by Ben Cass
Jerry set his mug on the small table and rested both hands on his knees, tapping his long fingers on them. “I heard the two of them talking, heard him yelling at her about not being there. I had no idea where ‘there’ was at the moment. He asked who I was and I vaguely heard her say I was her husband.”
A loud “THUMP” distracted them. They looked up and saw Theonus dragging a tree out of the forest. Once he was clear, the Wiler dropped the end of the tree and circled around to its side. He used his fangs to help scoop it up into his mouth and then carried it off to the barn. Jen thought he was trotting as proudly as a tiny puppy with a new chew toy.
They watched him drag the tree into the barn, and then a deep, impenetrable darkness shrouded the doorway. Ellie had mentioned this to Jen, so she wasn’t too surprised by it, but she was surprised to notice Jerry brushed it off, returning to his story. She realized he’d known the Wiler for years, so it probably wasn’t anything new to him.
“Where was I? Oh, yeah. Anyway, once she said she was married to me, Doyle growled something particularly vile—I won’t repeat it in the presence of a lady—stepped over to me, grabbed me by my throat, and lifted me up with one arm.” Jerry flexed his biceps. “I’m pretty well-built, and was even then, and let me tell you, the experience was completely humbling. I was an insignificant speck to him. He stuffed something chewy into my mouth and told me to eat it. I did, and within a few minutes I felt a whole lot better. My headache went away, I wasn’t dizzy anymore, and I could hear clearly. I’m pretty sure he’d given me a bad concussion, but whatever he fed me pretty much took care of it.” Jerry absently rubbed the top of his head. “Still don’t know what it was, but knowing what little I do about Tayamu remedies, I don’t think I want to know.”
Jen just sat, amazed at the story. It was hard to imagine Kira tolerating Jerry acting the way he had. Jerry continued, “He asked me, while I was still dangling in his grasp, if I wanted to waste my life hurting others. He told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was either going to change my life for the better or he was going to end it for me and save his sister from a lifetime of misery.” Jerry’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“I’m sure that’s not what he meant,” said Jen.
“No, he meant it,” said Jerry. “Trust me. I was quoting him just now, although I did leave out the more colorful words. I know he’s your boyfriend, but you must not know that other side of him. He’s a great guy, maybe the best man I’ve ever known, but he’s also a trained warrior. Not a soldier: a warrior. From what I understand, he killed a lot of people in some huge war or something. He doesn’t like to talk about it, but I’ve heard bits and pieces of conversations with Kira. I also know he doesn’t make idle threats. If he says you have two choices, that’s exactly what he means.”
Jen frowned, slightly disturbed. She hadn’t really thought about what it meant for him to be Tayamu. “I guess I don’t know him that way, really. Or if I did, I still can’t remember it.” She breathed out heavily. “So then what happened?”
“We brought Doyle back to our place. I didn’t want to, obviously, but Kira insisted.” Jerry rubbed his leg, his eyes faraway. “When we got there, she asked Doyle why he’d come all that way. Then he told her their parents had died a week earlier, and their mom’s last words were to tell him to protect his sister.” Jerry grimaced at the memory, shaking his head. “That was the first time I ever saw my wife cry. She just collapsed onto the floor, absolutely helpless.”
“Been there,” said Jen softly.
Jerry reached over and took her hand. “It gets easier with time,” he said softly. “The pain never goes away, unfortunately. You just learn to ignore it a little better. I’d wanted everybody to suffer like I had, but when I saw Kira, hurting like that...well, everything changed. It was like one of those slow-motion scenes in a movie; you know the kind, right? Where the character is looking around, having an epiphany, as everybody near them seems to be moving at snail-like speeds.” Jen nodded in agreement. She’d seen a few of those scenes over the years.
“I knew how she was feeling,” he continued, “and I didn’t like it. All I wanted to do was take her pain and grief away. I promised myself right then and there to walk a new path in life. I left the gang, started going to church and went back to school. I started the police academy a year later. I have no idea how we survived those years, since Kira never worked, but we always had plenty of money. I suspect her brother had something to do with that. I know he doesn’t like me, or trust me, and I just pray one day I can prove to him I’ve changed.” He spread his arms wide. “It took a while, but here I am.”
“Here you are,” Jen said, squeezing his shoulder.
Chapter Twenty-Four
After sitting a while longer with Jerry, getting to know him, Jen decided to seek out Doyle. She wanted to finish the conversation that had been interrupted last night. Excusing herself, she went inside.
How to find Doyle? She assumed he was still out in the barn, but it was a long way to walk if he wasn’t, and she’d seen his cell phone sitting on the dining room table, so she knew she couldn’t call him.
The answer came a moment later; she couldn’t believe it hadn’t been immediately obvious. Clearing her head, she thought, Theonus? Can you hear me?
Of course, came the quick reply. How are you doing?
Feeling a little frustrated, honestly. Is Doyle out in the barn? I think we need to finish our talk.
He’s here. There was a short pause, and then, He said he’d be glad to talk to you.
Good. I’ll be there in a few minutes.
Jen went upstairs and dressed quickly, choosing a light blue shirt and khaki shorts. Ellie had picked these out for her, and the shirt had a much lower cut than Jen normally liked, but she wasn’t going to worry about that right now. She actually found herself hoping Doyle would notice the amount of cleavage, which was very out of character for her.
She hurried back downstairs and out the door, passing by Jerry, who raised his mug to her.
“Give him hell, sweetie!” he called out, laughing.
Jen crossed the property to the barn in only a few minutes; it wasn’t as far away as she’d thought, apparently. Theonus emerged as she approached, his head ducking underneath the doors.
She marveled again at his massive size. She’d had the chance to stand close to elephants at the zoo, and thought they were huge, but was starting to think Theonus might be even bigger. She cast about in her newly-recovered memories, but found nothing about Wilers in them. She didn’t know if she’d never seen one before, or if it was just something she hadn’t remembered yet. Jen wondered whether he was a normally-sized Wiler, or if he was on the smaller or larger end.
Jen smiled; she couldn’t begin to imagine a larger Wiler.
Theonus leaned down, his head looking the size of the moon to Jen, and gently nudged her with it. He feels very guilty right now, Theonus told her. He was awake again all night, thinking about what to say to you.
Jen felt some of her frustration cool off, replaced by worry. “Again? What do you mean, again?”
He hasn’t slept in several days. Keeping secrets may be second nature to him, but he feels bad about this. Please don’t be too angry with him.
“I’ll keep it in mind, Theonus,” she told the Wiler, reaching out to stroke his face. He raised his head and walked past her, his stomach far over her, his legs like tree trunks.
Jen walked into the barn, looking for Doyle. She saw him at the far end, doing some kind of exercise routine. She stopped and watched him, folding her arms and leaning against the wall.
Doyle wore only a pair of black shorts, and held what looked like a broom or mop handle, brandishing it like a staff. He crouched low, left leg stretched out in front, right leg slightly behind him. He held the makeshift staff in his right hand, hovering over his head, parallel to his left arm, which was pointing straight out. His eyes were closed, so he didn’t see Jen, although she suspected he probably knew she was
there.
Then again, he looked to be in a state of meditation, so he might have blocked out all external stimuli.
Without any kind of warning, Doyle exploded into motion. The staff whirled over his head, moving too quickly for Jen to follow it with her eyes. He swung around and down, grasping with both hands as it slashed. Doyle jabbed and spun the staff, attacking imaginary enemies. His body twisted and writhed as he dodged blows that weren’t there and retaliated with punches or hits of the staff, his torso covered in a sheen of sweat. His feet lashed out in powerful kicks, the staff still spinning as he did so.
Jen had never seen anything like it before, and didn’t even know how to describe it. She only knew two things: first, it was absolutely mesmerizing to watch, a martial arts display easily the equal of any she’d seen before.
Second, it was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen, hands down. She had a sudden urge to tear all their clothing off and do wildly inappropriate things to each other, but she forced that thought away, shocked at herself.
The staff suddenly cut through the air like a javelin. Jen watched as it struck a rope several feet away. The rope quickly came loose and slipped free, releasing a piece of wood that held what looked like a pile of bricks, several feet above Doyle’s head.
The bricks bounced off a small trampoline that hung just below them and soared through the air toward Doyle. His hands and arms blurred, and the bricks shattered as he made contact. Jen watched, entranced, as Doyle punched every single brick out of the air without being hit by any of them. His eyes hadn’t opened once.
A small cloud of dust surrounded his head, with shattered pieces of red and brown bricks scattered around his feet. Doyle stood there, head lowered, eyes still closed. He looked calm and relaxed.
Doyle suddenly turned his head and looked directly at Jen, his eyes now open. So he had noticed her. She smiled and gave a tentative wave, and he smiled back. He turned and started towards her, his stride the confident, calm walk she now remembered so well.
Before she knew it, he was in front of her. He reached out and grabbed the black shirt that sat on a wooden crate next to her, slipping it on over his head. She felt a slight twinge of regret the shirt was on, but pushed it away, focusing on what she wanted to say to him.
However, now that she was face-to-face with him, Jen suddenly felt a lot less angry. Doyle’s eyes were dark, and he looked exhausted. She recalled what Theonus had told her.
“When was the last time you slept?” she asked abruptly.
He raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback, but thought about it. “I don’t know. Four, five days? A week, maybe? I’ve lost track. Before the car tried to hit you, definitely.”
Her jaw fell. “Ali...that’s way too long! Humans start to have issues functioning after two days. How are you still coherent?”
He shrugged. “I’m Tayamu. We can go without sleep for extended periods of time.”
Jen brushed her hair back from her face. “How extended are we talking?”
“Um...I don’t honestly know,” he confessed. “This is already longer than I’ve ever gone before.”
She shook her head. “No. You’re not doing this. You need to sleep.”
He raised an eyebrow again. “I thought you came out here to yell at...uhh...talk to me.”
“I did,” she said, “but not when you’re like this. I want you rested and relaxed, not on edge.”
“I’m not on edge,” he protested. Jen looked at him, and then pointed at the shattered pieces of bricks.
“And all that was just to help you wake up? Ali, I know what you’re doing. I’ve done it myself. You’re trying to lose yourself in things so you can ignore the doubts and worries in your head. It doesn’t work that way, though. You need to deal with them, not shove them down.” She reached up and brushed his hair back from his forehead.
“Why haven’t you been sleeping?” she asked gently.
Doyle shrugged and started to turn away, but Jen stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Ali...please tell me. Why haven’t you been sleeping?”
He didn’t turn back, and for a moment, she thought he wouldn’t answer her, but when he finally spoke, his voice was soft and haunted.
“Nine years,” he said. “That’s why.”
“What?”
He turned back to her, his face full of emotion. “I’ve been here, in this world, for nine years, searching desperately, trying to find you, daring to hold out hope you weren’t dead. Then I found you, and somebody tried to take you from me again. And again. And again.” He pressed his hands to his eyes.
Jen hugged him tightly, holding him close. He leaned over, resting his head on top of hers. “But you saved me, Ali. Every single time, you were there.”
“Because I didn’t sleep. I barely slept after the mugging, but Theonus was able to make me get a few hours. I haven’t rested since. I’m terrified that if I do, they’ll try again, and I’ll be too late this time.” He lightly kissed the top of her head. “I barely survived losing you once. I wouldn’t survive losing you again. So I stay awake, keeping watch over all of you.”
“That’s not all, though, is it?” Jen asked softly. “What else is bothering you?”
His hands gently stroked the top of her back. “I keep secrets from you, secrets you want to know...you need to know, but I can’t tell you yet.”
Realization flared in Jen’s mind, and she pulled back and looked into his face, seeing the worry there. “You’re scared I’ll leave you again, because of these secrets. Aren’t you?”
He nodded, his eyes searching hers. Jen shook her head. “I made that mistake once, Ali. I will not make it again.”
She took his hand in hers, gently tracing his fingers. “Yes, I was mad at you last night, and even this morning. I’m still not happy about all the secrets you keep, but,” she held his eyes, “I’m willing to accept the ones you consider vital if you’re willing to answer the ones that aren’t.”
He considered and nodded in agreement. “That’s fair. I’m sorry, Jeniah. I’m just trying to keep you safe.”
“And not telling me my past keeps me safe?”
He nodded. “For now, yes. I’m hoping I’ll be able to tell you everything—and I mean everything—within a week or two. I can’t promise, though.”
Jen let out a long sigh. “All right. I suppose I can deal for now. I mean, I’ve gone twelve years not knowing any of this stuff, so what’s another few weeks not knowing some of it?”
Doyle kissed the back of her hand. “Am I forgiven?”
She laughed. “Absolutely.” Jen wrapped her arms around Doyle, working her fingers under his shirt, resting them on the small of his back, gently massaging the muscles. “Absolutely,” she repeated. “But Ali...I need you to tell me what you went through.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What?” His voice sounded confused, so Jen elaborated.
“Ali, nine years is a long time to search for me. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like, but I want to know. Whatever you can tell me, I need to know.”
He sighed heavily, reluctantly. Jen stared up at him, keeping her hands moving on his lower back muscles. She noticed he wouldn’t meet her eyes, keeping his head raised up.
“Ali. Look at me.”
He finally looked down, and Jen gave him her most encouraging smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I know I ruined your life, and I can never make that up to you, although I plan to spend forever trying. I just...I want to know how you found me.”
“It was...not a fun time for me,” he finally said softly. “I wasn’t in the best mental state. It was like trying to follow a trail of breadcrumbs back to the loaf, only to find that the crumbs were from an entirely different loaf.”
Jen squeezed him tight, burying her face against his chest. “I’m so sorry,” she said quietly.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Doyle said. Jen suddenly pulled away and punched him, as hard as she could, in the bicep. “Ow!” he yelle
d, grabbing his arm. “What was that for?”
Jen pointed a finger at him, frowning sternly. “I told you if you ever blamed yourself for my mistakes again, I would hit you and it would hurt. Did you think I was joking?”
“Little bit, yeah,” he said, still rubbing his arm. A rueful grin traveled across his mouth. “Nice punch, though.”
Jen folded her arms, drumming her fingers on her bicep. “Are you done blaming yourself?”
He shrugged. “To be honest...probably not, but I will do my best to stop.”
Jen gave him a sly grin. “Well, if you ever need a distraction, let me know. I will be more than happy to provide one.”
“You already are,” Doyle said, raising his eyebrows. Jen was puzzled for a second before remembering the low cut on her shirt. She felt warmth rush to her face, but forced it down. She’d wanted him to notice, right? And he had. Still, she couldn’t let it go unacknowledged, so she shoved his chest playfully.
“Pervert,” she said, laughing. Doyle gave an exaggerated shrug, both hands in the air.
“I call ‘em like I see ‘em,” he replied.
“Then you’ll have to let me know what you call them when you see them,” Jen replied, the words out of her mouth before she could think about it.
Did I just say that?
Doyle laughed heartily, throwing his head back. “I look forward to it,” he said, his voice sounding amused. “So...you really want to know how I found you?”