31. Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty
Jacob
Fuck me, he’s lost it. He has to be going senile, and I missed the signs. An older sister? I keep my voice calm as I say, “That makes no sense, Grandad.”
“Shut up and listen.” His voice quavers, but the steel is back. “I’ve never told this to anyone. You might hate me for it after, but it needs to be said.”
I swallow and nod.
“When the social called, it was a lot more complicated than I told you. Your mum was a junkie, that’s all true, and she wasn’t taking care of you. But that wasn’t what got them called in.”
His hands are still shaking. I hand him my drink and he takes a sip before continuing.
“They got a call from a teacher about a young girl, seven years old, able to speak and write like an adult. But what she wrote was sick stuff. She wrote about hurting her toddler brother and baby sister. Shutting the baby in the washing machine. Tearing the brother’s ears off. And when the school tried to contact her mum, she couldn’t string a sentence together. They got worried.”
Ears. I touch mine reflexively as that sharp memory surfaces. Tearing pain and helpless fear.
“Social did a check, and of course, the place was a shithole. Your mum passed out, filth everywhere, you kids half starved. They took you all into emergency care. All three of you, Jacob. You, Ruth, and your older sister, Kelly.”
Kelly. It’s such an ordinary name, but something stirs deep in my memory. As soon as it does, my mind skitters away from it.
Don’t go there. It’s not safe.
“It took a few days for me to get back from the rigs. During that time, the three of you stayed with a foster family. They had a little girl, two years old. Your sister…” He takes a long, shuddering breath. “Your sister pushed her down a flight of stairs. The mum saw her do it. Pushed her and just walked away. She was okay, but…”
He shakes his head. A creeping suspicion starts at the back of my mind. I can see where this is heading. I can see it, and it’s fucking horrible. I close my eyes, and Grandad continues.
“Social brought some headshrinkers in to look at your sister. They interviewed you and your mum. They spent time with Kelly. When I got there, I stayed in a hotel for a few days while I sorted out my house, and they gave me some options.”
He closes his eyes. Sadness rolls off him as he continues. “They told me you kids weren’t safe around Kelly. Unless I could keep a watch on her twenty-four hours a day, you’d be at risk. How could I do that?” He looks at me, eyes glistening and a pleading note in his voice.
“I was already lost with how I was going to raise a little boy and a baby. Your nan did all the hard stuff first time ’round. I was terrified. Then they gave me another option.”
“What option?” It’s hardly more than a whisper, but Grandad flinches.
“They’d keep Kelly in care. They promised me it’d be better for her. A safe environment, where she couldn’t hurt herself or anyone else. They said they’d help her get better. And Jacob, I—”
His shoulders shake. My breath freezes as his words cut off, choked in a sob. For too long, I just stare at him. This is uncharted water, and I don’t know which way to fucking paddle. My mind is drowning, sinking under too many shocks.
Then another sob chokes out of him, and I unfreeze. I wrap my arm around his back. He’s smaller than I remember. “It’s okay.”
“I gave her up.”
His shoulders shake again, and I pull him into a hug. My heart is about to fucking break. How has he managed all these years? Staying silent, keeping strong for us kids, whilst carrying the guilt of the choice he made. I’ve done some things that will haunt me forever, but nothing as difficult as that.
Grandad takes long, deep breaths, working to get hold of himself. “They told me she’d gone to a special foster home where they knew how to handle difficult kids. I asked if I could visit, but they said it wasn’t a good idea. It’d just unsettle her. I didn’t want to make things worse.”
He pulls away, eyes red, and straightens his button-up shirt. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Grandad in a T-shirt. He taught me to take pride in my appearance, even when we were poor as all fuck. He even learnt to sew so we’d never have to go to school with holes in our clothes, even though, rough as I was, I managed to tear a hole in something every week.
He wipes his eyes and smooths his mustache. I’m watching him piece himself back together, bit by bit, and it hurts. He was strong for me for so long. I should be able to take care of him now. I failed him.
“The last update I got, I was told she’d been adopted by a family who knew all about her tendencies and wanted to give her a chance anyway. No kids or pets in the house, and the dad was, I don’t know, some sort of doctor or headshrinker. One of those sorts. I never heard anything else.”
“Did I ask about her? I don’t think I remember her, but…” The memories scratch at the edge of my consciousness. Pain. A laugh. Shouting, but no one coming to help.
Grandad’s face hardens. “You remembered for a while, my boy. You used to wake up screaming every night, scared she was standing at the end of your bed. I never got the full story of what she did to you, but it must have been bad. After a while, you started to think it was just nightmares.’
His eyes meet mine. “The nights I couldn’t sleep for the guilt of what I’d done, I’d think about how scared you were and knew I’d made the right choice. I don’t regret it. I did what I had to do to protect you and Ruth.”
“And you did.” My throat is getting thick, and I look down. “I owe everything to you.”
“Jesus fucking Christ, don’t get all mushy on me, lad. You’re not turning into some soppy Yank just because we live here.”
His usual spark of grouchy humor is back, and I want to hug him for it, but I don’t. He needs things to be normal, and that’s fine with me. He stares around at the hotel room like it’s the first time he’s really taken it in.
“Not bad here. What happens now? I stay here for a few days, then we find me a new place?”
I pause, mind clicking back into focus. I’d thought I was the target, but what if I’m not? If Kelly—I can’t think of her as my sister yet—really hates anyone, surely Grandad must be at the top of her list. He’s the one who gave her up.
What if he’s the real target, and hurting me and Ruth was only a way to hurt him by proxy? Either way, none of it really matters. Now I know who’s hunting him, I’m not trusting him to the fucking Gilda. After the Calders abducted Eve, Kendrick tightened security at the Compound even further. There’s nowhere safer.
“No. I’m not leaving you here. You’re coming home with me.”
He frowns, deep furrows gouged into his forehead. “What? To your top-secret bloody military base? No thanks. I don’t fancy spending the rest of my life in some CIA fucking dungeon.”
“It’s not CIA, Grandad. It’ll be fine. I’ll make a call.”
***
“It’s completely against protocol.”
There’s no anger in Kendrick’s voice, just wariness. I walk down the corridor, out of earshot of the Gilda soldier guarding Grandad’s room. “I know, sir. But in the light of this new information, it’s the only choice. I’m sure he’s the main target, and by the sound of it, this woman is a prodigy. She’s dangerous.”
“Do you have a plan to catch her?”
I do, though it’s newly formed and very, very risky. “If we take my grandfather off the board, the only piece in play is Ruth, sir. So, we pull a bait and switch. We remove her from the hospital, under absolute secrecy, and make it look like she’s still there. Kelly will reveal herself by trying to get to Ruth.”
A long pause. “It’s not a terrible plan. But I see no need to actually bring your grandfather into the Compound. We’ll put him in a safe house elsewhere, with your sister.”
“No.”
Shit. That was a mistake. Dealing with Kendrick requires a careful touch. “What I mean, sir, is that if Kelly doesn’t know where Grandad is, she’ll hunt for him. If she knows he’s in the Compound, she’ll be smart enough to know she can’t get to him and will turn her attention to Ruth.”
He lets out a long sigh. “The protocols…”
“Please, sir. He’s eighty-five years old. He’ll be no trouble, and even if he sees something he shouldn't, who's going to believe him? He’ll stay with me—not in my flat, but in a fresh one—and I’ll keep an eye on him at all times.”
“And what about Quinn?”
“I’ll manage. I’ll keep them both under control. Trust me.”
Another long, painful pause. “If it were anyone else, I’d say no. But your skill set is different. I’ll trust you in this, but Jacob?”
“Yes, sir?”
“If any issues come of this, you’ll clean them up. Understood?”
“Understood.”
Hopefully I’m telling the truth.
***
I thought the ride in the chopper might be too much for Grandad, but the mad old bastard loves it. He keeps his head pressed to the window for the entire flight, only turning away to grin at me. Seeing him happy is a breath of fresh air.
We land, and I help him out. He leans heavily on me as he disembarks, then stares around with a frown. I can almost see his thoughts. Grandad thinks I’m working for a top-secret branch of the US military, and the Compound looks absolutely nothing like a base.
The helipad is surrounded by neat shrubbery. Like everything here, it’s a bizarre mix of country club and high-tech aesthetic. The sheds that house the choppers are gleaming stainless steel, but the path leading into the main Compound is lined with greenery and flowers.
Grandad spent ten years in the army. He’s going to get suspicious very fast, and I need to make sure he behaves. I grip his arm. “Listen. You might see some unusual things, but if you’ve got questions, save them for when we’re in private. Okay?”
“If you say so, lad.” Grandad watches the Gilda as they see to the helicopter. We set off walking, only to be met by Kendrick. He nods to me and gives Grandad a smile. “Mr. West, I’m glad to meet you. Jacob speaks very highly of you. I’m Kendrick. Please, let me show you to your room.”
The big man himself playing host? Why? He’s suspicious, that’s why. He wants to get the measure of Grandad himself. I can understand his nervousness. All the contractors brought into the Compound are ruthlessly vetted, extremely well paid, and forced to sign contracts full of terrifying clauses. They know full well what will happen if they spill Brotherhood secrets.
Kendrick is doing me a massive fucking favor, bringing Grandad onsite. I hate feeling like I owe anyone anything, but in this case, it’s worth it. There would have been zero chance of getting Ruth inside the Compound walls—the only women who set foot here are Wards—but Kendrick was prepared to stick his neck out this far for me.
If his goal is to ensure he has my loyalty, he’s managed it.
“My room?” Grandad glances between Kendrick and me. “Thought I was staying with you?”
“You are, but it’ll be in a temporary flat. My rooms are in a restricted area.”
And chock full of BDSM equipment there’s no time to move. If Grandad saw the cage in my room, he'd probably die of a heart attack on the spot.
Grandad’s face falls. “Oh. Makes sense.”
Shit. He’s disappointed. “I’ll be able to show you some of the place, though. I’m really happy you’re here.”
He nods. “Me too, son. Now let’s get a move on. I’m fucking knackered.”
I almost laugh as Kendrick’s brows rise. Most people are painfully polite around him. He walks on, setting a slow pace Grandad can match. “Of course. It must have been a trying day.”
“You can fucking say that again.”
Grandad’s eyes are saucers as we emerge through the woods onto the main thoroughfare. It’s late enough that not many people are around, but Grandad still stares at the ones he does see. An older couple wander past, walking a poodle. Nothing says top-secret military base like a fucking poodle.
“Your rooms are on the second floor. Room 203.” Kendrick turns to me. “A word, Jacob.”
We step to the side, leaving Grandad staring all around him. Kendrick’s expression is stony as he eyes Grandad. “I’ll leave him in your care. Keep him out of the way as much as possible. Word has already got out about what’s happening, and some of the Brothers aren’t happy. They think I’m playing favorites.”
In all the excitement, I hadn’t considered that, but he’s right. Plenty of Brothers would love to have their families visit. “Tell them they need to get shot at first. Should shut ’em up.”
A brief smile touches his lips. “I may just take that advice.”
He gives Grandad a polite nod and walks away.
One down. Now to get Grandad settled and work out what in the fuck I’m going to do with Quinn.