Lawyers and Spies

Questions for Answers

Ralph unlocked his front door, and immediately he stepped into his apartment; he felt chills on his spine. Someone had been in here, he thought, looking around.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he jumped. Hissing at his jitteriness, he looked down at his phone to see his mother.
"What in god's name...." he trailed off, sliding the green button. "Ma?"
"Yes, Raphael. You have been ignoring me enough, son." Her soft motherly voice reminded him of the thousand reasons he never went home. "It's been a whole year." She added.
Ralph continued to enter his apartment, turning on the light switch for every room he entered. He couldn't shake the feeling. "I...how are you, mom?"
"Do you really care?" his mother asked.
"Of cour– " his breath hitched as he stared at his empty work table. Someone had broken into his apartment. Ian Bushwick!? He whipped around frantically, hurrying to the storage for a wooden brush.
"Raphael?" his mother called from the other end of the line.
"Mom...I...um...err. I have to call you back." He hung up quickly, scrolling through his contact list for Elijah's number as fast as his fingers could work.
The phone rang a few times before Elijah picked up. "Elijah, someone broke into my apartment...you have to come."
"Are you alone?" Elijah asked.
"I think so. Are you close to me?" he asked, hurrying to check his bedroom. "You have to come, Elijah...please."
"I'm on my way," Elijah said.
Ralph hung up and turned around, scanning the area. "Hello?" he called, checking his bathroom and then walking out to the spare room. There was no one in his apartment. Whoever took his laptop had come and gone. He walked back to the study, staring at the table with fearful eyes. could it be his sins?
Was that why this was happening to him?
Was his mother right? He shook his head, turned away from his work table, and headed to the living room to wait for Elijah.

When Elijah finally arrived, he searched the house, checking every room for a bug. "It's all clean." He said, approaching Ralph's work table. "Maybe we can pull off some prints..." he face-palmed himself. "What am I saying...this guy could have been careful."
"So you believe this is Ian Bushwick?' Ralph asked, knowing they might be on the same page. How he managed to attract a maniac who still haunted him.
Elijah nodded. "Hey, calm down. You are doing so much, don't beat yourself up." Ralph said. "So who was his victim this time?" he asked.
"Another male." Elijah answered.
Ralph pursed his lips, looking down briefly. "I didn't quite tell you the truth but Bushwick, and I returned to spend a night in my apartment. I fell for his charms."
Elijah placed a hand on Ralph's shoulder. "Now it is my turn to tell you not to beat yourself up about it."
Ralph lets out a shaky laugh. It was brief because he had more worries than Elijah's attempt to lighten his mood. "I'm going to Amanda's. I can't stay alone."
"Good idea." Elijah said. "We will be watching the home of his recent victim in case he comes back." He added, and then turned to Ralph. "How are you holding up? Is there anything valuable in the laptop?"
Ralph shrugged, "our cases....Apexian...literally everything we are working on." He dragged his hands through his hair. "It is encrypted. If they can't crack it, it will self-destruct."
"Brilliant!" Elijah exclaimed in relief.
Ralph raised a finger to stop him, "I did say if."
Oh, Elijah mouthed, following Ralph to his bedroom.

Ralph and Elijah arrived at Amanda's apartment. They gave the door a few knocks before it opened. "Just in time for my pot roast."
"You can count me in." Elijah rushed into the apartment, leaving Amanda and Ralph at the door. Amanda gave Ralph a small smile. "They finally spooked you." she chuckled.
Ralph shrugged, strolling into her living room while she closed the door behind them. "They always have."
"You see why I wanted to leave," Amanda said.
Ralph shook his head, biting down on his bottom lip. "I don't see it."
"Come on," Amanda whined.
He continued to shake his head. "Completely blind to it." He said, cracking up a little. He dropped his duffel bag and spread his arm. "I missed you, Ralph." Amanda hugged him.
"Wait until you see me every day," He teased.
"Ha!" Amanda spanked his arm, grabbing his bag. She led him through the corridor of her three-bedroom flat to a spare room. "I hope you don't mind. I had to put this together in like thirty minutes."
"It is perfect," Ralph said.
Amanda gave him double thumbs up. "Settle in while I serve dinner." She walked back to the dining area. Elijah was sitting on the sofa waiting.

"Any word from Jean-Luc?" he asked, joining her in the kitchen.
Amanda shook her head as she drew plates from the cabinet. "At least you have a new apartment and a new job."
She turned toward Elijah with a hoax happy expression, "Yay! It's Christmas." Her fake smile disappears and it is replaced with a blank look.
"I am sorry. I was trying to lighten the mood; there is so much going on. We need to live our lives too."
Amanda nodded slowly. Elijah was right. They needed to enjoy whatever moment they had. Taking on the governor will be one hell of a risk, and to make matters worse, Elijah also had an organ harvester on the loose.
"So, this guy Ian Bushwick...."
"We don't have any idea where he is. He is like a ghost, and he has got no criminal record." Elijah answered scratching his hair.
Amanda chews on her lips, thinking. "Wait, the recent victim, where was he picked up?"
"At a gay bar in downtown"
Nodding, Amanda continued. "Okay, so he gets his victim from bars. Are we looking at a serial killer?"
"Maybe, but this recent victim did not see his face. Only Ralph did."
Why is that sounding bad for Ralph? "And he came back to Ralph's place?"
Elijah helped Amanda carry the plates to the dinning. "We are not sure, but we will be using the media to draw him to the precinct for questioning."
"This doesn't sound good, Elijah. What if he denies...or you know...only Ralph saw his face and given the condition Ralph was in....I don't know. I feel weird about this." Elijah dropped the plates on the table and then approached Amanda. He placed his hand on her shoulders and massaged them tenderly. "Relax, you worry about the governor, and I will handle Bushwick."
She nodded, leaning into him for a hug. "I am so famished."
"Me too!" Ralph called from the doorway connecting the living room to the corridor.
Amanda and Elijah pulled away from each other. "I served you a full plate." Amanda grinned at Ralph. He hurried over to the dining table and pressed a kiss to her chin.
The moment, it was very mattered amid the mayhem. Amanda sighed, settling down on a chair. "Is it Christmas?" Ralph asked teasingly at the sight of his food.
"Right now...it is." Amanda chuckled, digging into her food.
*****
It has been almost a week since Philip met with Sage, and now they were sitting down behind a doctor, waiting to hear the report on her supposed pregnancy. He had his finger crossed even if he knew he had fucked Sage. She gave him the impression that she was using birth control.
Her plan to trap him with a pregnancy will never work. He reassured himself for the one-thousandth time. When the doctor cleared her throat to get his attention.
"Mr. Oz."
"Dr. Mel." Philip called back.
"I have to say congratulations to you both. Ms. Daniels is pregnant, and the baby is yours."
Fuck the bloody cheek cells, Philip cursed mentally. "Okay." He managed to say. Sage turned to him with a look of disbelief while the doctor rambled on about antenatal care.
Philip listened to everything the doctor said and thanked her before he and Sage left her office. "So, I am going to get an apartment in town, somewhere close to the hospital." She said.
Philip nodded. He hoped she was not trying to get him to suggest to her moving into his penthouse. "I wish you good luck." He said, walking ahead of her, but Sage stopped him, grabbing him by his hand.
"Philip, please wait." Sage rushed. He stopped turning to her. "I guess I will be here for your next appointment...just let me know a day before."
"Philip, come on, please. I am literally begging you to forgive whatever I did, and let's go back to what we used to be."
Philip stared down at her. He could not compare his time with Sage with the brief time he had spent with Amanda. "I–"
"Give me a chance, and I promise you the governor will back off from Oz corp." Sage blurted out.
Philip paused, blinking a few times as if he couldn't believe his ears. "What do you mean?"
"Victor is my dad....I am his illegitimate daughter from one of his affairs." She bit out in an icy tone. "But he owes me, and I will talk to him."
Philip took a step back to look at Sage. "Victor Howard is your father, and you kept that from me?"
Sage raised her hands mid-way to pacify Philip. "Please, I am not proud of this. I have always wanted him to love me, but all he does is use me...and now he owes me big. And I know he will do this for me."
Philip shook his head. "I can't believe this."
"Just give me a chance. I will help you get the governor to back off...but I need you to promise me you will give me a chance."
Philip could not still believe his ears. He didn't know if he should play this game because he wanted the governor to pay for his crimes against his father. There is no way he could love Sage. If the governor is her father that means her father killed his. This was so fucked up, he groaned, turning away briefly.
But if it will make the governor back off from Oz corp – no, not even that. He shook his head mentally but decided to lie hi way out. "Okay, you get the governor to leave Oz corp alone and stop talking shit to my board members, and we can try."
A smile broke into Sage's lips, and she bit down her bottom lip to hold back her smile. "Trust me, you won't regret this. I'm totally changed."
"I said try. I am still very much in love with Amanda."
Nodding Sage replied, "I understand; I will take what I get. Baby steps, Philip. It is okay."
He looked down at his watch. "I have to take Rylee home. See you later Sage."
"Sure." Sage nodded, watching Philip.
*****
Philip drove Rylee home. She was quiet throughout the ride, only asking questions a few times about her friends. Philip did not want to tell her about the governor killing his father or that fucking Bushwick – whoever the maniac was gutted another person.
He helped her out of the car when they reached her apartment. He just wanted to be there for all his friends; they were the only people close to him. He had no one. Except for his father's half-sister in Tennessee, with whom he did not have a relationship. Becky was the next closet person, but she was dead.
"Hey, small steps," he said to Rylee as he helped her with her clutches.
"I already can't wait to stop using it," Rylee murmured.
Philip chuckled, unlocking the door. He knew his friends were hidden in her living room, ready to scream surprise as soon as they walked in.
He pushed the door open and helped Rylee in. "Physical therapy will do the job in no time."
"I hope so." Rylee managed to get into the foyer. Philip flipped the light switch, and a loud and joyful surprise filled his ear.
Rylee looked around with wide eyes. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, looking back at Philip with the expression of you knew all along.
He nodded with a grin. "Welcome home Rylee."
Amanda, Ralph, and Elijah had fixed a welcome balloon sign, which hung from the ceiling. There was a small ten-inch chocolate cake in Amanda's hand. Ralph was holding a card and a penholder with different colors for them to sign on her cast since they didn't have any chance to when she was in the hospital. At the same time, Elijah held a bottle of champagne and a red banquet.
"This is amazing, guys. I love you all." She said, spreading her arms. Amanda dropped the cake on the center table in the living room and embraced Rylee. Philip does the same, and so do Ralph and Elijah.
"Thank you so much, guys, I feel so loved." She said in between tears.
Amanda wiped her tears away, "Don't cry, girl."
"It's tears of joy." Philip chipped in, walking towards the living room.
"It's all we need now, given everything." Ralph chuckled.
Elijah nudged him, coughing lightly, but Rylee seemed to have noticed. Her excited eyes were replaced with a much more cautious and fear-filled one. "Did something happen?"
"Nothing that should worry you." Elijah said, guiding Rylee towards the living room. "Just focused on healing and cutting this beautiful cake I made for you."
"Ralph?" Rylee pressed, still not buying it.
Ralph bit his lips, looking away from Rylee. "Ralph, even you?"
"The recorder is gone Rylee." Ralph said.
Rylee chuckled, and the she shook her head. "You are right; I should concentrate on getting better." She said, settling on the sofa next to Philip.

The group cut their cake and drank their champagne, and gradually they called it a night. Amanda signed on Rylee's cast – satisfied with the heart she drew on it. "All love, baby girl."
"Oh, Philip told me you got a job in the DA," Rylee said to Amanda while the boy where busy watching TV.
"Yeah," Amanda said. "I just need something new...you know."
Rylee nodded. "I understand."
"Which is why you need to get better because Oz corp needs you," Amanda said, giving Rylee a warm simile. But Rylee shook her head, and her face held a blank expression. One told Amanda that something was up.
Rylee sat up, looking at Amanda, who was staring at her with worry, and then all of her friends. "Guys, I need to say something."
"What?" they turn to her.
"I know you are hiding a lot from me because of my condition. I could tell by how Amanda and Elijah sighed in relief when Ralph said my recorder was missing..." she paused, shaking her head. "Which means there is more....worse, and I'm sorry I am raising the white flag, and I am backing out. I already called my brother in Philly, and he will be waiting for me at the airport tomorrow." She said, sniffling.
"I am leaving, guys, and nothing you say or do can change it."