A Rose in Shadow

Chapter 57

I don't think so buddy.

As he was passing the reference desk he slowed his steps when he heard someone mention Samantha's name and glancing over saw an elderly woman sitting at the desk and talking animatedly on the phone. "Al, that sweetie Samantha Kincaid, brought me a cupcake for my birthday" she was gushing to the person on the other end and beaming from ear to ear. "And it's chocolate. My favourite". Adam felt his heart fill. Only his Samantha would remember the birthday of her librarian. He continued across the room toward her.

Adam trusted Samantha completely so his reaction to her tutoring partner was purely that of a caveman. Possession. He knew that Samantha tutored this particular student a couple of times a week so he felt justified in marking his territory.

"There she is" he said huskily when he got to the table and pulled a startled Samantha up and into his arms. He saw her eyes light up at the sight of him before he swooped down to catch her mouth with his. She kissed him, as she always did, never holding back and he reluctantly pulled away when she ran her hand up to caress his jaw.

"Hey" she whispered. "I'm happy to see you"

Her scent washed over him, distinctly Samantha, cocoa butter and exotic flowers. Her hair was back in a messy bun and she had put on a bit of eye makeup, making those gorgeous eyes appear even more dramatic. Her mouth was untouched by colour, covered only with the cherry chap-stick that she used religiously and he had become obsessed with.

Stepping back but keeping his arms loosely around her waist he grinned. "Obviously, I'm happy to see you too" she laughed before remembering that she was in the library in the middle of a tutoring session.

"I'm so sorry, Mark" her cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment. "This is Adam. Adam, this is Mark Charles. We're working together"

Mark stood reluctantly and held out a hand to Adam "Boyfriend?"

Adam immediately took pity on the guy and returned the handshake deciding that he could afford to be kind. "Yep. You've got yourself a good tutor here".

Mark nodded and glanced at Samantha.

"I'm just going to steal her from you for a minute, if you don't mind"

"Oh" Samantha startled. "Okay".

"I'll be right back, Mark. Sorry for the interruption".

Adam grabbed Samantha by the hand and pulled her toward the door where Jamie still waited, looking over the room. Smiling at Samantha as she and Adam approached, Jamie reached out to give her a quick hug, giving Adam a glare and daring him to say something about it, which made Adam shake his head and grin.

"We just wanted to let you know that Moore apparently hasn't been back to his friend's place in a few days. Nobody knows where he has been staying" Adam rubbed his hand down her back and watched for her reaction. "So, I want you to be extra careful when you're alone on your breaks and between classes. Make sure that you keep asking someone to walk with you, please".

Shoulders slumping briefly before she stood tall once again, Samantha looked at them both before leaning into Adam. "Okay. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate you guys stopping and I know that people are trying to find him" she fixed a cheery smile on her face.

Samantha tried not to let the fear in, tried to keep its nasty tentacles from creeping into her body, her nerves, her blood. She knew that she needed to stay strong and keep trying to live her life as normally as possible but a part of her, a big part of her if she were honest, wanted just to curl up and pull the blankets over her head until they caught him.

"You okay, honey?" asked Jamie. She nodded and stretched up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek before turning to Adam and catching his face with both hands "And thank you, wonderful boyfriend, for making my day with a personal visit" she kissed him gently on the lips and whispered into his ear "Be careful out there".

"I'd better get back to Mark if that's okay?" She fell back flat on her feet. When they both nodded she turned. "See you later then" she said over her shoulder, making her way back to the table where poor Mark sat, dejectedly waiting.

Adam waited until she was re-seated before turning to Jamie "Ready?"

"Yeah, but first, take a look around this place" Hearing the apprehension in his partner's voice and trusting Jamie's instincts entirely, Adam took a minute to look around the room to see if he could notice what Jamie had.

Reading carols formed a ring around the upper level, which was open to view save for a waist high railing. Behind the carols were ceiling-height stacks with books.

On the main floor were more stacks, tables and computer stations all around the outside of the room with the reference desks and librarians in the centre. There was a fire exit at two ends of the room, both doors currently being propped open in accommodation of the unseasonably warm weather. For a library it was an excellent set-up. Unfortunately, for someone wanting to stay hidden it was also an excellent set-up.

Samantha and Mark had a table pretty close to one of the exits and a couple of students from the next table kept going in and out.

Sighing, Adam looked to Jamie "I guess that's the last time she meets here to tutor until we find Moore. One more thing though" Jamie nodded in agreement, although Adam hadn't completed his thought out loud. The two of them went outside, both wanting to check around the building and grounds before they went back to work.