Chapter 16

Chapter sixteen

Martha gave out a loud snort, which jolted her eyes open. She gave out a slight sleepy moan before rising up in the large bed. The dazed, blood shot, blue eyes glanced around the bright white room. She gently pushed herself off the bed and walked around the white leather couch. Her feet shuffled across the room and her eyes were intent on the burnt hole made through the window. Yet, it was not the hole itself that she was looking at; through the hole entered the very bright and powerful morning sun. She stood at the window for a moment to bath in the rays of the sunlight. Sounds of birds chirping and the smell of the morning autumn air enter the room.

The pretty red head turned around and walked back across the room to the door. She sniffed before she twisted the knob and opened the door into the artistic hallway. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she walked through the silent hallway, making her way up the stairs that led into the red sitting room. As she neared the steps, she could hear the sound of voices echo from the sitting room.

Once Martha entered the room, she saw two figures sitting on the red leather couch that sat at the other end of the room.

Gabriel sat at one end of the couch, sipping from a coffee mug. The other figure was new to Martha; it was a woman in her early forties. Her skin was much tanned and her black hair was long and thick with a curly fullness. The woman laughed at some joke that Gabriel made. As Gabriel sat down his mug, he glanced to Martha entering the room. He gave a slight grin and stood up. "Good morning, Miss Thomas."

The woman turned to glance over her shoulder. She quickly stood up with a smile. She was dressed in a pair of green sweat pants and a long white t-shirt that had a drawing of a grey kitten playing with a ball of yarn on the front. Her frame was curvy with a slight plumpness to it. Her face was very exotic with a strong nose. The eyes that twinkled at Martha were an emerald green and over them were a pair of heavy black eyebrows. She smiled and walked around the couch over to Martha. "Hello there. I have heard a lot about you." Her voice was cheerful and had a thin Romanian accent. The woman held out a slender hand out to Martha.

Martha slowly took the hand and shook it. "Hello." She answered back with a scratchy voice.

The woman nodded. "I am Ezra ... Ezra Anghelescu." She turned around and pointed to Gabriel. "You've met my husband already, I am told."

Martha nodded, still holding Ezra's hand. "Yes ... He was very kind to both my cousin and I."

Gabriel shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'm glad to see you have had some sleep."

Martha gave a forced smile. "Finally, after all these years." She released her grip from Ezra's hand. "Have either of you seen my cousin, Richard, around?"

Ezra looked back to Gabriel for an answer.

Gabriel nodded. "Yes, he is in the office with Zachary. He is fine."

Martha let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank God for that. Can I see him?"

Gabriel shrugged. "Would you like something to eat first? Maybe some coffee?"

Martha shook her head. "I won't be able to eat until I see he is okay."

Gabriel nodded. "Follow me."

Ezra smiled at Martha with a nod. "It was wonderful to meet you."

Martha forced a smile on her face again. "The feeling is mutual." She left the presence of Ezra and followed the large man up the red coated stairs into the black marble hallway.

Gabriel opened the office door and held it open for Martha. "Go on in, Zachary is expecting you."

Martha nodded to Gabriel and slowly entered the office. Her eyes darted around the office.

On the black leather couches that sat in front of the flat screened television, was Zachary, playing a game of chess with Richard. The two shared a quick laugh before Richard's glasses covered eyes darted to Martha. He stood up, dress in black slacks and a white untucked buttoned up shirt that sat under a black sweater.

Martha ran over to her cousin. Richard stood up and the two family members wrapped their arms around each other. Martha began to cry as she tightened her arms around Richard. "I never thought I would see you again."

Zachary stood up with a smile. "He has had quite an adventure."

Richard gave a quiet chuckle. "I'm okay, Martha. Just calm down."

Martha pushed herself away and placed her hands on his cheeks. "What happened?"

Richard's glasses slowly slid down his nose as he placed his hands on Martha's hands. "I can't remember it all, but Zachary filled in the missing holes in my memory."

Martha turned her attention from Richard to Zachary. Her mouth twisted as though she wanted to say something, but no words could come out of her throat.

Zachary nodded and started around the couch he was sitting on. "If you are worried about those people hunting you, do not. They have been taken care of." He continued to walk over to his desk.

Richard lowered Martha's hands. His eyes stared into hers. "How are you feeling?"

Martha let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know ... I thought something horrible happened to you ... But, I can't remember ..." She removed her hands from the care of her cousin's and turned to face Zachary. Her eyes became worried once again. "The last thing I remember was ... We were out in a garden ..."

Zachary picked up his silver cigarette case from the top of his desk. As he opened the case, Zachary gave a grin to Martha. His red eyes twinkled at her. "Do not struggle to remember the past. You are both here now and safe. That is all that matters." He pulled out one of the hand rolled cigarettes and placed it in-between his white lips.

Martha started over to Zachary at the desk. "Yes, we are here now, but I find myself worrying what is about to happen." Her voice was strong and somewhat demanding.

Zachary held a lit silver cigarette lighter to the end of his cigarette. He puffed for a moment to light his cigarette, smoke fell out of the corners of his mouth before he closed the lid to his lighter. "What is about to happen?" He asked.

Martha bit down on her lower lip. "So, you did not sell us out to the wolves, but what exactly do you plan to do with us?"

Zachary inhaled some smoke from his cigarette that was tucked in between his right fingers. He pulled the cigarette away and let out some smoke from his nostrils. "I have been debating that for a long time. I had a theory of what I was going to do, but I did not have a full solution until I talked to Richard over a game of chess."

Martha turned to Richard, her eyes wild with questions. "Well?"

Richard shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "Well, Zach and I think ... Well ... I know how you are going to take this Martha."

Zachary gave a chuckle and waved his cigarette holding hand around for a moment. Smoke trails followed his hand as he did so. "What the lad is trying to say is, I have an offer you cannot refuse." He placed the cigarette to his lips and puffed for a moment before he removed the cigarette and blew out smoke from his nostrils again. "Why don't you stay here at the manor?"

Martha turned her eyes back to Zachary in a dramatic fashion. "Why do I feel like you were going to ask that?"

Zachary let out a chuckle. "The manor has many empty rooms and I feel that I should offer you at least three of them. One for you, one for Richard and ... It will be rent free ..."

"What is the third room for?" Martha interrupted.

Zachary sighed, smoke flew out of his mouth as he did. "It occurs to me that Richard cannot always control when Bugsy decides to show his face, there for, the third room will be reserved for him."

Martha gave a scoff. "What? Treat him like a human being?"

Zachary nodded. "Of course." His eyebrows raised. "Why wouldn't we? He is a portion of Richard."

Martha shook her head. "He is not! I confided in you my fears and you even saw the monster in the flesh, and still you want to treat him with pity?!"

Zachary nodded. "Yes, like most of us, Bugsy is misguided and he needs help to find his way."

"Am I to assume you are the one to do that?" Martha asked with squinted, harsh eyes.

Zachary nodded again with a smile. "Trust me Martha, I am over qualified to be Bugsy's sitter. To add, can you really think of a better place for someone like Bugsy? A place where he can drink, flirt with women and dance with them?"

Martha nodded her head heavily. "Yes and what about the time he goes rabid and kills again?"

Zachary's grin left his face and his eyes flared. "He will not." He said with a gentle but stern voice. "I have met more dangerous killers in my day and I assure you, I sent them on a better path. Bugsy will be no different." He paused for a moment to smoke. "However, this will buy you time to work on a new formula with my personal friend Victoria. She has some ideas of chemistry." He glanced away to the side. "Granted, her ways are somewhat strange, but some strange solutions should be called for in a strange case, am I wrong?"

Martha ran her fingers over her messy red hair. "And what about Richard and I? What are we to do until we find the cure?"

Zachary nodded. "Well, I have ties to the Bridgewood University. We are currently searching for applicants in the pharmacy field. You will receive the Taylor scholarship to go for a degree in the field. All expenses paid in full." He pointed to Richard. "I also know a few good friends that can put Richard into a private school that resides in Bridgewood. He will become my assistant and Bugsy will become my ward, if you will."

Martha placed her hands on her hips and glanced to the ground.

Zachary stared at Martha and cocked his head to his left shoulder. "It will be a good chance for a normal life ... For the both of you."

Martha shook her head. "And what if more come for us? What then?"

Zachary smiled and lifted his head. "My dear, they may come in all shapes and forms of speed and strength, but they will have to be far more cleaver to take on this club."

Martha lifted up her head, tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry Zachary. Thank you for the offer, but we cannot accept it."

Richard walked over to his cousin with a worried glare behind his glasses. "But Martha ..."

Martha turned to Richard. "Staying in one spot will put us more in danger."

Richard placed his left hand on her shoulder. "And what if we find the cure out there? Will we ever see peace? They will never stop looking for us." He nodded his head to Zachary. "What we do know is that Zachary will keep his promise. I found that out this morning when I woke up in the back of his car, when he could have just left me where Bugsy left me ... He could have just let me fall from the tower."

Martha wiped a tear from her right eye. "Is this what you want? Do you really want to stay here?"

Richard shrugged. "What other option do we have? We have no other resources to fall on. I still don't know Zachary very well to say that what he says is true, but he has shown a great amount of trust in us. I think we should at least trust him enough to give us a home."

Martha gave a slight scoff. "A home? Funny how I never thought of that word until now."

Richard nodded with a sorrow look to his eyes. "Even if you turn down his offer, I'm sorry, but ... I won't."

Martha stared into Richard's eyes. Her mouth fell just slightly in shock. "You ... You trust him enough to leave me?" She choked.

Richard looked at Zachary for a moment and then turned his caring eyes to his cousin. "You have carried this burden long enough, cousin. We have both been running for our lives for so long that I have forgotten the reason why we want to keep on living." He paused for a moment to stare into an empty abyss. "What Zachary said to me on the tower made me want to live again. If the only thing I can do is try to overcome all of this, then it will be worth living, but I can't do it without help."

Martha looked at Zachary. Her eyes watched as he smoked on his hand rolled cigarette. She stared into the odd red colored eyes. A tear rolled down her left cheek as she nodded and whispered. "Okay."