Above all Else

by Sophia R Heart

  “Why are you tracking him down, then?” I said.

  “He skipped bail,” Dad said simply. “I did send him to prison before. Years ago. He got released last year, ended up getting arrested for something else, and then jumped bail once it was posted. When the case came up, I was more than eager to take it. Putting him back where he belongs would be a pleasure. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  I shivered, remembering his manic smile and the disturbed look in his sunken eyes. “How did he know that I’d be at the club?”

  "We can only guess. It’s likely that he’s keeping an eye on the house,” Kellan said, tapping his finger against his leg in agitation.

  "An eye on the house?" Axel echoed, making me jump. He’d been so silent, I’d almost forgotten that he was there. He shot me a wide-eyed look that told me he’d followed the entire conversation.

  "It's nothing we can't deal with," Kellan said, looking annoyed. "The only reason he escaped tonight was because we had to get you two drunken idiots out of the club. It won't happen again."

  "Is April in danger?” Axel demanded, ignoring Kellan. I swayed a little on my feet. Had that creep really been following me tonight?

  “Not if we have anything to do with it,” Kellan said with determination, taking in my sudden paleness.

  Seeing my face, Dad added, "You have nothing to worry about, sweetheart. The security system in this house is top notch. There’s no way he’ll lay a finger on you. I won’t allow it. Besides, it’s me he wants to get to. We'll sort this out soon enough."

  I didn’t feel at all reassured. In fact, I was more alarmed than ever. Dad was good at his job. Better than good; he was brilliant. But I’d seen the sinister look in this Archie guy’s eyes. He was out for blood. It made more sense to me that Dad should stay far far away from him – not track him down.

  "Now, why don't you head up to bed? It’s late,” Dad said, face turning inscrutable.

  "Okay," I said, realizing I’d gotten all I was going to out of them. 'Stay?' I signed to Axel. It had gotten really late, and he was probably still a little drunk.

  His Mom would not be happy if he went back to her place and woke her up. Plus, from what I understood, she had a new boyfriend that had recently moved in – one that Axel wasn't all that fond of. He shouldn't have to deal with any hassle from them on his birthday.

  Or the day after his birthday, I thought, catching sight of the clock on the wall. The sun would be getting up soon.

  Axel nodded, getting up from where he’d been following most of the conversation with his mouth ajar. His brows were furrowed, and he looked deep in thought as he followed me upstairs.

  I rifled through my dresser, pretty sure that I had an old t-shirt of Axel's lying around somewhere. It would be more comfortable than the fitted button-down he had on. Finding it, I handed it over to him, and stepped out into the hall.

  I stopped short when I saw Kellan climbing up the stairs at the end of the hallway.

  "What are you doing up here?" I asked him, crossing my arms over my chest.

  "I'm spending the night, princess," Kellan said, the tiredness on his face fading into a smirk. I hated it when the dimple on his left cheek made an appearance. It had always done something funny to my stomach.

  “Why?” I hadn’t slept under the same roof as him in years. Having him up here unsettled me.

  “Does there have to be a reason? Can’t I just stay the night for old time’s sake?”

  "We don't have enough space," I told him truthfully. “Axel’s taking the guest room.”

  Dad came up the stairs behind Kellan. "Kellan can take the couch,” he said, obviously having overheard me.

  "We don't have a spare duvet, or even a blanket. He’d be really uncomfortable on the leather sofa," I told Dad. Spare bedding was on my list of things that I still needed to get for the house.

  Dad sighed, looking worn out as he rubbed the back of his head. “We have an early start tomorrow – well, today. We need to be up in a few hours.”

  Damn. That was harsh. I sighed. “Kellan can take the spare room then, and Axel can room with me," I said.

  Kellan snorted. "Why don't I room with you instead?"

  "Why don't you just go home?" I shot back. I hated it when he said things like that. He'd known that I’d had a crush on him, he’d have been stupid not to. So any innuendoes just made me feel like he was mocking me.

  "Why don't the two of you just knock it off?" Dad shook his head, exasperated. "It’s sorted. Axel’s in your room. Kellan’s taking the guest bed. Just... I don't know... leave your door open," he said. And despite his evident exhaustion, he smiled a little. He knew he had nothing to worry about with Axel. He'd spent the night plenty of times before when he was having trouble with his mom.

  "Goodnight, Dad," I said, standing on my tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek.

  "Night, sweetheart." Dad smiled before he disappeared into his room.

  "Tell your boyfriend to keep it down, will you?" Kellan said, walking towards the guestroom. "I'll be in the room next door and could do without any headboard banging."

  My mouth dropped open. He was such a dick. A simple goodnight was just too much for him.

  "Don't worry. I will." I walked into the bathroom, and slammed the door shut behind me. I heard him chuckle, and was annoyed that I’d given him a reaction.

  I didn’t know why I always let him get to me. I think it was a mixture of the crush I’d once had on him and the fact that he spent so much time with Dad when most days I barely saw him.

  After removing my makeup, and brushing my teeth, I opened the bathroom door. Just as I moved into the hallway, Kellan stepped out of the guestroom. He was dressed in just his boxers, his abs on perfect display, as were the hard ridges at his waist that formed a V-shape leading into his boxers.

  I glanced away, not saying anything as I headed to my bedroom. That image of Kellan, however, plagued me for the rest of the night.

  - KELLAN -

  I punched my pillow later that night and shifted around, trying to get comfortable. It was fucking impossible, though. My thoughts were fixated on a blonde-headed vixen that was in bed with her ‘friend’ in the room next to mine.

  Yeah, right. Friend my ass.

  He watched her with awe in his eyes, there was no way his feelings for her were just platonic.

  I shifted again, feeling too restless to sleep. I was on edge, thinking of April in bed with her little friend next door. I didn't know why I was so fucking bothered by it.

  I was also extremely agitated thinking about her at that club, vulnerable to that sick fuck we'd failed to arrest tonight. The possibility of what could have happened to her made my stomach turn.

  I pulled the covers away from me roughly, and got up, searching through the jacket I'd thrown on the floor to find my cigarettes.

  I walked towards the large window in the room and opened it as wide as it would go, settling in for a smoke. I needed to get April Mansten off my mind.

  It was almost an hour later that I finally succumbed to sleep.

  - APRIL -

  Axel left in the morning, hangover and sleep-deprived, but happy. I hated to admit that I had been a little apprehensive over last night. It'd been years since Alex had spent the night. We'd barely been teenagers last time, and we certainly hadn't had that fateful night of his sixteenth birthday hanging over our heads. But it had been surprisingly easy and comfortable with Axel there, and I'd slept like the living dead.

  I got dressed at around noon, pulling on a pair of jean shorts and a black t-shirt, unsure if Kellan and Dad were back from wherever they’d had to go to so early in the morning.

  I padded downstairs, needing to find some painkillers. Desperately.

  Dad and Kellan were both in the kitchen when I walked in, looking weary and tired. The weather was equally gloomy today, the sky looking grey and overcast. I grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and used it
to swallow down an aspirin.

  "How're you feeling today?” Dad asked me. He was at the kitchen table, perusing a sheet of paper with a list of numbers and highlighting things as he went.

  Kellan sat across from him, doing the exact same. It looked like they were going through someone’s phone records.

  I noticed that Dad’s holster was on the table next to him. He hadn’t put it away in his safe, which meant that they were probably leaving again soon.

  "I'll live," I told him, turning on the coffeemaker. I’d be needing a strong dose of caffeine today.

  "Any plans for today?" Dad asked, glancing up from the papers.

  "Not really." I shrugged.

  "Not sneaking your way into any clubs tonight?" Dad asked, leaning back in his chair. Ah. I'd been wondering when he'd get to that.

  "Nope, my partner in crime is going back to college today," I told Dad sheepishly. Kellan grunted, but didn’t look up.

  "Just as well," Dad said, a twinkle in his eyes. "Your fake ID has seen better days." He nodded towards the counter top a few feet away from me, and I noticed a small pile of what looked suspiciously like my ID cut into lots of tiny pieces. A pair of scissors lay next to the pile.

  “You’ve lacerated it,” I said sadly, realizing it was my ID. I’d had it for years and it had been the source of many fun memories.

  My words caused Dad to burst into laughter. “Hopefully it’ll keep you out of trouble.” His face turned stern. “I don’t have to tell you that it’s illegal to use false documents, April. You could have gotten yourself into very serious trouble.”

  I shuffled my feet, looking down at the floor. I was a working adult – he couldn’t very much ground me – but I might have preferred that to the disappointment in his voice.

  “It was stupid,” Kellan said bluntly.

  That sent my chin flying back up. “Like you probably haven’t done worse?” I scoffed.

  “Regardless,” Dad interjected, “it doesn’t change the fact that holding false ID is illegal. I don’t want to find out that you’ve procured another one. Am I understood, April?”

  “Yes. I won’t get another one,” I told him, feeling guilty.

  “Good.” He stood up, grabbing his holster as he glanced out the window. "It looks like it’s going to start raining soon. I'll go and pay Mrs. Hale a quick visit," Dad said, looking meaningfully at Kellan.

  Kellan glanced up at Dad, face turning stubborn. "I thought we agreed that I’d go?”

  "No offence, son, but you aren't exactly tactful when it comes to getting information out of a Judas," Dad said. A ‘Judas’ was a person that had been wronged by the fugitive and was all too willing to rat them out. "It'll be better if you stay here.”

  "Why don't you both go?" I asked curiously, pouring myself a cup of coffee. They usually went everywhere together when it came to a case. “Why do you want Kellan to stay here?"

  “We think it would be best if one of us stayed here with you today,” Dad said carefully. “Besides, there’s really no need for both of us to go.”

  “Because of that guy? From the club last night?” I asked. Dad had maintained yesterday that there was nothing to worry about.

  “Archie Chambers, yes. He’s holding a grudge, that much is obvious,” Dad said. “It’s entirely possible that he sought you out just to send a message to me, but I can’t take the chance that it might be more than that.”

  “I can–“ Kellan began.

  “We need Mrs. Hale. I’ll have a better chance of getting information out of her,” Dad said, giving me a kiss goodbye. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Kellan followed him out into the hallway, still protesting, while I settled onto the couch with my cup of coffee.

  A couple of minutes later, Kellan, looking pissed, came into the living room. I turned the volume up on the TV, not looking at him as he settled down next to me.

  Five minutes passed, and he propped his feet up on the coffee table. Another five minutes later, he’d begun to tap his foot in impatience.

  Giving up all pretense of watching the TV, I turned to him. “Will you stop that?” I finally snapped.

  “Stop what?” He raised an eyebrow at me.

  “That.” I gestured towards his feet. “It’s distracting. Plus, that coffee table is brand new.”

  He scoffed, but withdrew his feet and stood up. "I need a smoke," he muttered, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, as he made his way towards the back yard. I shook my head at him, but kept my mouth shut. He’d been trying to quit for years, but so far, I hadn’t seen him try all that hard.

  He was only outside for about five minutes. He came in quickly as it started to pour down with rain. He settled back on the couch, running a hand through his hair where there were little dots of rain. "Can't all be perfect, princess," he said, not looking at me.

  "I didn't say anything." I glanced away from him, back towards the TV.

  "The disapproval on your face says it all.”

  “If you want to damage your lungs, that’s none of my business. You won’t hear a word of complaint from me,” I said, crossing his arms. Before he could respond, I changed the subject, “I’ve been wondering actually. About this Archie guy. How did he get bail when he'd previously jumped it?"

  No judge would set bail for a criminal if they had a history of running.

  "He didn't. Your dad was working a case, looking for another guy. When he found him, he also found dear old Archie there in the house. Mario arrested both of them, though Archie wasn’t a fugitive,” Kellan told me. “Archie got out last year, but he was arrested again recently for selling drugs. He was set bail – which he skipped. And your dad took the case to get him back behind bars.”

  "Why did Dad arrest Archie the first time round, if he wasn’t a fugitive?" I asked, my brows furrowing.

  Kellan paused a moment. “He was raping a girl when your Dad broke into the house. Lucky for the girl, not so lucky for Archie." Kellan said, rage in his eyes.

  I shivered, disgusted and horrified. That poor girl. Archie suddenly became even more sinister in my mind. I'd been feet away from a rapist last night.

  “That’s horrible,” I said softly. What that girl went through... it was awful. He should never have been allowed out.

  "We'll find him soon enough, and he'll be back behind bars," Kellan said reassuringly. “You don’t ever have to worry about him hurting you, April.”

  I paused, surprised. He hardly ever called me by my name. It was always ‘ballerina’ or ‘princess’, and if he was feeling particularly condescending it was ‘baby’.

  "Yeah, for a few years, until he's back out again," I said bitterly. Our justice system was whack.

  The rain fell even harder outside. The sound of the downpour beating down on the back porch reverberated across the room. I jumped when a flash of lightening passed over the window, followed by the sound distant thunder several seconds later.

  Kellan smirked at my skittishness, and I mustered a half-hearted glare. I hated thunderstorms – absolutely hated them.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  * * *

  - THEN -

  Four years ago

  DAD WAS AT the hospital with Mom. She'd been there for a week now, and Dad and I had been taking turns spending the night with her, as the hospital only allowed one overnight guest. It was Dad's turn tonight.

  I was in my bedroom, watching TV. It was late, and I had school in the morning, but I couldn't sleep. My mind was on overdrive, worrying for Mom. The side-effects of the chemotherapy were bad enough, but she’d developed a chest infection too. They were keeping her in hospital to monitor her and ensure that her health didn’t deteriorate any further.

  I heard a ripple of thunder outside, and turned up the volume on the TV. I hated thunderstorms. When I was younger, I’d always hurry down the hallway to Mom and Dad’s room, and climb into bed with them. It was the only thing that would make me feel les
s afraid; being cocooned with Dad on one side and Mom on the other. I wished they were here now, so I didn’t feel quite so alone.

  I debated getting my blanket and sleeping on the sofa downstairs. The harsh wind outside was causing the branches of the big oak tree outside my bedroom to tap repeatedly against my window.

  It was like something out of a horror movie.

  I turned the volume up even louder, trying to drown out the ruckus outside. It didn’t help.

  Oh, what the heck. Sleeping downstairs was preferable to this. Making up my mind, I got out of bed. Just as I gathered up my blankets, the power went off, plunging the entire room into darkness.

  I froze.

  It thundered again outside, the persistent tapping of the tree against my window even more eerie now that there wasn't the sound of my TV to help drown it out.

  What did I do now? Hide under my covers until the power came back on?

  I heard a creak outside my bedroom door, and a small whimper left my mouth before I clamped it shut.

  There was someone out there.

  It was dark, but I could just about make out the handle on my door moving as someone pushed it down and opened the door. I took in a deep breath, ready to let out an ear piercing scream when the intruder spoke.

  "April? Are you here?"

  "Kellan?" I blinked. My eyes finally adjusted to the dark, and I could make out his figure standing between my door frame. Of course, I thought. Kellan was here. He was hardly ever home and always working. I hadn’t even thought about him being around. Giddy with relief, I all but ran to him. "Oh my god, Kellan. I thought you were an axe murderer and that I was about to be murdered." I exhaled shakily, trying to laugh it off, but didn’t quite pull it off. My whole body trembled, as the tension and fear drained out of me.

  I heard him chuckle. "Come on," he said, grabbing my hand. My heart skipped a beat at the touch before I schooled myself. It was just Kellan. I needed to get a grip. "Do you guys have any candles or anything?" Kellan asked as we made our way carefully down the stairs. The floor was a dark mahogany wood, making it difficult to see each step.