The Fall and Rise of Kade Hart: A Hart Brothers Novel (38 page)

“We’re not in this for shits and giggles,
even though you seem to think we are. Maybe we erred on not telling
you certain things. We have codes we are supposed to follow, which
you aren’t privy to. We can’t just break every single one of them
at will. Now the problem is you have to make a choice. Come with
us, or stay. But if you stay, you give up your protection. We have
to find Judgment Day; that is our priority now. Not you.”

“We go,” Kade says.

“Kade! Your family! There’s a possibility
you’ll never see them again.”

Kade grabs me and pulls me onto his lap. “I
love my family, but understand this. You’re the most important
thing in the world to me. I won’t have you out there. If I told my
brothers, they would understand. We go. No arguments.”

Something happens between the time our
conversation takes place in the jet and when we get back, but when
I wake up, I’m cuddled up to Kade in a dimly lit room. The bed is
as comfortable as the one at home, so at first I think that’s where
I am. Kade still breathes softly, so I don’t want to disturb him.
I’m dying for a shower.

Rolling to my back, I stretch, but my
muscles whimper in protest. I’m so stiff and sore. Gah, how long
have I been asleep?

I get up and pad to the bathroom, but it’s
not where it’s supposed to be. That’s when it hits me. I’m not at
home. Sabin! The conversation with Sabin comes back and it slams
into my brain, reconstructing itself like building blocks, until I
have it all put back together.

Where am I? Do I have any clothing here? I
find the bathroom and pee, because I’m about to explode. When I’m
finished, I see toothbrushes, toothpaste, facial cleanser,
moisturizer, everything I usually use at home in all my favorite
brands, and not just what was in the bag I took on our trip. How
nice. I’ll have to thank whoever did this when I find out. When I’m
done cleaning my teeth, I strip and hop in the shower. It’s much
like Kade’s back home, with all the nozzles everywhere. And it’s
exactly what I need. I let it work out the soreness in my muscles.
The thought of getting out isn’t pleasant, but I do it anyway and
dry off. My clothes are all stacked and neatly folded in the
closet. And there are all my clothes from home. This is very odd. I
don’t remember going there to get them.

When I’m dressed, I walk to the window to
peek out and I gulp. I have no idea where the hell we are, but this
place looks like a palace. The terrace is huge and ornate. I can’t
begin to describe it. There are mountains in the distance and a
lake too. Italy, maybe? I don’t know but it’s amazing.

Kade makes a noise so he’s finally
stirring.

“Kade, wake up. You’ve got to see this
place.”

“Huh?”

I run to the bed and shake him.

“Get up! Now, Get up!”

“Okay. Give me a second to get oriented,
woman.” He gets out of bed, wearing only his boxers, and damn, what
a sight. My mouth waters.

“Look.”

He looks out and sees the gorgeous scenery
and says, “Whoa. That is some kind of view.”

“Right? Where do you think we are?”

“I don’t know but I’m starved.”

“Go shower and I’ll find us some food.”

Kade wanders off to the bathroom, and I open
the door and find myself in a long corridor. Our room is at the
end, so there is only one way to go and I take it. I pass at least
a dozen doors, exactly like the room I exited, and then I come to a
massive wooden staircase. I follow that down and find it strange
that there is no one about. But as soon as that thought enters my
head, a woman appears.

“May I assist you, miss?”

“Hi, I’m Juliette.”

“Yes, miss. My name is Graylyn and I am the
house mistress if you should need anything.”

“I’m looking for the kitchen. Where can I
get food?’

“Yes, of course. Follow me.”

She leads me down a long hallway that seems
to go on forever. Then we round a corner and go down another hall.
How big is this place anyway? It’s massive to all appearances. She
pushes open a set of double doors and voila! The kitchen at last,
and it’s gigantic, too. How many people live here?

“This place is huge!”

“Yes, it is, isn’t it?”

“I’m going to get lost every time.”

“It does take a while.”

“Can I help you?” a squeaky voice asks.

I look to my right and there’s a man,
outfitted in chef’s attire, smiling at me.

“Um, well, I came down here for a bite to
eat, but I didn’t want to be a bother.”

“Not a bother. It’s what I do.”

“I’ll leave you then,” the woman that
escorted me says.

“What would you like?”

“A couple of sandwiches to take back
upstairs. My boyfriend is starving, too, and he’s currently in the
shower.”

“Hmm. What kind of sandwiches?”

“Turkey? Or peanut butter and jelly?”

He frowns and then looks like I just
insulted him in the worst way.

To soothe his ruffled feathers, I ask, “How
about you surprise me?”

He claps his hands and says,
“Wonderful.”

“I’m going to run back to my room and get
Kade and bring him back down here.”

“Splendid.”

Lord. I didn’t know it would be such a huge
escapade. I jog back upstairs and hope I’m going the right way.
When I reach our room, I’m pretty sure it’s the right one.

“Kade,” I call out when I walk in.

“Yeah,” he says. “Where’s the food?”

“It’s being prepared by the chef. This place
is huge. Get dressed and come on.”

He throws on his clothes and I retrace my
steps. When we arrive in the kitchen, the chef is creating a full
course meal.

“Oh, my!”

We sit at a small bistro table and he hands
us an appetizer. I have no idea what it is, but it’s delicious.
Then another one comes. Next comes soup, followed by a small plate.
And finally our entree, of which by this time, I can barely manage
another bite. Kade, on the other hand, is inhaling his. The chef
looks on and beams.

“You don’t like, miss?”

“Yes. It’s wonderful. But I ate too
much.”

“Ah. Very good then.”

He turns away and starts to clean up.

“Excuse me, what is your name?”

“Kernell, miss.”

“I’m Juliette and this is Kade.”

“Oh, yes, I know.”

“Oh. How many others are here?”

“Just you! So I will spoil you!”

“Who’s in charge?” I ask.

“For now, you.”

“Is there someone we can speak with about
our situation?”

“Ah, yes, I think so. Tomorrow. Today you
are to rest.”

Kade and I finish our meal and then take a
walk around the grounds. Everything is so gorgeous; it doesn’t look
real. It looks like a page out of a photography book, one of those
that people put on their coffee tables.

Later that afternoon, Kade and I sit by the
pool. The weather is perfect, barely a cloud in the sky, and when
there is, it’s one of those white cottony ones. I decide it’s all a
bit too perfect, too pristine. Nothing is out of order. Even the
birds sing in harmony. Something is off. I can’t put my finger on
it, but it’s there. The roses don’t smell exactly right, nor do the
gardenias. They’re every bit as beautiful, but they’re not quite
right.

“Kade, have you noticed this?”

“Yeah. I thought it was just me.”

We compare notes. “It’s an idyllic place.
Maybe a little too idyllic.”

“What do you think?” he asks.

“You know what it reminds me of?”

“What?”

“Did you ever read Hunger Games?” I ask.

“No, but I saw the movie and you’ve hit the
nail on the head.”

“Do you think this was all a set-up?”

“No. If they had wanted to kill us, they
just had to pull their protection. It would’ve been that
simple.”

“True, then why this?”

“Don’t know, but we will tomorrow.”

Late the next morning, the woman who
escorted me to the kitchen knocks on our door and tells us we are
being summoned. I expect it to be some old man, but am surprised to
see it’s Sabin.

“You are settled in?” he asks. And then I
squeal in delight as he turns around and hands Ethel to me. Her
tail wags so much I’m afraid she’s going to wiggle it right
off.

“I can keep her here?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Thank you,” I say, kissing her fur. “Sabin,
where are we? This place. It’s sort of strange.”

“Always so fucking perceptive.” He shakes
his head.

“It wasn’t that difficult to pick out.”

“How?” he asks. So I tell him.

“Have no fears of where you are. It’s not a
manufactured world, like your Hunger Games. Well not completely. We
only wanted you to have a reminder of certain things from your home
and those were a few. The flowers were a simple touch to add
beauty. But the scent. Damn, it’s hard to match.”

“Why this huge place to ourselves? You
could’ve gotten something smaller.”

“Indeed?” He wiggles his brows and laughs.
“This is my home, Juliette. The seven stay together. We don’t
separate unless one wants out. You will be my guests here until we
deem it safe for you to leave.”

“Thank you, Sabin, for helping us out.” Kade
puts his hands on my shoulders.

“Sabin, are you going to tell us where we
are?”

“No.”

“No?”

“No.”

“What will we do all day?” I ask.

“What do you want to do all day?”

“Feel useful.”

“I’ll see what I can arrange so you don’t
become meddlesome.” He laughs. He actually laughs.

“Can I have a computer?”

He looks off into the distance for a moment,
as if he’s calculating something. Then he nods. “I think that can
be arranged. However, you will have limitations on your ability to
contact outsiders. And even though you have great knowledge of
computers, I need your word you will not try to go beyond the
bounds we establish. Are we in agreement?”

“Yes, I can do that.”

Then he asks, “Kade, what about you?”

“Do you have any musical instruments?”

Sabin laughs again. “I’m an operative. Not a
musician. What would you like?”

“Anything.”

Two days later, Kade could be heard playing
the piano throughout Sabin’s mansion. I wonder what Sabin thinks of
it. For that matter, I wonder what the rest of his seven think of
it. Honestly, I don’t give a damn, because I love it and he can
play any time.

It isn’t the wedding I would’ve chosen for
her, but I don’t want to wait forever. We don’t know how long we’ll
be here. And what if it’s years? I refuse to put it off any
longer.

When I ask Sabin to hunt down a minister, he
only smiles. In the morning I spring it on Juliette by asking her
to marry me that very same day, and I’m not surprised by her
response. I tell her I’ll beg like some groveling bitch if she says
no. But she doesn’t. She yells, “Hell yes,” and makes me the
happiest man alive.

In the evening, at sunset, we stand on the
terrace lined with roses that don’t smell right (we laugh about it
a lot), and we say our vows to each other. Sabin’s Seven, Kernell,
and Graylyn are the only people present. After we feast on
Kernell’s delightful food, Juliette and I slip away. I have plans
for my wife and intend to carry them out to the letter. And I
do.

Sabin remains sketchy about who and what the
seven are, but I know we are safe in his haven. There are days
where I miss my family and often think of how they remember me. Do
they remember the pitiful kid who was high on speedballs or do they
mostly remember the man I cleaned up to be? I hope it’s the latter.
And Sabin was right. Since I’ve been here, the urge to use has
vanished like a wisp of smoke. I’m not sure why, but I don’t
question it, like everything else about this strange world in which
we now live. I wonder how Kestrel and Carter’s baby is and whether
Gabby and Kolson will ever have one.

Juliette and I will have a family, even if
we have to populate Sabin’s house. One thing’s for sure—the kid
will have seven uncles. After all this time, we’ve grown damn close
to these unique men. They’re still taciturn and secretive at times,
and there are things they keep us in the dark about, but I ask
myself—do I really want to know? And the answer is always a
resounding no.

~~~~~

Sabin sat us down the other day. Juliette and
I were surprised at what he told us. There’s a chance we may be
able to leave in the near future.

“How will that work? How will we move back
home?” The question had been nagging both of us.

“Let us deal with that, but when you return,
it will be as if you never left. Time will have passed, but people
will know you as you were and are.”

“How will you—”

“Juliette.” His raised palm stopped her from
asking the question he’ll never answer.

“Will we be married?” I asked.

He laughed. “Yeah. You don’t have to worry
about that. And no one will question anything.”

“When?” I asked.

“When the time is right. And just so you
know, you will be missed here. Particularly the constant nagging
questions from you know who.” The corners of his mouth lift in a
half-smile.

Juliette smacked him on the shoulder and
then asked, “When we leave, will we ever see you again?”

“You will. Kade, probably not, since he
could never pick up on us.”

~~~~~

The seven still track Judgment Day. They know
where it is, so they protect the one who has it. I pray whoever it
is never puts the damn thing around his or her neck.

The men are gone a lot, and when they are,
the house is terribly quiet. But that’s when Juliette and I steal
away to our room and idle away the hours. I didn’t think it was
possible to love her any more than I did, but my love for her is
like a seed. When it happened, it took root, and each day, with
care and attention, the roots grow deeper and expand, bringing me
more joy than I ever thought possible.