Chapter 2 #2
She stood abruptly and strode out of the office intending to go to her yoga room to work off some of this anger. But a knock sounded on the door. It was too early for class. She opened it to a cold October morning with the wind blowing leaves around. Two people stood before her. Oh, no!
The guard spoke first. “Hey, Juliet. This guy says he’s your brother.”
As calmly as she could, she said, “Yeah, he is. Hi, Joey.”
“Hey, Sis.” He sauntered inside.
Dark haired, in contrast to her, he wore his down to his shoulders, with scruff on his cheeks. And he was shorter than she remembered. After she closed the door, she turned to him. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you I was comin’.”
“Not to my place of work.”
His face transformed into a familiar snarl, one that used to terrify her as a kid, even though he was younger than she was. But she was a big girl now. And from what she could see, she was in better shape than he was. She even outweighed him. He asked, “Ashamed of me?”
“I don’t know. How was rehab?” At the end if a stint in prison, he’d been sentenced by a judge to a secured rehab facility.
“It sucked. But I did my time.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Hey, can we sit down?”
“Okay.”
They took chairs across from each other. For a brief moment, she was hit by a longing to be close to her brother. “What do you want, Joey?”
“First, off, I need some money.”
“I don’t have any money. I’m a single mother and I have two kids to support.”
“Didn’t your sainted husband leave you any dough?”
“No.” Which was a lie. But she was saving his insurance for the boys’ college.
He scanned the rooms. “This place is pretty fancy.”
“And so is the rent.”
He reached over and grabbed her arm hard enough to leave bruises. It hurt. A lot.
“Ouch!”
“Stop lyin’ to me.”
“I’m not.” She slapped off his hand, reached into her pocket and pressed a button that all of them carried around since the incidents started. “I think you should leave.”
“No. I’m gonna live with you, Sis.”
“You can’t be around the boys.”
“Wanna b—”
Suddenly the door flew open and a guard bolted inside with Finn behind her.
“What do you need Juliet?” Ellen, the guard, asked.
“I-I’m not sure.”
Joey shot out of his chair. “This is a family thing. Leave us alone.”
Finn straightened. “Not on your life. Get out of here.”
Joey whirled on Juliet and pushed her into the wall. “How the fuck can you let them do this? We’re blood.”
Juliet managed to right herself. “No, Joey. My children are my blood. And my family. You lost that right a long time ago.”
“You’ll be sorry for this.”
The guard grabbed Joey’s arm on one side and Finn the other. “What should we do with him?” Finn asked.
“I don’t know.”
“We can call the police,” Ellen added taking out her phone. “He threatened you.”
Joey broke Finn’s hold, ducked behind him and bolted outside. He slammed the door hard.
Juliet practically wilted. “Let him go guys. He’s my brother. I can’t have him arrested.”
“You’re sure?” Finn didn’t sound happy.
“Uh-huh.”
Ellen crossed to the door. “We’ll check to see he’s gone.”
She headed out. Finn stayed with her.
Juliet sank onto the chair. Her whole body ached, her arm hurt like the dickens and she felt sick inside.
* * *
Ryder was in a meeting with some investors when his assistant came into the room. “Sorry to bother you. There’s a man named Finn McKenna on the phone. He said he needed to talk to you about a Juliet Sullivan.”
Ryder bolted up. He took the business phone from Carter and strode out the door. “This is Ryder Pace.”
“Mr. Pace, I’m a close friend of Juliet Sullivan.”
“Did something happen to her?”
“In a sense. We had an incident at the collective.” He explained what happened.
“She was able to alert me and the guard and we rushed into her studio. Her brother ran out and disappeared, after he threatened her. I don’t think she should be at her house alone with the boys.
And her parents wouldn’t be able to keep her safe, either.
She needs some place where they can lay low for a bit while she sorts this out. ”
“Did you call the police on her brother?”
“No. She wouldn’t let us.”
“Is she still at the collective?”
“Yes.”
“Keep her there. I’ll be right over.”
“Thanks.”
Ryder told Carter he had an emergency and to run the meeting. He headed out, jumped into his car and broke all the speed limits to get to the collective. He swerved into the parking lot and found Finn waiting outside with a guard.
Finn pulled him aside. “Thanks for coming. I don’t know much about your relationship with Juliet, but I know you live in a fortress. Maybe I’m jumping the gun, but—”
Ryder touched his shoulder. “No, not where Juliet’s safety is concerned. You were right to call me. Very right. I can protect her at my house.”
They walked into Juliet’s reception area and found her with a woman and a man who also worked at the collective. Juliet looked up at him. Her eyes were bruised. “Ryder? Why are you here?”
“I came to take you to my house for a while. We’ll get the boys on the way there.”
Neither collective practitioners volunteered to leave.
“I don’t understand how you know about what happened.”
“I called him.” She looked to Finn. “Joey’s a wild card. And he’s violent. You can’t go home or to any of our houses or your parents and be safe. But Ryder lives in a fortress. You should go there with him.”
“No, I—”
Finn said, “Think about the boys, Juliet.”
The other two voiced their agreement.
Ryder didn’t push her to decide. He simply waited.
Finally, she said, “I’ll go with you. I’m afraid of him right now.”
Ryder’s hands fisted, especially when he caught sight of her arm. It was already red and puffy and black and blue marks on her bicep. “Grab your things. Any clothes you have here. I don’t want to risk going to your house.”
“I guess.” She sounded beleaguered. “I have some stuff in my car for the kids, too.” Yesterday, she’d bought them some more school clothes and hadn’t taken them out of the trunk yet.
After she packed a bag, they walked out to his car with his hand at her back.
Having forgotten her jacket, she shivered in the October wind so he took off his suit coat and put it around her once again.
He opened the passenger door and she got inside.
She fumbled with the seatbelt. He secured it himself, and after circling the car, slid into the driver seat then turned to her. “Does it hurt?”
“My arm does. And my head’s pounding. He slammed me into a wall.”
“Goddamn him!”
He started the car and they drove out of the collective’s parking lot and headed out.
“What will I tell the boys, Ryder?”
“The truth.”
“What?”
“They have to know they can’t trust their uncle.”
She was trying not to cry but the tears leaked out.
He glanced at her. “Oh, honey.” He swerved off the road and drew her to him. She cuddled into his shirt. “Shh. It’s going to work out. Get all this out before we pick up your kids.”
Finally she quieted. He grabbed a box of tissues from the glove compartment and she mopped her face. “I’m better now.”
He kissed the top of her head before he started the car again. When they were on their way, she sighed heavily. “I need to tell my parents. They should know about this but they’ll be really upset.”
“Want some advice?”
“Yes.”
“You’re stunned and hurting. Let’s not go to their house right now. When you’re safe and calmer, we can call them.”
“All right. I should get the boys first and protect them before I do anything else.”