Page 13 of Two for the Guard
Casey and Kyle moved to the other side of the bed, putting it between them. "What do you want?" Casey barked.
“Is that any way to speak to your mother?” Her voice was too syrupy and sweet.
“We know." Kyle blurted, and there was a sparkle in her eyes, and a smile touched her lips as she took a few steps toward them.
"What do you know, Kyle?" She said her voice scared them.
“We know about the trust and that you sent us out here to die." Casey blasted her and took a step forward. She moved fast, blocking them between the bed and the back wall. There was a large window, but it didn't open. The trapped feeling took over, and they moved until their backs were against the wall.
“I was planning to spike your drinks with something that would stop your hearts. It’s easy enough to fake a heart attack, and considering your exposure out in the woods, no one would question." She paused, pulled a small handgun from her purse along with a bottle of water, then tossed her purse onto the bed. "You're going to drink this." She said and handed Casey the bottle. He took it, looked at it, then back at her.
"We're not drinking this." He answered, a little confused by her.
She picked up a pillow off the bed, one of the small decorative ones, and held it against the barrel of the gun. "You either drink it, or I shoot you."
"You won't get away with shooting us," Kyle stated.
“Brad and Hank will help me dispose of your bodies somewhere that you will never be found. I will then call the authorities, report you both as missing, and point them in the direction of the state forest. Eventually, you will be declared dead, and everything I want will be mine.” She seemed proud of herself.
"Drink up, boys, it's much easier to go by heart attack than by a bullet in your head." She smiled maniacally.
“Who are you?” Kyle was still shocked at her behavior. "Is this who you've always been, or did you change?"
"This is me, darling. I never needed to kill you before, so I didn't, but honestly, if I'd known sooner about the trust your father left you, I’d have killed you years ago.”
“Did you kill him?” Casey asked.
She shook her head, growing tired of the questions. "Of course I did, don't be stupid. Now drink or take a bullet, the choice is yours, and your time is running out." Panic set in, and Casey's hand started to tremble as he screwed the top of the plastic bottle. He looked over at Kyle, who was holding his arm and trembling as well. Then things changed suddenly, completely, and forever.
Bram came crashing through the window and slammed into their mother's side, knocking her against the bed, and the gun went flying out of her hand. Casey screwed the top back on the bottle and tossed it onto the bed. "She was going to poison us, Bram, or shoot us. She gave us a choice." Kyle blurted.
“I was simply trying to defend myself; they threatened me.” She feigned a feeble tone, tried to stand, but Bram silenced her with a backhand that left her unconscious on the floor.
“I shouldn’t have left you, I’m sorry.” He gathered them into his arms and just held them. “We found Brad and Hank; you won't have to worry about them ever again." They buried their heads in his chest and did not ask any questions.
"What about her?" Casey asked, pulling back just a mere inch, not wanting to get too far from Bram. Just then, Truce stepped through the broken window.
“I’ll take care of her.” He said. “Why don’t you take the SUV and head home. You should be with your beloveds; they need you, Bram, and you need them." He tossed Bram the keys.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
They were on their way to the Chateau in minutes. Bram helped them into the SUV, and they were quickly on the road. The Chateau was about twenty minutes from the Lodge, and Bram made it in just over ten. He saw their looks when he entered the outer gates, then the main gates, and it was nice to see wonder and excitement replace the fear and dread.
"This is the vineyard and the winery?" Kyle asked, staring out the window at the vast fields of tended vines.
“This is the Old Mission Coven home of the Cabot Winery. This is our home, and these are our people." Bram told them and reached over to take their hands in his. “I’ll introduce you around tomorrow. The Master would like to meet and welcome you.”
“This beautiful place will be our home?” Casey asked.
“This beautiful place is your home.” Bram corrected and parked the SUV in the lot behind the Chateau. "Our quarters are on the third floor. It's nice and comfortable and provides a lovely view of the land.”
They exited the SUV and headed inside. Bram gave them a brief tour so they would feel comfortable, then headed up to their quarters on the third floor. He entered and switched on the lights. They followed him in and closed the door behind them.
“Your belongings from your place in Ann Arbor will be arriving tomorrow afternoon. Two extra bedrooms can be used as your offices and workspace. If you need anything more than that, just let me know, I will take care of it."
"All I need right now is you, Bram. This weekend has been a nightmare except for the parts you occupied." Casey commented sweetly.
