Aftershock
Brie woke up tucked in bed, the lights out, but a lone candle burning on the bedside table. She struggled out from under the covers when she heard Hope cry and padded out of the bedroom, the cold marble chilling her bare feet.
She walked toward the low tones of Sir hushing the baby while trying to distract her with a stuffed animal.
Sir looked up and smiled. “Feeling better?”
Brie nodded slowly until memories of the night’s events flooded in and her smile disappeared. She shook her head and began to cry.
Sir motioned her to him.
Brie walked over and knelt at his feet. He reached out to her while still comforting the baby by gently stroking her hair.
Safe.
It was the overwhelming feeling his touch evoked, and the fears that tormented her began to evaporate.
“I almost lost everything,” he stated quietly.
“But you saved me,” she answered, kissing his hand gratefully.
“I have been so closely monitoring Lilly, thinking that keeping her at the convent would ensure your safety, that I let this happen right under my nose. I basically delivered you to your kidnappers tonight.” He shook his head, a look of devastation on his face.
“I was blind because I just wanted Lea to be happy… When Mary told me she didn’t trust Liam, I assumed it was out of jealousy, Sir. Even when I bumped into him at the grocery store, I never questioned why Liam was acting so strange, but I wasn’t even talking to the same man! Why didn’t I pick up on that?”
Sir cradled her cheek. “We could go round and round second-guessing ourselves, but it changes nothing. The only thing that matters is that you are safe.”
Brie shuddered, envisioning the horror she and the baby would be facing right now if they hadn’t come to the rescue.
Sir pulled her to him, vowing fiercely, “I will do anything to protect you and Hope. Anything!”
“I apologize for coming unannounced, but I had to see you for myself.” Faelan stood in the doorway, staring at Brie. He glanced over at Sir, who nodded, before he embraced her.
Brie closed her eyes, soaking in Faelan’s love and concern for her.
When Faelan let go, he muttered, “Fucking Lilly. Even though I did everything to neutralize her impact, I failed you. I’m sorry.”
“I’m fine. Hope is fine. You did not fail us.”
Faelan shook his head, clearly drowning in guilt.
Brie reached out and took his hand, squeezing it as she pulled him inside. “You protected me from Lilly. I am grateful to you.”
He frowned. “I still can’t help feeling partially responsible for what happened yesterday.”
Glancing at Sir, he said, “I’m sorry, Sir Davis.” His voice was full of regret.
“Don’t think you are alone in feeling guilt. Durov, Anderson, Nosaka, Captain, Samantha, and even Marquis have communicated to me about how they feel accountable. In the end, I hold the greatest responsibility in this.”
“Do you think Lilly orchestrated this remotely somehow?”
Sir shook his head. “No. Reverend Mother has written me faithfully twice a month. Lilly lost privileges as punishment and has been in isolation ever since she arrived. She has had zero opportunity to contact anyone.”
“If that is the case, then it must have been the slaver returning for his debt.”
Sir nodded sadly. “Yes. Durov and I believe this kidnapping attempt is directly linked to the slaver Lilly made the deal with. Unfortunately, he did not give up his claim on Brie after his informant reported back to him. He’s simply been biding his time until our baby was born to collect them both.”
Brie felt the blood drain from her face and had to sit down. “If that’s true, you believe he will try again?”
“We hope the public arrest of his two men will deter any further attempts. The slaver will not want to risk exposure now, and there will be an inquiry as to who their employer was. As soon as we get a face and a name, I will ensure that man never touches you.”
“But I don’t want you to get involved,” Brie cried. “Haven’t I suffered enough?”
“I won’t let Sir Davis go alone,” Faelan assured her. “The man must be dealt with as soon as we know his identity. Rytsar and I discussed it at length before this even happened. We will not let another woman suffer because of this man.”
“No, Faelan. I don’t want any of you to go,” Brie begged. “There has to be another way. Maybe the overseas authorities can help.”
“That is wishful thinking, babygirl.”
Brie whimpered at Sir’s answer.
“This man has been able to keep his identity hidden this entire time. Even Durov’s normal channels have found nothing up to this point.”
“Are you saying that I either live in fear for the rest of my life or I risk losing one of you? Neither seems like a viable option, Sir.”
“No, babygirl. I trust that the publicity will help us in the hunt, and that we will resolve this situation once and for all.”
Brie knelt on the floor, baring her heart to him. “I cannot lose you again. Promise me you won’t go, Sir.”
He shook his head. “I can’t make that promise.”
Brie slowly stood up and took Hope from his arms. Standing before him, she beseeched him again, “I need my husband, and Hope needs her father.”
Sir closed his eyes, saying nothing.
Faelan spoke up. “I know this is shocking coming from me, but I feel that the only solution in this case is annihilation, plain and simple. Until that day, you won’t be safe, Brie. What happened yesterday proves how vulnerable you are, even with all of us here to protect you.”
“First Lilly, now this…” Brie cried.
“Lilly is the reason for this,” Sir hissed.
“And she is paying the price for that, Sir. You said yourself that she remains in isolation with time to think about what she’s done.”
“You aren’t asking for me to spare the slaver as well?” Sir demanded.
“No. He not only poses a threat to us, but to other women. I want him gone.”
“At least we agree on that,” he stated.
“Sir Davis, I can keep you abreast of any news I hear, and I hope you will do the same,” Faelan told him.
“Certainly. I appreciate the help, Wallace.”
Faelan turned to leave, the guilt still etched into his face. It broke Brie’s heart and she called out to him. “Faelan…”
He turned to face her. “Yes, Brie.”
“How are you and Kylie?”
She saw his brief smile at the mention of her name.
“Please,” she said, wanting to ease his burden. Getting up to sit on the couch, she patted the area beside her.
He sat down, a charming smile gracing his lips when he spoke about Kylie. “Our relationship is progressing well.”
“You haven’t scared her off yet?” Brie teased.
“No, the girl seems to be able to handle me, obsessions and all.”
Brie looked at him with tenderness. “That’s wonderful. I would tell you that Kylie is lucky to have found you, but it’s obviously true for you as well. You finally found the lock to your key.”
He chuckled. “I did. There’s a real freedom when you meet someone who not only accepts you for who you are, but actually loves you for it.”
Brie smiled, glancing at Sir. “I know exactly what you mean.”
“As far as my professional life, I have some news you might find interesting.”
“Please share,” Brie pleaded, welcoming the distraction.
“You know that strange vision you had about me a few months ago?”
“Of course,” she answered, looking back at Sir excitedly.
“Well, from out of the blue, I got this call from a TV exec asking if I would be interested in doing a talk show—a talk show, of all things.”
“I told you, didn’t I?”
He laughed. “It’s all just discussions at this point, and who knows if it will lead anywhere. Still…you did predict it. It kind of creeped me out, actually. How could you have known that would happen?”
Brie shrugged. “I get a feeling sometimes—it’s like a tingling sensation on my scalp that travels straight to my heart. Whenever it happens, I know something important is going to happen. I felt that when I had my vision about you.”
“Well, wherever your powers come from, they were freakishly right about this one.”
“Did they give you any idea when?” Sir asked.
Faelan shook his head. “Nah. Like I said, we’re still at the planning stages. I’m not mentioning it to anyone else because I know LA. People make plans all the time here, but it is rare to have one actually pan out.”
“I’m sure you’re wise to keep it under wraps. It’s not a business I am familiar with,” Sir said.
“Me either,” Faelan admitted. “But ever since Brie mentioned her odd vision, I’ve been doing some research, just out of curiosity.”
“So you’ve been googling it?” Brie asked, giggling.
Although Faelan hadn’t been there when Brie first uttered those words to Sir during a practicum, the phrase “I googled it, Sir” had become a sub favorite at the Center. “I have been googling it. In fact, I’ve googled the shit out of it,” Faelan replied with a smirk.
Brie laughed with delight.
“I love the sound of your laughter, babygirl.”
She looked at Sir. They’d been so close to losing each other yesterday…
Brie wasn’t sure she could handle any more close calls, but she took solace in knowing they were safe and people like Faelan were looking out for her.
Turning back to Faelan, she stared at his eyepatch. It reminded her of what he’d done for them. “You are not allowed to say that you failed me. Not only did you keep Lilly far away from me, but you also saved Rytsar. You will never know the depth of my gratitude.” He tried to shrug it off, but she wouldn’t let him. “You are a hero, Faelan, and your sacrifice changed the course of all our lives. Don’t you ever forget that.”
Faelan looked at her sadly, his beautiful lone blue eye filled with remorse.
“May I take this off, Faelan?” she asked, lightly touching his eyepatch.
He furrowed his brow. “I…” he faltered. “It’s not pretty, Brie.”
“Please.”
He looked at her for several moments before slowly untying the leather straps of his eyepatch. It slowly fell from his eye, exposing a partially closed eyelid and the tender red flesh of the back of the eye socket.
“Does it hurt?”
“No,” he answered casually. “I’ve grown used to it. I considered getting a replacement at one point, but…the eyepatch does the job, so I haven’t seen a need.”
She noticed that he held his breath while she lightly traced her finger around the lid of his missing eye. “This is a testament of your bravery, Todd Wallace.” Brie met his gaze and smiled. “And I agree that you don’t need a replacement.”
Sitting back, she looked at him critically.
“What are you doing?” he asked with a crooked grin.
“Just taking in all of who you are now. I’m truly humbled.”
He laughed uncomfortably. “There’s no need to feel that way.”
“But there is, and you need to hear me when I say it. I am grateful and honored to call you my friend.”
“As am I,” Sir said, clapping Faelan on the back. “Never feel the eyepatch is necessary around us.”
Faelan actually blushed. “To be honest, I prefer wearing it. I like knowing the eye socket is protected, but thanks. It means more than you know.”
He then looked at Brie. “You have my undying gratitude as well. Even though you didn’t know it at the time, you saved my life when you tripped just outside the school that night.”
“But that was not an act of bravery. It was just sheer clumsiness.”
“Doesn’t matter. That encounter changed the course of my life. I was running on autopilot before I met you—my life consisted of just misery and guilt.”
Brie’s heart swelled with admiration for him. “I’m glad we came into each other’s lives.”
“I am too, blossom,” he said, smiling at her tenderly. “I am, too.”
Lea swung by the same day, desperate to see her.
The two did not even speak for the first ten minutes after she arrived, hugging each other tightly, grateful to be together again.
“Oh, Brie…” she whispered, her voice trembling.
“Lea…” That was the only word she could get out before her throat closed up again.
Sir nodded to Lea. “Ms. Taylor, are you okay?”
She shrugged, looking crushed.
Sir walked over and took her into his arms. Lea let out a strangled gasp as she accepted his embrace.
Brie felt so sorry for Lea. Not only had her life been in danger, but the man she had fallen in love with and had just agreed to marry did not even exist. What a terribly cruel thing for her to bear.
After Sir released Lea, he retrieved a tissue for her and then excused himself. “I’ll take care of Hope while you two talk. If you need anything, just say the word.”
Lea gravitated to the kitchen table, so Brie started hot water for tea, not really knowing what to say or do.
It broke her heart when the first words out of Lea’s mouth were, “I’m sorry.”
Brie turned around and shook her head. “Don’t. None of it is your fault.”
“But I—”
“If anyone should apologize, it should be me. Because of Lilly, I brought Liam into your life.”
Lea’s face crumbled with sorrow. She covered her face with her hands and started sobbing. Brie walked over and hugged her where she sat, knowing words could not make the pain go away.
When the water started boiling, she left Lea and poured them both a cup of hot tea. She had learned from Tono how comforting the drink could be.
She placed a cup next to Lea, along with a box of tissues, then sat opposite her, remaining silent as she let her friend release the tears that Brie knew she needed to shed.
When Lea came to the end of her sobs, she wiped her tears away and blew her nose several times. Picking up the cup, she held it in both hands, absorbing its warmth. After taking several sips, she met Brie’s gaze. “Thank you.”
Brie nodded.
Lea took a deep breath. “It’s like I can’t get my head or heart around this. I almost lost you, Brie.” She reached across the table to grab Brie’s hand. “When I think how close that was, I want to throw up.”
“Hope and I are safe, Lea.”
She nodded before taking another sip. “As far as Liam…if that’s even his real name…I’m all mixed up. I hate him on a level I can’t express. I feel so stupid and humiliated for having been duped by him. And yet…” She looked at Brie sadly. “My feelings were real. I loved him, and I thought we were going to start a life together.” The tears welled up, so she took a moment to calm down and breathe before speaking again. “In one fell swoop, I lost the future I saw for myself and the person I loved…” She shook her head, correcting herself. “Thought I loved.”
“I’m so sorry, Lea…”
“I keep running it over and over in my head, all the small things I missed and should have questioned—but I didn’t, Brie.”
Brie squeezed her hand. “I didn’t, either, and I was the one in danger. I really liked the guy. It’s just so weird to think the person we knew isn’t real. That we don’t even know the man.”
“I’m really struggling with that…” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. She took another sip of tea. “We didn’t just have sex, Brie. We made love. How can a person fake that?”
“I don’t know, Lea.”
She grabbed another tissue and dabbed her eyes. “I really suck at relationships. I seem to always fall in love with people who don’t love me. I’m fucking hopeless…”
“No, you can’t take responsibility for what happened with Liam. It was calculated and cruel. As far as Ms. Clark, that’s all on her. Don’t let that beautiful soul of yours get crushed by this.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know how to move on from here. I don’t want to love anyone…” Her face crumbled again. “But I desperately need it.”
Brie got up and hugged her again. “Sometimes the love of family and friends is all we have to get us through. I love you, Lea. I love you so damn much.”
Lea could only manage a half-smile. “You know what the kicker is?”
Brie shook her head.
“Mary knew. The first night they met, she knew not to trust him, and all I could think was that she was being a jealous cow.”
“Honestly, I thought the same thing myself. If I had just listened to Mary…” Brie started to cry. If she had just listened, maybe none of this would have happened. “I’m forever indebted to Mary because she spoke to Rytsar about it. Otherwise…” Brie had to shake the horrible thoughts out of her head.
“Damn it, Brie. Who would have ever thought that Mary would turn out to be smarter than either of us?”
Brie snorted her agreement through her tears. “I owe her, again…”
Lea looked at her strangely. “Again?”
Brie quickly covered up her accidental slip by explaining, “Yeah, remember when I screwed up and disobeyed Sir by reading his mother’s note? When he kicked me out, Mary took me in. But instead of telling me it was going to be okay, she suggested Sir might be better off without me.”
“Oh Lord, that girl…”
Brie chuckled. “Mary can be brutal with her words, but she says it like it is. I’m starting to appreciate that more and more now.”
Lea sighed. “Yeah. I guess I am, too.”
“What are you going to do now, girlfriend?”
She groaned. “I don’t know…maybe I should ask if I can have a session with Rytsar’s nines. I could sure use a little pain therapy right now.”
“That sounds like a good idea, actually. There are times when pain can bring relief.”
“You’re not kidding, and I could use some to combat this heartbreak. It’s going to take a fucking inferno.”
Brie got up to pour Lea another cup of tea. “We’re going to get through this and, someday, we will be able to look back and marvel at how strong we were.”
“I don’t feel strong at all, but I’ll drink to that.” She hit her cup against Brie’s. “And let me add another. Here’s to Mary Quite Contrary. Bless her heart, that bitch knows her shit.”
“To Mary!”
It weighed heavily on Brie—what Sir had shared about Lilly still being in isolation after all this time. In an attempt to deal with the warring emotions she felt, Brie wrote a letter that night.
Lilly,
I write this letter because I am feeling compassion toward you.
I understand that you carry demons borne of your mother, just as my husband does. However, I believe there is good in all of us, and it is my sincerest hope that you find that part of yourself and embrace it fully as Thane has.
I can never forget what you’ve done, but I hope you will be able to forgive yourself and move on.
I trust there will come a day when I will be able to forgive you and be free from this painful connection between us.
May you find peace in this life so we can finally be free of each other.
Sincerely,
Brianna
After writing the letter, she set it on fire and watched the flame consume the paper. Brie imagined the smoke taking the thoughts contained in her letter and releasing them out into the world.
Although Lilly would never read her words, it brought Brie much needed peace.