Make it Rain (The Montclair Brothers)

by Terri Marie

  Renee was worrying her just as much as Tyler. Emma held her last night as she cried, and now and then she'd see a tear slide down her friend's face. This entire situation was crushing the poor girl. Emma understood why Renee would think this situation was all her fault, but it wasn't. She'd never forced anyone to get involved. Tyler and his brothers are just doing what they do best; they'd never once failed to step up to the plate.

  Emma knew how much her boss liked Renee, but this was more about Robert being a monster. If her husband was capable of causing this much harm to Renee, then he was even more likely to hurt unsuspecting people who had the misfortune of crossing his path. Tyler knew that Robert didn't belong on the streets. Emma understood her boss's need to keep everyone safe, especially because of his past, but her fear that he'd end up dead in the process was overwhelming. If any of them inadvertently got seriously injured or killed, Tyler would never come back from that. It's what scared Emma the most. After all, anything was possible with a lunatic who had a vendetta, and a gun.

  Looking over at Brian was even more excruciating. He escapes his deadly parents, and then he ends up almost getting shot in a van full of people trying to save him. Emma thought about leaning over and asking him if he was okay, but she knew that Renee was the only one he truly trusted right now. If anything, it was Emma's decision to bring Tyler in on Renee's and Brian's situation. She didn't regret it though. People come into your life for a reason.

  Emma could hear Jacob behind her adjusting his long legs. When the glass had exploded, she was sure he'd been hit. The first thing he'd done, was grab her and pull her down with him, for which she was grateful. Part of her wanted to throw her arms around him when she saw that he was okay, but the other part still wanted to slap him whenever she saw his face.

  Her history with Jacob was complex. Emma had always been attracted to him. She kept her distance so he would never have the opportunity to hurt and humiliate her again. Only Tyler knew the entire story. She doubted that Jacob even realized the depth of the pain he'd caused her.

  Emma was introduced to the four Montclair brothers during her first day of training. Over time, Tyler, Sean, and Vincent had become like brothers to her, but it was Jacob who'd caught her eye. Sean and Jacob were twins, but they weren't identical. It wasn't difficult for Emma to tell them apart. Jacob began to flirt with her. When she was promoted to Tyler's assistant, Jacob stopped in daily to discuss business with his brother. He'd bring Emma a hot chocolate, with a wink and a smile on the side. She was shy, though, and whenever it looked like he wanted to ask her out, she'd find an excuse to hurry and leave the office.

  One day, Emma was checking her business email at work. There were some messages from Tyler, as usual, but then there was one from Jacob: "You have the best smile ever. Have dinner with me at the Blackbird at seven. I'll be there waiting for you."

  Emma couldn't believe it. The Blackbird restaurant was pretty pricey. She'd heard nothing but great things about the place, but unfortunately, the cost was way over her budget. She began to think about what she could wear; something to make her green eyes stand out. Rushing home at exactly five thirty, she quickly showered, and then took great care with doing her hair and makeup. She'd just started in her assistant position, so she couldn't afford to buy a new outfit, but she had a pretty dress in pale pink she hadn't worn to work before. Emma was a nervous wreck as she went out the door to go home and get ready. When she walked into the restaurant and asked for Jacob Montclair's table, she was quickly escorted to the back of the restaurant. Emma smiled, and ran her fingers through her long red hair. But her smile quickly vanished when she saw Jacob ordering a bottle of wine for himself and the blonde who sat across from him.

  "Hello, Jacob," she said sternly.

  "Emma! What a surprise!" he said as he stretched out his arm and squeezed her hand.

  "Well, have a nice dinner," she said, barely audible. With a burning face and water-filled eyes, she turned from the table and left.

  After that, all she'd wanted was for him to stay far away from her. He never brought up the incident, and neither did she. Jacob Montclair had bought himself a one way ticket to Bastardville. The next morning, Tyler knew right away that something was wrong. He apologized and hugged her when she told him, but Emma made him promise to never say a word about it to his brother.

  Emma continued to avoid not only Jacob, but also any other men who looked her way. The fact that Renee had put her trust in a man, who was currently tracking her down like a rabid dog, gave credence to her belief; there weren't any men who could be trusted. Tyler was different, though. He'd never made one pass at her, or led her to believe he wanted anything more than her friendship. She didn't have any siblings, so it was Tyler who filled the shoes of a big brother to her.

  As Emma looked around at everyone in the van, the stress on their faces brought her back to the here and now. No matter how tough everyone's past had made them, and regardless of how hard they fought to persevere, nothing could prepare them for the things to come. Without a shadow of a doubt, Emma knew, Robert was coming.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Tyler found the Montclair estate after only a couple of wrong turns. Castle Lake was a small town, but finding the entrance to the winding driveway wasn't easy. There were wrought iron gates about ten feet in from the main road, but they were open with weeds and brush growing around them. Tyler guessed that they hadn't been closed in years. A thick moss was covering the fieldstones on the house, and weeds had overgrown the walkway.

  "What the hell…" Tyler wasn't happy. The estate was paying someone good money to care for the property, but obviously they hadn't been doing their job. Tyler was afraid to enter the house.

  "Ty, do you have the key on you?" Vincent asked with a cocky grin.

  "No, but it's not illegal to break into your own house. Let's go see what we're in for." Tyler put the van in park and everyone climbed out. He could hear the sound of waves crashing, but that was it. There weren't traffic sounds, or any of the other distractions you'd find in a busy city. The solitude, he decided, would be good for everyone. The history of this place, however, would not.

  Tyler made his way up to the front porch and tried the large front door. It was locked. He could tell the door was solid, and there'd be no way to push it open, so he waved his arm to encourage everyone to follow him.

  As he was making his way through the jungle, which was supposed to be the front yard, he heard Vincent call his name.

  "What's up, Vinnie. Did you find an opening?" Tyler hurried over to his side.

  Vincent was standing in front of the garage door, yanking on the door handle. "Look at this. Do you see anything odd?"

  "A garage door? Really?" Tyler laughed.

  "No, Ty," said Vincent as he pointed to the ground. There aren't any weeds." Vincent turned around and pointed towards the driveway. "There are also two worn tracks that lead to the asphalt. See them?"

  "Yeah," said Tyler as he tried to pull at the garage door. "Someone's been here. A lazy someone. Let's go around back." Tyler shook his head as he pushed his way through the thick overgrowth. He could only imagine how beautiful this place must have been back in the day. Beauty on the outside of a closed door, doesn't necessarily mean beauty on the inside, he reminded himself.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Renee was the last one out of the van, after they stopped in the driveway of a very large, derelict house. When she saw everyone moving through the thick weeds and bushes, she knew she'd be following right behind them. Michigan had lots of ticks this time of year, so she hoped she wouldn't find one crawling on her. But then again, she'd already been bled dry by the world's biggest tick, Robert.

  Even though Tyler and Vincent had found evidence of occupancy, there were no signs of habitation from the road. All they'd have to do now was hide the van. If they could get the garage door open, that problem would be resolved. Renee knew Tyler and the others would stick to her like glue throughout this ordeal, but if Rober
t figured out this address, and then spotted the van in the driveway, he'd automatically know she was with other people. He'd do anything and everything to get to her. She'd surrender to him before letting anything else happen to her friends.

  Tyler was caring, protective, and very bright, but Robert was smart like a criminal, and he was to be feared. Hopefully the Montclairs were aware of how low he was capable of going, and would stay out of his crosshairs.

  She remembered how scared she'd become when they got closer to Lake Superior, but Renee realized that if she didn't stay strong, she wouldn't be ready to fight when Robert arrived. She still had the eerie feeling of being hunted, and her fight or flight instinct was in high gear. Even birds flying out of the trees scared the hell out of her. She surveyed the area as they walked, trying to make a mental note of where to run. Robert wouldn't attack in daylight again, because he knew his earlier efforts had failed. He'd come in the still of the night and pick them off, one by one. At this point, he wouldn't want just Renee, he'd kill them all.

  Renee watched Brian cut through the brush with the most ease. When in this kind of environment, they were in his world. She couldn't imagine a thirteen year old kid trying to survive in the elements; no parents, food, water, or clothing. He took his first steps of freedom with nothing but bad memories playing over in his mind. Renee knew she'd do whatever it took to save Brian. She'd managed to get him to trust her, and now here he was, running for his life again.

  She watched as Tyler frequently stopped to look down the line and make sure she was still with them. Renee wanted to hold Tyler's hand and comfort him, like he'd done for her that afternoon in the kitchen, because something was definitely wrong. She could see it in his eyes. It was the same look Tyler got on his face when Brian begged him not to do anything that would cause him to be returned to his parents. Something was wrong with him. Something was wrong with this place.

  When Renee's foot got tangled up in a vine, causing her to trip and fall, Brian turned around quickly, and caught her before she hit the ground.

  "Okay, so now I know that it's not only impossible for you to be quiet in the brush, but you're clumsy to boot." Brian began to walk slower.

  She laughed, but declined his offer for her to walk in front of him. Brian had asked her three times so far, but there was no way she'd let the kid out of her sight. She felt completely responsible for his welfare. Everyone in his young life had failed him, and when you're a child, you don't have much of a choice in who raises you. There are law enforcement agencies who are supposed to step in, but all it takes is one officer to disbelieve a child, and then they're taken right back to the very hell they escaped from. She wasn't going to add to the list of adults who'd let him down. If they made it through this mess alive, she'd have to get a job and figure out where Brian could stay. Because he was a minor, and considered a runaway, she could get in serious trouble with the law for sheltering him.

  Trying to walk around to the back of the house wasn't easy for Renee, especially when most of the branches were whacking into her when she walked. She'd love to be as tall as the guys were right about now. But she wasn't going to allow herself to slow down and fall behind.

  The home was built on a bluff overlooking Lake Superior, so they literally had to walk around the base of the property. It was proving to be a very large hunk of land. Whenever Tyler found a path or a break in the brush, he'd lead them up the steep slope, something Renee dreaded. Once they were able to get inside the house, she hoped they'd be safe. But, if Tyler could break in, Robert could too.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Tyler couldn't wait to be out of the brush and up the ridiculous hill, regardless of how bad it was inside the house. He'd gladly collapse in a bed of cobwebs for all he cared. If he was ready to fall over, he knew that Emma and Renee were pushing forward on nothing but fumes. Tyler and his brothers stayed in pretty good shape, but they were going to struggle getting up there too. Brian was keeping up with the men and moving through this terrain better than any of them. Tyler was positive that being homeless made you do what you thought you couldn't, or wouldn't for that matter. One thing he knew for sure: He'd sell the damned estate before ever doing this trek again.

  He was pretty sure that a home belonging to such a wealthy family, would keep an immaculate yard. He saw some nice Maples and Birch trees, but those were obviously planted to border the property. All of this vegetation they were entangled in, was from pure neglect.

  The temperature was definitely cooler the closer they got to the water, but it wasn't like they had a choice. Hopefully the electricity was turned on or there was wood stacked around back. Tyler could clearly see two fireplace chimneys on the roof of the house, and he hoped they wouldn't have to clean them out first.

  "Right here, Ty!" shouted Sean.

  Tyler backtracked and wasn't surprised that he'd missed the path. It had overgrowth, but wasn't nearly as bad as what they were currently walking through. Now he had hope. The path was steep, but doable. He led the way up the long ascent. He could hear Renee and Emily struggling to catch their breath. He offered to let them rest, but they voiced their lack of desire, to sit in this mess.

  When they finally reached the top, Tyler was dismayed to find no access. There was no way he was going to give up after climbing all the way up here. There had to be another trail to lead them around back. They all spread out, looking for a path like the one they were on.

  "Come here, Tyler," waved Jacob.

  Tyler walked back down to his brother, and let his eyes follow the direction in which Jacob was pointing. He saw the possible route too. It was rocky, but if they could climb it, they had a chance of getting inside.

  Tyler could see the top of a balcony, jetting out over the rough waters, and figured there had to be a door of some kind below it. "Let's try it." Tyler asked the guys to help Renee and Emma.

  The rocks were rather large, and some were jagged. He heard everyone cry out in pain at one point or another. Tyler's skin felt dug up from the brush, and now the rocks were stealing more of his flesh. When they were almost to the top, he looked down in dismay.

  "It's a pretty big drop," Vincent pointed out. "My guess is about fifteen feet. We need to rest up before trying this part of the climb."

  Tyler let his eyes wander around. "There's a tree. It might not hold our weight, but if it can help us from busting our skulls open, we should go for it. I'll swing down first. Jacob goes last. He can help the girls to the tree, and then we can catch them when they land." Without waiting for any protest, Tyler climbed over to the tree, grabbed the branch, and used it to help himself scale down the rocks. He made it safely. Once on the ground, he turned his head and saw just how small the landing was. Had he of swung out three more feet, he'd have been long gone. Whatever barrier was there before had deteriorated long ago. "There's a door here! Sean, come on down. Hold onto the tree, and let your feet climb down the rocks."

  Sean grabbed the branch and followed Tyler's instructions. He made it safely as well. Brian went next, followed by Vincent. But Emma was petrified.

  "I can't do it Tyler," as she rubbed her hands, which were bleeding from making her way through the brush.

  "Em, listen to me," began Tyler. "The only way to get you inside the house is if you climb all the way back down the path, and then walk all the way to the front of the house. I need you to trust me. Grab the branch with all of your might."

  "My hands are pretty sliced up." Emma began to cry.

  Tyler knew she wasn't a whiney woman. She was exhausted, frightened, and had already pushed herself more than most people.

  "Hey, Jacob!" called Tyler

  "Yeah!"

  "Jacob, I want you to help Emma get to the edge. Can you hold her hands and help lower her down to me?" Tyler prayed to God his plan worked.

  He could hear Jacob encouraging Emma to walk with him. When she was on the edge, she saw the long drop and panicked again.

  "I can't jump down that far! Look how narrow
the space is? I could crash down to the lake!" She cried.

  "Emma," began Jacob. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Now I'm going to hold tightly to your wrists, like this. Then I'm going to lower you down the side. You can help me by stepping on some of the rocks as you go down. Tyler won't let you fall either. When you're down far enough, you'll feel him grab ahold of your feet. Once Tyler and the guys have you, I'm going to let you go, but you're not going to hit the ground. Don't take your eyes off of mine, okay?"

  After a few minutes of sobbing, Tyler saw Emma backing up to the edge. Her eyes were glued to Jacob's.

  "Emma, you're at the edge now. I want you to lower one foot down until it reaches a firm spot," said Jacob calmly.

  Emma nodded her head and stepped down. Tyler could see his brother's white knuckles. He was holding onto her for dear life.

  "Okay, Emma, you're doing great. Now I want you to do the same with the other. Keep repeating it. One foot and then the other," he smiled.

  After three more steps, Tyler was able to grab her feet and the other three men stood right next to him with their hands holding her legs. Emma was completely stretched out.

  "You got her?" yelled Jacob.

  "Yep! We won't let you fall Emma." Tyler's heart was pounding. If they screwed up, she was going to fall off the landing.

  Jacob let Emma's wrists slide out of his hand, and with a slight scream, she was safe in Tyler's arms.

  After he got Emma safely next to the house and away from the cliff's edge, he had Renee grab the branch. When she swung down she pierced all their ears with her scream, but Tyler caught her too, and carried her over next to Emma. Jacob swung down with ease, but was shocked when he saw the sudden drop off.