Battleborn

by S. I. Hayes

  “So, you’re not afraid?”

  Glory shook her head, reaching out and grabbing Jarod, who took her. She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek.

  “I love you, my Tin Man.”

  I couldn’t help myself, I started to ball, seeing the tears in his eyes as well.

  Chapter 31 Jarod

  Tuesday mornings. Oh how they bring their own set of ridiculous complications. Deciding that dragging Glory all over town would just leave her cranky, I suggested we take her over to my Granddad’s place. He was always home on Tuesday’s and usually slept in as it was the one day the restaurant was closed. We arrived to find Dora’s car parked in the driveway, which was strange. What was stranger was when I walked in the house, ahead of Caitlin, and found her and my Granddad, naked on the kitchen table!

  I mean, that’s where I had my breakfast most mornings!

  “Granddad! Dora!” I exclaimed. “Caitlin, don’t come in here.”

  “Why, what’s, Oh, my God!” She spun, hiding Glory’s face from the sight of the naked old bodies, still coupling with a sputtering of laughter.

  “Sorry son, but a man’s gotta finish what he starts.” Granddad chuckled. “Best you be off to the living room.”

  “Yeah. Oh God.” I grabbed Caitlin. “I’m so, so, so sorry.”

  She couldn’t stop laughing. “Sanitize!” She hollered back to them as we headed for the living room.

  ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES later, Dora came out with a tray full of coffees with cream and sugar, and an orange juice with a straw.

  “Coffee for us and a juice for the baby.” She was wearing a bathrobe that looked like it belonged to her. I wondered how long she’d been keeping the things here. Probably forever and I never noticed. I looked around, the place did always seem to be clean, and put together. I was realizing just how much a woman around was a good thing. I reached out and took Caitlin by the hand, giving it a thankful squeeze, making her look at me strangely.

  “I’m never going to not appreciate you. I promise you that.” I leaned over and kissed her gently.

  “Me too.” Glory laughed and I kissed her cheek as she sat between us with her feet dangling off the couch.

  “Such a beautiful baby. How old is she?”

  “Fourteen-no, fifteen months now. It’s the fifth of July. She was born April fifth, exactly.” Caitlin smiled halfheartedly. She must have been remembering the circumstances of the birth. I squeezed her hand, bringing her back.

  “What’s her name?”

  “Gloria Gwendolyn Colton. But we call her Glory.”

  “As in old Glory, like the Flag?” Dora pointed to the folded triangle above the mantle. It had been laid across my father’s casket and given to me at the funeral. My Granddad kept it as I could never stomach having it around.

  Caitlin stared at it, and suddenly she was on her feet. “Bathroom?” She asked with a bit of urgency and bite.

  “I’ll take you, excuse us?”

  “Certainly,” Dora answered, giving Glory the juice. “We’ll be just fine, getting acquainted here, waiting for Tony.”

  I took Caitlin by the hand and out of the room. “Are you okay?”

  “No.” She shook. “Flags, they sorta set me off, especially ones like that.” Her breathing was increasing. She needed the steam again. I picked her up, getting her into the bathroom and stripping her down, then took off my clothes as well. She collapsed in the shower, sobbing, as I put the water to tolerable but hot. I dropped the head so it wouldn’t completely soak us and climbed in with her, wrapping my arms around her.

  “It’s okay baby. I got you.”

  “I... wish... I... could... get... past... it all. Some days... it’s like... it didn’t... happen. I can... go... weeks without... issues.” She leaned into me, as she tried to talk.

  “Don’t talk, just breathe in the steam. I rubbed her back, pushed her hair back and kissed her forehead.

  “I never told you how Tim found me. When I passed out from my asthma attack and they thought I’d died, they took an old ratty flag and threw it over me. Just to hide me, like a piece of trash to be discarded.”

  “I’m so sorry, baby. If I’d known, I’ll never let anyone touch you like that again. I swear to God; I’ll kill the motherfucker.”

  She looked up as I let out a little groan from my position.

  A laugh erupted from her.

  “What?”

  “Your leg’s in the sink.”

  “Well, I couldn’t get it wet.”

  “I know but, it’s in the sink, foot up. It’s like a bad horror movie!” She covered her face, burying it in my chest, which shook from laughter now too.

  “What did I ever do without you?” She moaned in relief.

  “I ask myself that same question.” I caressed her hip as the room continued to fill with steam. She was finally relaxing, although parts of me were now far from relaxed.

  “Really? I’m in the middle of an episode and you get a hard on?”

  “What can I say, damsels in distress are sexy.”

  She looked up at me with those sultry green eyes and I knew what she was thinking, even before she got up onto those kinky little knees. In seconds, she’d turned around and had my cock rubbing up inside of her. Her legs on either side of me, she backed up onto me, letting me hit her nice and deep. She let out long moans, her tits swaying forward with each thrust, I grabbed her hips, running my hands up them to her thick, plump ass. Guiding her faster, driving my need as I pushed her on, feeling her tighten up around me easily. I bent down, pushing her head down I pulled out of her, lifting her ass to me, licking and biting the now freshly clean, tender flesh. She slid forward on her elbows as my tongue teased and pressed against her tight little hole.

  “Oh, Jarod,” she whimpered, as I got her nice and slick before sliding my thumb deep inside of her. I angled her pussy for my cock, once again and took back to her, feeling my cock as my thumb worked her from the other side. “Oh, God.” She could hardly talk as I pounded into her.

  “I love you, Caitlin,” I breathed it out in hard bursts as I came, and she took it, lifting up on me, I pulled my hand away, to hold on to the side of the tub as I lifted up into her, my balls tightening up, in that wonderful way only she seemed to make them feel. She fell back against me.

  “At least cleanup is easy.” She chuckled, reaching for my face to kiss me.

  I breathed hard still, my heart racing, as I laughed. “We really are acting like a couple of rabbits, aren’t we?”

  “Yup, and I don’t rightly care. There has to be moments of good, stolen in the fucked up hours.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.” I watched as she got out of the tub first and dried off then she turned to me, putting out her hand.

  “C’mon baby. I’ve got you.”

  “SO, WHAT BRINGS YOU to my house, other than to interrupt me and borrow my shower?” Granddad asked, eyeing us as we sat on the couch with wet hair.

  “Sorry Granddad, she had an episode, we needed the steam.”

  “Since when does steam leave such an afterglow?” He asked with a smirk. “Ah, but anyhow, you come to see me and bring the little munchee chee. What’s the issue at seven in the morning?”

  “Well, we need to do a few errands and were hoping you might like to keep an eye on her for a few hours.”

  “Nobody else to watch her?”

  “It’s a bit complicated, right now, suffice to say no, not today.”

  Granddad stared at me, as if to call bullshit. I just shook my head. He let out a sigh, “Well, I was going to nap, then watch some T.V. and got to a Bar B Que, which you were invited to, at Dora’s for three. If you didn’t forget boy.”

  “I, umm.”

  “We can meet you there,” Caitlin answered, grasping my arm firmly. “I’m sure we’ll be done long before then anyhow.”

  “I can take the wee munchee chee. It’s no trouble, just figure you should know where I’ll be taking her.”

  “I appreciate that
.”

  “She have restrictions? Food? Animals? Insects?” Dora asked, concerned.

  “Nothing yet. So far she can eat anything. She likes hot dogs and fish n’ chips and pretzels especially.”

  “Yup, yup, yup and yup!” Glory piped in with a huge smile. “Mommy says I’m pretty easy!”

  “Seems so, little one, my Patrick was a nightmare, allergic to formulas, peanuts, dairy. He got over most of it as he got older, but phew, was it a headache to keep track of in the meantime.”

  “I remember.” Granddad laughed. “He puked all the time. “Just blah, blah...”

  “Eww.” Glory scrunched up her nose with a giggle and a snort.

  Caitlin turned to Glory. “Mommy and Jarod are gonna go do some running, but you are gonna stay here, is that okay?”

  She looked around, the place was nice and had lots of light. “Is Sampson staying too?”

  “Yes, of course.” Jarod added. He’s in the yard already.

  “I’m kay here. Wait, will there be hot dogs?”

  Granddad nodded.

  “Yup. Good.”

  We laughed. She really was a smart little girl. Had her priorities straight. Playmate, naps and hot dogs.

  Chapter 32 Caitlin

  We arrived at the local branch of the bank that held my trust just as it was opening. All I had on me to identify myself was my credit cards and photo I.D., but as I recalled the trust also had my fingerprints on file. That was something that couldn’t be faked, not easily at least. Jarod and I were escorted into the lobby to await the bank manager.

  “Miss Colton?” An older woman approached us, fifty-ish, greying brown hair and blue eyes, in a grey polyester pencil skirt and white button down blouse that did little for her figure.

  “Yes.” I stood up, shaking her hand.

  “I’m Natalie Haggaerty, what can I do for you?”

  “I need to report an instance of potential fraud, tampering with my accounts, and identity theft.”

  She took a deep breath. “Those are some heavy accusations, come into my office, I’ll be happy to help you, it’s just upstairs.”

  I looked up to see two flights of floating steps, probably like thirty of them. Then I looked to Jarod, who sighed heavily as he got up. He tried to hide the weary look on his face, but I could see it.

  “Baby, why don’t you wait here. I think I can handle this.”

  He nodded and sat back down. I watched as something like relief, mixed with defeat, washed over his face. “I’ll be right here.”

  “I know.” I bent down, kissing him reassuringly, before leaving him to follow the bank manager.

  “He could have joined us, Miss Colton.”

  “He’s got a prosthetic. All of these steps are an issue, and you have no elevator.”

  “No, unfortunately we do not... It was a problem in the design. We have had some complaints. They are looking into fixing it.”

  “Well, that doesn’t help us today.”

  “Indeed not.”

  Her office was spacious and too bright with all the open glass. It looked down over the entire bank and the city below. I sat so I could see both her and Jarod.

  He looked nervous, his legs shaking and he was fidgeting. I could hear the occasional firework going off. Residual from the holiday. It occurred to me that I hadn’t heard anything last night at home. One would have thought the air would have been full of explosions and screaming fireworks, but it was nice and quiet in Jarod’s house.

  “So, Miss Colton, let’s just verify a few things before we proceed please. I need two forms of identification and for you to put your thumb on this scanner please.”

  I handed her my license and my credit card. Then stuck my thumb on the pad. A few moments later she nodded, made a few notes and handed everything back to me.

  “Okay, you are verified as the holder of two accounts with us, a trust of a substantial holding with a turnover and a direct deposit account opened,” she clacked the keys on the computer, “it looks like twelve months ago.”

  “That! That there, I couldn’t have opened it, I was in the hospital twelve months ago.” I pointed at the screen. “I had nothing to do with this account happening. It was opened without my consent and the money going into it was taken without my knowledge.”

  “I see. Can you prove this? Do you have any documentation with you?”

  I sighed. “I don’t, not right now. My house is under police lockdown right now. There was a shooting Saturday night.”

  “Oh, my!”

  “Tell me about it. But please, you have to help me. The person who did this, they are still out there and they have the files to access these accounts wirelessly. I need them shifted or frozen, something so that they can’t be touched without me coming in.”

  “We can do that, Miss Colton. Please, sit. It will be okay. Have you involved the police yet? We advise you to inform them of breaches of this magnitude, as it violates federal laws and is subject to hefty fines and arrest in most cases.”

  “They have an understanding to some extent. I wasn’t completely up on what had happened until after I spoke with them. I wanted to come here first.”

  Natalie nodded. “Understandable, with the amounts we are looking at I would have made it a priority as well. There has been a request to transfer the balance of the direct deposit account, but I have just stopped it. I have also red flagged the account it was to be transferred to, however it may be a prepaid credit account. I will have to hand this over to our fraudulent claims department. They will handle the damages, if there have been any, and from what I can see, there has been a substantial liquidation of this account in the past. I promise, we will make restitution. We take fraud and theft very seriously here. But in order to do these things, you will have to produce proof of your hospitalization, and incapacity to have opened the account. In the meantime, no one will have access, however the deposits will continue.”

  “Thank you. And the trust?”

  “Well that could not be touched until September first, as you well know, however I do see that an attempt to add a second beneficiary in case of death was approved four years ago. Do you know anything about this?”

  “Beneficiary? No, I didn’t know there was anything like that.”

  “If something should happen to you, the money was to go to your next of kin, meaning children, if you had any. But given the age you were to receive it, your Grandparents stipulated that the money would go to your father, Augustus Colton. Four years ago, one Danielle Hilliard Colton was added to the list.”

  “That thundercunt,” I hissed. “That’s the person who’s done all of this. The one who shot my dad and my brother, who has tried to steal everything I loved.”

  “Oh, my.” Natalie held her hand to her chest, apparently she hadn’t had anyone freak out in her office in a while.

  “God damned, cock sucking, cum dumpster of a useless shit bag!” I was livid, to say the least, as I paced the floor. I looked down to see that Jarod was covering his head and had his head between his knees. Something was wrong. I looked at Natalie. “I’m sorry. I need to go. No I didn’t know about that, can it be changed?”

  “It’ll take some paperwork; you’ll need to sign.”

  “Can you send it here?” I jotted down Jarod’s address. “Please, I gotta go.”

  “I can. Th-thank you!”

  “Yeah!” I shouted, running from her office, my bag in my hand. I took the steps three, four at a time to get to him.

  “Jarod? Baby?” I touched him and he jumped up, looking absolutely terrified.

  “I- I- The- Noises.”

  I listened, hearing the fireworks. “The fireworks?”

  He nodded violently. I took him by the arm, helping him to his feet, glad I was almost his height. If I hadn’t been a sturdy girl, we’d have collapsed when his knees gave out. I righted us and managed to get us up. Another bank attendee saw us and he came over.

  “Can I call someone?”

  “No, p
lease, just help me get him to the car.” The fellow put Jarod’s arm over him, taking most of the weight off me. “Be careful, he’s got a prosthetic on that side. The lower leg.”

  He nodded. “I’ve got a brother with one. Is he having an episode?”

  I nodded. As we got outside, it got worse. Jarod started screaming, putting his hands over his ears again, then reaching for his leg.

  The guy took a deep breath and slammed Jarod’s head into the truck, knocking him out cold. “Take him east, the fireworks are west.”

  “Are you nuts?” I screamed, checking for blood and damage.

  “Nope, he was gonna hurt himself or worse, you. You needed him calm so you could get him away from the problem safely.”

  “You could have killed him.”

  “Nah, his adrenaline was so high, I only tapped him, comparatively. He’ll be okay, have a bit of a headache when he wakes, so go easy on him and get him some Tylenol.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Chapter 33 Jarod

  The light hurt. When I opened my eyes, my head felt like it had been cracked wide open. I wasn’t concussed but it was close. I rubbed the back of my head, looking around. I was back at Honeycutt Park, sitting in the passenger seat of my Navigator. How had that happened? The driver seat was empty, where was Caitlin? The last thing I remember was her going upstairs at the bank, then those blasted fireworks...

  The fireworks... I’d had a dissociative event. I hadn’t had one of those in over a year. Not since just after Rebekah left me. It was when I tore apart the apartment, and woke up not remembering having done it, along with a few other things and people who happened to be around at the time, as her brother never lets me forget when I run into him. It was a rough night, to say the least, leaving me with a few regrets and needing a bottle of penicillin. How had she managed to wrangle me, I wonder?

  I looked up through the windshield to see her fast approaching with a couple of sodas and a little bag. She must have gone to the concession stand.