The Thief Redeemer (9 page)

“Brandon. Who was the big shot lawyer?”

I don’t answer immediately because I know this is a rhetorical
question. She already knows the answer, but I don’t really know how she’ll
respond if I actually say the name. The silence encompass us for another full
minute before I decide answer her question.

“Your father.”

I hear nothing but silence in the room as Claire processes
what I’ve just said.

“My father has the sealed files.”

“I’m assuming so, yes.”

“And that’s why you were in the filing room snooping around,
posing as an intern.”

“Yes.”

She’s still turned towards me, and I’m seriously about to
run my finger down every inch of her body the moonlight displays. She’s
gorgeous and I know I need to put my mind elsewhere. I turn my eyes back to the
black ceiling and start to run sports plays in my head.

“Brandon, sealed files are not located in the filing room.”

I sigh because she’s right. I was an idiot to think they
would be that easy to discover. “I didn’t know where to start looking. I only
wanted to find my brothers. They’re almost legal now, so I won’t try to adopt
them or anything, but I don’t even know their new last name. I don’t know where
to start looking for them. I thought if I could break into that office, I could
find them.”

She places one of her soft hands over mine, and a feeling of
peace crawls through my arm. How does this girl calm me like this?

“Tell me about your brothers.” Her voice is smooth like
honey and all of a sudden, I desire to tell her everything. I want her to know
it all, the good and the bad. And I know this is because she won’t judge me.

“They were an ‘oops,’” I start and smile at the thought. “I
was already ten and my parents were done having kids. Then, here my mom is
pregnant, and not just with one, but with twins. They brought joy and chaos
into our lives, and we were a happy family for a while. I loved my brothers.
They were nothing like me. They were smart and made the grades in school. I was
always the one joking around and getting into fights. They looked up to me and
I protected them.”

“I thought you said you were the studious one? You said you
were the one who did the reading with the library books.”

I give a small laugh at the memory and then shock comes over
me. “You remember me telling you that story?”

“Yeah.”

I’m happy she remembers, but I’m also mortified. I was such
an asshole that day. “I was always a good reader. That was the one thing I was
good at, except of course fighting and causing trouble.” I smile and tilt my
head in a flirtatious manner at the last part, and I’m rewarded with a small
smile from Claire. The moonlight illuminates the room ever so slightly, and she
really looks like an angel tonight. What I wouldn’t do to see her smile more.
“My brothers were good with everything else: math, science…friendships. Their
only wrong was not reading their library books, and that says it all if that
was the worst thing they did.”

“What are their names?” she asks, her voice almost a
whisper. The mood in the room shifts from light to serious.

“Mark and Luke. My mother was a practicing Catholic, and she
named them after the saints.” I feel her tighten her hand around my own and I
link my fingers with hers. “My parents died when I was twelve and we were
raised by our grandparents. They did the best they could, but they were older.
We only spent five years with them before they passed away, too. Those were the
years I was in so much trouble. I was mad at God for taking away my parents,
and I couldn’t seem to figure anything out. I let the anger take control of me,
but I was always good to my grandparents and my brothers. I never would have
hurt them, only those who tried to hurt them.”

“When was the last time you saw your brothers?”

“Ten years ago. About a month before I lost access to them
in the court hearing.”

She is silent for a while, and we continue to hold hands.
This time it’s her running her thumb along my fingers. The constant motion
draws me under, and I’m reminded of my own mother soothing me when I was
younger. My mother was the only one who knew how to handle me, the only one who
could calm me. Claire’s single motion with her thumb is creating the same
feelings of peace.

I am floating on my back in a sea of fresh air, looking up
at the peaceful scenery. These are my last thoughts as I drift off to sleep.

I OPEN MY eyes to see the sun making
its way through the windows. I glance at the clock and see it’s almost seven
am. This is when I’m usually crawling
into
bed. I look over at Claire
and see her sleeping peacefully, her face still multiple shades of green. I
stare at the ceiling, trying to calm my temper. I don’t know if I killed that
gang leader, but I hope I did. I hope he breathed his last that day for
touching my girl.

Yes, she’s my girl. Claire might not think or agree with
this statement, but she’s mine. As long as I have her here, she belongs to me.
No other man will touch her. I wish she would reciprocate; I wish more than
anything she felt the same way. It will kill me when she leaves, but I know
given the opportunity, she would be out that door and on her way to freedom.

Do I really blame her, though? I brought her here against
her will. Nobody wants to be forced. I know this from experience after being
forced out of my brothers’ lives. She starts to move, and I climb out of bed to
replenish her ice pack. When I return, her eyes are open and she’s looking up
at me from the bed. She gives a slight smile and I slide in beside her.

“Got this for you,” I say as I hand her the ice pack. She
gently takes the pack and places it on the ugly bruise. No words are spoken,
but I can sense the atmosphere between us has changed. Maybe it’s because I
bared my heart to her last night, but the exchange of words and looks between
us is different this morning. They are more intense.

“Hey, let’s get out of here today.” I really don’t know why
I just said this, because it’s not like we can go anywhere, but I really want
to be outside the confines of this apartment.

“What do you mean? Like out of the bedroom?” She’s just as
confused as I am.

“No.” I think for a minute, trying to gather a plan in my
mind. “Like out into the world. We both need some fresh air. Outside of your little
escape
,” I emphasize the last word with a smile, and she gives a weak
one in return, “you haven’t left this apartment or warehouse in almost two
weeks.”

“Whose fault is that?” she asks, but I see she’s joking. I
rack my brain to figure out where we can go and instantly, I know the perfect
place.

“I know a spot we can go. It’s reclusive, and it’s got a
great scenic view. I’ll take you there. We can pack a lunch.” I don’t wait for
her to respond because I’m not sure if she really wants to hang out with me.
But I want to take her someplace nice, and we both need to clear our heads. I
head towards the shower and shut the door behind me. I know she won’t try to
run away from me again here in the city. She’s learned firsthand exactly how
rough this neighborhood is, but I’m not sure how she’ll respond elsewhere.

As the warm water hits my back I try to think of a plan to
keep her next to me when we travel outside of the city. I keep coming up blank,
and then I realize something very important. This girl has me wrapped around
her finger, and if she tries to run away today, I’ll let her because I only
want her to have the best.

WE COAST OUT of the alleyway, and
the feeling is amazing. We’re in the Beamer, which is a car I actually own, and
it has the darkest tinted windows. Sally packed us a lunch. We merge onto I-85
to head out of the city. Our drive will be almost an hour long and in the
silence, I wonder if Claire is planning her escape. It’s only been just over
twenty-four hours since her attack, but she’s able to slightly open her eye. I
glance over and then give her my iPod, which is wired into the stereo system.

“Pick out something for us to listen to.”

She thumbs through the lists and then I hear A-ha’s “Take On
Me” blasting through the speakers.

“You like 80s?”

“Yeah, apparently you do, too.”

“There’s something unique about music from the 80s”

We listen to the end of the song before Whitesnake starts to
sing “Is this Love?” I glance over at her and smirk. She smiles back, a genuine
smile and without thinking, I grab her hand. She doesn’t resist, and I wonder
why on earth she would let someone like me touch her.

“I’ve never asked you, how old are you?” I ask, assuming
she’s around my age.

“I’m twenty-five.”

“Tell me about your law degree.”

“I did my undergrad at the University of Georgia and then I
took two years off and worked for my dad. Then last year, I got accepted into
law school, and I’m in my second year.” She pauses for a second and then
continues in a quieter voice. “I’m doing an internship this summer at my dad’s
office.”

I feel terrible and don’t know what to say. “I’m sorry,
Claire.” I pause thinking of my words. “I promise I will make all this up to
you. I’m not sure how, but I will.”

“Why can’t you just let me go? Drop me back off at my dad’s office.
I won’t say a word.”

“Because it’s not that simple.”

“Why not?” Her voice is soft yet hard. She really doesn’t
get it.

“Claire, your dad and Officer Hamilton are on my ass. If I
drop you off there, they
will
question you, trust me, and no amount of
lying will save you their interrogation. They’ll find out where I am, and where
I’m running all the car thefts. They’ll use you to get to me. I’ll have to use
Plan B before I let Sarah and you return.” I don’t mention they can’t go back,
that I can’t take that chance.

“What’s Plan B?”

“I haven’t gotten that far,” I say under my breath.

She lets out a sigh and lets go of my hand. An instant
feeling of loneliness surges through my body, and I desire her warm hand back
in my own. I grab for her hand and give her a slight squeeze. “Baby, I said I
would make it up to you and I will. I promise.” I take her hand and kiss the
top as I see her relax. I feel as if I have temporarily made up for my sins,
even if it is for a small moment in time. We continue to drive down the
freeway, while Bon Jovi serenades us to “Livin’ on a Prayer.”

WE ARRIVE AT our destination and I
slide the Beamer into park. I glance around the dirt parking lot and notice no
other vehicles. It’s important for no one to see us. Claire would be instantly
taken away, and I’d be thrown in jail. Claire stiffens, and I sense fear
filling the confines of the car.

“What’s wrong?” I look her in the face, but she doesn’t make
eye contact. She glances out the window and refuses to acknowledge my question.
I search my brain, trying to figure out what could be bothering her. Then
realization hits. She doesn’t want to be in a secluded spot with me.

I grab her hand and tilt her chin so we’re looking into each
other’s eyes, beautiful blue to hazel green. “Claire, we had to come here
because I can’t take the chance of someone seeing us. I know I kidnapped you
and you have
no
reason to trust me. I’m very aware of that, but I want
you to know, I would
never
hurt you. Never. Please know that. I wanted
to come here today because I thought we both needed the fresh air.” She is
still staring into my eyes, but I sense her fear dissipating.

“And this is a special place. My grandparents use to bring
my brothers and me here to fish. Let’s enjoy the afternoon.” I glance at her to
see if she believes me.

“How did you know that’s how I was feeling?” she asks, her
voice soft to match her angelic face.

“Because I’m starting to read you like an open book. I know
it’s only been two weeks, but I feel like I’ve always known you.” I remove my
eyes from hers as the confession slips. I wasn’t supposed to tell her how I
felt, but now I have, and it’s making me vulnerable. I don’t like this feeling,
but then I love this feeling. My emotions are all over the board. I hate that
I’m starting to sound like a woman.

This time she takes her hand and cups my chin to bring my
eyes back to hers. “Okay then. For one afternoon, let’s forget everything.
Let’s forget reality and enjoy ourselves.”

I nod, her soft fingers on my face, and I long to kiss her.
Should I make this move, or will I be taking it too far too fast? I am, after
all, her kidnapper. The moment is swirling all around us and a million thoughts
run through my head. It would be so easy to lean in right now and touch her
soft lips. I realize we have been staring at each other for a while, and that’s
when I pull away from her gaze and soft hands. The loss of contact breaks her
power over me.

I put both hands on the steering wheel and look straight in
front. The moment is gone, but I couldn’t kiss her. I wanted to. I wanted to so
incredibly bad, but I knew I shouldn’t. I kidnapped this girl and have
ultimately ruined her life. I’m no good for her, and I know the last move I
should make is to kiss her. She’s better than this. She’s better than me.

Besides, if I make the move, she might hate me even more
than she should, but also, that might be all that it takes for this girl to get
100% under my skin. How pathetic that a girl could get to me with a simple
kiss.

I made the right decision. I know I did. I glance at Claire,
and she’s staring out the window as well.

“Ready?” I break the silence with a question. She nods and
opens her car door. I am under the impression that she’s mad or upset, but I
know it can’t be because of the nonexistent kiss. Surely not? She exhales and
bites her bottom lip, refusing to make eye contact with me. Uncertainty circles
around us in the car and I need to remove myself from this tight confinement
before I haul her across the seat and show her how I really feel. I’m the worst
kind of worse for her. I hope she understands this. I open my door, and we meet
at the back near the trunk. I pull out the bag with our lunch and she grabs the
blanket and drinks.

I signal toward the trailhead and we walk silently down the
path. We walk for almost ten minutes before the woods open up to reveal a large
lake. Forgetting about the awkward exchange between us in the car, the memories
of my grandparents and brothers overwhelm me. I had no idea how strongly the
memories would invade my system. I see us in the boat on the lake, and I feel
the love from my family. I see my brothers, twin smiles, trying to bait the
hook. They were too young to bait it correctly, and I always had to help. I see
gramps in the boat with us, and my grams on the shore, setting up our picnic. I
hear the laughter, and it feels so real. I hear my grandmother calling my name
from the shore, and I glance in her direction. She’s smiling and waving,
explaining that it’s time to come to shore. She continues to yell my name, and
I want more than anything to run to her and to put my arms around her.

I would do anything to not carry this large burden on my
shoulders anymore. I’ve lost everything I’ve ever loved, and I can never have
it back. The burden of always trying to seem tough weighs heavily on me, when
inside, I only want to be sitting on a boat, in the safety and love of gramps
and my brothers.

“Brandon!” The scene disappears and I’ve returned to the
present. Claire is beside me, grasping my arm. I must have stopped walking
because we are standing at the edge of the lake, the warm sun beating down on
our faces. “What just happened?” she asks and her voice is once again small.