by Kay Edwards
Chapter Twenty-Five
Stefan sat up in bed as he heard Sean’s scream pierce the air. It had been two days since Wendy and Carla had shown up at the estate with bruised and bloody faces. Throwing his legs over the side of his bed, Stefan hurried to the next room.
Sean held his arms out. “Don’t let him hurt me.”
Stefan picked the boy up into his arms. He pulled him close. “I’m right here. No one is going to hurt you.”
Sean cuddled into Stefan’s chest. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He whispered. “He kept hitting Aunt Wendy. He wouldn’t stop.”
Stefan stood with Sean in his arms. “I know. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to stop him.”
Sean closed his eyes as Stefan sat in a rocking chair. “Why did he do that?”
Stefan started rocking. He kissed the top of the little boy’s head. Wiping away the child’s tears, he shook his head. “I don’t know. It is tricky trying to understand something like that.”
Sean’s eyes were still closed. “I wish you and Aunt Wendy were married now. I feel safe here.”
Stefan had no intentions of saying out loud that he agreed with the boy. It had been a good thing that Wendy and Carla had gone to the ER. Wendy had a fractured wrist, and Carla had a small skull fracture. The two had no idea how hard they had been hit and thrown. He knew Carla and Malcolm were getting ready to have a nice sized fight. The man had no intentions of letting her go back to the penthouse. He recognized Wendy would be just as thrilled when he told her he agreed with Malcolm.
Sean’s breathing was deep and even. He cuddled into Stefan’s chest a little more as he murmured in his sleep.
Stefan rocked the child a few more minutes. When he was sure Sean was totally asleep, he stood and put him back in Macy’s bed. Wendy had needed a break from this. He was glad he could help her. He left the room leaving the door cracked open. When he turned, he saw Wendy standing just inside his suite door.
Wendy knew she and Stefan needed to be careful. She needed him to hold her, though. The door to the suite was wide open. She glanced up at him unsure how to ask.
Stefan walked over to Wendy. He took her hand and led her to his sofa. He could see she had been crying. Sitting down, he pulled her onto his lap. He whispered softly. “We need to get married. You and I both know March is too far.”
Wendy nodded and closed her eyes. She was exhausted. Her voice was sleepy. “March is too far.”
Stefan looked up at the knock at his door. He smiled as Malcolm walked in. Wendy glanced at Malcolm before closing her eyes again.
Malcolm sat down on an armchair. “This is really getting complicated.”
Stefan chuckled. “I can’t disagree with that.”
Malcolm yawned. “Carla just now went to bed. She put one movie in after another to keep herself awake.”
Stefan glanced at the doorway. “I’m thinking she did not quite make it there.”
Malcolm observed Carla hesitate at the door before walking in. He watched her sit down on the love seat.
Carla curled up into a ball. “I can’t sleep.”
Malcolm saw her close her eyes. He looked at Stefan. “Like I said this is getting really complicated.”
Carla sat up and looked at the men. “I’m watching another movie.” She stood and started for the door.
Malcolm took her hand and tugged her onto his lap. “You need to sleep.”
Carla shook her head. “I need not to be sitting on you like this.”
Malcolm glanced at Stefan. “We have two other people in the room with us.”
Carla yawned. She really was tired. “Maybe just this once.” She cuddled into his chest and closed her eyes.
Stefan knew both women were out cold. He looked at Malcolm. “Do you have a game plan yet?”
Malcolm glanced down at Carla. “I have no idea how to approach this subject. As long as Jake is out on bail, these two are not safe. I would be happy if she stayed here.”
Stefan knew he had to be honest with Malcolm. “I don’t want to fall. Malcolm, I was married. I know what it is to be intimate. If we are left alone, I am worried one kiss will lead to one of our beds.”
Malcolm decided to be just as honest with Stefan as he was with him. “Stefan, I get it. You know the lifestyle I had before coming back to Christ. I have to pray all day long to keep my mind in check. Adding Carla to it has not helped my thoughts. Meeting her has helped me see how badly I want to keep our relationship pure. That is if she ever acknowledges we are in a relationship.”
Stefan chuckled. “She has to know how serious you are. You showed up two days ago to watch a movie and then go home. These two showed up looking like they had just paid purgatory a visit and you decided to take my invitation to stay.”
Malcolm grinned. “I had never been so happy to be asked to stay in my life. I didn’t want to leave her.”
Stefan kissed the top of Wendy’s head. “She really did quietly become my world. I fell for her fast. The more she spoke during her interview. The more I wanted to protect her. I can’t even pinpoint when I wanted to be more than a protector to her. I’m ready for her to be my wife.”
Malcolm knew what Stefan was talking about. “It took me all of ten minutes to want to know Carla better.”
Stefan shook his head. “It took you all of ten seconds. When she didn’t walk all over herself to gain your notice, you noticed her.”
Malcolm couldn’t even deny it. “She didn’t even spare me a second glance. I was completely intrigued.”
Liam spoke from the doorway. “We brought coffee and Cory.”
Stefan looked over at his brothers. Trevor had a tray of mugs while Liam had a sleeping Cory in his arms. He glanced at Malcolm. “So much for the divide and conquer approach tonight.”
Liam sat down and adjusted Cory in his lap. “I have never heard anyone scream in fear like he did. I’m glad Mom took Macy.”
Stefan couldn’t disagree. “It was evident that Carla and Wendy were not getting any sleep with the boys having nightmares.”
Trevor handed each man a mug of coffee. “I can’t believe they are sleeping through us talking like this.”
Liam looked down at Cory. “He thought Wendy was going to die. I wasn’t even sure he was going to go back to sleep. As you can see he did, but the second I try to put him down he wakes up.”
Malcolm glanced at Stefan. “Do you think your building will let you take a peek at the footage? I know the police have a copy of it, but I would love to see exactly what happened.”
Stefan agreed. “I’ll call in the morning and see if they can send it to my email. They are all very shook up.”
Sean’s scream pierced the air again. The men were not prepared for the reaction of the women and Cory.
Wendy went wild in Stefan’s arms while Carla did the same in Malcolm's. Cory’s scream joined Sean’s as Trevor ran for the child in Macy’s room.’
Stefan tried to calm Wendy. Her fists and claws were fighting an enemy only she could see. When her little fist hit his face, he grimaced. “Wendy you’re safe.”
Wendy looked at Sean in Jakes' arms. Fear and fury shot through her body. She fought Jake with everything she had. She could hear Stefan and stopped fighting. She looked at Jake. “Why do you sound like Stefan?”
Stefan knew she was almost awake. His voice was gentle. “Because I am Stefan.”
Wendy started to open her eyes. She looked at Stefan. “I heard Sean scream.”
Trevor held the little boy in his arms. “He was screaming. He was sleeping like you.”
Carla grimaced as she looked at Malcolm's face. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I was defending the boys.”
Malcolm was surprised at the worried look in her eyes. “I’m not mad. You were dreaming.”
Wendy looked at her friend. She was still a bit tired and spoke without thinkin
g. “They won’t ask you to leave. I told you that.”
Stefan looked at Malcolm before he glanced at Carla. He spoke to her. “Is that what you think? Carla, you are like family now. We don’t bail because bad things happen.”
Carla looked at Wendy. “I told you not to say anything.”
Wendy glanced at her friend. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I’m just so tired. I don’t know half the stuff coming out of my mouth.”
Carla nodded. She tried to ease off of Malcolm's lap.
Malcolm pulled her close. “I would like you to stay and go back to sleep. Let me do this for you.”
Liam agreed. “We are all here. You are all tired. We can help.”
Trevor looked at Wendy and then at Carla. “She is already out again. So are the boys. It will be ok. Go to sleep.”
Carla put her head back on Malcolm's chest. She whispered softly. “I’ll try.”
It took all of five minutes for Carla to be out. Malcolm looked at Stefan. “I can’t believe she thought we wouldn’t want her.”
Liam glanced at Wendy. “What she told us about Clair makes it a bit easier to understand Carla. I guess they were never taken care of like they should have been.”
Malcolm frowned. “What happened to Clair?”
Trevor relayed the story to Malcolm. He watched the play of emotions on Malcolm's face and tried to say something positive. “From the way Wendy made it sound, it was only Clair that happened to.”
Malcolm nodded as he swallowed the lump in his throat. “I hope you are right.”
Stefan looked at his friend. “What if he isn’t?”
Malcolm glanced down at Carla. “I guess I have to convince her I’m not someone that would do that to her.”
The men continued to talk and sip their coffees. It was still a few hours before sunrise. They knew they would be tired, but they also knew that it was worth it for those that they cared about to get a good night’s rest. By the time morning dawned, they had all taken the time to pray for the women and boys. They had asked that God would give them peace as night fell again. They asked that God would help them to know how to best help Wendy, Carla, Sean, and Cory as they dealt with the trauma they had endured and seen.
