Tad and Taylor The Wedding Part 12

 

 

Tad: So you’re back to that again? Well I’m not going to tell you till we are at least at the airport. (He crosses his arms over his chest)

Taylor: Same goes for me! (She imitates his actions pursing her lips and crossing her arms)

Tad: That goes for me double! (He huffs making them both laugh)

Taylor: Come on this silly were going to be at the airport in like twenty minutes! I’ll make a deal with you, you tell me your secret and then I’ll tell you mine okay.

Tad: Okay! As a wedding gift my mother and Palmer gave us two weeks in all expense paid trip to Palmer’s…. (Letting his voice trail off)

Taylor: What come on! (Her eyes open wide)

Tad: Villa on the French Rivera.

Taylor: Oh…My…God! (She squeals with delight) I have always dreamed of going there!

Tad: I know!

Taylor: I can’t believe Palmer did this!

Tad: I’m sure after my Mom twisted his arm a little.

Taylor: I don’t care if she broke it off and beat him with it! This is Wonderful! I can’t believe it! (She throws her arms around his neck giving him a strangle hold hug)  Thank you!

Tad: Don’t Thank me thank Palmer.

Taylor: Thank you Palmer Cortlandt where ever you are! (She wraps her arms around Tad’s neck her kiss taking his breath away)

Tad: Wow!

Taylor: Wow, is right! (She beams up at him then lays her head on his shoulder)

Tad: Okay, (He pulls away slightly) okay enough of that tell me your secret!

Taylor: Okay, remember the other morning when you were trying to get in the bathroom? (He looks at her his eye squinted his mouth twisted quizzically, She rolls her eyes and sighs slapping her hands on her knees) You were trying to get in because you guys had the fitting and were running late as usual! If you had just gotten up when I called you the first time but no! You had to lay there like a big sack of potatoes…

Tad: Never mind all that! (He says with a dismissive wave of his hands) What’s the secret?

Taylor: Well if you wouldn’t interrupt and would just let me tell it my way I could have told you already! (She looks at him pretending to be insulted by his interruption as she smothers a laugh)

Tad: Okay, (He smiles back his anticipation etched on his face) okay I’m sorry go ahead tell me!

Taylor: Well I (Their head swivel in the direction of the sound of tires screeching just seconds before the exploding crunch of impacting metal sends the limousine tumbling down the side of the ravine towards the rocks below. The sounds of Taylor’s screams shatter the evening sky like an opera singer shatters a glass the at the end of her performance the sounds crescendo to a climax as the twisted metal smash to a halt on the rocks below. The truck’s driver rolls to a stop a few feet from where the limousine once stood it’s driver sprawled on the pavement his body looking more like a pile of rags than the man he was seconds before. He flings the door open and hurries from the vehicle to the roads edge the other to the body of the driver. He stares at the mangled wreckage below. Cursing his luck he reaches in to his pocket for his phone quickly dialing starring alternately from the wreckage below to either direction of the highway pacing back and forth like a caged animal)   

Driver: We have a problem. (He growls in to the phone)

Second Driver: He’s dead. (Walking back towards him shaking his head)

Devereaux: What happened? (He snarls in to the receiver still annoyed by the earlier jostling. This had all been a disaster the last thing he needed was another complication but his instincts told him that wasn’t at all likely) 

Driver: We had an accident. (His tone matter of fact)

Devereaux: How bad? (His anger barely contained)

Driver: Bad. (He says flatly)

Devereaux: Are you able to still drive? (His voice tight his words clipped and stilted)

Driver: Yes.

Devereaux: Where are you?

Driver: About a mile and a half past the turn off.

Devereaux: Wait for me there try to stay out of sight.

Driver: Right. (Devereaux presses the receiver disconnecting the call then tosses the phone across the car. He leans forward and taps on the partition waiting a moment as the glass winds down)

Devereaux: Maurice, turn the car around and hurry. (He snaps winding the window back up. Maurice pulls the car to the side of the road waits a moment for the other car to pass then wields the car around and heads back the way they came. He smiles to his self whatever that call was about it seemed to completely dismantle his employers usual cool collected persona. Some days the crown weighs heavy!

Maurice: Here’s to more of them! (He mutters the jest tickling him thoroughly he chokes back his laughter disguising it as a cough, he drives through the darkness a grin filled with mirth on his lips contemplating what the scenario of events was that had upset him)