The Protector

by Stormi Lewis

  James looked at Sophie for a clue, but her eyes glazed over. “We’re not from the area,” he offered politely, “so we’re not much help.”

  “I didn’t ask you,” the man said as he continued to stare at Sophie. “Do you happen to know the way to San Francisco?” he repeated to her.

  “His favorite song,” Sophie whispered softly to herself before responding, “No, but if I do, I’d love to wear some flowers in my hair.”

  James stared at Sophie as if she had lost her mind.

  “Long time no see, Sophie,” the man smiled.

  “Long time no see, Cecil,” Sophie smiled warmly at the man.

  “Wanna go for a ride, Kid?” Cecil asked her.

  “We’d love to,” Sophie said softly.

  Cecil stared at James. “I’m only here for you, Kid,” he said looking James up and down to size him up.

  “We’re a packaged deal,” Sophie said smiling her Cheshire smile at him.

  “He said you’d say that,” Cecil mumbled. “Get in.”

  The side door opened with a couple of other men dressed in biker gear sitting inside.

  “Come on,” Sophie said tugging on James’ arm.

  He looked at Ben and Tina, at Sophie, at the men in the van, and back at Sophie.

  “Mario sent them,” Sophie whispered. “Their bark is worse than their bite,” she giggled.

  James looked at Ben and Tina giving them a weary smile to try and assure them as he climbed in the van. Sophie turned and winked at them both before following suit and closing the door. Ben and Tina both stood gawking as their friends climbed into the mystery van without protest. Cecil saluted them as he drove by.

  “What the hell?” Tina asked while Ben just stood with his mouth open as the van turned the corner and disappeared out of sight.

  James kept a hand on Sophie’s leg during their ride to wherever they were going. He eyed each character carefully, but Sophie just sat back and waited for them to stop. The windows were tinted black, and there was no way of knowing where they were exactly, when all of a sudden, the side door jerked open.

  “Where is she?” a woman called behind a crowd of mostly male motorcycle enthusiasts.

  Sophie hopped out first and was instantly pulled into the arms of a tall slender woman who had grey hair past her waist pulled back in a ponytail. She wore jeans, and a black t-shirt that matched Cecil’s.

  The woman pulled Sophie back to survey her from head to toe with her aging eyes. “It’s been too long, Child,” the woman stated bluntly as she inspected Sophie for any injuries.

  “I missed you too, Donna,” Sophie smiled as she was pulled into another hug.

  “Who’s the boy?” one of them shouted, jabbing their thumb in James’ direction.

  “This is James. He’s Team Sophie, so don’t make me hurt you,” Sophie replied glaring back at the man who asked before tossing her head back in a laugh. “Be nice Daryl,” she warned with a smile.

  James awkwardly held out his hand to Daryl, who stared at it for what seemed like an eternity before he decided to take it.

  “Mario sent word you were here,” Donna cut in. “How can we help?”

  “Who are this people?” James whispered in Sophie’s ear.

  “They’re friends of Mario’s,” she whispered back. “We’re in good hands,” she said winking, but James wasn’t exactly convinced. Looking around the garage he noticed a lot of small arms mixed in with the typical tools needed for fixing bikes and cars.

  “Actually, I do need help with something,” Sophie smiled sweetly. She grabbed Donna’s elbow and walked her across to the other side of the garage.

  James became aware of the three large men walking around him to inspect him. “Hey fellas,” he laughed nervously.

  “What are your intentions with our Sophie?” Cecil cut to the chase.

  James was a little thrown off by the question.

  “Are you deaf?” Cecil demanded, and James suddenly realized the meaning for the passive aggression that he had been receiving.

  “Quite honestly, I plan on marrying her, or at least keeping her safe until my last dying breath,” James shrugged and relaxed at the intent of the group. They clearly loved Sophie as much as he did. They had some sort of past with her, and he was brought to prove he was worthy.

  Daryl huffed a chuckle. “You? Keep her safe?”

  “I’m more than I appear,” James smirked.

  “How long have you been around, Boy?” one of them grunted.

  “I found her in the woods several months back,” James answered honestly. It did no good to lie to these people. “She got injured and I brought her to my parents’ house to heal. We’ve been together ever since,” James said with a wicked smile letting them know that it was more than just some fling. “And her father gave me his permission already,” he added for good measure.

  It wasn’t a lie. Jack pulled him aside and asked him the same question. What were his intentions? He was pleased with answer and gave James their blessing.

  Daryl looked at Cecil, who appeared to be deep in thought. “Jack gave you his blessing?” Cecil repeated.

  “Yes,” James confirmed. “It’s hard to explain, but he did.”

  Everyone waited for Cecil. You could hear a pin drop; the silence was so deafening.

  “Well,” Cecil said slowly. “If Jack and Mario approve, then I do too,” he said sticking his hand out to James. He pulled James into a hug immediately after he took it. “But if you ever make her even the slightest bit unhappy,” Cecil threatened into James’ ear, “my boys and me are going to give you a visit, if you catch my drift.”

  “Yes, Sir,” James said with a smile.

  Cecil patted him on the back and pushed him out of reach.

  “Hungry?” he asked James.

  “We just finished eating. Thank you,” James declined politely.

  “Beer?” Daryl asked.

  “Certainly,” James gladly accepted.

  “Absolutely NOT!” everyone heard Donna exclaim on the other side of the garage.

  “It needs to be done,” Sophie stated bluntly. “I will be safer knowing,” she added for good measure.

  “I don’t like this one bit!” Donna declared.

  “I don’t either,” James announced.

  Donna jerked her head to eye James with skepticism.

  “But we do have a doctor with us, and you know she won’t take no at this point,” James shrugged before taking a sip of his beer.

  The men looked between James and Donna for answers. They didn’t get any.

  Donna turned to Sophie. “I’m not happy about the idea, but he’s right. You’re going to do it anyway, it might as well be under my watch,” she said grimly. “I do like him though,” she winked and tilted her head in James’ direction.

  “Thought you might,” Sophie giggled.

  It was settled. Cecil’s gang was going to provide some added “testing equipment” and a warehouse for their lab. At least this way, general weapons most likely held by Clarice’s teams could be fully tested. Now, to just see what she was actually capable of….

  “I don’t like this at all!” Tina said in hysteria. She had been pacing the hotel room for the last couple of hours after James and Sophie climbed into an unmarked van.

  Ben kept his eyes closed as he focused on the man’s face who was in the driver seat. He knew he had seen him before. He just couldn’t figure out from where for the life of him, no matter how hard he tried to focus.

  “How can you just sit there and nap?” Tina yelled.

  “I’m not napping,” Ben said giving up and opening his eyes. “I was trying to focus.” Tina looked at him like a wild animal. “I have seen him somewhere before. I just can’t remember where,” he added in defeat.

  “That’s it!” Tina shouted pulling the laptop out of her bag, popping it open, and frantically starting to type. “If we can get a picture from one of the traffic cameras, we can trace him!”

  “You k
now Sophie will keep him safe,” Ben said softly.

  “I know,” Tina whispered. “But if we lose her, we lose everything.”

  Ben didn’t know what Tina meant by that. He only knew his wife wanted the best for her friends. That’s one of the many reasons why he loved her so much. He went back to closing his eyes to focus as his wife feverishly typed on the laptop to track down the mystery man. The sound of the lock on the door being unlocked by the electronic key had them both jumping. They looked urgently at each other before staring back at the door.

  “Are you kidding me?” Ben yelled when he saw Sophie walk in with James in tow as if nothing had happened.

  “What?” Sophie asked confused.

  “What?!” Tina yelled jumping off the bed. “We’ve been worried sick for the last couple of hours since we witnessed the two of you climbing into an unmarked van with strangers!”

  Ben rushed over to hold his wife down. He knew that tone, and so did James.

  “Sorry, Tin!” James started to interject. “Mario sent reinforcements, and we got caught up in that. I’m sorry I didn’t call,” he said gently rubbing his hands up and down Tina’s arms to try to sooth her.

  Tina mumbled under her breath, but no one could understand her as she walked to the other side of the room to give herself some space. Sophie watched her carefully.

  “So, who are these reinforcements?” Ben interrupted.

  “It’s Mario’s old biker gang,” Sophie answered not taking her eyes off of Tina. “They’re able to help provide a warehouse and some testing equipment,” she said matter-of-factly. Tina stopped pacing, and Sophie watched for clues.

  “That’s it!” yelled Ben. Everyone stared at him. “The driver is a friend of Mario’s and was at his bar often during the summer!” he replied in triumph.

  “Well, I guess that’s something,” Tina offered with a frown, ignoring her husband’s sudden revelation. “Are you sure you still want to do this?” she asked turning to Sophie and looking her straight in the eye.

  “It’s better that we know what we’re dealing with,” Sophie shrugged. “We need to determine my strengths and weaknesses.”

  “That’s true,” Tina said suddenly in thought.

  It made Sophie a little uneasy with how quickly Tina was willing to “test” her. However, she couldn’t determine if it was the naturally inquisitive side of her friend, or because the man with the cane needed answers. Either way, Sophie couldn’t chance letting her guard down.

  “They’re off the grid,” Sophie continued. “So, we won’t draw any attention. I hope you have your ideas ready,” she said wearily.

  “Let’s just get something to eat and relax,” James replied desperately wanting to change the subject. It was bad enough that the woman he loved wanted them to treat her like a lab rat in order to find out what she was capable of. They didn’t have to talk about it constantly until then.

  “So, what do you want for your last meal?” Ben joked, but swiftly was slapped in the stomach by his wife.

  Sophie giggled to ease their minds. She did love their banter, even if she couldn’t trust it at the moment.

  “Italian?” she offered.

  “Something tells me you’ll need the carbs,” Tina smiled wearily.

  “Pasta it is!” James exclaimed as he headed to the laptop to find some delivery options.

  “Do you still have the SD card?” Sophie asked hoping to sound casual.

  “No,” Tina said flatly not giving anything away.

  “What do you mean, ‘no’?” Ben asked.

  “I sent it to a friend for safe keeping,” Tina shrugged and gave no more details.

  Ben looked at Sophie confused, but Sophie was too busy dealing with the pit in her stomach. Had Tina sent it directly to him? Or would she send it through an unknowing suspect? Sophie suddenly lost her appetite, however, forced herself to eat all the same. It would do her no good to let Tina know she was on to her.

  Sophie had promised she would not attack him if James slept in the same bed with her, but she couldn’t stand the thought of him sleeping on the floor or in a chair. James reluctantly agreed, although kept his front to her and a pillow in between them.

  Sophie wasn’t sure if James didn’t trust her or if he didn’t trust himself. She secretly wished for the latter. However, when Sophie closed her eyes to try to get a good night’s rest, she found the wooden door instead.

  “Oh, come on!” Sophie whined. “I need sleep before tomorrow!”

  “Open the door, Kid,” Mario warned.

  “You’re lucky I like you,” Sophie mumbled as she reached for the doorknob. The light that greeted her was warm like he used to be. “Now, what?” she sighed.

  “Sorry to bother you, Princess,” Mario said sitting at a table with his feet up, hands behind his head, and rolling his eyes.

  “Don’t start with me,” Sophie said with a chuckle.

  “You’re really gonna do this?” Mario asked seriously.

  “We need to know,” Sophie said. “We both know that.”

  “Yeah,” Mario said taking his feet down and sitting up straighter. “I’m just worried,” he added honestly.

  “I have a doctor on site,” she offered as a consolation.

  “A doctor can’t help if you’re dead,” Mario retorted glaring at her.

  “Well, I don’t intend to go that extreme!” Sophie laughed. There was an awkward silence between them. “I need to know,” she finally whispered.

  “I know, Kid,” Mario whispered with a weary smile. “Why do you think I sent you my best people?” he said leaning back and putting his feet back up.

  “Yeah, Donna’s not happy with me either,” Sophie mumbled.

  “We’re just looking out for you, Kid,” he reminded her.

  “I know,” Sophie replied with a smile. She pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. “So, what’s so important you’re interrupting my beauty sleep?” she asked looking at Mario skeptically.

  “I haven’t found anything to support your suspicions of your friend,” Mario said shrugging.

  “So, you’re Team Tina then?” Sophie said a little hurt.

  Mario put his feet down again and leaned over the table.

  “First, and foremost, I will ALWAYS be Team Sophie,” Mario replied firmly. “But you have a lot of team members, and right now she only has two,” Mario said shrugging.

  “She sent away the card,” Sophie reminded him.

  “I’m aware,” Mario said unphased. “I’m looking into it. Just because Tina sent it away like you thought she would doesn’t mean she sent it to him,” he said staring at her intently.

  “It doesn’t mean she didn’t,” Sophie retorted.

  Mario shook his head and laughed.

  “You have enough enemies to worry about,” Mario warned. “Let me worry about this one,” he added sternly.

  Sophie looked at him with great determination. Mario sighed overdramatically. “I didn’t say let your guard down, Princess. I said let me look into it,” he groaned.

  “And how can you play detective as a ghost exactly?” Sophie asked doubtingly.

  “A hell of a lot better,” Mario said winking at her. “Now, get some rest.” He stood up to walk towards her. Sophie pulled back her head in hesitation.

  “Do you know how?” she asked half teasing and half concerned.

  “Brat,” Mario retorted before he touched her forehead forcing her back through the door and into the deepest sleep she’d had in a long time.

  Chapter 16

  “C an I just say one more time that I am one-hundred percent against this?” James asked nervously.

  “Duly noted,” Sophie said smiling and kissing him on the cheek. “So, what’s first?”

  “Maybe start with things we can test easily?” Tina offered.

  “Okay,” Sophie replied. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Some things we know,” Ben said in his doctor voice. “Fractures only take days to heal,
while broken bones take almost a week,” he stated as he made notes to his list. “So, we don’t need to break anything today,” he added in a warning tone.

  “Okay, Dad,” Sophie giggled.

  “Well, we know she’s fast,” Tina said with a smile. “Feel like a run?”

  “I mean, I guess,” Sophie said. “But how are you going to measure?”

  “That’s what I’m here for!” Daryl said with a smile. “Hop in!” he said climbing into the car he had brought.

  “You want me to race a car?” Sophie asked in a chuckle.

  “A car made for drag racing,” Daryl smiled a defiant smile. “I haven’t lost a race yet!” he declared proudly. The trio climbed in the car.

  “Maybe you should get a head start,” Sophie teased. She had no clue how fast she actually was. The challenge thrilled her all the same.

  “Suit yourself!” hollered Daryl out the window as he took off.

  Sophie counted to ten slowly before she took off after the car. She squinted her eyes as she pin pointed the image ahead of her. She breathed carefully as she enjoyed the breeze whipping through her hair as she ran. Sophie was impressed when she caught up to the car rather quickly.

  “Um, guys,” Ben said pointing to the speedometer.

  No one said a word. The dial continued to creep up steadily and was currently at 70 mph.

  “How fast do you think she can actually go?” Tina whispered.

  “We’re about to find out!” Daryl said in excitement as he pushed on the gas pedal.

  Sophie maintained speed with the car. She had to stop looking over, because all she saw was the back of their heads as they watched the dashboard like hawks. It made her more curious than excited and caused her to slow a bit, so instead she keep her eyes in front.

  She hadn’t been running long, but Sophie was feeling the speed leaving her body physically. She didn’t know exactly how fast she was running; but that speed wasn’t going to last for long distances. It was still information needed. When the energy completely was gone, Sophie slowed down to a jog, and eventually leaned over to rest her hands on her knees while she caught her breath. Daryl slowed down and circled back.