Chapter 6
 

The two women were sitting in the lounge talking when Rollie returned back to the loft.  Upon seeing Angie, he remarked, "You are still here???  I clearly  remembering asking you not to be here when I got back." He finished off the  sentence by slamming the door.
 

"Well, I just couldn’t very well leave Elena alone, could I?" she questioned  him.
 

"She’s right, Rollie.  We have been waiting for you for nearly three hours.  Even if I waited by myself, I would have left by now.  And since I don’t know  the code to your system, how could I possibly lock up?  For her to leave me  here alone waiting for you Rollie would have been rude.  You should be
grateful that your assistant stayed." Elena backed up Angie if for no other  reason then Rollie kept them waiting for 3 hours.
 

Tyler didn’t see Elena sitting next to Angie in the lounge when he first  entered and by now was duly humbled by the federal agent’s lecture.  "Sorry,  Elena.  I didn’t see you there.  If I had known that you were here, I would  have returned sooner."
 

"We tried to reach you by cell phone, but you must have turned it off, Rollie.  I’m surprised at you; I thought you liked having your toys around you." Elena  chided him once again.  Rollie who was not used to being given-what-for by two  women in less than five minutes, changed the subject.
 

"Sorry.  You said that you came here looking for me? Anything I can do?"
 

"No, thank you.  Angie helped me; Angie, I’ll see you tomorrow, ok?" the  federal agent asked the blonde as she was leaving.
 

"OK, see ya."
 

"What?  What did she just say??  YOU are helping Elena out?!  I don’t believe  this.  You…"
 

"Tyler, just  don’t start.  She needed help and you weren’t here; she did wait  for 3 hours, Rol.  So I said yes."
 

"Exactly what are you doing to help?"
 

"They need someone who knows about pyrotechnics; they are giving someone a  ‘scare’.   Those are her words not mine."
 

"Pyrotechnics?!  You….."
 

"Before you start in, I told her to wait for you but she said she didn’t have the time and that she needed to know right there and then if I could help her." Shrugging her shoulders as if to say, not my fault.  "Ok, I’m going to leave now.  I was just hanging around till you got here or when Elena wanted to leave.  I…uh…guess that…um, well, I’ll see ya …tomorrow.  Later."
 

"Ange, wait a moment.   Please?"
 

"Look, If you are upset that Elena Serrano asked me to help her instead of you, well that is something that you are going to have to take that up with her…"
 

"No.  No, it’s not that; well, it is but not really."
 

With a raised eyebrow, and a look that said, ‘WHAT!?’, Angie  replied, "Makes sense, Rol.  Look, I have to go.  I’ll see you tomorrow, OK?"
 

"Angie, that is not what I want to talk about. "
 

"Then what?  I mean first you tell me not to be here then you ask me to leave, in front of someone, now you want to talk?!"
 

Sighing deeply, Rollie sat down on the bottom rung of the stairs that led to his private portion of the loft.  "I just wanted to apologize for um…well, what happened before", the Australian spoke very softly.
 

"For what? I’m sorry I didn’t you hear you all that well" was Angie’s reply.
 

"You are not going to make this easy for me, are you?  OK, I am sorry that I yelled at you this morning and yesterday…..in front of the others" he quickly added before she could pounce on him," and for telling you what to do."
 

"Why did you do that?  Why did you go all ballistic on me? And in front of people that WE consider to be friends??  If you feel that you are most suited for these people, that they are more *your* friends than mine…"
 

"No,no.  It’s not that.  Trust me I don’t consider them to my friends more than yours; that has nothing to do with this at all."  Rollie stopped for a moment to collect his thoughts and to them in order so that they made some sort of logic to any other human being in this world.
 

"Are you going to tell me what made you do it?" the blonde woman queried.
 

"Um…<sighing deeply from nerves> ever since my mum died, I have been a bit uh how do you say ‘closed up’" seeing Angie nod her head in agreement he continued, "I really never got close to anyone till I met your dad and you. Then you became my family and that was great.  I finally had a family; very weird at times and not what is labeled a family ,but you were my family nonetheless.   I mean with Manny I had a ‘father’ that I could look up to. Don’t get me wrong; I love Dingo.  I really do; he is my father…but Manny was more of a ‘dad’.  He was there for you when you needed him; he cared for your needs.  Manny sent me out on my own but that was so I could grow; I can understand that.  Parents do that to their kids, just making sure that the kiddies can be on their own   Ange, when Manny died….it felt like my mother’s death all over again.  He was my boss, my friend, the one person in this world who thought I could be something; I mean he must have trusted me.  He left his most prized possession in my care—you.  It hurt so badly, but I couldn’t show  you; you were hurting worse than I was.  So our little family got smaller.
 

"Then, Leo Mc Carthy came along with his little trusty band of police officers and then our family got bigger again.  I mean others were added to the family, like Luce and Rick and Eldon.  So, the family was doing good.  Until Rick, died and the pain came back and it was my fault.  I put him on that car; I didn’t see that other car.  I should have but I didn’t.   So, the family lost a member.   Then six months later, Leo died. "  Rollie stops to keep his breath even as possible; he didn’t think talking about all of them would be
this hard.  Glancing up at Angie, who was still standing near the stairs, he noticed that her expression hadn’t changed, so he continued.
 

"The pain and the guilt came back; but this time it was worse.  Not as bad as Manny’s death or Mum’s but worse than Rick’s.  I knew that I was at times so bent on getting them to pay for what they did to Leo, that I wasn’t thinking, but revenge seemed safer.  Then when we did get them, Leo didn’t come back, he
didn’t say what a great job we did….Nothing.  It did nothing but put some guys behind bars.  I mean that is a good thing; but not for me.  I wanted my friends back and seeking revenge I found out doesn’t do that. It lessens the pain a little but no miracle occurs.  You still don’t have your father, Lucinda doesn’t have Rick, and I don’t have Leo, Rick, Manny, or Mum.  But the thing I realized most of all was that I could have stopped at least two of those deaths but I didn’t.  Angela, I will not let your death be the third one; it may sound like a power trip or an ego thing but it isn’t.  If can prevent your death by keeping you away from what killed the others, I AM GOING TO DO IT!  I’m sorry if you feel that I am bossy or domineering or whatever but you are all the family I got and I can’t bear the thought of losing you. It would hurt just way too much for me to deal with" he finished as his voice cracked on the last sentence.  "Ok, now you know.  So, what do you say?"  Her only response was a bear hug to her friend with tears in her eyes.
 

"So, we are ok now?  No hard feelings, kiddo?" asked the Aussie.
 

"Nope.  No problems; but could you do me one little favor, Rol?"  Angie felt the nod of agreement and barely heard the "Sure" before she continued, "Could you please stop calling me kiddo??  It makes me feel like I’m still 12 and waiting for you or Dad to pick up me from school."
 

With a frown on his face, Rollie answered, "I thought you liked that nickname. You *used* to…"
 

"Yeah and I *used* to be a little girl; but I am all grown up, ok?"
 

"Ok, I’ll try but I can’t guarantee anything.  C’mon, I’ll take you home."