Bound by Revenge (Guardian Series) (5 page)

Sam reached out to grasp his hand with one quick sturdy shake. “It’s nice to see you, Uncle Bradley.”

“It’s a pleasure to see you as well, Samantha. I’m so glad that you’ve finally come to join our team.” His flat tone left the words sounding scripted.

Bradley motioned for the girls to take their seats before sitting down.

“I’ve got a very large project that I’ll need your expertise on.” He looked Sam straight in the eyes causing her to shrink back in her seat before she nodded in agreement, not sure how to respond, or even, if he was waiting for an answer.

“She’s going to be working on projects
with
you?” The astonished words slipped through Abby’s lips.

“Oh, don’t worry, pumpkin. You’ll have the opportunity to join the team if you’d like. But we’re not going to go into it here. You’re going to have to control your ambition a little while longer. I assure you, you’ll be put to good use.” Bradley patted his daughter on the hand and turned his attention back to Sam.

Abby sat back in her chair and pouted like a child.

Sam knew that was the last mention of work when Bradley cleared his throat and pursued a new, more casual line of conversation with his daughter, presumably to get her out of her current funk. And as soon as Bradley addressed Abby, she seemed to forget she was ever upset.

The three of them sat around the table talking. Bradley and Abby chatted about the lives of family and friends. And Sam smiled and nodded when a pause in their banter suggested it was the appropriate response.

Sam tried to pay attention to the conversation. She really did. She knew how often personal details could make all the difference but she just couldn’t help but watch Morgan’s table, trying to discern who she was sitting with, what they could be talking about, and why Morgan was making such a subtle move.

Sam’s eyes were glued on the blonde. And not once since that initial greeting did Morgan return her gaze. She was so preoccupied with her guest and the food on her table. It was almost as if the meeting was an accident.

“What do you think?”

Sam looked back when she realized that Abby was patiently waiting for an answer.

“That’s fine.” She said, hoping that she didn’t agree to dye her hair green or any number of other unpleasant things.

“Great!” Abby exclaimed. “We’ll be there.”

Abby pushed out her chair scratching it on the ancient wooden floor and stood up; Sam did the same, eager to get out of the stuffy restaurant. Bradley pulled out his black Amex and handed it to the waitress as the girls slid their chairs back in under the table, leaving the scene as orderly as it had been before they arrived.

“We’ll see you tomorrow.” Abby said, a little too cheerfully.

“Tell me what I just agreed to.” Sam demanded as quietly as she could, once she was sure she was out of ear shot of the guardian, which didn’t happen until they were in the car with the engine on.

“Seriously, you should have been listening. Maybe we should go back and tell my dad you’re not right for the job.”

“Very funny.” Sam said as sarcastically as she could. “What did you expect when you started talking about a bunch of people that I’ve never met before?”

“Lucky for you, you’re gonna meet some of ‘em tomorrow.” Abby gave Sam a devilish grin as she took in her reaction.

“What the hell? When did that happen?” Sam had expected a little more time to live under the pretense of a long lost cousin. There was a lot of recon she wanted to do before things got too messy and there was a lot of back story she needed. She wanted to collect info about her teammates, the town and anything at all she could find out about the threat.

“Everyone in the family works for him, and everyone who works for him is as good as family. So you might as well just jump in and meet them. I can’t wait for you to see my brother Alex. You must remember him.” She paused and didn’t continue on until Sam acquiesced. “And Alex’s friend Vance just started working for us last month. He’ll be there, too.”

Sam struggled not to react as she heard the name she’d been waiting for. Vance was here already. He was here before her, just like Morgan.

Sam fought her instincts as they screamed for her to run off to find him so she could figure out what he was up to while at the same time satisfying her desire just to see him again. But right now, she had to stick it out with Abby. She needed to gain Abby’s trust, especially now that she knew things were moving forward so quickly. Behaving like a foolish school girl, thinking with her hormones, would do nothing for her cause.

Vance would still be there tomorrow. If he was already this deep undercover he wouldn’t be taking off on her anytime soon, Sam told herself repeatedly in her mind. That mantra was the only thing keeping her from jumping out of the car and running off to find him.

Morgan watched as Sam and the Abby finally pulled out of the parking lot. She listened carefully to the whole interaction between the three and didn’t glean any valuable information. She’d seen Bradley snooping around town since she arrived and it didn’t take her long to figure out what he was and why he was keeping such close tabs on her.

It wasn’t a huge surprise to find out that Sam was in town and to see her meeting with the creature in the same day. Sam was a strong adversary. She even won her fair share of battles against Morgan and Vance. She was the kind of immortal that fit the textbook description of a guardian. Sam devoted her life to the humans and, unlike herself, Sam never used her powers for her own benefit.

“I’m going to enjoy this.” Morgan cooed to the handsome man sitting across the table from her while she ran her fingers down the side of her water glass, catching the droplets of water on her fingertips and licking them off. Her voice was light and pleasant, as if she were talking about a night on the town and not her murderous intent.

“What do you have planned?” The man’s voice was deep and clear.

Eric was a fine specimen for a human. That was why Morgan had chosen him from the humans she met on her first day at Ruthers. He was 5’9 with dirty blonde hair. Fit and strong but not as tightly built as the immortals of his sex. Still, when she chose to spend time with him, he was pleasing enough to her senses. And he was extremely receptive to her commands. He was hers and he loved it.

Morgan had kept the man around for one reason and one reason only. He possessed the thing she needed most, a large home for her to house her rebellion. It was a place big enough for all of her troops and luxurious enough to keep her satisfied. He gave over every part of the home, with no questions or regrets, just to keep her happy. In return for her affection, he confined his living to one small suite in the main house, while Morgan controlled the rest of the sprawling estate and, like a good little minion, never asked who else was in the house or what they were doing.

“I’m going to take on the guardians, of course. I’ve always enjoyed a challenge.” Morgan reached across the table and held his hand tightly between her own. “First, we need to go back to your house. I have company coming.” 

Chapter
Three

Sam’s eye’s blinked open to a bright stream of light creeping in under the blinds, being roused by the most annoying sound she’d ever heard.
Bzzz bzzz bzzz
. She turned her head to the night stand and focused on the little black cube resting on top. 7:00. The bright red numbers burned Sam’s tired eyes. After what seemed like a lifetime, Sam’s arm finally reached the button on the alarm clock. With a rapid slap, she shut off the incessant noise. She made a mental note; get a new alarm, one that plays music or something so she wouldn’t break the damn thing.

After taking a few minutes to collect herself, Sam threw her legs off the bed and awkwardly rolled off onto her feet. Once standing, she rubbed the last bit of sleep out of her eyes and looked around the room. Across from her, on the desk, were two stacks of clothes that she purchased the evening before. Abby insisted on bringing Sam to the mall and Sam agreed to go, unwilling to give up any opportunity to bond with Abby before she had to deal with the inevitable interference from Vance and Morgan. Since they were both here, Sam was sure they’d be up to something and since the Andrean’s already knew Vance, she’d be behind from the start. She was stuck playing catch up before she knew there was a race.

Sam picked out a pair of black pin-striped slacks and a green silk blouse. She grabbed both of them and the matching black lace lingerie set she’d purchased at Victoria’s Secret and headed to the bathroom across the hall from the guest room where she had settled.

Sam took a quick shower, wrapped herself in a towel and rubbed the fog off the mirror above the sink. Squeezing what water she could out of her thick hair, she reached for the two CVS bags that she had left on the bathroom floor the night before. The first bag contained a hair brush and hair dryer which she carefully removed. The second held her cosmetics and mousse. Unlike the first, this bag she dumped unceremoniously on the bathroom floor to sort through the contents.

She took a minute to open all the packages as the air helped dry off her skin. Yesterday, Sam wasn’t “made up”. Today, she was determined to go all out, doing her hair and wearing full make-up. There was no way she was going in looking frumpy, especially knowing that Vance would be there waiting for her. Somehow it made her feel better to think Vance would want her as much as she wanted him, even though she had no indication he even knew she was coming.

In just under a half hour, Sam stepped out of the bathroom. Just as planned, she would fit in well in with any group of young professionals. Her hair had a gentle wave as it fell down her back and her make-up highlighted her best feature, her eyes. The clothes looked like they were designed especially for her body. Sam smiled to herself as she stepped into the black satin peep-toe pumps that sat in the corner next to her door. She gave herself one last glance in the mirror and turned to go find Abby.

Abby was standing silently on the deck, staring out into the woods behind her house. Sam slid open the glass door and stepped out next to her.

“I like to drink my coffee outside, sometimes.” Abby’s vacant voice betrayed the stoic exterior.

“Peaceful, you know.” She said and cast a fleeting glance over at Sam before the chirping birds drew her attention back to the scenery.

Sam cringed at the observation. She felt bad for the girl, knowing how quickly Abby’s life was about to change. A guardian’s life was anything but peaceful, though immortality had its charms. But Abby put such a high premium on this quiet life she’d built for herself. Sam just hoped the trade would be worth it for her new friend.

With one last sip of coffee, Abby turned to head back into her comfortable home.

“My brother lives across town, about twenty minutes away, so we should get going. I hate to be late. I’d rather be an hour early than a minute late.” Abby laughed, as if she were joking. Sam knew better, though. She could tell the first second she met Abby, that she was the kind of person who needed complete order and control. It was a trait that could sometimes be annoying in a human but it was an incomparably valuable trait in a guardian.

“Let’s go.” Sam lifted the only set of keys off the hook by the door and tossed them at Abby. Abby caught them in her right hand without even looking as she reached down to the table to grab her purse.

The girls pulled into the long, curved drive-way that led up to a large red brick house. The outside had the same perfectly landscaped yard that surrounded Abby’s.

The house itself, on the other hand, was nothing like Abby’s. It stood three stories high with large double doors in the center. It didn’t present the middle-class family image that Abby’s house portrayed. The house before them could only be described as a mini-mansion.

Vance pulled the white sheer curtain back as he watched the silver Lexus pull closer to the house. When he arrived at the house to meet his friend, just like any other day, Alex told him his sister was bringing their cousin with her today. It was a cousin named Sam and further prodding confirmed Vance’s suspicions that neither Alex nor Abby had any memories of the girl or her parents. So Vance waited and watched for them to arrive, hoping that the feeling he was having wasn’t a physical manifestation of his imagination’s yearning to see Sam again and hoping that this was
his
Sam coming to see him and not just some stranger sharing her name.