The Thief Redeemer (16 page)

“Baby, I’m sorry.” I whisper the words and look at her with
pleading eyes. “I promise you, Maggie means nothing to me. I promise.”

“She said you always cheat with her.”

“I’ve never been in a relationship before, Claire. Nothing
real, ever. Of course I’ve cheated on others with her because nothing I’ve ever
had has been serious. Like I said before, Maggie is an easy lay and that’s all.
What you and I have is very different. I’ve never experienced anything like
this before, Claire. You own me. You don’t realize it, but you have the power
to destroy me.” I go ahead and throw all my cards on the table. She has no idea
the amount of power she has in her small hands.

She wipes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “Okay.”

I smile at her answer because she really has no idea the
amount of power she holds over me. That’s another reason I love her.

“Okay?” I repeat to make sure we’re good.

“Yes. Okay.” She takes my head and kisses the top, causing
my heart to melt. I lift up her shirt to start trailing kisses across her
stomach. I unbutton her pants and start moving my kisses south. She grabs my
face and pulls me to hers, passionately kissing me and pulling us onto the bed.

I kiss her intensely, like my life depends on this moment.
It leaves her gasping for air.

“What was that kiss for?” She catches her breath while I run
my fingers over her lips.

“Remember that quote you told me? The Margaret Mitchell
one?”

“
Her lips on his could tell him better than all her
stumbling words
?
”

“Yeah…that’s what that kiss was for.”

I see her smile melt away, her blue eyes darkening with
need.

The old Brandon would have been the life of the party on the
balcony. Tonight, the new Brandon is the life of the party in my bedroom with
Claire.

THE WEEK PROGRESSES, and Claire
occupies all of my thinking. She spends nights on the couch reading and
watching me and mornings sleeping. Then we spend our afternoons at our pond.
Every free minute my hands are on her body and our eyes are interlocked. Carlos
continues to give me dirty looks due to my distraction, and even Marcus has
said something. This girl owns me, and everyone’s aware.

I’m trying to keep my bearings at the warehouse, but shit,
it’s difficult when someone so beautiful is right there, her eyes beckoning me.
She’s like a siren, and as hard as I try to ignore her, I can’t. We send each
other smiles, and she’s constantly flirting with me using her blue eyes. I can
barely control myself. All I can think of is getting her to my bedroom and
feeling every inch of her body.

Dawn breaks, and I pay out the guys. Claire, as usual, has
fallen asleep on the couch and I clean up my work area.

“Boss, you have got to get your head together,” Carlos
starts. I give him a glare, but I know he’s right. I’m going to lose it all
over this girl. Marcus shakes his head and for once in his life, he’s agreeing
with Carlos. I run my hand down my face. “You’ve been so preoccupied with her
and those files you were trying to find, you completely forgot about the gang
that’s after you for blood.”

Shit. I did forget about them. “Tell me what you know.” My
voice has gone hard. This is serious. If they’re after me, they might hurt
Claire.

“The head guy’s name is Louis,” Carlos says. “He’s the one
you beat to a pulp, but he survived. He’s madder than hell, and he
is
working with the police now to find you.”

“What?” My eyebrows shoot up as bewilderment overtakes my
face. “Damn. I was hoping our theory wasn’t correct.”

Carlos narrows his eyes and continues. “Yeah, and if they
find you, they are going to work out a deal with Louis for one of their own
men. Apparently, you’re more dangerous than a jailed gang-banger,” he says with
a grin on his face. Carlos has been on my bad side for a while now, but he’s
still a good friend. Who else would be looking out for me like this?

“How did you find this out? And how long have you known?” I
look over at Marcus and he’s looking intently at Carlos, too. I think he’s in
shock that Carlos knows all this information.

“The word’s out everywhere now. I’ve heard it from a couple
of the men, and I’ve known for about a week. That’s why I’ve been telling you
to get your shit together, boss. This is about to get ugly.”

I nod in agreement and run my hand down my face. My days are
numbered, and I’m not sure how much longer I can continue hiding.

“I think you should go on another run with Marcus. This will
put you back in the game, get your head back together. I know you’re worried
about people seeing you, but you can wear a cap. No one will recognize you,”
Carlos says. Marcus stands there with his arms crossed, looking down at Carlos.

“I thought that’s why we hired Stan,” I say, but I know he’s
right. I need something to get me refocused. I can’t keep staying here and
flirting with Claire. I’ve got to get back out there before I lose everything.

“Stan can stay here one night while you go out.”

I don’t say anything for a while, looking over Carlos’
shoulder. I know he’s right, but I don’t want to admit it.

“Okay. Tomorrow night, Marcus. It’s me and you again.”

Marcus nods and Carlos looks relieved.

“You’ll thank me for this, boss. That girl has gone to your
head.” He smirks as he turns to walk out the door. I turn to Marcus, seeking
his opinion.

“What do you think?”

“I think he’s right. Go out with me tomorrow and get your
head back in the game.”

“You think Claire will be fine here by herself?” She’s the
one I’m worried about, since she sure as hell can’t come on a car raid with me.

“Keep her upstairs with Sarah. This is no place for a
woman.”

I agree and walk over to my sleeping angel. I pick her up as
Marcus opens the door to the upstairs apartment. He closes it behind us,
bolting all the locks.

Now it’s time for the best part of my day.

THE AIR IS warm as Claire and I look
out across the pond. This day would be perfect if the twins were here. I long
to call them again, but I’m debating about when it will be safe. Right now, I
think I have too many targets on my head. First, I have to worry about this
Louis guy and get his gang off my back. Then I can connect with my brothers
again.

We eat our sandwiches, overlooking the serenity of the pond.
I wish I never had to leave this quietness. I wish my life were this simple.

“Brandon. What are you dreams?”

Her question throws me off guard, because honestly, no one
has asked me about my dreams in years. I have given up hope of having dreams.
When you’re in my situation, your dreams are to stay alive from one day to the
next.

“Um…” I try to start, but where do I even begin? “My
dreams.” I scratch my face and look over the pond. “My dreams, Claire, only
exist in a perfect world. I know my dreams aren’t possible. Let’s start with
your dreams. What do you dream about?”

She pauses for a minute while biting her lip. “I want the
whole package, Brandon. I want to marry a man I’m totally in love with and have
children. I want to be an honest lawyer, and help people through my profession.
But being a wife and mother far outweigh my dreams of a career.”

I don’t say anything. Sadness floods my system. I want to be
the one to give her all these dreams. I want to be the man to make all this
happen, but I know I can’t. I wish I had met her in high school. I wish I had
met her before I became this monster so I could give her the world. I would
have given her everything she’s ever dreamed of, but in this situation, I know
that’s not possible. Some other man will have to give her all this, and the
thought drives me crazy with jealously.

“What are your dreams, Brandon? If this was a perfect world,
what would your dreams be?” Thank goodness she’s changing the subject because
thinking of her with another man is about to send me into a jealous fit of
rage.

Thinking of her question, I laugh at the absurdity of a
perfect world. Then my expression becomes serious as I tell her what I want
more than anything. What I want mirrors her own dreams. The difference that
hangs between us is that her dreams are still obtainable. Mine aren’t.

“Claire, I want a family. I want to have an honest job and
be an honest person. I want to marry you and have a family. I want our
neighbors to respect us as a family. I want to have kids and be the best father
they could ask for. I want to live close to my brothers and see them every day
of my life. I want to be the big brother they lost. Those are my dreams. Dreams
I know will never become reality, but since I’m dreaming, I can make it what I
want it, right?” I smile at her and look into her eyes. She hasn’t moved, and
it’s then that I realize what I just said.

I told her I wanted to marry her. Shit. Did I really just
say that?

I should be scared shitless, but I’m not. I want to be with
her and protect her with every ounce of my being. I want to have children with
her and love her for the rest of my life.

“Claire, do you believe in love at first sight?”

She pauses for a minute, and I know she’s wondering where
I’m going with this. Especially since I’ve not yet told her I love her. On the
other hand, I have just confessed to wanting to marry her.

She speaks slowly. “I believe that sometimes you meet a
person, and you have a bond, although you might not understand it in the
moment. But as time progresses, you develop a deeper relationship with that
person, and then one day, you look at them and realize you’re in love. You see
them in a different light, one you’ve never recognized before, and it’s like a
huge tidal wave. You realize you have been in love with them since the very
first day you met them, since the first second, but you just didn’t realize
until now. That’s my definition of love at first sight, so yes, in a round about
way, I guess I do believe.”

I’m speechless because she just described everything I’m
feeling. I grab both her hands and interlock our fingers. “Claire, I’m pretty
sure I’ve been in love with you since the day I first met you. I have seen
plenty of women, but the moment I saw you, I thought you were the most
beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. I was never supposed to fall for you.
That was never in the plan, but I couldn’t find it in me to let you go. I felt
the connection between us even then. I love you, Claire. I think I always
have.”

She sits on her knees and leans over to kiss me. I pull her
closer, and we fall over onto the blanket. In this moment I realize I will
eventually have to let her go. As much pain as it will cause me, I won’t be
able to keep her. She will always own me. Even fifty years from now, her body
and soul will own me, but I don’t know where either of us will be fifty years
from now.

I don’t want to think about losing Claire any more. Instead,
I want to enjoy this moment and enjoy her body. I wrap my arms around her and
deepen the kiss. She runs her hands through my hair and then I’m lost to her
touch, her body, her soul.

THE NIGHT IS young as the warehouse
hums with activity. Carlos and Stan are getting on my nerves. They keep having
hushed conversations and looking back to Marcus and I. This is
my
warehouse and I don’t like what I’m seeing. I walk over to Claire’s couch and
sit beside her. She lowers
A Time To Kill
and flashes me a flirty look.

“Can I help you?” she asks, her voice low and filled with
double meanings.

“As a matter of fact, as soon as my shift is over, you sure
can,” I say as I lean in to kiss her.

“When do you plan on telling her the truth?” The voice is
harsh, and I look up to see Carlos standing beside me. I exhale in frustration.
What is he trying to do here?

“What?” My voice is annoyed and exasperated.

“When do you plan to tell her what you have mapped out for
her? When are you going to tell her she’s a prisoner here until you decide
otherwise and then she goes with Richard to ‘disappear?’”

I stand up to face him, my anger boiling. Carlos has crossed
a line and I’m tired of his shit. “That’s none of your business, Carlos, so
stay the hell out of it!” I yell the words and the entire warehouse goes silent.
It’s like in the movies when the music comes to an abrupt stop. We have
everyone’s attention. “What the hell are you playing at? What are you trying to
do?”

“I think she should know the truth. You’re both all over
each other, and she has no idea of your future plans for her.”

“YOU have no idea of my future plans for her, so SHUT THE
HELL UP!” My fists are balled and ready to knock the lights out of Carlos. One
more word out of his mouth and I’ll start swinging.

He holds his arms up in surrender and slowly steps
backwards. “Sorry, boss. I just thought she should know.” He turns around and
heads back towards his car with Stan. I’m still so livid that I’m actually
shaking.