Her Guardians Lost (Her Guardians Trilogy #2) (19 page)

Simeon nodded. “Okay. See you around.”

Hamish took that as his cue to leave and walked down the stairs.

“That was a bit rude, wasn’t it?”

Simeon smiled and leaned against the frame of the door. “Well, if I were Stephen, I don’t think he would be very happy with any gentleman calling on his girl. I’m just playing my part.”

“Hmm,” I said with a frown. “A little too well, it seems.”

Turning, I walked back into the flat, leaving the door wide open. Simeon obviously saw that as his invitation.

“Oh, come on, Cassie,” I heard him shout as he came in and shut the door.

Before I could answer, he had me in his arms, smiling down at my lips. “Don’t you think Stephen would be jealous?”

He took my breath away. Even though I knew it wasn’t Stephen, it still didn’t stop the butterflies in my belly. He just looked so much like him.

Pulling out of his grip, I waved him off. “He’s not here, so I couldn’t say. What are you doing here anyway?”

Pacing the floor, he shrugged his shoulders. “Oh, you know. Just finished work and wanted to see my girl.” Looking at me, he smiled. “Stephen’s girl. It’s just that I heard through the grapevine that you make a mean hot chocolate. Can you see it in you to spare one for little old me?”

I saw his cheeky grin and couldn’t keep my mouth from turning up at his somewhat mischievous behavior.

“I suppose I could if you sit down and behave yourself, young man.”

Shaking his head and smiling, he sat down. “I may be some things, Cassie, but young isn’t one of them. Not when you’ve lived as many years as I have.”

It was hard to imagine someone as childlike as Simeon and Stephen could be so many years old. “How old are you?”

Simeon snorted. “I don’t know. I’ve lost count.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t quite get my head around it all. Deciding it was just not worth hurting my brain over, I proceeded to the kitchen to make hot chocolate. It was hard, considering the first memory I had of Stephen and I was when he tried it for the first time ever. How on earth he lived for so long without knowing what hot chocolate tasted like, I had no idea.

Once everything was ready, I sat down and watched Simeon take his first sip. “So, what’s the verdict?”

Shrugging, he placed the mug on the table. “It’s all right, I guess.”

Feeling a little childlike myself, I picked up a cushion and hurled it at him.

“Hey,” Simeon protested. “I don’t think I deserved that.”

“No one mocks the hot chocolate,” I joked.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” It was out of my mouth before I even realized what I was saying. I really didn’t want Simeon to stay for dinner. Just looking at him brought me pain. The only problem was he was here, bringing with him this peacefulness the angels like to carry with them. Sometimes I felt like an addict. I just wanted to inhale as much of him as I possibly could, be around it as much as I possibly could.

“I would like that very much,” he smiled.

Oh, god! What have I gotten myself into?

Chapter 16

The dreams were becoming a nightly ritual now. It was always the same dream, with the same door, and the same outcome. It was almost as if I’d become accustomed to it. Like I was aware it was a dream and there was nothing I could do about it. In a sense, though, I thought I would miss them if they were to suddenly disappear. Although I complained about it, I knew it meant something. The dream was
telling
me it meant something.

During the course of my morning, I showered, ate, and washed up with no sign of hearing from Simon. I started to worry a little about why he had gone silent. I had already checked my phone several times this morning, thinking I may have missed hearing from him. I was wondering if my dinner with Simeon had swept me away a little. Simeon was kind and gentle last night, listening attentively as I explained how much I missed both his brothers. But I confessed that I was glad I had him around to keep me company. We ended the evening with a little hug. There was no intimacy there, no romantic gestures—just two lonely friends seeking out companionship.

Sighing, I drank my coffee and checked the time. It was getting close to eleven and still no word. Getting up, I grabbed my coat. It was time for some action. I called a local taxi company and they told me one would pick me up in five minutes.

I stood outside and waited for the taxi. I was eager to get to the hospital, but not only to see Mama Caroline. I also wanted to find out what was going on with Simon. In a sudden panic, I started worrying about Sharice and the baby. Maybe something had happened and he was too tied up with her to call me. I sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case, though. I couldn’t see that it had anything to do with Mama Caroline. I had only recently touched her hand. I was sure I would have seen it otherwise.

The taxi came and I was at the hospital within twenty minutes. My heart was racing with each minute that passed, hoping and praying everyone was okay.

I raced up to the third floor and found her room. She was there when I looked through the window, but she looked sad.
Oh no. Something’s wrong
.

When I opened the door, Mama Caroline looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “Mama Caroline, are you okay? What’s the matter?” Because I had my gloves on, I rushed towards her and grabbed her hand.

“It’s Catherine and Molly. They’ve disappeared. Simon was here a minute ago, but he left to make some calls. He’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Does anyone have any idea where they’ve gone?”

“No. Last night, Simon called the centre they were staying at to let her know I was in the hospital. When they went to check on them this morning, they had vanished.” The tears swept down her face. “What am I going to do, Cassie? I can’t lose her all over again. My only daughter.” She closed her eyes as the sobs increased.

All I could do was hold her hand and comfort her. She was like the anchor to the family. I knew she felt the need to stay strong, so I wanted her to know she wasn’t alone in this.

After a few quiet moments, Simon barged through the door, anger and panic all over his face. “Cassie, I’ve been trying to call you. Sorry I didn’t manage to speak to you earlier.”

“It’s fine, Simon. Really. You’ve had enough on your plate this morning as it is.”

As he shuffled his feet, I could tell he was extremely torn. He wanted to find his sister, but he wanted to stay with his mother, too.

Feeling Mama Caroline’s hand on my face, I turned to see her pleading eyes. “I don’t think I can go through this all over again. It was hard losing her once, but I don’t…I don’t…” She stopped, putting her hand over her mouth.

Feeling the unbearable pain from both of them, I did what I had to do. Releasing my grip from Mama Caroline, I strolled over to Simon. Taking my glove off, I reached out to grab his hand. He reared back, obviously wondering what I was doing.

“Wherever your twin is, you will be, Simon. You and I both know this. Let me help you find her. We did it before, and we can do it again. Just close your eyes and think of them, Simon. Think of your sister and your niece.”

Shaking his head slightly, I saw the hope in his eyes. Hope I wanted them to cling onto right now. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Looking over towards Mama Caroline, I saw the look I wanted to see. Turning back, I nodded. “I’ve never been more sure about anything, Simon. I can do this, so use me. I’m sure we can find her again.”

With a look of acceptance, Simon reached out his hand and closed his eyes. “Now, remember, just picture them for me. I will also think of them so, hopefully, it will be the first thing that comes to me.”

Channeling all my energies, I grabbed Simon’s hand. The minute I did, I was brought to a lake. The sky was grey, but I could see a hint of the sun trying to peek through the clouds. Birds were flying, and people were out enjoying the day as best they could. “I can see a lake in a park.”

“Where?” Simon urged.

The vision clouded a little so I inhaled and gripped my eyes shut. I had to think of Molly and Caroline now. I had to think only of them.

As if my prayers were answered, I spotted them. Molly looked tired and extremely sad. Caroline was a little happier, but apprehensive. “I can see them. They’re feeding ducks at the lake.”

“What lake, Cassie?” I could hear the urgency in Simon’s voice. He wasn’t commanding me. It was more like he was gently probing me in the right direction.

As hard as I could, I looked around so I could try and spot something I would recognize. To my amazement, I could see the 7
th
July memorial, which marked the fateful day of the bombings in London.

Opening my eyes, I saw Simon’s anxiety. “Hyde Park. They’re in Hyde Park,” I smiled.

Simon smiled back and we both looked over at his mother, who was beaming. “I’ll be waiting on the news, Simon. You go fetch my baby girl.”

Simon nodded and turned back to me. “Come with me?”

“Of course.”

We wasted no time, shouting our goodbyes to Mama Caroline as we ran from the room.

“I have my car in the car park. We can get there in about twenty minutes, give or take,” Simon said, pushing the button for the lift.

Riding it down, I watched as Simon stood rigid. Placing my arm on his, he relaxed a little and looked over.

“Don’t panic, Simon. They’ll be there. They’re fine.”

Grabbing my arm, he squeezed it gently. “I really don’t know what I’d do without you.”

The lift doors opened and we bolted out, frantic to get to Simon’s car.

The traffic was bad, but with Simon’s driving, we were there in about twenty-five minutes. We shut the car doors and ran through the park to the lake. Within a couple of minutes, I spotted Molly sitting on a bench. She was watching Caroline feed the ducks.

“Over there,” I said, pointing.

I watched as Simon squinted in search of them. When he spotted them, his posture relaxed and he exhaled a big sigh.

Saying no more, we both walked towards the bench. Neither of us knew what to expect, so the anticipation was high.

“Molly,” Simon whispered.

Snapping her head up, she saw me, then her brother. I could tell she had been crying. Rising out of her seat, she rushed over and threw her arms around Simon. “Oh, Simon,” she cried. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I heard about Mum, and I—”

Pulling her away, Simon gazed into her eyes. “Shh, it’s okay. Everything is okay.”

I was glad to see she didn’t seem so angry anymore about the fact her brother took her away from her abductor. Maybe now they could start to re-build their relationship.

“Mummy?” I heard a whisper.

Looking down, I saw Caroline’s worried face. With my gloves securely fastened, I held out my hand to her. “Hello, Caroline. I’m Cassie.”

Frowning a little, Caroline looked up at me with the most beautiful brown eyes. “Nice to meet you, Cassie.” She shook my hand, making me smile. Caroline nodded and smiled back. “Mummy keeps crying.”

Looking over my shoulder, I could see Simon and Molly in an embrace, talking. “I tell you what, Caroline. Why don’t we leave your mother and uncle to talk, and we can go feed the ducks?”

Tilting her head to the side, she watched them both. “He won’t make her sad again, will he?”

“I’m sure not, Caroline. I think your mum is crying because she’s happy to see him.”

“Really?” she beamed. “I always wanted an uncle.”

Holding out my hand to her, I gave her a cheeky grin. “Well, I happen to know your uncle very well and I can say he is a very good man. He would be the best uncle a girl could dream of.”

Caroline smiled and grabbed my hand as we walked towards the lake. “Are you his girlfriend?”

I almost choked. If there were any questions she could have asked, I certainly wasn’t expecting that.

I shook my head. “No. I’m just very close to your family. They’re all such wonderful people.”

Throwing a piece of bread, we watched as it landed in the lake and a duck came along to snatch it. Caroline chuckled a little. “I like watching the ducks eat the bread. Here,” she said, handing some to me. “You throw some, too.”

Taking the bread from Caroline, I smiled. “Thank you.”

“Because it was so sunny this morning, my mum asked if I wanted to go to the park. She looks so sad all the time. I just want her to be happy again.”

I looked down at Caroline’s sad little face. “Caroline, I won’t lie to you and say she isn’t sad, but I do think things will get better. Things have changed quite a bit and I think it will take time to adjust. Your mum just needs a little bit of time.”

“She misses Daddy.
I
miss Daddy.” She hung her head and my heart immediately broke for her.

Spying a bench in the distance, I threw the last bit of bread. “Why don’t we go and sit down for a little while? There’s a bench over there, not too far from your mum. How about we sit down and chat?”

Taking my hand, she nodded as a single tear fell down her face. I hated seeing adults cry, but it was even worse seeing a child cry. If she had a cut, I could treat it and put a plaster on it. However, the sort of hurt she had was emotional. I wished I could kiss it better, but I knew it would never be as simple as that.

We walked over to the bench and sat down. Caroline was still clutching my hand, and I wasn’t about to let go if she didn’t want me to.

“I’m sure your daddy misses you, too.”

Shuffling in her seat, she squeezed my hand. “Why can’t I see him? They won’t let me see him. They won’t let him see mummy.”

Oh, boy! This was a perfectly adequate question from a little girl whose father had been taken away. She must be confused as hell right now. No one is probably giving her answers—answers she could understand anyway.

“He needs time away so he can answer some questions. He’s helping the police with something important.”

Sighing, she looked down at the ground and shuffled the gravel beneath her feet. “He did a bad thing to save my mum.”

My eyes widened, realizing she knew more than she was letting on. This little girl was only eight-years-old, but it was obvious nothing got past her.

When I didn’t answer, she looked up at me. “I’ve heard my mother talking when she thought I couldn’t hear her. Daddy took mummy when she was little. But he’s not a bad man, I swear.”

I saw the panic in her eyes and laid my hand on her shoulder. “I know he isn’t, Caroline. He’s trying to be a better man. He is trying to make things right.”

Feeling her head tilt up, I looked down at her. “When he makes things right, will he be able to come home?”

Sighing, I thought I should probably be honest. Who knew how this was going to turn out. At the end of the day, he abducted a little girl, but I didn’t know whether the current circumstances would change things.

“I’m really not sure, Caroline. All I know for sure is, no matter how long you are both apart, he will always love his special pumpkin.” I flicked her nose as her eyes widened.

“That’s what he calls me.”

Shit
. I didn’t think before I spoke. For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

Pulling away from me, she cupped my face and looked deep into my eyes. “Are you superwoman?”

Her question shocked the hell out of me. “What do you mean?”

“You have superpowers. I can tell. I can feel it all around you. You make me feel nice.”

I was absolutely speechless. How do I answer something like that? I was so consumed by her presence and her willingness to see into me that I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I wasn’t even aware Simon and Molly were right behind us until Molly spoke. “Caroline, what are you doing to the poor girl?”

“I always told you I had a guardian angel, didn’t I, Mummy?”

For a moment, I thought my heart had stopped beating. Suddenly, all the oxygen had disappeared as the shock and adrenaline pumped through my body.

Looking over at Simon, my eyes locked onto his. The expression on his face was one of amazement as he stared at his beautiful, intelligent, and perceptive niece.