by Chris Lange
“Oh, I totally know that. Actually, you either left me to interpret things my way, or maybe you kept silent for my own good. How am I doing so far? Hot or cold?”
“Tracy, this is—”
“Never mind, Daddy dearest, we’ll settle our score later. For now we need protection because Khrull the immortal is back.”
“What?”
He stood up too quickly, his glasses sliding down his nose while he pinned a fluttering paper down on the desk. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. About two hours ago, he tried to strangle me in the parking lot of the hotel where the gala was held.”
“Jesus, are you all right?”
He didn’t fake his worried air, yet she wouldn’t be cajoled out of her vengeful mood. He truly loved her and Johnny, but he’d messed with her for the last time. With a sharp tone, Tracy finally replied. “Fine, Dad. Raphael rescued me.”
“Who?”
Now that was her father in all his glory. Dedicated to his work, present and caring for his family especially when everyone’s interests matched his own, but forgetful of people he deemed unimportant.
She rubbed her palms against the sides of her thighs. “My friend Raphael. The vampire who saved me from the immortal the last time we were in London. How can you not remember him?”
“Sure, I do.”
He passed a hand through his whitening hair, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and expelled a breath. “Vaguely, though.”
What else did she expect from him? A Richardson homemade medal in honor of a vampire? Not in this life.
“Anyway,” she said, “Raphael tipped Garrett before they both came here from the other world to warn us. Khrull got wounded while fighting Raphael, though he’ll be on his feet before we can count to ten. Dad, I’m so scared for Johnny.”
Her father circled the desk to come to stand in front of her. His gaze darkening with concern, he patted the top of her arms.
“Don’t say another word. I know exactly what we’re going to do.”
The confidence in his tone lifted a heavy burden off her shoulders. In spite of their quarrels, Tracy’s first instinct was always to turn to her father when things got rough, and he never disappointed her.
Over three years ago, he welcomed her into his house after she sprained her ankle. He tended to her every need as her injury and pregnancy hindered her movements. The day she learned Garrett got married, cramps seized her while she stood on the basement stairs, so he drove her to the emergency room and waited while she delivered Johnny.
He wasn’t the type of man to play with his grandson or take him to a football game, but if he had the means to save his life, he’d use them. When shit hit the fan, Dad became as solid and reliable as a father should be.
“What do you have in mind?” she asked.
Her dad’s faraway gaze cleared up when her voice broke the silence of the study. He ceased patting her to look over her shoulder and observe the sleeping boy. Then he began giving instructions to Garrett.
“Take Tracy and Johnny to your garden house. The secure rooms are the safest place in both worlds, and I’ll be with you as soon as I can.”
“Very well, sir.”
“Go now. The sooner the better.”
He reached behind the door to activate the trapdoor. Still carrying his son, Garrett approached the hole in the floor while her father put a restraining hand on her arm and leaned in to whisper in her ear.
“I haven’t allowed anyone in the secure rooms yet. The code to mine is your birth date then you add twelve. The code to the other one is Johnny’s birth date and you add fifteen. Will you remember?”
Providing a mad scientist didn’t perform a lobotomy on her in the next five minutes, she should be all right. “Yes. Isn’t it a little easy, though?”
“Have you ever met hackers in Garrett’s world?”
True enough. The London they were going to wouldn’t see this kind of technology for almost another century.
“And Johnny?” she said. “Can he use the telepod?”
“Don’t you worry, I integrated his DNA into the Everett program a while back. You know, just in case.”
When she raised an eyebrow, her father cleared his throat as if his lungs contained too much oxygen. He’d been right, though. Nobody could have foreseen this kind of emergency, yet against all odds, Dad was prepared. She fell in line behind Garrett but turned round at the last second.
“Dad, what about the invisible shield?”
Her father’s conspiratorial air winked out of existence as he suddenly studied the tip of his shoes. “Oh, I removed that, too.”
Without letting her know, as usual, but she didn’t care today. Her stomach knotted at the idea of the immortal laying his hands on her baby, and all she wanted was to lock him up in a panic room.
She shrugged right before following Garrett down the flight of stairs and into the basement. No shield blocked their advance with a blast of pain so they soon found themselves in front of the telepod. Raphael’s absence didn’t mean anything. Being who he was, he’d show up when she needed him.
Johnny woke just as she pressed the button to open the door. Whether uncomfortable or bothered by the trip to the basement, the boy lifted his lids and gazed at Garrett’s face right above his. “Mommy?”
“I’m here, sweetie. We’re going to Daddy’s house.”
The trusting look spreading across Johnny’s features crushed her last qualms about taking him to a whole different universe and era. The immortal lived over there, yet that didn’t mean they were walking into a trap. Actually, they might well have the element of surprise on their side.
Johnny beamed. “Cool.”
He abruptly seemed to be the happiest boy in the world as he wound his arms around his father’s neck to snuggle against his chest. Garrett inhaled sharply and looked at her for a second. Raw emotion painted on his features, he strengthened his hold on the child as Johnny focused on her.
“Mom, where are we?”
“In Grandpa’s basement. See this black machine?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, this telepod works like a car, but it’s much faster. We’ll all go inside, and it will take us to Daddy’s place in no time.”
“Okay.”
The boy didn’t appear in the least frightened. Children his age must long for adventures or they wouldn’t watch so many cartoons. She motioned Garrett to step inside, but he glanced toward the stairs.
“Raphael?”
“I’m sure he isn’t far behind,” she said. “Maybe he decided to stick around a little longer and watch out for Dad. I can’t think of any other explanation. I know him though, and when we need him, he’ll be there.”
“As you wish.”
With that, Garrett entered the telepod. Johnny’s smile deepened as soon as the three of them gathered inside. “Mom, can I push the button?”
“It’s not an elevator.”
“Please.”
“All right, baby.”
Reminding herself that she brought up her son the way she saw fit and not according to ancestral laws, she avoided looking at Garrett and his furrowed brow at this obvious lack of discipline and authority.
Her father had improved his traveling device because a new label indicated London below the San Francisco tag. She pointed to the right button, and Johnny pushed it with eagerness. Not scared at all.
The door slid open almost instantly. She was the first one to step out and her heart lurched as she spotted the man standing on the other side.
“Oh, my God. Andrew?”
The young man seemed as bewildered as she was, his unforgettable brown-green eyes quickly gleaming with joy. “Tracy? Is that you?”
She moved clo
ser and hugged him for at least five seconds before he closed his arms around her. Perhaps things changed, but British peers didn’t yet consider hugging as a mark of friendship.
“By George,” he said, “I never thought I’d see you again.”
“Well, here I am, alive and glad to see you.”
“How thrilling.”
Garrett made a snorting noise behind her. She looked back to see him glowering at them. Irritated or jealous of his own brother? Unexpected pleasure filling her veins, she took a step back. “Andrew, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
With a large smile, she stepped aside to reveal the child now standing on his feet and observing the new surroundings.
“This is Johnny, my son,” she said. “Say hi, honey.”
“Hi.”
Although surprised, Andrew recovered in a wink, crouched in front of the boy, and held out his hand. “Hello, young man. I’m delighted to meet you.”
Beaming with pride at being called a man, Johnny grasped the extended fingers but stared at him with a quizzical expression. “Who are you?”
“I’m Garrett’s brother.”
All of a sudden, Garrett brushed past her, took hold of Johnny’s free hand, and pulled him aside as though his son had touched poison ivy. What the heck got into him now? The freezing cold mask back on his face, eyes narrowed, lips tight, he looked down his nose at his brother.
“No doubt you will regard my request as rather unorthodox, Andrew. However I must ask you to not divulge our guests’ presence.”
“Why? Are you in trouble?”
“Rightly so.”
Even though Garrett told the truth, a weird sensation infiltrated Tracy’s bones as she watched the stiff line of his jaw, the set of his shoulders. Something else was going on here, and she needed to get the facts out of him.
Andrew straightened up and pulled on his tie, his eyes moving back and forth between the three of them. “I understand. My mouth is sealed. I don’t want to intrude on your personal affairs, but what sort of peril are you in?”
Garrett made a vague sign toward Johnny. Catching on his meaning, his brother nodded before bringing a smile back on his face. Grown-up business would have to be dealt with later and away from young ears.
Nevertheless, she knew the man who uplifted her to paradise when they made love, and Garrett was hiding something. Using the awkward silence to her advantage, she bent down to squat before Johnny.
“Honey, would you like to visit the garden house?”
“Yeah.”
“Great, let’s do it then. Do you wanna start with Andrew?”
“Sure, Mom.”
With a tilt of her head, she signaled Andrew to lead the boy toward the huge double windows at the back of the room overlooking the gardens. He complied, smiling when Johnny grabbed his hand.
She immediately stepped in her lover’s way. “Spit it out, Garrett.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Don’t give me that crap. Tell me what’s going on right now, or who knows what I’ll do to make you spill the beans.”
His abrupt and deep sigh sounded like a victory. Not hard-won, but a success nonetheless. As he observed his brother and son walking away, he raised his tone just above a murmur. “I am to withhold my blood relation to John.”
Of course, how could she have been so stupid? What other reason would have him quaking in his boots but the thought of his wife finding out about the child he had with an American slut?
Yet in that instant, anger deserted her. She’d reveled in seeing him again after so long. For the past two hours, her dream life came true, and dismissing reality had felt so easy and good. But he’d just thrown the harsh facts into her face, and his un-princely kiss awakened only bitterness and pain.
He wasn’t her husband, never would be. Despite his fatherly attitude toward Johnny, he’d soon crawl back to Miss Perfect and forget all about them.
“Chill out, Garrett, I won’t say anything. I didn’t come here to ruin your wonderful, impeccable life.”
He cocked his head and drew up his eyebrows as though thinking ‘what is she going on about now’? Every time she believed the situation to be under control, he said or did something to throw her off. She loved this man, she slept with him any chance she got, but he’d always baffle her.
In any case, she wasn’t looking for trouble any more than he seemed to be. Together they’d ensure their child’s safety, address each other in a civilized manner and above all, she’d keep his secret.
“Mom! Dad! Come look.”
Johnny’s exclamations resounded loud and clear. When he called out to them, Garrett’s features froze. Did he dislike that much being called Dad? Was the term ‘Father’ so endearing to him? Then the full implication of Johnny’s yells hit her, prompting her to pivot toward the windows.
Standing beside the boy, Andrew appeared struck by lightning. He didn’t move, and he didn’t speak for at least ten seconds. At last, his green eyes sparkled as he looked down at her son and then up at his brother.
“Why does he call you Dad?”
A long inhalation lifted Garrett’s chest while he ran both hands through his short hair before staring at his brother. Well, his carefully laid out plan had just been blown to pieces because he dismissed a tiny detail. Adults lied, cheated, deceived, and cut corners to achieve their purpose. Children didn’t.
“Andrew,” he said to his brother. “John is my son.”
“Crikey!”
Joy bubbled up inside her. Andrew might not be the master of the Burnes’ manor, but his acknowledgment of the truth made her blood run faster. Johnny was Garrett’s son, and all the universes should know about it.
“Yeehhh!”
Johnny’s glee urged her forward. With quick steps, she walked to him, placed a hand on top of his head and ruffled his fair hair. “What is it, honey? Have you discovered something interesting?”
“Look over here, Mom. There’s a big pond in the park. Can I go have a look? Please, I wanna see the ducks.”
“We’ll see.”
Even if Andrew found out about Johnny, the other members of the manor remained unaware of his existence, and running around on the luscious, neatly trimmed lawn would no doubt raise questions.
“Maybe later,” she added quietly.
“Mommy?”
“Yeah?”
“Where’s the night gone?”
Children also pointed out facts that adults easily disregarded. They left Sausalito around midnight which amounted to early morning in London. Would she have to explain time zones to a three-year-old?
She breathed and crouched to be eye level with her son. “When it’s night time at home, it’s day here.”
“How? Is it because of Santa?”
“No, baby.”
Gosh, but his insatiable curiosity would always put her in an awkward position. Not as much as Garrett, though. She gnawed at her bottom lip just as Andrew stepped up to save her from the impossible task. A grin lighting his face, he took the boy’s hand and gestured toward a massive piece of furniture.
“Come. Uncle Andrew will show you something.”
“You’re my uncle?”
And the good kept on coming. What would be next? The dragon queen bursting in on their reunion and embracing Johnny like a long lost grandson? Miss Perfect making cupcakes for them all out of the goodness of her heart? Oh, yeah.
On the other side of the room, Garrett glowered. “Andrew, for heaven’s sake.”
His brother pursed his lips in an apologetic manner, quickly followed by a smile that brightened his gaze. “The boy needs to understand his lineage, don’t you think?”
Garrett mumbled something she didn’t get and his obvious annoyance also bro
ught a grin to her lips. She glanced at Johnny, but his expression abruptly tightened her chest. His eyes expanded and his mouth popped open, making her whirl on her feet.
The door of the telepod had automatically shut after they all got out. Now, it stood wide open.
Chapter 10
Raphael remained inside the telepod and stared at them, his long coat shrouding him in mystery, his pale complexion clashing with the blackness of his clothes. No wonder Johnny gaped at the sudden apparition.
None of them spoke, the abrupt stillness in the garden house soon feeling uncomfortable. Why did her guardian vampire stay in the traveling device when he’d been invited into this room before?
The question died on her lips as Raphael’s gaze followed the lengthening sunrays streaming through the windows and invading the territory. Shit, how could she treat him with such thoughtless inattention?
“Andrew,” she called, “can we pull down the blinds?”
“Of course.”
He cast a contrite glance at the newcomer before executing the job at once. When he was done, a dim glow still infiltrated the back of the room, but Raphael wouldn’t burst into flames. He came out of the telepod with his usual rapid, fluid grace, and Johnny tugged at her sleeve with harsh pulls.
“Who’s he, Mom?”
“A friend of mine. His name’s Raphael.”
“Why don’t he like the sun?”
“Because he’s a vam—”
She cut herself short at the last moment, unable to believe she’d been about to reveal frightening and impossible things to her child. Like the existence of bloodsuckers or creatures of the night.
Eyebrows quirked, displaying the striking resemblance with his father, Johnny observed Raphael from head to toe. “What’s a vam?”
Oh God, what should she say now? She hated it every time her dad lied to her, yet she considered doing the exact same thing to her own son. No, that wouldn’t happen. He was only three years old, but he deserved the truth just the same.
