Morpheus spoke low when he said...

“Cindy was a mistake--and I think she knew this.”

He took a breath and she had to strain to hear him, because he was speaking even lower than before.

“I can’t say how, why or when it happened; I only know that Cindy lost the baby.  I got word through a mutual acquaintance and I chose not to ask questions because nothing could be gained and the baby was already dead.”

He appeared genuinely grieved and she hadn’t intended to make him suffer while reliving the memory.  She clasped their hands, then she squeezed his fingers when she said...

“Stay.”

And that was that.  He wrapped his strong arms around her waist, and he knew that he would stay on the island as long as Mikita wanted and needed him.  Morpheus pushed his other worries aside.  His thoughts concerning Tollin and Joplin weren’t going anywhere, and he would deal with those concerns when the time was right.  For now, he would pledge himself to Mikita--the woman that he loved.   The woman who possessed his heart.

**********

Chapter 15

Let’s take a chance

Ona wandered down a busy block, scanning the area for members belonging to her Sect.  She was in the city on a weekend, without a purpose that would explain this excursion.  Samaritans lived in self-contained communities and there really wasn’t a need to leave, unless the reason concerned their community project.  Her vigilance had been so intense because her program wasn’t open on the weekends.  She neared the corner where Lucien had suggested she wait, she could see a black car with tinted windows.  She hurried her pace, not wanting to remain out in the open one-second longer than was necessary.  When she’d contrived this idea, her thoughts had been sketchy and she had not outlined every detail.  Most of her life, she lived in the moment, and this way of living was a byproduct of a lifetime spent helping others, and rarely considering her needs.  Regardless of how this journey came about, when she’d agreed to come, her acceptance had not come easy.  Lucien had insisted that she be picked up at the docks, because the idea was logical and he couldn’t stomach the idea of her walking.  Ona had outright refused him, because she’d endured a few questions from members belonging to her Sect.  They had watched her exiting the long black limo, yet due to the tinted windows, they didn’t know that Lucien had rode there with her.  Thanks to the darkened windows, the questions were simple inquires concerning the vehicle.  Everyone in her commune had some knowledge about her accident, and most knew about her recovery but there were a few who didn’t know as much as most.  Thankfully, the questions came from the latter.  When they asked if the car had been provided by a program benefactor, due to her injuries; Ona nodded because their assumptions were partly true, and answering in the affirmative didn’t spark any further inquiries.

She was within a few steps of the vehicle when a man stepped out on the drivers side.  She recognized him as the man who’d driven Lucien on the day that he’d rode with her to the docks.

He opened the passenger side door on the curbside, then he said...

“Good morning Miss Zelle.”

She didn’t know his name, and in her nervous state, she didn’t think to ask.  For a second, she stared at the car, perplexed.  Indecision flooded her face and reality hit her.  This would be her last chance to change her mind .  If she was turning back, she would have to do it now; but she hadn’t come this far to cower at the last minute.  Ona slipped across the backseat, and before the door closed behind her, she hurriedly said...

“Good morning--and thank you.”

Ona had daydreamed during the entire ride, and she didn’t keep track of the time.  During one moment she’d been sliding across the seat, entering the car, then in the next, the vehicle had stopped and her side door was being opened.  The driver offered her his hand, and she trembled when she touched him.  It wasn’t his presence or his offer that unsettled her.  It was this experience, because everything about it was a first for her and she was pleased with herself for expressly telling Lucien that only the driver could pick her up.  She believed that if she were caught; she could explain away a driver, but she couldn’t make an excuse for Lucien.

When she stood on the curb, a doorman stepped outside of the building, and he held the door open.  He recognized Lucien’s driver and he made the connection.

He smiled while saying...

“This way Miss.  Mr. Delors is expecting you.”

Before she stepped inside, a woman passed her carrying a clutch sized dog in her arms.  The tiny canine was wearing a teal outfit that matched its owner’s.  When the woman walked by, in her wake, Ona’s nose was bathed with her scent.  The combination of oils and floral concoctions was a mix of spring and summer gardens.  She stalled for a moment, and she considered herself, from head to toe.  She didn’t wear makeup, perfume and she didn’t own anything that was remotely green.  She didn’t own high heel shoes, or sneakers but she did own two pair of black loafers.  After seeing that woman coming out of Lucien’s pricy apartment building, Ona felt a rush of uncertainty.  She had dressed in her best black knee length dress, and she’d brushed her hair until it shined like ravens feathers.  She had tied up her hair using a black ribbon, and before leaving her home, not once did she consider her outer appearance.  She supposed that now, it was this apprehension that had rooted her on the sidewalk.  She probably would have remained there forever had it not been for Lucien’s driver.  He was a middle-aged man with a kind face.  He stood off to her side, saying...

“You know him--and he’s one of the good ones.”

She didn’t fully understand but she did agree that she knew him and that had to count for something.  She nodded when she said...

“Thank you.”

“Sure bet.”  he said, and he watched her until she reached the rear wall to wait in front of a bank of elevators.  When the doors opened, and she stepped inside, he fished his phone out of his pant pocket.  He sent a quick text message to Lucien and it said “No problems but she appears nervous”

Lucien placed his phone on a side table positioned against a wall.  He owned two apartments in the city, and this one was the closest to the Samaritan dock.  He couldn’t believe his nervousness and he’d stood in his closet trying to find something to wear.  He’d settled on a cream white Deo Verities tailored shirt, and a pair of charcoal grey Armani pants.  Out of habit, he wore one of his favorite watches; the black diamond Vues.  He felt the weight of his timepiece when he reached for the knob to open the front door.  He crossed through the threshold, leading to a private vestibule for the elevator.  The doorman had entered a code, that would cause the elevator to stop, then open once it had reached Lucien’s private lobby.  He heard a series of chiming bells, and when the ringing stopped, the doors to the lift spread open.

Ona was on the verge of a panic attack, and her anxiety didn’t wane until her eyes set on Lucien Delors face.

He smiled, because the risk factor for this date was off the scale and he’d imagined Ona bailing somewhere in between the dock and the corner where his driver had been sent to wait.  He stood aside, when he said...

“Ona--Welcome.  I’m so glad that you decided to come.”

Ona stepped off the elevator, and in her mind she told herself that it wasn’t too late to leave.

“This way...”  He pointed towards the apartment entrance, and beyond him she noticed another area that looked like a large foyer.  Combined, the vestibule and the foyer were half the size of her parents assigned living quarters in the commune.