Come Rain or Shine (2 page)

“Dry it up, Silas,” she said with a laugh this time.

The last thing she heard before sleep found her was his quiet laughter in her ear.

*

Bang, Bang, Bang.

Emmie jumped up grabbing her side as she did so. The bedroom door looked like it was about to fall right off the hinges. Which was saying something since it was about ten feet tall and made of thick dark wood. Silas was at the door before she even made it to the edge of the bed.

“Rise and shine, Silas,” Gabe shouted at them through the door.

Silas popped it open and stood there in nothing but his underclothes. He clearly didn’t care. Emmie grabbed her robe and tied it tightly around her waist.

“Gabe . . .” Silas started and looked at Emmie, swallowing hard.

“No. I gave in to you. You had your few hours here. But you told them our train was coming in at eight and it’s seven o’clock. So, get your things together,” Gabe said, turning and walking back into the hall.

Silas stepped out after him, his jaw clenched. Emmie padded over to him quickly and grabbed his forearm. He snapped around and looked down at her.

“Let it go. He’s right. Patience,” she reminded him softly.

Silas growled, turned around, and slammed the bedroom door. “My patience is for you. Not for him.”

She grabbed his forearm again; he turned to look at her annoyed. “Thanks for bringing me here, Mo Chuisle.”

She’d used his words all on her own. Before she’d only repeated them after he’d said them. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

She nodded. “I know. So give my brother some time.”

“I’m trying,” he said.

Chapter Two

S
ilas didn’t speak while he got ready. He made his way to the closet in the far corner of the room and pulled out some clothes. Emmie realized he rarely went anywhere that he wasn’t dressed in a suit. She opened her suitcase slowly. The old thing looked so out of place. Its corners were beat up; the lining on the inside was starting to rip. She pulled out fresh underclothes, wool stockings, and the nicest dress she had. It was the blue sailor Ava had given her. Silas and the others had seen her wear it many times over. She touched the thin fabric. It wasn’t going to do much against the cold but the wool stockings would help. Emmie looked at her heels next to the bed where she’d left them last night. At least those were nice. Her old shoes had been lost on the side of the road when she was running from Steve and Smith. She shivered and squeezed her eyes shut against the memory before she could brush it out of her mind. She slipped on the new navy heels she’d borrowed from Ava. From the looks of them, they hadn’t been worn more than a time or two. The leather felt soft against her feet as she strapped them on.

Emmie looked at Silas as he buttoned his vest and smiled. He always looked handsome. She stretched her dress out on the bed and brushed it, trying to free the wrinkles that had settled into it as they’d traveled. It wasn’t working. She picked up the garment and flapped it like a sheet in the air.

“You got something against that dress?” he asked from across the room.

“Just trying to get some of the wrinkles out. Have you got an iron?” she asked.

“Yeah but we don’t really have time,” he said, looking at the dress. “It’ll be fine.”

“No, you look so nice. I cannot show up looking like a ragamuffin.” She laughed nervously.

Silas frowned. “You are beautiful. Hell, you really want to impress them just show up in your slip. It’s how I met you and it worked for me.”

Emmie grinned and her face reddened when she thought of their meeting at the pool. “I’m not sure that’s the best idea.”

Silas nodded. “Probably not. The dress will be fine. Besides they think you’ve just stepped off a train. They’d be suspicious if there were no wrinkles.”

Emmie nodded. It made sense. “Sorry . . . all this lying is new to me,” she teased.

Silas snorted, “If you say so.”

“What?” she asked.

“Sure, you never lie, Miss Gingham-Wrapped-Apple-Pie-Moonshine.”

She laughed as she pulled the garment over her head and smoothed it against her body. Her fingers stopped at the bandages on her ribs. She spun on her heel and looked at Silas. “The wrap doesn’t show through or anything, right?”

He walked over and ran his hand along her abdomen. His face looked morose for a moment. “No, Mo Chuisle. No one will know if you don’t want them to.”

“It’s not that I want to lie to them about it. I just don’t want them to know,” she said.

“It’s not a lie if you just tell them part of the truth. Say you fell or something, if anyone notices the wrap, because that is true. You did fall.” Silas ran his fingers down the length of her hair.

“Sorta sounds like a white lie, doesn’t it?” she questioned.

“It’s none of their business. It’s your life to tell or keep to yourself.” He shook his head and shrugged. “So, it’s not a lie. You are just being private.”

Emmie bit her lip. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that logic. Silas turned his back to her and grabbed his suit coat. “Do you do that to me?”

It didn’t escape her notice that he froze for a moment as he slipped his arms through the sleeves. He didn’t answer her. She cleared the space between them and grabbed his arm, pulling him to face her.

“Because I don’t want you to. I want to know everything about you. Good, bad, and whatever comes in between. Okay?” she asked.

He nodded and leaned down to kiss her temple. “I know. I love you. But we really do need to go.” He reached around her, snapped her suitcase closed, and picked it up from the bed.

Silas walked toward the door. Emmie stood for a moment and processed the fact that he hadn’t really answered her. She opened her mouth to push the argument but thought better of it. That conversation would happen but right now probably wasn’t the best time.

As she stepped out of the narrow hall Emmie saw the living area in the apartment for the first time. The entire length of the back wall was composed of arched windows. It was beautiful. She saw the horizon she had searched for early this morning and a massive body of water. The boys were talking. They may have even been talking to her but she couldn’t focus on them. She moved to the windows. Her mouth fell open. She touched the glass. It was cold under her fingertips. She was so high up, six or seven stories maybe. Boats floated lazily across the water. The buildings were arranged like puzzle pieces filling every nook and cranny in the horizon. But there was a horizon, just as beautiful as home.

“It’s a nice view,” Trick said from next to her.

She turned and smiled at him. “It’s lovely. I didn’t know the city could be so pretty.”

Trick took a swig of his cup. “Want some coffee? There’s still some on the stove.”

Emmie rubbed her arms for warmth. The windows were beautiful but drafty. “I’d love some.”

Gabe was standing by the door with his coat on, arms crossed over his chest. “Emmie we don’t have time for that. You can have coffee at Ava’s.”

“Oh, sure. That’s fine.” Emmie gave him an understanding smile. “Of course you are in a hurry to see her. It’s been a long time.”

Gabe just nodded and reached to grab Emmie’s coat from the rack behind him.

“Get out. If you are in such a damn hurry, get the hell out,” Silas shouted, pointing to the door.

“Silas, no. It’s fine. I’ll have coffee at Ava’s. I’ll be glad to see her too.” She walked over and laid her hand on his back.

He jerked away from her touch. “No. I’m tired of his attitude. You want to be an ass? Be an ass to me. You will not tell her if she can have coffee or not.”

“Silas, you will not ruin her reputation here. It’s not like she doesn’t already have her mother’s history working against her. You know what people would say if they knew she stayed with you last night . . . like you were her sugar daddy pulling her out of the sticks in return for a few tricks. Is that what you want?” Gabe asked with a sneer.

Emmie’s mouth actually fell open at his words. What in the world was wrong with Gabe? There were no more words. The sound of punches and the sight of two grown men rolling on the floor fighting was more than she could take.

“Stop,” she screamed and dove into the brawl.

She pulled at anything she could find: shirts, pants, legs, hair. It was all fair game. It took her a few minutes to notice Trick was there too. Silas pulled his elbow back and it clocked Emmie right in the jaw. She fell to the wooden floor, wincing and grabbing her side as she landed.

“Emmie, step back,” Silas said. Never taking his eyes off Gabe he briefly but gently touched her jaw. When he opened his mouth to speak again Emmie cut him off.

“Stop it,” she shouted.

The pause gave Trick just enough time to pull Gabe away.

“All right. We’re done,” Gabe shouted, pulling his arms free of Trick.

Silas took a step away from him and turned to where Emmie still lay on the ground. He tilted his head to the side and looked at her red jaw. “You okay, Sweetheart?”

She nodded.

He pulled her up off of the ground. She worked hard to hide the grimace but he saw it anyway. “Your ribs?”

She put her hand up to stop him. “I’m fine. Just give me a second.”

Once she was on her feet Silas turned slowly to look at Gabe. “We are done with this. You will stop taking out your problems on us. I don’t care if you are a friend or family. This shit is done. Do you understand me?”

“I’m not taking anything out on you,” Gabe mouthed back, adjusting his coat. “She is my sister. It’s my job to watch her reputation. Would you let someone take advantage of Jemma while you were two doors down? I think I have been good enough to you.”

This time even Trick seemed to lose his cool. If this conversation didn’t end now, it was going to go from bad to worse.

Emmie moved to Gabe. She put herself between them, resting her hand on his chest, “Gabe. I know you are trying to help. But this . . .” she pointed back and forth between the two of them, “this is not helpful.”

Gabe looked down at her. She noticed something besides anger in his eyes. He was hurt or sad.

She spoke again before either Trick or Silas had the opportunity to. “It’s gonna be hard for us to find our place with each other. But this is not it. I’m in control of me. If I ever needed a protector,” Emmie shrugged, “those days have come and gone. I’m a grown woman.”

Gabe laughed without humor. “Oh no, sweetheart. Those days are just beginning.”

Chapter Three

T
rick drove the car. An awkward silence filled the small space. Emmie turned, taking in the faces of the men that surrounded her. Awkward may not be the best word, angry might be better. Something in her gut told her she was missing something. This was about more than Gabe’s dysfunctional idea of brotherly love. She wanted to ask but couldn’t find the right question.

She turned and looked out the window. Emmie had never in her life seen such tall buildings or so many cars. She turned to say something about the cars but again was greeted with silence. After a few more minutes, the buildings gradually turned to houses. They drove for more than a half hour past the tallest building.

“So, Ava doesn’t actually live in the city?” Emmie asked, looking at the changing landscape.

“They used to,” Silas answered. “A few years back they moved to a bigger house just outside Chicago. It’s up here on the left. If you live out of the city you can have houses that open right up to the lake like my apartment but with more privacy.”

Emmie thought about his explanation. Ava had recently mentioned being on boats in the summer. Silas had mentioned boats too. That must be a big thing for them. Emmie had never been on a boat. She craned her neck in-between the two seats in front of her to try and get a better look at the house in the distance.

They turned slowly onto the path, leading to their drive. Up the road she could see the house.
Good Lord. Had he said bigger house?

“Silas that is not a bigger house. Nothing about that makes me think of the word house. I live in a house. Bo lives in a house. Ava’s home in Bowling Green is a big house.” She smiled and pointed to the structure in front of them. “That is something from fairy tales.” She laughed. “Manner, estate, mansion. Those would be better words to describe that monster in front of us.”