2
Grace
I look to the doorway and see a tall thin man in a navy blue fitted pinstripe suit.
My god, he looks like every evil lawyer on TV.
His salt and pepper hair is slicked back and his jade-green eyes are calculating.
Like he notices everything and will remember it all and use it against you in a court of law.
"Gracelyn?" He asks. I stand up and nod. "I'm Andras. I didn't know Rachel had a child." He admits. Neither did she half the time.
"I didn't know she had a brother." I shrug. He sighs looking a bit sad at that.
"Well, we know about each other now." He nods firmly and turns to Torrez.
"Thank you Officer Torrez for bringing her home.
I appreciate it." He says offering a handshake.
Torrez is very eager to take it and even blushes.
What the...? "If you follow Richard, he will show you out.
" Richard, the butler, appears out of nowhere and corrals Torrez out of the room like a lost little sheep.
"So... come with me, I'll give you the tour.
" Andras leads and I follow. I map out the place and try to take in all the cameras and exits.
I see people milling about the yard looking too many to be out for a walk and too stiff to be doing yard work.
I file that away too. If I'm not careful my brain files are going to explode out of my ears.
This entire house is so clean and white and expensive that I feel like a piece of mud messing it up. I am in awe of it all, it's like walking through a museum. I'm afraid to touch anything
"You look like you're in shock." He chuckles.
"Yeah. Iguess I'm just not used to this." I admit. "It feels like I'm walking around in a magazine." He chuckles again.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"I meant it as one." I rush to assure him. Great job Grace, insult the guy's house! "Do I have an aunt or cousins?" I ask suddenly, the idea slamming into me like a brick.
"No. I'm afraid my work has always been at the forefront. I never really settled down." He confesses. I nod my understanding.
"Officer Torrez said you were a lawyer?" I ask.
"Yes, I am. How much do you know about criminal law?" He asks. Oooh... too much.
"I'm seventeen. Probably not as much as you." I evade. He smirks down at me but I see that calculating look again. Shit. "Okay, let's cut the shit," I say halting our progress down a hall full of more scribble art. I watch his smirk spread into a grin.
"I didn't like my parents. They didn't like me. I've been living on the streets for three years because it was safer than at home." I say a bit shortly. "Now you." His eyes are hard but he nods.
"I'm a criminal lawyer. I defend low lives for a living. Mostly high profile cases." He admits. I nod and he continues. "Rachel was a mess last time I saw her. That wasnearly twenty years ago." I nod.
"I assume I'm going to a new school?" I ask.
"Yes. I have my assistant enrolling you now. He will be back within the hour with your uniform." He grins at the face I must be pulling.
"Uniform?" I ask.
"Afraid so. It's a good school. Snobby though, so you may end up liking the uniforms after all."
"Great," I mutter. "Oh well, at least I'll get into a better college." I say more to assure myself than him .
"College? I thought you were on your own." He says brows pulling down in confusion.
"I'm good at school. I'm not going to get anywhere without it so I made it a priority. I've been applying for scholarships." I shrug. Here's hoping anyway, I'm probably bound for a community college one class at a time but one can dream.
"Good. That's a good way to think." He commends guiding me down another hall and into a bedroom. I almost pass out.
It's all lavender and cream with matching furniture and needless pillows. Again, like a magazine. HGTV, eat your heart out! And it's huge! It's got a couch and a bed. Rich people, man, I tell you. Andras shows me to a private bathroom through a door off to the side. It's huge too.
All white tiles and lavender accents. The bathroom matches the bedroom. What the hell? He starts laughing at me.
"You look almost disgusted," he laughs.
"Not disgusted just... bewildered?" I admit.
"What is bewildering you?" He asks still smiling. Always glad to be amusing.
"It's just a big change. Why is there a couch and a bed? Why are there so many pillows? Why does the bed have curtains?" I ask causing him to laugh harder and wave at me to stop. "You laugh but I'm serious!" I grin at his red face. We both turn at a knock on the door.
A handsome man in his early twenties in a grey suit and black framed glasses stands at the door looking a bit scared. I raise an eyebrow at Andras who straightens and puts his professional stoic mask back on.
"Ah, Christian, this is my niece, Gracelyn," Andras says stiffly. I can't help the smirk that crosses my face. I step forward so Andras can't see it.
"It's Grace. Nice to meet you." I say offering a handshake. He takes it in his large calloused hands and his coffee-brown eyes widen a fraction as I shake his hand. I notice the edge of black ink under his shirt collar. File that away. You know, for science.
"Nice to meet you too. I assume these are for you then." He says handing me a dry cleaning bag.
"Oh, thank you." I smile as I take them from him and set them in the closet which is also huge. I shake my head as I hang it up.
"What's wrong with the closet?" Christian asks.
"Nothing. I'm just waaay out of my comfort zone here, that's all.
" I shrug. He nods with a gentle smile. He turns to Andras with a hard look that completely changes his face.
He looked so cute with his dark hair flopping in his eyes.
Now he looks like he's ready to kill someone if Andras says so.
Another little something for my file. Also, on a completely unrelated note, kind of hot.
"Anything else, sir?" He asks.
"No Christian, that will be all. Have a good evening." Andras nods firmly. Christian nods and turns to leave with a small crooked smile at me before closing the door. Oh my damn. I hope I don't have to spend much time with him. I may not make it.
"So, I take it you don't have much with you?" Andras asks back to his normal self. Or at least what he was like before Christian came in.
"I have my bag." I shrug.
"Okay. Then you'll need clothes and a school bag.
" He looks me over and I find myself curling in on myself.
"New shoes, jacket. Oh hell, I might as well just get someone to help.
" He says exasperated by the monumental task of making me presentable in his world.
And just when I was starting to like him. Pity.
"I'll be fine," I say harshly. I see the realization of his words cross his face.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I just meant that you deserve nice things. And you need new shoes and a jacket. Your shoes are covered in duct tape." He winces. Now I feel bad. What I thought was judgment was only concern. I’m not used to that.
"Okay. You have a point about the shoes. But I'm not taking your money. God knows I already feel like a charity case just being here." I mutter.
"You're not. You're family. Oh god! Mom and Dad!" He shouts raking his hands through his hair. "They're going to kill me if I don't tell them about you! They've been bugging me for years for grand-kids!" He cries.
"I have grandparents?" I blurt making him laugh.
"Oh yeah! I'll invite them over for dinner tomorrow.
" He smiles. "Okay! Let's go get you some clothes and we'll go out for dinner.
Sound good?" I'm being ignored about the whole clothing thing. I sigh but follow him out to the driveway. I’m met with a sleek and shiny black Challenger. It’s such a sexy car and the seats feel like heaven when I get in. I want to steal it so bad.
We make it to the guard station where the guard who took my fake ID grins at me but opens the gate without a word.
"What's with Greg?" Andras asks.
"Oh, I had to show him my ID. All I have is a fake." I shrug.
"We will fix that too. When is your birthday?"
"May 9th. Yours?"
"June 5th. We'll have to celebrate yours soon then, huh?
" He smiles then frowns as if something just occurred to him.
"I should probably call in the big guns.
I'm probably not the best person to be shopping for women's clothing.
" He admits pressing a button on the steering wheel.
The car speakers start ringing until a female voice answers.
"What do you want, Andras?" She demands distractedly.
"I have a job for you."
"No." She says firmly.
"Come on, please?" Andras begs.
"No, the last job you had me do was breaking up a bad date. That bitch followed me home!" She cries as I try to hold in a laugh. I like her.
"This one is simple and you'll like it. It involves shopping." He grins.
"I'm listening." She says cautiously.
"My niece is living with me and needs clothes. We both know that I am not the right person to do that with her." He taunts.
"Well, of course not. Be at the shop in fifteen." She says before hanging up.
"My best friend, Emily." He says with a soft smile. I ship it already.
We park the car and he leads me to a store that is so far from Walmart and Salvation Army it's not even funny.
I am so out of place here. I see a couple of women look at me and Andras and start whispering to each other.
I hate feeling this uncomfortable and unsure.
I raise my chin and walk proudly as I would anywhere else.
Own your shit, Grace. You have nothing to be ashamed of.
I can practically hear Ray in my ear. "Come on Little Mama, you got this.
" Usually, it's in a very different situation but it still works.
Andras stops at the makeup counter in front of a tall curvy blonde in a blue bodycon dress and coughs loudly.
"Shut up, Andras. I'll be with you in a minute." She says waving him off not even turning around. He chuckles.
"Grace, this is my best friend Emily." He says anyway. With that, she whirls around and blinds me with a dazzling smile.
"Oh my god, you're real!" She squeals hurrying around the counter and bringing me into a hug. I'm quickly held away from her and surveyed. "So, what are we doing today?" I shrug.
"She needs new everything," Andras says. I glare at him but he ignores me.
"That's okay. Let's leave him and get to know each other. I'll tell you all the embarrassing stories." Emily whispers as she leads me through the store.
Emily is a shopaholic. I indeed have new everything and then some. Who needs five pairs of shoes? Apparently, I do. I also have three jackets because why not? I mean I also have several bras that fit me and aren't trying to kill me with the underwire. So that's a perk. I guess I can live with it.
I'm in a new outfit of black jeans, a loose grey tank, and a sleek leather jacket by the time we leave.
I tie up my hair in a tumbling ponytail and call it the Twilight Zone.
I look so different. Clothes that actually fit, they're clean and don't have holes.
I take a deep breath and make sure the tattoo on the back of my neck is covered by my jacket and store my knives in my combat boots and jacket.
I'm going to have to sew in new sheaths to all these pants.
I'm greeted by a beaming Emily and Andras which causes me to step back a bit. What are they so happy about?
"Come on, Grace, I promised food," Andras says leading me to the car. I say goodbye and thank Emily before following. It was really nice of her to do all of this for me.