Until The Trial

Chapter 18

Lucas

Lucas steps into his office in good spirits the next morning. In his hand, he carries a bag full of chocolate caramels he promised he wouldn't eat and would give them to Vaughn. By the time Samantha finished making the chocolate caramels the night before, it was already late into the night. She had wanted to watch one of the movies, but he was able to convince her to head to bed. Of course, they both ended up talking for another hour until she fell asleep. He then found it hard to go to sleep himself, as she looked so peaceful and lovely sleeping. While he was partly worried she would wake up to him staring, and then she would think he is creepy, it was just so nice to see her relaxed. Something she doesn't seem capable of doing while she is awake. No matter how much he knows he needs to distance himself if he wants to maintain his staying single rule, it's getting harder to do so. In everything, he does, he finds himself wondering what Samantha would do. If he is picking up coffee, he wonders what flavor she would pick should she not be pregnant, or if someone tells him something dumb, he wonders what Samantha's sarcastic reply would be. It's like she has cast some sort of spell over him.

"Flynn!" Vaughn walks into the office. "Why are you here?"

"I have a couple of things I have to ask the director," he replies, "Julian arrived to watch Samantha soon after I left."

"Anything I can help with? I already checked in with the team again, and they have nothing of importance yet, but they are following a lead on the dead reporter."

"Belakdar?"

"Yes, seems he might have met with Martinez, shortly before her death. If this is true, then he may have been killed due to the potential threat of him knowing something." 

"That's good. I'll check in with them later personally. Anything else?"

Vaughn hesitates to speak.

"What happened?"

"Julian's team arrested a gang member, but of course, he won't talk, not even for a deal."

"He didn't tell me his team got gang members," Lucas says.

"Well, it was late last night and by that time he figured you would be asleep. Of course, by morning, he knew the member wouldn't talk."

Lucas squints at Vaughn, something not sitting right with him. "Vaughn, where is he? I want to question him."

Vaughn scratches the desk, "He is still with Julian's department. Since he isn't there, I suppose they are with his team."

"His team? Why isn't he with us, he isn't supposed to keep them."

"He, uh, wanted to see if they would talk first,"

"Are you serious? Are you freaking serious!" Vaughn winces. "Why didn't you call me?" Lucas grabs his phone and dials his brother's number. He picks up on the third ring.

"What's up?" Julian asks, sounding out of breath. Loud music barely lets Lucas hear him. "Give me a second. Sam, it's Lucas, can you lower that."

Sam? Since when does he call her by a nickname. Lucas surprises himself with the sudden, unreasonable jealousy he gets. Recognizing it, he forces it away.

"Thanks. Okay, you can talk now, Lucas."

"Why are you out of breath?" 

"Turns out Sam loves history. Did you know that?"

"Yes," he replies through gritted teeth.

"Well, I told her if she could name all of Britain's prime ministers, then I would do any challenge of her choice," he pauses Samantha telling him something. Lucas tries to hear, but it only sounds like gibberish. "She says since I stupidly doubted her, I have to also bring her all the chocolates of her choice. Anyway, so her challenge was to do five hundred push-ups with her adding weight to my back every hundred." Jealousy flares up again in Lucas, escaping where he pushed it away too. It annoys him to hear him and Samantha get so well along, especially since he is a hundred percent sure Julian is interested in her. He doubts Julian and her have fought even once, unlike Lucas and her.