Chapter 6
“Nikolas, what’s wrong?” Emily asked. He hadn’t said a word since they left the park.
“Nothing. I was just trying to figure out why that guy seemed so familiar. You’re sure you didn’t see him?”
“Nope. He ran off too fast . Stop worrying about it, okay? Oh! Elizabeth called this morning. She’s got a break coming up, and she’s going to come here. Isn’t that great? I really miss her.”
He nodded. “Yeah, me too. How is she doing? Is she still...”
“Depressed about Lucky? Yeah, pretty much. I think she’s getting a little better. She says that she dates sometimes now, but she can’t find anyone she really likes. I guess no one compares to him,” she said sadly. She felt so bad for her friend.
Nikolas smiled comfortingly at her. “You still miss him, too, don’t you?”
She nodded. “Yeah, he was my best friend. It wasn’t fair for him to be taken away so soon. He had so much ahead of him.”
He pulled her close and hugged her. “I know, I miss him too. We had just started to really be brothers. I wish we hadn’t wasted so many years hating each other. I was looking forward to getting to know him. I loved him, you know? I just wish I could have told him before..”
~*~
“That was close!” Lucien muttered to himself as he rushed out of the park. He wasn’t ready to deal with his cousin yet. He looked at his watch. It was still early, and he didn’t really want to go back to the hotel yet. He sighed. There was only one other place that he had been told about that he hadn’t visited yet. He wasn’t looking forward to going, but he figured he would have to sooner or later...
Not knowing where it was, he decided to stop someone and ask directions. After a few minutes of wandering around, he saw a woman walking towards him with a young boy, and figured she looked kind enough to help him.
“Excuse me, ma’am?” he said as she came closer. She looked up and smiled at him.
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I was looking for a club called ‘Luke’s’ and was wondering if you could point me in the right direction.”
She chuckled. “You must not be from around here.” He shook his head and smiled. He hadn’t realized it was that obvious. “Sure, you’re actually already going the right way. Just keep walking and you’ll practically run into it a few blocks down. My uncle owns the place, you know,” she added proudly.
He hadn’t expected that. “Oh, so you’re a Spencer, then?” he asked, trying to sound indifferent about it.
She laughed. “Yeah, but I didn’t find out until a few years ago. I was raised by adoptive parents, and didn’t know my birth mother until about 7 years ago, more or less. It took me a while to get used to the idea of being a Spencer, especially since my uncle hated me at first! But, we’re all fine now. You know, for someone who’s not from around here, you know an awful lot about the place!”
“Oh, well, I have family that used to live here. I heard about it growing up, and decided to come and see what it’s really like.”
She nodded. “Where are you from?” She couldn’t help being nosy, it was her nature.
“Greece, originally, but I’ve been living in Paris lately. This is my first trip to the U.S.”
She smiled, “Well, your English is perfect. So, what do you think of our little town?”
“So far, everyone’s been really nice to me. Thank you for the directions, Miss...Spencer?”
She chuckled. “No, it’s Morgan. Carly Morgan, and this here is my son Michael,” she added, looking down at the little boy holding her hand.
Lucien smiled warmly at the boy, then at his mother. “Well, it was very nice to meet you. I’m Lucien.”
She smiled. “Lucien...that’s a nice name. It was a pleasure to meet you, Lucien. I hope to see you around.”
They said their farewells and parted. Lucien headed off in the direction Carly indicated. She had been awfully nice to him, not something he had expected from a Spencer. But then again, she said she hadn’t been raised by them, so maybe she didn’t share their hatred towards his family. Just to be safe, he had made sure not to mention his last name. In a small town like this, everybody probably knew each other, and would know that the Spencers and Cassidines weren’t exactly friendly with one another.
A few blocks later, he came across the club. It looked kind of seedy, and he was nervous about going in. For as long as he could remember, he had been told about how evil this place was, how people were always getting shot outside. Right now, everything looked quiet. It wasn’t quite dark yet, so the place probably wouldn’t be crowded. He took a deep breath and opened the door.
The interior of the building surprised him. It was actually nice. The place was clean and there was soft blues music playing in the background. The lighting was dim, giving everything an air of mystery. He walked further inside and found himself staring into the face of his own grandmother! Right up on the wall was a giant portrait of her when she was much younger. Why would Luke Spencer have that in his own club? He was transfixed by it, and just stood there, frozen.
“Hey, Claude, how we doin’ on rum?” A man asked, coming out of the back.
“Fine, boss.” Claude answered, wiping down the bar.
The man looked around the room. It was still early, so the crowd hadn’t arrived yet, but there were a few people milling about. His eyes fell on a young man standing in the middle of the room, staring at Helena’s portrait. He chuckled to himself and walked over to him.
“A real beauty, ain’t she?” he asked, coming up behind the man, causing him to jump slightly.
“You know her?” Lucien asked, not turning around.
“Oh, yes, the old bat and I go way back,” he said sarcastically.
“Old bat?” Lucien said, turning to face the man. How dare anyone call her that!
He chuckled, looking at the portrait, “Well, that was done a long time...” he trailed off as he looked down at the man in front of him. His face paled and his heart began to race.
Lucien looked at this man, who was staring at him like he’d seen a ghost. “Are you okay?” he asked. He hoped the guy wasn’t having a heart attack or something.
“Cowboy?” the man asked quietly, as though he couldn’t quite find his voice. Tears had sprung up into his eyes.
‘What’s wrong with this guy?’ Lucien thought to himself. ‘Why did he just say Cowboy, and why do I feel like I’ve heard that before?’ He shook his head quickly, trying to get rid of the odd sensation running through him. “Excuse me?” he asked nervously.
“It can’t be...You’re...” he stammered, unable to believe what he was seeing. The young man in front of him may have looked much different than the boy he lost five years ago, but there was no mistaking his eyes. Even his voice hadn’t really changed.
Now Lucien was getting nervous. “Sir, I think you should sit down. You don’t look like you’re well.”
He shook his head. This guy obviously didn’t recognize him. Maybe it was all just a coincidence. After all, he had seen the body himself. His son was dead, and he just had to accept it. He managed to compose himself and smiled. “I’m sorry, you just reminded me of someone...someone I lost a while ago. I didn’t mean to frighten you. Anyway, welcome to Luke’s,” he said, offering his hand to the young man, “I’m the owner, Luke Spencer.”
Lucien just looked at him, shocked. This was Luke Spencer, the man he had been raised to fear? He wasn’t frightening, he was...kind of pathetic. He looked weak, almost defeated. His face was creased with sadness, and his eyes had very little life in them. He decided to have a little fun. He reached out to shake his hand and grinned “Nice to meet you, Mr. Spencer. I’m Lucien...Lucien Cassidine,” he motioned to the painting on the wall, “...and I really don’t appreciate you calling my grandmother an ‘old bat’.”
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