Demons

by Beth Abbott

  “What does she get up to when she goes out?” Robbie asked, obviously curious. “Or do I not want to know?”

  “You probably don’t want all the details.” Matt warned. “Nothing too serious. Lots of alcohol, occasional class C drug use, hook-ups, that sort of thing.”

  Robbie jumped to his feet.

  “Class C drug use?” He gasped. “Not serious? My dad would hit the fucking roof if he heard that!”

  “Robbie, she’s puffed on a few joints.” Matt explained. “Don’t get me wrong, I can’t attest to what she does when she’s in the ladies’ toilets, but I don’t think it’s Alpha Company’s job to report what she does to your father, or the police for that matter, no matter what our personal opinions may be. Cerys is an adult, and as long as she’s not putting herself in harm’s way, we’re not going to interfere.”

  “Well, if she thinks I’m giving her money every month to fund that kind of lifestyle, then she can think again.” Robbie growled.

  “And how are you going to explain to Cerys how you know what she’s been getting up to?” Evan reasoned. “If you tell her we’ve been following her, she might start making it difficult for us and we could lose her altogether. Then she’d still be out in the pubs and clubs, only she’d have no protection, leaving her completely exposed to anyone who wanted to harm her.”

  Robbie slumped onto the sofa again, smart enough to know Evan was right.

  “Has there been any mention of your other sister in the letters, other than talking about her car having a flat tyre?” Matt was flicking through the letters.

  “No. None whatsoever.” Harry confirmed. “And the car is mentioned in relation to the house, so we have to assume the writer believes the car belongs to either Robbie or Cerys.”

  Evan could feel his pulse rate increase at the very thought that Megan could be in any danger.

  “Has the press ever picked up that you have another sister?” He asked.

  “No, there’s no connection between us, and we don’t link up on social media.” Robbie smiled. “That would actually require Megan to set up some form of social media presence.”

  “Under the circumstances, that’s a very good thing.” Matt reminded him.

  “So, what are you going to do to make sure Robbie and his family are as safe as possible?” Harry asked, looking between Matt and Evan.

  “We’ll assign another protection officer for when Robbie’s out of the house, but I think the most important thing I’d like to do is have Evan move into the house with you.” Matt explained to Robbie. “He’s licensed to carry a firearm, which is always a bonus, and I really think you need someone with you twenty-four/seven, just for a few weeks until we see if the letters dry up.”

  Robbie nodded.

  “I guessed that was the next step.” He smiled at Evan. “I’ve got four spare bedrooms, all with en-suite bathrooms. I’m guessing you’d prefer the one furthest from Cerys?”

  Evan grinned at the teenager.

  “You guessed right my friend. Unless, of course, it’s too far from your room. It would defeat the object of me being here if it was.” He shrugged.

  “I spoke to the police this morning before I left home, and they’ve offered to leave a couple of officers in a marked car, parked overnight in the lane outside Robbie’s house.” Matt confirmed. “They’re not going to be armed, and they won’t actually patrol the perimeter or anything, but they will act as a visible deterrent.”

  “Sounds good.” Harry nodded.

  “And Cerys?” Robbie scowled.

  “That one’s on you, I’m afraid.” Matt smiled sympathetically. “We’ll continue to follow from a distance, if you’re happy with that, but ultimately, it’s up to you if you want to curb her socialising. The obvious answer would be to send her back to your parents in Cardiff for a little while, but I don’t think that will be a popular suggestion with any of the parties involved.”

  “She won’t go.” Robbie said flatly. “And I can’t expect my dad to have to put up with her. She was tough enough as a teenager. They can hardly ground a twenty-something woman and send her to her bedroom.”

  “Then she stays here, and we continue to monitor her.” Matt nodded.

  “And Megan?” Evan looked to Matt. “Any plans for including her in this?”

  Matt shook his head.

  “Not at the moment.” He admitted. “It would be almost impossible to watch over her while she was on shift in the hospital, and if Robbie’s correct and nobody knows about her, what would be the point?”

  “Megan wouldn’t accept protection even if I suggested it. Besides, her car will be ready for her tomorrow, and delivered back to her in time for her to drive to work.” Robbie confirmed. “Which reminds me, did you manage to take her home last night?”

  He glanced up at Evan without warning.

  “What? No, sorry man, I didn’t.” Evan grimaced. “I must have been waiting outside the wrong doors for her, and by the time I realised, she’d already left. I ran to the bus stop and got there just as the bus was pulling away. I legged it back to the car and followed the bus to her stop. She got into her block at about five past midnight.”

  “At least she got home safely.” Robbie nodded. “Thanks for going the extra mile, Ev. I really appreciate it.”

  Evan waved off the ‘extra mile’ comment. If only Robbie knew the history between Evan and his sister, he wouldn’t be thanking Evan for anything.

  “How long will it take you to go and get your gear and get back here?” Matt turned to Evan.

  “Less than an hour?” Evan guessed. “There’s not much for me to pack up. Just my clothes and toiletries.”

  “Ok, why don’t you head back and get your stuff together, while I go through Robbie’s upcoming events with Harry.” Matt nodded. “I’ll head to the office as soon as you get back.”

  Evan nodded and headed towards the door before stopping.

  “Do you have any food in the house?” He asked Robbie.

  “Only some of the healthy shit that I usually eat, and the crap Cerys picks up.” Robbie admitted.

  Evan grinned.

  “I’ll bring my laptop and we can do a grocery order before we go to this afternoon’s training session.” He’d need proper food if he was gonna live here.

  “Great.” Robbie grinned. “Can you order something for Megan while you’re at it? She’s supposed to be coming over for supper tonight.”

  Evan turned and headed out the door, inwardly cringing.

  What were the chances of them sitting in the same room this evening without killing each other?

  Pfft!

  Zero!

  Chapter 19 – Claire

  Claire climbed out of the taxi outside the Alpha Company offices at precisely five minutes before eight o’clock, feeling quite excited as she walked up to the main entrance.

  She’d worked for Alpha Company since the day it was created, starting off as JT’s PA, but always in the London office, which was like her second home, and always with the comfort blanket of the Alpha Company family at her back.

  Coming to Birmingham had been a big leap for her, the biggest, in fact, since she’d been widowed twenty years ago. It was something she’d never have dreamed of doing even six months ago, but several things had happened recently that had shaken her out of her comfort zone.

  The first had been the death of someone working with their Guardians.

  She’d only met Abram a handful of times during the days before they shipped out to Russia, but she’d found him endearingly funny, and despite his considerable bulk and occasionally slightly sinister appearance, he’d been cuddly, like a big teddy bear.

  When JT had broken the news of his death, Claire had been rendered speechless, shocked beyond belief. She knew her boys went into dangerous situations, and sometimes people got killed, but up until now it had only been the bad guys getting killed.

  But as much as she mourned the young Russian, she thanked the good Lord that her boys had b
een spared. JT, Luke, Danny, Matt, Drew, Tony, Thomas, Marcus… not to mention her Stalwart boys and her new Guardians. They were all her boys.

  Of course, there had been a second close call, with Zach being shot as well. That brought her out in a cold sweat.

  Possibly because she was so much older than the rest of the family, she’d found herself dwelling on Abram’s death more than she should have, and her natural reaction to what she regarded as the grieving process she was going through, was to become even more protective of her Alpha-Stalwart boys and girls.

  When Suzy had unburdened herself to Claire at the babies’ birthday party, Claire had been in no doubt that she needed to do something to help out.

  Once she’d made her mind up, it had only been a hop and a step from deciding she wanted to help, to actually getting on that train yesterday.

  She stepped into the elevator and pressed the button to get it to take her to the first floor, grinning when the door opened barely seconds after it had closed.

  She looked around the reception area and was surprised to find nobody there.

  Just as she looked at her watch to check it was eight o’clock, she noticed the young man she’d spoken to the previous day get up from the floor behind the desk.

  “Hello?” He smiled politely. “May I help you?”

  “Do you normally hide behind there?” She grinned at him.

  “Oh, sorry, no!” He chuckled. “I’d just clicked the top of my pen to write today’s date in the visitor’s book, and the two halves couldn’t have been screwed together properly. They burst open, and the spring popped out. I’ve been on my hands and knees for five minutes looking for it.”

  “And did you find it?” Claire asked politely.

  “I did.” The young man held up the spring in triumph, smiling. “I’ll fit it back together as soon as I’ve been of service to you. You were here yesterday, weren’t you? Mr Johnson’s important visitor.”

  “I was indeed.” She nodded. “But today, alas, I’m no longer important, nor am I a visitor. I’ll be working here for a while with Mr Johnson. I was just hoping he’d remembered to leave my security pass at the desk, along with the keys to the office next to his.”

  The receptionist picked up an envelope from the desk in front of him.

  “Claire?” He asked. “So, that explains why they were moving furniture around late last night. That room was being used as a conference room until yesterday.”

  Claire held her hand out for the envelope.

  “Well, let’s go and see what it looks like today, shall we?” She smiled.

  As she walked down the room, Claire smiled at the few faces glancing up at her curiously.

  “Morning.” She greeted some of the people she recognised from the day before.

  When she got to the last bank of desks, she noticed the cubicle normally occupied by Lacey the Bitch was empty.

  “Excuse me?” She stepped into the cubicle behind Lacey’s, where a petite blonde girl was sitting staring at her computer screen. “What time does Lacey normally arrive?”

  The girl glanced around, obviously a little embarrassed at being so deep into what she was doing that she hadn’t noticed Claire approach.

  “She’s normally here before Matt, I mean Mr Johnson.” She said shyly. “But I heard him say he was going somewhere this morning before he came into the office, so perhaps she’s going to come in a bit later.”

  “I see.” Claire nodded, keeping the smile on her face. “I’ll be in the office next to Mr Johnson’s. Could you ask her to come and see me as soon as she’s had a chance to take her coat off?”

  “Yes, of course.” The woman smiled. “I’m Lizzy, by the way. If you need any help finding your way around, just give me a call.”

  “Thank you, Lizzy. That’s very kind of you.” She smiled. “I’m Claire. I’ll be working here for a little while.”

  She turned and walked toward her new work-space with a spring in her step, but when she unlocked the door and stepped inside, she could have cried.

  Matt had installed a desk, chair, computer and couch in the office already, but what she noticed first was the half dozen A4 sized laminated photos stuck to the wall. They’d all been taken at her sixtieth birthday party, but where she was in the middle of each picture, the family members around her changed with every photo.

  Obviously, Matt hadn’t had time to go out and get frames for all the pictures, but he’d wanted her to feel at home. Well, that was something she fully intended to do. She’d add picture frames to her shopping list.

  The young men and women in the pictures were her family, her boys and their wives. Gosh, and so many kids now it was difficult to keep count. She’d be taking the pictures back to London when she left Birmingham, even if she had to hide them in her suitcase and sneak them out without being caught!

  She opened the briefcase she’d brought with her and removed her essentials. Mug, pen-holder, note-pads, stapler. She’d been a PA and office manager for many years, and she knew exactly what you needed to run a smooth office.

  She picked up her mug and headed back out in search of coffee.

  When she got to the kitchen, Lizzy was already setting the coffee machine up.

  “A girl after my own heart.” Claire smiled. “Is there a kettle I can use to make myself some instant decaf?”

  Lizzy showed her where everything was, and Claire was back in her office in less than five minutes, coffee mug sitting on a mug-mat with Danny’s face on it.

  It didn’t take her long to log onto her computer and answer a few emails that were sitting in her in-box.

  She had an assistant in London who was now covering part of her job temporarily, and Claire had promised to help her with anything she needed while she settled into the role that Claire had literally made her own.

  Once she’d cleared her in-box, she started going through the accounts she’d be working on.

  Matt had been meticulous about keeping notes of every meeting in labelled folders, so she easily found where everything was kept, and what sort of contracts she’d be looking after.

  The knock on her door almost an hour later made her jump.

  “Come in.” She called, glancing at her watch to see it was already nine o’clock.

  The door opened, and she watched as Lacey stepped into her office, her eyes seeming to wince at the bright lights.

  “Ah, Lacey. You got my message, finally. Come in and take a seat.” She smiled, pointing to the chair opposite her. “Is everything Ok with you? I was expecting you to be at your desk an hour ago.”

  Lacey seemed to wince as Claire spoke.

  “Umm, no. I mean, I’m fine.” Lacey slid into the chair. “I just have a bit of a headache, I’m afraid. Matt wasn’t starting until later, so I took the opportunity of having an extra hour in bed.”

  Claire stared at the woman’s blood-shot eyes. Sleeping off a boozy night was more like it.

  “I see.” She smiled. “Well, there have been a few changes to personnel since yesterday, and from now on, you’ll be working directly to me. Obviously, you didn’t know that when you came in this morning, so I don’t have any issues with you being late today. However, I won’t be arriving late for any reason, so I’d appreciate it if you arrived at your normal start time of eight o’clock in future.”

  Lacey seemed to be regarding her as though she was speaking in forked tongues.

  “Sorry, can you explain that first bit to me again?” Lacey squinted at her. “I’m going to be working directly to you? But I work with Matt. How will I work to you, but with Matt?”

  Claire smiled at her like she was a young child, needing everything explained in short words.

  “From today, you won’t be working with Matt.” Claire smiled. “You’ll work for me. I’ve worked for the company a long time, so you won’t have to worry that you’re dealing with a novice.”

  Lacey shook her head.

  “And who are you, exactly?” She asked, not as politely as
she possibly should have.

  “I’m Claire.” Claire said simply. “We’ve spoken on the phone. I’m normally acting as JT’s PA, but I also manage the London office in my spare time.”

  “So, you’re telling me that I have to PA for another PA? I’m sorry, but I think you’ll find that it says in my contract of employment that I’m PA to the director of Alpha Company.” Lacey huffed. “So, if you think you can come in here and take my job, without a by your leave, think on, lady. I’m not having it!”

  “Ah, yes. Your contract of employment.” Claire placed her glasses on her nose and tapped a few keys on the keyboard. “I have it in front of me. It says, and I quote, your job is ‘Personal Assistant to a director of Alpha Company Security’. It doesn’t actually specify which director.”

  “There is only one director based in Birmingham, and that’s Matt, so if you think you’re pushing me out of my job, you can think again.” Lacey folded her arms across her chest, but obviously remembering Claire’s advice the day before, quickly unfolded them.

  The girl had balls, Claire had to give her that.

  “It also says that your position should be reviewed at the end of twelve months, and that if either party to the contract doesn’t feel it’s working out, they can terminate your employment with no period of notice required, and no explanations necessary.” Claire pointed at the screen. “The twelve-month point is the last time that can happen before your job is made permanent.”

  Claire watched the colour drain from Lacey’s face.

  “When exactly did you start with Alpha?” Claire knew damn well it was less than a year, but she wanted Lacey the Bitch to say it.

  “Eleven months ago.” Lacey murmured.

  “Quite so.” Claire nodded.

  She waited for Lacey to make eye contact with her before she continued.

  “Look, honey, I’m not here to take your job.” She said quietly. “I’m here to help my family. Matt needs more support than he’s been getting, so the directors are having a reshuffle, and I’m filling in until one of them can move up here permanently. Suzy will be working with Matt because they’ve always worked best together, and you’ll be working for me until another director takes over.”