Emily (7 page)

Eric interjected,
‘Vlad, she’s in shock, let’s get her home.’ Turning to Emily, he asked ‘Have you eaten Em? You look so pale.’

‘
I’m not hungry Eric, I’m sick from the bump on my head,’ she replied, relieved at the change of subject.

The men quickly dressed and Vladimir picked Emily up and carried her back to the farmhouse. They showered separately, one of them staying with Emily at all times. Eric cooked up their usual meal of rare steak while heating up a previously made vegetable soup for Emily. She took a few sips and began to feel better, and by the time she had finished the cup, her
stomach was settled and her head hurt less.

‘Do you think if you touched Applejacks your head would be healed?’ Vladimir suggested.

‘
I’ve tried but that doesn’t seem to help. Vladimir, can you help me shower?’

Vladimir put a stool in the shower and Emily sat with the warm water running soothingly over her while Vladimir gently soaped her skin. He then dried Emily and helped her put on her favourite pyjamas, they were butter-yellow with small pink flowers. Her headache had been reduced to a dull ache and the events of the night before had begun to fade. The afternoon was quite cold and Vladimir sat Emily down in front of the fire. He decided not to press her for answers, that could wait until tomorrow, Vladimir understood she needed silence. Drifting off to sleep, Emily felt loved.

* * *

Waking abruptly, Emily realised that David was in the room checking her pulse. Both Vladimir and Eric had become stern as soon as David had walked into the house and for no reason that David could fathom, a bead of sweat trickled down his back. As he looked into Emily
’s eyes he could see her pleading with him not to say anything.

‘
Your head looks good Emily. I’ve written a prescription for a stronger pain relief if you think you need it.’ He handed it to Emily.

Vladimir interrupted sternly,
‘How can you write a prescription David? You are a vet.’

Emily shot Vladimir a look begging him to be polite to David, which Vladimir ignored, so she said,
‘David is a qualified doctor as well as a vet.’

Looking back at David, Vladimir responded,
‘So, how does such a thing come about?’ His challenge to David was unexpected but David understood why. Emily had been hurt and he knew that Vladimir wanted answers – which he would not give.

‘
My father insisted that I go to medical school, so I became a doctor and actually ended up in genetics. But when he died I decided to become a vet. It was always my goal.’

Emily added, with pride in her voice,
‘And he did it in two years, quicker than anyone else,’ she smiled at David then added, ‘Thank you David, I’m so much better now, my head hardly hurts anymore.’

‘
I’ll come back tomorrow to see how you are, if you don’t feel better by then I’ll give you a pill that’s for pigs.’ David replied teasingly, returning her smile; she was such a dear friend to him. Emily laughed and the men relaxed at the sound.

‘
Whatever you think David, you are the healer and I do feel better.’ He smiled at her and turned to pack up his bag.

Vladimir was on to him instantly,
‘What are her injuries?’ he asked in a tone that was reasonable and calm but that demanded total compliance.

David again had to steady himself; he was unsure why they intimidated him.

‘As far as I can see she has a concussion and bruising but no broken bones. I think within a week she’ll be back to her old self.’

‘
Do you know who did this?’ Vladimir asked in a tone that hinted at violence.

David knew Vladimir would pick up on a lie so he said,
‘I wasn’t there when Emily was attacked.’ The answer didn’t satisfy Vladimir. He sensed that David knew something more and he shot a look at Eric, indicating for him to go outside. Eric picked up on his meaning and left the room.

Extending his hand to David, Vladimir looked him in the eye and said,
‘Thank you, David, for helping her.’ David could see in Vladimir’s face how much he loved Emily and he could also see that this matter was not over. Looking back at Emily he waved goodbye then stepped outside. Eric was waiting for him by his truck and as he placed his bag in the back, Eric spoke softly.

‘
David, I think there is more for you to tell us.’

David was surprised at how cold Eric was, out of the pair he was the friendlier one.

‘Maybe,’ David replied, ‘but it’s for Emily to tell you, not me. I’m her friend and she’s like my little sister, I won’t betray her.’

Eric paused and then said,
‘Yes, you are her friend and she does think of you like a brother. I just hope you made a wise choice because Vlad and I will not allow anyone to ever hurt her again or to get in the way of keeping her safe.’

David got in the truck and as he turned the key he found his hands were shaking.

After putting Emily to bed that night, Vladimir asked Eric to stay with her. He reached for the phone and dialled the number of Vince Haldane. Vince had been a Special Forces Operative before coming to work for Vladimir
’s firm. Vladimir recounted to him what had happened to Emily, and Vince gave Vladimir instructions not to touch anything or wipe anything down. He would have a team of men there in the morning to search for clues. Vladimir would have to think of a way to get Emily out of the house as he knew she would object to Vince coming over. He didn’t blame her for not telling them who had attacked her. She knew what the punishment would be.

The next morning Emily woke up early and set about doing her morning chores. Her head felt better but her body was still sore when she moved about, but it was nothing she couldn
’t handle. Applejacks was glad to see her and they touched heads for a long moment. After breakfast Vladimir suggested to Emily that Eric take her for a drive.

‘
Will you come with us?’ Emily asked, slightly suspicious.

‘
Sweet girl, I have been off work for almost two weeks. I need to take a conference call with my associates to see if I still have a business.’

Emily saw tiredness reflected in his face.
‘Did you sleep last night?’

Vladimir replied,
‘Only half the night. I stood guard till 2am then Eric took over till morning.’

‘Vladimir, Eric, there is no need for all of this. I just want to forget it happened, please. We have other things we need to focus on.’ Emily was upset that her men were so affected.

‘
Come Em,’ Eric said, ‘let’s go for a drive, we can talk about this later. It’s a nice day and it will do you good to get out of the house.’

Vladimir gently helped her into her coat, kissing her goodbye and as he gave Eric a hug he whispered into his ear,
‘Keep away until I call you.’

Within fifteen minutes of their departure, Vince Haldane and his team arrived and started searching the house for clues. As Vince looked around the room he asked Vladimir if there was anything missing.

Vladimir paused. He had a photographic memory so he closed his eyes and remembered the last time he sat in the room. Vladimir realised the small silver framed picture of the three of them was missing. They looked everywhere for the picture and Vladimir muttered, more to himself, ‘Why would someone want our picture?’

Vince overhearing him replied,
‘Maybe as a trophy. Any idea why Emily won’t tell you who did this?’

‘
I think she is trying to protect us, I think she knows who has done this,’ Vladimir offered.

Vince thought for a moment, he had known Vladimir and Eric a long time and knew they were lovers. The first time he had met Vladimir was at a gym in the city. Vladimir had been the only man able to take him down in hand-to-hand combat; it wasn
’t even a close competition. He had also fought Eric but Eric had bested him as well. Vince knew he had met his masters and was totally committed to serving Vladimir and Eric. He had been surprised when Emily suddenly came on the scene but over the years he had mixed with them at various functions that Vladimir held and had found Emily to be kind and thoughtful.

Vince realised the man who had attacked Emily was as good as dead, he knew there was a
killer in Vladimir and that it would only be a matter of time till they found out who had done it.

‘
I found plenty of prints,’ one of Vince’s men interjected.

‘
Who’s been in this room?’ Vince asked.

‘
Only Eric, Emily, myself and our neighbour, David Swann. I’ll give you his address so as someone can stop by and get his prints; he lives on the next farm.’

‘
We’ll run the prints straight away and I’ll let you know what turns up.’ Vince began to pack up the equipment he had brought.

Vladimir looked over to where the picture should have been. A chill had settled over him and he knew the danger that Eric and himself had tried to outrun was back. It was time to tell Emily everything. He asked Vince to leave four men to guard the property.

‘Vladimir, what sort of threat are we looking at?’ Vince asked. It took a moment for Vladimir to reply and he turned and looked Vince in the eye.

‘
Just make sure your men are ready to shoot to kill. I think an old wound has reopened and this time I don’t think we can hide from it.’

Eric drove Emily to one of the men’s favourite places. It was a small clearing that was on the edge of a precipice that was over two hundred metres high. An old tree grew right out from the side and the men would climb among the branches that hung out over the precipice. This terrified Emily, who would watch silently, only catching her breath when they climbed off, exhilarated by the danger. Today Eric spread a blanket on the ground and grabbed a couple of cushions from the car. Sitting down with Emily he pulled another blanket over her, carefully tucking it into her sides to keep her warm. His tenderness brought tears to Emily’s eyes and she realised for the first time that her love for Eric, while different from Vladimir’s, was just as deep.

Lying down, Eric nestled his head in Emily
’s lap. They often sat like this at night, Emily sitting in Vladimir’s arms and Eric’s head on her lap. She played with his hair, which was untameable; she loved how it felt in her hands.

‘
Have I shown you a picture of my mother?’ Eric suddenly asked.

‘
No my love, you haven’t.’ Emily was surprised, neither of the men had ever spoken about their past.

Eric pulled out an old pocket watch from his jeans. It was tarnished and quite ugly, yet she knew that Eric carried it on him at all times. Opening it up, he pulled out a lock of hair the same colour as his and passed the watch to Emily. Inside were two pictures. The first picture was of a young girl who looked no older than sixteen; Eric had her soft mouth and sensual lips. Her face was beautiful and had a youthful roundness, and even though she was smiling, her face held a sadness that touched Emily. The other picture was of a woman with dark hair pulled back into a tight bun, a stray curl had broken loose and it hung down her neck. She was very beautiful yet there was no joy in her face; life was hard for this woman.

Eric shut his eyes and spoke softly. ‘My mother’s name was Dusana; she died when I was born. I always imagine that she would have been a kind person but I don’t really know. The other woman is Valeskia, she is Vladimir’s mother and she raised me after my mother’s death. She was an extraordinary women you would have liked her.’

Emily responded by kissing his forehead. She had opened a connection to him and found that he was focused far away. Not wanting to break his mood, Emily remained silent, caressing his neck and shoulders with her hands.

What were they afraid of, she wondered to herself. Kissing Eric’s head Emily posed the question. But Eric wouldn’t say, simply saying, ‘It is for Vladimir to tell you.’

An hour later Eric
’s mobile rang with Vladimir instructing Eric to return immediately. Eric’s heart sank as he gathered the blankets and cushions. From the tone of Vladimir’s voice he knew the past had caught up with them. Living with Emily the last few years had been liberating for his spirit and as they sped back he knew that their life on the farm was over.

As they drove back in silence, Emily decided she would tell Vladimir and Eric the truth. Surely once they knew who had attacked her they would calm down.

She was surprised to see four men at the gate of the farm, and they did not look very friendly. As Emily got out of the car Rumour loped over to her, thrusting her nose into Emily’s hand. The strange men had unnerved the dog so Emily sent her soothing thoughts, ‘
I won’t let you go back to that man’
, but the thought was more to reassure herself.

Vladimir was waiting for her in the doorway and gave her a warm hug, and then he hugged Eric for a long moment, whispering into his ear. As they pulled apart, Eric slowly nodded his consent to Vladimir and they all went inside to the lounge room.

Inside, Vladimir had made fresh coffee in a silver pot that was centuries old. Applejacks’ head was through his special window and Vladimir had moved the lounge and a chair to face him.

‘
One lump or two?’ Eric joked, trying to lighten the mood. Applejacks was fond of sugar, which Emily disapproved of, but that didn’t stop Eric from giving Applejacks a few lumps every now and then.

Emily finally broke her silence.
‘I’ll tell you what happened to me. I feel bad that you are both so upset.’ The men sat together on the lounge while Emily stood, she was not ready to sit down and her heart was pounding. ‘I was attacked by Rumour’s owner, he said that he wanted to take her back but I couldn’t bear for her to go back to such a cruel life,’ Emily’s voice was trembling. ‘I thought I could buy her from him but he didn’t want money, he wanted...’

Emily broke down and tears flowed down her face as she remembered the attack. The thought of Roy
’s hands on her breasts made her shudder with revulsion.

Vladimir
’s voice was gentle but inside he was raging. ‘Who is this man?’

‘
He said his name was Roy Cartier,’ Emily responded.

Vladimir was instantly on his phone to Vince, instructing him to find out what he could about Roy.

‘No,’ Emily pleaded once Vladimir was off the phone, ‘I don’t want this to go any further. This man can hurt us,’ and she recounted the story that David had told her about his friend.

Vladimir lifted her hands to his chest and gently pushed her to the sofa.
‘I think this has to do with our past Emily, not just Rumour.’

‘
I don’t understand,’ Emily responded ‘how can that be?’ And then she remembered the odd comment that Roy had made about Vladimir. ‘He said you looked like a man he knows in Europe, he said he was looking for special people and had heard about my gift.’

Emily now realised her silence had put the men in danger. Feeling sick to her stomach, Emily moaned,
‘Oh God, what have I done?’

Eric moved closer to her and spoke softly.
‘Em, this is not your fault. We should have been truthful to you from the start, it is for you to forgive us.’ He looked up at Vladimir. ‘Vlad, I think it’s time to tell Emily about our lives in Czech Republic’ He took out his pocket watch and handed it to Vladimir. Vladimir opened the old pocket watch and saw the picture of Dusana and then his mother. Seeing Valeskia’s face again upset him. He missed his mother, she was often in his thoughts, and while he knew that Eric had the watch, Vladimir had never asked to see it. The memories of his mother were not happy, their life together had been so hard. But she had taught him how to be strong and how to protect himself and Eric. The need for security and power had come from her and was the motivation behind his law firm.

Money was the ultimate protector, or so he had thought. He had made millions to try and protect Eric and then Emily. Looking at Eric, his life mate, Vladimir remembered the first time he had met Eric. In a way they had been brought up as brothers, but the bond was stronger than that. Vladimir had loved Eric from the first moment he laid eyes on him as a child. As his mother had wanted to protect Dusana Eric Mother, so Vladimir had felt about Eric. When Emily came into their lives Vladimir had been grateful when Eric and Emily had finally become lovers.
Emily gave Eric the affection that Vladimir could not and while Vladimir had worshipped his mother, she hadn’t been able to show him or Eric affection. He knew that she loved them; he saw her work day and night to ensure that they were safe. Whenever Valeskia sensed they were in danger, they would grab the packs that were always ready and leave, never looking back.

Eric had started doing carvings at the age of seven and would pack away his favourite pieces until his pack was so heavy he couldn
’t carry it. Valeskia scolded him until Vladimir had swapped his lighter pack with Eric. As a teenager, Vladimir was strong; Eric’s pack didn’t slow him down. He knew how important Eric’s carvings were to him and Vladimir went to great lengths to make Eric’s life as good as it could be, living the way that they had to.

Returning his thoughts to the present, Vladimir, standing besides Applejacks said,
‘I will tell you the story of how my mother met my father, how Eric and I came to be and finally, how we became the monsters that we are now. Then you will understand the danger that we bring to you and we will need to make some hard decisions.’ He whispered, ‘I will start with my mother,’ then more loudly he said, ‘this is the story she told me.’