Chapter 17 #2
“I told you I needed to see you.” Danny was edgy, shifting from foot to foot, thoroughly unhappy that I was standing only a few feet away.
He’d learn to deal with it. I had no intention of going anywhere.
“This is my house. My space. You broke into my house. Mine.” She was spitting fire in her rage. His eyes darted back and forth rapidly. “My God, are you high right now?”
He wasn’t high. He was twitchy with anxiety we weren’t alone or that soon we wouldn’t be.
“I told you before. I haven’t done drugs in over a year.” He continued casing the room, trained to memorize every inch. I knew the characteristics well.
“God,” she hissed. “I can’t do this right now.”
I limped to her side, keeping the weapon in my hand. “Who is he, Fleur?”
“The question is who the fuck are you?” Danny shot back.
“Shut up, Danny. Do not say another goddamn word.” Her voice rang loud and clear. “You don’t have any right to interfere with my life.”
Danny threw me a furious look, the look in his eyes one I’d seen before. He would just as soon put a bullet in my head as heed her demand.
“Fleur. Answer my question.” I studied the young man, scrutinizing his clothing and demeanor. He was dressed in black, and what troubled me was he resembled the man I’d briefly seen behind the wheel of the truck.
She turned to face me, taking several shallow breaths. “He’s my brother.”
I briefly kept my eyes locked on her, noticing the tic in the corner of her mouth, but I didn’t trust the man or his intentions. Her reaction provided certain details. She did not want him in her house.
And possibly in her life.
“Fleur. We need to talk,” Danny told her, constantly tossing me looks. “It’s important. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t.”
“I told you that there’s nothing to talk about. You betrayed me years ago. Years. First, you say you’re clean, yet you broke into my house. There was a distinct reason I chose not to invite you into my life and you know exactly what that is. Not again. Now, I need you to leave.”
After shaking his head, he made the bad decision to take a single step closer, which prompted me to do the same.
As she’d done before, she threw her arms out toward us, swinging her lovely head from her brother back to me.
The venom in her eyes had been years in the making.
“I can handle this. Montgomery, please go to the kitchen. I’ll be with you in a few minutes.
Okay? Don’t fight me on this. It’s my battle to fight. ”
I didn’t budge because I didn’t trust the guy.
“Okay?” Her nose wrinkled from the harsh emphasis.
“Fine,” I said through clenched teeth. “If you touch her, you’ll face my wrath.”
Danny’s sneer matched mine. “She’s my fucking sister. Who the hell are you?”
He already knew exactly who I was.
“Someone intent on keeping her safe.” My bark wasn’t worse than my bite.
“Enough!” She raked her hand through her hair. “Just go.”
With a deep exhale, I did as she asked, heading into the kitchen, positioning myself so I could still see a portion of both of them.
While she lowered her voice when she spoke with him, her body language remained tense.
I flicked on the light over the stove before pulling his weapon into my hand, turning it over.
A Sig Sauer, exactly like the type used by assassins.
I shoved it under the light, searching for the serial number.
There wasn’t one. A telltale sign. Danny might be her brother, but he was also a criminal. I’d bet everything I owned on that fact.
After a few minutes, I became antsy, my concern increasing. I checked the window, able to see a portion of the street, but it was pitch black, making it impossible to see anything. I didn’t like the tightness in my chest from us being sitting ducks.
There was no outward sign he’d left until the rush of heat drifting across my skin indicated she was right behind me. Her chin was down, her arms folded, but the fingers of one hand were tugging on the necklace. The special piece had been a gift from her brother. The secret needed to be shared.
She studied my face, her soft lips pursed into a thin line. “Your lip is bleeding.”
“I’ve had worse.” I ran my finger across it, staring at the string of blood before wiping it across my jeans.
“My God. What a life you must be forced to live. Violent and unable to trust anyone.”
“Are you talking about my life or your brother’s?”
Huffing, she folded her arms. “Both.”
“That’s how I’ve stayed alive.”
“A life I…” When Fleur didn’t finish her sentence, I was offered another clue. Whatever life she’d walked away from had been an escape and not a choice. Who the fuck had hurt her?
“What happened in there?” I asked, doing what I could to keep from using an accusatory tone.
“Danny is gone. For now.”
“What does he want?”
While she gave me a look of annoyance, she moved toward the table where her empty wineglass remained, draining the bottle and slowly easing into a chair. “I don’t know. We didn’t get that far. I’m too exhausted to deal with his brand of crazy right now.”
“He was the person who sent you the disturbing text.”
“Wow. Next, you’re going to go through my underwear drawer so you can learn everything about me.”
I grabbed my glass and the bottle of whiskey, using the chore to allow her time to tell me what the fuck was going on.
“That was rude of me and I’m sorry. But you can’t just go around beating up everyone who comes inside my house.” Her snarl was ridiculously na?ve and completely adorable.
“A man carrying an assassin’s weapon broke into your home, Fleur. How would you have preferred I’d acted? Invite him in for lasagna?”
She shook her head, fisting her long fingers as fury settled in. “You’re not my keeper and believe it or not, I’m damn good at facing and dealing with my problems.”
“Maybe you’re right and I have no reason to interfere, but I know the level of danger that exists outside these walls.”
Her glare remained harsh, seconds ticking by, her eyes liquid fire. “Yes, I guess you would. Wouldn’t you?”
We weren’t getting anywhere like this. “You know the reasons for my concern. The fact you were almost run down in the middle of the street should continue to alarm you. Then your brother showed up carrying a weapon. If that doesn’t raise a red flag, then you’re fooling yourself.”
The chutzpa she carried with her like a suit of armor began to fade. “I’m worried about him.”
“Then let me help you.”
She shook her head. “You can’t fix all my problems, Montgomery.
I need to do this for myself. It’s my life.
My family. Yes, I appreciate your concern and your willingness to place yourself in danger, but Danny is the master of avoiding assistance from anyone.
Including me. You wanted to learn all the sordid details, exposing every twisted dark secret.
So here goes. We’re orphans. Our parents were killed while enjoying their first vacation alone in the Caribbean.
I won’t bore you with the details, but their bodies were never recovered.
I was eight, Danny was four, just a baby.
We had an aunt who couldn’t or didn’t want to take us in and both sets of grandparents were already dead, so we went into the foster system.
Nice, huh?” She laughed bitterly, the memories obviously ones she’d rather not return to.
I said nothing, but the protectiveness inside of me was just below the surface.
“We were lucky in that we were kept together, even hopeful we’d be adopted to a wonderful family, but the adoption never happened.
We were moved from one family to another.
You see, my brother was a handful. Argumentative.
Too much to handle. Yes, there are a couple horrible stories, but mostly we were just placeholders.
After I’d aged out of the system, I fought to become his guardian.
That took me a full year dealing with bureaucracy and bullshit, but I managed.
Like I knew what I was doing. I was working two jobs, trying to attend community college although that was a stretch, but I was able to put food on the table and a roof over our heads.
I assure you not glorious by any means.”
“Jesus.”
She nodded. “Trust me, as I look back, I have no idea how I managed. After our parents died, Danny was never the same. He’d been such a sweet little boy, but he turned into a hellion.
Usually, he listened to me, but as he got older, he was determined to make his own way.
You know the drill. He got in with the wrong crowd.
At that point, I was offering nothing but tough love because I was angry and bitter.
Exhausted and lonely. I wasn’t equipped to handle a teenager determined to destroy himself.
Drugs. Crimes. He did a few months in jail, but that didn’t help. ”
“Even kids who are offered everything in the world can surprise you.”
She looked me directly in the eyes. “You, a hellion? I can’t imagine.”
Laughing, I nodded as I leaned against the counter. “Oh, hell, yes. Every Prince boy was a hellion. I can’t imagine what you went through.”
“When he hit twenty-one, things almost evened out with Danny and his life. He got a job after getting his GED. He was so proud of himself that he had an apartment. But I noticed when he appeared driving an expensive car, his clothes were more expensive. He’d returned to his criminal ways.
On top of that, he hated the man I was dating with a passion.
They argued all the time. It was one reason I left my ex and never looked back. ”
“One reason?”
“The only one that matters to this conversation.” Her eyes held total bitterness.
This was where the story became muddled and I sensed it was one she wasn’t ready to tell.
“In my effort to continue providing for Danny and to try and help him move forward as a man, I made several very bad decisions. I know that now. It put a further rift between us. Danny would disappear then return asking for help. Just one last time. He tried to get his hands on a small trust fund our parents had established for both of us, but I refused. You can see where this is going. The last time when he ripped my house apart, I ended the relationship and changed my life altogether. My life was a total mess by then and I feared losing myself altogether.”
“The reason you moved to Stowe.”
While she nodded, my instinct was still pinging. “A fresh start. And you know what’s funny? It’s like karma brought me here.”
“How so?”
She remained nervous yet a hint of her whimsical side reappeared. “Don’t laugh at me, but I read a novel with Stowe as the small town where two strangers fell in love. The description was beautiful, creative, and peaceful. I came here on a whim and never left.”
“I think that’s amazing.”
At least I was offered a smile for my compliment. “Without your father’s generosity, my little store would never have happened.”
“My father was a complicated man, but I’m glad karma worked in your favor.”
“Me too.” She fidgeted with her glass before bringing it to her lips.
The way she fingered the necklace captured and held my attention.
Fleur noticed my stare. “Danny gave me this pendant almost seven years go. He’d worked a couple jobs to purchase me a present and I accused him of heinous things. He’s never forgiven me.”
“Time has a way of altering memories, Fleur. The fact you’re wearing the necklace likely means more to him than an argument when you were both still children.”
“I’m not a child any longer.” She had a faraway look in her eyes. “Look, I’m not trying to be rude, but I need time to process Danny’s arrival.”
“You’re going to talk to him?”
Her shrug was filled with angst. “I don’t know, but it’s my choice to make. Thank you for intervening.” Even her laugh was tense.
“Where’s your phone?”
“Why?” She was genuinely curious.
“Because I’m going to add my contact information. If you need anything, including someone to talk to, I’ll be happy to lend an ear.”
She seemed perplexed I’d make such an offer. Obviously, I hadn’t done a good enough job of making her feel special in my life. With another deep sigh she stood, retrieving her phone from the counter. I couldn’t help noticing her hand was shaking as she handed it to me.
I purposely forced our fingers to touch, thankful she didn’t pull away after she shuddered.
“Here you go. Are you certain you’re going to be okay?”
This time when she answered, a slight rebellious tone returned. “I assure you Danny won’t bother me again tonight.”
“Okay. I’ll leave, but lock your doors. If anything happens, you will call me.” I wasn’t asking or offering support.
I was telling her what to do.
“He’s my brother. He’s not going to hurt me.”
“You’re in danger, Fleur. Make no mistake. Men like Danny have danger following them.”
“A reflection of your soul? There you go again trying to terrify me.”
You bet she’d pegged me.
“I’m not trying to terrify you, but I am trying to ensure you’ll stay vigilant.”
“Is this because of you? Did he come here to warn me about you?”
Was she accusing me of steering her brother wrong? “Unless you have something else to tell me, you’ll need to remember tonight is the first night I met your brother. I can tell you my first impression isn’t something you want to hear.”
She didn’t believe or trust me. I’d always been taught that the only people truly trustworthy in life were family members. At least that’s what my mother had said. My father on the other hand had always added the caveat “with a grain of salt”.
“He’s not a bad man. He’s just misguided.”
Her insistence was heartfelt. At this point, I didn’t want to burst her bubble that even good men could do very bad things if influenced by money or required by loyalty.
That was the look I’d seen in his eyes.
There was another missing link I’d need to discover.
Her ex-boyfriend or perhaps fiancé. Now that I understood the reason her background was sketchy, something that often occurred when dealing with the foster system, I should be able to discover additional information.
At least by using my contacts and the computer experts employed by the Prince family.
While it might take time, eventually I’d learn every dark secret no matter the lengths she’d gone to hide them.
Did I trust her brother? Not a chance. I’d seen the way he’d reacted to my presence.
He knew exactly who I was.
Now I was going to discover everything there was to learn about Daniel Sebastian.