The Thief Redeemer

by Leigh Clary Abdou

  “You need anything else from your room, boss?”

  I smirk at his comment. “I don’t think I’m ‘boss’ anymore. My rig was busted and I’m running away to Mexico.”

  “Mexico…huh? Sounds like you have it all figured out.” He pauses for a second. “By the way, you’ll always be boss.” A smile crosses his face and for the first time in the past twenty-four hours, a small one crosses mine. “Is there anything you need?”

  I would love to have some of the John Grisham books that Claire read, but books are too heavy to haul around. The necklace on my neck and picture in my pocket can travel with me.

  “No. I have everything I need.”

  He stands and pats me on the shoulder, as I sit slumped on the couch. We say our goodbyes, and I tell Tim I’m going to bed. I crawl into the sheets, wishing for Claire’s warm body. I will miss her every single day of the rest of my life.

  I fall asleep dreaming of her soft skin, silky hair, and warm kisses.

  THREE DAYS HAVE passed, and Claire has hardly uttered a word. She sits at the dinner table with her mom and dad. They are happy to have her back, but Claire can sense the tension in the room. Tension caused by her. She notices her parents exchanging worried glances as she moves her food around her plate. She hasn’t been the same since she left the alleyway.

  She wonders what’s wrong with her mind. She was kidnapped and now she has been returned. She should be ecstatic and elated. So why does she feel as if her heart has been ripped to shreds and broken into a million small pieces? She has never felt this way before. Sure, she has broken up with boyfriends whom she thought she was in love with, but Brandon was different. She had been willing to give up her life of normality for Brandon. She wanted to be with him that much.

  She can’t feel anything. Her heart, mind and body are numb. She is confused as well, because she never should have fallen for her kidnapper. Her mind is waging a battle: part of her knows she’s gone crazy while the other part is confident it was true love. She really is in love with a criminal.

  “Honey, are you going to finish your meal?” her mom asks her nervously. Her father looks at her with concern in his eyes.

  “No. I think I’m done.” She can’t tell them there is a patch of cotton in her throat and the thought of eating makes her stomach turn. She hasn’t eaten in three days. Three days since she last saw him.

  Tears start to fall down her cheeks as she thinks of never seeing him again. He is gone for good. His warehouse has been raided and she is sure he will go into hiding. He is lost to her forever.

  “Honey, were…you hurt in any way while you were there?” her mom asks in a whispered voice. She has asked Claire this question at least a hundred times.

  Claire’s tears become heavier and her cries more fierce. As her mom hands her a tissue, Claire knows her parents think she was brutally raped or beaten.

  Her mom has no idea that Claire is crying over a broken heart. What would they think if I she told them the truth? They’d probably commit her to a psych ward. Who falls in love with their kidnapper?

  But it’s not what Brandon was that made her love him. It’s what he wasn’t. He wasn’t your average monster. He was a good man with huge potential. He had a good heart that had been led astray by the hard life handed to him. Claire wanted to help him fix his life. She wanted to be there for him and show him the right path to travel. They could have been something and gone somewhere. Together they would have been strong. He could have been redeemed.

  Now they will never know. Now he is alone with no one to watch him. Claire knows he needs her to take care of him. Through the tears, she decides to set her mom straight. “It’s not what you think, Mom. I was actually treated very nicely.”

  Claire’s mom takes one hand and places it on Claire’s back. “Would you like to see a counselor?”

  She cringes at the thought. Do you see a counselor for a broken heart? And what would the counselor say? That she is crazy and confused?

  “Mom, I just need some time.” It is all Claire can mutter without giving away her story of lost love.

  “Brandon Wilson and I have history, Claire. He’s messed up. Please let me know if he did anything to hurt you,” her dad begins, and at his statement, Claire starts sobbing again. They are uncontrollable sobs that shake her entire body. Did he hurt her? Yes. He hurt her worse than anyone has ever hurt her before. He just let her go! He released her, telling her he was doing it because he loved her. And now they are lost and separated forever.

  “Dad,” Claire starts, and in between sobs, manages to formulate words. “He…never hurt me, Dad. He’s not a monster. He’s…not what you think.” She cries a little more before adding the last bit. “He’s a good guy, Dad.”

  Her dad grunts and shakes his head. “I’ll believe that when I see it, Claire. You know nothing about this guy or how dangerous he is. He’s not even allowed to see his own brothers because he’s a danger to them.”

  His words cause anger to shoot through Claire. She wants to defend Brandon, but knows she shouldn’t. She decides to remain silent. If she pushes her dad more, he’ll start asking her personal questions, questions that might involve the twins and her relationship with Brandon. She can’t reveal Brandon’s secrets. Now she understands why he didn’t return her earlier. He was correct; she would have been probed on his whereabouts.

  “Honey, the police want to come by tonight for some more questioning. I know you haven’t been able to answer anything yet, but I was going to see if you felt up to it tonight?”

  At her mom’s words, Claire breaks down into another sea of tears. She can’t speak to the police. They will be like her dad and only mention the terrible things about Brandon. The sweet Brandon she knew and loved doesn’t exist in their eyes.

  “I…can’t,” she manages to voice through the sniffling and tears. These past three days have been an emotional rollercoaster. She knows her family doesn’t understand how to handle the post-Brandon Claire.

  Jonathan has even stopped by a couple of times in hopes of bringing her out of this depression, but she doesn’t see him as she once did. She doesn’t find him attractive anymore. She only wishes for Brandon to walk through those doors and take her away.

  She cries harder at the thought. She will never see him again. He knew what the outcome would be, so why did he let her go?

  TODAY IS DAY four and the tears have diminished; she has no tears left to cry. She feels numb as she sits on the sofa and stares at the wall. She wonders how long it will take her to get over him? How long does it take to forget someone you’re in love with? Years? She hears her dad speaking with the officer in the kitchen. He has stayed home from work the past four days, terrified that Claire will do something stupid. Claire knows both parents think she is seconds away from slitting her wrists, but she isn’t. She is just too sad to move.

  The officer has stopped by today since her mom told him no visits last night. He is briefing her dad first before interrogating her. She has nothing to say. She refuses to speak and put Brandon down, but she can’t necessarily defend his actions, either. He did kidnap her after all, and how far would “he has a good heart and amazing potential” go with the police?

  “Who are the people who died that night?” She hears her dad ask, and her ears perked up.

  “There were only two causalities, sir. Juan Carlos Martino and Marcus Patrick Evans.”

  Claire stands to her feet before she realizes her actions, and heads into the kitchen. She sees her father and the officer sitting at the table. Both look up when she walks in. “Marcus has died?” she asks in a whisper. She receives a nod of confirmation from the officer. His face shows no sympathy. Of course, the officer doesn’t realize how sweet Marcus was. To him Marcus was a common criminal, not the big teddy bear she had known, or that Brandon knew.

  She feels the all-too-familiar pain in her heart of Brandon losing his right hand man. She wonders if he is even aware of Marcus’ death. “Where will he be buried?�
�� she asks, because maybe if she can find the gravesite, she will see Brandon again. Maybe he will visit.

  “He’s going to be cremated,” the officer informs her grimly. “Soon. He has no family, and that’s how the state handles bodies.”

  “What?” Her heart drops. She can’t believe what she’s hearing. Claire can’t let this happen to Marcus. If it is the last thing she does for Brandon, she will take care of his best friend.

  “Yes, ma’am.” The officer nods again, looking at Claire like she has lost her mind.

  “No.” At this, both men eye her, their brows raised. “No,” she repeats, because she is not going to allow this to happen. “I want Marcus to have a proper burial. I’ll pay for it myself,” she says to her dad. “It doesn’t have to be a grand event, but I want the body to have a resting place.”

  “Claire…” her dad starts, his expression relaying that he believes she has totally lost her mind. Well, maybe she has gone crazy, but she has money saved, and she will do this for Brandon. If he knew Marcus wasn’t going to have a proper burial, he would be throwing things and punching walls.

  She looks at the officer and makes her voice firm. “I want him to be buried. I’ll call the funeral home right this minute and make the arrangements.” She walks from the kitchen without looking back.

  The expression on her father’s face says it all. She knows her dad will try his best to talk her out of this idea, so she hurries to make the arrangements. After a few minutes, she has an appointment in the afternoon to pick out the casket and review other details. There will be no funeral, only a burial.

  She will probably be the only one in attendance, but at least this will give her time to process her thoughts. Maybe being around Marcus will somehow bring her back to life.

  Thirty minutes later, her dad knocks on the door. He informs her Officer Spenser is standing by to do the interview. She tells him she still isn’t ready. Claire isn’t sure how much more time they will give her, but she knows she will avoid this confrontation as long as possible.

  CLAIRE RETURNS HOME from the funeral home ready to crawl into bed. She has picked out Marcus’s casket and had made other arrangements for his burial. The plan is to meet in the graveyard at noon the following day and watch the body be lowered. She arranged for a minister to attend to make it somewhat a funeral. She wants to cry for Marcus but she has no tears. She is all dried up.

  Not wanting to be alone for the burial, she knows the exact people to call. She opens her laptop, the one that they had tried unsuccessfully to steal, and Googles the number for the Peoples’ residence. After two rings, a male voice answers. She recognizes it as either Mark or Luke’s.

  “Hi. This is Claire.”

  The other end is silent for a few seconds. Then she hears movement. Whoever answered the call is apparently changing rooms. She hears a door close, and when he speaks, his voice is a whisper.

  “Claire. It’s Luke. I’m so glad you called. I’ve watched everything on the news. What happened? Is Brandon okay? Are you okay?”

  For the first time in the past four days a smile crosses her face. She didn’t realize how good it would feel to hear Luke’s voice. He sounds like Brandon, and she longs to continue this friendship.

  “I’m okay and Brandon’s okay…at least I hope so.” She proceeds to tell him the entire story. She hasn’t spoken to anyone about what happened that terrible night, and letting it off her chest is therapeutic.

  “Wow.”

  Claire blows a deep exhale through her mouth. The word “wow” only begins to describe her feelings.

  “I thought you and your brother might want to know this, but tomorrow at noon is a small burial for Marcus Evans, Brandon’s friend since high school. You said you remembered him. I thought you and Mark might want to be there.”

  “Yes, we definitely want to be there.” After plugging both Mark and Luke’s cell numbers into her phone, she gives Luke all the burial details. He ensures her that both Mark and he will be there to meet her the following day.

  “And Claire?” Luke says as they are about to hang up the phone.

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s good to talk with you again.”

  She pauses for a minute, remembering the boys and their sweet demeanor at the pond.

  “You too, Luke.” As she hangs up the phone, she feels peace raining down her body. This entire experience wasn’t in vain. She has made a friendship with Brandon’s brothers, and the three of them know the truth. They might be the only three in the world who know the true colors of Brandon Wilson, but at least Claire isn’t alone.

  It is Mark, Luke and Claire against the world.

  THE SECOND CLAIRE sees the twins she is overcome with emotion. They look so much like Brandon with their long, lean bodies and their wavy brown hair. The only difference is their matching pairs of brown eyes versus Brandon’s hazel green ones. Brandon’s eyes spoke to her without words, showing her a man in pain and remorse. They spoke of a man with a hard outer shell which contained a soft warm heart. This is the man the three of them know and love.

  They embrace as soon as she sees them. They hold on to each other for several seconds, unspoken words passing through the warm flesh. As they break apart, she sees the pain and conflict in their eyes.

  “Claire, we have a question for you,” Mark says. “It’s kind of personal, but we both were talking and wanted to know.”

  She signals for them to continue.

  “Why are you doing this? Why didn’t you try to escape that day at the pond? Why did you photocopy the picture for us? The only explanation we see is that you love him. Do you?”

  Just when she didn’t think she had any more tears, her eyes start to water. She looks at the ground. “Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but yes. I did love him. I saw a side of him few see, and that’s the side I fell in love with. He was sweet, protective, and caring. Many wouldn’t agree with me, but I know the two of you see the same Brandon that I see. He’s a good man with a good heart who strayed off the beaten path a little.”

  She pauses trying to formulate her words. “I thought I could help him. I thought I could be the one to change him and be the one to show him how great he really is, but he gave me up.” She chokes on the last word and feels Luke’s arms glide around her waist.

  “You can’t do that for him, Claire. I know you wanted to be his savior, but you can’t. Brandon is going to have to save himself.” She looks into his dark brown eyes and she is hit with a revelation. Luke is completely right. She never had the power to change Brandon. He has to take the actions to change himself. He did want to change, but wanting to do it and doing it are two separate actions. These are wise words spoken by an eighteen-year-old.

  “You’re right. He’s got to make the choice himself.” Claire ponders her own thoughts a moment, looking into the warm summer sky. “I wonder what the right choice for him is?” She glances at his brothers and notices more similar features. They have the same jawline, same nose, and same lips. She never noticed the resemblance at the pond, but then again, she had been very focused on Brandon.

  The twins both shrug their shoulders and shake their heads. “We don’t know either. I guess we’ll know when we see it,” Mark answers.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” It’s not the reply she was hoping for, but it is the best any of them have right now. She takes each of their hands and walks them towards Marcus’s burial site.

  They are about to lower his body, so the three of them walk to the grave and stand next to the minister. He says a few words and they watch as the casket is lowered into the ground. Claire’s thoughts turn to Brandon, and she quietly squeezes both Mark and Luke’s hands. She wonders if he is alive and if he is doing okay. She wonders where he is and if he even thinks of her.

  Once the minister has finished, they shake his hand and he leaves. The three stand back, watching the crane drop dirt into the grave. Once Claire decides she has had enough, she signals the twins back towards their cars. J
ust looking at the vehicles makes her think of Brandon. Especially since she’s spent the last three months watching stolen vehicles storm through the warehouse.

  “Claire,” Mark stops at the car and puts his hands in his pockets. “Back to our previous conversation, I don’t know what the correct choice for Brandon is, but he’s already heading in the right direction.”

  She’s confused. “What?”

  “Giving you up. Letting you go. That was a choice he made in the right direction.”

  Claire suddenly finds herself very angry. “What do you mean, Mark? I actually asked to stay with him and he still gave me up. He made me leave him, even after we both told each other ‘I love you.’ He tied me to a drain and ran away!” Her words are becoming louder as she tries to get through to him.

  Mark glances at Luke and then looks back to her. “I didn’t mean to upset you, Claire. That’s the last thing I want to do, but can’t you see? Him giving you up was the most selfless thing he’s probably ever done. He didn’t want you as his prisoner. If you were going to be with him, he wanted you there on your own terms. And he knew in a life like his, you would always be a prisoner.”

  She lets his words soak through her as she slowly reflects on Brandon’s actions. He told her he was giving her up because he loved her, but she just now understands his words.

  “So I retract my previous statement, Claire.” Luke begins, as he looks her deep in the eyes. “You can save him. Actually, I think you already did save him. Brandon letting you go demonstrates this point. In a small way, you did your part and redeemed our brother. Your part of saving him is complete…he has to do the rest.” Luke places his hand on her shoulder as she feels his words warm her like the summer breeze.

  He is completely right.

  The past three months weren’t a complete failure. If all she did was open up Brandon’s heart to show him his full potential, then she can sleep in peace, knowing she did her part.