Tali
Maddy has insisted on us staying for dinner. So Micheal and Sam and Eliot and Parker and I are sitting around the table and we all have beers in our hands.
"So, where is Nate?" I ask awkwardly.
"He's in Vegas," Micheal says.
"Is he good? Happy?" I ask.
"He's wonderful. He's married to a woman named Ruth and I hate her," Maddy says.
I chuckle at that.
"So Eliot, what do you do?" Maddy asks him.
"I work for a company called Leverage. We help people," Eliot says.
"Oh, so you help people like Micheal does!" She says with a smile.
I smile. I'm proud of Eliot for getting out of the hitting game. I haven't made a score like Eliot did a few years ago.
"What does Micheal do?" I ask.
"I'm not at liberty to say," Micheal says.
"Okay," I say and leave it at that.
"Eliot, you and Parker should go," I say.
"What about you?" Eliot asks.
"I know how to disappear," I say.
"Tali, why don't you stay with mom?" Micheal asks me.
"I couldn't impose on your mother!" I protest.
Maddy looks at me and I feel I may be a sore point for her. I don't want to make it worse.
"I will go somewhere safe," I say to Micheal.
"Tali, you need to go somewhere I can reach you," Micheal says.
"Give me a pen or give me your phone," I say.
He hands me his phone and I put my number in. I hand him the phone back.
"We'll be in touch," Micheal says.
"I'll make sure Tali is safe wherever she is going to stay," Eliot says.
"Make sure the Butcher doesn't get to her," Micheal says.
Parker and Eliot and I prepare to leave and I look at Maddy.
"I am sorry if I caused you any pain, Mrs. Westen," I say to her.
"See you around, Tali," she says.
We leave and I drive to this rented house with good visual security and the added things I put up. Eliot and Parker have a flight out for tomorrow morning. Good thing I have the truck.
"Tali," Eliot says.
"Yes Brother?" I ask him.
"Micheal seems to be a decent dude. He promised me that he will keep an eye on you," he says.
"I'm not expecting anything from the Westen's," I say.
"He sees his dad in you," he says.
"That is a bad thing since he was not a nice guy," I say to him.
I look out the window and see the full moon. It's beautiful.
"What about the Glenanne's?" I ask him.
"They won't bother you," Eliot says.
"You slept with Fiona at one point didn't you?" I accuse him.
"I did, but it was years ago," he says.
I sigh and go to my kitchen. I find a can margarita and open it. I take a long sip of it.
"Eliot, you didn't have to come here," I say to my big brother.
"I had to come here. I didn't want your feelings to get hurt again," he says.
"Eliot, no one here really cares about my feelings anymore," I say.
"Your feelings matter to me," he says.
He hugs me and I miss him whenever he goes on a job. He always hid me when I was younger to escape 'dad'. He would come for me when dad was passed out. He would bring me food and eat in my room that he shared with me. Dad thought I wasn't good enough to have a room of my own.
"Eliot, I'm not that little scared sister that you would hide in the closet while dad wailed on you and mom," I say to him.
"You will always be my little sister, scared or not," he says.
I laugh at that. I hand him a beer and we sit for a bit. I want to stay in Miami and get to know my half brother. I guess I will have for go my beloved boots and exchange them for wedge heels. I guess I will have to go shopping.
"Hey Eliot?" I ask.
"Yes?" He asks with a smirk.
"Would you front me some money for new shoes?" I ask him sweetly.
"Sure," he says with a laugh. "You're really like everyone at Leverage, aren't you?"
"I am a girl," I say.
"Just take my card for tomorrow. I'll leave with Parker later in the afternoon," he says.
He hands me his card and I grin. I won't spend all his money, but I will spend a chunk of it. I lean my head on his shoulder and fall asleep.
Sean
It's been a few weeks and I haven't seen the lovely Ms. Spencer. She haunts my dreams with her beauty. I smile at her lovely smile. Fiona has warmed up to Tali. They actually went shoe shopping.
"Sean?"
I look up and see Fiona staring down at me.
"Yes Fi?" I ask her.
"Why are you still here?" She asks me.
"That Tali girl is interesting," I say with a smirk.
"You hurt her and I will disown you as my brother," she says with a frown.
"I won't," I say.
"She is at Micheal's if you want to see her," she says dismissively.
I get up and head over to Micheal's. The drive is annoying, but if it gets me to Tali faster than it's worth it. I found the club where Micheal lives. I walk up the stairs and knock on the door. I wait for someone to answer.
The door opens and Micheal is standing in front of me.
"Sean, what's up? I thought you went back to Ireland," he says.
"My brother Callen has taken over the business in Ireland. I thought I would stay here for a while," I say with a grin.
"Micheal, who is it?" I hear Tali call out.
"Sean Glenanne," Micheal says.
Tali comes in sight and she's in a dress. I didn't know she would wear such a thing. I definitely didn't notice that full hourglass figure. Tank top and jeans don't do her justice.
"Sean Glenanne! Hide me!" Tali yells.
I see her rushing to hide and I don't understand why. I look at Micheal confused.
"Your reputation precedes you, Sean," Micheal says with a laugh.
"I mean no harm," I say.
"Tell that to Tali," he says with a laugh.
"Will ya let me in to do so?" I ask him.
Micheal moves out of my way to go tell Tali myself.
"Tali?" I call out.
No answer. I look around the loft and don't see Tali in sight. I'm confused. I look all around and she is gone.
"Micheal, where is she?" I ask him.
"She was here," he says, confused himself.
His phone rings. He picks it up.
"Micheal, I had to run. Another appointment! See you later!" Tali says.
"Sean really wanted to talk to you," Micheal says.
"Yeah, maybe he can come in peace," she says.
"I did come in peace, lass," I say loud enough for her to hear.
"I'll come by the loft later, Micheal!" She says and hangs up.
I laugh. She's scared of me. I hope to change that impression on her. I want her to see me differently.
"You like my sister, don't you?" Micheal asks me.
"I do," I say.
"Don't play with her heart," he warns me.
"That is not my intention at all," I say to him. "Also, how did she get outta here?"
"She has a friend that jumps off buildings for a living," he says with a smile.
"She jumped off this building in a dress?" I ask him.
"Yes, I wish I could have seen it," he says.
"I bet it would have been a sight. She's something else," I say.
Micheal looks at me with the discerning eye of an older brother. I guess I have to go through him too. I guess I will have to go through all of her brothers.
"Sean, you mind helping me with a problem?" Micheal asks me.
"Sure, what's the problem?" I ask him.
Micheal explains the problem and I hear it's about a girlfriend beater he's helping with. He's trying to chase him off. I hate beater of women. I think back to Tali. I wonder what's going on with her? I heard that her dad beat her.
So me and Micheal take care of the problem and we go back to the loft for beers. When we get there I smell food. We go into the loft and find Tali and Fiona talking and laughing. Then I see the spread.
"Micheal really did that?" Tali asks Fiona.
"Oh yeah, he really did that," Fiona says with a smile.
"He tried to jump off a building without the proper equipment?" Tali asks.
"Yeah, I got broken leg after that one," Micheal says.
"Micheal!" They say, like creepy twins.
Tali hops off her stool and walks over to Micheal. He pats her on her head and she looks like a cute kid sister. Doesn't even look like she is a hell of a fighter.
"Tali, how have you been today?" He asks her with a small smile.
"Got a job as a bouncer at some club," she says.
"What?" He asks her.
"What? I'm not taking those kind of jobs anymore," she says.
"Don't you have like more money than like a billionaire?" He asks.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I don't bored," she says with a frown.
Micheal just pats her on the head and she hugs him. I hear someone take a picture of them. I look and see Fiona with a camera. She is smiling. Seems Tali has missed out at being a younger sister. Someone to baby her a little. Micheal seems to be taking to having a younger sister quite well. Micheal is smiling and soon we were eating and Sam comes to the loft.
Tali seems to be fitting in rather well. I want her to see me like just a man. Not someone who to be feared. Fi walks over to me and I just want to find an opening to talk to Tali. Tali is talking to Sam and she has him laughing. Sam is flirting with her, but it has no effect on her. I see that she excuses herself and goes onto the balcony. I follow and she's staring up at the full moon outside.
"Tali?" I say.
She turns shocked, but she offers me a small smile.
"Sean, how are you?" She asks me.
"I'm good. Why do you seem so scared of me?" I ask her.
She is hesitant about answering me.
"You don't have to be scared of me," I say.
"You have a rep that screams sadists and evil. Actually you're the kind of guy that I would beat within an inch of their life and leave them for dead. You're the oldest Glenanne and that screams danger," she says softly.
"You're scared of me?" I ask her.
"Kind of. Why do you think I stayed away from Ireland?" She asks me.
"I was guessing the views were not to your liking," I say.
"I've seen pictures and have wanted to go, but you know your rep," she says shyly.
She looks out at the sky again and the night sky seems to set off her blue eyes. I lift my hand to her chin and turn her face towards me. I want to stare into those eyes. She looks me in the eye and for a second I think I saw a flash of fear. I don't want that reaction when she looks at me. I look at her with a sad gaze. I let go of her chin and turned my gaze to the night sky. It's a beautiful night. I glance at her and she seems sad.
"You're not what I expected," Tali says softly.
"I guess I should be flattered," I say with a chuckle. "What did you expect?"
"Someone cruel and evil. Someone I would hate with every fiber of my being. I have hated a lot of people. It's not a healthy thing to do. Then again dealing with the people I used to deal with was not healthy either. No wonder I retired," She says with a soft laugh. "I can feel Micheal's eyes boring into you."
I look inside and it's taking Fi and Sam holding Micheal back from tearing me into shreds. I laugh at that.
"You Irish men do have a charm about you. No wonder Eliot warned me about them, you," She says.
We are a force to be reckoned with. Especially in love. I want Tali, like never before. No other girls can hold a candle to her.
"You can't blame a man for tryin," I say.
"Good thing I'm immune to it," She says before she leaves me by myself.
I smile at that. She's immune, huh? We will see about that.