Crushed (13 page)

"Come on." Robert replied, winking at her playfully, all traces of his anger gone. "You wouldn't be attracted to me if I was like every other white knight. If it makes you feel better, I think it's attractive that you know how to protect yourself."

By this point, Sophie felt like she knew enough about him to not take his comments seriously. "That's besides the point. I might have won the painting, but what makes you think Luke won't tell his boss about who I am?"

Robert, who had turned towards his closet, was staring into it pensively. "Think of Luke as a misunderstood boy. He's more innocent than you give him credit for. Luke knows what Max does to people who oppose him, and he wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even his enemy."

Despite still feeling irritated, Sophie momentarily felt a wave of pity for her dark captor. While only earlier this evening she'd been convinced that he would kill her, Robert made him seem completely different. If what he was saying was true, Luke wasn't someone she should be afraid of.

"Why would he work for Max, if he knows how cruel he can be?"

"Sometimes Max doesn't give his workers the same choice that Cleo does." Robert answered, as he searched through the various shirts in his closet. "Sometimes there are things worth more than money."

When she began to ask what those things were, Robert's eyes locked with her own. His rigid expression explained more than his words ever could and Sophie immediately understood.

Luke wasn't just working for money. He was probably working to save his own life.

"That's..." Sophie whispered.

"Impossible?" Robert's question was bitter. "You're too naive."

"So, by us stealing the painting...what will happen to him?" Sophie's voice grew weak. Her hands clenched as she remembered Luke's almost friendly laugh. Now that she thought about it, in any other situation he might've not been a bad person.

"That's not for us to worry about." Robert answered coldly.

Even though Sophie understood why she shouldn't care about Luke, she still felt a pang of sympathy for him.

Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Sophie sighed, feeling exhaustion begin to take over. She'd beat Robert again, but this time she didn't care as much as before.

"Look," She began, feeling the need to settle their differences. "I assume thieves are supposed to work only for themselves, but I'm tired of being your enemy. I just wanted to prove a point tonight, and I think I made it very clear. If you want to work against each other, I can do that, but I still think working together would be in our best interest." She motioned to the case and frowned. "The painting is downstairs in my bedroom. I was bluffing when I said I sent it to Cleo. I did leave her a message, but I explained how we both worked to steal it."

"I underestimated you." Robert commented, glancing at her with curious eyes. "Who would've thought you were that good at bluffing." He turned towards her with a grin. "You realize that your mentality right now is stupid."

"Yeah, it probably is." Sophie sighed again, running a hand absentmindedly through her cropped hair. "However, I refuse to become someone I'm not. I would rather be idealistic and naive than jaded. I want to believe that I can trust you."

"You shouldn't though." He pointed out.

"The key word there is want. You haven't given me reason to trust you yet, but I still want to be able to believe in someone other than myself."

Robert smiled and for a moment it softened his face. "I'm not a good person. I won't change into someone you can trust just because you ask me to."

Sophie shrugged, reaching out to open his bedroom door. "Like you said, I probably wouldn't like you half as much if you were the predictable white knight. I enjoy a challenge."

He laughed at her comment. "If you stick around for a little longer I might let you see me at my most attractive." He placed a hand around the towel at his waist, and Sophie blushed a dark shade of red.

"No, thanks." She answered, slamming his bedroom door after she'd escaped.

As she walked downstairs towards her bedroom, Sophie found that her exhaustion had been replaced by a very different kind of feeling.

*  *  *

"Teach me how to fight." Sophie ordered boldly, crossing her arms in preparation for an argument.

Robert, who hadn't been the least bit startled by her noisy entrance into the kitchen, choked on his coffee at her declaration. "Excuse me?" He asked, coughing as he set his mug down on the kitchen table.

"I want you to teach me how to hurt people." Sophie continued, not realizing how strange her request sounded. "I need to learn how to defend myself and you already know how to fight. So teach me."

"Do you realize how demented you sounded just now?" Robert asked, shaking his head in utter surprise. "It's too early for you to be acting this insane."

"I'm being serious." Sophie marched through the kitchen and pulled out her designated chair across from him. "If I want to be a professional thief, shouldn't I at least know how to put up a fight?"

Robert sighed, rolling his eyes. "Did you have to phrase it like that?"

Sophie waved away his comment, her expression staying serious. "Look, our missions are going to be dangerous, right? I want to be threat to others."

"Others?" Robert asked, his eyes widening in realization. "Do you mean Luke?"

She paused in reply, glancing away nervously. "Yeah. I've been thinking about it, and he really could've killed me if he wanted to. I want to be a threat that he doesn't see as a pushover."

"Luke won't touch you." Rob replied in a voice that hinted that she was missing something obvious.

"You can't know that!" Sophie argued, clenching her fists.

"Calm down." Robert held up his hand to prevent further argument. "I'll teach you the basics of fighting like a thief, but it won't be today."

While she'd been prepared to keep arguing, she was surprised that he'd given in so easily. Now that she'd lost her focus, she began to notice the strangeness of his appearance.

"What's up with that outfit?" She asked, her eyebrow raising in interest. Robert was dressed in a business suit and his normally curly hair was straightened. He looked like a completely different person in this kind of outfit...the kind of person who ran his own business or owned a corporation.

"I have a new mission." Robert replied, grinning crookedly.

"What?" Sophie stiffened, narrowing her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, you did just burst into the kitchen only a few minutes ago. You hardly gave me the chance to tell you anything." He smiled, amused by her annoyance. "Anyway, it's not a mission you would be able to go on anyway. The stakes are much higher than they were last night."

"Is this a job for Cleo?" She found that she was insanely curious.

"Yes," He replied, standing up and stretching for a long moment. "Last night's job is child's play in comparison with what I'll be doing this weekend."

"Weekend?" Sophie frowned, feeling disappointed.

Robert crossed over to her side of the table, and lifted her chin with his finger. "Disappointed?" He asked, laughing. "Sorry, it'll be a long trip. I'll try to be back before you miss me."

Sophie scowled, knocking his hand away. "That won't be hard, since I won't be missing you."

"Is that so?" He shrugged and leaned over her to pick up the briefcase he'd left on the table. "Well, I'll be off then. The kids aren't awake, but you can tell them I'll be back soon enough."

Robert began walking towards the front door, and Sophie trailed after him.

"Where are you going exactly?" She inquired.

"That's classified." He replied, winking back at her.

"Come on!" She hissed, following him out of the front door.

"Should I give her a hint?" He whispered to himself, watching Sophie playfully. "It's going to be a big news story."

"Yes!" She demanded, her eyes growing wide with eagerness.

"Keep watching the news throughout the weekend. If you can guess where I was by the time I get back, I'll give you a treat." He grinned devilishly.

Sophie scowled, crossing her arms. She should've known he would give her an answer like that.

"What should I do if something happens?" She asked.

"What could happen?" He answered, walking down the front porch steps.

"I don't know...what if the police show up, or someone...worse?" Sophie didn't want to make it obvious she was talking about Luke again.

Robert laughed as he continued walking to his car. "This is Cleo's territory. No one in their right mind would try to mess with this house. It's impossible." He assured her, waving one last time before disappearing into his car.

Sophie frowned as she watched him back out of the driveway. She didn't like the feeling that was growing in her chest. The house seemed much more vulnerable without Robert in it. When he was here there was a veil of safety around everything, but without him or Cleo the reality of how alone she was sunk in.

Without her mentor and her boss, she didn't know what she would do if something bad did happen. Despite Robert's assurances, Sophie didn't feel confident that the weekend would pass without incident.

A cold chill ran over her body, causing her to shutter nervously. She sighed, deciding worrying wouldn't solve anything. She turned back to the house and hurried inside, shutting the large oak door as quickly as she could.

CHAPTER SIX

The rules of being a thief were simple: Don't get caught, and don't get killed. However, such simple rules were very difficult to follow.

Sophie was normally the kind of person who dealt with anxiety well. Her grandparents had taught her to tackle stress with an open mind, which allowed her to continue to work hard during her college years. She'd worked hard for a goal she didn't believe in because she'd been able to throw away her stress in fighting for a dream she didn't want.

However, the moment she watched Robert pull out of the driveway, something snapped. Despite having taken care of herself since her grandparents deaths, Sophie found the prospect of being in charge of three kids daunting. She didn't have confidence that she could somehow manage to take charge of Rylan, Gwyn, and Teddy.

After reentering the house, Sophie leaned against the front door for a long time, wondering what she should do. She felt like this was the first moment she'd had to really relax in the last two days. The realization that she'd only spent two days in this household was also shocking, considering all the events she'd experienced in the last 48 hours.

Sophie had flown through more emotions in the last few days than she'd experienced in her entire life. Shock, confusion, pain, anger, terror, confidence, all mixed together in high doses she'd never dealt with before.

A sane person would've been fed up with this kind of lifestyle, which was vastly different from the stoic life she'd lived before. Back then, she'd been like any other focused college student, without knowing what it meant to really challenge herself. She'd been alone, cold, and untouchable. Now she had no idea what she was. She just knew that she loved the idea of figuring out the side of herself she'd discovered.

As she stared around the still foreign house, Sophie smiled. Even though she had no idea how she was going to live through the weekend as a babysitter, she understood that she was already used to overcoming obstacles without confidence. Over the last two days she'd stumbled through the challenges and somehow managed to come out reasonably unscathed. Facing the unknown again was less foreboding with that knowledge behind her.

Now that her free weekend loomed ahead, Sophie decided she might as well start it off right. It was still early in the morning, but she felt obligated to let the kids know that Robert was gone. He'd probably left them alone in the past, so she assumed they had their own routine with dealing with his absences.

The first person that flashed into her mind was Rylan. He was the oldest of the three kids, and the most experienced when it came to both Cleo and Robert. He was an older-brother like figure to Gwyn and Teddy, who would listen to anything he said.

Rylan's room was located on the main floor, down the hallway from the staircase. Both Gwyn and Teddy shared a room on the second level, which was directly across from Sophie's own bedroom.

She walked towards his room with determination, trying not to feel awkward. She'd never been good with dealing with people on a personal level. She began to wonder if it was appropriate to barge into his space without asking.

Instead of contemplating whether she should enter or not, she decided to act without thinking. After knocking twice, Sophie twisted the handle and pried open the door.

Sophie flashed a winning smile and opened her mouth to greet Rylan as her eyes locked on his sleeping figure. Instead of words, all she could manage was a choking sound.

Rylan was fast asleep on his bed, though what caught Sophie's attention was the girl being held in his arms.

"Gwyn?" Sophie asked herself, her jaw dropping at what she was looking at. The logical part of her brain tried to rationalize that it wasn't that shocking. The two of them were obviously attracted to one another...only, their ages did not match up with the scene in front of her eyes.

A sudden protective urge swept through her body. Without thinking, Sophie clicked into parent mode. She stepped towards Rylan's bed and gently tapped him on the shoulder. Like the teenage boy he was, he grumbled something and continued to sleep.

"Rylan..." Sophie spoke close to his ear. "I think you need to wake up and explain what's going on."

She watched as Rylan shifted in his sleep, groggily processing what she'd just said. Sophie could see his half-conscious mind putting together the pieces of what was happening as he pried one of his eyes open.

He examined Gwyn, before turning to look at Sophie. He paused for a second longer before bolting into a sitting position, his hands in the air.

"It's not what it looks like!" He said, his voice cracking nervously. "I promise."

Narrowing her eyes, Sophie pursed her lips. "Then what exactly is this?"

Rylan's face had turned a dark red. He held a finger to his lips, motioning for Sophie to follow him outside.

When his bedroom door was shut, he let out a frustrated sigh. "This is so awkward."

Sophie's sense of protectiveness over Gwyn subsided as she realized how awkward she was acting as well. She had no right to lecture either of them on what they did in their spare time, and she felt rude for making Rylan feel guilty. She knew he wasn't a bad kid...the situation probably had been nothing more than a misunderstanding.

"Um..." She didn't know how to continue. The rant she'd planned out in her head no longer applied to the situation at hand. "Well, why was Gwyn in your room?"

Rylan ran his hand through his shaggy hair, his embarrassment fading momentarily. "Yesterday was a bad day for her." He glanced up apologetically. "I can't tell you the details."

"Oh, okay." Sophie wasn't nearly satisfied with his answer, though she understood she was going to have to get over it. Unsurprisingly, these kids had secrets as well.

"You can tell her." Gwyn interrupted, causing both Rylan and Sophie to jump.

The young girl was watching them with an exhausted expression.

"Yesterday was the anniversary of the day my mother disappeared." Gwyn explained, moving passed the two of them into the living room. Rylan immediately followed her protectively, grabbing on to her hand for support. Sophie followed as well, feeling like she was encroaching on their privacy.

"Your mother disappeared?" Sophie replied, instantly feeling insensitive.

Gwyn paused in the middle of the living room, turning back towards Sophie with a stone-like face.

"My mother didn't just disappear. She ran away."

Sophie felt frozen by the bitterness in Gwyn's tone. The girl sounded years older than her actual age when she spoke with such hatred.

"Teddy and I were mistakes. She never wanted children. Only money. Had Cleo not offered to take us in, we would be in a foster home right now." Gwyn clinched her fists. "Anyway, I was upset last night. I went to talk to Rylan and ended up falling asleep. It's not his fault, it's mine."

"I wasn't blaming anyone." Sophie raised her hand, hoping to calm Gwyn down. She looked like she was about to cry at any moment. "Just curious, that' all."

"Sorry if we surprised you." Rylan rubbed the back of his neck nervously, cautiously glancing at Gwyn's expression.

"No, it's fine." Sophie crossed her arms, wondering how they were going to move on from this situation. She didn't want to have the awkwardness linger throughout the weekend, but there was also something else on her mind. She wanted to reach out to Gwyn, who looked like she was moments away from breaking down. Her innocent eyes cut through Sophie's own heart. "I'm sorry to hear about your mother. I guess the three of us sort of fit together."

Both Gwyn and Rylan glanced at her in surprise.

"I mean..." Sophie looked away, feeling embarrassed. "We've all lost our parents."

"In different ways." Rylan reminded her in a calm voice.

"Still, it's the same feeling." Gwyn turned to him with a sad smile.

"Maybe not exactly the same, but similar." Sophie finished. As she watched the two of them she felt something warm in her heart. It was reassuring to be around people who were broken like herself. They were years younger but the pain they were dealing with was something Sophie understood. Each of them had a pent up bitterness at the world which they'd been hiding from others, though in these few silent moments their feelings had leaked out.

"Hey, if you could do us a favor." Gwyn began, her voice anxious. "Don't tell Teddy. When she left, I couldn't tell him the truth. He still believes that she's coming back."

"Yeah, I understand." Sophie tried to smile reassuringly at the two.

"So..." Rylan began slowly. "Where's the boss?"

"Oh!" Sophie stiffened, immediately feeling like an idiot. "I forgot, the reason I came to get you earlier was because Robert left this morning. He said it was a big mission that would take the whole weekend."

Gwyn rolled her eyes, her saddened expression gradually falling away. "Doesn't surprise me. He never tells us when he's about to leave."

"He doesn't want us to worry if he gets caught." Rylan explained with a tired glance at Gwyn.

"It sounds like if he didn't want you to worry, he would at least let you know when he leaves." Sophie crossed her arms, feeling annoyed at Robert.

"Well, even though we call ourselves a family, I don't think Robert believes we are. To him, we're a group of kids stuck here because of our parents." Gwyn frowned, sounding sincerely disappointed with her statement.

Sophie hesitated, wondering what she could do to lift the dark mood surrounding them. "Robert might not buy into this whole family thing, but I don't mind it that much." She glanced at the floor awkwardly, hoping she didn't sound strange. "I think it's great that you guys have stuck together. If we're all misfits, wouldn't it make sense for us to stick together?" She tried to laugh, but it ended up making her feel just as awkward.

"Exactly!" Rylan's face lifted with a wide grin. "Isn't that what I've been telling you?" He nudged Gwyn who glanced up at him shyly.

The sound of footsteps thumping down the stairs interrupted them. All three turned towards the living room door just as Teddy entered, his eyes filled with bitterness. His lips were pushed out in a pout, and his arms were crossed defensively. While his stance was decidedly threatening, his messy hair and wrinkled pajamas took away from his menace.

"Good morning, Teddy." Gwyn dropped Rylan's hand as she rushed towards her brother. She tried to give him a bright smile, but he ignored her as he continued to glare at everyone in turn.

Without knowing how she was so sure, Sophie suddenly knew why he was in a bad mood. She felt like laughing at how simple the answer was.

"Just the person we were waiting on!" She said loudly, winking at Rylan to play along. "We were wondering what we were going to do if you weren't down here to help."

"What?" Teddy asked, his glare fading momentarily. He glanced up at Rylan who seemed just as surprised.

Sophie stifled a groan, realizing Rylan hadn't picked up her hint at all. Gwyn, on the other hand, knew where she was going.

"Yeah, sleepyhead. We didn't want to have to leave you out. It's a good thing you came down when you did." She wrapped her arms around her brother, while he smiled goofily.

"I knew you guys weren't leaving me out on purpose." He said while giggling.

"Is that what you were annoyed about?" Rylan asked, his eyes widening in understanding.

Both Gwyn and Sophie sighed together. When their eyes met they shared a small laugh.

"So what're we going to do today?" Teddy asked, looking at Sophie expectantly.

"Paint?" Sophie answered without thinking. "I mean...I wanted to paint my room. If you guys want to help, it might be fun."

Teddy's expression darkened for a moment. "Will you let me hold a paintbrush?" He asked distrustfully.

"Sure." She answered, laughing at how serious he'd become.

"Yes!" Teddy broke away from his sister to race up the stairs. "I'll go get my paint!" He shouted back towards them.

"Teddy!" Rylan moaned, sprinting off after him. "She doesn't need that kind of paint."