Protector's Claim

by Airicka Phoenix

  “Not all scars are visible,” I muttered.

  Eric nodded. “This is also true. So,” he glanced at me questioningly, “is she all right?”

  He never failed to surprise me.

  “She will be.”

  Again, he bobbed his chin and faced the casket once more. “Good. That’s good. I think she deserves it more than any of us. And I’m glad she has you. You’ll be good for her. I mean, I never saw it coming, but...” his mouth turned up in a rueful grin. “I seem to have missed a lot the past few years.”

  Gabby took that moment to turn away from the casket. Her eyes were bloodshot and red rimmed, but there were no tears on her cheeks. They widened when they spotted Eric. I wasn’t sure if it was the sight of her brother that had her pausing, or that he was actually sober. Whichever it was, she overlooked it quickly and started forward.

  “Eric.”

  He inclined his head slightly. “Gabrielle.”

  Both stood and awkwardly stared at each other, neither saying anything for several seconds.

  “I’m sorry,” she said at last. “I know she loved you dearly.”

  Eric only nodded, but didn’t repeat the sentiment. It didn’t seem to bother Gabby.

  “Are you leaving?” he asked instead.

  “Yes.”

  “That might be best,” Eric mused. “I’m assuming we won’t be seeing you for Sunday dinners anymore?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “Good.” But it wasn’t said maliciously. If anything, there was relief in the response. “I have a feeling it won’t matter much after today.”

  Gabby said nothing, but turned her attention to me. I had my hand out to her before she even reached for it and her tiny fingers slipped seamlessly through mine. I drew her to me and tucked her in close, giving her all the comfort I could with just that touch.

  Eric looked between us, his gaze assessing. I wasn’t sure what he was searching for, but it curled his lips when he seemed to find it.

  “Take care of her, yeah?” he said to me. “She’s the only Thornton you’ll be seeing for a while. As tarnished and broken as it may be, someone has to carry the line. Someone needs to make sure people don’t forget we existed.”

  By the time Gabby and I exchanged bemused glances, Eric had spotted something over our shoulders and was leaving our trio to join a group of men at the end of the corridor.

  He said something and ushered them away.

  “Can we leave?” Gabby as as we started towards the main part of the house. “I don’t want to run into David.”

  I peered down at her. “I’ll stay for as long as you need to.”

  She was quiet as we reached the foyer. Her green eyes took in the gold and crystal, the lavish display of wealth. She lingered on the stairway leading up to the bedrooms. Her bottom lip curled beneath her nipping teeth.

  “I’d like to see my room before we go, if that’s okay?”

  My answer was a palm against her lower back and a gentle nudge in the direction she indicated.

  We started up, the worn carpet muffling our ascension. At the top, I let her take the lead.

  “I wasn’t allowed to take anything, except my clothes and your journal when I left,” she murmured softly, turning right. “I had to hide it in my suitcase or I’m sure I wouldn’t have been allowed otherwise.”

  The corridor stretched on for what felt like forever, curving slightly the deeper we went. The row of doors and oil paintings ended, becoming smooth walls on either side to the very end where a single door stood, simple and brown, opposed to the cream and gold of all the other doors.

  Gabby peered back at me from over her shoulder, her hand resting on the simple doorknob. “You don’t have to come in.”

  I started to tell her she wasn’t going anywhere without me, but she’d already pushed the door open and was stepping inside.

  It radiated blue and black, a sinister dankness reserved for horror movies. Grimy, dull light oozed through sheer drapes over a single window in one corner, illuminating hardwood floors and not much else, despite it being the midafternoon. Nothing came into view until the lights were slapped on, but even then, the duo of light bulbs overhead cast a sickly, yellow glow over the dusty furnishings, of which there were barely any.

  A twin sized bed was pushed into one corner. Next to it was a single end table that matched the dresser on the opposite side of the room. Three, low bookshelves formed an L along the third and fourth wall, each one stuffed with battered copies of textbooks.

  “I always thought if I read smart books, I would get smart enough to escape,” Gabby said, catching me studying the spines. “I stole all those from Eric, believe it or not.” She offered me a conspiratorial grin. “He never noticed.”

  I heard myself snort. “That explains why he could never find his books in class.”

  She moved away from me and drifted towards the bed.

  There were no posters on the walls, no pictures on the dressers. It held the basic emptiness of a prison cell.

  “This was your bedroom?”

  My dorm rooms held more life and color. I was sure even prisoners were allowed ... more. This was depressing to the extreme. Hell, even her apartment had been more cheerful.

  “Yes.”

  To my surprise, she went on her knees, one hand braced on the wooden bedframe. Her ponytail swung over one shoulder and brushed the floor, leaving streaks where it disturbed the dust. She reached beneath, nearly disappearing to the waist. I started forward, ready to help, but she was already pulling free.

  In her hands, she held the ugliest teddy bear I’d ever seen in my life. It was a patchwork of sewn bits of old cloth and only the odd clump of brown, matted fur. It was missing both eyes and his nose was coming undone, straggly bits of thread poking up like spider legs. All four limbs must have fallen off at some point and were crudely stitched back into place, but badly; the left arm was nearly by the left leg and the right leg was dangling from the middle of his crotch. The poor thing had been through hell and back, but Gabby brushed him off lovingly, sending a shower of dust into the stream of light coming from the window. They glittered as they joined all the others across the floor.

  She pushed to her feet and faced me, bear hugged to her midsection.

  I looked from her to the bear, then back, but I didn’t ask; if she was willing to return to that hole for it, I wasn’t going to stop her from keeping it.

  “Ready?” I asked instead.

  She nodded.

  We walked out together. She shut off the light and closed the door on that part of her life for the last time — if I had anything to say about it. I captured the hand closest to me, the one not gripping the ratty toy, and guided us back.

  The people were gone.

  The foyer was empty, the front doors closed.

  I checked my watch, half certain the ceremony was supposed to be an all-day affair, ending with the lowering of the casket into the Thornton family plot later that evening. Even Gabby’s eyebrows had pulled together. Her gaze roamed over the foyer, searching for signs of life.

  At the bottom, we both stopped and stared at the utter emptiness of the place.

  “Do you think they went to the cemetery already?” I asked.

  Gabby lifted one shoulder in uncertainty. “We should go.”

  No sooner had she spoken when the unmistakable crack of heels reverberated along the walls and vibrated beneath our feet. We both exchanged glances just as a willowy figure rounded the corner and skittered to a stop at the sight of us.

  Cordelia batted thick lashes equally startled. “What the hell is going on?” she demanded. “Where is everyone?”

  My fingers reflexively tightened around Gabby’s.

  “Come on.”

  Instinct had me propelling us in the direction of the front doors. My whole focus rotated around a single, basic necessity: to get Gabby out of that place. I didn’t care if I was being paranoid. I wasn’t taking any chances, not with those peop
le.

  “Oh good, everyone’s here.”

  We’d barely made it across the room when Eric appeared from the same direction as Cordelia, his pace brisk, his features set.

  “Eric?” Cordelia turned to her brother. “What the fuck are you doing?”

  Eric checked his watch, then scanned the room. “Where’s Father?”

  “Eric!” Cordelia snapped again.

  I nudged Gabby back and placed myself slightly in front of her, blocking her from the pair glowering at each other.

  Eric must have noticed the movement, because he tore his attention away from his sister to focus on us.

  “You’re still here?” He checked his watch again. “I thought you were leaving.”

  “We are,” I said briskly. “We were just about to.”

  He nodded slowly, a gesture he seemed to be in the habit of doing a lot. I briefly wondered if he’d always been a frequent nodder, but decided it wasn’t the time.

  “You should probably head out,” he decided evenly. “I’d like a word with sadistic Father and my dear, cold-hearted, bitch of a sister.”

  Cordelia sputtered, but was ignored.

  “We’ll leave you to it,” I stated, already nudging Gabby further towards the doors.

  But something caught Eric’s eye and his gaze dropped to the bear in her hands. He blinked once and his eyebrows shot up on his forehead. His mouth curved into a massive grin that actually showed teeth.

  “Theodore Roosevelt, you son of a bitch. I’ve been wondering what happened to you.”

  Cordelia, momentarily distracted, stared at the toy as well. “Is that that filthy thing you accused me of throwing away?” Her voice rose an octave, becoming sharp nails when it rebounded off the walls. “You burned all my porcelain dolls over that piece of shit!” Anger blazed behind her eyes, illuminating them like blue flames. They rounded with murderous fury towards Gabby. “You stupid bitch! You stole it!”

  She took a single step forward only to come up short when Eric blocked her path.

  “Are we still children?” he asked her with a calm uncharacteristic to his usual manner. “It’s a stuffed bear, they were stupid, ugly dolls.”

  “I loved them!” Cordelia shrieked.

  “You’ve never loved anything in your life,” Eric retorted with that same easy declaration. “I’m over it, and you should be, too.” Ignoring her snarl, he pivoted around to me and Gabby. “I should have known, honestly. You were the only person I never thought to ask when he went missing.” He peered down at the bear again. “But at least he got plenty of love in my absence.”

  “This is insane,” Cordelia blurted. “Where’s Father? Where is everyone?”

  “I sent them home,” Eric declared without missing a beat. “You, Father, and I are going to have a long overdue conversation. I think we should use the parlor, don’t you think? Mom’s already there, so it’ll be symbolic.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? What’s the matter with you?”

  I was wondering the same thing. In all the years I’d known him — granted, he was drunk and high for most of it — I had never seen Eric like this. He’d never been so calm, so ... detached. There was an eerie coldness to him that was making my spine prickle.

  “Gabby, we should go,” I murmured just for her ears.

  She didn’t protest, but she did step away from me and start towards Eric. The unforeseen decision spurred my panic. I nearly lunged after her, but she was already moving away from me.

  Without a word, she pressed the bear into Eric’s hands.

  Eric glanced from it to her and almost grinned. “Keep him, but you need to go now.”

  Gabby took it back with a quiet murmur of thanks.

  I reclaimed her fingers when she returned to me. My grip was a bit tighter than was probably necessary, but I wasn’t letting her turn back a second time when I forcibly marched her to the doors and out. Gravel sprayed beneath our hurried strides. I was practically dragging her after me in my determination to get her to the car. My free hand dug out the keys.

  My muscles didn’t uncoil until we were nearly four blocks from the manner. Even then, I kept glancing into my rear view mirror, half expecting to see a mushroom cloud pluming up over the treetops. Ridiculous, but the ominous sensation of just having escaped something horrible wouldn’t shake loose until we were just pulling into our driveway.

  “Kieran?”

  I hadn’t realized we’d stopped and I was still clutching the wheel until Gabby touched my arm lightly.

  “I’m okay,” I lied.

  “No, you’re not,” she whispered. “Because I know I’m not.” She bit her lip before I could see the tremble, but not quick enough. “He’s going to do something terrible.”

  I said nothing.

  I pushed open my door and threw myself out into the brisk, late October chill. My skin prickled in all the places cold sweat had collected. It dampened my clothes to clammy flesh and I had to roll my shoulders to shake it loose.

  At her door, I eased her out and pulled her into my arms. My lips stamped into the hollow at her temple.

  “I love you,” I told her.

  “Even if—?”

  I cut her off. “No matter what.”

  Her nose was cold when it brushed the side of my neck. The brush of her lips warmed it almost immediately after.

  “Let’s get inside.” I started to pull back. “We’ll get out of these clothes, take a shower and—”

  I never got to finish when a white cruiser turned in behind my car. Its lights were off, but the grim expressions on the two police officer’s faces when they ducked out were all serious. In my arms, Gabby stiffened, but remained where she was.

  “Mr. Kincaid?” the driver asked, coming the long way around my car to stand on the other side of the hood. His partner hovered by the trunk, properly blocking us in.

  “Yes?” I turned my body to face them at an angle each while keeping Gabby just behind me.

  The driver fished out a pen and notepad from his breast pocket and flipped it open. The pen was clicked once, all business.

  “I’m Officer Hale, and this is my partner, Officer Friske. We’re here regarding a missing person’s report made by Watchtower Security.”

  I should have known they would call the police. Of course they would. Jeremy may have known the risks of being a bodyguard, but even he was a person and his absence would definitely be missed.

  “Is this about Jeremy?” I inquired.

  Officer Hale neither denied, nor confirmed my question. “We were informed that Mr. Myles was under your employment when he went missing. Is that correct?”

  Rather than respond, I closed the passenger side door and turned in the direction of the house.

  “Would you gentlemen like to come inside? We can talk more comfortably there,” I offered, already making my way to the doors with Gabby’s hand in mine.

  “What are you going to tell them?” Gabby hissed under her breath.

  “The truth,” I stated simply.

  They followed us in and I took them into the main sitting area, the one overlooking the driveway and their cruiser. My offer of coffee was declined and we took the two sofas opposite to each other.

  “So, was Mr. Myles under your employment during his disappearance?” Hale repeated, pen poised over his notepad.

  “He was,” I confirmed. “And I reported him the moment I realized he was missing.”

  “To the police?”

  I shook my head. “To his company.”

  Hale peeked down at his notes. “Mr. Myles was in the security business and you hired him for yourself?”

  I knew that he knew that wasn’t the case, but I also knew he wouldn’t ask me any straight questions, which meant I would have to be careful with my answers.

  “For Gabby,” I replied. “Jeremy was supposed to be with her during her daily activities when I couldn’t be.”

  “Gabrielle Thornton?” Hale glanced at his pad once more, th
en pointed the end of his pen towards Gabby. “That would be you, is that correct?”

  Next to me, Gabby nodded.

  “It says here that you were missing as well.” He snapped his pad shut and fixed his gaze squarely on her. “Yet, you’re sitting right in front of me and Mr. Myles is dead, so can you tell me what happened?”

  To her credit, her voice barely wavered as she retold her story to the police. She told them everything, right from the very beginning. I didn’t stop her. The more they knew would lessen the chances of them accusing her of somehow killing a fully grown man and hiding his body.

  By the end of it, Hale had filled eight pages of notes and was still scribbling away while we waited for him to finish. His partner remained mute, but watchful, studying us. His expression hadn’t changed once in the last fifteen minutes. I was beginning to think he’d turned into a statue, or fallen asleep sitting up.

  “I have to be honest.” Hale raised his head and fixed us with his dark eyes. “This is probably the craziest case I have ever had to deal with and I’ve been on the force for nearly fifteen years.” He rubbed a large hand over his face and back into his brown hair. “We’re going to need to corroborate what you’ve told us. We’ll need the numbers for this...” he consulted his notes. “Tiberius Rutherford, your professor, and your father.”

  I dug out my phone and gave him Weber’s number, and David’s.

  “I don’t have Tiberius’s,” I said, stashing the device away once more. “But I can tell you where you can find him.”

  “Have you found Jeremy?” Gabby cut in once I’d finished rattling off the warehouse address.

  Hale, to my surprise, nodded. “We got his location from the man who killed him in the first place.”

  “What?” Gabby and I blurted on unison.

  Hale and his partner cast sidelong glances at each other, communicating in that way partners did when they’d been together for a long time. Finally, Hale fixed his attention back on us with a resignation of someone about to do something that went against his moral compass.

  “Do you know a Wilkens Ansel?”

  I didn’t, but Gabby nodded. “He’s David’s driver.”