Page 38 of Slave

This dinner reminded me of that night all over again. Diane carried most of the conversation. She asked Brianna all the usual questions: how old she was, where she grew up, and how long she’d been in Minneapolis. All the while, Richard just sat watching. His eyes were mostly on Brianna but would occasionally fall to me, a clear look of concern in them.

My aunt didn’t seem to notice the silence of her husband, or chose not to acknowledge it, as she continued with her motherly questioning. However, her inquiries came to an abrupt halt when Diane asked Brianna about her parents. I felt all the tension return to her body and listened to her breathing stagger before she finally whispered that her mom had died of cancer three years ago.

Thankfully, my aunt realized she was uncomfortable and started directing questions to me regarding the foundation. I answered all of them, keeping the conversation flowing but also keeping my eyes and my thoughts on the woman beside me. Although I was sad that Diane’s line of questioning had upset Brianna, I had learned two valuable pieces of information: her mother was dead and she hadn’t mentioned her father. Maybe the latter was an oversight due to the gravity her mother’s death still held for her, but I didn’t think so.

I was afraid Diane would try to approach Brianna again about her mother, so I made excuses to leave as soon as possible. After helping Brianna into the car, I turned to find Richard standing in the driveway only a few yards away. Sighing, I closed the distance between us knowing he would have his say one way or the other. He did not disappoint. “Is that necklace what I think it is?”

“Yes,” I said, keeping my answer simple.

This time there was no question as to the emotion behind his eyes; he was disappointed in me. His next words put voice to that fact. “Stephan, that girl is obviously in need of help. I don’t know what’s happened to her, but what you’re doing to her can’t be helping. You have to know that.”

My temper broke at that moment, and I did not restrain my words. “You have no idea what she’s been through, not the slightest clue.” I saw him start to speak and cut him off. “Just because you examined her does not mean you know anything about her. You haven’t lived with her for the last two weeks. I have. So don’t go trying to tell me what she does and doesn’t need.”

“Stephan, she needs help. I have people . . .”

“You don’t have people. Your people would corner her and make her talk about what happened to her. You’ve seen her, Richard. She’s talked more in the last twenty-four hours than she has in the last ten days. Brianna is making progress, and I will not have you ruin that. Don’t try to get in the middle of something you don’t understand.”

Just then, I saw Diane come through the door. I was hoping she hadn’t heard anything I’d said, but my hopes were dashed when I saw her face. Turning to her, I said in the calmest voice I could manage, “Thank-you for dinner, it was delicious as always.”

Without saying another word to my uncle, I walked to my car and got in.

Brianna sensed my mood and was incredibly still. I waited until I’d settled my emotions before saying, “You did well today, Brianna. I’m very proud of you.”

“Thank-you, Master,” she said, but I noticed her posture had not relaxed in the least.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Did I . . .” She paused. “Did I do something to upset him?”

With her question, I felt my anger at my uncle come to the surface once again. She did not need this. “No. He was upset with me. You did nothing wrong.” She seemed to relax a little after that, and we finished our drive home in a comfortable silence.

The next morning, I went into the office expecting to find a load of paperwork on my desk, and I was not disappointed. What I hadn’t expected to find was Lily. “Good morning, Lily. What brings you to my office first thing on a Monday morning?”

She pushed her small body off my desk with a flair that only she could pull off and turned to continually face me as I rounded my desk and took a seat. “How’s Brianna?”

I looked at her closely, trying to find out what she was getting at when I realized that Logan must have told her my plans. “She’s fine. And yes, to answer your question.”

Lily tilted her head as she considered that. “So did it help?” she asked.

“Yes, I think it did,” I answered. “At least, she hasn’t woken me up screaming for the past two nights. I’d say that’s progress.”

She frowned. “I want to help her, Stephan.”

Although I had tons of work in front of me, I needed to talk. “I know, and I want you to. I’m just not sure how to accomplish it.”

“Bring her over to our place for dinner Thursday night.” I looked at her skeptically. Lily was not a very good cook. It was something she was working on, but I wasn’t sure if I was as brave as Logan. She must have read the look on my face because she sighed and said, “Logan will cook. I promise I’ll stay out of the kitchen.”

I pressed my thumb and forefinger to my temples as I considered my options. I knew I couldn’t keep Brianna under lock and key the entire time. She needed to get out and socialize, especially since she’d be starting school in the fall. She knew Lily, and both Lily and Logan knew the situation. “Sure,” I said with a sigh and turned back to the stack of paper on my desk. “Now, I need to get to work. Somehow I’ve got to manage to get out of here early.”

“Anything I can do? I mean I’m waiting for some quotes to come back so everything is at a standstill for me right now.”

A wave of protectiveness surged through me at the thought of someone other than me going with Brianna today, although I knew it was irrational. How had I become so attached to a woman in such a short time? The reality, however, was that if Lily was offering, I needed to take the help. Besides, I told myself, Brianna needed a friend and who better than Lily? “That would be great, Lily. Thank-you. Are you free this afternoon?”

Lily’s face broke out into a huge smile, and I could see the excitement radiating from her. “What do you need?”

The sight before me was just so funny that I couldn’t help but laugh. “I haven’t been able to get her a vehicle yet, and she needs to go to the lab near my uncle’s office for some blood work.”

“No problem,” she said.

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