It was all a front to lure me back into his trap.
And now, that trap was as deadly as ever.
2006 - Callem
“So these guys kept pushing on the barricades, pushing and pushing,” Red explained dramatically, telling me about the events of his last assignment. “And I shouted at them to back up. I called for more assistance right before the barricades all toppled over and the people started rushing the lot. I was about to grab this guy coming right at me when out of nowhere, Tony comes in and sweeps his legs right out from under him, lays him out, I mean like out cold. He was seeing Tweety Bird, okay? The rest of the crowd sees this, and then sees Tony looking like a fucking bull. They all start backing up behind the barricade. They were like, I don’t want to fuck around with that guy. I don’t want to end up on my back like that idiot. It was nuts.”
My cell phone rang, humming against my desk top. I looked at it and silenced the call.
Red saw me ignore a call. “Okay, that’s like the fifth call I’ve seen you ignore this week. Who’s the stalkerazzi you’re trying to avoid?”
“Olivia,” I sighed.
“What’s the deal? Didn’t you two had lunch together after the Chicago trip? God, that was like a month ago, wasn’t it? You’re not into it anymore or what?”
“I just can’t do it, man. She’s great, really she is, but it’s just a bad idea all around to start getting caught up in that,” I explained, trying to play it off like it was easy for me to be so dismissive when in reality, it took a lot for me to shut her out.
There was a knock at my office door. Tony popped his head in. “Hey Tony, Red was just telling me about your night last night,” I said, smiling.
Tony smiled, knowing exactly what I was referring to. “Yeah, it was, uh, quite the night I tell you, but hey, there’s someone here to see you.”
He pushed the door open all the way to reveal Olivia standing just behind him. She moved into the office gracefully while Red and I stared silently, unsure what to say. “Hi,” she said when Tony closed the door behind us.
“Hi,” I mumbled. “Um, I don’t think you’ve met Red yet, have you?” I stammered.
Olivia’s wide eyes moved from me to Red. “No, I haven’t. Nice to meet you. I’m Olivia.”
They shook hands and I could see by the expression on Red’s face that he too could see Camilla in the doctor’s features. “Nice to meet you, too. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Olivia blushed slightly. “Oh have you?”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t believe any of the bad stuff he said about you,” he said playfully with a cheesy wink, arousing a chorus of chuckles from the three of us. “Well, I’ve got some things to do, if you’ll excuse me. It was nice to finally meet you, Doctor.”
“Olivia is fine, thank you and it was nice to meet you, too,” she corrected, as usual, as Red headed for the door. “I tried to call you to warn you I was here,” she started when it was just the two of us. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
I stood from my desk and moved around towards her. “No, not at all,” I said.
She looked nervous, her eyes moving quickly around the room, almost avoiding mine. It seemed to make her more nervous that I was closer to her. “I just had to see you,” she started. “Oh God, that sounds stupid. What I meant was, I’ve been thinking a lot, mulling over some things and I think, well I really, I’m just assuming,” she stammered, looking at her fidgeting hands, “that you feel the same way I’m feeling.”
Her eyes took a deep drink of mine now, searching for a reaction to her inquisition. I waited patiently for my turn. I was curious where she was going with this.
“The truth is,” she urged on, “I’m terrified to find out that you think about me as much as I think about you. Usually, I’m the kind of person who
And now, that trap was as deadly as ever.
2006 - Callem
“So these guys kept pushing on the barricades, pushing and pushing,” Red explained dramatically, telling me about the events of his last assignment. “And I shouted at them to back up. I called for more assistance right before the barricades all toppled over and the people started rushing the lot. I was about to grab this guy coming right at me when out of nowhere, Tony comes in and sweeps his legs right out from under him, lays him out, I mean like out cold. He was seeing Tweety Bird, okay? The rest of the crowd sees this, and then sees Tony looking like a fucking bull. They all start backing up behind the barricade. They were like, I don’t want to fuck around with that guy. I don’t want to end up on my back like that idiot. It was nuts.”
My cell phone rang, humming against my desk top. I looked at it and silenced the call.
Red saw me ignore a call. “Okay, that’s like the fifth call I’ve seen you ignore this week. Who’s the stalkerazzi you’re trying to avoid?”
“Olivia,” I sighed.
“What’s the deal? Didn’t you two had lunch together after the Chicago trip? God, that was like a month ago, wasn’t it? You’re not into it anymore or what?”
“I just can’t do it, man. She’s great, really she is, but it’s just a bad idea all around to start getting caught up in that,” I explained, trying to play it off like it was easy for me to be so dismissive when in reality, it took a lot for me to shut her out.
There was a knock at my office door. Tony popped his head in. “Hey Tony, Red was just telling me about your night last night,” I said, smiling.
Tony smiled, knowing exactly what I was referring to. “Yeah, it was, uh, quite the night I tell you, but hey, there’s someone here to see you.”
He pushed the door open all the way to reveal Olivia standing just behind him. She moved into the office gracefully while Red and I stared silently, unsure what to say. “Hi,” she said when Tony closed the door behind us.
“Hi,” I mumbled. “Um, I don’t think you’ve met Red yet, have you?” I stammered.
Olivia’s wide eyes moved from me to Red. “No, I haven’t. Nice to meet you. I’m Olivia.”
They shook hands and I could see by the expression on Red’s face that he too could see Camilla in the doctor’s features. “Nice to meet you, too. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Olivia blushed slightly. “Oh have you?”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t believe any of the bad stuff he said about you,” he said playfully with a cheesy wink, arousing a chorus of chuckles from the three of us. “Well, I’ve got some things to do, if you’ll excuse me. It was nice to finally meet you, Doctor.”
“Olivia is fine, thank you and it was nice to meet you, too,” she corrected, as usual, as Red headed for the door. “I tried to call you to warn you I was here,” she started when it was just the two of us. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
I stood from my desk and moved around towards her. “No, not at all,” I said.
She looked nervous, her eyes moving quickly around the room, almost avoiding mine. It seemed to make her more nervous that I was closer to her. “I just had to see you,” she started. “Oh God, that sounds stupid. What I meant was, I’ve been thinking a lot, mulling over some things and I think, well I really, I’m just assuming,” she stammered, looking at her fidgeting hands, “that you feel the same way I’m feeling.”
Her eyes took a deep drink of mine now, searching for a reaction to her inquisition. I waited patiently for my turn. I was curious where she was going with this.
“The truth is,” she urged on, “I’m terrified to find out that you think about me as much as I think about you. Usually, I’m the kind of person who
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