Wolf of the Tesseract

Chapter 8

James slipped back inside Claire's apartment bearing his gift. It was late in the morning, but he knew how his fiancé liked to sleep late whenever possible. Besides, she had gotten up early yesterday and then stayed up all day pretending she wouldn't be tired. She'd spent most of the day making wedding plans with Vivian; they planned to scout some wedding reception locations today. The event needed an area big enough to accommodate the crowd a celebrity would inevitably draw.

Checking the clock, he snipped the ends of the flowers he'd stepped out to purchase so they'd stay fresh longer. He knew he could still arrive in time for his meeting, but it wasn't likely that he'd see Claire before he had to leave. Vivian was quite capable of keeping close tabs on her, however.

He arranged an empty breakfast plate on the table he'd adorned with the flowers and affixed a Post-It note to it. "Frozen Waffles in the freezer. You are my everything!" James smirked; he put serious effort into being charming for his betrothed.

James took his car keys and a door key from the table near the entry and closed it gently behind him. He had a group that he needed to meet with, and he didn't expect it to go very well.

Even though he wore a warm, Hollywood smile on his face as he walked through the apartment complex's hall, his mood turned considerably darker. James knew that he had some minor hiccups to iron out with his comrades, and he anticipated smoothing out at least one wrinkle this very morning. What vexed him most was another situation that had crept up. James was pretty sure Claire had been seeing another guy, someone she knew from several years ago.

James didn't feel insecure. Vivian had informed on him; there was no real threat, and he knew exactly who this person was, even more so than Claire did. What troubled him was that Claire hadn't said anything to him about it. That seemed so unlike her; perhaps the nature of their relationship was not exactly as deep and secure as he thought. James would have liked nothing better than to resolve that issue this morning too... but not with Claire. He hoped to have that encounter as soon as he was able— if he could ever locate the other guy.

Still fuming, James crossed the street and peeked in the alleyway. There was no sign of the interloper. James hadn't foreseen him as capable of showing up here, of all places. He grimaced and returned to his car in the underground parking ramp.

He didn't expect he'd find that meddler today, anyhow. It would sort itself out. He had a team of experts put on the matter.

Pulling a sleek cell phone from his pocket, he thumbed in his sister's contact. He typed a quick message, "Meeting with them soon. Keep Claire safe."

He clicked the fob to unlock his Lexus, then got in and sped away. Today would be his. He was James Shianan. He was Hollywood's darling. And he knew that he was so much more than just that. Soon, the whole world would know who James Shianan truly was.

. . .

Claire strolled through the verdant, manicured park flanked by her two bridesmaids. With her face beaming, she spun slow circles as she took in the scenery, imagining the setup she had planned for the wedding reception and how it would look on these park grounds.

Vivian took fastidious notes and drew a diagram on her clipboard. Jackie kept close, providing emotional support and positive feedback. She'd grown quite worried for her friend since the fire and the subsequent, but temporary communications blackout.

Walking near a pond fed by a babbling brook, Vivian took a call on her cell and meandered just out of earshot. Jackie, bubbly as ever crept close to her friend while Claire threw a few bread scraps to the geese that paddled nearby. They honked and demanded the scraps whenever she held a piece for too long.