- Chapter Forty-Two -

Almost An Assassination Attempt

Dead wind too feeble to do more than sputter through his thinning hair, it would have seemed redundant to still be wearing their coats if the beach weren't languishing in limbo and emitting a catching chill. A vivacious splash of neon yellow in an otherwise watercolor sky, the sun was probably doing all it could to warm the white sands, however not nearly fast enough. Carrying his burden out the house and down the front steps, the ex-con had to ponder where it was they could go to be alone. Properly alone.

Weather permitting, there was the cozy little canopy by the fire pit, which had the added bonus of having curtains that could be drawn as desired. But would it be warm enough on its own? Ordinarily the thick, starchy flap was tied back for the light of the sun and moon alike, so the elder Drake couldn't recall a time when the set-up had been made more intimate. Cassie had sometimes sat inside when she'd pretend it was a litter and she an ancient queen, but he'd never thought to test how good the coverage really was.

Far more practical in just about every way, the office was just a little ways on. Things weren't like to turn violent or get outrageously out-of-hand, however the brunette knew that he would never be forgiven if anything were to happen to their work. Miss Mild Manners wouldn't intentionally screw anything up for someone else without a reason, he was sure of that much, however bad luck followed that girl wherever she went like an unlucky penny, so it would be better to not test fate. Besides, like the aforementioned canopy, it also felt a touch too close to the residence.

A mere stone's throw away and just bobbing mulishly against the deep turquoise tide was the boat (to which he didn't actually have keys, but that wouldn't be much of a problem). Sheltered and as far from the wonder crowd as they could possibly get with such a limited map, even in his agitated state the historian saw that that was only inviting an accident. Done with so-called medical experts, Sam wanted to have as clear a head as he could, and he knew that if the pair got too close under the right conditions, things might get a little... friendly.

Money taking a backseat for the moment - just a moment - it was plain to see that the girl was in no fit state to be putting herself to the market. Baby was only just stumbling through the tail-end of a daze, and with the huffy way he himself was feeling, there was virtually no chance whatsoever that he could mind both his temper and keep things at a comfortable tempo for the girl. Daniella needed kinder treatment than what he was currently equipped to deal with, she deserved that much. Besides, there was also his family to consider as well.

Urgh, why did he have to be the one tested like this?! God must have really hated him. Moody-ass teenagers, pipsqueaks at play, moms with agendas, brothers, inevitable repercussions, and a heaping helping of nitwits and rivals. Could just one thing go his way?! Just once!

Technically speaking there were a number of places around the island they could have their little therapy session, yet because he was supporting the girl like he was, the thief wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to lug her around. Add that to the list - if it wasn't the curse of age, her muscle mass, and being too stubborn for his own damn good, it was bound to be something else.

On the bright side, at least they didn't have to cross any bridges or collapsible cliff sides.

Fuck. My. Life. Back really starting to feel it, he groaned to himself internally as the cyst on his shoulder squirmed, HARD.

Silent as the countless crucifixes scattered throughout the entirety of the Saint Francis' Boy's Home, he could feel Daniella start to stir more than before. An obedient little thing that could take orders well enough, there was no reason that the young woman couldn't just follow him to one of the many alternate locals. In theory.

In practice, the personification of his un-confessed sins was a lost wreck. But that was alright, because things in the dollhouse were just as big of a mess. The more the merrier, why the hell not? Control the biggest lie of them all, as the cold truth emerged through the smoldering rubble it was clear that now wasn't the time for her to get the wrong idea. As her sole protector, the thief was still in charge of the itinerary: they would go where he told them to go, when he told her.

As far as Dells needed to be concerned, she was just there tagging along because mommy was going to pay him handsomely for keeping her alive. That was it.

Now Sam just had to say all of that to her face. Her red, puffy, sopping wet face.

[Inside The House]

Elena was sorely tempted to stop her brother-in-law from absconding with the heiress when he'd just suddenly swooped in like he had. If that had been her daughter the blonde definitely would have lost her cool and intervened, but as it wasn't Cassie, it was much easier to see the bigger picture. She had been young once, had known what it felt like to want to lock herself in a dark room for hours (or even weeks) on end without leaving. Bad break-ups, multiple rejections letters from the one school she wanted to attend more than anything else, a death in the family, she had been there before.

Granted the circumstances weren't entirely in the same hemisphere, however if the poor girl was able to feel anything at all at the moment, it was that same exact feeling. Warm winter blankets and solitude were the second most precious thing in the world when a young heart was crushed. And Sam? Sam might be a little rough around the edges and borderline rude at times, but he just might have been the answer: a friend in a time of need.

Heaven help her.

Keeping her eyes on the prize, Elena used her quick recovery speed to her advantage and moved to the fridge. "Whose hungry?"

Faster than his wife at adapting to the situation, Nate was still sitting by the door, perplexed and looking as if he was beyond trying to figure out what had led from point A to point B. About ready to get up out of his seat, if she had to guess, the woman would have thought the gears were working out if he should be worried or not. When she mentioned food, Nathan whipped his head around to the summons, all previous thoughts wiped from his head.

Cassie was right there as well, almost as if she had been lurking in the hallway the whole time. Name uncomfortably close for her liking, Rafael had absolutely no apparent interest whatsoever in what his traveling companions got up to on their own, throwing his head back against the seat as if to prove that point. For a second the woman thought that he might have been intending to take a nap, until the prospect of a meal caused him to jerk to attention.

[The Body And The Guard]

Crystalline gaze swimming from getting wracked on not one but two doorways in quick succession, it took Daniella a moment to realize that they were no longer indoors. No longer surrounded by ogling eyes and mouths made for gossip, curious to see the next act in the freak show. Are we really alone? Who was she kidding, she would always have a piece of her parents watching over her. In some ways that notion was truly thrilling, but in others it was rather dreadful in her lowest moment of shame. Do the dead really watch us, all the time? I hope not, or Daddy would have seen quite a lot...

(Please don't make me think about being honest about that, she implored the voice in her head.)

World a different place when everything was turned all around and seen through the filter of partially dried tears, her first real clue was not the scenery but the in place of hard flooring (who was going to pay enough attention to commit that level of detail to memory?!), blue-gray skies instead of fine yet aged wooden craftsmanship. Overall a pretty landscape painting for the gallery.

Not a pretty picture, unshaven legs with hair getting a tad too long to call stubble prickled at the almost nonexistent breeze, but thankfully the jacket was keeping the goosebumps away. Stupid stitches. Honestly static, the airflow not interrupted by the thief's proximity wasn't an unwelcome change, merely different. Although if they stayed outside much longer, she might be singing another tune sooner than later.

Quietly observing her surroundings once more - after recent events, she might never visit a new place without seeking out every possible exit - the young woman noted the front of porch of the house. It was a cute little set-up, perfect for getting close and personal. Just beyond that was a personal fire pit and dais marked by a canoe or two, a small boat anchored opposite. Funnily enough she had failed to see the watercraft when docking, but reviewing all the facts, there really hadn't been time to look around.

Honestly getting sick and tired of being scarcely more than a prop, the heiress began to fuss around when they paused for seemingly no reason at all, "I can walk."

"Fine." Bet if I were anyone else, she'd be kissing my ass and showering me with thanks. Kinder now that he had tasted a small form of retribution but still a long ways off from forgiveness, the brunette let her down almost gently in comparison, "My back was getting sore anyways."

Aware of the target he had intentionally presented, he leered in the girl's direction as she balanced herself, daring her to take the bait. Nadine would have jumped on it before anything else, Chloe would have chimed in just for the sake of being a smart-ass, and even Elena would have punished him for the remark. Bai would have been the worst offender of all he knew, her words all acid and knives with pure killing intent. As her daughter, Daniella should have had something for him.

Voice splintered as one would expect from someone in a recovery program, she didn't miss the fact that he was considerably more gentlemanly now than he had been at any point since they had arrived. Though his gaze wasn't as bright as she suspected it could be, his eyes weren't so far from seeing her as they were before. "I'm sorry."

Maybe it was just a sequestered reader romanticizing again, yet she couldn't deny that he could have just dropped her gracelessly on her ass. It happened frequently in the movies, and she had no delusions that this whole situation wasn't a nightmare for the man. Assumptions easy enough to make, she had no clue what he did before she fell onto his plate, but it had to have been better than all of this.

Sorry? Sorry?! That was all she had to say for herself?!

Damned to the farthest possible place on the great white north, it wasn't the razor sharp barb he would have delivered if their roles had been reversed, but it seemed to be genuine enough. It was always genuine with her. And just about the only thing he'd heard out of her. Sorry, sorry, sorry! Rafe had never been sorry a day in his whole entire life, and Bai had only managed it the once (recently at that!), but somehow their kid had picked up all the slack in that department and had gone and made the word her catchphrase.

Whoever had raised the girl had done one hell of a job! Emitting a noise not unlike the bastard of a hiss and a strained grunt under his breath, if he had to write all of this down Sam was steamed enough to use several heavily punctuated exclamations.

Anything. Anything would have been better than that! Any mature adult that had their shit together would have been ecstatic by the class displayed, but come the fuck on! That was the painfully hand-crafted puppet Bai had manufactured, not the young woman.

If Sam had been a more rational man and not so prone to taking his lighter to the tall grass when the field was already on fire, he might have seen that the fraction of himself that wasn't irritated by the clueless traitor had used this as a test of sorts. Calmer than the man he had once been, he didn't want to be mad at the young woman - in fact he was kind of hoping that this was a chance for her to redeem herself. In retrospect it wasn't a very good test, because she hadn't exactly shown herself to be the snappy sort so far and was only set up to fail.

Blanking out rather callously on a subconscious level that she was in a vulnerable place, he lost his composure, "Oh, just stuff your sorries!" Blood flaring in his veins at a hot enough degree to boil an egg, the historian took the girl in hand and shook her, "You're an Adler for Chrissake, so act like it! Rafe's dead and Bai isn't here, so for the love of God, stop acting like a damn mannequin and be your own person!"

Probably not the best advice when her dad was his own special breed of awful, her mother was... her mother, and the surname carried an unwritten history of horror. Logic had jumped ship the minute Rafael introduced himself, so it wasn't like there was any kind of a plan. Mood making him irrational and about as far from reasonable as a person could get, the argument could be made that he was only just realizing that her lack of spontaneity and fire was starting to grate at the nerves. Jesus, he wanted to scream at her to stop being so god-damn reasonable and be a dumb kid for once!

...Wait. He just had. Well shit!

Told in the past that it wasn't an attractive trait to repeatedly apologize, nothing could have prepared her for the outburst.

Disbelief such that she was unable to even form words, the truth was that he was right - she wasn't much more than a pretty porcelain doll for the shelf. Mama's hold was no secret, and in fact was something she had kept coming back to, although she really didn't want to. For all her fantasies about manning up and being that pirate of lore given new life, she was just a plaything for others. For Daddy she was the heir apparent, for Mama a means to an end; Shen had probably only seen her as a challenge to overcome, Keats a laugh and a paycheck that evolved gradually into pity. No one had taken her seriously, because there wasn't anything there to take seriously.

No pride there to offend in theory, for all the etiquette instilled in her DNA Daniella was the mirror to everyone else's deepest desires. Angel and Ashley revealed in it when they'd held her captive, Jian had tried to exploit that identity, and even her schoolgirl enemies had made use off of her.

Who am I? Really?

"Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to." Her father cautioned, half in memory and half as a flutter of oily ash-infused cola that tickled her earlobe. It was only the wind, yet for just a moment she remembered something else, something that had no place here where her father lived.

What am I?

Why should I care anymore?

Answers nowhere to be seen, not even in the fringes of insanity where ghosts would dwell, as Sam shook her the self-aware automaton switched off and gave in to instinct.

Imagining a weathered trunk in the attic - not her own, but just some random, dusty, borderline creepy old attic - Daniella turned an equally ancient brass key in the lock. Ornately designed with a royal motif, there was a moment that she was afraid it had been the wrong key because of how difficult the act of turning the mechanism was, however with a little more effort there was the satisfying noise of a click. It was done.

Surprisingly easy to surrender the reigns once they were out of her hand, the blank stare on her face faltered and became the angry mask of a person she did not recognize.

Bodies a decent ways away from one another during the affair, he was so consumed by the act of forcing sense on her that he failed to see her hands slip into the space between them. Reaching up without pause, in a single fluid motion the young woman batted away the unnecessary grip. Not satisfied with stopping there, she (mis)directed her anger and pain at the thief and shoved him back without warning. No one should have to suffer an indignity like that, let alone someone of her pedigree!

Half tempted to throttle the child then and there, the part of his brain that wasn't smothered in the red was saying to usher her along, just a little further up the nonexistent path until they were completely out of sight. Choke her, or make her follow? Frightening how similar those two options were, more so how easily the idea came into his head, everything changed when she shoved him. To be fair it could have been a fluke incident that would never be repeated, but what if it wasn't?

Tipping backwards to tease gravity, his first thought as his feet slid along the sand was that she had applied an astounding amount of force for someone in such a fragile state. Apparently her muscles weren't just for show after all.

Cards, dice, whatever was handy, if there was a way to make a benefit off of it, chances were that he had bet on it. Sam could have lied and said that it was all to make some extra scratch for his little brother and him, but the truth was that he was just drawn to gambling. The stakes, the danger, the unknown, it was an adrenaline junkie's cushion when they couldn't make it into the real shit. Hell, it was so much a part of his life that he had made it a forever thing.

Poker was an especially handy habit, even when he lost. As a certain gentleman once said, 'You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em', and it was obvious that Dells hadn't yet learned that lesson.

Regret flashing not across her face but behind her pale hazel windows, considering he had merely stumbled and she revealed her hand by reaching out for his arm, that was to be expected from a novice. Ever the good-guy - err, good-girl - as she clasped his wrist with all her might to prevent a tumble, her cheeks lit up like a cherry pie on the Fourth of July. The girl might have been quick to let go and hastily glance away to take in the surrounding area, but the damage had already been done.

He certainly would have felt like an idiot if an act of aggression had been followed up with one of concern.

I should have just slapped him. At least that way I wouldn't have to look like an idiot for taking it back.

AN:

Hello reader(s)! Hope it wasn't too confusing going back and forth between Sam and Dells - I've done a fabulous job botching it before lol. Also, just wanted to say that reviews are always appreciated :) They help me grow as an author, which in turn means a better reading experience for you.

Take care!