Royce (58 page)

From the yellow pages he’d found a place that sold guns and he called on his new cell phone and got directions.  This was the real reason he didn’t want his father-in-law along, he didn’t want him to see him purchase guns.  He’d been so happy last night when they spoke alone, “You kept your promise you kept her safe and I appreciate that,” her father said teary eyed, and he didn’t want to give him pause if he saw him buying a gun because he knew his first question would be, “Is she really safe, what are you buying a gun for?”  He drove looking around at the newness against the old world charm of Philadelphia until he found the gun shop, and he bought a new gun, a gun he could register.  The one he had now he had no idea where Jameson got it or if it was legal and now he felt comfortable enough to let people know he was home.

That Friday he caught an early flight to Texas.

Joy called Michael he deserved to know about Deon and Lindsey.  “Michael, its Joy.” “Oh my god Joy, are you alright!  Is it safe?”  She could hear how anxious and concerned he was, “Yes, it’s over.” “Oh thank god, thank god!  It was rough around here for a minute and I prayed to god you were safe, prayed to god they didn’t get to you!”  He said and she knew he might have had visitors too.  “Did some men come after you?”, she asked.  “Yeah, they roughed me up a bit.  I hope they didn’t get to you all, please tell me they didn’t”, he said concerned. “They tried, but we managed to escape.”  “No, they found you?”  “Yeah, a few times, but each time we got away, it’s been a fight but we managed to get away,” and she could hear his relief but also his pain at the news, “Well how are you everything good?”, she asked. “Oh yeah, they might have roughed me up, but one good thing came out of it…that’s how I met my wife.  I’m married now, got two kids, can you believe it?”, he said happy.  “Oh Michael that’s wonderful, I’m so happy to hear that!” And she was happy for him, “I’ve got one more myself, I had a little girl, she’s seven now.”  “Oh Joy that’s good to hear.”  “I wanted to let you know about Deon and Lindsey and give you their numbers, I know they’ll be glad to hear from you,” and she heard him sob, “Yes Joy, how are my babies
?” 

Michael had missed his children more than he’d ever let on and after they’d beat him raw he worried and wondered and had no way of knowing if they’d been found and he only prayed they were safe and nothing had happened to them
.
 

“They’re wonderful, smart like their father, both of them,” she said hearing the tears in his voice, “Like their mother too,” he tried to tease a little. “Both are in England, Deon went to Oxford, graduated a few months ago.  Now he’s living and working in London. Lindsey is at Cambridge and doing wonderful, smart as a whip both of them.” “Oh Joy, Oxford and Cambridge, that is…unreal… Oxford and Cambridge, wow!”  He said and she gave him their numbers.  “I’m glad you’re happy Michael,” she said and they hung up and she had to cry, he’d been hurt behind this too
.

Still being cautious Royce dressed in a suit.  His suits fit him now that he was back to his old weight and he decided on his black suit with a white shirt and black thin tie and he shined his shoes to gleaming.  He had only planned to stay the weekend so he had a carryon bag with an extra set of clothes.  Now that he was home he had no idea what he was going to do with his life, he didn’t know if Bobby could use him at the office anymore since he seemed to have done wonderful without him, as he’d promised there was always money in the Cayman account and without it he didn’t know if they would have fared so well. 

His plane landed and he took a taxi downtown to Harrington-Rhodes Inc. and when the taxi dropped him off he glanced up at the tall obsidian sleek glass building with modern architectural angles.  This had been his life for years, his life blood but not now.  He walked into the foyer of gleaming marble and headed to the fourteenth floor.   The company was large and used the entire floor and they often teased they could predict the weather better than the weather men with the wide panoramic views they had from north, south, east and west and often they spotted dark thunderous clouds heading their way.  He walked into the elevator and smiled.  Now he felt like he was home, this was so familiar, his steps were sure and on familiar territory.  His body seemed to remember what to do, everything seemed automatic, walk to the elevator, press fourteen, he barely had to look to know where fourteen was.  He waited while others got on and off on other floors, and then the doors opened to fourteen and he saw the gold letters in the Harrington-Rhodes script on the glass doors.  He walked calmly and casually in. 

The receptionist desk was still there, but not the receptionist he remembered.  “Hello sir, may I help you,” she asked in her pleasant receptionist voice.  “No, I’m Royce Harrington, the Harrington of Harrington-Rhodes,” he said with a smile and he saw her mouth drop in surprise. “Don’t worry just do me a favor don’t let Mr. Rhodes know I’m here I’d like to surprise him,” she nodded and let him walk back through familiar territory.  He walked through the office and he saw the cubicles of desks with employees busy at work, the office hum all around, some looked at him as he passed and he didn’t recognize a one, but a few must have recognized him because he heard a few gasp as he walked by and then he heard the room start to buzz and he went straight to Bobby’s office. 

His door was closed and he knocked and opened the door and Bobby showed his surprise and paused in his conversation, “I have to call you back something’s come up,” and before Royce could get to him Bobby was crying.  Royce put his garment bag down on a chair and Bobby came weeping to him, both of them emotional and embraced and let the tears flow and two grown men held each other and cried and cried.  They cried for a long time without saying a word before they were able to get a hold of themselves and talk.

“Oh god man, you’re home, you’re here,” Bobby said wiping his eyes.  “Yeah, so far the news is good, it’s over,” Royce didn’t know when he’d really believe that, but for now he wasn’t going to stop looking over his shoulder. “Oh man, I’m so glad you’re safe, so glad, so tell me what’s been going on, where were you, all of it,” Bobby said.

And they sat down and Royce told him of their life, told him of the attempts too and he saw Bobby look shocked, and from time to time Bobby would smile and say, “I don’t understand you, this accent you have it sure ain’t from Texas,” and they laughed and he had his secretary bring in some drinks, “It’s nice to see you Mr. Harrington,” she said with a tear in her eye.  Bobby still had the same secretary, “Thanks Gretchen, it’s good to be home,” she was smiling from ear to ear.  Royce noted she had gotten older and plumper and Bobby had gotten older too, the lines on his face showed and he knew he’d gotten older too, but he didn’t know to Bobby he was beautiful.  He didn’t see his age, to him he was that same eighteen year old boy who rescued him from the hallway, and he felt the same about him now, Royce was here to rescue him, “So what about you?  What’s been happening since I’ve been gone?”  Royce asked.

And Bobby didn’t hold back on telling him what had been happening with him either.  This was Royce they’d been through too much and he’d risked his life to save him and he wasn’t going to pretend it had been easy, it hadn’t, it had been hard as hell, so he told him about the visits.  “Oh my god Bobby what did they do?”  “They beat the living shit out of me.  I was in the hospital for a week, my fingers were all busted up, my ribs, man I was in bad shape, it took a long time for me not to feel any pain man,” Bobby said.  “Oh man I’m sorry to hear that Bobby, real sorry.”  “Don’t, if I had to get the shit kicked out of me and you and Joy were safe Royce I’d do it again and again.”

Royce smiled but he was hurt and Bobby told him about Gibeau’s visit.  “Then the visits stopped, but you kept me aware and I thank you Royce, those little messages let me know what I was here for, it kept me man,” he said and they wiped tears again.  “So it’s over?”  Bobby asked after they’d told each other everything. “That’s what I’m told, my father’s passing seemed to have ended everything.  I hate to say I’m glad he’s gone because I don’t have any answers as to why, but I’m glad if that means this is over.  Living in fear for your family is no way to live, even if you do it the best you can,” he said.  “I know man,” and Bobby pat him on the shoulder. 

“So what’s going on around here?  Looks like you did wonderful without me so I don’t know if you want me back or not,” and Bobby looked hurt, “Royce I need you man, I’ve done the best I could in your absence,” and he didn’t want to say he sweated every decision.  That he longed to bounce things off Royce and he needed him in so many ways, ways he didn’t know until he was gone, and seeing him walk through the door was the happiest moment in his life, “I need you, the firm needs you.”

“Well okay then,” his decision was made without hesitation he was coming back to Harrington-Rhodes. “Your office is still where you left it,” Bobby said, and he looked at him, “I couldn’t let anyone use it, I left it for you,” and they got up and walked next door, but it was at the end of the hall, the big office with the expansive views.  Bobby had a big office too, but Royce’s had been bigger and better and that’s because Bobby always felt it was Royce who led the company.  It was Royce who had the confidence that they could do this, it was Royce who met and shook hands with other heads of companies and acted as if it was no big deal as he smiled and worked deals, and had no problem saying what needed to be said.  It was Royce’s way, his personality that gave them their reputation of being a company to work with, everybody liked him and wanted to do business with him.  Royce made it look so easy, he’d run a meeting and get things done and everyone came out smiling, shaking hands and planning to meet at the golf course.

It was Royce the man he missed most these past ten years, meetings didn’t go as smoothly as they did when he was here.  Bobby knew he was a behind the scenes and by the book kind of guy, he didn’t know how to smooth things over and say things in ways that came across the way he wanted, so he offended sometimes unintentionally, and because Royce had built up such a good reputation over the years he’d been riding on that and had been successful for Royce but he couldn’t wait until the day Royce came back, and he prayed for his safety and safe return almost every day. 

Royce walked into his office and it looked like he’d just left yesterday and not ten years.  It was clean and the only sign that no one had been there was his desk didn’t have the usual files and papers stacked on it.  He saw the pictures of his wedding day and he picked one up,
look at us, damn look at how beautiful she is.

When they were on the run they hadn’t taken a single wedding photo with them, only essentials.  “How’s the house?”  Bobby saw him looking at the picture. “Still standing and waiting,” Bobby had held on to that thought, that one day Royce would be back.  “I’ll call Joy and let her know we’re moving back to Dallas,” and Bobby smiled big.

Jameson was in Dallas too.  He went straight to his office Carl T. Jameson Investigations.  Reggie had kept it running and he was there when he walked in. “Oh my god Jameson!”  He said excited when he saw him, like Royce he didn’t want anyone to know he was coming back, it was just a precaution.  Reggie didn’t know if he could hug him or not.  Conrad had already come through, so he knew the case was over, and the only indication he’d given of Jameson’s return was, “He went with the Harrington’s, so I don’t know man, but he said come here and see where I can be of use,” and he’d kept the system Jameson had in place.  He liked using the white boards and he’d long ago taken down the white board with Harrington written on it, but he’d kept the file on his desk and added to it, and it was a reminder that the case was still open and it was thick, thicker than any file they’d ever had. 

Jameson smiled, “Well I see everything is in one piece,” and they shook hands, “Okay fill me in,” he said and that was that.  Reggie jumped right in and went over each case and when he was done Jameson told him what he wanted done and what he was going to handle, and then he left and went to his ex-wife’s house.

Jameson knocked on the door.  He had no hopes or illusions she’d want him or even want to see him, it had been years since he’d seen her and all he’d done was send little messages with his money, and even though he knew his son was long grown and gone he still sent her the same amount as if he was still obligated.  He knocked and she opened the door, and despite what she thought she’d say when he came back and she knew he’d come back.  Despite her wanting to give him a piece of her mind she looked at him, “Carl,” she wiped a tear and then she burst into sobs.  He walked in and closed the door, “Don’t baby, don’t, don’t cry,” he took those words from Royce and he took her in his arms, “I’m here baby, I’m here,” he soothed, “Shhh, shhh, it's okay, I’m home now, I’m home.”   He was kissing her now, kissing her face, her cheeks “Oh baby, don’t, don’t,” and she felt him getting closer to her lips and then he was there, “Oh,” she moaned as his lips touched hers.  It had been so long and he was here and it felt like yesterday he left and all the years washed away in his kiss, in his embrace.  Jameson held onto her and kissed her sweet lips.  “Nik, oh Nik, oh baby I missed you,” she didn’t care it had been ten years, she didn’t care he was here now and she let him take her to her bedroom and ease the pain between her legs that only he could.

Royce put himself to work.  He had Bobby go over everything that was going on and he sat at his desk and went back to it.  Ms. Severs his secretary had retired and moved to Vegas Bobby told him.  He hardly knew anyone in the office, a few senior executives were still there and they were happy and exuberant as they shook his hand and welcomed him back, others had been promoted since he’d last been here but he was glad to be back.  That night he stayed at Bobby’s.  Sarah insisted on cooking for him and the fellas came over, Chris, Eric and Collin, and they must have cried a thousand tears and he told them a little of what happened, not as detailed as he’d been with Bobby but enough, and they cried and let him know that they’d missed and worried about him.