Chapter One
A knock was heard and the door was opened.
Lola smiled."I thought you said you wouldn't be around for my engagement party."
Emelia laughed and sat."Why would I miss such for anything in the world?.Anyway,Chris sends his regards.He has to be in Chicago tomorrow so he wouldn't be able to meet up."
"He texted me already.Let me get you a cup of coffee before we talk."She gave a quick smile and walked to the coffee machine.
Emelia gazed at the picture frame on the table and her expression changed. Lola noticed it.
"Emelia,is there something you aren't telling me about Steve?. You get uncomfortable when I talk about him or when he is around me."Lola stretched out the cup to her which she took.
"Well, you and I know I never liked him from the start.He isn't just suitable for you and my instincts tells me he is just playing around with you. I don't think he really loves you."
"You think so?.Then why are you getting excited about the engagement?."
Emelia laughs."You know I have always loved parties and besides, I can't be robbing you off your happiness because of what I feel. I just want to be sure that you are happy and you have got to."
Lola smiled and gave her a quick hug."Sure,I am over excited that he finally proposed and decided he wants to be with me and no one else. Just stay happy for me as you have always been.Steve will always take good care of me and he loves me very much."She grinned,staring at the picture frame at her table.
Two more days to go and she would be officially his.
"I have heard you,lover girl."
Her phone beeped."Chris is calling.We will talk later,okay?."Emelia smiled again and made for the door.
"Take care."
Lola sat, pondering on what Emelia has said.Does Steve really love her?. Does she really even want to be with him?.Why was her heart still not convinced about them both?.
A soft kiss on her neck jolted her out of her thoughts.
"I guess you were too deep into your thoughts to notice my presence."He placed what he was holding on the table.
Still holding her from the back as she stood up,Lola turned facing him. She breathed deeply.
"I am sorry not to notice your presence and besides,am at work.Why did you come?."
An odd expression on his face could tell he got really pissed off by what she said.
"And what do you mean by that?.Can't I come over anymore to give you a surprise visit?."
He began to kiss her all over. Lola sighed and pushed him off without a thought.
Her deep blue eyes glinted at the rays of sunlight through the window sills.With a hand,she pushed back her hair.
"Stop it, Steve.You and I have talked about this.I won't do anything till the night of our wedding and you promised to adhere to it So, don't let this be an argument again."
Nora sat, facing her computer.Her insides were already trembling at his next reaction.
Why was she even afraid?
"Haven't I promised to marry you?.Our engagement party is in two days time.What else do you need me to do, huh?!.What else?!."
She faced him."Do you know what I need you to do for me?.Keep being patient and stick to your promise!."
An email popped up on her computer and her gaze was back on it. The next words from Steve stopped her fingers from typing.
"Lola,are you cheating on me?."
Did he really came in with the purpose to annoy her and cancel their engagement?.
"Steve, are you out of your mind?!.Why would you ask me such a question?.You and I know that's the last thing I would never do.I would rather die than cheat on you and you know that!."
She yelled and in a sudden,she felt the usual pain in her head but this time it was serious.
Pretending not to notice her, he picked up his phone."When you are done arguing with yourself,you know where to meet me."He sneered and walked out even while she was writhing in pain.
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A leap on his back,Jason laughed happily. "Hey guy, you can't be like this all day.I have got to visit the company."
Little Jimmy slowly loosened his grip off his father and walked to the dining table.
"Where were you last night,dad?.You didn't read me my bedtime stories."A sad expression showed vividly on his face.Jason sighed and sat beside him,patting him as he usually does.
"Jim, you've got to get used to the fact that I won't be around all the time you need me and besides,i got you a laptop incase you missed me so badly and want to talk to me."
He let down his fork."Still dad, then you should get me a nanny instead.I hate staying alone and you know that."
Jason sighed.He never liked the idea of someone else taking care of his son but now that the deals at work are getting more complicated,he couldnt leave his assistant doing everything at once.What might be the best solution?.
"I will see what I can do and till that time,take good care of yourself and use your medications at the right time. I repeat..at the right time."Jason laughs as he watched Jimmy stare at him.
"Dad,do you realize I am just five?. You talk as if am twenty already!."He pouted.
Jason laughs."And that's because I need you to think and do things smarter than your age. Don't let your age limit your thinking abilities.I see you as a man because that's who you are."
A smile crept on Jimmy's face."Thanks Dad and I won't disappoint you at that."
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With wobbly legs Lola bit her lips nervously as her doctor stared at the computer before him.
His expression said it all. Her fears were confirmed.Its really certain this time.
"Lola, you have a brain tumor and I am so sorry to say this but you just have at least two months to live. Discovering this late,i don't think there is anything even the best Doctor around town can do. "
Lola breathed in deeply and tears flowed freely from her eyes.
Jason was receiving an award for his book that he'd published and Jimmy was in the city, so he did the best thing he could before running off to Florence. It has been a long time since he'd been around but the event that had unfolded recently had taught him to spend more time with family. Encaenia took place in the Sheldonian - a long and rambling ceremony conducted in Latin for six distinguished persons though, in Lola's mind, this was a celebration mainly for Jason. At last, he was receiving the recognition he deserved. After the ceremony, she stood and watched him with pride as he mingled with guests. She had met Jason briefly before the ceremony and they had hugged, but hardly spoken; too many people and not enough time. She thought at first that it was perhaps the way it should be, with no time for sentimentalism, but no, she decided that it was not the way it should be. They needed more time. "Do you know all these people?" Malik whispered."No." Lola shook her head, even tho
Night had fallen over Shekina. Jimmy stood alone on the porch of the fieldstone house enjoying the sounds of laughter and reunion drifting through the screened door behind him. The mug of coffee in his hand had granted him hazy reprieve from his mounting exhaustion, and yet he sensed the reprieve would be fleeting. The fatigue in his body went to the core. "You slipped out quietly," a voice behind said.He turned. McEwan's grandmother emerged, her silver hair shimmering in the night. Jimmy gave a tired smile. "I thought I'd give your family some time together." Through the window, he could see McEwan talking with her brother. Sophie's grandmother came beside him. "Mr. Jim, when I first heard of Esquibel's murder, I was terrified for McEwan's sake. Seeing her standing in my doorway tonight was the greatest relief of my life. I cannot thank you enough."Jimmy had no idea how to respond. Although he had offered to give McEwan and her grandmother time to talk in private, she had asked
"Davis?" McEwan was standing outside the car, looking back at him. "Are you coming?" She was holding the rosewood box, which captain Romano had returned to them. Inside, both cryptex had been reassembled and nested as they had been found. The verse was locked safely at its core - minus the shattered vessel of vinegar.Making their way up the long gravel path, Jimmy and McEwan passed the famous west Wall of the chapel. Casual visitors assumed this oddly protruding wall was a section of the chapel that had not been finished. The truth, Jimmy recalled, was far more intriguing. Shekina chapel's entrance was more modest than Jimmy expected. The small wooden door had two iron hinges. The chapel would be closing soon, and as Jimmy pulled open the door, a warm puff of air escaped, as if the ancient edifice were having a weary sigh at the end of a long day. Entering with McEwan, Jimmy felt his eyes reaching across the famous sanctuary and taking it all in. Although he had read accounts of She
The mist had settled low as Amorth limped into a quiet hollow out of sight. Kneeling on the wet grass, he could feel a warm stream of blood flowing from the bullet wound below his ribs. Still, he managed.The fog made it look like heaven here.Raising his bloody hands, he prayed, but most importantly he prayed for his mentor… Myositis… that he would not fade with the sands of time. The fog was swirling around him now, and Amorth felt so light that he was sure the wisps would carry him away. Closing his eyes, he said a final prayer.His pains at last began to fade, and he knew Myositis was right. It was late afternoon when the London sun broke through and the city began to dry. Andrie Romano felt weary as he emerged from the interrogation room and hailed a cab. Sir Albert Rodriguez had noisily proclaimed his innocence, and yet from his loose ranting about the Archstone, secret documents, and mysterious brotherhood, Roman suspected the sly historian was setting the stage for his lawye
Myositis's body had endured many kinds of pain, and yet the searing heat of the bullet wound in his chest felt profoundly foreign to him. Deep and grave. Not a wound of the flesh… but closer to the soul. He opened his eyes, trying to see, but the rain on his face buried his vision. He could feel powerful arms holding him, carrying his limp body like a rag doll, his black cassock flapping. Lifting a weary arm, he mopped his eyes and saw the man holding him was Amorth. He was struggling down a sidewalk, shouting for a hospital, his voice a heart-rending wail of agony. His red eyes were focused dead ahead, tears streaming down his face. "My son," Myositis whispered, "you're hurt." Amorth glanced down, his visage contorted in anguish. "I am sorry sorry, Father." He seemed almost too pained to speak. "No," Myositis replied. "It is I who am sorry. This is my fault. I was too eager. Too fearful. You and I were deceived." Myositis was unconscious when the doors of St Luke's hospital hiss
Jimmy and McEwan moved slowly down the north aisle, keeping the shadows behind the ample pillars that separated it from the open nave. Despite having traveled more than halfway down the nave, they still had no clear view of the tomb. The sarcophagus was recessed in a niche, obscured from this oblique angle."At least there's nobody over there," McEwan whispered.Jimmy nodded, relieved. The entire section of the nave near Klaus' tomb was deserted. "I'll go over," he whispered. "You should stay hidden just in case someone-"McEwan had already stepped from the shadows and was headed across the open floor."-is watching," Jimmy sighed, hurrying to join her.Crossing the massive nave on a diagonal, Jimmy and McEwan remained silent as the elaborate sepulcher revealed itself in Tantalus increments… a black-marble sarcophagus… a reclining statue of Klaus… two winged boys… a huge pyramid… and… an enormous orb."Did you know about that?" McEwan said, sounding startled.Jimmy shook his head, als