The Thief Redeemer (7 page)

“Sally. You got any of that lotion stuff upstairs? Have
someone bring it to me. Claire needs it.” Sally says she’ll bring it down, and
I look Claire in the eyes. She still hates me but can I blame her? I don’t know
what to say except that I’m sorry, and I’ve already said that at least a
thousand times. So I grab her head and kiss her forehead. She looks taken
aback, but so am I. I’m not even sure of my motives. It’s just that she’s so
beautiful and sweet I can’t resist.

Why am I going around kissing girls who hate me when I could
have any girl I want? I squeeze her hands. “Sally is bringing you some lotion.
We’ll keep the cuffs off as long as you don’t give me a reason to put them back
on.”

She nods, looking confused, and I return to work. I see
Sally venture downstairs from the apartment, and I call Simon to check on the
other warehouse. Everything and everyone is running according to schedule.
Claire sits on the couch the entire night reading. I keep my eye on her more
than usual since she could technically walk out at any moment.

She doesn’t. She’s too consumed by
The Client
to
notice anyone, and when dawn breaks through, the book is open on her chest
while she sleeps. Her head is resting on the back of the couch and for the
first time in a while, she looks peaceful. I make sure everyone has been paid
and then Marcus and I walk over to her. I mark her place in the book and pick
her up in my arms. We walk to the door and Marcus swings it wide for me to follow
through. I start up the stairs when Marcus tells me to stop. He locks the door
behind him and walks up the steps to where I am. He seems reluctant to tell me
what’s on his mind. I watch him become nervous. This is in no way his
character.

“Listen, Brandon. The guys are talking, and I want you to
know what they’re saying.” I know instantly what he’s about to speak. It’s
about Claire and how I’ve gone soft.

“Look, I know what they’re saying, and I really couldn’t
care less.” I continue walking up the stairs, and I feel Marcus’s hand on my
shoulder.

“It’s not what you think.” He pauses and looks the other
way. This is a man of few words, so when he speaks, it’s important. I shouldn’t
have blown him off the first time.

“Marcus, tell me what’s up.”

“Just watch your back, okay? I’ve got your back, but the
other guys, they…we never thought there was a crack in you. I thought you were
all hard. But we are all seeing a different side of you now. And there’s
nothing wrong with that, it’s just they now know Superman’s kryptonite. They
didn’t think there was anything that would destroy you, and now they do. The
guys are talking. I just want you to be aware and to watch your back.”

I look down at the girl sleeping in my arms. They’re right.
She has become my kryptonite. I shouldn’t have let it get this far, but I have.

“You’re right, Marcus. I should pass her off to someone
else. Let someone else babysit. She’s getting to my head.”

Marcus nods like it’s a good idea.

“Who will do this without screwing her or beating her?”

He thinks for a minute and suggests Tommy. He’s right.
Tommy’s the only man for the job. I nod in agreement.

“Starting tomorrow, she’s with Tommy. I’m going to owe him
and Sally a shitload of money for all this babysitting.” We continue to walk up
the stairs and into the apartment. I start to take Claire to my bedroom and
then decide differently. I’ve got to let this girl go. She’ll be the death of
me.

“Tommy.” He’s sitting at the table, having a cup of coffee.
“I’m putting you in charge of Claire. I’ll pay you extra. Just make sure Sarah
and Claire aren’t put together. I can’t have them both planning an escape.” I
lay Claire down on the sofa, wishing I could put her in the bed with me, but I
know this way is best.

Tommy agrees pretty fast once I mention the money, and I
toss the handcuffs at him. “Once she wakes up, you might want to put these back
on.”

I cover her with a blanket so she won’t get cold. I will
worry about her for the remainder of the morning, but I can’t have this girl
getting into my head. If the guys find a crack in me, they will tear me wide
open and throw me to the dogs. I want to kiss her on her head, but I don’t. I
walk over to Tommy and quietly, so no one can hear, I whisper, “Take good care
of her.” He understands and he gives me a silent nod.

I walk to my room and shut the door. I’ve got to start
separating myself from Claire. Our “relationship” is all an illusion anyway.
She will never love me. She will never see me like I see her. This is for the
best. I can watch her from a distance and make sure she’s being treated right.

Until I hand her over to Richard who will silence her
angel’s voice forever. The thought depresses me and I strip down to my boxers.
I haven’t slept in my normal attire in a week. I climb under the covers and instantly
miss Claire’s warm body. Although I never touched her, I could always feel her
presence in the bed with me.

I drift off into a turbulent sleep and dream of an angel
with penetrating blue eyes.

SINCE SALLY HAS an eye on Claire, I
decide to venture out with Marcus again. After all, we’re the best tag team
around here.

We load up in the vans and are dropped off in twos in
various locations. That’s the deal with this type of business; you’re dropped
off in pairs and there’s no return ticket home unless you hijack a car. If you
don’t find a car, don’t worry about coming back. And if you don’t come back,
you answer to me. We have a 99.9% return rate.

Marcus and I are dropped off in a parking garage in the
elite Buckhead area. I know we can easily have a Beamer, Lexus or Porsche in
this lot. We discretely walk around, checking the surroundings and looking for
surveillance cameras. Once we find the vehicle we want, a Lexus GS, Marcus and
I dismantle the surveillance equipment and start to work our magic. Marcus
breaks in and I have fifteen seconds to dismantle the alarm. We are in the car
in less than forty seconds and speeding back towards the warehouse.

This is almost becoming too easy.

We have a forty-five minute drive home and I decide to ask
Marcus the never-ending question. If there’s anyone I can speak with about my
past, it’s Marcus.

“Do you think I’ll ever see my brothers again?”

He grunts and shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know, boss. You
had the opportunity to look in their file, and you threw it away for that
girl.”

“Yeah. Don’t remind me,” I say, looking out the window.
Leave it to Marcus not to beat around the bush. He just reminded me of one of
my many idiot moves over the past month.

“I’ll find them one day.” I say this more to myself than Marcus.
He nods his head slowly.

“Was she worth it?” he asks, and I look over at him. I watch
him driving the car, his massive frame almost too large for the interior.

“It was nice to talk with her. I felt like I had known her
my entire life. I don’t know…it’s hard to explain. Now, of course, she hates me
and thinks I’m evil.” I don’t mention that she’s correct and that I am indeed
evil. I’ve done so many horrible things in my life that it’s hard to see the
light anymore.

“I’m not so sure she thinks that, boss,” Marcus says, but I
don’t reply. Of course she hates me. Why am I even worried about what she
thinks now anyway? By the end of this whole affair, she’s going to think I’m
the devil himself.

THIS IS HOW the next week goes. I
don’t see much of Claire. She’s in Tommy’s care, and when I come in from the
warehouse at dawn, she’s asleep on the couch. I don’t know what they’ve done
with Sarah. I don’t ask because I don’t care. I ordered that she be kept safe
and I’m sure that Sally is following orders. Tommy seems to be, too. Claire has
hardly looked at me since I turned her over to Tommy, and I’m starting to
regain some control over my life.

I’m extra tough on the guys at work, especially Carlos and
Simon. I won’t have anyone thinking they can take this job from me. Although I
miss her being down here reading while I work, I would never admit this to
anyone. I see the approval in Marcus’s eyes, and I know that I made the right
call. Claire continues to stay handcuffed upstairs. I try to avoid her.

The media has gone crazy with the disappearance of the two
girls, and Richard says our plan is working. I hope so because these two girls
are costing me an arm and a leg, not to mention almost my manhood.

Speaking of losing my manhood, I’m reminded of the trip to Birch’s
office where I never found the sealed files. The day I was totally sidetracked
by Claire and went into dream land. I need to find my brothers and discover if
they’re okay. I need to know that they are living fulfilling lives before my
own life catches up to me, before this all blows up in my face and I end up
behind bars.

The clock’s ticking on my life. If I don’t contact them now,
I don’t think I ever will. I sit at my desk and stare at the screen saver. I
wonder what my brothers are doing right now and where they are. I wonder if
they’re taken care of and if they’ve applied to college. I hope they have. I
would be more than proud if they were headed in the right direction. That’s all
I want. To meet with them and to wish them well. To make sure their lives
turned out much different than my own. I know they wouldn’t be proud of me, but
I sure as hell could be proud of them.

Everything I need is in that file. I should have never let
myself be distracted by Claire that day. I should have gone in there and done
the job and done it correctly. But I didn’t, and now I may pay for that mistake
the rest of my life.

Tommy cuts around my office corner, out of breath with sweat
pouring from his brow.

“What?” I see the look of panic on his face and instantly
know it’s Claire. I stand up from my chair, knowing that I probably look just
as panicked as Tommy.

“She ran away. I’m so sorry, man, but she’s gone.”

I don’t say anything for almost thirty seconds, letting the
words sink in.
She’s gone.

“How?” It’s the only word that leaves my mouth as I grab his
shoulders. This past week of ignoring her comes crashing down around me. I’ve
got to find her. We’re in a bad neighborhood and she could be anywhere.

“I uncuffed her to eat dinner, and I forgot to cuff her
back. She went to lie down on the sofa and the next thing I know, she’s gone. I
searched the entire apartment. She’s not there and I don’t know how long it’s
been.”

He looks incredibly guilty, but right now I’m so angry, I
don’t care. I push past him, heading to the middle of the warehouse.

“Marcus, Carlos.” I’m yelling with desperation in my voice.
I rush over and explain the situation. Tommy timidly joins us, and we devise a
plan. Marcus will stay to run the shop, and the rest of us will go in search of
Claire. We head out with Carlos in the car and Tommy and I on foot. This side
of town is crawling with gangs who wouldn’t hesitate to grab a girl like
Claire.

I tear out of the warehouse door and start walking down the
alleyway. Tommy keeps pace behind me, and I see the taillights of Carlos’s
beamer slowly riding the streets. It’s dark out, and I glance at my watch to
see that it’s almost four in the morning. There’s no telling how long she’s
been gone or how far she’s gotten. I should have kept her with me. This would have
never happened if I had kept her under my watchful eye. I’m furious at her for
running off, and even madder at Tommy for letting her. But I’m angriest at
myself for entrusting her care to another person. I entrusted her to someone
who didn’t realize exactly how precious she was and who “forgot” to cuff her.

We walk past a storm drain and I punch it with my fist. The
sound vibrates through the streets and from the corner of my eye, I see Tommy
jump. I spot some guys hanging around a store. They stop talking when they hear
me. I walk straight over to them, and they immediately take offense. I don’t
want any trouble, but I know being out like this, I might run into some
questionable characters. Good thing both Tommy and I are packing.

They look at me, wondering why I’m on the streets at four
am. I’m wondering the same about them. Grams always said nothing good happens
after midnight, and my business is living proof.

“I’m looking for a girl. Blonde hair. You seen her?” My
voice is rough. I don’t have time for pleasantries or shit. I want a
straightforward answer, and if they haven’t seen her, I need to move along.

They snicker. “Yeah, we saw her,” one of them replies. “What
you gonna give us?” I stare back in their faces, and I feel the anger starting
to rise again. They must see the fierceness in my eyes because some of them
step back.

“Where. Is. She?” I annunciate each word and my hands are in
tight fists. I’ve never been known for holding my temper, and the fact these
guys might have Claire, might cause me to lose it completely.

“Hold up, man.” The leader of the group steps forward with
his hands up. “We’ve got your girlfriend, but we want to know what she was
doing wandering around here this early in the morning?” I don’t know whether to
trust these guys or to move on. They could simply be lying to me for money, and
I don’t have time for their bullshit.

“Take me to her.” I pause and then narrow my eyes even more.
“And if I find out you’re lying, there will be hell to pay.” My voice is
serious and I’m pretty sure venom is leaking from my eyes. If Claire is with
any of these men, I can only imagine what they’ve done to her.

The leader gets in my face and now his voice is as serious
as mine. “What. Will. You. Give. Us.”

I think for a minute, and then I know exactly what I can
give them. “I want the girl, in one piece and no harm done, and I can deliver
wheels.” I see the eyes of the group widen. The leader has a smirk on his face.

“And if you’re lying?” he asks, mimicking my own question.

“Then you can kill me.” I’m dead serious. The mood has
shifted quickly. The leader nods his head towards a door in another alley. I
make sure Tommy has my back, and we follow the guys inside.

I don’t like the looks of this, so I pick up my phone to
send Carlos a message. I tell him exactly where we are and tell him to have the
car waiting. I have a bad feeling as I follow them inside, but I don’t have a
choice but to trust these thugs. If Claire is inside, she needs me now more
than ever.

I follow them through dark hallways and then we ascend a
staircase. I’m close behind the men, the uneasy feeling still bubbling up from
within. There’s two of us and five of them. They’ve also brought me onto their
turf. This might be the stupidest decision I’ve ever made, but I really had no
choice.

I’m going to kill Claire when I find her.

As I think this thought, I know it’s far from the truth.
When I see her, I’m going to give her an embrace, and then I’m going to kiss
her. Well, maybe I shouldn’t do the kiss part since she did try to run away
from me. I might get slapped.

The leader of the pack opens a door and waves us inside. I
walk in, and there, sitting bound and gagged in a chair is Claire. I can’t
believe my luck as I attempt to rush over to her. “Claire,” I call out, but I’m
stopped short when two of the men grab me and punch me in the gut. I hear a
commotion behind me and realize that Tommy has been hit too.

“Do you know what we discovered about your girlfriend here?”
The leader’s face is inches from my own, while another of the men has my arms
wrapped tightly behind me. I’m bowed out and at their mercy. The leader takes
out a folded piece of paper from his jacket and unfolds it delicately in his
hands. He holds the paper up to my face, and I see before me a flyer for the
safe return of Claire. There’s her name, a picture and a $50,000 reward. Damn.

“This girl looks like the same one to me. And didn’t you
just say her name is Claire?” The leader smirks and I want to punch him in the
jaw. I look at Claire. She’s frightened. Her mouth is gagged. I wish I could
remove the piece of cloth. There’s no telling how long they’ve had her like
this, but secretly, I give a sigh of relief that she’s in one piece.

“I think we’ll need more than wheels to release this
beautiful woman back into your possession,” the leader continues. I know what
he means. He will blackmail me and the bad part is, he can. I will give him
anything he wants in exchange for the girl.

“Okay. What do you want?” I’m at his mercy, and I hate being
at anyone’s mercy. I feel the grip loosen behind me and I glance over at Tommy.
He has on a signature poker face. I refocus to the leader.

“I’m going to need double the money AND a set of wheels.”

Shit, $100,000 and a car? I have the money but I sure don’t
want to spend it on this.

“Done. Just give me the girl.”

“I don’t know if you’re good for your word. I’ll need the
money and the car delivered to me by noon tomorrow. Or we call the cops and
seek our own reward.” Anger surges inside of me. There’s no way in hell I’m
leaving Claire here for one more second.