Henri - 25

 

Henri - 25

 

Taegan arrived at Henri's apartment that evening the normal way, by car. He received a kiss, in exchange for the bottle of wine he handed Henri, calling it, with a laugh, a 'hostess gift'.

 

"Not sure I qualify as a hostess," Henri told him, "but it's much appreciated. All I have to offer to drink is tea or instant coffee."

 

"I noticed when I was putting things away." Taegan made a beeline for the living room. "You did well. It looks homey."

 

The dining table and chairs were set up at one end of the room, the sofa and two armchairs at the other. The late evening sunlight coming through the windows seemed to accent the warm tone of the beige upholstery. The coffee table, like the dining table, was a shade paler than the hardwood flooring.

 

"Dinner should be ready as soon as the steaks are grilled," Henri said. "How do you like yours?"

 

"Rare," Taegan told him, following him into the kitchen. "Why don't I set the table while you finish up?"

 

Henri nodded. After checking the oven's grill temperature, he slid the steaks in, then put the diced zucchini and corn into the frying pan to sauté in olive oil. Taegan put two plates on the counter, gathered up silverware and glasses to take to the other room. By the time he got back, Henri was putting the steaks on the plates. He dished out the vegetables, topping them with minced chives.

 

"Smells great," Taegan said, opening the wine. "The food, I mean."

 

Henri laughed. "I knew that."

 

Soon, they were seated at the table, their meals in front of them. Taegan poured them each some wine, waving his hand dismissively when Henri apologized for the fact that all he had were water glasses. "It still tastes like wine, no matter the container."

 

Staring at his dinner, Henri wasn't certain he could eat. His stomach was doing flip-flops when he thought about what was planned for later that night. Get a grip, he told himself. It's not like I'm going after Xavier alone. I have good friends who won't let him get his hands on me again.

 

"It's going to be fine," Taegan said, reaching out to grip Henri's hand. "By this time tomorrow, you'll have your life back."

 

"Or be a guinea pig again," Henri muttered.

 

"Not happening. I promise. So take a deep breath and eat. You need your strength."

 

Henri nodded, taking a bite of steak. It actually tasted good and didn't sit like a lump in his stomach. He took another bite, then ate some vegetables, and before he knew it, his plate was empty.

 

"Now if it stays down…"

 

Taegan smiled. "It will. Have another glass of wine and relax while I take care of the dishes."

 

"You don't have to."

 

"You cooked. I clean up. I think it's some sort of law."

 

Henri was about to debate that when the doorbell rang. He went to answer, heeding Taegan's warning to check before opening the door. Peering through the peephole, he saw Ransom, Allyn and Miranda standing on the porch and he let them in.

 

Miranda, of course, had to check out everything. "Not bad, not bad at all, for a bachelor's pad," she pronounced before taking a seat at one end of the sofa.

 

"It would be a disaster if it wasn't for you," Henri told her.

 

"Pfft. However the strange décor—" she grinned broadly, "—in the bathroom does not add to the ambiance."

 

"No kidding. Ransom told you why he's there?"

 

"I did," Ransom said. "Did you learn anything from him?"

 

"Nothing really helpful," Henri replied. "He and two other guys were hired through, believe it or not, a day labor service. From his description, it wasn't by Xavier or the man who was with him when they came after me."

 

"So he's picked up more helpers, from the sound of it," Allyn said.

 

Ransom took his laptop from his bag, setting it on the coffee table.

 

"Here's what I could find on the interior of the building," he told them, going online. Ransom opened a website. "One recent photo and—" he went to another site, "—a general floor plan." When everyone came over to look, he tapped the photo. "As you can see, the central section of the building goes to the roof while both ends are broken into two floors with a balcony fronting the second floor." He pointed to the railings along the balconies and the stairways leading up to them.

 

"Offices on both, I presume," Allyn said.

 

Ransom shook his head. "At one end, yes. Either that or small storage rooms—the floor plan doesn't label what they are. On the other side, one long room takes up each floor."