Eighty-Nine

Allegra’s eyes flew to his, brimming with trepidation.  She hadn’t kept it from him on purpose, she’d just forgotten. 

Sort of.

When she’d first realized that the cross was gone, an overwhelming sense of emptiness had engulfed her.   It had been her first instinct to tell Richie, but he and Jon were already furious, and inciting more anger was the last thing she’d wanted to do.  So she’d tried to push the loss aside, until a better time presented itself.

Afterward, every time it had come to mind, she and Richie had been someplace that was NOT conducive to the amount swearing she expected him to do.  Usually at a show, since all the video equipment brought Felix to mind.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.  I meant to, but the timing was never right.”

He, of course, jumped to the most logical conclusion.  “Where did you lose it?” he inquired calmly.

He doesn’t seem angry about it being lost.  I wonder if…  No.  She mentally shook her head.  I won’t lie to him.

“I was wearing it on the day of the rape, but didn’t have it on when Matt found me.  I… guess Felix took it.”

Richie’s mind numbed and the hand stroking the cross went still, allowing it to slide from his grasp, thudding softly as it settled back into the hollow of her throat.   In an eerily quiet voice that sounded strange even to his own ears, Richie choked out, “He has your cross?”

“I can only assume.”

Tension steeled the set of his jaw, and his eyes shuttered themselves in the instant before he directed his gaze out the plane window.  Harnessing the intense rage that boiled freely was going to require complete concentration. 

He wasn’t angry with her, by any means, but if he wasn’t very careful she would end up being the unintentional victim.  Counting to ten, he soothed himself by mentally conjuring images of Felix Oswego – after he’d beaten the living hell out of him.

“Richie?” 

Her hand clasped his bicep, and he turned, forcing a terse smile to his lips.  “It’s okay, baby.  Just gimme a minute.”

♥♫♥

Their bags had been delivered to the guesthouse bedroom, and Richie was sitting on the bed texting Ava while Allegra put her things away.   The instant the last garment was hung and the last drawer was pushed shut, her idle hands were drawn to him like a magnet.  She had recently developed a serious addiction to his touch, and looped her arms around his shoulders, leaning in for a kiss.  “I had the best time with you this week.  Thank you.”

Richie’s face lit in an easy smile.  She hadn’t been the only one.  He was surprised at how comfortable and effortless their time together had been.  In previous relationships, he had enjoyed his girlfriends’ company, but equally enjoyed his solitude. 

That wasn’t the case with Allegra.  Even his coveted studio time had been more enjoyable with her nearby.

“Baby, the pleasure was all mine,” he assured her.  “I’d love to spend at least a month like that with you.  Touring has definitely lost its appeal now.”  A quick yank had her tumbling into his lap with a squeak of surprise.  They were nose to nose, his face set with an impish grin.  “I don’t guess you’ve changed your mind about that whole work thing, have you?”

“No, I haven’t.  Sorry, but that whole kept woman scenario isn’t exactly my thing.”

“Are you sure?  I’d keep you REALLY well…”

“I have no doubt about that.” Allegra tugged lightly on this necklace with a look of reproach.  “But would you be so anxious to keep me if I were WANTED to be kept?”

She had him there.  Her independent streak could be frustrating at times, but it was a huge part of why he loved her.  Dependency was a foreign concept for Allegra, and that made it all the sweeter when she let down her guard and allowed his protective nature to shine.  No, he would never have to wonder if she was with him for any reason other than love.  She didn’t NEED him, or have any interest in his fame or fortune.

“I love you just the way you are,” he admitted freely.  “Don’t change a thing.”

Her heart expanded until she thought it would burst at the seams, and a mist of tears materialized, prompting her to hug him as tightly as her arms would allow. 

“Do you realize how much I’m gonna miss you the next couple of weeks?”

“It’s killing me to think about it,” he confessed with a grimace.  “So let’s pretend it isn’t going to happen.  We’ll revel in tonight like tomorrow isn’t gonna come and steal it away.”

“Hey, that sounds like a song lyric.”

“It does, doesn’t it?  I’m gonna have to run that one past Jon.”

“Well… It’s been forever since I’ve gotten to talk to Dot.  Do you wanna head up to the main house and check in with them? ”

“Sure, baby.”  With a gentle grasp of her hips, he helped her to stand upright before rising and latching onto her hand.  “I’ve got some other stuff to talk to him about, anyway,” Richie said, his mind drifting back to Allegra’s cross. 

Jon’s the only one who can come CLOSE to being as pissed as I am.

One short stroll to the main house, and they slid through the terrace doors to find Jon and Dot curled up on the sofa watching a movie.    

“Hey you two!” Dot greeted them, pausing the movie.  “You look like you’ve had a good time basking in the California sunshine.   Did you enjoy your time off?”

Hands still clasped together, Richie and Allegra looked at each other with surreptitious smiles. 

“Good Lord, yes, they enjoyed their time off.  Don’t you see they STILL can’t keep their eyes or hands off each other,” Jon bitched without any real emotion, dropping his feet from the coffee table to the floor.

“Fuck you.”  Richie told his friend with an amiable smile.  “You’re jealous that I found a Bongiovi worth loving.”

Dorothea rolled her eyes at Allegra.  “I swear they miss bickering at each other.  It’s always the same thing after a break.  The next words out of Richie’s mouth will be…”  She deepened her voice in attempt to mimic Richie. ”‘I’ve got this thing stuck in my head.  Wanna hit the studio?’” 

“Oh yeah?” Jon made a show of turning his full attention to Richie, quizzical expression blanketing his features.

With a laugh Richie shrugged.  “According to Allegra, I just came up with a good lyric.  We should probably toss it around before I forget.”

Jon gave one sharp nod and lithely rose to his feet.  “Ladies, if you’ll excuse us, work calls.”  With a swift peck on his wife’s cheek, he promised, “We’ll be back in a few, babe.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she waved him away carelessly.  “I know how that goes.  I’ll see ya when I see ya.”

Richie’s kiss for Allegra was longer and more lingering.  “I won’t be too long, baby.  I missed you last night.”

Upon Ava’s return from her ski trip, Allegra had relocated back into the guest room, leaving Richie alone in his room.  One night apart and they were both feeling separation anxiety.   His looming departure made this final night that much more precious.

“God, you’re making me nauseous over here.  Are we going or not?”

The men were still squabbling as they stepped into the early evening air, quieting only once they’d arrived in the studio.  Jon sauntered toward the piano, while his counterpart readily reached for the old, beat-up acoustic guitar held in residence for him.

“So whaddya got, Sambora?”  Jon’s wide hands moved across the keyboard, not so much gracefully, but with determination. 

As effortlessly as breathing,  Richie found the chords that would complement the unfamiliar melody, letting them resonate in the air before stilling the strings with his hand.  “I do have a couple of ideas, but I was more interested in talking.”

Jon didn’t pause in his musical meanderings, merely arching his eyebrow curiously.  After seeing his guitarist fawning all over Allegra, he had an idea about where this was headed, but wisely kept silent. “So talk.” 

“Have you found out ANYTHING else about where the hell Felix is?”

This was NOT what Jon had been expecting.  His hands dropped to the piano bench, hackles rising in anticipation.  Richie wouldn’t bring it up without a reason.

“No word yet.  Why, has something else happened?”

Richie put the guitar back in its stand and moved to stand before the wall of windows looking across the property.  “Not anything new, but I found something out today.”

“Okay…?”

“Do you remember the platinum and diamond cross that I got for Allegra?  I bought it in Vegas.”

“Never saw it, but you told me about it, yeah.”

“You probably never WILL see it, because that little prick swiped it while she was unconscious.”

“Of COURSE he did.  Why the fuck wouldn’t he, the dumb bastard.  This SOB has officially danced on my last fuckin’ nerve!”  Jon forcefully closed the cover on the piano keys.  “And why didn’t she say something sooner?”

“She said we were already mad enough, and she didn’t want to upset us.  I just happened to realize she wasn’t wearing it and asked about it on our way back here.”

“Well, it gives us one more reason to stomp the life out of the piece of fuck.” 

Jon’s mind was swirling. 

EVERY problem can be solved by throwing money at it.  Why can’t they find ONE demented little shit?  How much money do they NEED?

“That necklace had significant meaning behind it for Allegra and me.  It has to be replaced.”

“Oh yeah, Prince Charming?  Another necklace?”

“No.  An engagement ring.”

He didn’t want to be happy about this.  It was too soon, and his friend was likely, once again, jumping headlong into something he hadn’t enough time to think through.

But he looked so damn HAPPY.  Centered.  Even being pissed about the necklace, there was still that underlying peace that had been missing for so long.  Allegra had done that for him, and he, in turn, was taking good care of her.  Even more remarkable than that, she was ALLOWING him to take good care of her.

Yeah, as much as he’d hated the idea in the beginning, this was a good thing.  Together THEY were a very good thing.

Jon exercised enough control over his features that only the ghost of a smile was evident.  “Are you asking my permission, man?”

“Fuck, no!  I’m telling you.  I’m gonna find the ring while we’re out on this leg, and ask her as soon as we finish it up.”  He regarded his friend somberly.  “Are you gonna be a dick?”

Their eyes locked and swapped multiple silent messages until Jon finally rose, hand outstretched.  Expecting a sincere shake, Richie was surprised when Jon actually gripped his hand, hauling him up into a heartfelt man hug.

With a sigh of relief, Richie wrapped both arms around his friend a little tighter and longer than Jon usually allowed.   Being on the receiving end of Richie’s affection still embarrassed him after all these years.

With an uncomfortable clearing of his throat, Jon broke the embrace, searching the dark depths of his best friend’s eyes one last time. 

“You’re sure about this?  You can’t suddenly decide you fucked up and just say ‘oops’.  Not with her, Rich.”

“Dude, I got this.  Trust me.”