Bound to Him (Story 2)✔

~Chapter 18~

~Sol~

The first time in all of my forty-two years of life, I'd woken up with my body stiff. Aching in places it never had before. All due to the white rocking chair that occupied the corner of my daughters nursery. It didn't matter that the chair had cushions, it was just slightly too small for a body as big as mine.

Lesson learned. I slid out of it with a grown and stretched, at least a hundred of my bones cracking at once. Old man, my own voice taunted in my head and I rolled my eyes. Not quite. I check the time on my Rolex, almost ten in the morning, before I went over to the crib and peered inside. The blood running through my veins coagulated as I stared into the empty crib.

All sorts of contingencies went through my brain as I fled from the room but only one stuck...First my wife and now my daughter. I nearly tripped over my own feet going down the stairs. My heart beat wildly in my chest as I searched rooms. When I slid to a stop at the kitchen hushed whispers filled my ears. Olivia was lightly bouncing the infant in her arms while Gwen stood at the stove cooking breakfast. "Shit..." Is what I said, even though I really wanted to start some shit.

Two sets of eyes swung over to me and they quieted. The look of confusion and worry on their faces. "Sol, are you okay?"

Not sure which of the women asked the question but I ran a my fingers roughly through my tangled mane of blonde. "Fine...I just thought-" The Irish girl got the gist when I glanced at the bundle of yellow and pink in her arms. It took everything in me not to go over and snatch her away.

"Oh...oh I'm sorry. I didn't want to wake you." Olivia's faced flushed, probably from embarrassment but I waved it away. I was clearly just losing my fucking marbles. She went on to explain that Lydia had been fed, changed, and that Detective Harrison Marsh had called the house earlier. That had to be good, surely.

"Breakfast will be done soon. Er...maybe you should have a shower Mr. Specter." It wasn't even a suggestion that came from Gwen, more of a tough-love order. I nearly scowled at the old woman but turned and left the kitchen instead. Things had to be done today; conference calls and a checkup for Lydia with her doctor. I made the shower quick, dressed in my usual get-up; slacks, a button up and loafers. Before I disappeared into my study,  I grabbed a biscuit filled with cheese, sausage and eggs as well as a cup of coffee. Black and strong.

My Mac was in sleep mode when I finally got behind my desk. The same tab was up from last night with the bookmarks opened up. It made me think of last night and the inconvenient incident with Stella Martin. There was something wrong with that woman and I was seriously considering our business together. Terminate or deal with the infatuation she had over me? Just rid of her, Sol. She's too much to handle and it's not like you don't already have a lot on your plate right now.

I put that little-or big-decision on the back burner and went to my email. The first of many was from Margot Inman regarding the session I had missed yesterday. With the way shit was going right now, I should call the woman back and rush over to her office for a little one on one. I made a note to call her back later before I answered several of my other emails.

Harrison Marsh called again and the news was neither good or bad; Mitchell Larson's friends had all confirmed that he was indeed on a camping trip. For some reason, I had a feeling that his alibi was a bunch of bullshit but I was still putting my trust in Harrison. After all, I wasn't a Detective.

I was shutting things down, to go get things ready for Lydia's appointment, when Thomas came into the study. Still, I hadn't said a word to him in almost two full days. He knew exactly how I was feeling about him right now. "Mr. Specter. A word?" He asked and shut the door behind him.