"Sir. We need you in the study." Andrew said after dinner.
"Of course. I'll be back." Ezra said, kissing Billie's head as she read a book under a blanket by the enormous fireplace.
"Ok." She said with a smile.
"Well, what do you have?" Ezra asked Paul.
"Well hello to you too, sir." Paul said sarcastically.
"He's in Houston. And word is he's looking for places to rent in Phoenix."
"You have got to be joking." Ezra said, putting his hands on his hips.
"No." Paul said. "And I looked into this Gabriel kid. Other than a DUI two years ago and a drunken buffoon for a father, he's clean. Not the best childhood of course, raised by relatives. But he finished college. Smart. Good grades. Musical. Offered a scholarship to Juilliard for theater and vocal music. Went to Arizona State instead. Philosophy major. Bachelor's degree. Had his appendix out when he was 12. Kind of a vagabond type."
Ezra nodded. "Thank you for checking him out. Now, how do we get to this Sean?"
"Depends. What are you gonna do when you find him?" Paul asked.
Ezra hesitated. Andrew put his head down, avoiding giving any input.
"I can't answer that." Ezra said.
"Well then, the less I know the better. Let's keep it that way." Paul opened and envelope and handed Ezra a cell phone.
"What's this?" Ezra asked.
"It's a burner phone and it's tracking every movement that motherfucker makes." Paul said.
"How?" Ezra asked.
"There's a device on his car linked to this phone. It monitors where the vehicle is at all times."
"What if he switches vehicles?" Ezra asked.
"He has a custom built Jeep. He's not getting rid of that anytime soon." Paul said.
"Good. Andrew, be on alert. When he comes back to Arizona, we'll be ready for him."
Andrew nodded.
"I have two men coming tomorrow for extra security detail. They aren't cheap, son." Paul said.
"Good. I wouldn't want them to be." Ezra said with a smile. "Thank you." Paul gathered his things and patted Ezra's shoulder.
"Make sure it's self defense." Paul said and left.
Ezra nodded.
****************************
"What are you reading?" Ezra asked, handing Billie a cup of tea.
"The Shining." She said. "I'm preparing for our Colorado trip."
He laughed. "What a way to prepare! Yikes. We won't be having that kind of vacation, babe." Ezra said with a laugh.
He looked over at her, resting his face on his fist and smiling.
"What?" She asked.
"I'm just looking at you." He said, sipping his tea.
"Some times I think this isn't real. That I'll wake up tomorrow, back at that shitty little motel or even worse, back in Indiana. That it's all a dream. It's too perfect." Billie said, wistfully looking around.
"Billie, it's real." He got up and walked over to her. He took her hand, placing it on his chest. "Feel that? It's my heart. It beats. My lungs, breathe. I am real. You are here, with me, and I have never been happier." He said, looking at her.
"Yes but it feels like it's not mine. Like I'm watching it all, second hand. You are so beautiful. So perfect. My life was so… so terrible before. So ugly. So hopeless. And now? Now I'm here. With you." She said.
"And I never want you to leave." He said.
She smiled. "Well, I did move in. Although I know it was to make sure I'm safe. Which I appreciate more than you know." She said.
"Do your feel safe here?" He asked.
"Yes." She said.
"Good." He said. He left it at that. Soon enough, he would explain that it wasn't just for her safety. That it was because he wanted to spend every moment he could with her. Soon enough, he'd ask her to be his wife.