Hello, everyone! Yes, it's us again! First, we need to thank everyone who has reviewed and/or read this story. We appreciate every one of you. :) We know that we only updated a few days ago, but this one flowed so well that we just couldn't wait to share it. Please let us know what you think. You truly do make our day when you review. As always...
Yours,
butterflyswest and Erin Allen
17
"I don't know what I'm gonna tell Em," Ray said as the car pulled into Carter's circular drive.
Neela glanced at him and sighed. She was more than tired. Actually, she wouldn't have minded just lying down and sleeping for the next twenty years or so. The meeting hadn't gone as she had believed it would. She knew what Ray had told her about his father, but she had never thought that his description could be an understatement. The reality was so much worse. She had been appalled at the open contempt he showed toward his own son. Her own parents would have died rather than show her such hostility. She was their child. Even after all the nagging and they still loved her enough to let her make her own decisions. And the very thought of hurting one of their children was unheard of.
Now they would have to tell Emily that things had not gone according to plan. Not completely anyway. Neela couldn't help but cringe at what she would say to all this. Would she even understand what this meant? Unfortunately, Neela thought that she very well would.
"We'll tell her together," she said as the car came to a halt. "We'll just tell her that we'll do everything we can to make certain that she won't ever have to go back."
The driver opened the door and Neela slid out. Ray followed, running his hand through his hair to rub the back of his neck. The man took the grocery bag from Ray's hand, earning a startled look.
"I'll just take that, sir."
Neela raised her eyebrows and murmured a thank you.
"I didn't think he could speak," she said under her breath.
Ray offered a small smile at her attempt at humor.
"We can tell her together, but that still doesn't change the fact that he didn't take the deal."
"Yet," Neela added firmly. "He could still call today."
Ray shrugged and opened the door. "Either way, she's not going back to Philly. Not with him anyway. That's all I really care about."
Neela nodded, following him in.
He wasn't three feet in the door before he'd loosened his tie and slipped it off. Neela couldn't help but laugh at that, even with the tension from the meeting still weighing her down. He really was a creature of comfort. Jeans were about as dressy as he got. By the time he was to the den, his sport coat was over his arm, the sleeves of his dress shirt unbuttoned, and the shirttails hanging out and fluttering. She grinned and shook her head.
"You weren't kidding when you said this was a one time only deal."
He gave her a grin over his shoulder.
"Nope. I'm not cut out for that look. You'll be lucky to…"
He broke off, his face going slack with shock at what he'd been about to say. He clamped his lips shut and forced a smile at her questioning look.
"I'll be lucky to what?" she asked.
"Nothing. My brain is all over the place right now," he muttered. "Listen, I'm going to go change before we talk to Em."
Neela frowned and nodded, her eyes following him as he walked down the hall to their room. She had no idea what he'd been about to say, but there was no mistaking that look on his face. He had the same look every time he'd said something incredibly stupid and was only just realizing it. She shook her head, knowing that asking him directly would yield no results. The more she asked, the less he would say. She sighed. He would tell her when he was ready. Or until she nagged him long enough.
She found Brett and Emily in the den playing some asinine game on the Playstation. Just as Brett had promised, he was winning, but not by much. Neela grinned as Emily crowed with triumph and passed his score.
"Dammit! Would you just play fair for once?" he asked testily.
"What's fair?" Emily shot back, her eyes never leaving the screen. "It's a computer generated game, genius. How can I cheat?"
"Hello, kids," Neela said from the doorway before their argument could escalate to all out bloodshed. "Can't you play nice with Brett, Emily?"
"I would if he wasn't such a baby about losing."
Brett paused the game, earning a scowl from Emily. He actually looked relieved when he saw that Neela had returned. His smile looked almost strained.
"Hi mom, did you bring me anything?" he said in a high falsetto.
Neela rolled her eyes, and Emily winced.
"Sore loser," the girl muttered as she rose from the floor. She turned on her heel to look at Neela. "You guys are back early."
"Not really," Neela hedged. "We stopped at the market for more cereal."
Emily's face lit up, and Neela couldn't help but feel guilty for the distraction. She saw Brett give her an odd look, and she shook her head slightly.
"Hey, Brat. Why don't you go ask Anna to make something for lunch," he said from the floor. He gave her a wide grin when she scowled down at him. "After the beating you almost gave me, it's the least you can do."
She rolled her eyes.
"Good God, you're worse than a kid!"
His grin widened, and he batted his eyelashes at her in a puppy dog look.
"Pwease?"
Neela laughed. She'd seen this act before and knew he wouldn't quit until he'd gotten what he wanted. Emily sighed, suddenly catching on.
"Ok, then. I get it. Grown up talk." She glared at Neela. "But when I come back, you had better tell me what happened."
"I promise that when Ray gets done changing, we'll tell you."
With one more sullen glare at both of them, Emily left the room, muttering under her breath.
"Okay," Brett said, rising to his feet. "I know that look. What happened?"
"He didn't take the deal," Ray said from the doorway.
Neela turned to find him pulling a tee shirt down to hang over his jeans. His feet were bare as he padded toward them to flop down onto the sofa. Neela's heart clenched at the utter fatigue in his face as he scrubbed at his hair.
"What? I thought your lawyer said…"
"He thinks that it's only a matter of time," Ray interrupted. "Daddy dearest still thinks he can get out of this."
"Oh, shit," Brett muttered. He gave Ray a sympathetic look. "Are you gonna tell her?"
"I have to," he said wearily. "I can't keep this from her. I won't do that to her."
Ray could only sit there, feeling tired. There was no other word that would describe it. He was just tired to his core. He would have liked nothing better than to just let Emily live in ignorance. It would have been easier on her. He wished that he could just be ignorant of the whole thing. He didn't like the feeling of this hanging over them, just waiting for the wrong moment to fall and destroy them all. He had believed that he would never feel that way again the night he'd fled his parents' house.
He sighed as Neela settled on the couch beside him and laid her head on his shoulder. He was so glad that she was there that it was painful; an ache in his chest that wouldn't go away. Not that he wanted it to. He couldn't believe that she was still there with him. After all the shit, she was still there. He still couldn't believe what he had almost let slip. What a disaster that would have been. It had taken two years to get them to this point, and he wasn't about to screw it up now. He didn't have any right to think about…that. Not with his father hanging over all of them like a dark cloud.
Emily came in then, her face set in a stubborn scowl. She took one look at him and immediately planted her hands on her hips. He couldn't help but grin at the way she looked. It was the same thing he did whenever he wanted to be a pain in the ass.
"Okay, you had your little conference," she said, glaring at Neela and Brett. "You changed your clothes…thank God for small favors. Now spill it. What happened?"
Ray exchanged an amused look with Neela and laughed at Brett's disgusted look.
"She's a cocky brat, ain't she?"
Emilylooked over her shoulder at him and raised an eyebrow.
"Care for a rematch, Brett?"
"Children, please," Neela broke in. She sighed in defeat as they stuck their tongues out at each other. I'm never having children, she thought again. With Brett and Emily around, she didn't need any more kids. Emily turned back to pin Ray with a glare, but Neela could see the effort it was taking her to keep up her façade. She was afraid and was trying to hide it.
"He didn't take the deal," Ray said bluntly. There was really no way to break it to her gently, and he was just too worn out to try.
"And that means what?"
"That its not over," he said with a sigh. "The only thing I can guarantee is that you won't be going back to Philly. Not now, not ever."
Relief flashed briefly across her face, only to be replaced by more worry.
"And what about you, Ray? Will he come after you?"
"No," Ray lied. He was sure that if his father could find a way, that Ray would be the first one he came after. "He won't come for me."
Emily frowned, her eyes searching his face. After a long moment, she spun around and moved toward the door.
"Emily…"
"Not now, Ray," she said harshly. She pinned him with a hard glare. "And don't ever lie to me again. I'm not a child."
Ray groaned as she left the room, jumping to his feet to follow her. Dammit, he hadn't meant to hurt her. He'd only been trying to keep her from worrying. He was halfway across the foyer when the front doorbell rang. He cursed. What the hell else could go wrong today? He veered toward the door and threw it open.
"What?"
Ray froze when he saw who stood there. His heart began to pound in his chest, as he thought of Emily in the next room. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure she was out of sight. Neela came to the door of the den and gave him a questioning look that he answered with a shake of his head. He didn't want her out here either. He turned his eyes back to the man on the stoop and scowled.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he growled, placing his body squarely in the doorway. His father smiled coldly.
"I came to see my daughter," he said simply. "The one you've been keeping from me."
"She ran away from you," Ray contradicted. "And she doesn't want a damn thing to do with you."
"She's still my daughter. What she thinks she wants isn't relevant."
"Just like what I wanted wasn't relevant," Ray shot back, his blood coming to a boil. "You never gave a shit about either one of us, so why are you here now?"
His father scowled and took a step forward, his hand on the door. Ray held on and stepped outside, closing the door firmly behind him. The frozen concrete on the stoop immediately numbed his feet, but he didn't care. There was no way he was letting this man in the house.
"I would suggest you leave. Now."
"I'll leave when I have her," his father said harshly. "I'm not going to let some little punk playing doctor take from me everything I've worked for."
"Worked for?" Ray shouted incredulously, ignoring the insults. He didn't care what the man thought of him. "You've done nothing but cheat and lie your way through life. You beat up on little kids and cover it up."
"You always were too stupid to see the truth," his father sneered. "I was hard on you because you were weak. If you had just done what you were supposed to do…"
"What? Live like a prisoner? Just suck it up?" Ray stepped off the stoop and into the snow, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "I sucked it up for years until I wanted to puke. Nothing was ever good enough to you. I never wanted your life, Dad. Never."
His father narrowed his eyes on him.
"I know all about your 'choices', boy. You chose to live like one of the little dirt bags I used to put in prison. Playing with a band, drinking like a fish. How many women did you take back to that rat hole of an apartment? How long will it be before that pretty little Indian girl sees the truth and leaves you swinging in the wind?"
Ray actually saw red at the mention of Neela. He'd read the phrase in books, but had always thought it was just a figure of speech. Now he knew that it wasn't. He felt as if his blood was on fire as his heart pumped it through his veins. He took a deep breath, and stepped back, knowing that if he didn't put some distance between himself and the bastard in front of him, he would kill him.
"I think you need to leave," he said through clenched teeth, keeping a tight rein on his temper. I won't hit him, he thought. I won't be like him.
"I'm not leaving without Emily."
His father took one step toward the door, but Ray was there first. Forgetting his resolve to not hit him, Ray shoved as hard as he could with his hands on his father's chest. The man went sprawling in the snow, only to pop back up like a jack in the box from hell and come at Ray. Ray's breath rushed from his lungs as his back hit the door and his father's weight slammed into him. Momentarily stunned, he didn't even feel it when a fist caught him in the jaw. He tasted blood, but there was no time to think of that. All he could think of was fighting. He wasn't going to go down as he had before. He'd never allow this man to do that to him again.
He drew back his fist and let it fly, not caring where it landed. The impact reverberated through his arm as his knuckles connected with bone. He pushed away from the door, launching himself after his father as he toppled off the stoop. They rolled on the ground, throwing punches, but Ray didn't feel the cold of the snow or the pain as he was hit. His blood wasablaze withfury. All he could think of were the years of misery he had suffered, the years that Emily had suffered. He wouldn't let that happen to her again. Somehow, he got to his knees and drew back his fist to deliver another blow when he was caught up short. Ray swung around, his fist still raised to find Carter holding the back of his shirt.
"What in God's name is going on here?" Carter asked angrily. His eyes flicked to the man who was rising to his feet with snow clinging to his clothes. The door opened behind them, and Brett came racing out, his face twisted in anger.
"Jesus Christ, Barnett!" Brett said, moving toward Ray's father like a cat stalking prey. "Couldn't you have at least called me if you were gonna do this? I haven't had a good fight in a while."
Carter glanced at Ray's father as he released his hold on Ray.
"Is this him?" he asked coldly.
Ray swiped at his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Yeah. He wants Emily."
"You're trespassing," Carter said. "I suggest you leave."
"That little bastard has my daughter in there!" Barnett panted. "If you help him, then I'll bury you too."
Carter gave him a look of contempt.
"You can try. Get off my property or I'll make sure that you do so much time that you'll never see the light of day again."
"You can't…"
"You have no idea who you're dealing with," Carter said. "Leave. Or I'll let Brett finish what Ray started before I call the police."
Brett rubbed his hands together and shot Ray's father a menacing smile.
"Please, give me an excuse," he said, his eyes gleaming evilly.
Ray watched as his father's gaze flicked between the three of them. He narrowed his eyes as Ray leaned over and spat blood in the snow before turning back toward the house. He stiffened when he looked to the door to find Emily standing there, her hands over her mouth and Neela's arm around her shoulders. Shame at what he had done swelled in him as he met her terrified gaze. His eyes flicked to Neela, and she offered a tremulous smile.
"Emily…"
She shook her head and pulled away from Neela to walk toward their father. There were tears in her eyes as she looked at the man, and Ray cursed himself for putting them there.
"You should leave, Dad," she said quietly. "I'm not going back to Philadelphia."
"I am your father…" he began, his voice a deep growl.
"No. Not any more. Not ever really. Father's don't do the things you did."
"You can't decide, little girl. You don't have the right."
"I won't go back with you. I don't care what I have to do, I'm staying with Ray."
Barnett's lip curled into a snarl.
"He won't be able to take care of you. Look at him."
She shook her head again and straitened to her full height.
"You took me away from him once, and I was too scared to say anything. I won't let you do it again." She took a deep breath and glared at him with her eyes flashing. "I'm not afraid of you anymore."
His face went red, and he took a step toward her. Ray pulled her behind him, creating a barrier between them. He felt Brett take up the space next to him. His father eyed them with scorn, blood sheeting down the left side of his face from a cut over his eye. Disgust suddenly swept through Ray at the sight. He had done that. It made him sick to think that he had acted just like his father. He'd let his anger get the best of him. He knew that he could beat the man senseless and leave him to rot in the snow, but that wasn't him. Ray Barnett didn't operate that way. His job was to save lives, not take them. He shook his head.
"You're not worth it," he said softly.
He turned and looked down at Emily. Gently, he brushed the tears from her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Em," he said, his heart heavy with remorse. "I didn't mean…"
"He hurt you," she said, her voice trembling. She touched his lip gently before burying her face in his chest. He shot a helpless look at Neela, and she smiled softly, pride glowing in her eyes. She came toward them and wrapped her arms around both of them. Ray held them both, blinking back hot tears of his own.
"Touching," his father said sarcastically. "It doesn't change anything."
"No, it doesn't," Carter agreed. He pulled his cell phone from his belt and flipped it open. "Now you can either leave, or you can deal with the Chicago PD. Which do you prefer?"
Barnett gave Carter a look of hatred and straitened his clothes. There was no way out for him. His eyes traveled over every one of them with a look of loathing. Not even Brett was free of his scrutiny. Not that it fazed Brett in the least. He raised an eyebrow and stepped forward.
"That's it. Come get some."
"This isn't over," Ray's father growled, ignoring Brett's challenge, before he turned back toward the street and the car parked there.
"Oh, don't go," Brett called after him. "The party isn't over yet." When the man didn't stop or acknowledge the taunt, Brett gave up. "What a punk," he said scornfully.
When the car disappeared around the first bend, Carter sighed and looked at Ray.
"I take it that all didn't go well today," he said dryly.
"Not exactly," Ray answered before he looked back down at Emily. "Are you all right, squirt?"
She nodded against his chest then raised her head to look at him in wonder.
"You beat up Dad," she said, a slow smile crossing her face.
He laughed and squeezed her against him.
"But you told him off," he said. "What I did isn't something to be proud of."
"Oh, come on, Barnett," Brett said. "Admit it. It felt good to get that action. I should start calling you Sugar Ray."
"Oh God," Neela muttered in disgust. "Doesn't he have an off switch?"
"Afraid not," Ray said. He looked at her. "I'm sorry."
She raised an eyebrow. "For what? I only wish that I could have gotten a few punches in."
He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her gently. His mouth was starting to throb and he thought he might just have a tooth loose. She closed her eyes and touched her forehead to his.
"Are you all right?" she asked softly.
"Nothing that won't heal." He raised his head to look at Carter who was watching them with an expression of amusement. "Why don't you guys go in before you freeze?"
Neela gave him an incredulous look. "What about you? You don't even have bloody shoes on!"
"I'll be there in a minute," he said, his eyes still on Carter.
Neela looked at Carter and back at Ray before she nodded.
"I'll have a look at your hand when you come in," she said, her hot expression promising that she wanted to have a look at more than his hand. She caught Emily's arm and pulled her along though the girl was now in an animated play-by-play with Brett. She sighed audibly as they went inside, closing the door against the winter cold.
"Hell of a day, huh?" Carter asked mildly.
"Yeah," Ray said. Then he laughed. That was the understatement of the century.
"Did you break anything?"
Surprised, Ray glanced down at his hand. Blood was flowing freely from his knuckles. He hadn't even felt pain. He flexed his fingers and felt only the pulling from the gashes. At least he could move them.
"I don't think so," he said. He looked up at Carter. "Listen, I'm sorry that he came here. I didn't think…"
"You can't pick your family, Ray. I know that better than anyone." He looked to the street where Ray's father had disappeared. "You did the right thing."
"It doesn't feel like it."
"You'll just have to make peace with it then."
Ray grimaced. He didn't want to make peace with it. He just wanted to forget that it ever happened. "I guess."
Carter shrugged and turned toward the house.
"I'm going in before I freeze to death. I suggest you do the same before your toes fall off."
Ray nodded and fell into step beside him. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, his feet were really hurting. He laughed at his own stupidity. He couldn't believe that he'd gone out in the snow to fight his father in his bare feet. It ranked right up there with Brett's little drunken driving incident and his brother's skating mishap into the lake.
Carter opened the door and paused to look back at Ray.
"And by the way, Barnett."
"Yeah?"
Carter smiled, his eyes twinkling. "You don't look a thing like him."
Ray laughed and followed him into the house.