swallow down the sudden fear in your throat. “No-“ Your voice cracks before you take a small breath. “No, ain’t nothing like that… Just wanted the extra pay is all.”

You the heavy weight of his gaze on you before he lets out a soft hum, gently nudging you to sit down on the couch. “Ah… Well, maybe you should take a break for a while. Let someone take care of ya for once.” He replies with a soft, lazy grin—his head tilting slightly as his gaze drags over your frame before stepping back, grabbing a blanket to drape over your lap. “You’re shiverin’, sugar… Here, I’ll get you something warm to drink.” He hums softly, walking off towards the kitchen archway.

… I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.

You can hear the soft clink of glass being moved around from the kitchen, a faint humming flowing out from the archway as he prepares you what smells like hot chocolate. Your body relaxes on its own accord before your mind brings the image of that bright red camellia to your attention again, you almost what to ask him if he knew anything about it.

Couldn’t have been him, he’d have burned alive if he stepped a foot outside… Right?

Doubt begins to cloud your mind, wondering if maybe he could go outside—it was quite dreary today, the sun barely able to peer through the thick blanket of clouds that laid stretched across the darkened sky. You’re pulled from your thoughts as a mug—your favorite one at that—is placed on the little end table beside you.

You blink before carefully grabbing the warm mug, humming softly as you take a deep sip. “… You don’t have to do this, you know?” Your voice comes out in a soft murmur, glancing up at him briefly—catching his gaze already locked onto you. “What do ya mean?..” He questions lowly, his dark gaze tracing over each subtle change in your expression.

You gesture vaguely between the two of you, attempting to ignore the warm feeling of a flush climbing up your neck. “The little things. Cooking for me, keeping me comfortable…” Your explanation comes out almost hesitant when you catch the intense look in his eyes, your own widening slightly as he kneels down in front of you.

“What if I like doin’ all that?.. Maybe I’m being selfish—enjoying the little flustered changes in your expression when I brush a little too close.” He murmurs softly as he looks up at you through a darkened gaze, sparks of that deep red peeking through if you look close enough. Your mind flickers back to that night you caught him coming back in, bloodied and scrambling to explain. He looked up at you just the same when you gave in to the thoughts raging in your mind, gently wiping the blood from his face—remembering how his gaze darkened when you trailed the rag down his throat.

You have to take a small breath to clear the memory away, barely noticing that he had gently pulled your shoes off—his hand ghosting over your ankle as he leans his face against your knee, his fangs gently pressing against his lips as he takes a deep breath. You bite the inside of your cheek as a conflicted feeling settles over you—your mind screaming at you to move away from him, while your heart begs you to drag him up and steal what little breath he has left in his lungs.

You quietly clear your throat before you hesitantly begin to pull away, shifting around him before standing. “I-… I should head to bed, it’s been a long day.” You mutter the poor excuse, unable to look at him as he remains kneeling on the ground—your heart racing at the sight. There’s almost a look of disappointment in his gaze before it quickly disappears, that lazy smile settling on his face again. “Goodnight, darlin’…” He replies softly, his voice a low purr that nearly drags you back to him.

With a small, awkward nod, you quickly disappear down the hallway—taking a deep breath as you close yourself inside your bedroom, running a hand over your face as you feel the heat settle on your cheeks.

Fuck…

𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ࣪ ִֶָ☾.݁ᛪ༙˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ࣪ ִֶָ☾.݁ᛪ༙˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ࣪ ִֶָ☾.݁ᛪ༙ ˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖

You wake the next morning with a start, your dreams plagued by him—a whine tearing from his throat, fangs brushing just a little too close to your own exposed neck. You glance over at the window, groaning softly seeing how it’s still dark outside—taking a moment to stare up at the ceiling before dragging yourself out of bed.

Your body feels uncomfortably warm as you attempt to shake away the lingering images your unconscious mind had created, turning the shower on as cold as you could stand it before stepping inside.

What is going on with me?.. He’s a vampire for gods sake, I shouldn’t have even let him stay to begin with.

And yet despite the fact you know he shouldn’t stay, something in your chest aches at the thought of him not being around—coming home to an empty house, no soft humming coming from within as you step through the front door. Another image of a hunter getting ahold of him causes you to tense, cold water rushing down your body while you attempt to swallow the lump forming in your throat. With a deep breath, you roughly shut off the shower—stepping out to dry yourself off only to catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. You look tired, more so than you feel—your eyes dark and your body tense from little sleep and the long work shifts.

You hesitate for a moment before moving to grab your phone from your bedroom as you quickly get dressed, you stare down at the screen before finally dialing your boss’s number—who surprisingly doesn’t fight you on not coming in when you tell them you can’t come in today. Your body almost relaxes a bit before you step out of your bedroom, your steps quiet as you move down the hallway—pausing for a moment once you reach the living room.

Remmick lays curled up on the couch, his chest slowly rising and falling as he seemingly rests peacefully—what makes you pause however is the sight of him clinging to your jacket, his face partially hidden from where he’s buried his face into it. You can feel the flush beginning to crawl back up your neck as you stare at him for a moment, gently shaking your head before swiftly walking past the living room and into the kitchen.

… This is gonna be a long weekend.

10. pierre & esteban

sorry you KNOW they would be a dumpster fire. like the couples who go on and are like “i love my partner so much :))” and then immediately implode the second aomething goes wrong. would start off polite enough before the first detour where one of them is like mildly slow and the bickering starts. they would start rushing in an attempt to catch up and leave an important item behind (passports, clue, etc) and thats just the nail in the coffin for them

9. lance & fernando

tbh i could see them making it maybe 1 or 2 legs more depending on the challenge but. nothing against lance but hes a rich kid. the challenge would be like “find all the items on this shopping list at a wet market” and hes LOST. fernando gets 3/4 of the list AND has to find lance who is desperately looking for duck eggs (it was at the first stall) and then they get back and lance bought regular eggs anyways for a massively jacked up price. sorry but as entertaining as it would be they are doomed to flop

8. alex & logan

SORRY WILLIAMS BESTIES they would be such a silly team and fan favorites but respectfully i dont see them being very good 🥲 i think they would have a very good dynamic but other then that based on the pumpkin carving/drawing challenges,,,, they would not go far 😭 they would get a challenge to deliver something to several different locations (without map) and eventually get lost and be so far behind that when they get to the mat its like. nighttime. but they would be very cheesed and happy still !!

7. yuki & daniel

THE FUNNIEST PAIR EVER can you IMAGINE the dynamic when trying to navigate or drive a stick shift car. one of the friendlier pairs, willing to help point other teams in the right direction at challenges. also between the two of them they have a pretty decent skill set so i think theyd do pretty well at the challenges, plus be able to get around the city well enough. theyd eventually go out on a leg w more physical challenges just by virtue of the remaining teams being better but they have SO MUCH FUN and SO MUCH banter

6. kevin & nico

solid guys overall !! could see them maybe making it another leg further over the next team. definitely one of the most chill teams, sightseeing/enjoying the travels more (not to say that they arent competitive tho) and overall having a great time !! i think their experience with raising children would also factor in well (patience/calmness) and thus would keep them from making little mistakes and stay consistent. would eventually go out in a leg where they start from a lower spot and cant manage to find any earlier trains/flights and thus cant make up any ground and end up going out

5. lando & oscar

they are the most unstable team LMAO they (lando) always take big gambles with challenges to try and get ahead and as such always end up gaining/dropping tons of places in each leg. impeccable dynamic tho !! oscar is def the grounding force and keeps them on track, navigator to landos driver, while landos creative strategies often help them gain places where they might otherwise be stagnant. would eventually go out on a leg where lando insists on trying to catch an earlier train but ends up missing the connector to their destination (setting them back) and they cant catch up, eventually resulting in their elimination

4. valterri & zhou

i actually cant really explain this one guys its just a gut feeling. like i know that valterri is reasonably fit from biking a lot and zhou could help them get around more reliably in asian countries but other then that i dont have an explanation. theyre chill and like just kind of cruising/enjoying themselves. theres a roadblock where they have to name several different types of beer by taste and valterri crushes it. theres a challenge where its watching this person dancing and having to recreate the entire outfit that zhou kills. they go out right before the final because theyre beaten in a footrace to the mat

3. lewis & george

these guys are EFFICIENT. lewis somehow manages to get them on the earliest flights possible. george reads the map once and immediately find the fastest routes from place to place. they are reasonably good at most challenges. their downfall is challenges requiring them to work together closely, which happens in the final where they are required to learn a traditional wedding dance and preform it and they just cant sync up, costing them major time, and the entire experience just leaves them irritable which eventually leads to them claiming third

2. max & checo

similarly to lando & oscar, max is the competitive force with checo grounding their team. highly competitive (though not to say they dont enjoy themselves), always going for express passes and valuing efficiency. their strategy works for the most part, with them racking up the most leg wins. their downfall ultimately came during the final challenge, where they had to match moments from previous legs with their locations, and neither of them really remember LMAO. just barely misses out on first which goes to…

1. charles & carlos

impeccable dynamic. gets one express pass and uses it strategically. very supportive of each other during challenges. they are just a generally overall solid team but not outstanding, never really winning and just beats out valterri/zhou for the third spot in the final. but in the final leg they are just incredibly in sync which allows them to complete the challenges efficiently, and at the end challenge they have memories tied to each place and are able to figure it out faster then max/checo and beat them to the mat to take the win !!!

He found on the drive he kept glancing back at Olivia who was pointedly looking out the window, then over at Henry who seemed to be watching everything going on. There were a few times Gaz found the man staring right back at him as if he were monitoring Gaz for sudden movements, or to see if he could catch him staring at his wife. Gaz had to keep telling himself that this was just another job, work needed to be the priority and he could process the mess of feelings he had in his chest later. It was hard to just focus on the work when the woman who shattered him sat mere feet away indifferent to how he was feeling, and what she had done to him those years ago. Adding in the factor that she was with her husband, who she had an affair with while Kyle was deployed, it was beyond uncomfortable.

The roads were empty as they moved along the outskirts of the London borough and after a quick turn around Gaz managed to find the right address. It was a small cottage, emphasis on small, that sat far back off the road and was surrounded by farm land and woods. Even though they were alone he flipped the car's headlights out and traveled slowly up the gravel driveway, not wanting to draw any attention that there were occupants headed into the cottage. The drive curved around the back and when they were close to the backstep a motion light kicked on causing Gaz to curse a bit as he threw the car into park.

“Grab your bags and head in,” he instructed as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and typed a quick message to Laswell, then to Price. It was in code talking about how he had found the key to his safe finally and would be inventorying his stock for a few days. “It’s an agent’s house who is overseas for another few weeks,” he explained as Henry looked unimpressed at the wooden cottage. “There’s food and some other basic items inside. We’ll see what’s there and I can run out tomorrow. Depending on what the situation is in the morning,” Gaz continued feeling his temper rise a bit at the ungrateful expression on both Henry and Olivia’s faces. “Or I could just take you back to that street corner. That is still a viable option for me,” he finished with a quirk of his eyebrow as he hit send on the third message to Abby having to reschedule.

“Why is it that you get to keep your phone, Sergeant?” Henry asked as rain pounded the car and the back porch light went out from lack of movement plunging them into darkness again. His eyes darted between Gaz who was staring at him from the rearview mirror and Olivia who was watching Kyle carefully.

“Because I’m not the person someone is trying to kill for once,” Gaz answered as he grabbed his large rifle from the passenger seat, “so I’m not being tracked. Even if I was, they’d have a much harder time getting to my phone. I have a bit more security than you,” he smirked, “with my top-secret military clearance.”

Henry was about to bite out a retort when Gaz hopped out of the car into the pouring rain, and jogged up to the backdoor. He didn’t have any bags with him since this was supposed to be a quick in and out trip, though if he stayed for much longer he was going to have to make the trip up to his sisters. He didn’t bother keeping a permanent place for himself since he was barely ever home, home was with the 141 these days. His sister had enough room in her home to house him whenever he had a break so she just kept all of his things there that weren’t furniture.

Punching in the code to unlock the backdoor Gaz heard the doors of the SUV open as Henry and Olivia exited. The inside of the cottage was dark and Gaz felt around for a light switch before entering the security system code and stepping further in, taking in the cramped surroundings. He was standing in the kitchen which was long and narrow leading into a small eating area that bled right into the living room which was nothing more than a couch, lounge chair, and television on a stand. To the right he suspected was the bedroom behind a closed door and a bathroom next to it, the door propped open. He supposed living alone this was a good size but Gaz was already starting to feel cramped as Henry and Olivia stepped in behind him.

“Bedroom is that way,” Gaz indicated with a nod of his head as he walked into the living room and peered out the front window between the blinds. It was still just as dark outside when they had arrived and the rain was pattering against the roof loudly. He glanced over at Olivia who was shaking her arms to get the water off before she rubbed them lightly to warm up. “I’ll find the thermostat,” Gaz muttered as Henry went right for the bedroom toting his two pieces of luggage and laptop bag. “No laptops,” Gaz reminded Henry who didn’t deign to answer as he pulled open the bedroom door and disappeared inside.

Realizing he was very much alone with Olivia now, Gaz busied himself to find the thermostat and he turned it up a few degrees before rummaging around in a chest behind the couch to see if he could find himself blankets. He was going to be crashing on the couch which looked to be about a foot too short for him but it was better than the floor, so he hoped. Throwing some knitted yellow atrocity over the back cushions of the couch he heard Olivia grabbing a glass from the kitchen cabinet and the distinct sound of a cork popping. Not exactly what he had in mind when he said there was food but he would be lying to himself if he wasn’t going to be looking for alcohol.

When his phone vibrated in his pocket Gaz dug it out as he tossed his gloves onto the lounge chair, smirking at the text that just came in from Abby. She was severely disappointed in the fact that they were going to have to reschedule but seemed eager to keep the conversation going nonetheless. Typing up a quick response Gaz looked up as Olivia tugged her luggage behind her in one hand, a large pint glass in the other. She hadn’t even bothered with, or maybe hadn’t found a wine glass, and by the looks of it, she should have just taken the whole bottle with her into the bedroom the pint glass was full to the brim.

“I hope that is news about my house,” Olivia stated as she paused at the bedroom door and looked pointedly at Gaz’s phone as he typed away again. “I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to. There isn’t even a bath in this place,” she indicated pointing to the bathroom which indeed was just a shower and the only bathroom in the whole cottage. She had been looking forward to a long soak to ease her aching muscles and the prospect of having to sleep with Henry with Kyle literally fifteen feet away nauseated her. Hopefully, the wine was still good and she could pass out before all her thoughts overwhelmed her. “And it smells stale in here,” she tacked on taking a sip of the wine to keep it from spilling over the edge more.

“Nothing yet,” Gaz answered as he slipped the phone back into his pocket, ignoring the vibration of Abby’s response that came in a matter of moments. “Sorry it’s not the Ritz, princess,” he tacked on emphasizing the last word, “but you’ve got a bed, roof over your head, and most importantly, you’re still alive,” Gaz finished a bit deadpan. Money had certainly changed Olivia; she had never been this shallow when they were together. But he reminded himself he apparently didn’t know the real her all that time because the Olivia he thought he knew never would have done what she did.

“I think I’d rather take the risk at home,” Olivia answered quietly before pushing open the bedroom door. She knew Henry was in a towering temper and his only target was going to be her. Hopefully, he’d keep it reigned in with Kyle being right there but there was no telling what he would do when he was in one of his moods. “Enjoy the couch,” she added in a sarcastic tone before snapping the door behind her. Henry was already sitting on the edge of the bed with the television on and by the way he watched her walk into the room she knew she was in for a long night.

Gaz made quick work of setting himself up a makeshift bed on the couch before freshening up in the bathroom. He could hear the television from the bedroom that was turned up quite loud and he thought he caught clipped muffled words, as if Henry and Olivia were arguing, but he didn’t linger to confirm it. Their marital life was their business, not his, and the more distance between him and them the better. Gaz was hoping he could put a couple of thousand miles between them come tomorrow, MI6 should really be the ones on security duty, not him. This was a favor and he knew Price was keeping a tally of all the favors they dolt out so when the 141 needed help they could cash in.

After a brief search, Gaz found some whiskey in the cabinets and poured himself a small glass, not wanting to dull his senses but just to take the edge off. His muscles were tight with stress and anger, coupled with the fatigue from barely sleeping in the past two days he needed something. He could use a smoke but the rain was torrential outside and he didn’t want to draw too much attention by moving in and out of the cottage so the whiskey and an old football match on the television would have to do.

Laying all his gear out on the coffee table, ready to grab at a moment's notice, Gaz slipped his boots off before untucking his shirt from his pants and flopping down on the couch. It wasn’t the most uncomfortable thing he had ever laid on, even if his feet hung off the edge and he had to use three decorative pillows for his head. He had been messaging Abby on and off for the better part of an hour when his eyes grew heavy and his thumbs paused over the letters of his next message debating on what he wanted to do. He knew the next few messages from him would probably earn him another hour or so of suggestive conversation; she’d already teased about what she would, or wouldn’t, wear when they did go out for drinks. But the exhaustion was winning and Kyle sighed as he sipped the last few drops of whiskey and set the empty glass on the table next to his pistol before sending a final message. He needed sleep and while he made sure she knew he was not dismissing her by any means, he needed to end it for the night. He promised to make it up to her and while she took a second longer to respond she said she understood and would be holding him to that promise.

The television from the bedroom was still blaring and Gaz could hear it over the football commentary. It dawned on him as he started to drift, one hand resting on his stomach holding his phone the other propped under his head, that they had the television up so loud to prevent him from hearing them. That was fine with him, the less he heard or saw of them the better it would be for all involved. He wasn’t quite sure if he had fallen asleep or not when his mind finally wandered to the day that Olivia had turned his life completely upside down. It was a memory that had haunted him for many nights and it never got easier when he relived it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three years prior

“Welcome back 141,” a voice called out to the team as they climbed off the helicopter, Gaz’s hand on his head so he wouldn’t lose his hat in the wind from the whirring blades. “I’m sure you’re ready for a little R&R but we have a few things to take care of first,” the man stated, reaching out to shake Price’s hand as the helicopter took off again leaving them all in the middle of a windswept field. “Just final reports and buttoning up some details,” he added on to which Gaz and Soap exchanged a look. There were things that had happened on the mission that they had all agreed would not be spoken of or have a written record. That’s how things went sometimes, the less information the better in some instances.

“We’ve been gone almost three weeks,” Price stated looking back at his men who just shrugged. He knew they either did it now or they prolonged it a few hours and had to do it anyway. “You get one hour,” he conceded and the man nodded before gesturing for them to follow him.

Gaz was ready to be back in his room, to get back to his phone and reach out to family as soon as possible. Especially Olivia. She was never happy when he had to go dark for long periods and she had seemed a bit off when they had said goodbye the last time. His job was one of the only things they fought about, she didn’t like being alone for so long and hated the lack of communication sometimes. They always worked it out though, Gaz reminding her he had been in the military since before they had even met so it was part of the package with him. And he also enjoyed teasing her over the fact that her pickup line at the bar when they first met was she liked a man in uniform. She couldn’t get the uniform without the work that went into it.

Their story was short and sweet, all of them agreeing on details they had already discussed before they had even been extracted. Price and Ghost did most of the talking while Gaz and Soap nodded and added in a few things here and there as the man and his team scribbled away. The mission had been a success though their methods hadn’t been exactly above board to get those results; thus the planned story. No one besides those in the 141 or the dead men would know the true details and that was how it needed to stay. Politics didn’t always understand what it took to get a win and they weren’t going to be held back by red tape and risk getting killed.

“Rest up,” Price ordered as they all arrived at their barracks. “We’ve got a few days to recoup before Laswell finds something else for us to get into,” he added with a smirk before going into his own room and shutting the door. That only told Gaz that their next mission was already lined up and Laswell was just ironing out the details.

Gaz walked into his room, shrugging off his vest and setting his pistol on the desk before he spotted the small pile of mail on his bed. Most of his mail came from his nephew who liked to send him his latest artwork or stories he had been working on. He was certainly the most creative of the family and even though he was only six he had a knack for art and Gaz kept every single thing he sent in a binder. Grabbing his phone and powering it up he tossed it onto his bedside table before he dropped heavily on the bed and started sorting through the envelopes. All of it was as expected except for a light purple envelope that had his name scrawled in precise cursive with no return address, dated five days after they had left.

He didn’t need a return address; he knew the writing was Olivia’s and the fact it was purple gave it away. She never sent him mail though, not unless it was his birthday or a holiday but none of those things were even close. Raising an eyebrow, he flipped it over and tore at the back flap to open it before pulling out a few pieces of folded notepad paper. He was about to unfold them to read when his phone started vibrating continuously, text messages and alerts filing in from the three weeks it had been off. Gaz reached over to grab it and flipped it to silent as he watched the notification number on his text messages continue to rise. His sister liked to text him as if he were still there and answering because, in her words, she would forget everything within a day.

Setting the phone facedown on the bed Gaz went back to the letter that spanned three pages of paper and unfolded it. He had his elbows resting on his thighs as he sat on the edge of the bed and as he got through each line, he felt his hands grip the paper harder and harder until it was creased under his fingers. It didn’t take him long to finish it. Olivia had been precise and extremely brutal in her words, leaving no room for imagination for what this letter was. It was a fucking Dear John letter. Something she promised she would never do to him, not after he had seen other men go through it and he had told her about it in one of their many late-night talks. He had confessed how it was a fear of his as they grew more serious, that she would just up and leave when things became too hard or too long and not have the decency to do it to his face. She swore she would never, promised they were together thick or thin and if it ever came to an end she’d wait until they could talk it through and decide together.

Glaring at the final line for a second longer Gaz threw the papers away from him and watched as they fell to the floor in three different spots. Olivia had taken all choice away from him, had pulverized him with her cold demand he not reach out to her, and final note that she was already moving on and there was nothing he could do; she had made up her mind. Gaz snatched up his phone ignored all the notifications and scrolled to Olivia’s name in his phone and hit dial. The phone rang once before a pre-recorded voice came over the line that the person was unavailable. With a snarl, Gaz pulled the phone away from his ear before sending a text, which bounced back immediately as undeliverable.

His phone continued to alert with more notifications as he scrolled through his social media and immediately looked for Olivia’s pages but it was gone. All of her social media had disappeared from his view, she had removed him and blocked him. It felt like a weird fever dream as he continued to look, his eyes darting to the papers on the ground as if to confirm this really was happening before he finally called his sister. She picked up on the first ring and before she could finish exclaiming how happy she was he was back Gaz cut her off.

“Have you heard from Olivia?” He asked gruffly as he rose from the bed and bent down to grab the discarded letter. His sister hesitated before saying yes, Olivia had been by and had brought some boxes of his things and had left the engagement ring as well. “What else,” Gaz asked as he squeezed his eyes shut and leaned his head back against the closet door, the letter balled up in his fist. “I know there is more Kristie, I can tell by the way you are talking. So just tell me so we don’t have to play this game,” he continued as he waited for his sister to spit out whatever else she was holding back.

“It doesn’t matter Kyle,” Kristie said simply after a small sigh. But when Kyle didn’t answer, stubbornly waiting for her to finish whether she wanted to or not, she groaned. “She was with Henry,” she finished and winced hearing something slam on the other side of the line. “Like I said, it doesn’t matter Kyle. You were always suspicious of him and you were right. Better to know now, yeah? Before you married her and she still ran off anyway,” her voice was full of snark and Kyle could only imagine how the conversation had gone when Olivia dropped off his things.

Gaz had kicked out at his desk chair which knocked into the desk before falling to the side with a loud clatter. He heard Soap on the other side of the wall call out something but it was muffled through the concrete blocks. “She brought the ring back?” He asked simply after a long pause, feeling the defeat welling up to try and douse the anger and hurt.

“And all your things. It was a few boxes that I just put in the guest bedroom,” his sister answered softly. “I’m so sorry Kyle,” she started to say but Gaz cut her off.

“Just keep it safe for me, yeah?” He asked and she agreed and tried to say something else but Gaz cut her off again, “I have to go. Price needs me,” he lied. They both knew that it was a lie but she said okay and asked him to call back later to talk to his nephew before hanging up.

Gaz quickly picked up his desk chair and sat down in it before trying to call Olivia again, three times, four, before finally giving up and slamming his fist down on the desk. She had sufficiently blocked him out and while he wanted an answer and needed to know what the hell had happened; he wasn’t going to harass her over the phone by blocking his number or using another phone line. This was something that should have been done in person so he was going to make sure that it did happen in person one way or another.

Price had agreed on an emergency leave of two days without much question and Gaz took the first flight he could find back to London. It had been a foggy haze for him getting there, the letter folded in his back pocket as he traveled the familiar path on the underground to the neighborhood where they shared a flat. Third floor all the way on the corner and as Gaz climbed out the back of the taxi his eyes went instantly to the window, which was dark and barren of any blinds or curtains.

“Fuckin’ hell,” Gaz muttered as he fished his keys out and started up the steps three at a time that brought him to the faded green door of number 37B. He attempted to put his key into the lock but found it wouldn’t fit. So either she had the locks changed or what he suspected was she had fully moved out as well, based on the fact the windows had been bare. He stared at the door knob for a second contemplating his next move when he heard a door open and one of the neighbors step out.

“Kyle?” It was an elderly woman who he and Olivia had helped a few times with groceries or moving some furniture around to find her cat. “Oh! I thought I wasn’t ever going to see you again,” she said with a small grin as she shooed her devil of a cat back inside her apartment with her foot. “Olivia said you all were moving,” she frowned a bit noticing Kyle still had the keys in his hand, “did you not know?” She inquired, pulling her robe tighter around herself as she arched an eyebrow.

“Ah,” Gaz answered before stuffing the keys into his jacket pocket, “no. No I didn’t,” he gave her a small smile before gesturing toward the door. “You should get inside, it’s cold out here,” he supplied moving to open the door for her, hoping her cat was not lurking nearby. The last thing he wanted was to chase the damn thing all over the complex, he’d done that once before and was scratched to hell for it once he caught it. Soap had laughed himself hoarse when Gaz had to explain he lost a fight with an eight-pound orange cat when he saw the scratches on his neck.

“Oh,” was all the woman said, the sympathy on her face was enough to make Gaz want to turn and leave right then. He didn’t want sympathy right now, he wanted answers to something that he was the last to know about. “Well, if you ask me,” she started as Gaz turned the doorknob for her and bent down to grab the newspaper she had come outside for, “she didn’t quite seem herself as they packed up all your things. She seemed a bit,” she paused as Kyle handed her the newspaper, “upset. The man with her seemed awfully rude, told me to mind my own when I asked why they were leaving.” She pursed her lips as she stepped inside the door and grabbed the handle from the other side to close it.

“That would be Henry, I’m sure,” Kyle answered flatly before his phone buzzed in his pocket. “I need to head out, it was nice to see you,” he dug around for his phone and saw it was a text from his nephew asking if he would be calling anytime soon. He needed to catch him up on everything that had happened while he was away. With one final nod, he jogged down the steps and rapidly typed into his phone to hail yet another taxi to take him to Henry’s house. Everything so far had one common denominator and that was him.

Gaz had the taxi driver drop him at the end of the street and he walked up the half block to Henry’s house. He had been there before during a very awkward family dinner, one that Olivia had been dreading for weeks and begged him to go with her. Kyle had only endured for her sanity because she seemed so uncomfortable with the whole thing and now, he was wondering if she had been so upset because her relationship with Henry had already started behind Kyle’s back.

Tugging his ballcap down low Kyle walked across the street from the house, his eyes taking in the long driveway from behind the gate. He saw Olivia’s car parked there along with her parents, and a few others as well, apparently they were having some sort of get-together. Stopping by a pair of bins he feigned tying his shoe as he observed the area, hoping to catch some sort of glimpse, and after a few minutes, he did. Olivia stepped into full view of the large picture window that overlooked the front lawn, she was smiling and laughing with a glass of Gaz guessed was champagne, with Henry snaking his arm around her waist. There were flashes of lights, cameras Kyle assumed, and his fingers fumbled over the tied loops of his shoes as they kissed for the press.

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A loud crash pulled Gaz from his twilight slumber and he instantly dove for his pistol, phone falling to the floor in a clatter as he sat up. It took him a second to get his bearings before he took in the living room that was lit by the faint glow of another football game on the television he had fallen asleep to. Standing up he cocked his gun and flipped the safety off as he listened for more noise, his head cocked to the side as his eyes swept the room. He heard another muffled bang as something fell to the floor and Gaz snapped his attention toward the bedroom where Olivia and Henry were. Their blaring television was off and he inched closer to try and figure out what the sounds were since it was coming from their room. He needed to determine if they were a threat or innocuous stumbling in the dark in an unfamiliar place before another sound met his ears and he all but staggered backward to get away.

“Bloody hell. Couldn’t keep it in your pants one damn night,” Gaz said none too quietly as he backed away, flipping the safety back on his gun and stuffing it into his waistband. He couldn’t sit in the living room now, just knowing what was going on in there and the fact his ears had locked onto the noise there was no way to ignore it. Snatching his hat off the couch he slipped into his unlaced boots and stomped through the kitchen and out the backdoor for a smoke. It was still raining and he ducked under the eave of the roof as best as he could as he lit up in the dark, having turned off the motion detector light on his way out.

Listening to his ex getting railed by her husband, the man she left him for, while he had been assigned to protect them had to be some form of torture. Gaz wasn’t sure what he had done to deserve this sort of karma but it must have been bad whatever it was. He thought he had been through enough with Olivia and their relationship, thought the wedding invitation dated for their anniversary had been enough cosmic fuckery. But no, he was still knee-deep in the shit three years later by some unlucky chance.

He lit a second cigarette and took his time smoking it, staring out into the darkness of the yard before glancing at his watch. He didn’t know when it would be clear to go back inside and even if he was exhausted Kyle knew sleep wasn’t coming back for him anytime soon. Surely a man of Henry’s age couldn’t last that fucking long right? He was debating a third smoke after standing in the dark for a while just staring off into space when a light flipped on in the kitchen sending light cascading on the front lawn from the window. Gaz cut his eyes to peer into the small door window to see Olivia rummaging around in the cabinets again, her back to him as she looked.

Gaz decided since she had already made this so uncomfortable it was his turn to make her squirm a bit. Opening the door he stepped inside and whipped his hat off to shake off some of the water from it before sliding it back over his head again. “I think you drank all the wine, though I did leave some whiskey if you need it for a nightcap,” Gaz stated as he flipped his lighter between his fingers. “I’d offer you a smoke but I don’t think it was that good if it only lasted that long,” he smirked, though it wasn’t a playful gesture.

“Go to hell Kyle,” Olivia snapped as she slammed one of the cabinet doors shut and faced him. She had been hoping he had been asleep on the couch when she came out but when she didn’t see his form in the dark she assumed he had gone outside and was rushing to get back to the bedroom before he saw her. She had hoped to God he hadn’t heard anything but judging by his last sentence he knew, or thought he knew, what had happened in the bedroom. She knew her face was red but it wasn’t from exertion, nor embarrassment, she always turned red when she cried which drove her insane because she could never hide it. Her cheeks and neck were blotchy, the skin a mottled patchy red, and her eyes were red-rimmed and still a bit glazed. “I just need something to eat. You can get back to whatever it is you were doing,” she continued as she pried open another cabinet found a box of crackers, and reached for it.

“What happened?” Gaz asked instantly when he caught sight of her face as she attempted to hide it behind the cabinet door. She didn’t answer as she pulled down a snack box and ripped open the cardboard, her hands shaking as she attempted to pop open the bag inside. He knew what she looked like when she was upset, had been the cause and also comfort to those tears more than once. “Olivia,” Gaz pried as he reached out to grab the box from her and saw her fully tense as his hand came within inches of her wrist, as if out of fear. “Tell me what happened,” his tone a little softer, “let me get...” but another voice cut in.

“Liv,” Henry’s voice came from the dark kitchen doorway and Gaz turned his head to find the man in nothing but his boxers. At least Olivia had the decency to pull on a set of pajamas before she left the bedroom. “Come back to bed dear,” he grinned a bit looking at Kyle as he spoke, “I think we’ve kept the Sergeant up long enough. Sorry for the, ah,” he paused as if looking for the right word, “late night debauchery but you know how it can get sometimes.” His smile was feline and Gaz could feel the tension roiling off Olivia as she turned with her still unopened box of crackers and walked toward Henry not daring to even glance at Gaz as she went.

“Everything alright?” Gaz asked Henry simply as Olivia walked right past him and toward the bedroom without stopping. Gaz was perfectly aware that things were in fact not alright based on how Olivia had been crying and she seemed scared but he couldn’t act on things when he didn’t know what it was that had upset her. “Only your wife seems a little upset,” Gaz tacked on as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“The past few days have been overwhelming,” Henry supplied evenly as he glanced over his shoulder at the bedroom door. “She’s just a bit tired and understandably upset about it all. I thought a roll in the sheets would help,” he shrugged a bit, “but you know how women can be a bit delicate. And our Liv gets upset so easily at change, I’m sure she will be better when we get home.” He laughed as if he and Gaz were sharing the same joke which Gaz certainly was not in on and, if anything, it set Gaz more on edge.

Gaz didn’t answer as Henry turned around and followed Olivia into the bedroom, shutting the door with a snap. Something was weird about the whole situation and since there was nothing else for him to do, all chances of sleep were gone, Gaz decided it was time to start doing some digging on Henry. He wanted to find out what he and Olivia had been up to for the past three years while Gaz had been doing his best to pretend neither of them existed. Maybe he would find some more answers as to why Olivia had picked this man over him or at least figure out why things felt off.