~Caroline~

I bet you're curious, Caroline. If you want to know what your husband has been up to lately, meet me. Dress for the occasion.

By lunch time I knew those words by heart and watched Olivia from across the table as she read them quietly to herself. The diner we had met at for lunch was small and discreet. The homemade food was to-die-for, though I didn't have much of an appetite. There was just too much on my mind and I was afraid that if I ate, it would only come back up.

Finally, when it seemed she had read it over a million and one times she looked back up at me quizzically. "Well, this is a little fucking insane. What does this even mean? Is Sol like, cheating on your or something?" Liv's green eyes narrowed. Or something was right. I found it hard to believe that anyone would be that interested in someone who was just committing infidelity. No, what my husband was doing-or had done-was far more dangerous. I just hoped it didn't come back and bite us all in the ass.

I fingered the condensation from my glass of iced tea and shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think so. Maybe." I replied. True, I had called Liv here to confide in her; I had told her about mostly everything, even Sol's crazy accusation about me seeing someone and the drinks from the cigar bar but there were just some things-or one-that she didn't need to know. My husband had killed the man that had taken our daughter and someone knew about it.

"You've tried to talk to him about it, right?" Was my friends next question. If she only knew. It was clear that Sol was way passed talking. He had moved on to a more physical way of dealing with things which was just like him. It was all he knew and it had pissed me off-opened up old wounds.

"Of course I have." Just then a headache started at my temples and I wished that I could just tell her everything. It would make this whole conversation a little easier but I knew that was out of the question. I trusted her but I didn't trust her with my family's lives and future. When she slid the invitation back to me, I put it safely into my purse. There was no way it was going to get out of my grasp again. Not until after I showed my husband anyway.

Before Liv could reply to that-I knew she was going to by the look on her face-her cell started to ring on the table and she answered it. While she spoke to the caller, I waved the waitress over for the bill and paid for our untouched lunches. I thought about everything that was happening again and I thought I might just throw up. Fuck, I did not want this to end up badly. Hadn't I mentioned I didn't want to be a prison wife? Or worse, locked up myself from the information that I knew. What would our children do without us? Why hadn't Lenny Baker and Sol handled this differently. Didn't they know there was this thing called the police? Intead Lyza and Rich Foster could have been in jail right now instead of dead.

Emotions ran rampant as Liv announced she had to get back to the baby. The small talk we made out to the parking lot went in one ear and out the other and before I knew it, Liv was gone and I was sitting behind the wheel of my car, staring out the winshield. It was just a matter of time before this person 'contacted' one of us again. I forced all of the unwanted and scary possibilities from my brain and left the diner.

On my way back to Penny's, I called my mother to see how Lydia was doing. "She's fine, Caroline. You don't have to call a million times when she is with me, you know?" Is what had been Mrs. Thomson's reply. Of course I did. I was so not over the kidnapping and anyting could happen no matter who my daughter was with. She had been taken right from under our noses in our own home and that was proof enough right there. As I pulled back into my usual spot in front of the boutique, my phone rang. It was Sol, again, for the sixth time today and like all of the other five times he had tried to call, I ignored it and got out of the car. I didn't want to talk to him right now, no matter how anxious I was to rub that damn invitation in his face.

"Welcome back. How was lunch with your friend?" Penny asked me when I made it into the cool shop. My boss had since pulled her hair into a clip and applied another layer of lipstick. She was way too stunning and I adored her. Unfortunantly, I was in no mood to talk.

"It was fine, thanks." The conversation was left at that and we went back to work. Most of my time was spent on the retail floor while Penny read a magazine behind the counter. All this cleaning, tagging and folding was only giving me ample time with my own thoughts. This morning the place had been bustling with houswives, businesswomen and the occational male but now it was dead. Bummer I still had a few hour before I would have to close up and Penny had mentioned something about leaving early this morning.

When the bell chimed near the front, I expected to look up and see a lawyers wife or something not my husband. Despite the chilling weather, he didn't have a jacket on and his brows were knitted as if he had done some serious thinking and wasn't happy. Perfect. "Sol, what a pleasure." Penelope pipped up first, surprised. He didn't come here and just what the hell was he doing here now? The smile he returned was friendly and handsome, all traces of vexation gone.

My nerves were on edge as they made small talk for a moment. God, what was he doing to our family? How were we going to fix this? Penny finally turned to me and announced that she was getting her things to leave before she gave Sol one last smile and went to the back of the shop where the office and fitting room were located.

"You've been ignoring me all day. Why?" Like someone had flipped his switched, his friendly demeanor changed. I couldn't help but noticed the traces of dominance in his question and I almost rolled my eyes. I didn't look up from my task, but I could feel him close, looming, insistent. "Caroline," He pressed when I didn't jump to answer him.

"Because I didn't feel like talking with you, Sol. Or is it Sir? Did you come here to choke me again?"

"I didn't fucking choke you." He snapped like the cracking of a whip. But he knew that trying to control me that way had been wrong and traumatic otherwise he wouldn't be so defensive. The room felt warm all of a sudden and why did I feel like cryng?

"Well, it felt like it." I managed through the sudden burning in my throat. Out of everyone in my life he should have been the only one to know how deeply Mitchell had truly damaged me. Whatever, I didn't want to go there or dwell on the sex last night with him that had took a horrible turn. We clearly had bigger issues-ones that didn't need to be discussed here.

"I'm sorry bab-"

"Please leave. We can talk later." I looked away from him then and pretended like I was doing something more important even though I had been messing with the same slip for five minutes now. Just then, Penny strode out of the back and said goodbye. Sol followed her out without another word and I was once again left alone with my own worries and paranoia.

~

Thankfully after being left alone to run the shop, a few more customers came in and I was able to find something to do to occupy the rest of my shift there before closing up and going to pick the kids up. Lydia had raved about the various indoor activities she had done with grandma and Chris had been rather quiet, like always. I supposed it had everything to do with Miriam's health. She was going fast and it would just be a matter of time now before he lost his mother. For everyone's own sake, I prayed for a miracle there but I knew better.

Once we were home and out of the wet, cold weather my stepson went straight to his room and Lydia kept me company in the kitchen while I made soup for dinner. The same soup Sol had taught me to make years before in the condo. Everything was boiling in the pot when Lydia looked up from a coloring book and frowned over at me. When my warm tea hadn't done it's justice, I had resorted to a glass of wine that I sipped slowly now. "Mommy, so why were you crying this morning in the car?" My daughter asked me and didn't look away as if she desreved an answer.

"I was just feeling a bit emotional, baby. Nothing to worry about, I promise."

"Emotional? Like sad? How I feel when I think about Millicent sometimes?" She asked next. It was unexpected and it felt like my stomach had been punched out of me. The soul reason why we were in this situation. The daughter that the Foster's had lost in a natural and freak accident.

I shifted uncomfortably and thought about my mothers suggestion about a child therapist. If the little girl was feeling sad, she never thought to mention it to me or anyone and never mind the nightmares that she seemed to having lately. "That's right." I finally said, deciding it was better not to pressure her into talking. Perhaps later I would discuss this with Sol, among other things, like the invitation. The thought alone made me nervous. Would he finally realize that I wasn't lying and unlike him, had nothing to hide? "I'll be right back. I'm going to get your brother for dinner."

At my words, Lydia's nose wrinkled and I ignored it. I could only imagine how she would be as a teenager. I left the kitchen and on my way up the stairs heard the garage door open and moment later Lydia was talking with Thomas. As I neared his bedroom I wondered if Christopher would need therapy once his mother was gone. What a fucking case my family was becoming. When I reached his closed door, I knocked and didnt wait for an answer before I walked in.

Chris was sitting in the middle of his bed and at the sudden intrusion, his head snapped up and his eyes rounded. It took me a good five seconds to take in everything. My blood ran cold as my eyes landed on the shiny metal in his palms and he dropped it into a box in front of him. A gun. He had a fucking gun. My sons gaze darkened as if he was about freak because I didn't wait for an answer before walking in.

"Where the fuck did you get that?" I demanded when I found my voice. I could imagine the look I was giving him was one of horror. Before he could answer I crossed the room in half a second and peered inside of the box. An actual god damn pistol!

His cheeks flushed and his features softened. "I-It was in my bedroom at moms house. It had my name on it and I swear I didn't open it until now. Truly. I'm sorry. Please don't tell dad...." His words ran together and I looked away from eyes identical to his fathers that were becoming moist with tears. A note in the box caught my eye and I snatched it up like it would burn my skin.

Don't you want to be like your dad? If not, be careful. You could kill someone with this.

"Oh my God."

My throat tightened and my stomach turned as if any second, I would vommit all over the floor in front of me. This was getting out of hand.

~Sol~

I rolled my neck and sat back in the chair behind my desk at the office, welcoming the popping it did. It had been a long day filled with meetings aside from my visit to Caroline's job. She'd been on my mind since this morning and though she was not out of the clear with me yet, I had to apologize somehow for being such a fucking jackass last night. My irritation with her constant snooping and evidence of an affair had been handled in the wrong way. It had been the way I would have done things long ago. It made me fucking hate Mitchell Larson.

I pushed the chair back and grabbed for my suit jacket. Maybe a new pair of earrings and a bottle of wine would do the trick, I decided as I slipped into the expensive material and grabbed my keys and phone from the desk drawer. Before I could make it any further, my assitant came in. "What is it?" I asked, looking across the space at her as she made her way in, heels sounding on the marbled floor.

"I guess I forgot this when I brought your mail this morning." She announced when she made it to the desk and handed me an envelope. Deep down in my gut I knew it was from my little anonymous friend and my jaw clenched. Sure enough the handwritting on the front was the same it had been when the first one had come with the shell casing in it.

"Thank you."

"Have a nice night Mr. Specter." She said before she turned and left the way she had come. When she was gone, I ripped it open roughly and glared down at the words on the paper.

I think it's time to meet and talk like men. 9 PM. Don't be late.

Deeper inside of the enelope was a plastic Hotel key card. I almost took it out and snapped the motherfucker in half but I didn't. Unfortunantly, this was his game we were playing and he knew too much for me to not play by the rules...

I considered calling Lenny Baker to tag along to the grand, ten story hotel but thought against it. What help would he be anyway? I glanced down at my rolex from behind the wheel before I opened up the car door and got out. Why here? A fucking hotel? It didn't matter, I only half expected for him to be here. Hadn't Caroline said he had done the same thing to her? Lured her somehwere and then set her up? According to her. What if this was the same thing.

I almost turned around and left but I couldn't bring myself to do it, as much as I hated feeling like a fucking puppet. The lobby was surprisingly quiet when I entered the front doors and I didn't bother stopping at the dest. The closer I got to the room, the more irritated I got thinking of how I had planned to be at home with my family right now instead of here...complying with this assholes demands.

I took the elevator all the way up to the floor that the suites occupied and stepped out. On my journy to find my destination, a passed a giggling, handsy couple but ignored them. It was just a reminder that I needed to be home right now, making a few things up to my own wife. I didn't hesitate when I came to the door with the number marked and slid the key home. It clicked and I opened things up. The sitting area was nice, somewhere further into the room, I knew there would be a jucuzzi tub and balcony.

I fully expected to find him there, waiting to 'talk like men'. What I got was something entirely different. My eyes jumped around the room, taking in everything that had clearly been set up just for me. Things that no one knew expect my thereapist, wife and my guest who was waiting on the bed.

"Motherfucker."

"You again? I suspected as much."

I swore then, that when I found whoever was behind all of this, they were going to pay.

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

I wonder who and what is in that hotel room. Oh dear.

Poor Chris and Caroline.

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-Lu