Rise and Shine (Shine On Series, Book 2)

by Jewell, Allison J.

  Silas stepped forward, his chest against her back. “That’s not true anymore. I take care of her now. Your family missed their opportunity when she was a child. Emmie is a grown woman. She’s my responsibility now. Mine.” The not yours was left unsaid but they all heard it.

  Gabe didn’t know how to feel. He felt guilty that she’d been alone. Angry that he’d been lied to all these years. Annoyed with Silas and his attitude.

  “Fine,” he said, rolling his eyes.

  “And I appreciate the thought Gabe, really.” Emmie stepped forward and squeezed his arm. “As awful as this is… part of me is glad to have family. I always wanted a brother. We’ll work this out.”

  Gabe nodded and walked out onto the open lobby.

  “You okay?” Silas asked.

  Emmie laughed. “I guess as okay as can be. I just…” she trailed off, lost in a vision of her mother. “Ma was always so good to me. She was the best mother. I wish you could have known her.” She paused and thought for a moment before she added, “How could she have been with a married man? And all these years. She never told me I had a brother.”

  Silas said nothing; he just listened, trying to put all of the pieces together. He slipped the photograph in his jacket pocket when she leaned in to hug him. There had to be more to this than she or Gabe knew. There was a missing piece to this puzzle neither she nor Gabe had thought of yet. Their emotions were too closely tied to see things clearly. But he could see it… he would find the answers.

  Emmie looked up at him as a tear escaped her eye. “I just always thought my mom was the light you know. The one good thing I could count on to shine through the darkness.”

  “Em, she was a good ma to ya. I can see her goodness in you because I know you sure as hell didn’t get it from that Ronnie. Just because she made a mistake doesn’t mean she was bad. Stop casting stones so quickly. Take a breath, let this settle in. We’ll figure this out.”

  Emmie nodded. He was right. Who was she to start casting stones? She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of Silas. He pulled her in close and lifted her chin with his hand, planting a soft kiss on her lips before he led her out into the lobby.

  “There you are. Pop sent me to look for you. Everyone’s already meeting. Oh, hey Emmie,” Trick said, jogging up to them.

  “I’ll have to get caught up later. Tell him I had to take care of something,” Silas said.

  “You want me to tell him you won’t be there… He’s gonna blow his lid. You know that right?” Trick asked with wide eyes.

  “And he’ll get over it. I am sure I already got the gist of it last night. Just find out what they need legally. That’s all I’m interested in right now,” Silas said.

  “Silas, I’m fine. Go to meet with your father,” Emmie said.

  “You are not fine,” he argued.

  “I’m fine,” she shrugged.

  “Emmie, you are a horrible liar,” he said with a cocked eyebrow.

  “Look. This isn’t great news but trust me, I’ve been through worse.”

  For some reason that statement didn’t provide him much comfort. But, he knew it was true. He sighed because he knew she was going to win this argument.

  “Okay…” he said. “Meet me here at noon. We have plans.” He gave her a crooked smile.

  Emmie forced all of her energy into returning the smile as Silas walked away with his brother. Emmie headed outside. The cool and crisp November air was just what she needed.

  **********

  When Trick and Silas entered the room their father frowned. Being late was not acceptable. For once Silas didn’t care. He focused his attention on the man sitting across from him. He wasn’t sure he would be here. Marco Del Grande didn’t always attend their meetings. He was merely a banker.

  “Glad you decided to join us, Silas,” his father chastised.

  “Sorry Pop. Had to take care of something.” He gave a pointed look to Marco. Gabe was sitting on Marco’s right.

  His father nodded and started reviewing most of what Silas had learned last night about the revenuer and new bootleggers.

  “Silas, Trick, we need you to go in and figure out who these men are. Why has the revenuer targeted our stills… who he works for… Once we know that we’ll decide where to go from there,” their father said. “Take Pete or Gabe, if you need to.”

  “Do you need me to give legal consult to the moonshiners?” Silas said.

  “I do. But I’m thinking it’ll go a little deeper than that. I need you get information. Either someone wanted to move in on our protection and take a cut, or someone wanted to get our attention. You’re gonna snuff it out before it catches fire,” he said.

  “So you’re saying I’ll be there for a while… not just an open shut case?” Silas asked, his mouth set in a grim line. He didn’t usually ask so many questions. He just took his jobs as they came. After all, this was why his father had sent them to school… and taught them to shoot a gun. He’d molded them for this life. But Silas didn’t want to do it this time. Emmie needed him. There was more he needed to do at home… well at Emmie’s Kentucky home. Her father had still left them with a gap in their market. Without someone there to oversee that transition all hell could break loose in that small town.

  “Yes,” his father smiled, understanding his son’s thinking. “I’m gonna need you there for a few weeks.”

  “But what about Bowling Green?” he asked. “You know the supplier there is unsettled. Hungry farmers are popping up as revenuers. We need a presence there or I’m afraid we’ll lose our footing.”

  “James should be able to handle it until you or one of the DeCarmilla boys are back,” his father said.

  “Pop. I’m not sure. I need to make a deal with a new supplier. I haven’t finished…” he started, but his father cut him off.

  “Silas I think we all know this isn’t about supply.” He laughed looking like an older version of Trick. “That pretty little thing will be waitin’ for ya to come back with open arms, I’m sure.”

  Silas clenched his jaw. He didn’t like being mocked… especially in the room full of snickering people.

  His father continued, “And if what I understand from James and Trick is true, she may be able to handle that supply situation without you. I noticed you left out some of the details on how you met that sweet young girl. I’ve also heard that you have pissed off a family there that runs a local supply store so, it’s in your best interest to let us take care of her hometown for a while. Let the dust settle on some things.”

  “Pop, I don’t think we need to worry about that scumbag Thomas,” Silas said, shaking his head.

  “Yeah, but we might need to worry about his brother that just inquired about joining the police force. Nothing sure yet just some information James overheard might be true,” the older man said.

  Silas wondered how he was privy to all this of information. “Why didn’t James tell me any of this?”

  “He said you have been busy lately.” Michael McDowell smirked. “I need you to focus on your job again, son.”

  Silas had been smacked right in his pride. And it hurt. His mouth hung open for a moment as he tried to think what to say. Never, ever, in his whole life had he been the one that had let things slip. Not at work. Not at home. Not at school. Not ever.

  The rest of the meeting passed. Silas kept him self focused. Carefully noting each detail in his mind. He would not screw this up. When the meeting was over and the room started to empty, he went up to his father. “I’m sorry, pop. I should have known about Thomas’s brother. We have a pretty good relationship with the local police, his joining isn’t likely to cause us any trouble but I still should have been more careful.”

  “I had no doubt you would get it together. Just pay attention… put your focus on work. When we get this sorted,” his father smiled, “there’ll be time to play… not to mention more money. I’ll need you to leave tonight.”

  Tonight? Silas thought. He wanted to question it but he
knew better. His father was an understanding man. More understanding than most in this business but he wouldn’t want to be questioned. Not now. Not after he just let Silas off with a warning.

  “But Pop…” Silas said after everyone else had left the room. “You know she’s more than just some pretty girl to me. Mo chuisle.”

  The old man smiled at his son’s use of the phrase he had so often uttered to his wife. My pulse, my heart. My love. Mo chuisle. His own Irish saying had many translations but the meaning was the same. “Good. The man who sees what he loves knows true happiness. I hope she is worthy of your feelings.”

  “No Pop. I hope I’m worthy of hers,” Silas said.

  His father nodded and clasped his hand on his back. As the two headed out the door Silas was surprised to find Marco was at the door. “Try not to screw this up, kid,” Mr. Del Grande said.

  Silas’s father opened his mouth to speak but he didn’t have the chance. Silas cut him off first. “Yeah, well even if I do, it couldn’t compare to your mistakes.”

  He old man cocked his eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”

  Silas just shrugged and squared his shoulders. He’d never thought much of Marco. He never had much use for him. The banker rarely had much to offer other than financial advice and an occasional strong arm. Now he had even less use for him.

  “I just want you to know that we agree with your father. You’ve been spent too much time with Emma. You’ve neglected your work. And when you did work you made impulsive decisions that put those you care about in danger.”

  “Marco. We were all young once. His mistakes were not so great. He’s handled the situations,” Michael said to his friend.

  Silas ignored his father and looked at Del Grande dead in the eyes. “One: I have kept her safe. You have no idea what the Thomas man was doing to her. Trust me. Two: I don’t need advice from you. Three: She hates to be called Emma. But I wouldn’t expect you to know that. I wouldn’t expect you to know her,” Silas spit. “You don’t deserve to.”

  Michael looked surprised by the conversation then realization of the meaning behind the words kicked in.

  Marco nodded and then asked careful to keep all emotion from his voice. “So… she’s put it together then. She knows and she’s confided in you?”

  “Yeah, she knows,” Silas spit.

  “Silas. Don’t speak of things you know nothing about,” Michael said to his son.

  “Nothing about… I know her. I’ve seen where she lives. I’ve seen the kind of people she had to work for to get by. I know she could have had a much easier life,” Silas shouted.

  “You know nothing,” Marco argued.

  “I know you sent her money and letters that she didn’t find until a few weeks ago,” Silas said.

  Del Grande did look taken aback a bit by this. “He didn’t give her the money I sent after her mother passed?”

  Silas crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “You left her in the care of a real stand-up man for six years, Marco. He drank every night. Hit her on occasion. Kept her under her his thumb.”

  Marco swallowed hard. “It wasn’t that bad. The DeCarmillas watched out for her. Told me she was a real smart girl. She had adjusted well.”

  “The DeCarmillas see what they want to see,” Silas said without question. “It’s true she could have been worse. I think she had a happy childhood but the years since her mother passed have been hard.”

  Marco looked down and thought for a moment but never again spoke. He just walked into the hall and headed for the elevators.

  Chapter Eleven

  Emmie had assumed Silas was taking her to the hotel restaurant but he didn’t. They’d walked a few blocks down Main Street until they reached a small house right on the river. A man met them at the restaurant’s door and escorted them through the converted home until they reached the glass-encased porch. A fire roared in the corner of the room, keeping it toasty warm. Large barges floated slowly down the river. It was one of the most beautiful sights she’d ever seen.

  “It’s amazing they float. They are so huge,” she said, pointing to the first one she saw.

  Silas tilted his head to the side. “Yeah, well they’re flat like that because it spreads their weight on the river. More surface area, more weight.”

  Emmie laughed and lifted an eyebrow. “How would you know that?”

  “Big lakes at home. I was interested in boats when I was a kid. I’m pretty sure I read just about every book on the subject. For a while I thought I wanted to engineer them,” he said, never looking up from his menu.

  She was taken aback by his confession. She realized that was the first he had ever talked about his childhood to her and he did it so carelessly now. Like he was telling her it was raining outside. She smiled.

  “So, why are you a lawyer then?” she asked.

  He frowned as he put down his menu. “Pop, I guess. It’s what he wanted. Our family didn’t exactly have a need for an engineer. But a spare lawyer always comes in handy. I was always arguing anyway. Seemed like a good fit for my personality.” He smiled.

  “Guess it’s good for me too,” she said, looking down at her menu.

  “How’s that?” he asked.

  “Well, I doubt your family would have sent a boat engineer, or whatever you’d be called, down to Kentucky. And I wouldn’t have met you. So, I guess it was best for me too.” She smiled over the top of the menu.

  He snorted. “Well I’m glad my career worked out for you.”

  “Hey.” She kicked him under the table.

  He slid his chair next to hers. “Kidding. I’m kidding. And people think I’m the one with the quick temper.” He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead, leaving his lips there longer than was probably appropriate for a restaurant. He was going to miss her.

  “So, are we going to talk about last night?” she asked. He pulled his face away from her startled and amused.

  “Do you want to? You said you were humiliated. Doesn’t sound like a very gentlemanly thing to talk about.” He smiled.

  “I thought you told me a long time ago you weren’t a gentleman.” She laughed. “And it is humiliating but it’s also awkward to just avoid it. And since I don’t know when we will be alone again…” she trailed off.

  Silas took in the sight of her. He didn’t know exactly what particular moment she was thinking of but he enjoyed watching her blush creep up her neck.

  She worried with her hands. “You don’t… you don’t think of me as some sort of floozy now do you? I mean because you, and consequently Trick and Gabe also, have seen me in my drawers now. And you said you didn’t want me traipsing around the hall like some kind of floozy.”

  “Emmie,” he said annoyed. “You aren’t serious, are you? How could I ever think that. Granted I wish my brother… and your brother,” he stumbled over the second part, “hadn’t seen you in your underclothes but I don’t ever want to hear you say that again. I am sorry for what I said. I’m sorry for last night.”

  “You’re sorry for last night?” she asked.

  “Well, yeah. Sort of. I mean it’s given me some nice images…” He paused and tapped his forehead and smiled. “And I’m still angry at Gabe. He shouldn’t have done what he did. But he was a sort of right. You deserve better than some drunken man.”

  “Silas, you’re not just some drunken man.” She snorted.

  “Yeah, I know. But last night I was. It should be different with you. You deserve more. I’m sorry I almost let it go too far,” he said, picking at his steak.

  Emmie didn’t know what to say. She didn’t really even know how she felt. Was it important that she waited until she was married? She supposed that would make things easier… especially in light of how she ended up on God’s green earth. But she loved Silas. And last night, he set off some spark in her she didn’t even know existed. A comfortable silence passed between them while they ate their dinner.

  The air blowing off the river whipped a bitter cold through her bones
. He took off his long black coat and draped it over her shoulders while they walked back to the hotel. “It’s been nice up here but I’m sort of ready to get back home, ya know? Our little quiet routine,” she said when they entered the lobby.

  He led her to the seating area in front of the lobby’s large fireplace. The fireplace was nearly as big as her loft in her house. When they sat, she noticed his face fell.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Well, about that. I’m actually not going back to Bowling Green right away,” he said.

  “Oh,” she said and felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. “When are you coming home… I mean to Bowling Green.”

  Silas shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’ve got something to take care of in Bardston.”

  “What?” she asked. What could be in Bardston? It was smaller than Bowling Green, tucked away in the foothills of the Appalachians.

  “Emmie, you don’t need to know the details. It’s just some case Pop thinks we can help with,” he said quickly. She knew him. She knew there was more to the story.

  “Surely it won’t take that long then… if it’s just a court case,” she said, testing the waters.

  He sighed and gave her a deep frown. She was needling him. He was not telling her. She would either worry or want to stick her nose in it.

  “Agh… I see from that frown it’s more than a court case, isn’t it?” She pointed to his grimace.

  He gently swatted her hand out of his face. “Emmie, it’s nothing to do with you. I’ll be fine and I’ll be home soon. I have a job to do. A job I have apparently been screwing up lately because I have been spending so much time with you.”

  “You’ve been messing up your job because of me?” she asked.

  “Apparently. I just need to straighten some things out. Are you going to be okay at home without me?” he asked.

  It didn’t escape her notice he’d called her hometown home. “Of course. I was there twenty-one years before I met ya.” She tried to tease but it didn’t work. “When do you leave?”

  “Tonight,” he answered.

  Tonight? She wanted to shout. Surely he could wait until morning. But she didn’t say anything. There was no reason to make him feel guilty. So she just said, “Oh.”