Her Guardians Lost (Her Guardians Trilogy #2) (5 page)

Chapter 4

Before Michael got back, I awkwardly washed my face as quickly as I could. It felt good to get it out of my system. I still felt it, though. I felt the gripping agony within me. I felt like my whole life had ended. Why? Why did I feel this aching need, this truly gut-wrenching, pulsating notion that I was missing something important—something life-changing?

A knock at the door pulled me out of my thoughts. It must be Michael with the pizza.

With a sigh and a shake of my head, I rose to answer the door. I was pleasantly surprised to see Simon. “Simon, so good to see you.” Without thinking, I came in for a hug.

He stiffened a little, then chuckled in my hair. “Well, that was quite the welcome if I ever had one.”

“I’m just happy to see you. I didn’t see you yesterday.” I motioned for Simon to come in, then set about putting the kettle on. We British liked to make tea. It was the only polite thing to do.

“Yes. Sorry I never came. Things have been a little busy lately.”

I saw the sadness in his eyes so I waved my hands towards the sofa. “Tell me what’s been happening.”

Simon sat, chuckling to himself. “Nothing gets past you, does it? I don’t want to bother you with all my problems, Cassie. You’ve been through enough.”

Shaking my head, I adjusted slightly in my seat. “You don’t understand how much I need a distraction right now, Simon. If nothing else, I really need to have my mind focused. Otherwise, I think I’ll go mad.”

Simon smiled, almost grabbing my hand before stopping himself, wincing. “Sorry. I keep forgetting.  I can understand how you feel about keeping your mind occupied—in more ways than one.”

“So tell me what’s on your mind.”

Sighing, Simon closed his eyes. “It’s Justin Merryfield.”

“What about him?”

“Well, we’ve been delving into his past and nothing adds up. You see, someone like him should have priors for something like this. I’m not talking about abducting young girls, but a history of some sort. He has no sexual priors, no indecent assaults, no history of any kind. It’s just…weird. He was a little timid and a little quiet in school, but was a great student. His work colleagues don’t understand how he could have done this. He was always polite, hard-working, and extremely diligent. I can’t understand it.”

Turning my head, I pursed my lips in thought. It did seem a bit odd. You would think there would be something, even if it was the tiniest hint of something out of the ordinary. It made me wonder. If Simon wouldn’t let me see his
sister
, then maybe he...

“Let me see him.” The words were out of my mouth before I even registered them. What am I getting myself into?

Simon’s bewildered stare held mine. “Cassie, that is not a good—”

“Let me see him somewhere comfortable—somewhere quiet. Maybe he will feel relaxed enough to open up to me. If not, there is always the alternative.”

I looked up at Simon with an amused smile. He needed answers and, right now, I needed to give him those answers. I needed something to take my mind off everything that happened.

“I wouldn’t know what I would do to myself if anything happened to you. I refuse to let you in the same room as that evil son of a bitch.”

Sighing, I slouched in my seat. “Look, I know you don’t want to hear this, but your sister and niece don’t feel that way.”

Simon looked at me, anger written all over his face. “How can you say that? They only feel that way because he brainwashed them.”

Raising my hand in surrender, I tried placating him. “I know, I know. It’s just… You’re obviously feeling there is something not quite right. I feel, like you must, that the answer lies with Justin Merryfield. If I can get into his mind, maybe I can get to the heart of what really went on over the years. Come on, Simon. You know it makes sense.”

I could see him contemplating. Just as he was about to answer, there was a knock on the door.

“Hold that thought, Simon. It must be Michael with the pizza.” He saw me dash off the sofa in rapt enthusiasm. I could hear the laughter echoing around the room as I answered the door.

It wasn’t Michael. In my surprise, I almost forgot myself. “Hi, Sime…Stephen.” Just the mere mention of his name had my gut twisting. I could hear the voice in my head telling me I shouldn’t be calling him by that name. He wasn’t Stephen—far from it.

“Hey, Twink...Cassie. Is it okay to visit?”

I moved so he could walk through the door. There was no way I was going to tell him to leave in front of Simon because that wouldn’t look right.

“Hey, boss. How are you?”

Simon rose from his seat with a big smile. “I’m good, thanks. I just thought I’d visit Cassie and see how she’s getting on.”

As they were talking, I glanced over at Simeon. He wore casual jeans and a white V-necked t-shirt. Lord knows how he could wear such a thing with as cold as it was outside. His hair was a sexy, wavy mess, just like Stephen’s. He hadn’t shaved today and sported a rather sexy five o’clock shadow. His eyes were the exact replica of Stephen’s. They were a dazzling shade of blue that could hold your stare for hours. The only difference was that he lacked that natural glint Stephen possessed.

There was also another way I could tell them apart. Simeon had this way of standing while he talked. He kind of leaned to one leg as he relaxed into a conversation. I noticed it when I was in the hospital. I don’t recall ever seeing Stephen doing that.

Just as I was appraising him, Simeon looked over with a glint in his eye. Busted. I didn’t want him thinking my staring was intentional.

“Cassie,” he said with an amused smile. “Simon was just saying you were waiting for pizza.”

Did he? I didn’t hear anything. “Oh...oh, yes. Michael will be here soon with some. I’m absolutely starving.”

I caught the humour in his smile, but I wasn’t going to let him see how much he affected me. He just looked like him—he
wasn’t
him.

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, finally broken by a knock on the door. This
had
to be Michael.

As I swung the door open, I was met by a comforting smile and the most delicious smell. I breathed in deep and sighed. “Oh, wow. That smells heavenly.”

Michael beamed back at me, but the smile didn’t last very long once he spotted Simeon behind me.

“Hey, Michael. I thought I would pay Cassie a visit and see how she’s getting on.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Simon looking back and forth between Michael and Simeon. I imagined he could sense the tension in the air, too.

With a sharp intake of breath, Simon stood up and slapped his hands on his legs. “Well, I must be off. I just wanted to make sure you were healing okay.”

Smiling brightly, I held the door open. “I’ll see you out.” I wanted Simon alone because we had some unfinished business I wanted to wrap up.

Once we were out the front door, Simon turned to say goodbye. “Simon, please let me do this.”

He shook his head. “This is too much. You’ve only just come out of the hospital.”

I held onto the door, gripping it with all my might. “If you won’t let me do this for you, please let me do this for me. I know it sounds selfish, but I need this. I need something to keep my mind off of everything that’s happened.
Please
.”

Simon fell silent and dipped his head. I was wondering if he was going to say “no” again. In fact, I was expecting it. Finally, he blew out a breath. “Okay. I’ll see what I can organise and be in touch.”

Sighing heavily, I felt rejuvenated somehow. It would beat sitting around the house all day. “Thank you, Simon. That means a lot.”

He laughed. “I don’t know how this can mean a lot to you. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? I’m the one seeking answers, but you’re the one offering yourself up on a plate for them. I owe you the world for what you’ve already done for me.”

Looking into his eyes, I could see the hurt written all over them. I could see how appreciative he was and it almost made the tears well up.

“Well, I better be off. Sharice will be wondering where the hell I am.”

I thought about her being pregnant and felt empathy for her. “Of course. She must be waiting for you. She needs you now, Simon. You have a child on the way.”

I saw the bright smile and it made one break out on my face. Just that one little gesture had me forgetting my own troubles for a split second.

Taking the steps down to the pavement, Simon nodded. “I’ll be in touch.” And with a wave, he was gone. Time to face the music inside my flat. I didn’t know whether I welcomed it or not.

Shutting the door behind me, I made my way into the room only to find Michael and Simeon eating my pizza with the biggest, cheesiest grins on their faces.

“Hold up a sec. Are you eating my pizza?”

Simeon just smiled and, with a mouthful of pizza, said, “Oh, come on, Cassie. There’s plenty to go around. Come, sit.”

Smiling, I walked over to the table and took a seat. Michael grabbed a slice and placed it on a plate for me.

“You taste,” he murmured between bites. “The best pizza, remember?”

Nodding, I picked up the pizza and thought about tasting what smelled so good. I took one bite and closed my eyes, savouring the flavours bursting in my mouth. I could taste cheese, herbs, tomatoes, sausage, ham—all just zooming its way to the back of my throat. My god, I wanted this. You didn’t appreciate how much you missed these moments until they were suddenly taken from you. I had nothing but hospital food for the past week.

“Wow, watching you is almost perverted.”

I turned toward Simeon and saw his cheeky smile. The one that didn’t belong to him. I couldn’t help it, though. I had to smile back.

“Sorry. I suppose I missed it. Michael, you’re right. This pizza is the best I’ve ever tasted.”

He raised his slice up in salute. “See. I told you.”

As we sat eating, I pondered the uneasy feeling I had in my stomach. Here I was, sitting with both Michael and Simeon, yet there was no animosity. When Michael and Stephen were together, they were constantly at each other’s throats. I understood why, but I couldn’t help feeling immensely sorry for Stephen. He was the outcast—the dark one. I just wished they could see what I saw. Stephen deserved to have this level of intimacy with his brother. It broke my heart to think he hadn’t had that for a very long time.

I shook my head, not wanting to think about it anymore. What was done, was done. Stephen was where he belonged and I hoped he was finally at peace, finally happy.

“So, what happens now?”

My question halted their chewing. “What do you mean?” Michael frowned.

“Does this mean the danger is finally over? I don’t understand how everything can go back to normal now, just like that.”

Simeon placed the remainder of his pizza on his plate. “Well, they’ve all struck now, so I should imagine they’ll go underground for a while. You will still be watched over, just not with the intensity of the last time.”

Frowning, I couldn’t fathom that. “Don’t you think that’s rather dangerous?”

Wiping his hands, Simeon leaned back, regarding me. “What do you mean?”

“Well, if they think that’s what you’ll do, won’t they think it will be the best time to strike? Now that all your guards are down?”

Michael looked at me with a smile. Turning his head to Simeon, you could tell he was eagerly awaiting his answer.

“I don’t think—”

“I’m not sure this has been thought through.”

Michael laughed heartily. Frowning, I looked at him. “What’s so bloody funny?”

“Nothing,” he said, almost choking on his pizza. “It’s just nice to watch you like this.”

Folding my good arm, I slunk back in my chair. “Like what, Michael?”

Now it was Simeon’s turn to smile. Throwing my good arm up, I said, through gritted teeth, “And what are you smiling at?”

I wasn’t sure what had gotten into me all of a sudden. I was never normally this confrontational, this argumentative.

Simeon waved his hands in front of him. “Nothing, Cassie. You’re perfectly right in what you ask. Maybe we
should
pay more attention.”

Exhaling with small sigh, I closed my eyes. I didn’t understand why I was so wound up. Maybe it was just the thought of Stephen.

“Don’t worry, Cassie. Just enjoy your pizza and concentrate on getting better. How about that?”

Looking over at Simeon, I had to wonder if it was that easy. I didn’t think it ever would be.

*****

Several hours had passed before Michael reluctantly said he had to go get ready for work. He was working nights, but he didn’t want to leave me so soon. I assured him I would be fine. Simeon offered to stay with me, but I didn’t think it was a good idea. I needed space to try and clear my thoughts. Even though they calmed me, being around them only masked what I was truly feeling.

As I slowly walked to bed, I heard my phone vibrating. Picking it up, I saw it was Simon. “I didn’t think I would hear from you so soon.”