by S J Crabb
Chapter Twenty Two
It takes us absolutely ages to get out of the hall. It appears that everyone wants to congratulate Marius and pay homage to my father. It makes me sick and I scowl at everyone that approaches us much to my father's obvious amusement.
I notice Layla with Marius. She is looking at him adoringly and I know that he would have told her that he went easy on Dylan for her. Caleb and Ash just stand there looking mean as usual and I look at them all with hatred for what I know they have done.
As soon as we finally exit the building I can hear the sirens. Looking at my father it strikes me that he looks as if he hasn't got a care in the world. My brothers head off into the night and we get inside the waiting car to go home.
As we drive off I can see the flames in the distance and know at once that it is the bar. Looking anxiously at my father I plead with him. "Look there's a fire, it must be the bar. Please take me there I must help." The others look with interest out of the window and Luna's hands fly to her mouth. "Oh my God, that's terrible. I hope that no one was hurt. Those poor boys what a terrible thing to happen to them."
The twins look at me and smirk. Savannah says, "Well at least you won't have to work there anymore."
My father says nothing and looks at me darkly. "If it is the bar then we are keeping well away. I am not risking any of you getting caught up in it. No we are going home and you can go there tomorrow when the fire is out."
I feel like a caged animal and look at him with pure and utter hatred. He smiles wickedly and his eyes flash. "Keep it inside Scarlett. There is nothing more you can do. You never know it may be the best thing for them." I turn away from him. Oh I know that it is but not for the reasons he thinks. I am going to take great delight in showing him.
As soon as we reach the house I fully intend of giving it a little while and then sneaking out. I don't care what my father says; this is my decision to make not his.
The others head inside but he pulls me back. Turning to look at me I can see his mind working. I snap at him. "What? Surely you've got want you wanted; now they will have no choice but to sell the bar to you."
He smiles a sinister smile. "Possibly, but from what I understand I am not the only interested purchaser."
As I look at him I am beginning to see the real reason for my work placement. My mind starts working quickly and I look at him as say slowly, "Yes you're right about that. Who knows who will make the better offer? I mean the place is a goldmine. What you need is a different approach; I don't know let's say you could offer them something else that the other parties wouldn't think of."
I can see his eyes darkening as they pull me in. I know that this is what he wants. Knowledge is power and I hold the key to it. He says darkly, "So what have you learned that could be to my benefit?" I twist my mouth into a smile every bit as sinister as his.
"Well I happen to know that you own several companies who operate a scholarship programme. Let's just say one of those decides to make an offer to cover Dylan's college fees? I happen to know that his greatest wish is to study law. Actually quite handy when you think about it. If he has the possibility of going to College then they may just go with that offer. I mean they would be mad to refuse."
I can see the excitement burning in his eyes. "You have done well Scarlett. When my children please me I feel like rewarding them. Yours is that you can go and meet your friends. Help them in any way you can. I have a feeling that they may need you tonight."
I quickly move away before he changes his mind. I can feel his eyes burning into my back as I head towards the garage. Despite my brave exterior my stomach is churning. I haven't finished yet and I won't rest until I have.
I actually can't get there quickly enough. I ride like the wind and as I approach the bar tears run down my face as I witness the devastation in front of me.
I stop some way from the bar and run towards it. The fire crews have cordoned it off and I join a small crowd that have formed there. The bar is gone. It has burned down to the ground and all that is left is a smouldering pile of memories. Through the darkness I can just make out the figures of Drake and Dylan watching their pride and joy turn to dust.
Calling out to them I push forward and they turn to face me. My breath catches in my throat as I see the true cost of the fire. They have been destroyed along with the bar.
I run to them and Drake pulls me into his arms. "I'm so sorry Drake, what happened?" I can feel his heart beating wildly and sense the tension within him.
"The chief says they think it came from the boiler. They're not sure yet but will check it out tomorrow. Luckily it was empty though and no one was hurt. When I think that we could all have been in there when it went up it fills me with terror."
I look over at Dylan and see the results of my brother's punch dominating his face. Moving across I hug him tightly.
"I'm so sorry Dylan, are you ok? I mean you were knocked out and then had all of this to deal with. Are you sure you shouldn't be in the hospital?"
Dylan looks down and I can tell that it is to disguise the tears. "No physically I'm fine; mentally I'm not so sure."
We all stand together looking at the smouldering wreck. There is absolutely nothing left. It must have gone up like a firework.
I am not sure how long we stand here for but as the fire crews start to pack up I look at them both and say gently. "Come on; let's get you both to your Grandparent's house. I'll make you a hot drink and we can figure out what to do next."
Drake takes my hand and I take Dylan's. Now it's up to me to look after them and I wouldn't want it any other way.
We sit and talk long into the night. Now is not the time to discuss the future. They need to grieve for the past first. It's too soon to look forward and I just listen as they share their memories. By the time morning comes we have all fallen asleep where we sit.
In the cold light of day we have to face facts. Dylan and Drake decide that they need to talk it all out with their parents. I don't want to intrude but need to give them something before they make any decisions. Coughing nervously I rummage in my bag and pull out a memory stick. I hand it to Dylan and he looks at me questioningly.
"It's a back up that I made of your computer when I did your paperwork. Old habits and all and I was going to give it to Drake to store here. I was always told that you should keep a back up of your personal information separate from where you work or live."
They look at me incredulously as I blush and say hesitantly. "I'm sorry but that's not all. When I looked through your Insurance document I noticed that you only had the contents and public liability. When I asked you Dylan you said that you couldn't afford the full cover. Well I am sorry but I took it on myself to search for different providers. I don't know why but I don't trust Mr Anderson and I managed to find you a better deal with another company. I cancelled the one that you had and took out the new one. You will find that you are fully covered for every eventuality for the same cost. I think that Mr Anderson must have been getting a payout to keep you locked in to your usual provider. Well once the cause of the fire is determined then I am sure that you will receive a huge sum of money."
They look at me in stunned disbelief. I feel nervous wondering if they will be angry that I interfered. They may even put two and two together and suspect that I knew all along. However the look that they give me says differently. I see the worry in their eyes evaporate before mine. Suddenly they can see a different picture and it is full of hope.
Drake crushes me to him and I can hear the emotion in his voice. "Thank you Scarlett. You are obviously an Angel sent from God to help us. I cannot love you anymore than I do at this moment."
Dylan pushes him away and hugs me equally as hard. "Thank God that you came into our lives Scarlett. We love you so much and cannot thank you enough." I pull away my cheeks flaming. They laugh as they see my embarrassment and Drake lifts me up and swings me around.
"I am not letting you go Scarlett. Y
ou will have to stay here now otherwise I will hunt you down and kidnap you and bring you back here." I laugh and then suddenly remember the other part of my plan. Once again I look at them warily.
"I'm sorry guys but there is more."
They look at me with surprise and I sit down nervously on the couch. "Well I sort of wanted to help you out and when you told me about the fight Dylan I saw how I could."
They sit down opposite me and I see that I now have their full attention.
"Well I took out all of my money from the bank. I gave some of it to Caleb to put a bet on you knocking Marius out in the first round."
Dylan looks dumbstruck. Shaking his head he says, "But why, you know that was never gonna happen?"
I smile. "I know. I told Marius that Layla would probably leave him if he beat you up. I said that you two had a soft spot for each other and if she saw him hammer you her sympathy would be with you. I paid the money just to mess with his head. I wanted them to think that I knew something they didn't and that is why I asked you to stand in front of Layla. Marius would see her devastated face and with the thought that you may be able to knock him out somehow I knew that he wouldn't want to take the chance. This way you would sustain minimal damage and I would make sure that you received a huge payout to equal the prize money."
Drake and Dylan are looking at me as if they are dreaming. Drake says in a confused voice, "I don't understand what payout?"
Now I am extremely red and say, "I gave Mac the rest of the money to put a bet on Marius knocking you out with the first punch. I had already instructed my brothers to do the same and I also told Mac to place a bet on it too. I knew the odds would be good but even they didn't know how much I bet. Mac was reluctant at first but luckily he came through. If I have calculated correctly he is holding several thousands of dollars for you which should be enough to help out with Drake's college fund. I know that was the reason why you wanted to fight in the first place."
Both of them look at me with a mixture of delight, surprise and admiration. Drake recovers first and once again pulls me to him tightly. I can feel the tears running down his cheeks as he gulps, "Thank you Scarlett. I don't know what else to say. We don't deserve what you have done for us. You must have your money back though, I couldn't possibly take that."
Dylan just sits there in total shock and I can see his mind working away.
I nod in agreement. "You can pay me back what I withdrew but not a penny more. I am too young to gamble and I don't want to get in trouble."
The two of them look at me incredulously and then laugh so loudly that I grin at them both. Wiping his eyes Dylan says, "Scarlett, I have a feeling that you couldn't care less about getting in trouble. What you have done is nothing short of a miracle. You have given us choices when there were none. We will never be able to repay you and will be forever in your debt."
I shake my head furiously. "You owe me nothing. For the first time in my life I know what it feels like to be part of something. You both made me feel so welcome and gave me more than money could ever buy. I will never forget that and as far as I'm concerned I am in your debt. I am just glad that I could help you when you most needed it."
They both crush me to them in a group hug and I feel as though I am finally where I belong.
