It turned out that she would need Killian’s ten grand credit card a second time that day. With five grown men in the house, plus Juliette, Vi and Mrs. Tompkins, her normal tiny grocery bill had blossomed to digits she would never have thought possible if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes. The SUV was stuffed in all manner of places, like a game of Tetris until there was just enough room for the three of them to sit, and even then, Juliette was forced to put her feet up on a case of Mac and Cheese.
“Have you heard anything from Killian or Frank?” she asked Tyson as they drove home.
Tyson shook his head. “No ma’am.”
“Do his meetings normally take this long?”
“I wouldn’t know, ma’am.”
Not sure what else to do, she sat back and watched as the city morphed into the quiet of the suburbs. The children were just getting home from school when they finally turned up her street. Phil’s BMW was parked in the driveway, a clear indication that Vi had come straight home rather than go anywhere with her friends … again. It was becoming a habit that was beginning to concern Juliette. It was as odd as the other subtle little changes she wasn’t sure what to do with.
Grabbing several items, she hopped out and hurried inside. The two men from the van, Javier and Laurence, had set up camp in the front room. They had pushed a plastic fold out table against the bay window overlooking the street and sat taking notes. No doubt they knew more about her neighbors than even she did. Neither glanced up when Juliette marched in and made a straight line to the kitchen in the back.
Vi was there, bent over the island, listening to Mrs. Tompkins as the woman went on about some boy she’d known as a girl. The thing that perplexed Juliette beyond reasoning was the fact that Vi was actually listening. No. She was smiling and listening. There wasn’t a sneer or insult in sight.
Across the room, standing straight and immobile, was Phil with his salt and pepper hair, kind blue eyes and built frame. He wore the same navy suit as all of Killian’s men, but he had a folded, white, napkin tucked into the breast pocket of his blazer. He stood watching the scene with a sort of amusement the others never showed. Granted, the others didn’t show much of any emotion. Not even Frank. But Phil had laugh lines around his eyes and a perpetual sort of grin around his mouth. He looked more like someone’s really handsome father than a bodyguard.
“Hey,” Juliette said, taking her bags to the counter and setting them down. “You’re home.”
Vi shrugged. “I had homework.”
It didn’t matter how many times she heard it, the phenomenon never failed to make her want to check Vi’s forehead for a temperature.
“So, did you do it? Your homework.”
Vi gave a brisk bob of her head. “Yup.”
“I watched her do it,” Mrs. Tompkins vouched, kneading a large ball of dough.
Impressed, but severely disturbed, Juliette nodded. “Well, great! I bought groceries so I think I’ll start on supper.”
“You?” Vi blurted, darting up. “You’re going to make supper? Like yourself?”
Juliette scowled. “I have made supper before.”
Vi spun towards Phil. One finger shot out and jabbed straight at Juliette.
“She’s trying to poison us. Tackle her, Phil.”
The lines around Phil’s mouth deepened in the ghost of a smile, but he didn’t speak.
Juliette sputtered. “What?”
Vi speared her hips with her fists. “Do you even remember how to cook?”
“I can cook!” Juliette protested, as John and Tyson shuffled in carrying more bags. They dumped them down in front of the island and trudged out to get the rest. “I’ve cooked before.”
“The last thing you made was pasta and it smelled like burnt feet.”
“I could make a chicken casserole,” Mrs. Tompkins offered.
“No!” Vi and Juliette shouted on unison.
“Thank you,” Juliette added quickly. “But you’ve already done so much.”
Mrs. Tompkins went back to her dough.
“We should order pizza,” Vi decided. “We haven’t had it in ages.”
It was true. Juliette couldn’t even remember the last time they ordered anything.
“But I just spent a fortune on groceries!” she protested.
Vi shrugged. “So? It’s food. It’s not like it’s going to go to waste. We’ll just put it all away and order pizza tonight.”
It wasn’t the wisdom behind the rationality that convinced her. It was the almost cuteness of her sister’s hopeful face when Vi puckered her bottom lip and did that doe-eyed begging thing that was impossible to ignore.
“Fine!” Juliette muttered. “But only tonight and only because you did your homework without a fuss … again.”
With a squeal, Vi bolted from the room, yelling something about putting in the call. Phil started to follow her, but Juliette stopped him.
“What’s going on with her?” she asked.
“Ma’am?”
He had a nice voice, she thought. Masculine and deep.
“Well, I know my sister and that is not her,” Juliette said, motioning with the jerk of her chin in the direction her sister had taken. “Did you sell her to aliens?”
Phil gave a silent chuckle. “No ma’am.”
“If you did, you can tell them to keep her. I like this one better.”
With an inclination of his head, he followed Vi into the next room. Juliette went to finish helping John and Tyson bring in the groceries. Most of it had been brought in and left on the kitchen floor, but there was still the bedding to haul in. Then there was the process of instructing the men to shove the dining room table to one corner and set the cots up in its place in a makeshift bedroom. She let them sort out who got which bed and where they wanted to set up while she put the groceries away.
Forty five minutes later, the pizza arrived. The doorbell rang and it was like a bomb went off as everyone scrambled into position. Javier moved to the door as Laurence shifted to brace in the doorway between the foyer and the living room with his gun drawn. Tyson took his place next to Juliette as John stood on the threshold of the kitchen. Everyone had a gun.
“Is that necessary?” Juliette demanded of no one in particular.
“I’ll get it!” Vi scrambled down the stairs at that exact moment with Phil right on her heels.
He grabbed her arm and tugged her to a stop three steps from the bottom. He said something and she made no move to continue. Juliette would have been severely impressed if Javier hadn’t taken that moment to yank open the door.
The thing Juliette found hilarious about the whole situation wasn’t the look of stunned horror on the pizza boy’s face at having guns aimed at his face or that he would no doubt go back to work and tell them about the crazy house, but that Mrs. Tompkins continued to roll and thump on her clump of dough like nothing weird was happening. It was the same sort of indifference she’d given when Juliette had explained why there was a van parked outside or why Vi needed an escort everywhere she went. She had been honest with both of them and yet Mrs. Tompkins had taken it with a nod of her head and nothing else. Vi had been furious at the very idea of being followed anywhere. She had threatened to run away, to never speak to Juliette again. But one day with Phil and she had forgotten all about her rage. Juliette didn’t want to question a good thing, but she was beginning to wonder if maybe Killian had found a way to implant people with chips designed to make them do whatever he wanted. In Vi and Mrs. Tompkins’ss case, to not fight the transition. To accept that they would be protected. She knew that was impossible and still she couldn’t help wonder.
The pizza was brought into the kitchen and set on the counter. Plates were handed out and everyone grabbed a slice. Everyone, except Juliette. She kept glancing at the clock, watching the minutes sift away and still nothing from Killian. It had been hours. How could he not be finished?
“Have you heard anything from Killian?” she asked Tyson, who set his pizza down,
chewed, and swallowed before answering.
“No ma’am.”
The knot in her stomach tightened. She stared at the front door and tried not to let her imagination go wild.
“Can I have the keys to the SUV, please?” she asked him, holding out her palm.
Tyson peered at her. “I can’t do that, ma’am. We were given orders to keep you here until further instructions.”
She curled her fingers and drew her hand back. “Fine. I’ll find my own way there.”
Leaving the kitchen, she stalked down the hall. She made it as far as midway to the door when her path was blocked by John.
“We can’t allow you to go there, ma’am,” he told her in that infuriatingly calm manner.
“You can’t stop me!” she shot back. “He could be hurt or worse and we may never know if we’re sitting here doing nothing.”
“There are protocols—”
“I don’t give a shit about your protocols. I just care about making sure Killian’s all right. It’s been hours and no meeting takes this long. It means something has happened, something horrible or someone would have already gotten in touch. Now, you can take me or you can get out of my way.”
John never so much as batted an eye. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
“Don’t sorry me!” she practically screamed. “Just move.”
“Can’t do that, ma’am.”
Maddeningly close to tears, Juliette glowered at him. Her balled fists trembled at her sides with the need to punch someone, but she knew it was pointless. He was bigger and perfectly capable of restraining her if need be.
“Juliette.” Gentle hands took her arm and she was tugged away from the wall of muscle keeping her from the door. Vi peered at her with an ocean of sympathy Juliette had never once seen on her sister’s face. “Come on,” she said, motioning with the jerk of her head towards the stairs.
She let herself be led away. No one stopped them, not even Phil, who followed, but stayed in the hall when Vi pulled Juliette into her bedroom and shut the door behind them.
“You’re not going to get through them,” she told Juliette. “They’re black ops, like top of the line almost assassins. Phil told me,” she explained when Juliette stared at her. “They’re highly trained killing machines, or something. Anyway, they won’t let you leave if they don’t want to.”
The thought of being held captive in her own home terrified her. It made her wonder what the hell she’d gotten them into, and if something had happened to Killian, how was she going to get them out?
“They’re not bad guys,” Vi said quickly. “But they’ll follow their orders or die.”
“I need to see Killian,” she said, and heard the desperation in her own voice. “He could be in trouble.”
Vi raised an eyebrow. “The guy is trouble, Juliette. He’s like grade A, crime lord trouble.”
“No!” Juliette said too quickly. “He’s not. I mean, he is, but he’s not a bad person. He’s really sweet and kind and one of the most—”
“You love him!” Vi’s gasp startled her.
“What? No! No, it’s not like that.”
“Right, because I constantly worry about people I don’t love, you know, just for the hell of it.”
“I care about him,” Juliette admitted. “He’s been very good to us in ways you cannot possibly imagine. We both owe him our lives. I know I do and there isn’t any way I can ever repay him.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Vi grinned at her. “I’m sure you’ll find a way.”
“Vi!”
“I meant a nice batch of homemade cookies, you pervert.” But the mischievous glint in her eyes said otherwise and Juliette laughed.
Juliette sobered and eyed her sister. “This is nice,” she said. “Why have we never done this before?”
“You mean sisterly bonding?” Vi teased. “Oh, probably because Mom got sick and I was left alone to take care of her while you and Dad continued to live your lives like nothing was happening. Then, she died and Dad threw himself into a bottle and then in front of a bullet and you just sort of forgot I existed.”
All humor vanished. “What? That’s not true! Everything I did was for us and what do you mean you had to take care of Mom?”
Vi turned away and moved to flopped down on her bed. “It’s like I said, Mom got sick and you went off with your friends and Dad stopped coming home. At least the first few years. Then Dad started gambling and Mom got sicker and you started staying home more. When she was finally at peace, you couldn’t get far enough away from me. It’s all right though. I was really angry about it for a long time, being abandoned and all, but I worked it out.”
It was a tossup what part of all that upset her more, the flat, emotionless tone or the weight behind what she was being told.
Vi had been five when their mother had gotten sick. The first couple of years, their mother had been well enough to carry on in whatever mothers did. It wasn’t until the third year that the cancer got too strong for the chemo to fight. By that time, they had already been told they would lose her and there was nothing anyone could do. Juliette remembered needing to get away, away from having to watch the person she loved slowly die before her eyes. She had thrown herself into Stan and her friends and let them help her not think about the bleak future ahead. It was the phone calls on the machine, the ones from the bank and collection agencies and the school that made Juliette begin to see she couldn’t keep running. That Vi and her mother needed her.
“Why did you never tell me?”
Vi shrugged. “I didn’t think it would matter. You hated me.”
“I never…” she trailed off, because as much as she loved her sister, she had also always hated her. From the moment Vi had been brought home, Juliette had never wanted her. “Vi…”
“It’s okay. I’m not angry anymore.”
Juliette frowned. “Why? I was a horrible sister.”
“Phil.” There was a softness to her tone when she said his name that prickled along Juliette’s neck. “Helped me realize a few things.”
Juliette blinked. “Phil?” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder towards the door.
“Phil-Phil?”
“Yeah, Phil-Phil. He’s been really good to me the last few months.”
“Vi…”
Something in Juliette’s voice must have given away just how concerned she was becoming, because Vi’s head jerked up. Her eyes widened and then narrowed in disgust.
“Don’t be gross! He’s old enough to be my dad for God sakes. It’s just nice to have one of those again, one that doesn’t ignore or yell at you for waking him up when he’s hungover.”
Feeling guilty, Juliette shifted. “Sorry. I just … I feel like I don’t really know you and this new you is so different from the one I’m used to.”
Vi snorted. “That’s Phil’s doing also. He made me see that being angry at the world doesn’t bring my family back. The only person I’m hurting is myself.”
“Wow,” Juliette murmured, hating the bitter tang of jealousy that actually reared its head. “You and Phil talk a lot, huh?”
Vi shrugged. “A bit. I do spend about ninety percent of my time with the guy. I hated that at first. He was always there, you know? Lurking in the shadows, watching my every move. But he grew on me. Now, he’s kind of the only friend I’ve got.”
That hurt.
While it wasn’t said maliciously, it carved into Juliette like a dagger. It had never dawned on her that Vi would feel alone and abandoned. She had always had an army of friends following her around like loyal puppies. She had a life. How could she possibly feel unwanted?
“But sisterly bonding isn’t why I brought you up here.” Vi hopped off the bed and rose. “I’m going to help you get out.”
It took Juliette a moment to change gears on the conversation.
“What?”
Vi moved quickly to the window across the room and tugged on the lever. The window swung inward soundlessly. Someone—possibly Vi
—had sprayed the hinges with WD-40, because everything else in the house squeaked like spirits being tortured. Reaching in, she grabbed the window and tugged. The latches gave seamlessly and the window popped out of the frame, leaving a neat, square hole in the wall. Vi set the window down and turned to Juliette.
“There is a ledge right on the other side,” she said in a quick, hushed voice. “Brace your weight there and turn your waist just enough to grab the tree branch. From there, you have to creep across and down, but watch the bottom, there’s a root that rises from the ground and my foot gets caught almost all the time. But once you’re on the ground, turn left and go into the Ricor’s backyard. Their back light doesn’t work.”
Juliette honestly had no idea what to say or how to react. A part of her was horrified that her sister was so apt at escaping her bedroom. Another part was impressed by the ingenuity and cleverness behind it. But a much larger part was thrilled.
“How long have you—?”
“Since like the fifth grade.” Vi smirked. “You didn’t honestly think I was up here doing homework, did you?”
Yeah, she kind of had. Now she just felt really stupid.
“I can’t believe—”
“Are you going to go or what? They’re going to come in here and check soon and you’ll miss your chance.”
Thinking fast, Juliette hurried to the window. She braced her hands on the ledge and peered over into the darkness below. The ground had become one giant black void that threatened to suck her in. But she didn’t think about it. She threw one leg over and then the other and searched for the ledge Vi had mentioned. There was nothing but air for several seconds and then her heel caught it. She twisted her body, hands on the windowsill, and tucked her toes on the lip.
“You’re doing great!” Vi encouraged in a low hiss.
Heart palpitating, hands slick with sweat, Juliette stretched her body just enough to turn and grab the thick branch resting on the roof. She wondered if that was something nature had done, or something Vi had done. She decided that now wasn’t the time to think about that.
Gingerly, she lifted one foot and stretched it to the thick branch a full two feet away. Her stomach somersaulted and she wondered how the hell Vi did this every night in heels. Breath held, she gave one good shove and propelled herself onto the branch. The thing creaked and wobbled under her weight and it took all her willpower not to squeak.
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