His Sister's Return

by Mary Goldberger

  Then suddenly her eyes flew wide as she thought about another possible reason, and she bit her lip as it became more probable than anything else. She pulled her cell from her pocket ready to call Sam when she noticed the low battery on her phone before it completely died.

  “Damn,” she muttered staring at her dead phone as if it was suddenly going to come back alive for her.

  Next to her, Trystan’s jaw tensed in anger as suspicion went through his mind. “Is there a problem?” He asked his voice full of anger that Alina picked up on.

  “No,” she said evenly putting the phone back in her pocket.

  Trystan didn’t ask another question as he pressed his foot firmly on the gas as the sooner he got her back to the hotel, the sooner she could get the hell away from him and the feelings she elicited in him.

  Chapter 6

  “A week,” Alina murmured leaning on the railing of her balcony staring at the scenery before her as the sun began to set. It had been a week since Trystan had dropped her off in front of the hotel and drove away without another word. A few days later she learned that he had went to his girlfriend’s place that same evening and her heart constricted with a feeling of pain, which confused her.

  Within that time, she had explored more of Witt hunting for a job and checking any rentals that she could afford if she didn’t get a job right away. So far, other than that one job interview, she hadn’t find anything yet and the rental properties were very scarce as her mind thought of that house in Tiers that she had fallen in love with. She had called a few days ago about it, but unfortunately, the person who she needed to talk to had gone out of town and she was told to call back next week. She hoped that the house was still up for rent when she did call back.

  She chuckled without humor tilting her head back eyes still closed as so many thoughts went running through her mind before with a single-minded focus, she wiped her mind clear. There was only one thought running rampart in her head as she stepped back inside her room and grabbed her cell from the night stand intent on calling her brother.

  She just started to dial her brother‘s number when her cell rung and recognizing the number, she answered blankly, “Hello.”

  “Alina, where are you?” Her mother’s sharp, petulant voice said, and Alina could hear loud noise in the background.

  “Hello, Janice,” Alina said sitting on the bed before she lay back staring up at the ceiling. “What can I do for you today?”

  Her mother hesitated for a second before she said, “You remember that jewelry I pawned a while back.”

  Alina closed her eyes as she said, “Yeah, I remember. What about it?”

  “He is wanting it back although he gave it to me in the settlement. Stingy bastard,” her mother muttered. “Unfortunately, the law is on his side because technically it wasn’t his, but his sister’s and she wants her jewelry.”

  Same old, same old, Alina thought to herself as her mother continued on. “Do you think I can get the money to get it out of pawn?”

  Alina knew her mother well enough to know that the money would never see the inside of the pawn shop. “Don’t’ worry about it, Janice. I will take care of it.”

  “Thank you, dear,” her mother said on a deep sigh although there was a note of disappointment.

  Alina waited as her mother hesitated for a second before she asked, “Alina, dear, do you think I can get some cash from you?”

  Alina shook her head as she let the cell drop from her ear listening to her mother call her name over and over again until she heard, “Ungrateful child” before the line went silent.

  Alina flipped the phone close as she thought about that comment before she sat up with a deep sigh and flipped the phone open again. She punched in a number and waited for it to be answered on the other end, and when the older voice answered she smiled.

  “Uncle Sarette,” she said.

  “Alina, how are you my child,” he said in delight at hearing her voice.

  “Doing well,” Alina said then stilled at his next words.

  “Have seen your father yet, dear,” he asked knowing of all things that was the one thing she didn’t have the courage to do yet.

  “No, Uncle Sarette, not yet,” Alina admitted before she changed the topic. “Remember that box I gave you before I left?”

  “Yes,” he said with a frown before his confusion cleared. “You want me to return it now?”

  “Janice called a few minutes ago telling me that they were requesting it back,” Alina told him, and he knew enough to know that she probably asked Alina for money too in the process.

  “I will take care of it, Alina,” he told her softly.

  “Thanks, Uncle Sarette,” she told him a soft note in her voice that held a touch of sadness.

  “So how are you and Sam doing?” Uncle Sarette asked chuckling as he thought of those two siblings who kept in contact using him and his wife as their go-betweens.

  “He is doing well about to propose to the woman he has been bragging about for the last year,” Alina said on a laugh. She hesitated for a second before she asked, “Uncle Sarette, do you think you can do some investigative work for me?”

  “Well, I’m not getting any younger but I think I can manage something,” he said. “What do you need?”

  She told him about what happened in Tiers and he asked her sharply, “Are you okay?”

  “I’ve had worse,” she commented, and he frowned slightly at her words. “I think that it could be someone from Sam’s past and even his present…” she was thinking about his secretary remembering what he said that night they went out to dinner.

  “You want some background information on them,” Uncle Sarette asked.

  “If it’s not too much trouble,” Alina said. “I can ask Sam for a list of his ex-girlfriends, but he would probably ask me why I want it.”

  “You haven’t told him yet about the incident,” Uncle Sarette said with a frown.

  Alina grimaced slightly before she admitted, “No, I haven’t but our conversations have been brief lately since he has been busy with that meeting coming up and his girlfriend.”

  Uncle Sarette made a notation on his legal pad before he said, “The next time you two talk I think you should warn him just in case they go after his fiancée.”

  “At the moment, they seem to be focused on me,” Alina told him. “I don’t want to give him something else to worry about right now.”

  “Alina,” Uncle Sarette said in his best ‘don’t make me kick your ass’ voice, and Alina sighed.

  “All right I will tell him when I talk to him the next time,” she told him in defeat.

  “Good and I will get on that information for you,” Uncle Sarette told her.

  Alina laughed as she knew that Uncle Sarette was happy now that he had gotten what he wanted, and she said ‘good night’ before she hung up.

  She sat there for a little longer before she threw the phone on the night stand and got up heading for the shower. Tomorrow, she would make a stop by the restaurant she had put in an application although she seriously doubted she got it because from the job interview, she had the suspicion that it would go to a local.

  She stripped down turning on the shower full force not hearing her cell go off as she turned her face up to the water striving to push the man called Trystan from her thoughts.

  Trystan frowned as the call went to voice mail and he hung up as he wondered where she was this late. He looked out the window of his bedroom thinking about what happened that day they came back from Tiers, and his eyes hardened at what he had done afterwards. Since that day, he hadn’t talked to Alina or even tried to get in touch with her until now. He looked down as a car pulled up to the house and he heard the laughter as Marla and Samuel exited it.

  His frown switched to a scowl as he turned and headed out of his room where he had been working to meet Marla and Samuel downstairs.

  “Trystan,” Marla called catching sight of him on the stairs, and she laughed with comple
te joy as he continued down. “Look,” she said waving her hand and the light caught the diamond on her ring finger.

  Trystan walked over to them as Bea and his mother came out of the living room, and his mother clapped her hands together. “About time,” she uttered without hesitation.

  “Mom,” Marla said a note of embarrassment in her voice.

  “Congratulations,” Trystan said giving her a kiss and a hug while giving Samuel a hard look over her shoulder that caused him to look at Trystan in confusion.

  “Hurt my sister, Samuel,” he said after letting her go as their mother wrapped her in his arms, “and you will see what a Bastard I can be.”

  Samuel smiled a hard look in his own eyes as he said with complete honesty, “I know how serious and mean that you can get, Trystan.”

  Trystan met his look squarely and nodded his head as they shook hands before turning to the others and his mother dragged them into the living room.

  Samuel left an hour later heading home and as he pulled into his driveway, he pulled out his cell and called Alina.

  “Hello,” she said sleepily, and he smiled.

  “Did I wake you up, Alina?” He asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt and settled back in the seat.

  “No,” she told him as she turned off the TV. “I was waiting for your call.”

  “Really, did you miss me that much?” He teased her.

  “So funny,” she told him dryly. She hesitated for a second before she said slowly, “I need to tell you something.”

  He frowned as she began to explain what happened in Tiers omitting who she went with and Samuel straightened up in his seat as he asked worriedly, “Are you okay, Alina?”

  “I am fine, Sam, but the reason I am telling you is so you can keep an extra eye on your fiancée,” Alina told sternly.

  He nodded his head but he said with a note in his voice, “I think you should come…”

  Alina stopped him there as she said stubbornly, “No, I’m not ready to see dad yet and I think that I will be more useful out in the open like this. If I am correct, then whoever it is will focus on me first giving you time to protect Marla.”

  Samuel frowned not liking the idea at all, but all he said in rough voice was, “I will get you a list of all my ex-girlfriends.”

  “I want information on your secretary too,” Alina said without mincing her words. “In fact, you can give the list to Uncle Sarette because he is doing the background information for me.”

  Samuel chucked before he told, “You think too much.”

  “I know,” she said on sigh.

  They chatted a little longer before hanging up with each other, and Samuel immediately dialed Marla’s number as he got out of the car heading inside.

  He met his father in the hallway as he walked in and his father looked at him strangely, but didn’t say anything as he turned and headed to his office.

  “Want to take me home, Trystan?” Bea asked with an invitation in her eyes as Trystan walked her out to her car later that evening after Samuel left.

  “I wish I could, but I have some paperwork to finish for tomorrow,” he told her as he kissed her lips before trailing his lips down her neck. She sighed giving him full access as they stood in his driveway until he finally pulled away his breathing more normal than he thought possible noticing that hers was uneven and her eyes were clouded with desire, and also a hint of triumph.

  “You should probably head home as it’s getting late, Bea,” he told her kissing her gently one last time before helping her into the car.

  She pouted up at him with her full lips, “Only if you promise to come and see me tomorrow evening, and stay the entire night.”

  He laughed lightly as he leaned down and kissed those full lips through the open window before he straightened. “I won’t make any promises because I don’t want to break them, but I definitely will try.”

  Her eyes narrowed at him as she sighed and licked her bottom lip. “I guess that is better than having you break a promise to me.”

  He tapped the top of her car and after blowing him a kiss, she eased out of the drive peeking in the review mirror in satisfaction as he stood there until her car was out of sight.

  Trystan watched the car until her taillights faded but his mind wasn’t on the woman who left, but on another woman wondering if she had seen Samuel in the past week when he hadn’t been with his sister.

  “Damn it,” he uttered flinging back his head grey eyes stormy with anger as he stared at the moon.

  He thought about what the woman in Tiers had told him about the moon as he looked at the half moon visible in the night sky, and then he thought about the necklace that he still hadn’t given to Bea. He shook his head closing his eyes briefly before heading back inside and up to his room where he picked up his phone checking if he had any missed calls only for a scowl to come across his face.

  He walked over to the dresser where he placed the cell before he picked up a box he brought to put the necklace. With a nod of his head, he put it back down before he headed to his bathroom afterwards working on his paperwork as he told Bea.

  Alina was up early and out of the hotel before Trystan set foot through the door the following morning as she headed for the restaurant she applied for a job.

  Two hours later, she walked out of the restaurant with a heavy frown and some discouragement although she knew that the person who turned her down wasn’t the owner. She sighed in disappointment as she headed out when her cell rung in her pocket. Before she could pick it up, a man suddenly appeared in front of her with a knife grabbing her roughly by the arm and dragging her into the alley.

  She screamed as he pulled her in the shadows, but as it was early morning not many people were walking the streets except for a few who turned their heads at her scream not wanting to get involved.

  The man slammed her up against the wall as he placed the knife at her throat and she stilled as the cold blade touched her skin.

  “You are pretty,” he slurred. “Prettier than she said you were.”

  Alina’s instincts kicked in at that comment as he leaned down to her face. “What woman?” She gagged out the man’s odor making her eyes water.

  “Woman?” The man said in puzzlement before he smiled showing good teeth in spite of the horrible smell. “The only woman I see is you, baby, so how about we have a little fun before I kill you?”

  Alina held her body still as he came closer again before she reacted grabbing his knife hand with both her hands twisting it as hard as she could before she lifted up her knee and slammed it hard in to his groin. As he fell to the ground, the knife sliced across one of her palms and she tightened her hand on reflex to take the knife from him before she turn and ran from the alley not looking back.

  She didn’t stop until she was about a mile or so away from the hotel where she bent over breathing heavily. “I was right,” she muttered to herself in between gasps of breath.

  She straightened as her cell rung in her pocket again, and she pulled it out checking the caller id and she hesitated for a second before she stuck it back in her pocket letting it ring.

  She looked down at the knife still in her hand before she closed it being one of those switchblades and sticking it in her other pocket. She glanced down at her palm that was still bleeding and she sighed as she searched her pockets looking for something to stop the bleeding when suddenly a white handkerchief wrapped around her hand, and she stiffened as she tried to pull away.

  “Be still,” a voice said harshly and her head snapped up to look in stormy grey eyes.

  Before he could read anything in them, she dropped her eyes to her hand where he was tying the handkerchief in place. “You didn’t answer my call,” Trystan snapped as he tied the handkerchief.

  “I didn’t feel like talking to you,” Alina said her voice completely blank and he squeezed her hand causing her to gasp slightly at the pain.

  Trystan dropped her hand watching as she stepped back from him and his mout
h tightened at the act. He had driven past her when she had come to a stop leaning over and he had turned around a mile down the road coming back when he called her. He had watched as she pulled the phone from her pocket checking to see who was calling before putting the phone away ignoring his call.

  He stepped toward her watching as her eyes widened in panic, but before she could step back he placed a hand on her waist holding her steady as he reached in her pocket pulling out the knife.

  “What’s this?” He asked noticing the small nick on her neck and his hand tightened on her waist.

  “A knife,” she answered glancing down at it briefly before glancing back up at him.

  His eyes narrowed as he said in a hard voice, “I am guessing that’s the reason for your bleeding hand.”

  “You would be right,” Alina assured him before trying to step away from his hold.

  He glared at her as he put the knife in his own pocket before turning her around and forcing her toward his car. As he pushed her into the passenger seat, she muttered, “You could’ve just asked.”

  “Something tells me that I wouldn’t have liked the answer,” he told her his voice harsh and unyielding.

  She sighed as she shrugged her shoulders and said wearily, “Probably not.”

  He slammed the door shut on her before he walked around the car sliding into the driver seat as he glanced over at her. She gave him a hooded stare before she turned her head to stare out her window, and his jaw tensed as he put the car in drive passing the hotel, which was only a few miles away.

  She glanced over as they went pass the hotel before she said without much emotion, “If you are going to lecture me, or accuse me of something, do it back at the hotel so I can go to my room afterwards and have a good cry.”

  Trystan looked at her sharply before returning his attention back to the road not bothering to answer her.

  Alina sighed as she leaned her head back against the head rest and within minutes, the low hum of the car and its movement put her to sleep. Trystan glanced over again and stilled as he saw that she was fast asleep, and he frowned wondering what she had on her mind to make her so weary.