The Fall and Rise of Kade Hart: A Hart Brothers Novel (10 page)

Far off, someone calls out my name. Is it my
dad? It’s difficult for me to tell because it’s so faint. I scream
again in the hopes he can find me.

“Emmalia!”

Someone is calling me Emmalia, but that’s
not my name. It’s Juliette. I yell out, “Daddy, I’m here. It’s me,
Jules. Come find me. I’m drowning. Hurry, Daddy.”

“Emmalia, wake up! You’re dreaming.”

Strong hands grip my shoulders and shake me.
I sit up and bang my head.

“Ow!”

Arms grab mine and pull me.

“What in the hell are you doing under the
bed?”

Confusion muddles my brain as I massage my
forehead. The nightmare! I must’ve been dreaming again.

“Did I wake you?” I ask.

“Hell yeah, you woke me. You probably woke
the whole neighborhood. You were screaming bloody murder. I thought
someone was beating the hell out of you in here.”

Shit!

“I’m sorry,” I say, dropping my head into my
palms.

“Are you going to explain to me why you were
sleeping under a perfectly good bed?”

What the heck am I going to tell him?

“Okay, then I’ll take a stab at this.
Clearly you were frightened. Am I right?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

I lift my head and our eyes meet. I feel as
though he’s extracting every single secret I own out of my
head.

“Don’t do that,” I plead.

“Do what?” he asks.

“Assess me like that.”

“I apologize. I’m only trying to help.”

“It makes me uneasy.”

“Emmalia, that is not my intent. I want you
to feel safe here.”

“I don’t think it’s possible for me to feel
safe anywhere.”

His head slants and those icy blue eyes of
his narrow. “Did someone hurt you?”

“Not exactly.”

“Who’s Jules?”

I can’t stop myself from sucking in my
breath. How did he know that name?

“You yelled it out in your sleep,” he says,
as if reading my mind. “You yelled out, ‘Daddy, I’m here. It’s me,
Jules. Come find me. I’m drowning. Hurry Daddy.’ Wanna tell me what
that’s all about?”

“It’s nothing, really.”

“I thought you didn’t remember your parents,
Emmalia. Or is it Jules? And don’t lie.”

An image of my butchered family flashes
before me. My arms band around my belly as razorblades slash my
insides. This is what I fear the most—getting close to someone and
having them get hurt because of it. I’m torn and don’t know what to
do.

“Kade, please don’t ask me anything. I
didn’t lie to you. My name … Emmalia is a derivation of it. But if
I tell you anything else, I could—well it’s too complicated.”

“What do you mean, complicated? I can do
complicated.”

“Please. Can we just drop it?”

He glances around the room, weighing his
options. Then his hands tear through his hair. Crystal clear eyes
pin mine and he asks, “Are you frightened of me?”

“No! How can you think that?”

“Then what…”

“It has nothing to do with you. It’s my
past.”

“Tell me so I can help.”

“You can’t!” My chest heaves with anxiety.
I’m so frightened for him and I can’t tell him why.
I
don’t
even know why. How can I convey this without sounding like I’m
psychotic?

His mouth forms a thin line as he reaches
for my hand. “Come on.”

“Where?”

“You’re not staying in here, where you feel
compelled to sleep under the fucking bed.”

He practically drags me behind him he moves
so fast.

“Slow down. And what about Ethel?”

“Shit.”

He stops and I careen into his back, then
promptly fall on my butt.

“Jesus.”

“Can you please stop saying that so
often?”

“What?”

“Jesus.”

He looks at me in confusion.

“It’s sacrilegious. I don’t mind if you
swear, but don’t say it with such vehemence. It’s not right.”

He gives his head a firm shake. “Right. I’ll
try my best but I can’t give you a blood oath or anything. Old
habits are hard to break. But so you know, if I ever do use them, I
never mean it literally. It’s just a phrase.” A hand reaches out to
me and helps me back to my feet. “I’ll get Ethel. You stay right
here.”

He’s back in a minute with the fur ball.
She’s sleepy eyed and has no clue of the conflict going on around
her.

“I hate to bring this up, but now that she’s
awake …” I say.

“I know. I’ll be right back after I freeze
my ass off for a minute.”

He disappears downstairs and about five
minutes later he’s back. Admittedly, he looks stunning with his
mussed hair, wearing nothing but boxers and a T-shirt.

“You didn’t go outside like that, did
you?”

“Seriously? We’re in the middle of one of
the worst blizzards ever. Of course I didn’t. I put on a jacket and
boots and looked quite ridiculous. It’s still snowing and that area
under the eave looks like a tunnel. Ethel hates it.”

She scampers down the hall, wide awake now.
“Yeah, I hope she wants to go back to sleep.”

“I’ve got news for you. None of us is going
anywhere anytime soon except for back to bed. There must be three
feet of snow out there.” He walks down the hall and I follow.

When we enter his room, I can’t help but
exclaim. It’s bigger than the one I was in and much more beautiful,
if that’s even possible. The bed is a large platform with a
gorgeous deep blue and green duvet. The window treatments match.
There is a huge stone fireplace and a sitting area. The walls are
adorned with beautiful artwork and it’s a room that makes you want
to stay in it forever.

“This room is so … well, I’ve never seen a
bedroom that’s so wonderful before.”

“Thanks. My sisters-in-law had a hand in it.
They like to spoil me.”

“They did a great job. If this were my
bedroom, I don’t think I’d ever want to leave.”

“Wait until you test out the bed. It’s
awesome.”

“Oh, I think I’ll sleep over there,” I say,
pointing to an alcove where a couch sits.

“Nope. Get in. I’m going to use the
bathroom. I’ll be back in a sec.”

There’s no way I can sleep with him. That
won’t work at all. What would Sister Helena think? I stand there
and stare at the bed, not knowing what to do.

“Get in. I won’t bite.”

I jump about a foot off the ground. I was so
lost in my thoughts, I didn’t hear him come back in the room.

“Jesus, Emmalia. I didn’t mean to scare you.
You’re like a rabbit.”

Turning to face him, I say, “I can’t help
it. And you’re not supposed to say ‘Jesus’, remember?”

“Damn. Okay, I’m really going to suck at
this. Now get in bed.”

Reluctantly, I climb in and scoot way to the
other side of the king sized bed. He laughs.

“I told you I wouldn’t bite. Honestly, I
just don’t want you to be afraid. This place is tighter than Fort
Knox. My brother designed the security system. I have cameras and
everything. You don’t have to worry.”

Before I can stop myself, I say, “It won’t
stop them.”

He turns to me and pulls me close. “Stop
who?”

“Nothing. No one. Pretend I didn’t say
that.” Why did I say
that
? What can I tell him? Your
security system won’t stop a bunch of shadows? He’ll think I’m
batshit crazy!

“What happened to you?”

As an answer, I shake my head. There’s no
way I could ever bring myself to tell him. The visions are
disturbing enough. The insane nightmares are even worse. But to
actually dig up the memories and talk about it? Never.

“I’ll keep you safe, Emmalia. I
promise.”

“Don’t say that, Kade. What you need to do
is stay away from me. You need to keep
yourself
safe.”

“You don’t need to worry about me. I’ve been
in situations that you can’t begin to imagine. I’ve been taking
care of myself ever since I was six years old, so I’m capable of
handling myself now.”

“This is different. But please let’s drop it
and go back to sleep.”

The light is dim but the room is bathed in a
golden glow that emanates from the fireplace. Shadows dance and dip
across the ceiling and I’m soothed by their grace as I watch them
move. Kade tugs me toward him and I feel a flutter in my stomach.
It’s a sensation I haven’t felt in long time … something from my
past life that I’ve buried, pushed away … a distant, faded memory
from long ago.

“I won’t let you down.” His voice is soft
and his breath brushes across my cheek. A hand reaches around and
presses the back of my head against his chest. He smells of
sandalwood and balsam. I fist his shirt and bite my lips. Tears
threaten because I fear for him, more so than me. I want to be safe
here, but I doubt there’s safety for me anywhere.

As I lie snuggled against Kade, I recall
everything I know of my family’s murder. They vanished. No one
reported it. I pored over the internet for days afterward and
nothing was ever mentioned. When I finally was brave enough to
place a call to the jewelry store, the number had been
disconnected. Who did that? It couldn’t have been my parents; they
were dead. I did a Google Earth search and a new store stood in its
place. So, again, I braved it and called the store next to it, a
bakery that had been there for years. My parents were friends with
the owners and knew them well. When the owner answered, they said
there never had been a jewelry store there, and I must have been
mistaken.

Feeling confused over that conversation, I
went to the library of the town I was in and looked up old
newspapers from ten years ago, trying to find old ads my dad had
placed. I clearly remember seeing them. Nothing. I came up empty
handed every time. Even my family’s name had been wiped off the
face of the Earth. I called our old neighbors and they said they
didn’t know the name Bressan. I was shocked. We had lived next door
to them for fifteen years and I had dog sat for them multiple
times. Who could’ve orchestrated something of that magnitude? The
government? But why? What had my father done to make the government
want to kill him and then cover it up so deep that they literally
erased my family from ever existing? It didn’t make any sense to
me.

The deep, even rise and fall of Kade’s chest
lets me know he’s asleep. I relax in his embrace and put my arm
around him, making myself more comfortable. I pray the dream stays
away, for I would hate to awaken him with my screams. I’m not sure
when, but a peaceful slumber overtakes me and I sleep a dreamless
night the first time since the killings.

~~~~~

A whining Ethel awakens us both.

“She’ll be fine for a few minutes.” Kade’s
voice vibrates against my back. His arm is wrapped around my waist
and my body is snug against his. When full awareness hits me, I
stiffen and try to jump up. “Hold still a minute. I’m not ready to
get up and if she sees you up, she’ll have to be taken out.”

“Um, this is bit uncomfortable here.”

“No, it’s not. Lie down and relax.”

That’s not possible. There’s a man behind
me. An attractive one. I break out into a sweat and I’m sure he can
feel the dampness seeping through my shirt, or something. I’m hot,
almost melting; we’re under the weight of the thick comforter, and
he’s like a furnace. I squirm around and try to calm down, but my
heart is ticking so loud I’m sure he can hear it. Help me, dear
Jesus. Please.

“Stop squirming, Emmalia. You’re like a damn
worm.”

“I can’t help it. I’m burning up in
here.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, get up then.” He
flings the covers off and stomps into the bathroom.

“Sorry,” I call out to his back as he
disappears into the bathroom.

While he’s in there I make a quick decision
and grab Ethel, then run to my room. I tug on my pants and boots
and head downstairs where my jacket is. Once I’m dressed, I slip
out the back door with Ethel in tow. The snow is piled high—at
least three and a half feet deep. I’ve never seen this much snow. I
lead Ethel over to the spot where Kade has been taking her and she
does her business. When she’s finished, I scoop her up and walk to
the edge of the terrace. It’s stopped snowing now, but only
recently. It’s so perfect; everything is decorated in a thick layer
of whipped cream. I want to dip my finger in it just for the fun of
it. As I’m taking in the view, I look to my right and notice
something unusual. Footprints. They’re not quite fresh. There’s a
thin covering of snow on them, but they were made fairly recently
because they’re deep. I walk over to inspect them when suddenly an
alarm goes off. I yelp and hurry back inside. Seconds later the
phone rings and I see Kade running down the steps. He grabs the
phone and starts talking.

“No, everything is fine. I have a house
guest and she went outside to walk the dog and didn’t disarm the
security system. Yes. Thank you.”

He moves to a panel I didn’t notice, taps
several buttons and the alarm stops. Then he looks at me and shakes
his head.

“I’m sorry. I had no idea.” I feel
foolish.

“It’s fine. I should’ve mentioned it.”

“There are footprints outside.”

“Oh?”

“Did you walk in the snow last night?”

“No.” He cocks his head and stares at the
ceiling for a moment. “I didn’t. Where are they?”

“I’ll show you. Is it okay to open the
door?”

“Yeah.”

He follows me outside and I show him the
footprints. He examines them, looks at the back yard, and then
walks back inside. I follow.

I take Ethel into the kitchen and feed her.
Kade has disappeared. When Ethel is finished eating, I take her
back out, just for good measure.

We’re in the den when Kade reappears.
“Emmalia, come with me for a minute.”

He leads me into a study where his computer
is.

“Take a seat. I’ve pulled up the security
tapes from the back of the house. The cameras run 24/7. I can
literally search for footage from back to when I moved in. Check
this out.”