Watching Ember

by J B Reding

  I spy two omelets and some bacon already placed on separate plates. I glance at the clock to see it's nine. A little early for me, but it’s fine.

  “I'm surprised your still here and dressed in sweats, no less.” I tease.

  “After I took over for your father, I bought this place and started spending more time here due to it being closer to our businesses. It’s become my home, so I see no reason to have to wear a suit in my own house. Unless I have guests, of course.” Now that I think about it, his room did look a little bare back at the mansion.

  “Who would have thought the mighty Nixon King liked to be comfortable in his own home?” I smile. But I’m happy he has this place. I don’t think he was ever truly comfortable at my house. Probably because he lived with his boss.

  He rolls his eyes. “You know me better than that.”

  “True, but I’ve never seen it in the light of day.” I grab one of the plates and search the drawers for a fork. When I find one, I turn back to him to see his face has grown serious. “What?”

  He shakes his head as if to clear it. “Nothing. I have some things I want to talk about.”

  “What do you mean?” I narrow my eyes in question.

  He reaches over and grabs his plate, then leads me to the living room where he takes a seat on one side of the couch. I take the other side and lean against the arm rest, crossing my legs and facing him. I place my plate in my lap and take a quick bite.

  “Ooh Nixon is eating on a couch. I'm impressed.” I say with a mouth full of food, trying to get rid of the tension that has now arisen.

  He rolls his eyes again. “I remember a few times we snuck late-night snacks on the couch.”

  “You’re right. It's almost like old times.” I smile and hope he can’t see the sadness in my eyes.

  “But better.” He assures me with a smile.

  ~***~

  I realized the other morning how much I missed waking up to Ember curled around me. This morning was no different. It was hard getting out of bed to call Maddox. But it needed to be done. If things go my way, and I’m sure they will, then waking up to Ember will be a daily thing.

  I informed Maddox on my theory of how it’s too convenient for me to have read the letter and Ember becoming a target within a week. Although we know Samuel has had it out for her for a while, he was never stupid enough to ever act on it. But now he has, and the only conclusion is he knows what the letter said. We just need to figure out how he found out. Maddox is looking into the security system to see if he can find anything. The most obvious explanation is we have a rat. We vetted all our guards not too long ago, so we have to be missing something.

  But while I wait to see what Maddox finds, I can figure out if Ember has any input on the other situation. “One thing I wanted to talk to you about was when you told me about the bear my dad gave you. It made everything click. My father wrote me a letter implying you had information that could be of help. I know you have no idea about it because you wouldn't have kept it from me. But once you said he saw you before he died, I knew he had covertly given it to you. As soon as you told me what he said, I realized it was the bear. Somehow, it has all the answers, as well as the information Samuel is after.”

  “That makes sense. Your dad always had his own way of doing things. Reminds me of someone I know.” She smirks at me and then adds, “I’m just glad to see you actually acknowledge that it’s Samuel.”

  “Yes, well, we still don’t have the proof we need to take him out.” I remind her. I know she’s desperate for him to be gone, I just need to know why. Maybe then I could understand why she so vehemently wants him to pay. “Why don’t you tell me about these punishments?”

  “I promised myself I wouldn't burden anyone with the sordid details.” She looks off to the side, avoiding my eyes.

  “Ember, it's me.” I say, reaching over and pulling her closer to me, unable to deal with the distance between us anymore, both physically and emotionally.

  “I know, which is what makes it so hard. But if I tell you, you have to promise not to say anything to my dad. There's no reason for him to know and it'll just add to his guilt.” She implores me with her eyes.

  I nod. “I promise.”

  She doesn't know this—God, I hate that there's more I haven't told her—but her father stepped down for medical reasons. His doctor said he needed to reduce his stress due to his high blood pressure. Having one of the most stressful jobs imaginable, he decided that maybe an early retirement was best. I'm just glad I didn't have to guilt trip him into it. Just another thing I need to take care of. Ember deserves to know her father has medical issues. It's only right.

  She snaps me out of my head by dropping a fact I did not see coming.

  “Samuel used to beat my mother to the point she couldn't get out of bed for several days. There was no rhyme or reason to his punishments. We never knew what would set him off, and his rules constantly changed. At first it was just locking me in my room for one or two days without food or bathroom privileges. I got water in a bowl placed in the room as I slept and used the corner as a bathroom. It was fine.”

  “Ember that is not fine.” I'm finding it hard to keep my cool. The fact that she not only kept this from us, but that the bastard is still out there, and was in fucking touching distance of her, enrages me.

  “It gets worse…” She takes a shaky breath. Tears trail down her cheeks. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

  “Hey it's just me, okay. You can tell me anything.” I reassure, dragging her onto my lap and rubbing circles on her back.“He used to come into my room at night and sit in the chair in the corner… and watch me sleep. I'm not sure if he knew that I woke up every time he came in… but there would be these noises coming from him I didn't understand then. I think you can imagine what he was doing.” I feel another tear hit my bare chest and know this is hard for her because Ember rarely cries. I don’t blame her. Right now, I want to destroy everyone that has ever caused her harm. As soon as she's done telling me everything, and I know she's okay, I'm calling Maddox and Anton. It's time we take care of this shit.

  “The worst part…” Fuck, that's not the worst part? “Is when he started locking me in a small closet for days on end. There wasn't even enough room to designate a corner as the bathroom. So, I had to… anyway, he’d get mad about the mess and then take it out on my mother. It was just a vicious cycle.” She's stopped crying now, only the trembles betraying her emotions. I continue to rub her back, holding her tight to me, knowing that words aren't enough. Only actions.

  “I will destroy him.” I vow.

  She nods. “That's all I want, for him to pay. He killed her. Maybe not with his own hands, but he killed her nonetheless.” She huffs out a humorless laugh. “Although, knowing him, I wouldn't put it past him to have caused that accident.”

  I must react because she pushes away from me to read my face.

  “Nixon?” God, she’s beautiful, even with tear tracks drying on her cheeks, her eyes and nose red.

  “There was evidence you were run off the road. There was another set of tire tracks and a dent in the driver's rear side panel. We believe someone was paid off to overlook those facts. However, we won't know for sure until we get a hold of him. We believe whatever is in that bear will shed some light on the situation. It’s probably why he's after it. Killing a Boss’s family member, even if divorced, is definitely grounds for execution.”

  “So, this information is the key to Samuel’s death?”

  “In a way. If we were to tell your dad what he did to you and your mom then we could probably take care of him today. But I know you don’t want that. Besides he’s starting to make a comeback after going into hiding six years ago. He blew up a shipment of mine the day we arrived home, which takes balls. He may be harder to catch then we think. He has to have some form of backing to create that much of a stir, that or he’s just fucking crazy. The other bosses weren’t happy because it brought unwanted attention to our w
orld. We have been coexisting in some form of peace for a while now. Samuel is trying to fuck that up. There’s a lot of questions going unanswered. If we could get the information he’s after, then maybe we can get the upper hand.”

  She stares at my chest for a few moments, thinking deeply about everything I’ve revealed. Then suddenly slips off my lap and runs up the stairs before I can protest. When she comes back down, she goes right for the kitchen. I hear her rummaging around in there before she appears with a knife and the teddy bear. She strides towards me with purpose and places the bear down on the coffee table. Then stabs it in the stomach, ripping it open before I can stop her.

  Fuck, she's going to regret that.

  She sticks her hand inside and rummages around before pulling out a rolled-up piece of paper, complete with a red bow. I shake my head at my father’s antics. Of course, he would use paper and not a thumb drive. He probably knew Ember would eventually take it on a plane. He was always thinking ahead like that. The bow is a nice touch, too. I take it from her and open it. It's about the same size of a fortune from a fortune cookie. The writing, however, makes little sense to me, but I know who could figure it out.

  “I’ll call the guys over and see what we can come up with.” I say, still staring down at the paper. When she doesn't respond, I look up to see her face streaming with tears again, staring down at the destroyed bear.

  Shit, goddamn motherfucker.

  I wrap my hand around her wrist and pull her to straddle my thighs, tucking her head under my chin. She then proceeds to break down into sobs. She cries harder than I’ve ever witnessed from her. It cracks my chest wide open, hearing the tortured sounds that escape her. I sit there, trying my best to soothe her, until she finally falls asleep.

  I stand with her in my arms and carry her up to my room. After this, she’s not spending another night out of my bed. I place her down on the left side and kiss her forehead before walking out, leaving the door cracked.

  14. Burn

  I call Maddox and Anton as I venture back down the stairs, heading behind them to the covered alcove that leads to my office. You don’t really notice it's there unless you're looking, which I find most people don’t.

  I tie the bag and head behind the stairs to the covered alcove that leads to my office. It's hidden enough that you don’t notice it's there unless you're looking, which I find most people don’t.

  Entering my office, I take a seat behind my desk and place the bag inside a drawer and the note next to my laptop.

  I rub my eyes as a headache begins to form.

  This whole morning has been a major shit show with no end in sight.

  After a few minutes of checking my emails, my phone pings telling me someone opened the gate to the parking garage. I stand and head out to the living room to wait. I told them Ember was sleeping, so they needed to stay quiet, mostly Anton, the loudmouth.

  I pour myself a drink from the bar in the corner. Just as I’m replacing the empty glass, the elevator doors open. Anton walks in first, followed by Maddox… and then Liz.

  “What the fuck?” I ask Maddox quietly.

  “Once she heard Ember was upset, she refused to stay put.” Maddox answers with an eye roll. Well, to anyone else it wouldn't look like anything other than an eye twitch, but I’ve known him for over a decade, so I’ve learned his facial expressions.

  I shake my head, “She’s asleep in my room, the doors cracked open if you want to head up there, just don’t wake her. It’s been a rough morning.”

  She nods her head and glides up the stairs. I catch Maddox watching her as she ascends. One day, those two will figure their shit out, but I have enough shit of my own to bother worrying about theirs.

  I motion to my office with a nod of my head.

  Anton eyes my recently used glass as he walks by. “It's that bad?”

  “It's that bad.” I’m almost worried to tell Anton due to his own childhood abuse.

  It seems I'm the only one in this apartment who was lucky enough not to endure some form of abuse. It makes me want to burn down the world for those closest to me who have been wronged in so many ways. It's part of why I wanted to become Boss, so I had the power to exact justice where justice was never served.

  I can't do it for Maddox or Anton, both having already taken care of their demons. But for Ember, and maybe one day Liz, I will make sure that the world is rid of the darkness that plagues them.

  “So, what's going on?” Anton starts as we enter my office. He takes a seat in the chair in front of my desk and props his feet up on the edge of the glossed wood. I shove them off as I walk by him to take my own seat. Maddox stands behind the other chair, his arms crossed over his chest, waiting.

  “First, with Embers help, I was able to find what I believe to be the information Samuel is after. Bad news is I can't understand it. Good news is, you can.” I say nodding at Maddox.

  “That's great. Why don’t you look happy though?” Anton asks with a confused face.

  “Well, before we got to that point, Ember revealed some things she’d been hiding—”

  “She doesn’t like you? Oh, man, that sucks.” He shakes his head, trying hard to keep a straight face. Maddox reaches over and smacks him upside the head.

  “Shut up.” Maddox grunts as Anton laughs. Always fucking laughing. If I didn't know about the other side of him, the one he hides from the outside world, I would have gotten rid of him a long time ago.

  “Anton.” He looks to me and sees my pensive expression. “It's bad.”

  “How bad?” Maddox asks, his body tensing. Anton's face loses all humor as he realizes the severity of what I'm about to reveal.

  “Samuel abused Ember.” I take a deep breath. Fuck, this is hard. I have no clue how she could handle telling me when I feel sick to my stomach just repeating it. “At first, he would lock her in her room for several days with only water from a dog bowl, no bathroom. Then it progressed to a closet with nothing for three or more days. A small closet to the point where she had to lie in her own shit.” Anton and Maddox are both vibrating with fury, as am I. I take another deep breath, trying to calm my rage. “This is the worst part… He used to visit her room at night.” That gets a ‘fuck no’ from Anton and a ‘goddammit’ from Maddox. “He didn't touch her, thank fucking god, or he wouldn't be alive right now. However, what he did do was enough to shorten his life span to a few weeks.”

  They both nod. No snide comments or jokes from Anton. The darkness he keeps hidden has come to the surface, his eyes gleam with deadly intent. Maddox’s expression is just as lethal, his hands fisted at his sides as he tries to keep his fury in check. It’s rare to see his façade break. Liz being an exception, of course. But nevertheless, I’m glad to see were all on the same page. Samuel will die. Soon.

  “Maddox, I need you to decode what this piece of paper says.” I wave the slip around. “Then I need you to find out how Samuel knew Ember had anything to do with this. He's made no move to do any harm to her before this whole mess. I'm assuming he knows better. But if he gets desperate enough, I don’t know what he's capable of, nor do I want to find out.” Maddox nods and I look to Anton. I tell him what I need from him, which doesn't deal with Samuel but is just as important. “One more thing, I need you to put out a hit on Samuel, I want everyone to know that he has been blacklisted. Then I need you to tell Charles what we’ve found so far without telling him what Samuel did to Ember and her mom. Everything else is fine. See if he has any input.”

  “Will do. Am I taking Liz back with me?” Anton asks. He seems to have gotten his demon back under control, for the most part. There’s still a glimmer left in his eyes.

  “She stays. I can work from here. I just need access to your security room.” Maddox grunts, looking to me for approval.

  I nod. “Yeah, that’s fine.” I look to Anton, “Go ahead and leave. I have an extra car here for when it's needed.”

  Anton nods and rises from his chair. “I'm going to peak in on them bef
ore I go.”

  I nod again and reach under my desk to press the button that opens the hidden room behind me. I motion for Maddox to enter, leaving the door open while I get my own work done.

  ~***~

  I jerk awake, panting with tears running down my face. Movement to my left startles me. I almost fall off the bed trying to escape. At least, I would if Nixon didn't have such a big bed. Wait, why am I in Nixon’s bed?

  “This bed is fucking ridiculous.” Liz says bring me back to the fact that someone's in the bed with me. I fly into her, hugging her tight. She laughs. “I missed you, too.”

  I hide my face in her hair. “It's not that, although it is weird being in a house without you. I just needed a hug.”

  She hugs me tighter. “Me too. I heard something happened.”

  I sigh and pull back, crossing my legs and facing her. “Yeah, I told Nixon some stuff.” I wait to see if she asks what, but she just nods to keep going. “I revealed the shit in my past and then made a split-second decision that I now regret. Some other things were said, as well. It was just a lot that happened in a short time frame. I got a little overwhelmed. But I'm okay now, really. How did you convince them to let you come?”

  “She wouldn't stop bitching.” Anton says from the open door. I snap my head to him and search his face for anything out of place, but he's the same Anton with a little bit more beast showing than usual.

  “That is not true.” Liz refutes with an eye roll.

  Anton arches a brow at her.

  “Fine.” She huffs. “So sorry I was concerned about my best friend.”

  “I thought Nixon said that you weren't allowed to leave?” I ask Liz but Anton answers instead, prompting her to give him the evil eye.

  “He didn’t know until we got here. Still, we took precautions as to not give away your location. Plus, there’s been a decrease in the number of guys watching the mansion, so they know you’re not there anymore, but they don’t know you’re here either.” An emotion I can’t discern crosses his face before he can catch it. He shakes his head, still not coming completely into the room. “Anyway, I'm heading out, Maddox and Liz are staying here while Maddox does some stuff. But I might stop by again to bug Nixon later. See ya!” He waves and shuts the door harder than necessary.