Aria Graice - 18. Chapter 18

Drew sat and listened while Alicia had what sounded like a difficult conversation with Mrs Graice. He wondered briefly why she didn’t call Mr Graice but it was only briefly. Henley Graice was, apparently, as scared of his wife as everyone else was. Some action hero!

Finally, Alicia put the telephone down. She was pale and looked exhausted.

“That didn’t go well,” Drew commented, giving Alicia the courtesy of phrasing it as a comment not a question.

“You know, sometimes I wonder what happened to that woman to make her as she is. Somewhere along the way, she lost her heart and most of her mind.”

“She’s not still insisting you keep Ben on?”

“No, thank God. She’s not that crazy yet. She is insisting we don’t involve the police, though.

“Why? This man assaulted her child. He blackmailed and terrorized him almost to the point where the kid was suicidal. What kind of mother wouldn’t want the monster who did that to be put away?”

“The kind of monster who values reputation over her children. Both she and Henley are at points in the careers where scandal could damage them.”

“Scandal? That’s what she thinks this is?”

Alicia shrugged helplessly. “She doesn’t deserve those boys.” She sighed. “As you could see, it was hard enough to persuade her we should get another guard for Amara.”

“What? But….”

“Oh, she wasn’t going to leave him unguarded. She just wanted to send her own guys temporarily. Given the kind of person she employs, I don’t think that would be a good idea. Amara needs someone who isn’t just going to stand outside his door and not speak to him at all.”

“I absolutely agree. Listen, I don’t want to overstep the mark, but I know someone who would be perfect, if he’s free. He took me under his wing when I was a green rookie. He takes no nonsense but he’s a good guy to have in your corner and he’s the father of two boys around my age, so he knows how to handle teens.”

Alicia gave a sigh of relief and nodded.

Drew called his office to find Jeff had just come off a job and wasn’t due to work for the next couple of days, but they promised to call him and ask if he would be prepared to take the job as a favour to Drew. Drew was pretty sure he would.”

“I know you’re thinking the same as me,” Drew said when he’d finished his call, “but I’m going to put it out there. Do you think Ben’s the one who’s been leaking information to whoever’s sending those notes?”

“I’m thinking more than that. I’m thinking Ben’s the one sending the notes. That’s why I want good security in place as soon as possible. I’m going to circulate Ben’s picture among Mamma Bear’s team, and get extra men placed around the house and involved in any trips outside it. You’ve got Dean’s number, call him as soon as you can.”

Drew nodded. Dean was the only member of Mrs Graice’s security team he was in regular contact with. He was a good man and knew his stuff. Drew had no problem with working more closely with him.

“I’m going to cancel the boys’ engagements for today. There’s nothing that can’t be rearranged. I’ll call Alexei, too, and explain everything. Amara might want to get back to work straight away, but I’m not sure it would be good for him.”

Drew paused, punching his lip and frowning. “If you’re thinking about what would be good for Amara, for both of them you know what you have to do, don’t you?”

“Absolutely not. Mamma Bear would never agree.”

“Mamma Bear can go shit in the woods. Both those boys need professional help and didn’t you hear what Amara was saying in there? The boy wanted to die. We’re lucky his relationship with Aria is so strong. Who’s to say that now he knows Aria is safe he won’t start seeing death as an option after all.”

“Surely not now Ben’s gone.”

“The human mind is a strange thing, Alicia. I’ve seen it more than once. Intolerable pressure, when removed, can leave an empty space that’s just as intolerable. Good men have taken their lives after traumatic events, once they’ve had a chance to relax and the memories start creeping in. If I know Amara at all he’s going to start to feel all kinds of things pretty soon, from embarrassment, to guilt, to sickening self-doubt. He needs more help than you or I could give, and if Mamma Bear stands in the way of that she doesn’t deserve to be a mother, and she definitely doesn’t deserve to be kept in the loop.”

Drew realized his voice was rising and took a few moments to run through some breathing exercises the army shrink had taught him at some point. He still used them sometimes.

“Are you speaking from personal experience there?”

“Some. Thank God, I’ve never been suicidal, but I know plenty of people who have, some who’ve gone through with it. I’m not ashamed to say, though, that after my last mission I came close.” He shrugged. “I guess I just love life too much.”

He grinned at her, the tension easing. “The world’s a terrible place, but it’s wonderful, too. I took comfort in simple pleasures and I think the same might be good for the boys, too. Once Jeff’s here I’m going to take them out and do some good old-fashioned living. Without all this.” He waved a hand around. “Maybe I’ll take them camping.”

Alicia snorted. “Good luck with that.”

Drew hung around, watching in fascination as Alicia pulled up spreadsheets on every aspect of the boys’ lives for the next few days, and started rearranging appointments. She was speaking to Alexei when Drew’s phone rang. He nodded at Alicia and took the call outside.

“So what kind of trouble have you got yourself into this time,” Jeff asked, his voice warm with amusement.

“Not me.” He hurriedly filled Jeff in on what had happed.

“Good grief, man, I can’t let you out of my sight for five minutes.”

“So, will you? Stand in as security for Amara until something more permanent can be arranged?”

“I don’t know. It’s not what I usually do.”

“Hmm. Let me see. I seem to recall having a conversation with a very good friend of mine and couple of weeks ago. What did I say? This is not what I signed up for. What did he say? Um…oh, I remember. Suck it up.”

Jeff chuckled. “Touche. Alright, I’ll take the job, but don’t blame me when they start complaining about appearance.”

Drew chuckled. He knew Jeff was kidding. At forty-five, Jeff was as fit as he’d ever been and had a body many younger men would have died for. Not that Drew had every checked him out, or anything. Okay, he had a few scars and he’d never been what you might call pretty, but he looked like what he was – a good, kind man, who knew how to handle himself and didn’t take shit from anyone, but knew exactly how to handle a kid who was so scared most of the time that a badly timed slap on the back could almost make him shit himself. He’d be good for Amara.

“Nah, once Aria’s done your hair and fixed your eyeliner, you’ll do fine.”

“And you’re trying to persuade me to take this job?”

“Nope, not at all. I know you’re going to take the job, so I’m simply preparing you for the inevitable.”

Jeff’s laughter rolled down the line, warm and golden and safe. “I’ll try to prepare myself. Do you think it would help if I got Mary to paint my toenails?”

“Toenails, fingernails, just sparkle everything you can.”

Jeff laughed again for a few minutes, then sobered. “Hang on in there, kid, I’m on my way.”

Drew slipped back into the office. Alicia was between calls and he ran her hand through her hair. “Give me some good news. Please.”

“Jeff’s on his way. I guarantee you won’t find anyone better on short or long notice. He’s a good man and exactly what Amara needs.”

“I’ll have to take your word for that because, honestly, right now I have no bloody idea what Amara needs.”

“The main thing he needs is help, Alicia and you know it. Can you arrange for someone to come to the house?”

“He won’t see a counsellor.”

“Trust me, he will.”

“Do you really think you can talk him into it?”

“Nope, but I know a man who can.”

Alicia stared at him for a few moments, then nodded and picked up the phone again.

“I’d better get back to the kitchen,” Drew said. “Give me a call when you’re done with Jeff and I can show him around.

When Drew opened the door to the kitchen it was to find everyone frozen in a tableau. Emma and Mason looked as if they were ready to kill him while the boys huddled at the table, practically on each other’s laps. Aria looked defiant and Amara scared.

“It’s only Drew,” Aria said, tension visibly leaving him.

Amara half-collapsed in his arms and Aria tightened his arms around his brother.

“What’s happening?” Aria demanded.

“Everything’s sorted. You’ve got nothing to worry about anymore.”

“What do you mean “everything’s sorted?” Amara asked. His voice sounded as if he was still walking a tightrope between strained composure and hysteria.

“Your mother doesn’t want the police involved, so you won’t have to talk to anyone about it if you don’t want to. Personally, I think you should speak to the police no matter what your mother says, but that’s for you to decide. Whatever you choose, Ben is positively and most surely fired and will never set foot in this house again. If he comes near you outside, we’ll get an injunction. You’re safe.”

“Why don’t I feel safe?” Amara’s voice wobbled, his composure cracking even more.

“It’s taken care of. Temporary security’s on his way until you’re feeling up to finding someone more permanent.”

“Who? How do I know he won’t hurt me, too?”

Drew’s heart broke a little. Just how many people had let Amara down in his short life?

“I promise you, you have nothing to worry about. Jeff is a good man. I served with him when I first joined up and he got me through some tricky times. He’ll take good care of you, I swear.” Amara chewed his lip, hope and fear warring behind his eyes. “Of course, he’s not as good-looking as me, but you can’t have everything.”

Amara’s eyes widened, then he smiled. “I don’t want everything. I just want to be safe.”

“And you are. I promise, you are.”

Amara chewed on his lip and nodded.

“Alicia’s cleared your diaries for today. Why don’t you go up and try to have another couple of hours sleep?”

“Will you come with us?”

Drew hesitated. He’d hoped to be around to meet Jeff, but Amara looked so lost, he didn’t have the heart to say no.

“Alright. Of course. I’ll just pop out and ask Alicia to send Jeff up, then I’ll meet you upstairs, okay?”

Both boys nodded in unison.

Neither Aria nor Amara wanted to go to bed. They insisted on curling up with Drew on the sofa to watch a film on the brand-new television. Both boys clung to him so tightly he had the uncomfortable sensation they were trying to push themselves inside his skin, but he didn’t push them away. They needed the contact and he was willing to give it freely. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like for someone inside your own home to be hurting you. Home was a refuge, a safe place, and family watched out for each other, not enabled an abuser. God was this family fucked up.

Drew had carefully approached the subject of counselling. Neither Amara nor Aria were keen on it, but at least they’d agreed to consider it, but only after they’d turned eighteen when there was no question of their mother interfering. Drew had no confidence Mrs Graice would stop trying to interfere but hoped the boys were strong enough to keep her at bay. He’d never met two people more in need of counselling, but he understood their reluctance. Maybe Jeff could help.

The film was just drawing to a close when footsteps preceded the arrival of the person Drew wanted to see more than anyone else. He was not only hopeful the boys would benefit from Jeff’s calm, no nonsense approach, but he could do with a good portion for himself.

Jeff took in the situation in a moment, and smiled, nodding toward the far end of the room. Drew tried to disentangle himself, but stopped when Amara mewled pitifully and clung to him even though he was fast asleep. He shook his head at Jeff, who nodded and walked silently to one of the arm chairs adjacent to the sofa.

“Got your hands full,” he said.

Drew nodded. “And then some.”

“I take it they’re not the monsters you though they’d be.”

“Not at all. You were right, they’re just kids. Screwed up and privileged, but basically decent human beings.” His thoughts flashed to Haven House. “I think if they get the right help now, they could grow into more than decent human beings.”

Jeff jutted his lower lip and nodded. “I see. Well, maybe you can tell me what the hell kind of mess you’ve landed yourself in this time and we’ll see what we can do.”

Although Drew had spoken to Jeff on a number of occasions about his experiences with the Graices, and although they worked at the same firm, he hadn’t gone into any details, as confidentiality was important to his employers, even among themselves, and information was passed on a need-to-know basis. Drew therefore spent some time filling Jeff in on the details of life with the twins, and with the whole situation regarding Ben.

“I’ve already spoken to Alexis Mayer and to head of Mrs Graice’s security team.”

“Of course you have.”

Jeff grinned. “You know me, Chance, always one step ahead.”

“It’s saved our lives more than once.”

“That it has, boy. That it has. Speaking of saving your life, how are your legs?”

Drew sighed and unconsciously rubbed his thighs. “Oh, you know, good days and bad days. More good days now, though.”

“When are the next round of grafts?”

“I don’t know. I took some time out after the whole infection thing and I’m seriously considering calling it a day.”

“What do your doctors say?”

“They want to do more surgeries. It’s not pretty down there, but it’s functional.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve stood next to you in urinals. It’s never been pretty down there.”

“Haha. Thanks mate. You always knew how to make me feel better.”

“And you always had a tendency to brood. Best you don’t. Take your time. You’re young and keep yourself fit. There’s time to pretty yourself up. Just keep the lights off.”

Drew barked a laugh, then shut it down when Amara stirred again and whimpered, burrowing even closer.

“Fancy a coffee. Ordinarily I’d expect you to make it, what with me being an old man and you being a young one, but I can see you’ve got your hands full so I’ll treat you this time.”

Drew smothered another laugh. Barely out of his forties, Jeff was hardly an old man and Drew had yet to meet anyone fitter and stronger. Jeff could have gone on for years in the army. He probably wouldn’t have achieved a particularly high rank due to his outspoken nature and lack of respect for any authority that didn’t deserve it, but he would have had a distinguished career. He’d given it up to spend time with his family, and Drew respected him for that as much as anything else.

“I missed my kids growing up,” he’d said, “and I’m damned if I’m going to miss my grandkids too. One day you wake up and you’re not playing football in the park anymore, you’re walking them down the aisle and you don’t even know them. I’m proud of my kids but they’ve got where they are on their own because they didn’t have a dad to go to when they needed him. No more. I’ve done my bit for England, now I’m living for myself.”

Drew pondered on that. He was twenty-four, didn’t own a house, had no partner, no prospect of kids. The closest thing to a relationship he’d ever had was the boy he’d dated for two years before he joined up. It was kid stuff. They’d only had sex once, the night before he left for boot camp, and it had been terrible. They’d oscillated between crippling embarrassment and hysterical laughter. Drew had no idea where he was now. Last he’d heard he’d moved to France with a guy he met at university and was blissfully happy helping the family-run vineyard.

Since then it had been one night stands and occasional jerk-offs with his fellow squaddies, not that anyone was gay, of course, just mates giving each other a hand.

When Jeff came back and put the coffee on the table, Drew realized he wouldn’t be able to drink it. He sighed but didn’t have the heart to move the boys.

“So, how do you suggest I handle this? You know the kid better than me. Does he need softly-softly or a firm hand?”

“Both. He’s a great kid but he can be wild. He needs to push barriers but he can’t do that if there aren’t any. He needs grounding more than anything, but he’s had a shit life. He’s not as needy as Aria, but that doesn’t mean he’s not searching for someone who gives a damn, if you know what I mean.”

“Understood. I’ve had my own kids, remember. I may not have spent as much time as should have with them, but I know how to handle stroppy teens.”

Drew snorted. “I wouldn’t say that’s the right word. I don’t think these two have ever been kids, and they’re definitely not your average teens.”

“Then this is going to be interesting. What do you think about the situation with the death threat and the rogue bodyguard? Do you think there’s a link?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. Obviously, Ben is a Grade A prick, but he was milking his position for all it was worth. He used Amara as a meal ticket and I can’t see what he’d gain. Tighter security means less opportunity to snatch a few perks. Although it does rack up the stress for the boys and maybe makes Amara easier to intimidate. There’s no question there’s a leak somewhere, but whether it’s Ben…I don’t know.”

“Do you think he still poses a threat?”

“I don’t know that, either. He’s the petty kind and I wouldn’t put it past him to hit back out of spite. He’s lost more than just a wage. From what I could tell he’s been raking in drugs and “favours” for a very long time. On the other hand, I don’t know if he’d have the balls.”

Jeff sipped his coffee, looking thoughtful. “I hate to say it, but I think it might be a good idea to move in for a couple of days, until after the party.”

“Sarah won’t be happy.”

“Which is why I hate to say it. She’s going to make my life a misery from here ‘till Christmas. But she’ll understand. She’s a sucker for hurt kids and we’ll be lucky if she doesn’t pop around with home-baked cookies and chicken soup.”

“They’re not that kind of sick, Jeff.”

“Do you think that makes a difference. Don’t forget she comes from a Jewish family and no one makes Jewish Penicillin like she does.”

“That I’d like to see.”

Jeff frowned again. “Maybe it’s what they need. She might not follow the faith, but she’s a Jewish mother through and through. She’d mother these two to death and I figure they haven’t had much of that.”

Drew snorted. “Yeah.”

“Drew?” Aria’s sleepy voice murmured, as he slowly sat up and stretched. He almost jumped out of his skin when he saw Jeff, and his jerk woke Amara. Disoriented, he glanced around wildly and when he spotted Jeff he yelped and cowered, then made a strange growling noise and stood up, ramrod straight.

“I’m not scared anymore,” he said softly and Drew had the distinct impression he was talking to himself. “Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my house?”

“Our house,” Aria corrected, but was ignored.

“This is Jeff, Amara, your new bodyguard. Remember? I told you about him.”

Amara relaxed, but not much. “Oh yeah, you mentioned it. Only temporarily though, until I can find my own.”

“Understood,” Jeff said, with a curt nod. “But in the meantime, I’m going to be your shadow, so I suggest we get to know each other. First, and most important, I like my coffee with cream, not milk, and one sugar. I know, I know it’s not good for me, but I run it off, so it’s all good. I’m and old man, ancient compared to you two, so I expect you to make the brew. And what do we do for food around here? I had lunch plans today, but I guess I’ll be eating with you now.”

Both boys gaped at him, and Drew turned away, stifling a smile.

“You expect us to make you coffee?”

“If you’re expecting anything more than grunts. Especially in the mornings.”

“Mornings? You’re staying?”

“Given the circumstances, I’m not taking my eyes off you, sunshine. You’re stuck with me good and proper. What do you do for fun around here?”

From the tension in Amara’s shoulders, and the straightness of his back, Drew expected an explosion. He remembered the little tableau that had met his own arrival and wondered what the boys would make of Jeff.

Instead of the explosion, though, Drew couldn’t have been more surprised by the words that came out of Amara’s mouth.

“Do you play chess?”

“I’ve been known to topple a king or two.”

“First to win three games makes the coffee.”

“Fair enough. Set ‘em up.”

Aria shifted closer to Drew as he watched open mouthed while Amara led Jeff to the chess board.

“I think he likes him,” Aria whispered. “I think I do too. He’s got kind eyes, and he’s strong, like you. On the inside.”

Drew glanced down into Aria’s smile. “You don’t miss much, do you?”

“Oh, I miss loads of things, but I know people better than you think.”

“You never stop surprising me, Aria Graice.”

“Lots more left, Drew Chance.”

With a cheeky grin, Aria shed the blanket that Drew had wrapped around the boys when they slept and bounced off to cheer his brother on.

Jeff happened to be good at chess; very good. Time sat heavy on your hands sometimes when you were on a mission and they all had their own way of passing it. Some played cards, some did magic tricks, most of them found something to bet on, and some played chess. Often, they played on a board marked on the earth with markers that didn’t much resemble chess pieces. Jeff never lost a game.

Amara won three games in half an hour and Jeff was gracious in defeat – mostly.

“Are you really going to hold me to that? To force an old man to make his own coffee when you two have enough energy in you to boil the kettle without electricity?”

“I’ll make a deal with you,” Amara said, a thoughtful and dead serious expression on his face. “I’ll make you coffee, if you teach me how to defend myself, so I’m never scared like that again.”

“I’ll teach you, but don’t think for one minute it will stop you being scared. The world is a terrifying place. If you dwell on it too much, you’ll shit your pants every time you walk out the door.”

“But you’re not scared. Drew told us some of the things you’ve done. Teach me to not be scared.”

“Let me tell you something, boy. Something I told Drew a long time ago, that I tell all my boys when they’re about to face something bad, being brave has nothing to do with not being scared. Being brave is about getting on with it and doing what has to be done, even though you’re so scared you can hardly put one foot in front of the other and your heart’s beating out of your chest, even when you can’t hold your piss.”

Drew winced. Sometimes Jeff was too blunt for his own good. He was surprised to find both Aria and Amara had thoughtful expressions rather than the outraged ones he’d expected.

“Have you ever been that scared?” Aria asked.

“More times than you’ve got into trouble.”

“Jesus,” Amara said, a grin splitting his face. “That’s a lot.”