by M. S. Parker
“Nami.” His voice was soft in my ear, but loud enough to pull me from sleep. “We're almost home.”
For a moment, I felt panic and my eyes opened. Then I realized what he meant and the fear faded, though the adrenaline had made me suddenly and completely awake. Reed gave me a concerned look as I sat up.
I didn't give him a chance to ask if I was okay. I had a feeling I would be sick of that question very soon. “Did you sleep at all?” I asked him.
He nodded. “A bit, but I don't think I'll really relax until we're in a place I know no one can get to you.” He reached out and put his hand on my cheek, his touch light enough that it didn't hurt.
“Where are we going?” I asked suddenly, realizing I didn't know any details.
“Philadelphia,” he said. “I have some friends there I can trust.”
“Friends, not family?” I put my hand on his arm.
“No,” he said. “I can't try to work things out with them and worrying about you at the same time.”
“I don't want you worry about me or Halea,” I said.
He gave me the kind of smile that said I just didn't understand. “You're my world, Nami. How can I not worry about you?”
Before I could think of something to say, he was on his feet and heading for the cockpit.
“I like him.” Halea sat down next to me. Her face was pale and she looked tired even though I knew she'd slept through most of the eight hour flight. She reached over and took my hand. “I know you think you have to protect me, but I am stronger than you think.”
I smiled as I squeezed her hand. “It wasn't your strength I doubted. It was mine. I could bear what Tanek did to me, but I couldn't have handled anything happening to you.”
Tears spilled over, running down Halea's cheeks and she buried her head against my chest, her arms wrapping around me so tightly that it hurt. I didn't ask her to stop, putting my own arms around her and kissing the top of her head. My own eyes burned with tears.
“It's all right now, little one,” I murmured. “Shh. We're safe now.”
By the time Reed came back to tell us that we'd be landing at a private airstrip just outside of Philadelphia in a few minutes, Halea and I had both regained our composure enough to excuse ourselves to freshen up. I returned to my seat just as the pilot announced that we needed to put on our seat belts. I sat next to Reed. Now that the immediate concerns were out of the way and we were now simply waiting to hear from Kai and Tomas about my parents, I found myself growing nervous. Not at what was going to happen with Tanek, but rather what would be waiting for us in Philadelphia.
“Your friends,” I asked as the plane began to descend. “Are they picking us up at the airport?”
“They are.” Reed reached over and laced his fingers between mine. A faint flush stained his cheeks. “Do you remember me telling you about Piper?”
It took me a moment, but then I placed the name. “The woman whose decision to go with another man sent you to Europe?”
The corner of Reed's mouth twitched and his ears began to turn red. “I wouldn't have put it exactly like that, but yes. She and her boyfriend are picking us up. They moved in together earlier this summer, but she has an apartment in Fishtown that still has a lease on it. She hasn't been able to find someone to sublet it to, so we can stay there as long as we need to.”
“That's very generous of her.” I hoped I didn't sound suspicious, but I found it strange that a woman who'd rejected Reed would go to all this trouble to help him.
“Nami, there's nothing between Piper and me but friendship.”
I looked up at Reed and found his expression serious. He raised our hands and kissed the back of mine.
“She's actually the one who told me that if I loved you, I needed to go after you and not let anyone stop me.” He squeezed my hand. “What Piper and I had...it wasn't real. She and Julien are meant to be together.” His eyes were warm as they met mine. “Just like we are.”
Because of the six hour or so time difference, it was a little past one in the morning as we left the airplane and I shivered as a gust of wind whipped across the landing strip. Reed slid his arm around my waist and pulled me against him as we walked towards the couple who were waiting next to a normal-looking car. That was surprising. I'd assumed that Reed's friends had as much money as he did.
I looked at her first. She was about my age, maybe a year or two older. Bright red hair that she had pulled back in a ponytail. Dark green eyes and a light dusting of freckles across her fair skin. She was quite pretty, but the way she looked at the man standing next to her kept me from being jealous. She was clearly in love. He was tall with black hair and bright blue eyes, a handsome man, I thought, but not my type.
“Thank you guys so much for helping us,” Reed said as we reached his friends. He put out his free hand and shook Julien's hand. Piper came forward to give him a half-hug, then gave me one as well, surprising me enough that I couldn't cover it.
She smiled. “Julien and I both know what it's like to have everything working against you.” She reached behind her and he took her hand. “Any way we can help, we're more than happy to.”
“Thank you,” I said. All of the anxiety I'd had at meeting her melted away. She had one of the most sincere faces I'd ever seen. “I'm Nami and this is my sister Halea.” I gestured towards Halea who gave Piper a shy smile. I purposefully left off our titles, though I supposed Reed had told his friends who we were. I didn't want them to think of us that way though.
“We brought the car rather than having someone drive us,” Julien spoke up. “Figured it would be the best way to keep from drawing attention.” He glanced at me and offered an additional explanation. “The apartment's not in a bad neighborhood or anything, but a town car would be noticed, even this early in the morning.”
“Thank you,” I said again.
He opened the back door and I climbed in while Halea walked around to the other side. Reed got in beside me as his friends put Reed's luggage in the trunk and then got into the front of the car.
As Julien began to drive, Piper half-turned in her seat so she could see us while she talked.
“You asked us to keep an ear out for any international news,” she said to Reed. “There hasn't been anything yet.” She looked at me, her expression open and compassionate. “I am so sorry for what happened to you.”
I didn't know how much Reed had told her, but I knew at least some of the evidence was still clear on my skin. I nodded, swallowing hard. Reed put his arm around my shoulders. My stomach flipped and I closed my eyes for a moment, fighting a sudden wave of nausea. It was jet lag, I told myself. Jet lag and nerves. I'd been sick every day since Reed had been arrested.
“The place is mostly empty,” Piper was saying. “We wanted to keep it furnished in case we had a renter who preferred it that way, but it's pretty plain. I went over right after we got off the phone and cleaned, then went shopping.”
I opened my eyes and caught Halea looking at me, concerned. I managed a smile and turned my attention to the city I could see through the windshield. We didn't go downtown though, heading off to a neighborhood outside what I would have considered the city. Piper informed us that Fishtown was part of Philadelphia, but not the business or historical district. I was going to ask why they called it Fishtown when one of the streetlights illuminated the image of a fish on the side of one of the buildings. Not like a drawing or anything like that, but rather a metal cast. I couldn't see much detail as we passed, but it was enough to confirm it was a fish.
“Here we are,” Julien said as he pulled up to the curb.
We were on a cobblestone street off of the main one, parked in front of what I would have thought of as a row house rather than an apartment. It was a rustically beautiful red brick building. I was sure it would be even nicer looking in the daylight.
Piper went up the steps and unlocked the door while Julien grabbed Reed's bags. He kept his arm around me as we followed Piper and Halea followed us.
We stepped into a living room just as Piper flicked a switch, lighting things up. It had been painted fairly recently, I saw. Not enough that we could smell it, but enough for it to be clear that she'd done some work on the place.
“It's lovely,” I said.
“Thank you.” Piper gave me a warm smile. “I brought over some clothes for you to wear if you needed them. They're upstairs in the main room. Linens are in the hall closet just outside the bathroom. The fridge is stocked with food and drinks.”
“You didn't have to do all of that,” Reed said.
“Yes, I did.” Piper turned her smile on him, but it was clear it was only platonic. “You did so much for me, it was the least I could do.”
“It's late,” Julien spoke up. “We'll leave you to get settled. Give us a call if you need anything, no matter the time.”
“Thank you.” Reed put out his hand again and Julien shook it.
The three of us stood in silence for nearly a full minute after Piper and Julien left. The apartment was quiet and any sounds from outside were muffled. Reed released me to walk over to the door and turn the deadbolt. I had a feeling he wasn't doing it because he thought we needed protection from people in the neighborhood.
“Why don't you two head upstairs,” he said. “I'll see what Piper has in the kitchen and whip us up something while you're showering. When you're done, I'll bring up some food and take a shower. There are two bedrooms. The bigger one's on the right. I'll be in the one on the left.”
“No,” Halea spoke up. “You and Nami will share the bigger room.”
“Halea.” I could feel the heat burning in my cheeks.
“I am not a child, Namisa.” Halea's eyes narrowed and, for the first time, I saw myself in her face. “You two need to be together. End of discussion.”
As she started up the stairs, Reed turned to me with a half-smile on his face. “That is definitely your sister.”
I laughed softly. “Yes, she is.” I held out my hand. “Shall we find something to eat before going upstairs to our room?” I liked the sound of that.
He took my hand and then sighed.
“What's wrong?” I asked.
“We finally get a room where we won't be interrupted and I'm too tired to do anything but sleep.”
I laughed again and stepped into him, wrapping my arms around his waist. His automatically closed around me as well. I rested my cheek on his chest. “That's okay. We have plenty of time. And falling asleep in your arms sounds like the best thing in the world right now.”
He kissed the top of my head. “Yes,” he agreed. “It does.”
Chapter 17
Reed
Waking up in that bed, with Nami in my arms, the bright sunlight streaming in between the curtains, the smell of whatever it was Halea was cooking wafting up the stairs, it was like something out of a dream.
Piper had left some of her clothes for the girls and I still had a clean outfit or two in my bags, but it was pretty clear that one of the first things we needed to do after breakfast that morning was go shopping.
I called a car and the three of us went into the city. There still hadn't been anything on the news about the girls being missing and I was beginning to suspect that there wouldn't be. Tanek still had until tomorrow evening before the king and queen knew something was wrong, I was willing to bet that he would do whatever it took to make sure they didn't find out. That probably meant he’d try to figure out where we'd gone and come after us. I just hoped that by the time he realized we'd left the country, Kai and Tomas would have gotten Ina to the king and queen.
I wasn't going to worry about that though. We were safe for now and it was Nami's first time in Philadelphia, and Halea's first time in the United States. I may have had issues with my family and some of the members of Philadelphia high society, but I did love my city and I intended to show it off. We went to Macy's first, so the girls could get clothes and so that I could see the expressions on their faces when they saw the gigantic pipe organ that covered the upper parts of the walls.
When we left a couple hours later, we had enough clothes to last all three of us several weeks. We took them back to the apartment and then went out to walk. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. A bit hot considering it was the end of June, but there was a nice breeze and I could tell that the freedom of being out and about without having to worry about bodyguards or anything like that made the air smell twice as sweet.
The three of us spent the rest of Tuesday and all of Wednesday in various parts of the city. We walked and ate and talked. Halea quickly became enough at ease with me that she didn't seem self-conscious anymore, and even tried teaching me some of their native language. Nami's face lost its look of pinched worry and she began to get her color back even as her bruises faded. She still looked a bit peaked in the mornings, but I wasn't worried. It would take awhile for her frayed nerves to mend. We didn't know how long our peaceful time together would last, but none of us talked about it. We wanted to enjoy what we had and not think about anything else. When things started to change, we'd deal with it, but for the moment, we were safe and happy.
Thursday morning, we were up early and in the kitchen discussing what we'd be doing after breakfast when someone knocked on the door. Immediately, the mood shifted. Julien and Piper both had keys, and although they might knock just to be polite, something in my gut said that it wasn't either of my friends.
“Stay here.” I was technically talking to both of them, but I looked at Nami. Halea would follow her sister's lead, and I didn't want Nami doing something foolish.
Nami raised her eyebrow but didn't argue. I took that as agreement and went out as the person at the door knocked again.
I could've asked who it was, but it'd end up the same either way. If, by some strange fluke, it was Tanek, he wouldn't be getting into the house, no matter who was with him. American police wouldn't come in without a warrant or an invitation. And if Tanek himself tried, I'd yell for Nami to call the police.
As soon as I opened the door, however, everything changed. It wasn't Tanek on the other side, or any of the bodyguards. It wasn't even the American police, called by Tanek, which was something I'd had in the back of my mind.
No, the two people standing on the doorstep were familiar-looking. And the last two people I would've expected to see standing here.
“Your Majesties.” I managed to keep my voice polite and even, though I merely inclined my head instead of bowing. They may have been a king and queen, but I wasn't in their country and they had given their daughter to a monster. I wasn't about to give them any more than the slightest courtesy, and only that because of how much I loved Nami.
“Mr. Stirling.” King Raj shifted on the step as if he planned to come inside.
Immediately, I folded my arms across my chest, solidifying my presence in the doorway. If he wanted inside, he would have to get by me, and I didn't like his chances. He wasn't a small man, but I was bigger, and younger. And I was pissed.
“Please, let us see our daughter,” the queen spoke this time. There was a pleading note in her voice, but I didn't move.
“Reed.”
Nami spoke up from behind me and I glanced over my shoulder.
“It's okay.”
I had my doubts, but they were her parents. As long as they didn't try to take her out of the house by force, they couldn't hurt her by coming in. I knew I didn't have to worry about them talking her into coming back to Tanek, not with Halea still in the kitchen.
I stepped to one side and the queen rushed past me and threw her arms around Nami. I wasn't sure who was more surprised, her or me. Then the king stepped inside and turned towards me, his hand out.
Well, shit.
As I shook his outstretched hand, movement outside caught the corner of my eye. When the king moved to embrace his daughter as well, I looked towards the road. Kai and Tomas were standing at the car. They gave me identical nods and I felt a rush of relief. The fact that they were here meant, I hope
d, that they'd gotten Ina to the king and queen, and that Tanek was done.
I closed the door behind me and turned to find Halea in her father's arms and Queen Mara wiping her eyes. Nami looked at me, her own eyes wet and shining. She motioned towards the couch and chairs that Piper had left behind.
“Let's sit.”
I let them all settle, unsure where I should sit. King Raj took one of the chairs and Halea perched on the arm, grinning from ear to ear. Queen Mara sat on the couch and Nami took the seat in the middle. She looked up at me and smiled, gesturing to the spot next to her. I took it, but didn't touch her. We needed to deal with one issue at a time.
“Kai and Tomas brought a young lady to speak with us,” King Raj glanced at Halea, obviously choosing his words carefully. “Ina told us about her own...experiences with Tanek.”
Nami's face tightened.
“And then they told us about you.” King Raj looked at me, his eyes narrowed. “About how you and Nami met, and the time you spent together.”
Oh, fuck me.
I didn't know what the expression on my face was, but I did see the stubborn set to Nami's jaw, the rebellious glint in her eyes. She reached over and took my hand.
“Did they?” Her voice was cool.
“They did,” Queen Mara said dryly. “Enough that they knew they could be in serious trouble for their dereliction of duty.”
My fingers twitched against Nami's, but she remained calm and collected.
“What else did my bodyguards tell you?”
I caught a flash of something in the king's eyes, something that looked like a combination of admiration and annoyance. It was quickly replaced with something else. Regret.
“The truth about what we had done to you.” King Raj stood and crossed over to where we were sitting. To my shock, he went down on his knees in front of Nami. “We were wrong, my child. So wrong.” His voice caught on the last word and he grabbed Nami's free hand. “I will never forgive myself for what that...” He uttered a word in their native language that, based on the shocked look on Nami's face, I assumed was suitably appropriate for Tanek. “For what he did to you.”