The Price of Betrayal: Chapter Two

Chapter two:

         “Nick,” Alexandra whispered, looking up at the man in the hallway. Five years had not changed him, she thought. As she looked him over, it was hard for her to believe that it had been five years since she had last seen him, not five days. As she thought of all that had happened during that time brought her back to the present and straightened her shoulders.
         
              “What are you doing here?” she questioned coldly.
         
                Seeing her close up on him after being so open and caring with the children was another arrow through his heart. But, remembering the information that had come across his desk, he answered frost with frost.
               
                “I was looking for you.”
               
                “Why? What do you want? You said everything you had to say when you left me,” she replied as her voice dropped another twenty degrees. “What more could you possible have to say to me?”
           
            Only that I need you so that I can live and breathe again, he thought. “Fortunately, for the both of us, I’m only here because I was charged with bringing a package to you from Ola. I was to make sure that it gets put directly into your hands and not left on a doorstep or at a desk.”
           
            “Ola? How is she?”
             
            “She’s fine,” Nick answers stiffly.
           
              "And Theo?”
           
                “Growing like a weed,” he laughed as he watched her. He remembered all the times he had gone away on business to come home and find his nephew/ godson still excited from Alex’s visit. Ola, his sister, had named Alex Theo’s godmother when Theo was born five years ago. Before his life changed forever and he had lost Alex, he thought.
           
                “He’s a wonder, isn’t he?” Alex replied, smiling.
             
                “Yeah, a real daredevil,” Nick agreed.
             
                “So,” Alex asked uncomfortably, “when do want to deliver the package?”
             
                “Now, if possible. It’s out in my car.”
               
                  A pain shot through her heart. Nothing had changed, Alex thought. If he didn’t want you then, why would he want you now?
             
              “Ok. We can go out to your car and you can give it to me and be on your way.”
           
              Only here a couple of minutes and she’s already handing you your walking papers, Nick thought.
           
              “Lead the way,” he agreed.
           
              On the way down to the parking garage, she stopped at the nurses’ station.
           
            “Julie,” Alex said to the perky, young, blonde nurse at the desk, “will you call over to Infancy and let them know I’ll be over in 15 minutes, 20 at the most?”
       
              “Sure,” Julie replied, eyeing the gorgeous man with Alex.
         
            As they continued their trip down to the parking lot, Nick finally broke the silence.
           
              “Why do you volunteer here?”
           
              “Why not?” she quipped. “All Greeks love children,” she muttered audibly, “and yet he has to why I chose to work with sick children?”
             
              “Touché,” he answered, surprising her that he had heard her. “I was just wondering if this place held any special meaning for you.”
             
            “Even if it did, what concern is it of yours? The only thing we are to each other is joint godparents to Theo.”
           
            “That’s not all we were to each other!” Nick snapped. “We were once a lot more than that!”
         
              “Once! What did we have? We dated for a few months and I slept with you. That’s it. To quote you, it meant nothing to you and I shouldn’t have expected anything more. What we had was a few laughs and a good time.”
           
          Nick listened, stunned, as the words he has used to break up with her were flung back at him.
         
          “Besides,” Alex continued, “it was five years ago. It’s in the past. So, yes, all we are to each other are joint godparents.”
         
          As she finished, they came to his car. Typical, she thought, black Jag with black interior leather.
         
            Nick opened the back passenger door and grabbed a box from the seat.
         
          “Here. My job is done,” he said as he handed her the box.
         
          “Yes, it is,” she replied.
         
          Nick glanced at his watch. “I have to get to work. I have a really important meeting I have to prepare for.”
         
          “Of course.”
         
          “In the top of the box is a letter from Ola.”
         
            “Thanks,” she said as he climbed into his car. “Have a good meeting.”
         
          “I always do.” He looked over at her and wondered if he was wrong and if he was doomed to fail with the most important thing in his life. “Bye.”
         
          “Bye.” Alex turned and carried the box inside with her and never looked back at him. Never noticed that he didn’t leave until she was inside.
           
                                    * * *
         
              Opening the box at home on her bed later that night, she took out the letter and read it.
       
            As she finished, she saw the postscript at the bottom.
         
            ‘P.S. This was delivered to the cottage. As it was addressed to you, I included it in this package. Enjoy!’
         
            Reaching back into the package, she found the letter. Weird, she thought. I haven’t lived in the cottage for five years.  She pulled out a single sheet of paper and read ‘NO MATTER WHERE AND HOW FAST THE RABBIT RUNS, THE WOLF FOLLOWS. I’M WAITING.’