Chapter 55 – Frosty Predicament, Bozeman Christmas (Samson Conrad POV) Pt.1

"Your dad has a coded book, but you..." Fatima spoke dryly, her face pulled down in a frown. "Did you decode it?"

Tapping her finger on the piece of paper she waited expectantly.

Shifting my gaze from her to Luca and Imogen, both shook their heads before Luca spoke. "I – me – Rhys – the plan was for us to find bodies near each other. When I finally found – when Luca picked up my piece and Imogen, Seraphima's, I could not remember much. It's as though I had travelled with only pieces of my memories and slowly..." Luca said though I got the feeling that it was Rhys actually speaking.

That had to be confusing, I thought squinting my eyes at Luca and Imogen in their seats across from us.

"I think – I'd had to say it but if you know this code, then I do believe that Wyatt, or someone tampered with the spell before we were sent here. Why else would Imogen and I not remember this?"

"Is this code something you use over in Zedwood? Like your language?" I blurted out looking over at the code on paper Fatima had created.

Luca nods, though it's measured. "This code is to us what hieroglyphs were to the Egyptians."

"So how could you forget?" Fatima demanded. Almost offended for their lack of memory.

Luca's eyes widened in apology as he shook his head at Fatima. "If you had not had written this, it might be a while before Imogen and I remembered it ourselves. For a while, I've believed that Seraphima and I recalled more of one another than our goals and skills because of a changed spell," he said by way of explanation. "Then we assumed that this might have just been an unseen glitch or that we recalled more of our history with one another than our set mission because we were truly soul mates. That was closer to our identities than our goals when we decided to come here, to this realm."

After sitting stiffly in her chair for more than two minutes, Fatima winced, bringing her casted arm to her stomach once again. "Are you okay?" I pressed again.

Nodding, she just shrugged.

"Are you hungry?" Imogen offered, but Fatima shook her head, "No more than normal."

"Maybe it's your time of the month," Imogen said jokingly, but Fatima just stared ahead. "I don't get that," she said with a sigh, resting back against the seat. Imogen who had been reaching for her fork stopped, mid air, confusion in her eyes.

"What?"

"I wasn't eating enough to get it when I lived alone... and-"

"And now you're eating enough and surely you've gained sufficient weight to start..." Imogen continued speaking like Luca and I weren't at the table, which suited Fatima fine I guess.

Shrugging Fatima just glowered down at her stomach before she lifted her head and sighed. "What about this book guys?" She doubles back to our previous conversation.

"What book?" Imogen counters before biting off a slice of her bread.

Hungry myself, I reach for my fork, shoveling food in, though I keep an eye on Fatima. Her brows furrow and she give Imogen a blank look before responding.

"His dad buys a book for millions... you think that this code I've written could decode it, and you ask me what book?" she ends her short speech with an arched brow.

"It's back in Bend," Imogen said slowly, and even I stopped eating, chewing my last bite and swallowing thickly. "You aren't," I shake my head, "You want to go back to Bend?"

"For the book?" Imogen finished with wide disbelieving eyes.

At first Fatima doesn't respond right away, nor does she look away from our inquiring gazes. "Wyatt thought the code was important... I just... I – Nick bought it for a few million you said," she focuses on Luca.

He nods slowly, ignoring the hateful glare I was sending his way. Why on Earth would we head back to Bend? After the way we left...

"Yes... but my dad has bought many expensive antiques, not for any other reason that to show off what his money has allowed him to buy. He has a rug in his office that cost thousands and he bought it just to show off," Luca tries to explain.

When Fatima doesn't change her expectant facial expression Luca shakes his head. "Faith, really, it's not going anywhere, dad doesn't... he has it, but it's not as though he knows what it is. He only purchased the thing because the notary guy certified that the age of the paper is centuries old. That's all."

Her hand moving almost absentmindedly over her abdomen, Fatima tilts her head to the side. "What if it's essential-"

"More so than getting out of Bend and heading to the coordinates that Wyatt pressed you should go to?" Imogen's voice raises an octave as her eyes widen impossibly larger than before. Still I had to nod in agreement.

"Yeah... slowing down to check the houses Dmitri built is one thing," I point towards her with my fork, "it would be suicide to drive back to Bend."

"What if we call your dad... maybe... maybe they aren't far?" Fatima says after a moment of silence, shoulders sagging.

"We left on Friday," I say slowly, "I... we might have reduced the distance we're traveling each day, but if the Den left with my father... he's not stopping along the way for selfies," I snort out.

Imogen and Luca chuckle with me, while Fatima just barely gives me a smile. "I just... I do not think Nick should have the book," she stands firm on her point. "Where exactly is the book?"

Luca tilts his head to the side, focusing on Fatima, before he swallows the food he had just placed in his mouth. Snorting, he starting coughing, rubbing at his chest as the color in his face deepens.

"Sorry," he croaks, grabbing his cup and gulping down his beverage. "Seriously?" He asks when he's gotten control of his self.

"He bought it to show off..." Luca says almost comically. Laughing at his statement, while Fatima remained straight-faced. "He is doing what he bought it for." My girl has an amazing poker face.

Luca catches on, when Imogen starts chuckling, covering her mouth at Fatima's lack of facial break.

With less humor in his tone, Luca finishes.

"Showing it off at the hospital I'm sure, keeping it in his office so when it was the holiday party, he could invite a few guests at a time to his office at work... show off the book... maybe bring the rug from home in too-"

"So it is either... in the office at the hospital, or it is at home?" Fatima says in her no-nonsense serious-business tone. Luca nods, resuming eating, Imogen and I following as well and Fatima pushes the paper away, finally pulling the plate Imogen made for her in front of her. So much has changed but in that moment, I see the frightened girl with trust issues as she gazes at the plate in front of her.

Swallowing I put my fork back on my plate, and slowly so she can stop me should she want too, I pull her plate in front of me and push mine towards her. Grabbing her fork, I start eating her eggs ignoring the weird looks from Imogen and Luca.

Releasing a sigh I do not think even she was aware of, Fatima picks up my fork, and begins eating from my plate.

She ate the food last night easily... I think to myself, puzzled though I keep my face blank. It takes a moment to place the difference but when I do, and though it's still an assumption, I lean over and kiss Fatima on her cheek a smile on my face.

I helped, or at least in her eyes, I was in the room when Luca prepared the meal last night. This morning however, we were still sleeping and showering when Imogen and Luca began preparing breakfast.

Maybe. I don't know for sure. It could be old nerves and have nothing to do with me.

We finish eating, cleaning up when Fatima brings up the book again.

"I think we should call your dad... if he left, maybe there is someone... even if it's a human that he trusts that will bring it for us?" her eyes filled with hope that between Luca and I, we could somehow retrieve this coded book.

When we've dressed and are just ready to leave for our next destination, I bring over the burner phones, and laptop. Sitting at the table with Fatima, Luca and Imogen, I dial the numbers to my father's stat phone.

I sigh, it had been over ten hours or so since we'd called or contacted them. At first the phone only rings, after the fourth ring, I frown, but "Hello? Samson?" my aunt Angela chirps worriedly.

It takes a moment for me to move my mouth. Why didn't my father answer? I think. Or I assumed I thought.

"He's outside with your mom right now... uhm, hold on, he's walking back," at that, my racing heart settles. "Did you get the plans?" I ask absentmindedly.

"Yes, yes. I mean... they sure are elaborate," Aunt Angela says just as aloof as when I asked. There is a bit of a shuffle, but finally, "Samson?"

"Dad," I breathe out, more relaxed.

"How are you guys doing?" Dad questions and instead of the relief lingering at his voice, I'm on edge.

"What's wrong?" I demand.

My father begins chuckling. I could imagine that he would be shaking his head at my worry. And his ease would then in return have a way and resting my speedy heart, but that's if it did not sound so forced and fake.

"Dad," I lower my voice, a bit of fear creeping in. "You guys left Bend, did... what's wrong?" my mind all over trying to figure out just what bit of danger they had ran into. Especially when the first thing he did not ask me was where we were? Every call started the same way, but now... he had yet to ask 'where we were?' and went for 'are you safe?'

Each second my dad did not answer, my worry grew until Fatima slipped her chair closer to mine, resting one hand on mine. Inhaling, I let that out slowly, loudly.

"We ran into a problem..."

"Look dad," I sighed, "Just spit it out. Is anyone hurt?"

Waiting nearly does me in. I feel as though I could hear the light thumping near my temples.

"Everyone is safe, but when we left Bend, we did so without Taylor and Devin Rosario," I snort shaking my head.

"Good! Taylor's nuts dad!" I say with a straight face, expecting him to chide me somehow but it doesn't come. Again the weirdness of this conversation continues. His breathing irregular and I can hear him sigh and exhale.

There is some static on the line, but then dad clears his throat, "Samson, I – I don't think there is a right time to tell you this, and it certainly isn't now, not when you're God knows where, but, we recently learned a few things that I think you should know... to keep safe." Puzzled my head snaps back and I frown, trying to piece together where this conversation was heading with no luck.

"Though we left without Devin or Taylor, Devin was able to catch up but did so without Taylor in tow," had... why... what?

"Devin overheard Taylor on the phone," Dad said slowly, and again it's the pauses and throat clearing that send me into a minor uncomfortable panic. That moment where you know bad news is coming, hope that you're wrong, but accept it is going to be said.

"She – she overheard Taylor saying that she was the o-one," he pauses clearing his throat, once more, "She was the one that tampered with our plane."

My vision blurs and I pull the phone from my ear looking at it, as though somehow this phone had twisted my fathers' words to me. Surely, he had not said that Taylor, a girl... she was a friend... we hung out... spent hours... I cried and mourned Silas with her alone... surely this phone was broken.

"Samson!"

"Samson!"

I hear my name being called though I do not lift the phone back to my ear.

"Someone else there? Faith? Luca?" I hear dad yell but one casted hand peels my fingers from the phone, passing it off while I sit shell-shocked. 

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© 2016 roxann_season All Rights Reserved

hmm... I'm not sure who it's going to hit the hardest... the parents or Samson... To me it's like both were betrayed by Taylor. A&K treated her like a daughter, but after she killed Silas... well... Samson will explain next chapter. Bye. 

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So thanks @Beatring for reading... and loving this book :) I LOVE hearing from new and all my old readers! I'm always reading comments so I know if something isn't flowing with the story or I'm not writing something clearly. So thank you for the comment. ALL OF YOU THAT COMMENT. thank you.