“I was thinking about what you asked, about taking Kerry,” Robert said. “Perhaps it might be nice to take the kids and Ted for a couple of days break.”
“Oh, that would be great. I just think it might be good for Kerry, she’s doing so well at school at the moment and I thought it might be a reward for her.”
“Are you kidding me? Twelve kids running around New York.” Travis said.
“Ted will look after them, maybe Evelyn might want to come as well. We can arrange a couple of day trips for them, see the Statue of Liberty and all that,” I replied.
“Yeah well, rather you than me that’s all I’m saying.”
“When are you seeing Caroline next?” I asked him.
“Tomorrow, she has the day off so I’m going to hers, meet Harley,” he said.
“Getting serious then is it, bro?” Robert asked him.
“Yeah, I think so,” he smiled back.
I left them and wishing Gina a good New Year, I headed back down to my own desk. I wondered what we would do for New Year, I would have to ask Robert later. I had been so focused on making Christmas wonderful for him, that I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Back home, Michael would want to go down the pub, get drunk with his mates and weep at midnight, trying to fill my head with promises of a better year. At least I would have had Sam for company.
****
A little after four, I headed down to the gym. I was desperate for a work out and although there would be no Joseph, I was sure I might be able to tempt Travis into a rematch. I was already on the treadmill when the boys came in. Watching Robert in the mirror, that I was now thankful for, I still got excited at the sight of his body. I wondered as time went on, whether that would fade, I hoped not. They warmed up with the heavy bag, the speed ball and some circuit training on the benches. I headed over to the ring as they ducked under the ropes. I had seen Robert box but usually while I was working out myself, this time I stood and really watched. Travis was goading him all the time to which Robert took no notice. His face changed when he boxed, he meant it and although I doubted he hit out as hard as he could, I still winced with each punch.
“Come on then, Brooke. Teach us some of your crap,” Travis said when they were done.
I climbed into the ring and showed them some kicks. Travis was really good but Robert was much faster. Where Travis kept his distance Robert didn’t, he closed the gap between us. He wouldn’t fight with me but soon I had my back on the ropes with nowhere to go.
“Big mistake, Brooke. Never let your opponent get close,” he said laughing, his arms either side of me holding the ropes.
I tried to push him away but he was like a mountain standing in front of me.
“Okay, I give up,” I said as his body pressed me further onto the ropes.
“Good girl,” he whispered.
We mucked about for half an hour then headed for the changing room. Maintenance had sectioned off an area, installed my own shower and I had to run and lock the door before Robert could get in and share with me. Not with Travis in the same room!
“Let’s go get something to eat,” Robert said once we were ready and we headed off to the club.
“How do they know to open the door before we get to it?” I asked, as the door was opened.
“Camera at the front desk, keeps the riff raff out,” Travis laughed.
Robert was stopped at least three times on the way to our table, chatting to people who had stood to greet him. Travis whispered in my ear who each was and my eyes widened at the names, one of which was an aide to the President.
“Helps to have friends in high places,” Travis said.
“Do they know about you guys?” I asked.
“Probably, but right now it suits both parties to be acquainted.”
I shook my head, it still baffled me, the power of Robert and Vassago in this city.
“Sorry about that,” he said as he sat next to me.
Once seated, he was left alone and like a celebrity, I noticed a couple of waiters standing guard so we could eat in peace.
“So, are you nervous about meeting Harley?” I asked Travis.
“Terrified, kids are fucking scary at the best of times,” he laughed.
“Judging by the way you are with the kids at the home, you’ll be fine,” I told him.
“Yeah, well, this is something different, he’s a smart kid by all accounts,” he replied.
“Just be yourself, he’ll love you,” I said, patting his hand.
We had a wonderful meal, scallops to start, and a fillet of beef to follow. The three of us chatting about everything and nothing in particular.
“What are we doing for New Year's Eve?” I asked Robert as the waiter poured our coffee.
“To be honest, I would like a quiet night in, just the two of us. Maybe I’ll cook for you,” he replied.
“What about you Travis, and poor Evelyn sitting on her own.”
“Oh we have plans, don’t worry about us,” Travis answered.
A night with just Robert, I was looking forward to it already. We could make our own fireworks.
“Anyway, I want some advice, Brooke,” Travis said.
“About what,” I answered, a little surprised.
“My scars, Caroline asked, I don’t know how to explain them.”
I looked at Robert for guidance.
“I didn’t tell her Trav,” Robert said to him.
There was a slight moment of awkwardness.
“Travis, I didn’t ask. If you want me to know then that’s fine but if you don’t, that’s also fine. I accept Robert doesn’t tell me everything and if you want to change the subject, I’ll understand.”
I didn’t want him to feel that now the subject had been broached, he was obliged to tell me. I still recall the shock I had felt at the sight of his torso covered in slash marks. That day I had walked into the changing room when he was getting ready for his work out. I watched him and Robert look at each other. Travis nodded. Robert started to speak.
“Joey had set us up, he had hired some pricks to kill us, this you already know. We were supposed to meet a lorry, it was full of cigarettes and with the knowledge of the driver we were to, let’s say, acquire them. The driver gets paid money to not be able to recognise who hijacked his truck but when we picked up the money, I knew something was wrong. The money was wrapped in brown paper and I took a look inside, instead of notes it was full of cocaine. Joe didn’t deal in coke.”
He paused, taking a sip of his coffee.
“We arrived at the warehouse, there was no sign of the lorry but we went in anyway. It was dark and stupidly we separated, each taking one side to check it out. We knew we had been set up but we wanted to know by who.”
Travis took over. “I was jumped, someone wrapped a chain around my legs and I was pulled to the floor, my hands were tied behind my back. There were four guys, two had gone after Rob and two stayed with me. They were after Rob really but they needed to draw him out, he was in the shadows and I was the bait.”
Now Robert spoke. “I could hear what was going on but I had to take out the two guys trying to find me, otherwise we both would have died.”
“What was going on?” I asked.
“They were cutting him, slashing a knife across his stomach, his chest, anywhere they could really. They thought once I heard him, I would come running, they could then finish us both off.”
“Rob did the right thing,” Travis said. “He moved around the room, took out the two before he came for me.”
“What happened to the two with you, Travis?”
“One still lives, although I doubt he walks well,” he replied.
My heart was hammering in my chest and I watched as Robert looked at me, waiting for my reaction.
“It’s how I got my scar,” he said. “One of them had a knife, as I got close he reached behind and cut my side. It wasn’t deep, just fucking annoying.”
“Annoying? Well, I’m sure it was,” I said, amaze
d at his flippancy.
“They tortured him, Brooke. There was no way they were going to walk out of there after doing that,” Robert said, looking at Travis.
“Wow, is that what you meant Trav when you said you owed Robert your life?” I asked.
He just nodded at me and I didn’t know what to say. I knew Robert had killed before. He admitted as much to me before but this was the first I knew of the circumstances behind it and I understood why, they had no choice. If he hadn’t have done that, both would be dead. The thought that Robert might not be here now horrified me. I thought for a moment before I spoke, both looking at me expectantly.
“You did what you had to do, both of you,” I said.
“What about the one that lived?” I asked.
“Oh don’t worry about him. Every time he looks in a mirror, baby, he’ll remember that day,” Robert said, coldly.
“I’m sorry, Brooke. I shouldn’t have brought it up, it’s just Caroline asked and I thought you knew,” Travis said.
“Don’t apologise Trav, I’m glad you’ve told me. So what do you say? The first thing to think about it is whether you want her to know the truth, is she for keeps? If you do and she is, you’ll have to explain why someone wanted you dead, that might be way too much information to start with. I guess I would say that you and Robert had a bit of a colourful past, you got into a situation where someone attacked you. It’s not a lie but you can’t just come out with everything in one go, she will run, believe me. She has a child to protect, be sure that she is the one before you say anything more.”
Robert tucked my hair behind my ear. “That sounds like a conversation we’ve had,” he said, looking at Travis.
“Is she in love with you? I mean really in love with you?” I asked Travis. “If she is, she’ll forgive you anything,” I smiled at him.
He laughed remembering what he had told me and Robert looked at us, not understanding.
“When you had one of your melt downs, Travis sat me down and asked me if I could forgive you anything. If I could, we would make it work,” I said to Robert.
“Come on, let’s go, but please Trav, think about the relationship before you say anything,” I said.
As we walked out Travis said to Robert, “You know what, if Caroline is half the person Brooke is, I’ll be a lucky man.”
Later that night, lying in Robert’s arms, I ran my fingers over the scar.
“I’m glad you told me. It must have been awful,” I said.
“It was. I could hear him scream over and over, not in fear just pain and I knew the only way I could save him was to take the lives of two people. I don’t think they wanted him dead, not to start with anyway, but there’s only so much cutting before he would have bled out.”
“How did you kill them?” I asked.
“Does it matter how I did it, Brooke?” he replied and I shook my head.
“If you hadn’t had done that, Robert, neither of you would be here now, so don’t beat yourself up about it, you had no choice. Are they the only ones you’ve killed?” I asked.
He looked at me for a while then gently shook his head. I closed my eyes, briefly. I wouldn’t ask, I didn’t want to know anymore.
“Does it make you feel differently about me,” he whispered, this was something I knew would be on his mind.
“No, I love you. Nothing you tell me will make me feel any less for you. I can’t turn off my feelings just like that. I mean, I never imagined I would end up living with a, well you.”
If I said the words out loud then I would have to acknowledge what Robert was and I wasn’t ready for that. I doubt I would ever be ready for that word, it has to go in that box with the padlock and chain.
He looked at me, his fingers stroking the side of my face. “A murd....”
Before he could finish I placed my fingers over his lips. “Just don’t break my heart, I wouldn’t survive,” I whispered.
“I could never break your heart, it’s too precious. I feel alive inside and I haven’t felt that way for, well, forever I guess.”
I understood what he meant, he had done some terrible things, lived a terrible life and I believed what I said, we were meant to be together.
****
He was gone before I woke the following morning and I was still in bed thinking of the conversation the previous evening. Part of me regretted that Robert and I had not met years ago, but years ago I would not have been mature enough to handle him. Now was absolutely the right time for both of us but it hurt sometimes, that depth of love I felt for him. It was like a physical pain in my chest, I couldn’t bear to be parted from him anymore than he could from me. I mean, I could go a day, while he was at work, while I knew where he was and that he would be returning to me but just occasionally I would think that if he left me, I knew I would shrivel up and die. I couldn’t live without him. And here I was refusing to acknowledge the importance that I was living with someone who had killed others. I’d witnessed it, I was an accomplice wasn’t I? The strangest thing was, when I thought about that, I felt nothing. That shocked me a little. I should be terrified, I should be running for the hills shouldn’t I? But I kept coming back to this connection I felt to Robert. Or was it a compulsion to be with him?
“Can you forgive him anything?” The depth of love I felt, the pull I got towards him when he was close, how our heartbeats were in perfect time when we lie together, how I can’t remember what it felt like not to be with him, all those things means I can answer that question easily. Yes, murderer or not, the answer was yes.
Chapter Nine
The following day I went to the home, I was pleased to see the kids mob me as they had Robert. They were happy to see me and I liked to spend time with them. They were on school break and we chatted about what they had been up to, how they hated the thought of going back. Kerry told me that she had received a card from her friend in school, she, and I, was really pleased about that. I spent a couple of hours with them before heading off to the club.
This time I was the first to arrive. “Your usual wine, Miss Stiles.”
“Thank you, Henry. That would be lovely,” I said as he placed a cooler with a bottle of wine on the table.
I heard Taylor arrive long before I saw her, her laugh as she chatted while handing her coat over, echoed up the stairwell.
“Honey, did you have a great Christmas?” she asked as she came across the room.
We hugged. “Yes, and Robert loved his presents,” I said.
“Oh honey, you should have seen Mack’s face, it was a picture I can tell you.”
We chatted, catching up until the others arrived. We sat and talked about what we had each received as gifts from our men. I told them of the photos of my brother.
“And that boy thought he couldn’t do romance,” Taylor said.
“I know, I can’t quite believe it myself,” I replied. “Anyway, yesterday, Travis asked me how to explain to Caroline about his scars.”
“What did you say?” Patricia asked.
“I told him to be sure about their relationship, then perhaps say that he got into a situation where he was attacked and no more. He’s not lying to her but to tell her exactly what happened means to tell her everything and it’s just too soon for that.”
“That’s good advice, Brooke. I wonder what he’ll do,” Patricia added.
“I remember when that happened,” Rosa said quietly. “We got a call in the middle of the night, they were at Ted’s. I’ll be honest, Brooke, when I saw them it really freaked me out, they were covered in blood. Travis was lying on the sofa and Robert wouldn’t leave his side. I had to stitch the pair of them up because they wouldn’t go to the hospital. It had been years since I had done anything like that.”
“I can imagine it wasn’t pleasant,” I replied.
“They plied Travis with whisky as a pain killer so he was pretty much out of it but Robert, well, he was the scariest.”
“In what way?” I asked.
�
�He just stood there, no emotion on his face at all, no pain killers, nothing, while I stitched as best I could. What was scary, was that he felt nothing at all, there was not one involuntary flinch,” she finished and I noticed her hand shake a little.
The rest of the women quietened, subtly glancing to each other. Robert had told me that she was not a fan of his and that he thought it had something to do with Paul. He was wrong, she was simply scared of him.
“Rosa, we’re friends right?” I asked.
“Yes, of course,” she replied.
“Then can we be honest with each other? I know I’ve not known him as long as you guys have, but Robert is not the same person he was years ago. Now, he does hurt, he does feel. I can’t claim to know everything about him but I know an awful amount, things from before he even came to America.”
I paused, pondering on what to say.
“He’s not the devil, he’s not evil, but he had to build a massive wall around him which made him cold and hard but that was his survival instinct. Rosa, what do you see when you look at him, I mean really look at him. Do you see evil? I see a normal person who had the shittiest start in life and went off the rails for a while, nothing more.”
She didn’t answer but she looked very uncomfortable, I took her hand in mind.
“I know what people think. Evelyn and I have spoken about this many times. I mean, let’s be fair, it’s not really his fault that he looks like the kid from the Omen.” I laughed.
She relaxed, “Brooke, I’m sorry. He used to scare me and I guess maybe as I’ve not had as much to do with him over the years, that fear is still there. There was always something very strange about him.”
“Honey, he scared the pants off everyone, still does sometimes,” Taylor added with a laugh.
“Anyway, let’s not have anymore talk about it. I understand, Rosa, honestly, I do. Let’s change the subject, what are you guys doing for New Year?”
“Oh I don’t know yet, Jon and I like to keep it quiet,” Patricia said.
Fallen Angel, Part II Page 16
