Page 102 of The Thief
His brother, Elliot, was his only living relative, and we vowed to watch over him, make sure he was protected. He’d reported his brother missing to the police not long after he’d taken that bullet. We knew they’d never find him. But we decided to deposit a significant sum of money into Elliot’s bank the dayafter. We said we’d do the same the next month, and every month after that, sending it under Dan’s name, but ensuring the account couldn’t be traced back to anyone, especially us. The money wouldn’t bring his brother back, but at least he’d never have to struggle financially. That, and it might give him some comfort to have that money arrive every month. Make him think his brother was still out there somewhere, watching over him.
We were also more respectful with Dan’s body. We gave him a proper burial. The new flooring of the chapel at our asylum had a secret underneath it that’d stay hidden forever. It was the perfect resting place for a man who, like us, chose a life of righteous retribution.
“You’re such a good doggie, and your fur is so silky.” I sat next to Jess on the sofa in the living area at The Sanctuary, watching Ava as she sat on the floor, stroking Tyson.
Ava peppered kisses all over his head, and he shuffled closer to her, putting his head on her lap, making her squeal in delight. She lay down next to him, then wrapped her arm around his neck to pull him closer to her, and he let her. He’d let her do anything.
Tyson had always been a guard dog. Adam had trained him to protect and attack. For years he’d stood beside us like the sixth soldier.
But he was different now.
He was getting older.
And he was totally and utterly in love with Ava.
When she got up off the floor, his eyes followed her. As shewalked to the table to have a drink from her can of Coke, he plodded after her, sticking to her side wherever she was. He was still a protector, but I knew without a doubt he’d never hurt Ava. Attack wasn’t in his nature anymore.
“Mummy? Can I give Tyson a drink? He’s thirsty too,” Ava asked, placing her can down on the table.
“He’s got a water bowl in the corner, but it needs filling up a little,” Adam replied from where he sat on the other side of the sofa with Liv, a contented look on his face as he watched Tyson and Ava together.
Liv stood up and went to the sink to fill a jug with water, and then she smiled and handed it to Ava.
“He loves you,” Liv told her, and Ava beamed.
“I love him too.” Then she turned to Tyson and said, “Come on, follow me.” And she led him to the corner of the room, poured the water into his bowl and called him a good boy when he started to lap it up.
“Is everything okay?” Devon asked, breaking through my daydream, and I sat back, taking a deep breath. “You asked us all to meet you here,” he added. “Has something happened?”
Liv sat back in her seat beside Adam, placing a hand on his knee. Devon and Leah May were next to them, both looking concerned as they watched me. Colton and Shelley, Will and Bryony were sitting around the dining table. All of them were here. It was time to face the truth.
“I think I know what this is about,” Adam said, and Bryony stood up, going over to Ava and Tyson.
“Did you know Tyson is a daddy?” Bryony asked, crouching down to give Tyson a stroke.
“Is he?” Ava’s eyes sparkled as she watched Bryony fussover Tyson.
“He is. He has a girl puppy called Tiny. Would you like to meet her? She’s in our room. It’s just down the hall.” Bryony turned to Jess and whispered, “Is that okay?”
Ava’s head whipped around at the same time, and she begged, “Can I, Mummy? Can I play with Tyson’s puppy?”
“Of course,” Jess replied, smiling back. “But be gentle.”
“I’m always gentle,” she announced, grabbing Tyson by the collar and yanking him over to the door.
“Will can fill me in later,” Bryony told us as she headed out of the room to follow Ava and Tyson. “I’ll keep Ava company with the dogs until you’ve finished the meeting. You’ll be able to talk more freely now.”
“Thank you,” I replied, and she left, closing the door behind her.
I went to speak, but Adam sat forward and said, “Before you say what you’ve come here to say, I have a few things I need to get off my chest too.” Then glancing across at me, he asked, “Is that okay?”
I nodded and let him take the floor.
“Twenty years ago, I was an angry kid who hated everyone. I hated the world. There was no place for me, no family, no real friends. I was on my own, and I preferred it that way. I found out that fighting, hurting others, making people scared of me gave me power, and I liked it. I bounced from one children’s home to another, using that power as often as I could. They tried putting me in foster homes, but I’d terrorise the families rather than be forced to live the way they did. They didn’t want me there. I didn’t want to be there. And then I found you. All of you.”
He glanced at each of us as he spoke.
“You were the same as me. We didn’t have the best start in life, but you wanted to make it better. You wanted to do better, make a better life, just like me. We had ideas, back then. Ideas to make the world a better place, and I think, in some ways, we have. For a lot of people, we’ve given them peace, justice, and closure. We have questionable practices, but what does that matter? Because we know for a fact that the men at the top, the ones who run this world, their practices are far worse. But I’m going off on a tangent, here. Let me get back to the point.
