His Sister's Return

by Mary Goldberger

  Trudy hesitated briefly before she walked over and picked it up going through his texts until she found the one Trystan had mentioned.

  Maybe we are rushing this a little so I’m going to take myself off for a few days. I hope that you are able to straighten out any mess that was created since my return. Alina

  Trudy frowned as she read the last sentence before she asked, “What does she mean by the last sentence?”

  Trystan shook his head as Trudy reread the last sentence to him and he lifted his head to look at her.

  “You haven’t any problems since her return. In fact, you’ve been at a decent pace to actually get things done for the holiday you had planned.” Trudy’s eyes widened as it dawned on her, “You were doing all that so you can have a holiday with Alina.”

  Trystan nodded his head a frown etched on his face as he ran a hand through her hair before he remarked, “But that doesn’t help me find her now does it?”

  His eyes narrowed as he remembered what Alina said when he first was started taking her out and he said slowly, “She told me once that if she ever wanted to hide from me, I wouldn’t be able to find her unless someone helped me who knew where she was.”

  Trudy started to smile as she told him, “I think Alina wants you to find her, Trystan.”

  “Why all the games,” Trystan growled looking down at the phone Trudy placed back on the desk.

  “When you find her, ask her that question.”

  Trudy started out of the office, when one of her friends walked in as they were going out to lunch together.

  “Trystan, I’m going out to lunch,” Trudy called through the open door as she gathered her things. “Would you like me to get you something?”

  Trystan shook his head and Trudy gave him a worried look before she walked away with her friend.

  Trystan hesitated for a second before he picked up the phone and sent a short message before putting it back down on the desk focusing his mind on some work.

  His phone vibrated a few minutes later a return message and as he read it, a frown drifted over his face.

  “What does she have to do with it,” he muttered shaking his head as he put the phone back down and returning to work.

  Trudy rushed in the office as Trystan walked out papers in his hand that he was looking over and he glanced up at her in surprise at her attitude.

  “Everything okay, Trudy,” he asked seeing the look on her face.

  “Give…me…a…minute…to …catch…my,” she panted out and she watched a brief smile cross Trystan’s face at her attempt.

  He nodded his head as she took in a few breaths going around to settle down in her seat as she put her purse on the desk.

  After a few minutes, she opened her eyes that were flashing with anger taking Trystan back and his mouth dropped open when she asked him harshly, “When did you and Bea become engaged?”

  He didn’t answer for a few minutes his own narrowing at her tone but he answered in a voice hard with anger, “I’m not engaged to Bea.”

  Trudy’s eyes flickered for a second at his tone before she said with a dimmer note of harshness, “Well, Bea told Alina that you two were going to announce your engagement the day she came back.”

  Trystan’s eyes narrowed to slits as he placed the papers carefully on her desk and told her in a very controlled voice, “Please attend to this papers and then come in my office.”

  Trudy nodded her head watching him closely as he turned and walked back inside his office closing the door behind him gently, and she flinched at how controlled his actions were wishing that Bea would show up now.

  It didn’t take her long to type up what he wanted before filing away the papers and twenty minutes, she knocked on his door getting a quiet, ‘come in’.

  Trudy walked in closing the door behind her as she told him, “Here is the letter you wanted typed up.”

  Trystan nodded his head before he turned hard grey eyes to her and said, “What did you learn?”

  Trudy didn’t hesitate as she told him about what she learned from a friend who owned a local café where she tended to do jobs that were necessary and on a one particular day, she was a waitress for two young women.

  As Trudy continued with her story, Trystan’s hands clenched over the back of his chair and his face became granite.

  Almost two hours later, Trace opened the door to find Trystan standing at his door with greys eyes flickering with rage inside a granite face.

  “Trace, do you know where Alina is?” Trystan asked without hesitation or even saying ‘hello’.

  Trace’s mouth tightened but it was the look in Trystan’s eyes that had Trace inviting him inside the house.

  “I don’t know where exactly she’s at, Trystan, but I do know she is in Tiers,” getting a surprised look from Trystan at the news followed by relief.

  Trace smiled at that look as he asked, “You thought she went back, didn’t you?”

  “It crossed my mind,” Trystan admitted as he followed Trace to his study.

  “Alina is home as she told me before she left, but she is trying to figure some things out and at the same time giving you time to figure out what you want,” Trace told him.

  “I know what I want,” Trystan told him confidently.

  “Hmm,” Trace said settling down in the chair behind the desk that he had in the room. He sighed as he lifted his hands to his chin watching Trystan through hazel eyes that his daughter inherited. “I can’t help you with where she is at in Tiers, but I suggest you talk to your aunt. She may know where Alina is staying.”

  Trystan couldn’t control his look of shock as he stared at Trace before he shook his head a rueful smile starting to come to his face.

  “Trudy was right, Alina wants me to find her,” Trystan stated as the situation started to become clearer thinking about what Trudy had told him.

  Trace didn’t say anything but there was humor lurking in his eyes when Trystan glanced over at him.

  “Before I leave, there is something I would like to discuss with you,” Trystan said getting a frown from Trace who nodded his head in agreement.

  Late that night, Trystan was in his room packing a case when his mother knocked on the door walking in a few seconds later.

  “So you found her,” she wondered as she watched him fold his clothes.

  “I know she is in Tiers, but not where she is staying,” Trystan confided as he closed the case and zipped it up. “I’m going to need your help, mom.”

  He turned to her as he said this a smirking smile on his face and immediately, she was suspicious of what her son had planned.

  “What are you planning, Trystan?” She asked in a shrewd voice astonished when Trystan laughed.

  “What have you been wanting me to do for the last few years,” he teased her as he walked over giving her a kiss on the cheek.

  “Really,” she said her eyes flashing with excitement but dimmed slightly. “Who is…?”

  “Mom,” Trystan said with a shake of his head. “Don’t worry. You won’t be disappointed, but I’m going to need your and Marla’s help with a certain someone.”

  As Trystan said this, his eyes hardened and his mother wondered who he was thinking of that elicited that response from him.

  “Do you think we can have an engagement party two weeks from now?” Trystan asked as they headed downstairs just as the front door opened and Marla walked in with Samuel.

  “If you are marrying that…” Marla began only to stop when her mother glared at her, “woman, then don’t expect me to be thrilled about it.”

  Trystan only laughed before ushering them in to the living room where he entertained them with laughter although they all could sense that he was anticipating something.

  An hour later, Trystan excused himself to go to his study where he sat down reading over some documents when Samuel knocked on the door that had been slightly jarred.

  Trystan waved him as he sat down the paperwork and Samuel closed the door behind h
im as Trystan lifted his eyebrows at the action.

  “I wanted to know who was behind the press getting the information about our wedding so I had someone investigate it,” Samuel told him as he leaned on one of the chair backs in front of his desk.

  Trystan’s eyes narrowed as he said, “You learned that Bea was the one who informed them both times.”

  Samuel nodded his head as surprise flickered in his eyes as Trystan continued. “I also learned that Bea was the one behind the fake call about Marla’s accident.”

  When Samuel gave Trystan a confused look, Trystan explained what happened when he had made plans with Alina for lunch the day she almost got hit outside a restaurant.

  Samuel’s hands clenched into fists as his eyes flared with anger and Trystan said slowly, “Did you learn anything else, Sam?”

  It shocked Sam when Trystan called him by his nickname, but he didn’t comment on it as he informed Trystan, “I found out something that shocked me although I thought it had to be wrong so I had to have it doubled checked.”

  Trystan frowned at that and stared at Samuel who took it as a hint to continue, and he did informing Trystan of what he learned when he decided to a little secret investigative work.

  “Uncle Sarette is the one who confirmed everything for me,” he told Trystan a few minutes later.

  Trystan’s whole body was still as anger and fury vibrated through him, and he asked in a voice filled with fury that Sam straightened up. “Do you think Uncle Sarette would talk with me?”

  Sam nodded his head as he recited a number from memory as Trystan sat there filing away the information and after Samuel was done, Trystan nodded his head.

  “Thank you, Sam,” Trystan said as he stood up. “One more thing…”

  The following day Trystan was already in the office when Trudy arrived and she stared at him through the open door watching him move around.

  “Trudy,” he said without looking up, “I will be going out of town for the next few weeks. If there is any emergencies that need my immediate attention then call my cell but otherwise I don’t want to be disturbed.”

  “Yes, sir,” Trudy said a smiling lurking in her eyes although her face was serene and professional.

  Trystan flicked a glance at her but other than a brief smile that flashed in his eyes, he didn’t say anything else as he continued discussing work.

  “If you should have any personal calls while you are gone,” Trudy said as Trystan handed her some files as he closed the door behind him.

  Trystan’s face went hard as his lips tightened and eyes flashed with anger, but his voice was calm as he said, “I don’t want any disturbances so I will be taking my private cell phone with me.”

  Trudy’s eyes widened in surprise because the cell he was talking about he rarely used so only a few people had the number which was mainly his family and she did of course.

  “So,” she ventured to ask and Trystan shook his head.

  “Under no circumstances,” he told her in a harsh voice.

  Trudy smiled understanding what he meant as he nodded his head and walked out, and he had been gone for thirty minutes when her desk phone rung.

  “Hello,” Trudy said giving the hotel name followed by the office extension.

  “I want to talk to Trystan and he has his cell off,” Bea said sharply her voice tense with anger.

  “I’m sorry, Bea,” Trudy said in a polite voice, “but Trystan has gone out of town for a few days and I’m not sure when he will return.”

  “What!” Bea screeched on the other end before she slammed down the receiver in Trudy’s ear.

  Trudy hung up and then she childishly stuck her tongue at it before she glanced around a flush coming to her face at what she had done and at her age.

  She shook her head on a chuckle wondering what was coming over her until she took another quick look around before she went back to work her professionalism once more in place.

  Trystan arrived in Tiers late in the afternoon and as he pulled up to his aunt’s house his eyes widened in shock at the taxi that stood in front of the house.

  “You almost missed me, my boy,” his aunt said as she stepped out of the doorway as the taxi driver glanced at his watch impatiently.

  “Aunt…” Trystan started only to stop when his aunt pressed a piece of paper in his hand.

  “This is Alina’s address and if you mess this up, I will not talk to you again until I’m on my death bed,” she told him a twinkle in her eye. “I like her and I think she will make you a great wife.”

  She walked over to the taxi as the driver muttered under his breath and opened the door for her. She stopped before getting in the car as she called out to her nephew, “I won’t be able to make to your engagement so I will congratulate you now, but expect me for the wedding.”

  Trystan laughed as he nodded his head watching her slide in the tax as the driver shut the door before he got in himself and took off.

  “Sir,” his aunt’s housekeeper said from behind him, “your room is already, but I hope that you will be able to handle things on your own. I’m going to visit my family while your aunt is gone.”

  Trystan smiled and told her, “I give my regards to your family and enjoy yourself. I know working for my aunt can be tough.”

  The young woman laughed as another car pulled up and she waved as she ran down to get in giving one last wave as they drove away.

  Trystan glanced down at the paper in his hand before he went over to get his case going inside to take a shower and change.

  Not too long afterwards, he stood outside the two story house his eyes narrowed as he walked up to the front door knocking on the door and when no one answered; he sat down on the top step to wait.

  Alina closed the cashier register with a soft sigh as Mrs. Santos came out of the back. “Go home, Alina,” she told her with a smile tugging at her pale lips.

  Alina looked at her in confusion before she glanced down at her watch telling her, “You don’t close for another hour.”

  Mrs. Santos nodded her head as she walked over and held out her hand getting a bewildered look from Alina.

  “Give me your bracelet for a minute,” she told her and watched with laughing eyes as Alina reluctantly removed it from her wrist.

  Mrs. Santos nodded her head as she grasped the bracelet before bending down to pull out a small wooden box which she opened to reveal different kinds of charms to Alina’s bemused eyes. She selected one which she attached to Alina’s bracelet before she handed it back and Alina immediately put it back on before she took a look at the new charm.

  Her eyes wide in wonder she glanced up but Mrs. Santos had bent down to replace the box and when she straightened, there was only a determined look on her face.

  “Go home,” she told Alina again in a sterner voice.

  Alina hesitated briefly but nodded her head finally as she grabbed the jean jacket from the coat rack behind the counter.

  “I will be going to my daughter’s house for the next few weeks so the store will be closed,” Mrs. Santos told her as Alina glanced at her in suspicion. “Last minute decision, Alina.”

  Again, Alina nodded her head but she felt as if she was being maneuvered for some reason and she shook her head at the crazy thought before she called out, “goodnight” and walked out the door.

  As she headed for her car, she glanced at the charm again and she frowned wondering what it meant as this charm was similar to the other one but it had less lines going through the heart as if the heart was mending itself.

  “Weird,” Alina muttered as she slid in and started the car heading for her house.

  As she pulled up, she sighed with contentment although she felt lonely which was odd for her as she lived alone for a long time and this was the first time she had felt like this.

  Shaking her head again and chuckling, she got out of the car heading for her front door when suddenly a figure stood up from her front porch.

  Her eyes widened as a hand went
to her chest her mind already telling her to run until she realized who it was as she breathed out, “Trystan.”

  “Alina,” Trystan said staying where he was at as she slowly continued forward until she was standing in front of him.

  “Would…would you like to come in?” Alina asked in a whisper her heart pounding so loud that she was sure Trystan could hear it and although she was happy and excited to see him, she had a feeling that he wasn’t so happy to see her.

  She didn’t wait for Trystan to answer her question as she turned and unlocked her door walking in leaving the door open as an invitation for Trystan to come inside.

  As the door closed behind him, Alina walked in the living room turning on the light before she turned to face Trystan the bracelet on her wrist catching the light and drawing Trystan’s gaze for a second before he returned it to Alina’s hazel eyes.

  They stood there for a few minutes staring at each other until Trystan moved snatching her up against him as he whispered, “I don’t like these games, Alina.”

  Alina sagged in his arms at his words and she wrapped her arms around his neck forcing herself closer to him which she didn’t think was possible.

  “I don’t either,” Alina told him as she pulled back slightly looking in his eyes. “Bea told me that you only wanted me because of lust and if I hadn’t come back then you would’ve announced your engagement to her.”

  Trystan’s eyes narrowed at her words as he told grimly, “I know what Bea told you and I will tell you, here and now, that I had no attention of announcing my engagement to Bea.”

  Alina’s eyes flashed with laughter and Trystan’s arms tightened around as he said in low rough voice, “Which you already knew.”

  Alina shook her head pushing her hair out of her face as she told him sincerely, “Not really, but suspected since she seemed to not know about us talking while I was gone. If you truly only wanted one thing from me, then you would’ve taken it when you had a chance.”

  Trystan’s flared with understanding as he thought about their four days in Deluna while Alina stared up at him with bright eyes.