Battle the Dark: Chapter 29

Jack and Sam brought their bags into Viki's foyer, and she raced out to greet them.  "Hello, boys.  Glad to see you both. Nigel will take your bags."


The faithful butler did as he was asked, and the two of them stood, silent, Sam looking around and Jack staring at his shoes.  Clint said, "Are you two interested in some lunch?"


Sam said, "If it's okay with you, Aunt Viki and Uncle Clint, I'm not very hungry."


"Me neither,"  Jack said, hands in his pockets and a twisted, angry look on his face.  He had set the carrier with his tiniest brother on the floor by his feet.


Viki was stunned watching her great nephew.  He is so like Todd.  "Well, boys, there's a lot of room on the grounds, if you want to go outside and play or something?"


"Yeah, can we?  Jack?"  Sam looked to his older brother.


"No, we're not going out to play.  Not until Dad comes back."  Jack's voice had a cruel edge to it.  Viki was not pleased, but she found herself pitying him.


She said, "Jack, that might be a little too much for a child Sam's age."  Then, to Sam, she said, "I am certain that Jessica and Bree will be going outside in a few minutes.  Would you like to go with them?"


"Sure!"  He said, excitedly.  Then looked to Jack, for approval.  Stoic, the teen said, "Whatever, kid."


"Yay!"  Sam circled around Viki happily, and said, "Where are they?"


She turned to see them descending the staircase as she spoke.  "They're right here."


Jessica, overhearing the end of the conversation, took Little Sam's hand, and lead him outside with Bree in tow as well.


Viki turned her attention to Jack.  "You're suffering, so I'll excuse your insufferable attitude with your brother."


"And?"  Jack said, the sarcasm taking Viki aback a bit.  


My brother's son.  Definitely no doubt there.  "We all miss him.  You are not alone."


"You all miss him?  Then how come you didn't bother to find him during the last eight years?"


Again, Viki felt slapped back by the strength of the boy's anger, and again flashed on Todd, brazen and tall, his long hair just above his shoulders, eating dinner at her home the night that he, Kevin, Powell and Zach were taken in to the police station from her very foyer.  "You're right.  We were very wrong.  We wanted him back so, we accepted the impostor.  You're right.  But, your father forgave all of us that error.  As much as he suffered for those years, he forgave us all."


Jack seemed slightly ashamed, but was not conceding.  "He's gone anyway."


"He's not gone, Jack, he's missing."  She said.


"Gone, missing, dead?  What the hell is the difference?  Not a single person really cares.  Most people are just glad to get rid of him, once and for all.  To them, he was nothing but a rapist."


Viki did not expect this, and dealt with her own reaction by keeping her words inside for the moment.  Before she knew it, Clint said, "Is this how you want your father to see you?  Bitter and hateful?"  Jack's tears that had been burning in his eyes prior, spilled, one on each side, and Clint immediately grabbed him to him.  Jack shook with sobs but only gave off a small, stifled whimper, as if trying to keep from giving in.  "That's a boy, you have to let it out.  Your father loves you, and he'd want you to be all right."


Viki, overcome with emotion, could not hold back her own tears with her husband's actions.  She watched as Clint held the teen in his arms, and continued to make soft supportive comments to the boy.  "Your mother will be all right, Jack."  Clint said.  "Your father will be back.  John McBain is an outstanding officer; he will see to it.  Now that Shaun's there, it will be another piece to the solution.  All of them are devoted to your family.  You know that."


Jack did not speak yet, he was crying but trying not to utter a sound.  Clint went on, "You're normal and right to feel scared.  Your father's been through hell.  You know, I'm assuming, what that hell is about.  It's natural to be afraid for him."


Viki, turning to enter the library, picked up the carrier with smiling, beautiful Little Ray.  She realized her own crying was not going to help the situation. She left them in the lobby, and sat on the couch, where her brother had recently fallen asleep, and she had covered him with a blanket.  Remembering how she sat by him most of the night, she picked up and held his youngest child.


***


"You can just get back on a plane and head home, Blair.  This is no place for you."  John said.


"And you, Creena, what the devil are you doing here?"  Timothy added.


"I go where I please, Mr. Broderick.  You're not my Lord."  Sister Rebecca Katherine said, quite fiesty in her habit and headpiece.


"John, you can't get me on any plane.  If this is no place for me, then you don't understand Todd and I.  If he's here, I belong here."


"What about those kids you left behind?  What if the unfathomable happens, and both of you are taken from them.  Then what?"



"The Good Lord is not going to take them both, Mr. Doomsday, and I'll thank you kindly to bring your disgraceful negativity to a halt."  The nun piped up.  Blair had never seen her quite this forceful, except possibly, when she punched out the 6'4" bodyguard of the ex-Mayor Finn in the middle of St. Anne's Chapel.


John, was somehow humored by her words.  "I have no qualms with you coming here, Sister. That's your choice.  However, Blair has children to think about..."


"Who are devastated without him.  Sam is running away, only to be found in the park waiting for Todd.  Jack is drinking, sullen, bitter.  I can't even get him to go to school.  Starr is a nervous wreck, the baby is even upset more often.  What do you want from me?"  Blair's speech had gone from angry to a raised, high-pitched yell.


Timothy said, "John, let's put a stop on this with this woman, who I shall nickname Bridgette because of her obvious strength, and just let the coins fall where they may."  He turned to Blair, "But you do understand that you may have to watch him die, and bury him, or do the same right aside him, ay?"


Blair swallowed.  It was never put so succinctly or so hurtfully.  But she stood her ground.  "Yes, I understand that.  I've always known that where Todd is concerned.  I won't go back."


"Then, Bridgette, come along and help us.  There's a list as long as your arm of places and people.  We've got contacts to call."


She pushed by John fiercely and went to Timothy's side.  They both began pouring over papers, and Blair pulled out her cell phone to help make the calls.  The nun approached the Lieutenant.  She whispered, "If she did not board that plane and come here, she may have died at home of starvation and a broken heart, and you never would have wanted that on your conscience, good Irish boy that you are."  She walked by him, headed for the list.


Blair said, "What are we looking for?"


Timothy answered, "A contact who can associate Carlo Hesser with any of these locations.  We've narrowed it down to this list, now we need to find a match.  This other list is a membership log from the RA21 group."


"What's that?"  Blair asked.


"It's an underground organization with designs on taking out The Men of 21."


"Where can I sign up?"  She said, absently, as skimming the papers.


"You can't.  Women not allowed.  Ireland is not the U.S., Bridgette."


"Which is exactly what I was trying to tell her,"  John  said.


She looked up.  "John, I'm sorry but no one can keep me from my husband or finding him.  Not this time."


He nodded.


Timothy went on, "The nickname stands for Rialto against The Men of 21.  They are a vigilante group that outnumbers The Men of 21 by hundreds, yet they have not been able to locate them in order to do the deed.  I've had much of the information from both sides, and never helped them put it all together."


"Why?  That could have saved Todd's life."


"This was before I knew Todd.  My goal was to take The Men of 21 down a legal way, without bloodshed.  This group, of which I am actually a member, is bent on death and destruction, without realizing that innocents will be killed.  A massacre is not my way of solving things.  Other groups exist as well.  All of them, regardless of the mission, rely on violence as a means to an end.  This, I wanted to avoid.  Therefore, I've stayed quiet.  Now, I know the silence must be broken to retrieve your Todd.  But you must know, he is not the only man who has been captured, tortured and killed by them."


"Killed?" she repeated.  "He's not dead, Timothy.  I'd know."


"Dear heart, no, he's not dead.  But the others are, and he will be, if we are not successful.  Now that he has overcome his own mind, he will not remain silent any longer, and they know this."


She thought about it, and realized the man's words were true.  Before, Todd was catatonic, lost his memory and generally avoided speaking about what happened.  In recent times, he was more confident, verbal and ready to tell anyone who would hear.  He was a definite target and, she shuddered, marked for death.


*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Your comments are 'payment' for the work of the authors. Our writers like to hear your feedback. Please leave a comment when you read.