“Sorry, Ma.” Liam was quick to flip his brother the bird as soon as his mom’s back was turned.
“There’ll be none of that either. Shame on you for showin’ the young ones such ugliness,” Colleen replied, her back still facing Liam.
The brothers chuckled. It never failed; she saw everything.
“Now. Seems we’ve all shared our highs and lows of the week but our Reagan,” She added, changing the subject but not without sending a scolding to Liam and Felicity with a simple look between the two.
Sitting at the head of the table, it was all smiles as she focused attention on Reagan. “Tell us, darlin’, is there anything…special you’d like to share with us all?”
Felicity sat back in her chair and watched Liam do what he tended to do, disappear into his own world despite the company around him. He had his phone out, likely reviewing all of the security measures he had in place just about everywhere, analyzing algorithms, and likely adding a security feature that would trace her cyber steps the next time she was online in the lair.
After Reagan gave her grandmother an odd look, she went on to share her week of highs and lows with the family. Felicity heard the girl over her own thoughts and used everything she said to justify her decision to keep quiet. The less anyone knew, the better. The safer they were. Reagan rambled on about her successful science fair project. There was no denying she was her father’s daughter when she talked science and technology. It was her kind of Disneyland.
All of the O’Reilly brothers puffed out their chests with gratification when Reagan shared her contemptuous brush with authority while Liam further retreated within himself as he often did, burying himself in things he could control. It pissed Felicity off. His intention wasn’t to ignore but self-preserve, not that it made his emotional absence okay. He had a lot of nerve, digging into her life, demanding details, and hovering over her like a criminal, Felicity thought. He was such a contradiction because his desire to insert himself in her business implied he did care. He just cared about the wrong things.
His daughter was describing how a boy, who often pulled her hair, had flipped up her skirt in the hallway between classes to which she quickly replied with a fist to his right eye. Proud uncles cheered at her reaction, each taking credit for teaching her a mean right hook while her father continued to build a wall around himself. So why couldn’t he respect the wall she was building, especially when it was to protect him and everyone else at that damn table.
Lost in thought, Felicity still heard the ramblings around her and questioned why Liam couldn’t do the same thing. Sure, he had a hefty responsibility – ignoring his duties could cost lives – but not being emotionally present would backfire too. The fear he garnered and hid from would cost him dearly because there was only so much grace to go around.
“You did good, Rage,” Luke praised. “You know he only did that because he likes you.”
“Yeah, you better keep that right hook fresh, kid,” Wylie added.
Pulled from her gnashing thoughts, Felicity was quick to correct the advice Luke and Wylie gave their niece. “That is not why he flipped her skirt, trips her, and pulls her hair! He does it because he’s a little…ass.”
Eyes widened, and jaws dropped at Felicity’s choice of words. It wasn’t like her to swear. It also wasn’t like her to raise her voice or call children names. Colleen smiled and nodded Felicity’s way, encouraging her to continue.
“Don’t you dare teach her that when someone teases her, humiliates her, or hurts her that it’s a sign of affection,” She warned. “If it were a man, and she were a woman, what would you say then?”
“If a man did that? Well, he’d be an asshole,” Wylie replied. “But this is just a kid, and…”
“And what?” she laid in. “He isn’t going to be a man someday? She was right to defend herself, but she shouldn’t have to. If he likes her, he should be kind, or he isn’t even worth a fist to the eye.”
“I, uh…I never thought of it that way. Point taken,” Wylie said, shrinking under Felicity’s hot glare. “Rage, she’s right. The kid’s a prick.”
“I already know, Uncle Wylie. He got suspended, and I didn’t.” Reagan chuckled. “I told the principle that guy violated my rights and it was harassment. We just learned it in class, and it worked really good.”
“Are you serious?” Liam asked of Felicity. “I don’t want little shits messing with my daughter, but don’t you think you’re exaggerating just a little? Sometimes kids will just be kids. It’s a guy thing. We aren’t all emotional and dreamy like girls. Sometimes teasing and picking on girls is how we get a girl’s attention.”
A smirk crossed Felicity’s face at his admission. “Oh really? Is that so, Liam?”
Her question was a loaded one, and the minute Liam finished his thought, he knew he just handed her the cross to hang him from. It was obvious what she was thinking, and the whole table read her like a book, based on the snickers. Defending his statement, at this point, would only make him look more guilty of picking on Felicity to get her attention. So, he sat coolly and matched her challenging gaze.
“So, Reagan. Anything…else new with you, dear?” Colleen asked, grabbing at a new topic of discussion.
“Uh, no. That’s about it, Nana.”
“Nothing…exciting?” Colleen blushed in giddiness.
Reagan accepted a second helping of dessert while she pondered the odd questions her grandmother was tossing her way.
A long warm sigh escaped Colleen. “Grandad and I are so proud of you love. You’re becoming such a young lady.”
Reagan’s fork dropped to her glass plate in a loud clank, commanding the room’s attention. She scooted her chair back and turned to Liam.
“Seriously, dad? You told? How embarrassing! I can’t believe you.” She got up from the table.
“Told them what?” Pulling his head from his phone where he had it buried again, Liam defended, “Oh! That! No, I promise I didn’t…”
“Uncle Luke?”
“Don’t look at me, Rage. I didn’t tell Nana.” Luke had his hands up in surrender, deflecting any involvement despite his answer giving it all away.
“So, you do know!” Reagan fisted her hands, and her face turned crimson while her eyes filled from embarrassment that refused to spill over. “This is – it’s just – stupid! Why can’t you keep a secret and just care about the important stuff?”
“Rea…” Liam sighed. “I do care about important stuff. That was…important. Right? It’s a big deal for a girl. And I only told your uncles.”
“You think my period is important?” She paused and looked to the ceiling for a moment to collect her thoughts and regain her cool. She wasn’t about to have a tantrum in front of everyone now that she was a young lady. “I only thought your phone was important.”
Reagan looked around the table, mortified by the looks of awe and sympathy before she stormed off. “I’m going home.”
“Reagan…” Liam stood and began to follow her, but Felicity stepped in front of him and cut him off before he could.
“Let me go.” She tilted her head, her shoulders drooped, her disposition softening. “Please. She’s embarrassed. Just let me help.”
Locked in her gaze, torn between chasing after Reagan and wanting to explore the sincerity dancing in Felicity’s eyes and pout of her lips, he finally nodded his head and took a step back. He stood there for a moment longer than necessary and watched her gather her things and move toward the door after Reagan. Something briefly felt different. He wasn’t sure what, but it brought him a sense of calm and clarity. He trusted her after all. He didn’t trust the desire that her doe eyes and pouty mouth provoked though.
When the earsplitting silence became distracting, Liam finally broke it. After a long spell, sitting there and reflecting on how quickly the past few minutes completely shifted against him, he turned his attention to his family and filed away his thoughts about Felicity and Reagan until he could reconcile th
em when he wasn’t surrounded by peering eyes. Sitting up in confidence, he addressed the prying vultures.
“I didn’t know it was a secret.” A bereft tone laced through his words as he took in the sympathetic looks around the table “I wasn’t given a manual on this stuff. None of you have had to deal with this stuff either. So please – no comments.”
“We’re all going through it with you, son,” Colleen replied, but the sympathy ended there, and she delivered real talk. “It’s been too many years now, Liam. Reagan is lucky to have City to turn to. You are too, but you’re too stubborn to notice.”
“You mean Felicity,” he replied with an eye roll, “and…”
A buzzing sound bounced around the room as each of the brothers reached for their phones. Liam dug into the alerts sounding on his and pulled the laptop from the leather shoulder bag draped over the back of his chair. Fingers moving briskly over the keys, he worked quickly to validate what he didn’t think was possible.
“Tell me this isn’t happening, bro. False alarm?” Declan questioned, looking up from his phone.
Liam sat back, wide eyed, and stared at the information rolling up his screen. His gaze slowly rose as awareness settled in, and he snapped his laptop shut before tossing it back in his bag.
He took to his feet and said, “It’s not a systems test. We need to get to Watermark…now.”
CHAPTER 6
Felicity tossed an arm around Reagan and slowed her down to a leisurely stroll. “Geez, you’re fast.”
“I just want to get home. And hide,” Reagan fired back in defeat. “I am so embarrassed. Now they’re all going to look at me weird.”
“Oh, hon. No, they’re not. Trust me; it’ll be old news by the end of the day.” Felicity laughed. “Growing up is sort of invisible, right? Like you don’t wake up 3 inches taller overnight and then everyone is like, ‘Oh wow, look at you; you grew last night.’”
Reagan turned her head slowly and gave Felicity an amused smirk. “No. I don’t think that has ever happened, City.”
“See. So, when something does happen that makes it obvious you’re growing up, the people that love you get excited.”
“So, everyone is excited that I got my period? That’s just weird.”
“Nooo, they’re excited that you’re growing up. You’re becoming a young lady like your Nana said. It’s exciting to watch that because although we love you as a kiddo. We can’t wait to see who you grow up to be.” Felicity stopped and faced Reagan, making sure she understood what really happened back at the Pub. “Like…are you going to be like your Uncle Luke? Or maybe you turn out like your Grandad. I already see a little of your dad brewing, and I’ve always seen your mom in you.”
Reagan looked at her clutched hands and thought about what Felicity was saying. “I guess that makes sense. Will it always be so embarrassing?”
“Yes. Whether it’s your first boyfriend, your first day of college, maybe even your wedding day… Those O’Reillys are always going to fawn all over you like a bunch of fools because they love you so much. Right now, they annoy you. But one day, it’ll mean the world to you.”
Reagan’s face twisted in confusion. “Really? I don’t know…”
“I promise.” After a long pause, Felicity went into damage control mode. “Your dad…he didn’t mean to hurt you or embarrass you. This kind of stuff is hard for dads, and although sometimes it’s hard to see, you’re his greatest joy, and he’s just so proud.”
“City? Sometimes it feels like he died too…when mom died,” she admitted with a tear threatening to spill over. “I don’t know if I want to be like him because he isn’t happy anymore, and I don’t want to be like that.”
“Oh, Rage…we all deal with hard things in different ways. You know how it hurts so bad sometimes, not having your mom? He hurts like that too and maybe even a little more because he worries about you and hurts because you hurt. I think we need to cut him a little slack. He does this dad thing all by himself, and that can’t be easy when it hurts too.”
“Yeah. Maybe,” Reagan answered.
Felicity grabbed the girl by the shoulders and ducked down to her level with a big grin on her face. “I got an idea! Girls’ night! You and me with all of our favorite junk food and some cheesy movies. What do you say?”
“Can we do our nails too?”
Felicity’s fisted hands went to her cocked hips and her grin grew. “Duh. Now let’s go grab our junk from the market and get our girls’ night started.”
Arms locked together, City and Reagan made their way to the market on the corner that sat adjacent to Watermark tower. They wandered the aisles, filling their basket with a sweet and salty variety, giggling as they did. The overhead music caught City’s attention as it faded in and out and occasionally lost its signal to static. It wasn’t until the lights began to dim, then flicker, that she grew concerned.
“What’s up with this place?” Reagan laughed. “It’s all spooky.”
“Uh, yeah,” City said lightheartedly, not interested in alarming Reagan. “Probably just a power surge or something.”
Customers were leaving the store, some with their purchases, some without because the mood became too eerie, the market so silent you could hear a whisper from an aisle or two away. Something wasn’t right – City knew it. This wasn’t a surge or even a coincidence. The lights went out, over and over, the emergency flood lights kicking on.
The overhead sound system was broadcasting only white noise, despite the manager attempting to use the system for an announcement, while City and Reagan stood in line. He beat the phone receiver against the pole it was attached to before hanging it up in frustration. Then the music came back on at an ear blasting level before going out again. Then the lights followed suit.
Oddly, the lone register they were running was working just fine until it was City and Reagan’s turn. After scanning their items and giving City the total, she swiped her card to pay, and it quickly declined. She swiped it again, and the registers digital screen began to flicker, and the card reader turned off.
“I’ll just pay cash,” Felicity said, digging into her purse.
“Something is really whacked out; like this neeever happens,” The kid behind the register said.
“City? Is everything okay? I’m uh, nervous.” Reagan admitted.
“Oh, it’s fine. Just a power grid issue. I’m sure of it. Everything will be fine at home.” That, Felicity was sure of.
Watermark Tower was immune to most power grid issues and completely safe from outside interference of any kind. Liam saw to that. The building was responsible for clients with sensitive business and couldn’t afford to rely on typical utility services. It was completely self-sufficient and off the grid, making it less vulnerable to anything from natural disaster to outside offenders trying to gain access. The place was a fortress – its own world entirely – the safest place to be in a crisis of any kind.
That’s why City needed to get Reagan back home. They needed the security of the building now more than ever. It may not be obvious to anyone else, but they were under attack. Cyber-attack, and she was the target.
The register kicked back on, and the screen flashed her name while it kicked out an endless receipt and the coupon dispenser copied suit.
“Whoa, man. What’s this thing doing, yo?” The kid behind the register was amused. Felicity was not.
Quickly grabbing their bags, Felicity wrapped an arm around Reagan and led them to the exit only to find that the sensor doors that had been opening and closing were now locked shut. They stood and waited a moment, then walked back and forth trying to trigger the red light on the sensor. Nothing happened. When the manager approached with a key, he stalled with a puzzled look.
“Odd. They aren’t even locked. Huh.” He scratched his chin and inserted the key anyway. “Yep, unlocked. This has never happened before.”
City turned and looked to the other end of the market and saw that the other set of doors was locked
as well. People began to bang on the door, panic setting in. A loud crash startled her, bringing her attention back to the door they still stood by.
“The security gate,” the store manager said. “Now that never happens. We are open twenty-four hours. Never used it as far as I recall.”
“Oh. Great,” Felicity said, the music blaring once more while the lights flickered on and off in a steady pattern.
He’s here, she thought. It’s him…this is him. Reagan remained calm, but her tear stained face glowed in the flickering lights. I need to get her out of here. He can’t have her, she thought. And she can’t see me die.
Felicity began to bang on the glass doors, all but willing them to open. When the street lights outside began to turn on and off, and the traffic lights flash green on all four sides, she knew she wasn’t getting out of this unscathed.
“Rea…call your dad, honey. Tell him we need help getting out.” Staying calm for Reagan’s sake was becoming increasingly difficult, her voice unintentionally slipping on the word help.
“It doesn’t work, City. My phone isn’t working,” Reagan cried.
Reaching into her purse, she grabbed hers, the screen void of any connection.
“Well, I’ll be…I don’t have a signal either,” The store manager offered, scratching his head. “Somethin’ strange is going on in here for sure.”
Something was strange, all right. And frightening. Felicity wasn’t afraid to face her past but not with Reagan within arms-length. Most villains chased you with knives or guns. This one was using technology. He could hurt her, scare her from afar this way. It was like running from a ghost; there was no telling where he was. He could be across the street, watching from the coffee shop, or from several continents away. Or ten feet behind her.
There was nothing more frightening than a stalker in the wind – or behind the internet. He could watch her, hurt her even, and never lay a hand on her or even be in the same city. Her past had arrived, one she thought was dead, and today she learned it was anything but.
Brother's Keeper II_Liam Page 5
