MORIANI HOME
"He's been in town, I knew that,"
Ryan says, fumbling for a grip on this latest news. "But I didn't think--I
mean ... Did he do anything? What did he want?"
Claire offers a distrusting look.
"He said that he wanted to know why you'd been so distant with him. He
thought I might know something."
She sees Ryan's hands curling into
fists, but he pulls them up to his face and leans it against them. "Jeez.
I didn't think he knew you were here. I really didn't think he'd go after
you."
"I thought you sent him," she fires.
Accusing Ryan of setting this up seems less frightening than any other
possibility right now.
"No! Claire, I would never do that."
His eyebrow rises, expressing her
disbelief.
"I swear, I would not stoop to that!"
he insists. "God, how long has it been since I even bothered you? I get
the hint, okay? As much as I don't want to get it, I do."
"You really didn't know about this,"
she says quietly after a lengthy pause.
"No!" He sighs, utter frustration
wanting so badly to be relieved. "I don't know why he would go after you.
I don't even know how he found you ..."
"Well, he did," she snaps, though
she feels the bleeding of regret begin almost immediately. "How could he?
I mean, does he really not--not remember?"
"I don't think he does. I was there
-- if he remembered it, he would have been worried about me remembering.
I really think he just blacked out afterward and doesn't remember."
"How is that possible?" By all indications,
she is lost, strugging to understand how this can be happening, even though
for some reason, she has absolutely no doubt that it really is.
"I'm sorry," Ryan offers. "I--I didn't
mean for this to happen. If I'd known he was going to go after you, I would
have just talked to him, I would've done whatever he wanted."
"It's not your fault." She can hardly
believe that she is saying it.
"I'll take care of this. I'll get
rid of him, I promise. Claire, I don't want you to get hurt, I don't want
you to have to deal with this all over again. I care about you too much
to let that happen."
She accepts his declaration with
silence.
"I'll take care of it," he says again.
She stares at him, disturbingly unemotional.
"Good."
He closes his eyes for a second.
"I wish he would just go away--"
"So do I." Turning, she makes her
way back down the stairs and to the car. She gets in and starts it up without
another glance at him.
"You better not hurt her, you bastard,"
Ryan whispers as he watches the car pull away.
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