Balance (The Balance Series Book 1)

by Janelle Stalder

  Apparently the whole family was educated in the law, so the other two boys were helping their father. This must have explained why I hadn’t seen Dermot yet this morning. The girls said they rarely saw him, since he was always in court.

  “Kellan is the oldest, he will be twenty-five soon,” Ashley was saying. “He’s gorgeous, but of course you’ve already witnessed that for yourself. Collin is the middle son, and of course he is gorgeous as well. He looks a lot like Kellan and Dermot, but his hair is a bit longer.”

  “Makes you just want to run your hands through it,” Lily said with a dreamy sigh. I grinned at her as Ashley shook her head.

  “He’s twenty-two,” Ashley continued. “Kellan and Collin are both really friendly, and make you weak in the knees when they actually speak to you. Caleb is the youngest - he’s a different story all together. He’s twenty, I think, and again completely gorgeous. He takes after his mom though, so he doesn’t look quite like the other two.”

  “Apparently his mom looked like a young Elizabeth Taylor,” Lily added. “I’ve seen pictures of her, she’s absolutely beautiful. It’s no wonder those two made such beautiful children.”

  “What does Caleb look like?” I asked.

  “Well he’s tall like the other boys, but his hair is much darker than the other two. Black really, and his eyes are the clearest blue you’ve ever seen. If he actually looks at you, it’s quite breathtaking. The problem is he very rarely looks at or acknowledges anyone. He never speaks really.” Ashley said with a frown.

  “It’s true, he’s absolutely miserable,” said Lily. “I think I tried once to say hi to him, but he acted as though I didn’t even exist. I don’t know what his problem is, but he definitely has some sort of chip on his shoulder. His father absolutely adores him for some reason though.”

  “Somehow that scowl just makes him hotter though,” Ashley said.

  Lily pointed at her. “Truth.”

  We had finished up our food, changing topics from office gossip to regular interests, and then headed back to our desks. The rest of the afternoon went by in flash. Margaret came by once before the end of the day to see how I’d done, but I could tell she didn’t really care either way. Luckily, I had finished quite a lot of what she had asked of me, especially with it being my fist day.

  I was really pleased with myself, and started to look forward to the rest of the summer even more. At five we began packing up, and both girls wished me a goodnight as they left.

  As I gathered up my things, I heard footsteps behind me. It was probably Stacey and her sidekicks again. They had been eyeing me all day. I turned slowly, bracing myself.

  I was wrong.

  Oh, how I was wrong.

  Those girls I could have easily dealt with. What stood in front of me instead was much more than I was prepared to cope with after a long day.

  I could only just manage to look away from his eyes, in order to stare at the familiar set that once again had that same gleam of amusement in them they always seemed to hold. It only lasted a second before my eyes flickered back towards the first pair. These were the bluest eyes I had ever seen, almost unnatural. The face that went with them was smooth and angular in all the right places. His lips were wide like his brother’s, but did not curve up with the same smirk.

  His gaze held no amusement whatsoever. Instead, all I saw was hostility, and something else I didn’t recognize. Forcing myself, I tore my eyes from him and looked back at Kellan, managing to keep them there this time.

  “So, Miss Vivian,” said Kellan, “How did our first day go at the prestigious Banks and Sons law firm?”

  “Good, thank you,” I said in a hoarse voice. Why did he have to talk to me? I was content to just fade into the background around people like this. There wasn’t nearly enough confidence in me to hold my own with people I felt inferior to. There was definitely something about the Banks family that made others feel like lesser beings.

  Failing miserably at maintaining some self-control, I looked back into the blue eyes and tried to remind myself not to stare. I couldn’t help it though. His gaze bore into me, making it impossible not to return it.

  I thought he never really looked at people? Yet there he stood, staring right into my eyes. It was as if he was looking for something, and I was pretty sure whatever that was, he wasn’t going to find it.

  “Would you like me to walk you to your car?” Kellan offered, snapping me out of my reverie.

  My gaze flew back to him in shock. What the hell was going on? This could not be happening. I slowly shook my head no.

  Why was I shaking my head no?

  He looked as surprised as I was currently feeling, and yet my body started to move away on its own anyway, leaving the two boys standing at my desk.

  I must be getting sick, I thought.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said as I struggled to get the strap of my bag up on my shoulder. Tripping slightly, I turned and made a beeline for the exit. I had to get out of there.

  I got into my car and took off as quickly as I could physically muster. My mind was racing between the images of both boys despite my desire to just forget them.

  One was nice and good looking, and seemed to want to be friendly to me.

  The other was cold and hostile, and apparently wasn’t much of a people person. I started to feel irritated by Caleb Banks. Why would you look down your nose at someone you’d just met? Especially when they were working for your family? Furthermore, why couldn’t he have at least introduced himself? Wouldn’t that be the most professional thing to do?

  Of course I hadn’t introduced myself either.

  No, instead I had stood there and stared at him like a deer caught in their damn headlights again. I groaned out loud into the silence of my car, hitting the palm of my hand on the steering wheel.

  I was such a loser.

  Even if he had wanted to introduce himself, I hadn’t given him much of an opportunity since I had practically run out of there. No, I thought, he wouldn’t have said a word to me, I could already tell that much about him.

  Oh well, it was over now, and after that performance neither of them would probably say another word to me for the next two months anyway.

  Murray watched through the doors from the front foyer as the two boys and Vivian exchanged words. Something was off; he could feel it right away. Kellan appeared the same, but something wasn’t right about Caleb’s posture.

  He had come to know the boys well over the years he had kept an eye on them. It was his job as one of the Brotherhood. No matter where the family went, one of them would always be watching.

  It was also his duty to let the others know if anything seemed amiss. His gut was telling him this might qualify as that.

  Murray quickly stood out of the way as the new girl burst through the door and marched across the foyer, never breaking stride until she reached the front doors. She was in her car and gone within seconds.

  It would probably be best to observe things a little closer before he made any calls, he decided. There was no point in getting someone over here if he was just imaging things. He quickly locked up the front doors and got ready to leave.

  I pulled into my driveway and rearranged my expression to reflect the happiness I had felt before the last incident. I didn’t want my parents to think I wasn’t enjoying my new job.

  The yellow siding of my small, two-story home seemed to glow in the evening light. The wraparound porch, with its slightly peeling white paint and large swing, was inviting after the day I’d had. I walked up the short path and paused for a moment, toying with the idea of sitting out there a while longer. Swinging out here was one of my favourite things to do.

  “Vi-vi, is that you out there?” I heard Dad shout from inside.

  Sighing, I gave my happy place one last look before opening the front door. I was sure the both of them were just itching to ask about my day, so there was no way I could make them wait any longer.

  “There she is,”
Dad said, coming at me with open arms. You’d think I’d been gone on a yearlong journey, instead of just a nine to five job.

  As usual he had his evening drink already in his hands, rye and ginger with lots of ice. The jingle jangle of the cubes in a glass cup would forever make me think of him. It also made his lips cold when he’d kiss me goodnight, which was one of those nostalgic feelings that never went away.

  My father was a tall, proud man, who did everything he could for his family. He had run the local grocery store for over twenty years now, and was a well-known figure in our community. Everybody knew he wasn’t one to be pushed around, but I knew better than most. He was quite possibly the hardest nut to crack on the outside, but pure butter on the inside. My big, scary teddy bear.

  My mother and I knew everyone’s perception of him was wrong, but we never corrected any of them. We wouldn’t dare ruin the facade he’d created after all these years of hard work.

  If he was the tall dark bear, my mother was the small, timid bunny. Petite, with a short pixie cut that she’d had for my entire life, she was the quintessential housewife. Always there for her man, and constantly taking care of things around the house, so he needn’t be bothered with them. It was so fifties. I loved them both, and knew there would never be two parents out there as good as these two.

  I grunted as he enveloped me in a tight bear hug, before stepping back. Mom came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.

  “Well, how was it?” she asked.

  “Good. Great,” I said. They both watched me, waiting for more. “Uh, I met some new friends.”

  “Oh, how lovely,” Mom said. Clearly this was the only thing she was concerned about. I managed to refrain from rolling my eyes.

  “And I got my own desk,” I said, looking at Dad.

  “Excellent,” he said approvingly, as though I’d somehow managed to obtain that on my own.

  Nodding, I shifted from foot to foot, trying to think up more. “And…there was a pretty big cafeteria there, and the food wasn’t horrible.”

  Mom smiled happily. “I can still pack you a lunch if you’d like.”

  I scrunched up my nose. “No thanks.” The woman had a hard time accepting I wasn’t five years old anymore. “Anyway, I’m pretty beat, so I’m just going to run upstairs for a quick shower, and then I’ll be down for dinner.”

  “Okay, dear,” my mom said, turning back into the kitchen.

  Dad gave me a quick squeeze on the shoulder before following her in. Shaking my head, I went upstairs, relieved to get away from their interrogation.

  From the looks of things today, I had a feeling that most of my summer was going to be spent doing the grunt work of the office. I wasn’t sure how to tell them I probably wasn’t going to be learning as much as I’d thought I was, other than their intricate filing system, and how to copy paper.

  Dropping my purse on the floor, I fell back onto my bed, staring up at my ceiling. So this internship wasn’t all I’d thought it was going to be, so what? It was still an awesome opportunity, and I was lucky to have gotten it. Giving myself a good mental shake, I pulled myself back up and grabbed my comfy clothes off my chair before heading to the bathroom.

  After dinner I sat outside, listening to the kids playing on the street as the sun slowly lowered in the sky.

  “There she is,” a voice said, grabbing my attention. Blake walked up the path, his usual long hair now shaved close to his head. “This town’s next big lawyer.”

  I laughed, moving over so he could sit beside me. “Yeah, yeah,” I said. “What the heck did you do to your hair?”

  Blake had only moved here this year, but Amanda and I had instantly adopted him. He was the best girlfriend I could have ever asked for, which I told him often. He was better dressed and better looking than any of the other guys in our school, but since he had no interest in their girlfriends, everyone left him alone. Much to Amanda’s and my benefit. He was all ours. The other losers at our school didn’t know what they were missing.

  “You don’t like it?” he asked, turning his head from side to side. Up close I noticed that he’d shaved designs into the sides, because of course he had.

  “Anything looks good on you,” I admitted. “I’m just surprised. You loved your hair.”

  He shrugged, relaxing back as we picked up an easy momentum. “It was time for a change.”

  We sat in a companionable silence for a while, before he nudged me.

  “So, how was it? Everything you imagined?”

  “Mostly,” I said.

  “Did you get to see the big man himself?”

  I laughed. “No, Dermot wasn’t there.”

  “That sucks.”

  I nodded as I thought back to the other Banks men I’d met. “Not entirely,” I said.

  He gave me a curious look.

  “I met two of his sons,” I said, biting my lip.

  Blake’s eyebrows shot up as one side of his lips tipped up. I was never any good hiding my reactions around him.

  “That good, huh?”

  My face flamed as I looked away from him. “They’re…something,” I said.

  “Well that’s cryptic,” he said with a laugh. “Care to elaborate?”

  I took a deep breath. “They’re both gorgeous, but one has this certain…air about him.”

  He snorted. “They’re rich, of course he does. Those people are always entitled.”

  I shook my head. “It’s not that. I can’t tell what it is, but he’s got this aloofness about him that’s annoying, and yet intriguing at the same time.”

  “You just be careful around them. I know how rich guys are, and they just love to play with girls’ hearts. Don’t let yourself get hurt.”

  I turned to him, rolling my eyes. “I have no intention of dating either of them, Blake,” I said with a short laugh. “They’re not at all my type.”

  “Good,” he said with a nod. “I don’t want to see you heartbroken again.”

  I reached over and squeezed his hand. My last boyfriend had been a complete loser in the end, cheating on me behind my back with the head cheerleader. Surprise, surprise. I guess I should have known it would happen. I hadn’t been willing to move as fast as he’d wanted, and Blake always insisted all guys were pigs.

  “This heart is perfectly surrounded by an impenetrable wall,” I reassured him.

  He squeezed back. “That’s my girl.”

  “I told him I’d have the money,” Roberto repeated, his hands coming together as he pleaded for mercy. Caleb bit back a laugh at that. Mercy wasn’t something he was familiar with. Roberto was a “wise guy”, so one would assume he might have an ounce of wisdom in that balding head of his.

  Apparently not.

  “You did,” Caleb said, slowly walking around him as he nodded. He stopped in front of where the man sat, tied to a chair, and knelt down so their eyes were level.

  This was his favourite spot for interrogations. It was a deserted warehouse on the outskirts of town, completely cut off from anything or anyone that might pass by. Caleb often brought the people here that needed a little more attention than others. The ones who weren’t quite getting the message clearly.

  Roberto’s eyes frantically scanned the space behind Caleb as though someone were standing in the shadows there, waiting to help him. Only a single light hung above the chair, casting the rest of the room in darkness, another thing Caleb liked about the place.

  “Here’s the thing,” he said, grabbing Roberto’s attention again. “You said you’d have the money, but you don’t. That’s a problem, Robbie. My father is many things, but patient is not one of them.”

  He swallowed audibly, sweat beading down the sides of his face. “I just need another night, Caleb. Just one more and I promise I’ll have the money to pay him back. All of it.”

  Caleb shook his head slowly. “Fool me once, Robbie, shame on me. Fool me twice…”

  “I swear it, I do. I swear to God I’m getting it.”

&nb
sp; “Don’t evoke his name to me,” Caleb said coldly. “It means nothing. You’re forgetting he’s the one who let my father fall to become what he is today. Your God is nothing but a fool in my books.”

  “What is taking so long?” Kellan asked, walking calmly into the room. “I’ve been waiting out in the car for half an hour.”

  “Kellan! Oh, thank God. Kellan, tell your brother that I’m good for the money,” Roberto cried, pulling at his bonds.

  His older brother stopped, one eyebrow lifting as he looked down his nose at the spineless human. “If you’re good for the money, where is it?” Kellan asked, splaying his hands.

  “I’ll have it for him tomorrow. Tomorrow, I promise.”

  “My father requested it for tonight.”

  The man looked between brothers, his eyes wide with fear. Caleb stood, backing up so they stood shoulder to shoulder. He watched in disgust as the man wet himself. It wasn’t abnormal when faced with two of the strongest demons on earth standing before you.

  “I…I don’t have it tonight,” he stammered.

  Kellan smiled slowly. “Then, Robbie old boy, we have a serious problem.” His brother turned to leave the room, stopping as he gave Caleb a quick pat on the shoulder. “Don’t be long. Collin is starting to whine.”

  Wiping the blood off on a handkerchief, something he still kept as habit from a time when it was normal for men to carry one, Caleb left the warehouse and headed to Kellan’s waiting car. He spotted Collin already in the passenger seat, his head bobbing along to whatever modern music they were listening to.

  Opening the door, he got in silently and settled back as Kellan took off. There was no need to ask if the job was done, that was a given. Caleb never failed.

  They sped through the night, the sun still hours from lighting the sky. Night was the time when Caleb felt the most comfortable. The time where he could move about as he pleased and not be seen. He peered out of the window at the full moon, his mind wandering back to the girl with the bright green eyes.