His Sword

by Holly Hart

  “I won’t judge you, Penny,” Kevin says, with his hand still on my shoulder.

  “We haven’t had sex for months,” I say. Even though I’m lying through my teeth, I’m still awkward enough about sex that my cheeks bloom red with embarrassment.

  The sound of the sudden gruffness in Kevin’s voice, the idea has a completely different effect on him…

  “And how,” he says, as though he’s a cut-rate therapist, “does that make you feel?”

  “Unwanted,” I whisper, barely holding in a burst of laughter. “And ugly…”

  I can almost hear the gears whirring in Kevin’s mind. “But what do the cameras have to do with anything?” He says. Then, a thunk, as he has a thought.

  “He didn’t force himself on you, did he?” The guard says, with almost lurid excitement. “Assault you?”

  Why the hell would you want to see something like that?

  “No. Worse,” I say.

  I lean on the truth, this time: most of it. Of course, it wasn’t my husband who did all this, it was Landon Winchester.

  “He threatened to take my daughter from me. Even brought a woman from CPS here, and bribed her to go along with it.”

  The understanding dawns in Kevin’s mind. “And if you get the tapes…”

  I open my eyes and flutter my eyelashes at Kevin. “I’m free…”

  I have exactly the effect that I was hoping for. It’s crazy. I don’t understand when I suddenly became so attractive to men! Still, I’m glad of this unexpected development. For once my looks seem to be playing into my favor…

  Kevin looks right and left, as if searching for his supervisor. “Come with me,” he says, a prison of nervous excitement on his face: and the bulge of something else at his crotch…

  “Where are we going?”

  “The control room,” he says. “If anyone asks, say you lost your –,” his brow furrows.

  “– My purse,” I say, hurrying things along.

  “Perfect.”

  “That’s it!” I squeal.

  Kevin manipulates the controls of the CCTV system until I see myself, Ms. Winters and Landon Winchester all on a cramped LCD screen.

  “Who is that guy?” Kevin says. “He looks familiar.”

  “Just some businessman,” I say with true disdain. “He’s a real ass.”

  Underneath the video, dancing lines indicate the audio feed. Luckily, the video’s muted. If Kevin listens to it, of course, the ruse is up…

  He reaches for the volume knob. I panic. I need to stop him. I move my hand forward, covering his. He flinches, and his head snaps back to look at me.

  “Can I –,” Kevin says, his voice trailing off with nervousness.

  Kiss me? Hell no. A girl’s gotta have standards!

  “I’m –I’m just not ready. Yet,” I lie.

  I’m ready, all right. Just not for Kevin.

  “Can we go out sometime?” He asks, licking his lips.

  Hell no.

  I counter Kevin’s question with one of my own.

  “Can you copy it for me, Kevin,” I say, stroking his upper arm. “And delete the footage as well. I’ll need it in court to be free of my husband. But then things will be different…”

  I’ve never seen a man move so quickly. In seconds, the footage is in a flash drive in my hands, and the original is gone.

  “Listen Kevin,” I say. I’ve got to go…”

  His face falls. I search for a way to keep my lie going long enough that he doesn’t second guess himself.

  “… to … court.”

  Crap. I’ve got to throw this guy some kind of bone. I don’t feel right just using him like this, no matter how creepy he is.

  “Give me your number, all right?” I say.

  He scribbles it on a piece of paper. As he does, my phone buzzes in my back pocket. The jeans are so tight it’s hard to pull out. I checked the screen.

  It’s Robbie.

  Finally.

  “I’ve got to take this,” I say. “But thank you, Kevin. I mean it.”

  I step out of the cramped security booth. While Kevin I were busy inside, the museum opened. The first members of the public have begun streaming through the doors. I see a short, scruffily-dressed man with a beard staring at me – or the booth I’ve just exited. Just as I think he’s been staring for a second too long, he turns away.

  Still, he unsettles me.

  I answer the phone.

  “Robbie,” I growl. “Where have you been?”

  “Penny! Where are you?”

  The panic in my best friend’s usually cocky, laid-back voice is evident, and worrying. “I’m at the hospital.” she continues.

  Say whatever you like about Robbie, she’s always been there for me – and my dad.

  “How’s dad?” I ask; my heart suddenly in my mouth. “I had to leave …I’m doing …”

  Suddenly, my excuses seem like dust in the wind. My elation at getting the tape that proves Charlie’s innocence – and Landon’s guilt – seems so meaningless in the context of my dad in the hospital.

  “That’s the thing, Penny,” Robbie yells down the phone. “He’s not here!”

  An icy chill runs through me. “What do you mean, he’s not there?” I ask. “Is he in surgery?”

  “He’s gone. That’s all they’ll tell me,” Robbie says. “He’s not in this hospital anymore. You’ve got to get down here, Penny. You’re family. They’ll talk to you.”

  I don’t even answer before I start running. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the scruffy, bearded man following me. If it wasn’t for the emptiness of the museum’s lobby this early in the morning, there’s no way I would have spotted him.

  Another emotion fills me. Fear, this time. The jigsaw pieces start to fall into place. The man following me, my father’s disappearance – it’s all got to be Landon’s doing. He’s coming after me.

  I sprint.

  The bearded man swears, and then breaks into a run. I ignore him. My arms pump at my side. I don’t care about my own personal safety – just about dad. I swear, if they’ve done anything to him…

  I fly out of the museum’s entrance doors into the bright morning sunshine. And, a second later –I slam into a man’s chest.

  The impact knocks me to the stone steps. I look up, but the person in front of me is drowned out by the brightness of the sun.

  “Penny –?”

  His voice is familiar. Still, in the depths of my panic, I don’t recognize it.

  Then there’s another commotion behind us. I twist, stomach gnawing with worry. Two more men arrive, flying out of the museum: the bearded man, and…

  Kevin.

  “Who the fuck is that?” Charlie growls. Charlie!

  I don’t know where to look. I don’t know what to say. How can Charlie be here, of all places?

  “We’ve got to go, Charlie,” I say, panicked. “Now!”

  He picks me up off the stone steps, and I watch out of the corner of my eye as Kevin rugby-tackles my bearded stalker to the ground.

  “Shit,” Charlie growls.

  My cheeks drain of blood. Everything’s just moving so damn fast. I can’t make head or tails of what’s going on.

  “Wait,” I say as Charlie’s face finally comes into focus. “You know that guy?”

  “Jason,” Charlie says, his jaw muscles tensing. “His name is Jason.”

  My shoulders hunch over. “I thought –I thought he was following me.”

  “He was,” Charlie says, “because I asked him to.”

  Kevin and Jason tussle on the steps. It doesn’t take more than a few seconds before Charlie’s man gains the upper hand. He puts Kevin into a headlock.

  “Run, Penny,” Kevin shouts in a gurgled yell. “Get out of here!”

  An expression of incomprehension appears on Charlie’s face. “Seriously – who the hell is that guy?”

  “It’s a long story,” I mutter.

  Then, as the adrenaline begins to fade, the real
reason I was running out of the museum hits me once more. I grip Charlie’s arm, terrified.

  “Charlie – I don’t know what you must think of me, but I need your help. My dad – Landon Winchester’s got my dad!”

  Charlie’s forehead wrinkles, and an awkward expression appears on his face.

  “Actually, Penny,” he says, chewing his lip. “I do.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Charlie

  I can’t help but cast an appreciative glance at Penny’s ass as she steps into my limousine. Even after everything that’s happened, the one thing that hasn’t changed is my wife’s stunning beauty.

  “What are you looking at?” Penny mutters, casting an anxious glance back.

  I make no bones about my interest.

  “You,” I growl.

  You know how they say you don’t know what something’s worth until it’s gone? That’s the way it is with Penny. I knew how much I liked her from the moment I made contact with her sizzling blue eyes.

  But I didn’t realize how hard I’d fallen for her until she left.

  Penny makes a strangled sound. “Oh.”

  I climb in after her, and slam the passenger door closed. Suddenly the hustle and bustle of an awakening New York fades away. The privacy screen is up, and it’s just Penny and me – sitting across from one another. I have a burning desire to take her hand and kiss her, but I fight it off.

  I can’t. Not yet.

  “You need to tell me everything, Charlie,” Penny says. She’s calmed down since she ran straight into my chest, but it’s obvious that she’s still on edge.

  “Why are you here? Why was that guy following me?”

  I scratch the tip of my nose.

  “I could say the same thing to you…” I grin. “Well, maybe without the following bit…”

  Except that’s not true, is it, I think. This whole thing started with you picking me as a target.

  Penny flushes. It’s obvious she can hear exactly what I’m thinking.

  “I was going to steal from you,” she blurts out, “ten million dollars; that was the plan.”

  The revelation rocks me back against the leather seat. It’s not exactly a shock – I knew all this logically – but there’s nothing logical in my mind when it comes to Penny Thorne.

  “Okay,” I say, kinking my eyebrow, “nice to see you too.”

  My lame attempt at humor ricochets right off Penny’s anxious face. If I was hoping to make her smile, I realize I’m going to have to try a damn sight harder.

  “What are you doing with my dad?” Penny demands to know. “Where have you taken him? Charlie, I swear –”

  I hold my hands up to cut her off. “Penny, wait.”

  She gives me a hunted look.

  “Your dad’s safe. The second I found out about him, I knew that he had to move. No one gets better in Brookdale. He’s being looked at by the best doctors in the city now. My guess is that they’ll have him in surgery inside a week. I’m covering everything.”

  Penny stares at me, her eyes popping out, her jaw literally dropping open. “What –?”

  I bite my lip; then decide to throw caution to the wind. As far as grand gestures go, paying for your woman’s dad’s healthcare has got to buy you a few brownie points.

  I reach forward, and take Penny’s hand. I press it between both my palms.

  “You mean everything to me, Penny. Whatever your name is, whoever you are – I don’t care.”

  “You don’t know what you’re saying,” Penny mutters. She squeezes her eyes shut, as though hiding from me, and a tear trickles out of the corner of her right eye.

  I laugh. “Not a lot of people tell me that,” I say.

  “Maybe they should,” Penny says in a strangled voice.

  I can tell she’s beating herself up. Hell, she has every right to. The thing is this; I don’t hold a grudge against her. I really don’t. Penny might have intended to steal from me – but when push came to shove, she didn’t.

  – Except my heart.

  Only, there’s one last thing I can’t figure out.

  “Penny,” I say.

  Something in my voice causes her to open her eyes and look at me. Maybe it’s the raw honesty I feel pouring out of me.

  “I’m falling –, no. I’ve fallen for you: hard. I’ve never felt like this about a woman before. Not Tilly’s mom, not anyone. Beat yourself up about what you did, fine. But don’t fight this. Don’t fight us. Don’t fight me.”

  “How can you say that?” Penny groans. “After everything I’ve done. Everyone will know what I did. I can’t let you do it. I’ll ruin your reputation.”

  “The hell they will,” I growl. “Besides – who cares? The dinner party circuit in this town is hella boring. You’ll be the most interesting girl in the room. Think about the kudos I’ll get – the billionaire who married the girl trying to rob him!”

  I act on impulse, stand up, hunched over, and switch seats, so I’m sitting next to Penny. I’m still clutching her arm. I placed two fingers underneath her chin and lift it up, just a couple of inches. I stare directly into her eyes.

  “And besides, Penny Thorne. You don’t tell me what I can’t do, you get that? Especially when that happens to be loving you.”

  As the words leap from my mouth, my heart skips a beat. The clear, ringing truth in them startles even me.

  Penny’s lips act out her killer goldfish impression. “You –”

  I don’t give her a chance to finish whatever she was about to say. Still on my impulsive tilt, I lean forward and press my lips against hers. I loop my arm around Penny’s back and kiss her like she’s never been kissed before.

  I bite her bottom lip, grazing it with my teeth. I don’t stop, don’t let up, don’t give Penny a moment’s respite.

  I don’t want her to think this through. I want her to give in to what she already knows – that we are meant to be together. That it doesn’t matter how we met, or what.

  “You used me, Penny,” I growl hoarsely as I pull back from the kiss.

  Penny’s eyes flicker with shocked surprise. I don’t blame her. Her emotions must be on a bungee cord right now – or else in a washing machine, on spin.

  “But I used you as well,” I say. “When you told that woman from CPS that we were married, my mind slowed down. It does that, sometimes – when I’m under pressure. I thought things through. I could have laughed what you said off as a joke, but I didn’t. I saw the opportunity to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, and I took it. You played me, but I played you right back.”

  And then I’m out of words. It seems kind of anticlimactic to stop there, but that’s it. I’m done. I haven’t got anything else to say.

  So I wait.

  “Oh,” Is all I get in return.

  “Girl,” I grin. “We gotta work on your vocabulary…”

  Penny licks her lips.

  “Charlie,” she whispers. “You said you loved me? You’re not… You’re not –?”

  “Playing you right now?” I laugh, shaking my head; “Hell no. I meant what I said, Penny Thorne. Or Penny Walters, or whatever you want me to call you. I love you. I’ll shout it off the roof tops, if I need to.”

  Penny’s lips form an ‘O’. I feel my eyebrows rising, and she must notice, because she jams them shut.

  “You’re not going to leave me hanging, are you?”

  Penny shakes her head, and then tears are glistening in her eyes. She sniffles and hugs me – as though a thousand emotions are surging through her all at once, and she doesn’t know where to look, or where to turn.

  “No,” she sniffs. “No. Charlie, I don’t want to change a thing. I love you too: you, and Tilly, and everything. I know I shouldn’t, we shouldn’t. I’m so young, and –”

  “Are you calling me old?” I grin, kissing Penny again just to stop the freak out that’s raging through her mind.

  Penny’s eyes flare with apology. As she’s ramping up to say she’s sorry, I cut her
off again. “Well, if I am, then I’m old enough to make my own damn mistakes. You’re a lot of things, Penny, but I know one thing for damn sure. You’re not a mistake.”

  This time it’s Penny who kisses me.

  Her kiss is different than mine. It’s soft, and tender. Her tongue probes my lips, gently forcing a way through. Her fingers stroke my cheeks; the lightness of her breath kisses me gently.

  “You don’t know that,” she whispers. Just as I’m readying myself to assure her that I do, she cuts me off.

  “But I’m glad you’re willing to find out.”

  Because that’s the truth: I don’t know how this is going to go, or what’s going to happen between Tilly and Penny and I.

  No one does. No one can. Life’s just a series of mistakes, and humans trying to muddle through as best they can.

  “I want to muddle through with you,” I whisper.

  Penny’s forehead kinks with confusion. “What?”

  “Nothing,” I smile. “There’s just one thing I don’t understand.”

  Penny looks at me with a hint of concern – as though she’s worried I’m about to pull the rug out from beneath her feet. She’s got nothing to worry about. I feel content right now: happy in a way I haven’t felt for years, not even with Tilly by my side.

  Life’s a journey you’re supposed to traverse with kids – sure – but also with a woman by your side. Penny’s my woman: nothing’s going to change that. Not now.

  “What the hell were you doing at the Natural History Museum?” I frown. “I found the box, Pen: in your room. I know Landon tricked you there last night. The second I found it, it all made sense.”

  “The box…” Penny whispers, squeezing her eyes shut. “I forgot.”

  I don’t stop. “But why go back?”

  Penny’s eyes spring open. A strange, fiery smile stretches across her face. Combined with her glowing red hair, and even the tired redness to her cheeks, she looks downright scary.

  “Because,” she growls, hefting her ass up in an awkward dance to get at whatever’s in the back pocket of her denim jeans, “of this.”

  Whatever it is, she grabs it from the skin-type material and presents it to me triumphantly. She turns her fists over, and opens her fingers, revealing – something – on her flat palm.