The Time Keeper (The Guardians of Time Book 1) (21 page)

He walked her to the door and hugged her tightly.  With a sigh of regret, he pulled away and touched her cheek lightly.  ‘I know it’s still a few weeks away, but can I take you out for coffee before I leave for Stanford?’

‘I’d like that.’

Chapter 27

David was waiting up for her when she got home, drinking tea in the armchair beside the fireplace in his study.

‘Seb told me you were going to break up with Justin,’ he explained.  ‘How did it go?’

Emilia sank into the chair opposite.  ‘Surprisingly well.’  She frowned.  ‘You know, Dad, just when you think you’ve got a person figured out, they go and turn the tables on you.’

‘Life would be pretty boring if we were all predictable.’

‘I guess.’

‘Are you having second thoughts?’

She shook her head vehemently.  ‘No.  I truly thought Justin was going to be awful and I’d have to be brutal to end things and then we’d never speak again, but instead… I think I’ve gained a new friend.’  She looked at her father searchingly.  ‘Weird, huh?’

‘You know, I was never very fond of that young man, but there may be hope for him yet.’

‘I know!  Which is completely unexpected!’

‘There’s a lesson to be learned here, Emmy.  Don’t write people off too soon… give them a chance to change,’ he said pointedly.

Emilia narrowed her eyes.  ‘Are we still talking about Justin?’

‘Ah, no… as a matter of fact, we’re not.’

‘I didn’t think so.’  She held up her hand to halt the speech she knew was about to come.  ‘Before you start preaching, Seb and I are getting on really well and I’ve finally come to see why you like him so much.  He’s a great guy.’

‘A great guy who has the potential to be a great boyfriend?’

Groaning, Emilia rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands.  ‘Not you too!  It’s not like that, Dad.  Most of the time we get along but as friends.  Trust me, Seb isn’t at all interested in me.  You heard him tonight… the thought of children sends shivers of horror down his spine and he’s got the same attitude to relationships in general.  Dad, this is a guy who doesn’t do love!’

‘Because he hasn’t learnt how to,’ David said quietly.  ‘Honey, Seb
says
a lot of things and half the time he probably believes them.  But he is more capable of love and more in need of it than you realise.  He just needs time to recognise it.  Be patient with him.’

Emilia looked down at her hands.  ‘He’s so alone, Dad.  Have you been to his apartment?’

‘No.’

‘I made him take me there.’  She drew a shaky breath and glanced back at David with distressed eyes.  ‘It was so lifeless and depressing, I wanted to cry.  Not one bit of his personality until I walked into the hall and saw his drawings… and even they’re black and white.  I don’t know how he can stand to live there.’

David nodded slowly.  ‘Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.  He keeps all his thoughts and feelings contained because he learnt at a young age not to make himself vulnerable.’

‘What happened to him?’

‘You’ll have to ask him, honey.  He’ll tell you when he’s ready.’

‘I figured you’d say that.’  She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully.  ‘Why are we having this discussion now, Dad?’

David put his teacup down on the side table and then looked at her seriously.  ‘Because I would hate you to overlook such a special person simply because he’s difficult to understand.  I’m not trying to interfere in your love life, but I think he’s your match, Emmy.’

‘Whoa, hold on there Dad.  I’m only eighteen, remember?’  Emilia lurched to her feet.  ‘It’s a little too soon to be talking about the love of my life, don’t you think?’

‘Whatever you say, honey,’ David said calmly.  ‘You’re the one who will know when you’re ready.’

Emilia started backing towards the door.  ‘I literally
just
broke up with my boyfriend.  I’m far from ready to launch into a new relationship.’

‘That’s true,’ David conceded.  ‘And Seb’s not ready yet either.’

‘Good.  I’m glad we’ve established that.’

‘You should probably date some other people first, anyway, before you settle down.  I only wanted to plant the seed so you won’t forget about him.’

‘Dad, he’s in my face all the time.  Forgetting about him would take a miracle!’ she said exasperatedly.  ‘It’s been a really, really long and trying day, so I’m going to bed where hopefully I’ll sink into oblivion for at least ten hours.’

David smiled gently and Emilia wondered what was going through his mind.  ‘Night, honey.’

‘Night, Dad.’

She scampered up the stairs at speed.  That had to be the most bizarre conversation she’d ever had with her father.  Usually he didn’t go in for the deep and meaningfuls and, now she thought about it, she was pretty grateful he didn’t.  She shuddered.  That conversation had started to get just a little
too
deep… subterranean even!  And it was just too weird that he was advising her on who was “the one” for her.  What was up with that?

She flung off her clothes, replaced them with pyjamas and fell into bed.  The fact that she dreamed of Seb all night she blamed entirely on her interfering father!

*

Seb stood at the edge of the apartment’s balcony, his hands wrapped around the railing, and stared at the lights of Ithaca.

Emilia had thrown him this morning when she’d suggested he do something with his drawing talent and all day it had been churning in the back of his mind.  Which was just typical… ever since they’d been partnered up she’d been turning his world upside down.  And just when he thought he had a grip on it again, she’d send it spinning all over again.  He shoved one hand through his hair.  No one had ever been able to affect him the way she did and it was disconcerting as hell.  Because somehow she made him consider possibilities he’d discarded a long time ago.

Far off in the distance he could see the lights of the Cornell University campus.  He and Emilia had gone there a couple of times to use the library for their research and he’d felt like an alien in a strange, intimidating environment.  It was summer break and there hadn’t been any students around; nonetheless he didn’t feel like he belonged there.

He’d never considered a career beyond the Army, never had any scholarly ambitions.  There had been too much going on in his life, too many other obstacles to try and hurdle.  But Emilia had planted a seed.  What if she was right and he could turn something he loved into a long-term career?  He wondered tentatively if maybe, after all these years, he could have a dream of his own and it might actually come true.

He swallowed hard and his fingers tightened convulsively around the railing.  For so long he’d made himself settle for a simple existence where he wouldn’t risk disappointment and any more pain.  He’d pretended he didn’t care his life was empty.  The sad fact was the time travel thing worked well for him, because he could focus on other people’s lives and ignore his own.

Seb honestly didn’t know if he had the courage to change, to take a risk on his future.  What if he failed?  What if he wasn’t good enough?

Emilia’s face flitted across his mind, so sincere in her appeal to follow his passion.  He didn’t know how it had happened, because he sure as hell didn’t deserve it, but she believed in him.  What if he failed
her
?  His mouth lifted in a half smile.  She’d be furious if she knew what he was thinking and he knew she’d tell him the only way he could fail her was by not even making an attempt to reach for something he wanted.  And he did want it, he realised.  He really quite badly wanted to do something with his art.

If he was truthful with himself, he wanted much more than that.  But he’d settle for the art and with being able to go to university with Emilia and share that experience with her.  He straightened.  Some dreams were too farfetched, but he’d settle for what might just be reachable.

His phone vibrated in his pocket.  Frowning, he pulled it out – it was late, too late for a social call.  Glancing at the caller ID, his heart sank.

‘Hey Bec.  What’s happened?’ he said calmly, although his gut was churning.

‘Max hasn’t come home and I don’t know what to do.’

Seb sighed, unsurprised.  ‘Do you know who he’s with?’

‘Not for certain, but I’ve seen him hanging around with some of Zeke’s old buddies,’ Rebecca responded in a choked voice.  She knew, just as he did, what that meant.

Seb was already striding back into the apartment.  He swept his keys up off the bench and headed out the door.  ‘Okay.  I’ll go and do some scouting around.’

He hung up and waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive up at his floor.  Zeke was doing time now, but back in the days when Seb had hung around him there had been several popular haunts with his crowd, none of which were suitable for a sixteen-year-old kid, all of which Seb had sworn he’d never return to.  Funny how the past had a way of catching up with him, no matter how hard he ran from it.

Chapter 28

The first place Seb tried was a dive of a bar, frequented by ex-cons and a whole host of other men he’d been terrified of when he was seventeen.  He wasn’t scared anymore; he knew how to look after himself these days, but he still had a healthy respect for the menacing looking men boring holes in his back with their speculative eyes.  A quick glance around told him none of the crowd he was looking for were here.  Deliberately avoiding eye contact with anyone, he made straight for the bar.

‘Well, well, well, if it isn’t young Sebastian all grown up,’ drawled the bartender.

‘Hey Nick.  How’s it all been going?’  Nick was a big man, bald and with a sadistic scar running the length of one cheek.  He looked intimidating as all hell, but in fact had a soft spot for some of the neighbourhood kids.  He’d helped Seb out of a few scrapes back in the day.

‘Same old, same old.’  He finished drying the glass he was holding and put it back in the rack. ‘I heard you’d got out of the Army a while back and turned respectable.’

Seb smiled crookedly and propped his elbow on the bar.  ‘I’m trying.’

‘So what are you doing back here?’ Nick asked shrewdly.  ‘There’s nothing but trouble here, kid.’ 

He gestured towards the tap beer with an enquiring look, but Seb shook his head.  He wasn’t here to drink.  ‘I’m hoping you can help me out with some information.’

‘Depends what kind of information.’

‘I’m looking for Zeke’s kid brother, Max.’

‘Why?’ Nick asked warily, his expression carefully blank, so Seb figured he at least knew who Max was.

‘His sister’s worried about him.’  Seb grimaced feelingly.  ‘He’s a good kid, Nick.  I don’t want him to go down the path I went down.  I need to find him before he gets in too much trouble.’

Nick’s face softened.  ‘I always knew you had a good heart, Seb.’  He sighed.  ‘You’d think owning a place like this I’d get used to seeing nice kids turn into mean adults, but I don’t.  I’ve seen Max; I wish I hadn’t.  You’ve probably guessed already he’s hanging around with Zeke’s crew.’

‘Yeah.’

‘They were here earlier and money changed hands.  Some kind of deal was going down, I don’t know what.  Max was trailing along and he looked pretty stoned,’ Nick shared and rubbed his eyes wearily.

‘Do you know where they went?’

Nick shook his head.  ‘No.  But not much has changed since you used to hang around here.  I’m sure you can figure out where they’ll be.’

Seb straightened with a curt nod and reached across the bar to shake Nick’s hand, before heading back towards the door.  ‘Thanks, mate.  Appreciate it.’

‘Seb!’ Nick called after him.  Seb looked back over his shoulder.  ‘Be careful.  There are a lot of them these days.’

‘I will.’

*

Seb covered off a few old hangouts before heading for the place he figured was the most likely bet.  So he wasn’t surprised to see lights on in the run down mechanics shop on the border of the industrial sector of town.  Years ago, back when Zeke’s grandfather had run it, it had been a thriving establishment but it had since deteriorated to a sorry state of disrepair and was no longer open for business.  But no one had bought it either and it had become a convenient hang out and home base for Zeke’s crew, well away from the police’s city beat.

Seb did a U-turn and backtracked a few hundred metres, leaving his SUV parked out of sight in a narrow laneway.  He walked back towards the shop, approaching cautiously.  Some of the guys inside had been the ones to leave him trapped the day he’d got busted by the police and he didn’t want to be seen just yet.

Slipping around the side of the building, he pressed his face against a grimy window.  He couldn’t get a clear view and couldn’t tell if Max was inside, although chances were high he was.

He turned his back against the corrugated iron of the building, leaning his head back while he debated what to do.  There were a couple of feasible options.  He could will them all to sleep, which would make things simple and neat.  But also wouldn’t bring home the seriousness of the situation to Max.  The direct approach, on the other hand, might be more effective at shocking him to his senses – Max needed to see what these guys were really capable of.  Which meant Seb was going to have to offer himself up for target practice.

Pushing away from the wall, he walked up to the door and knocked firmly.  Everything went quiet and then he heard a flurry of activity.  They probably thought he was the cops and were quickly hiding their contraband.

At last the door creaked open halfway and a familiar face peered out at him.

‘Hey, Mason,’ he said quietly.

Mason’s hazel eyes narrowed suspiciously before flaring in amazed recognition.  ‘Seb?  Is that really you?’  The door opened wider and a pool of light slipped out, illuminating Seb.  ‘Ha.  It is you.’

‘Yeah, it’s me.  Are you going to let me in?’

‘Are you on your own?’ Mason asked cautiously.

‘Yes.’

‘I’ll have to pat you down,’ he said, almost apologetically.

Seb nodded.  That was exactly why he hadn’t bothered to come armed.  ‘Of course.’

He spread his arms and legs and Mason stepped outside, quickly frisking him.  Once he was satisfied, he stepped back and waved Seb through the door.

‘Hey Nate,’ he called.  ‘Guess who just walked up to the door bold as brass?’

Nate unwound his lanky frame from a couch that looked like it had seen better days.  His eyes coolly assessed Seb from head to foot, giving nothing away.  Then he broke into a grin and stepped forward to clasp Seb’s hand and slap him on the back.

‘Good to see you, brother.  I heard you were back in town.’

‘Have been for a while now.’  His gaze swept the building.  There were seven other guys, one of whom was Max, who was curled up in an old bean bag, his eyes vacant.

‘Is this a social call or…?’ Nate left the sentence hanging, but his stance shifted slightly, as though he was expecting Seb to take a swing at him.  It was tempting, but not on the evening’s agenda.

He gestured towards Max.  ‘I’m here to pick up Max.  His sister is getting worried.’

‘Ahhh.’  Nate looked over at Max and his face hardened.  ‘Well now, that’s not really going to work for me.  You see Max hasn’t yet had his growth spurt, which makes him particularly
useful
.  I’m sure you understand.’

So that’s how it was going to be.  Not that he was especially surprised. Resigned to doing things the hard way, he reached out with his mind and, pinpointing all the guns in the vicinity, willed the bullets to disintegrate – just in case.

‘I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist,’ he said quietly but firmly.

Nate laughed.  ‘You may be Army trained now, but you’re still vastly outnumbered.’

Seb shrugged and eyed Nate coolly.  ‘I thought you could give me Max as recompense… for leaving me to the cops four years ago.’

The laughter died in Nate’s throat and a tiny hint of guilt flashed across his face before being replaced by a sneer.  ‘You want revenge?’

‘No.  I just want Max.’  As he spoke Mason moved up behind Seb, close enough to hold a gun to his head if necessary.  The other guys, with the exception of Max who was only just beginning to register what was going on around him, flanked Nate.  It was an impressive show of strength.

‘You can’t have him.’

‘Why’d you have to go and ruin it, man,’ Mason whined from behind him.  ‘I always liked you, Seb, and I felt real bad we left you behind that night.  I don’t want to have to hurt you, but I will if you make me.’

Seb stepped forward.  ‘I’ll be taking Max now.’

Nate’s hand flew to the small of his back and quick as a flash he had a gun trained at Seb’s head.  ‘One more step and I
will
shoot.’

Seb kept walking.  Nate’s forefinger squeezed the trigger without hesitation… and a puff of dust spurted from the barrel.

‘What the hell?’  He squeezed again and again only dust emerged.  Several of the others drew their guns and attempted to shoot.  They all stared in bemusement at their faulty weapons, some of them throwing open the chamber of their guns and gaping in confused amazement at the total lack of bullets.

Seb took advantage of their distraction and sprinted to the back of the building.  He hauled Max to his feet.

‘Seb?’ Max asked in bewilderment, immediately recognising the guy he had hero worshipped for so many years.  ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Come on, kid.  It’s time to get out of here.’

Turning, he was confronted by a wall of angry men.  They’d discarded their guns and pulled up their sleeves, ready to fight the old fashioned way.

‘You’re not going anywhere,’ Nate hissed furiously.  Always one to lead from the front, he launched himself at Seb, a short knife gripped in his right hand.  Seb waited until the last moment when Nate’s momentum was at its peak, then dropped to a crouch, grabbed Nate’s right hand as it flew downwards and drove his shoulder into Nate’s stomach, tossing him over his head.  Nate flew through the air, before sprawling on the concrete floor, the knife skittering across the ground and under an old wreck of a car.

Seb straightened.  ‘Anyone else want to try?’

A guy he didn’t know rushed him, his nostrils flaring with rage.  Seb slammed his foot into the centre of the guy’s chest, sending him reeling back into his mates.  He looked at the group of them, knowing they wouldn’t stop until they were all unconscious on the floor.  He sighed.

‘I don’t have time for this,’ he muttered under his breath.  He could knock them all out with a single thought, but he needed something more subtle.  He didn’t want them asking questions when they woke up.

As a third guy approached him, he hastily scanned the building.  There were several large drums, which probably used to hold fuel.  As he broke the guy’s nose with his elbow, he concentrated on the drums.  They burst into flame, massive fingers of fire licking at the wall behind them and huge inky black billows of smoke pouring into the building.

Someone sniffed and coughed. 

‘Fire!’ another guy yelled.

The group broke apart, tripping over each other in their eagerness to deal with the unexplained inferno.  Chaos reigned.  Two guys started running for water.  Several others raced to Nate and the other two guys who were knocked out on the floor, and began dragging them towards the exit.

Seb wrapped his arm around Max’s middle and half lifted, half pulled him towards the door.  Once clear of the building he threw Max over his shoulder and started jogging towards the road.  He looked back to see if anyone was pursuing them.  Half of the building was engulfed in flame.  He briefly thought about putting it out, but leaving the place to burn would hopefully slow down Nate and his gang from resuming their illegal activities.  A quick sweep of the yard and all of the guys were accounted for.  No one would die here tonight, so he slipped away in the concealing darkness and trotted back to his SUV.

Once they were safely in the vehicle and on their way to Rebecca’s house, he dialled 911 and reported the fire.  Tossing his phone on the console, he glanced over at Max.

‘You okay, Max?’

‘Yeah,’ he mumbled.  ‘Did Bec really send you?’

Seb nodded solemnly.

‘Why?’

‘Because she’s worried about you and the crowd you’re hanging with.’

‘It’s none of her business.  She’s not my mother,’ Max said sullenly, his bottom lip sticking out mulishly.

‘So stop making her act like one.  She loves you.’

Max shrugged and turned his face away, staring out the passenger window.  ‘So what?’

Seb gritted his teeth.  The sweet kid he remembered had turned into a teenage nightmare!  He tried a different tack.  ‘You’re small.  They get you to climb through the windows of houses for them and let them in, right?’

‘Garage windows,’ Max corrected him, turning back to Seb in surprise.  ‘They boost cars right out of people’s garages.’

‘So they’ve graduated,’ Seb murmured to himself.

‘How did you know?’

‘Because when I was your age I was doing exactly the same thing, with exactly the same group of people.’

‘So why are you trying to stop me?’

‘Do you know why I joined the Army, Max?’  Seb turned down his old street and pulled the SUV up in front of Rebecca’s house. 

‘No.’

Turning the ignition off, he twisted in his seat so he could meet the boy’s defiant eyes.  ‘We were doing a job in a rich neighbourhood and I’d been sent through the window of this really posh house.  But someone must have seen us and rung the police, because before I got to the door to let the others in, I heard sirens.  I ran to the door, but it was security bolted and I couldn’t find the key.  By the time I got back to the window to get out the way I’d come in, the police were on the property and I virtually fell into their arms.  The other guys had split, Max, leaving me to face the cops on my own.’

‘But you didn’t do any jail time, so they must have let you off,’ Max reasoned.