by Lannah Smith
His new cell phone rang inside his jacket as soon as he planted his ass on the seat of his truck. He reached for it and seeing who was calling, he immediately answered.
"Sophia."
"H-hey." Sophia's voice was small and shy, making him grin. "I'm about to board the plane."
"Right. I'll be at the airport waiting for you."
"Okay. And umm..."
She trailed off, uncertain how to proceed, but John knew what she was going to ask him.
Leon returned from the hospital three days ago. And the week before that, he was missing and John had been worried sick. They couldn't find him, he wasn't in the Den, wasn't in the cemetery, wasn't at the places he usually were. And the last time he had his man check the hospitals, he wasn't in any of them.
Oh, John should have known Leon's father was the cause for all the crap they've been through the past few days. He'd set off Leon again, made him so angry he triggered Leon's asthma, the product of his PTSD.
And did that old man really have to persuade the hospital staff not to say anything when they came?
Just remembering it pissed John off.
"He's already left, Sophia," he told Sophia gently. "And he's going to be alright. I made sure."
Her voice was a croak when she replied, "Thank you, John. Thank you so much for telling me about his mother. And thank you for telling me about his birthday."
A heavy, warm feeling hit his gut.
And then he knew. He was sure.
Leon was definitely going to be alright after tonight.
"You're welcome," he said, his voice sounding strained. "You're welcome, Sophia."
She sniffed and muttered, "I-I got to go. I'll see you soon, John."
"Yeah. Take care, Sophia."
He disconnected the call and sighed out loud. It made him a little guilty, not telling her Leon was in the hospital. And besides, Leon would kill him if he did tell her. He probably would after tonight but John had already decided to think positive. Maybe he'd just give him a little beating, that's all.
He just didn't want Leon to be alone on a night like this.
Haru was still angry at me.
Still, he escorted me to the ballroom, acting as the doting brother that he actually wasn't.
The annual charity event, held every New Year 's Eve, was one of the most successful and acclaimed charity fund-raisers in the world. Also called the Blue Rose Ball, it was also considered one of the most illustrious social events of the year for the richest and most powerful elite families in Texas and their invited guests.
Dad was fortunate to have been invited this year. This meant his success in business had been recognized. The Steele family, on the other hand, had always been invited to the ball. I remembered John complaining about having to go when we were children.
When we crossed the threshold of the ballroom and saw our father, Haru immediately deposited me to his side and then excused himself.
He couldn't even look at me without his eyes flashing with rage.
I couldn't look at him too. It hurt looking at him.
"You be careful tonight, dear," Dad murmured, patting my hand. "The injuries on your hands might open. And for God's sake, don't go picking up broken glass again."
"I won't," I murmured back, searching for any sign of John. His parents were here. Where was he? "I already promised you I won't, Dad."
"Do you still feel jet-lagged?"
I smiled at him. "No. I feel better now."
"You tell me if you're not feeling well, understand?" he told me briskly but with concern. "I won't have you fainting on me. If Haru hadn't persuaded me to let you come, I would have made sure you're resting right now."
"It's my first ball, Dad," I begged softly. "You wouldn't deny me this, would you?"
"Your health is much more important. But you're right." Dad smiled at me. "I wouldn't deny you this. Just make sure to enjoy the party and don't tire yourself. The auction would begin later and until then, why don't I introduce you to my friends here in Texas?"
I nodded. "Of course, Dad."
Dad kissed my cheek and took hold of my hand, placing it on the crook of his elbow. Soon, we were surrounded by his friends and other donors. Schooling my features into what I hoped was interest, I listened to their conversations and patiently stayed beside him, smiling until my face felt frozen.
The second there was a lull, Haru appeared and asked to talk to Dad. I would have given them privacy but Haru had his arm around my waist before I could and we all went to the side, away from the crowd. He really wasn't letting me out of his sight.
"They've arrived, Dad," Haru spoke when we had privacy.
Dad instantly looked pleased. "The Gideons?"
Haru nodded. "Should I set a meeting?"
"As soon as you can do it, yes."
The Gideons?
My eyes widened a fraction, momentarily struck by the familiarity of the name.
Surely it wasn't...
My family was looking toward the entrance to the ballroom and I turned. An elderly couple followed by two couples in their mid-40s were standing there, being greeted by the guests. Behind them, a young boy around my age was irritably holding on to the arms of two middle school aged girls who were twins. The twins were looking at everything with excitement on their faces and were clearly eager to roam around.
I couldn't stop but stare at the blonde woman talking to her husband.
She looked jarringly like Sophia Gideon.
"How important are they?" I asked curiously.
Haru's gaze went to me and his brows went up.
He stared at me for a moment then answered, "The grandmother is the matriarch of the family. In her time, she was a seasoned entrepreneur and so successful that wherever she went, whatever business she dabbled, money was certain to flow. Dad and I want to work with her and have her network."
"She'll be good for business," Dad said. "I've tried to set up a meeting with her but she always declined, saying she was retired."
Haru's gaze was still on me, his dark eyes unreadable.
I instantly clawed at the tattered edges of the personality that everyone was stripping off me and stared back at him, defiantly raising my chin. He wouldn't dare let his anger with me show in front of Dad.
"She has a granddaughter," Haru spoke slowly.
"Don't you mean granddaughters?" I asked, confused. "Aren't the twins their-"
He didn't let me finish. "A granddaughter," he interrupted," that goes to your school."
My lips parted and I inhaled sharply.
Dad frowned. "Is this true, Terry?"
"I..." I blinked twice and glanced at the Gideon family. A sinking feeling started to invade my limbs. "I... do have someone in my class with the surname Gideon."
Haru's eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
"Excellent," he whispered.
"Are you close friends with her?" Dad suddenly asked.
Haru's hand tightened on my waist and I lied, "I... I am. We're in fact very close."
Dad smiled with pleasure. "Then you must go say hello to the family. Wait here. I'll be back."
I should have kept my mouth closed.
"You look rattled, dear sister," Haru noted with amusement as soon as Dad left us. "You are friends with her right?"
He knew I wasn't, the bastard.
"Keep her close, Terry." The amusement disappeared and his voice went hard. "She'll be useful to us."
"But she doesn't have a good reputation in school," I told him quickly. "She's dating John's best friend."
His eyebrows furrowed and he contemplated that information for a moment. Then he said, "Doesn't matter. Risk it. I will have you covered."
My eyes fluttered to a close and I nodded.
Like I had a choice.
"And what were you going to tell me?"
My eyes snapped open and I looked at him in confusion.
He tilted his head to the side and regarded me closely. "Did you forget? You told me
you were going to introduce me to someone here at the ball."
I didn't realize I was holding my breath until my chest started to hurt. I had planned to let John meet him tonight. I was finally going to introduce John to him and Dad as my boyfriend. I hadn't told John but I wanted to surprise him. I was going to show him how much he meant to me and I was going to show him that I wasn't going to be my family's lapdog anymore.
I was going to show him that I was brave, that I was going to fight for us.
My gaze moved around, searching, looking for of him.
Where was he?
Why wasn't he calling me?
Why wasn't he texting me?
Why wasn't he here?
"Terry?" Haru prompted and I looked at him. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," I muttered through the painful lump in my throat. "Yes, I'm alright."
"I'm setting the appointment closer," he said after staring at me for a moment and I pressed my lips together. "So where's this person you were going to introduce me to?"
I managed not to lose any of my composure as my eyes stayed unwavering on him. "He - She's not here," I replied quietly.
"She? And this girl is?"
"A... a p-potential wife candidate for you."
Haru raised an eyebrow. "You're matchmaking?"
I shrugged and didn't answer. Instead, I asked him, "Can I go to the ladies' room for a moment?"
His attention already somewhere else, he nodded distractedly and told me, "Return immediately after you're done. I have some people to introduce to you too."
I nodded and turned, walking swiftly toward the doors and out into the mezzanine. The ladies' room was empty when I entered. I walked up to the dressing table, flattened my palms on the tile and bent my head, staring blindly at my splayed fingers.
John wasn't coming.
A tear slid down my cheek and my fingers went fuzzy.
He never comes when I needed him the most.
Pulling the silver chain around from my neck, I yanked it off and threw it along with the ring he gave me to the floor.
I should have known my happiness wasn't going to last.
I should have known that happiness wasn't for me.
I should have known he wasn't for me.
Sophia was almost hugging the truck door, trying to put as much distance as she could between them.
John didn't blame her.
When he picked her up from the airport, he was sporting brass knuckles on his hands and the look on her face almost made him laugh out loud. He did it as a joke, to make her smile and cheer up. But it had the complete opposite effect when her face turned white as the dress she was wearing.
He must be accelerating much too quickly because he noticed Sophia had a firm grip around her seatbelt and on the box of cake on her lap. He looked at the speedometer then rolled his eyes. He wasn't even driving above the speed limit.
"Am I going too fast?" he asked curiously.
"I don't know." Sophia shot a panicky glance out of the window and said, "Are you?"
Her nearly sarcastic reply made him grin. He slowed down the car until the needle gradually drifted toward sixty. But he wouldn't allow himself to slow more than that. They had to hurry. Leon was probably in the cemetery right now, catching hypothermia. John was worried that what happened last year would happen again. Leon didn't return home until morning from the cemetery and when he did, he was so sick he had to be hospitalized for days.
He turned to grin at her. "Better?"
Sophia looked at him, slowly relaxing her fingers from her grip around the seatbelt. "I... I think."
He chuckled.
Damn, but Leon's girl friend was cute.
"I'm sorry you won't be able to spend New Year's with your family," he told her apologetically.
She shook her head and finally smiled at him. "It's alright. I actually prefer to be here tonight. Not just only for Leon but to escape this boring party my family always go to every New Year's Eve."
"Really?" he muttered distractedly as he looked for a street sign. "What kind of party?"
"A charity event," Sophia answered. "In Texas."
John pressed the brake so hard it sent the truck skidding to a sudden stop. Sophia's face was pale and she looked like she was about to cry as she stared at him in terror. He stared back at her silently, still lost in shock.
"W-What's wrong?" she cried out.
A charity event.
In Texas.
Fucking hell, he forgot about the Blue Rose Ball.
His shock was quick to turn into alarm. He quickly got his phone out of his pocket and tried to call Terry. She didn't pick up. Fuck, she must have left her phone in her room.
He should have given her a call when Leon started to be suspicious of him and cracked girl friend jokes yesterday. But he had quickly dismissed it from his mind because he wanted to focus on his plan to make Sophia come home for his birthday. He'd planned to text Terry, planned to tell her about Leon but whenever he tried to, something always happened, like Leon trying to throw his medicine away or Skull dogging him, asking him why he'd been so careless with Leon.
Damn it.
John was the bigger idiot out of them both.
"Is... is it Leon?"
His anxious gaze landed on Sophia. To his horror, tears had already started to fall from her eyes.
Fuck.
He put his phone down and quickly assured her, "No, no, no. I just needed to make a call. I forgot to tell someone about something very important. But it's not about Leon."
It took a while to calm Sophia down. When he did, he realized that the reports his friends gave them were lacking.
Sophia was rich, filthy rich if her family was invited to the ball. And he bet she was a trust fund baby too.
Why the hell didn't they know that?
Sophia was wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, taking deep breaths. John couldn't help but be amazed by how many tears a one tiny girl could cry. And why the hell does she always end up crying everytime they talked? He was so glad Terry wasn't a crier. He wouldn't know what to do.
But Terry.
Fuck.
He was so dead.
John glanced at his watch and noted the time. The party had already started and thinking about it made him feel tensed. He tried to stay optimistic, tried to relax as he drove because Sophia was still in the truck and she kept peeking at him. He wasn't going to have his freak out until after she was out or else she might burst into tears again.
He breathed a long sigh of relief once he pulled into the cemetery parking lot and he could almost swore he saw Sophia do the same thing. Was she relieved the ride was over or was she relieved to see Leon again? He was thinking both.
Stepping out of the truck, he impatiently waited for Sophia to do the same.
"Follow that path," he told her, pointing at a path leading inside the cemetery gates. "Don't worry. The place is well-lit. I'll wait here for a while so just holler if you need my help, alright?"
Sophia's gaze was on the path and she nodded. "Alright."
"I'm taking the bike as planned," he told her. "Keys to my truck are in the ignition. You can leave the cake here. And no, I'm not going to take it with me," he quickly added when she gave him a suspicious glance.
Her face softened. "Thanks, John."
"I'll accept your gratitude once you make me a sandwich and a cake on my birthday like you promised."
Laughing, she put the cake down on the truck bed and gave him a quick hug.
Then she took a deep breath and went inside the gates.
She didn't even waver and John admired her bravery. Leon had once told him that she may be timid but she hid a backbone. And it was interesting to see that it was true. Sophia Gideon was an interesting girl. But a cry baby. Still, she was amazing and John wished she would be able to help fix Leon.
Then he remembered Terry and fuck, how the hell can he fix this mess he'd gotten himself into?
He called her aga
in but she didn't answer. So he sent her a message, asking her to call him when she could and that he was sorry he didn't make it.
Groaning with frustration and distress, he picked out Leon's spare key to his motorcycle from his set of keys and got on it with one thought in his mind.
