Sylvie

Red exit signs along with huge direction arrows aided Casey through the main part of the airport and she sighed a little in relief when she saw the glass doors and the lines of taxis waiting to take her away from the horrible experience.  Taking a few seconds to zip up her jacket to protect herself from the cool October air, Casey headed through an automatic door and immediately saw a sign with her name on it with the cute little printing of ‘Twilight Tonight’ in stars under it.

Casey walked to the chauffeur, “I am Casey Rivers.”  She raised one of her brown eyebrows, “How did you know I would..”

Bowing slightly to Casey, the man tipped his hat and opened the door for Casey to climb into the long limousine. “Compliments of Martin Shores.  You will find anything you need inside, Miss Rivers.”  He walked up and took Casey’s luggage, “I will take care of this, you get inside and get warm.”

A couple minutes passed before the driver resumed his place in the front of the vehicle.  a small privacy window came down so he could see Casey. “Where to ma’am?  I am available for as long as you need.”

“738 Newcastle Drive, it’s a tan and blue house.”  Casey responded and happened to glance out of the side shadowed window to spot Agent Miller smiling wickedly and waving.

-What the fuck does she want?-

Casey quickly asked herself before she was interrupted with a polite cough.  She looked up with her eyebrows raised, “Yes?”

“There are refreshments in the bottles there, but if you want something along the way, I would be happy to stop.”  He offered and kept looking at Casey.

Figuring that her mother hadn’t eaten in days, Casey smiled and thought of a small pizza place along the way that the two had enjoyed a few times before. “Out in Pembrooke, there is a small place run by a few spectacular Greek women.  I would love to grab a pizza from there, if it isn’t too much trouble.  I hope it’s still open, it is pretty late.”

Aware of the place Casey referred to, the chauffeur grinned widely, “Oh, I know Two-Di-Pie.  Best sandwiches I have ever had..Oh, the place is always packed this time of night.  They don’t usually close until much later.”  He rubbed his stomach playfully, “One quick stop before we head to Newcastle.”

Perking one of her thin brows, Casey tilted her head. “You know where Newcastle is?  I figured you had a GPS anyway, but more often than not I have had people ask me how to spell it.”  She laughed, “Though I think it is common sense.”

“We all know where it is, Miss Rivers.  Mister Shores has spent…um time at the location with Miss Jennifer Rivers.”  He pointed quickly to Casey and dropped his formal tone, “Your mom.  She is a fun one.” Pushing the button to roll up the privacy window, the driver pulled away from the curb and headed into the main city.

Cruising gently through the streets of her former home, Casey couldn’t stop herself from remembering the places she and Brian had once walked and enjoyed hand in hand.  Passing by a set of yellow and white blinking lights attached to an ice skating rink, Casey had the memory of her and what she considered her gentle giant holding each other tightly as he spun them in slow little circles.  Touching her lips lightly, Casey easily recalled how Brian’s short goatee hair tickled her when they kissed after every full circle.

-You knew he was a monster before, Rivers.  Why did you go out with so many others?  Something told you that there was a monster within.-

Sniffling and wiping away the tears, Casey decided to stop resisting the allure of another bourbon and cola.  Dishing out a couple pieces of ice and pouring the brown alcohol over the solid cubes, she cracked open the diet soda and poured it until the bubbles almost came over the rim of the small glass. 

-Just to steady your nerves.  Your day and night has sucked.-

Stopping short of taking a long gulp of the liquor, Casey knew that while her circumstances were awful for her day, being drunk never seemed to do much other than usually get her into more trouble.

-You started drinking heavily when Brian had all but moved in with you.  Remember, Rivers? What did Vivienne call you?  Reckless?  Yeah, that’s what it was.-

Sighing to herself with the realization, Casey put the drink down in a holder then started rubbing the knee her former mistress had once patched up.  Reflecting on the days before she’d met the blue-eyed woman, the problems with Brian had already started cropping up.  Constantly badgering her about where she was going, what she was doing, who she was with.  

She could hear the undertone in the memory of Brian’s voice.  ‘Going out again?  Who was that? Don’t just ignore me.  What if I don’t want you to leave?  Maybe I need you here with me tonight.’  Casey didn’t think about it at the time, but her desperate actions were in relation to how overbearing the big man got over the two years they dated.

-Now I can’t even come home without seeing him all over.-

Aware that her right hand had started shaking, Casey reached over and massaged her palm in an effort to stop the tingling and anxiety she was slowly building up within her mind.  When the car hit a small bump and jingled the ice in the glass, Casey grabbed the cocktail and drained the contents without thinking about it.  

-I don’t want to see him everywhere!-

Casey screamed to herself and started wildly punching the leather seats to either side of her.  Anger fueled the frustration and she pounded until she had no strength left and the alcohol started warming her belly. 

-Every relationship has its issues.  It still doesn’t mean you try and force..-

Flopping her head against the back of the seat, Casey began crying as the limousine passed by her old university residential area.  While there were lots of fond memories of her and her friends outside just goofing off in the student common areas, Casey kept coming back to the last night she’d been with Brian and how they’d resolved to fix what might have been broken.  Without knowing why, Casey heard herself aloud, “I love you, here and now.”  She crushed her eyes closed and tried to erase the gentle smile of the man turned monster that she’d dealt with.

-Somehow you knew, Rivers.  You thought about it a few minutes ago.  The way he grabbed you from time to time, was that just concern or meant to inflict pain?-

Thankful when the dark window rolled down again, Casey wiped the tears from her cheeks and looked at the driver. “I would know that smell anywhere.”  Casey smiled at the man. “Do you want anything when I go in?”  Casey offered.

Shaking his head, the chauffeur waved his hand. “Miss Rivers.  Mister Shores would be very upset if I let you go in there and order. What would you like?”

Roasted garlic and hot bread permeated Casey’s senses and she blurted out, “Mom and I are kinda traditionalists with pizza and bread.  None of this pineapple garbage.”  Casey heard her driver snicker, “Pepperoni and cheese.  Classic and wonderful. Please ask them to brush on the garlic butter for the crust.”  Reaching for her purse, Casey tried to hand the driver her credit card. “Order whatever you’d like as well…”  She paused when he held up his hand.

“Compliments of Twilight Tonight, Miss Rivers.”

Absentmindedly rubbing her wrists, Casey smiled and nodded to her driver. “I will have to thank him personally at some point.”  Relieved when the window returned to its privacy position, Casey settled back in the leather seat and turned on the radio and swapped stations until she found a station playing a soft ballad then closed her eyes.

Clanking of keys forced Casey to open her eyes and look around wondering where she was.  Seconds after her eyesight adjusted to the limo again, Casey held her temples for a couple seconds in the effort to push the swimmy feeling she had from the bourbon that she’d downed a half hour before.  

“Sorry, Ma’am.  I didn’t know that it would take so long to get the order completed.  It was very busy inside.”  The chauffeur handed Casey the items she asked for, through the window that separated the front from the back.

“Oh, um…”  Casey grunted and somehow managed to grasp the pizza box and the little bag of breadsticks. “..It’s alright, I am sure this will be just fine.  I appreciate it.”  Casey blinked a few more times and smiled, “You got yourself something to eat, right?  The place is fantastic.”

“I did, thank you.  We should be at your destination in a few minutes.”  He winked.