Page 17 of The Rescuer

“He must be a skilled forger.”

Hennessy ignored the man’s words and looked around the room instead. “Boss, if you are listening to me, everything is fine with the boys. Mister Edwin is a very wise leader. The young boss has a lot to learn from him, but he'll come around.”

Brian took the pen and paper. “Thank you, Mister Hennessy. I knew I can count on you.” He put the words down in Reardon’s handwriting.

“Speaking to air, seeing ghosts, pretending to write for them… Surprised you’re not locked up in an asylum Brian.” Kevren spat the words. “And I surely didn’t imagine you, Hennessy, going along with that nonsense. I'd say you’re crazier than he is,” he continued on in the same hateful tone.

The anger boiling inside Reardon’s spectral being created a current strong enough to move a book from one of the shelves on the wall behind the desk and slap Kevren with it, the force of the impact sending the young man to the floor. With the help of the librarian, he ordered Hennessy to pack his things and kick him out of the villa, which he occupied against Edwin’s wishes and in spite of his opposition.

The man nodded and, after apologizing to Brian for all the mess and trouble his deceased’s boss’ brother created, helped Kevren to his feet and ushered him to the office’s door and out of the house. Exhausted from the effort, the librarian gathered his strength and went into the living room, where he laid down on one of the couches, texting Tanner to bring him some food.

A few minutes later, tendrils of cold air wrapped around Brian, and he could see another couch dipping under Reardon’s weight. It was something new; the librarian hadn’t witnessed that with any of the ghosts visiting him, which made him say to himself there must have been something special about his friend. He was probably a special brand of supernatural being.

Brian heard Reardon’s specter chuckling at his thought, then he apologized for the unpleasant situation Kevren created. The librarian was about to answer when Tanner stepped into the room carrying a tray with a bowl of steamy chicken soup and a covered dish filled with deliciously smelling stew. The man thanked the guard with a grateful smile, then, without wasting another second, he started to wolf down the food like there was no tomorrow.

Brian heard Reardon’s voice in his head telling him how much he liked Tanner, Malaspina, and Dominic, and praising the guards for their loyalty, dedication, and care they showed to their boss. Between two spoonfuls of soup, the librarian thanked his friend, expressing his gratitude for having those special men in his corner.

A moment of silence followed, then Reardon started to communicate his thoughts again. The Irishman told Brian about the books on special healing techniques and energy channeling he’d read in the six months he stayed in the hospital after he was shot. When done right, those procedures could become real-life miracles.

The communication between Brian and Reardon was cut for a moment, then the ghost started to transmit his thoughts again, making the librarian a proposition he claimed the other would find interesting. One of these books presented the possibility of switching a damaged body part with a healthy one, and the Irishman was offering to make the exchange with his brother-in-law.

A ghost, Reardon’s thought echoed in Brian’s mind, he didn’t need a healthy leg, but his friend and brother-in-law did. It was the same with the shoulder and side, the specter of the gang leader continued, then fell silent, waiting for the other one’s answer. The proposition almost made the librarian choke on his food, and it took him a few good minutes to come back from the shock.

There must be a catch, Brian said to himself, forgetting for a moment that Reardon could hear his thoughts, then used the telepathic link to ask the ghost what he wanted in exchange.It’s time to step up and take care of Edwin, the answer came,be the older brother he needs.

CHAPTER 12

Brian sat on the couch, head burrowed in his hands. The temperature in the living-room came back to normal, which meant the specter was no longer there. The last part of the discussion with him gave the librarian a lot to think about, and he felt the need to pace up and down the floor but was aware that if Bart would catch him doing it, he would give him hell.

From the first time Edwin had set foot in their parents’ house, everyone shoved Edward down his throat. Eddie was also a victim of sex trafficking, but look at him now; Eddie has a successful career as a social worker, he helps children who experienced the same nightmare he did, and Eddie has a beautiful family.

Eddie this, Eddie that; it was all Edwin heard over the almost year since the two police officers dropped him on his parents’ doorstep like a package no one ordered and no one really wanted. Brian was no better; it was true that he killed his younger brother’s former owner and risked his life in the process, but he never attempted to get close to him.

Edwin didn’t know how the librarian and Bart met, what it was like for him to be the father of eight children or how it felt to be pregnant. He adored all his nephews and nieces, but except for Blaise and Simon, who apparently were his favorites, he didn’t even know their names. He asked his mother a few times, but the conversation took a turn to the woman’s favorite subject: Edward.

Brian shook his head.I screwed things up royally, he thought, remembering how Edwin stared ahead when he told him how affected he was by Edward being kidnapped and how he never stopped looking for his younger brother. Looking back at that moment, the librarian realized his words stabbed his younger brother in the heart.

He was the other twin, the infant who was kidnapped, too, but who, after a while, no one looked for or missed anymore. His parents were shocked when he appeared out of the blue at their doorstep because they didn’t think he was still alive, and his two brothers didn’t have the slightest idea he’d existed.

With Reardon, things were simple: the man loved and appreciated him for what and who he was and didn’t compare him with anyone. Hennessy and the other underbosses did the same after their boss’s passing, and that was why Edwin preferred their company over that of his own family.

His husband, Reardon communicated to Brian, didn’t resent his twin; on the contrary, he admired the man’s strength and courage, seeing him as a role model. However, he wanted to build his life at his own pace, in his own way, without being constantly reminded of Edward’s success and how fast he achieved everything since he was released from the sex trafficker’s claws.

At that point, Brian made a mental note to talk to his parents and tell them about all the things Reardon had revealed to him about Edwin. They didn’t know yet about his gift, so he would have to tell them that he came to those conclusions after reflecting on his younger brother’s attitude and the recent events in his life.

It was time, Reardon told Brian via the telepathic link, for Edwin to get out of the state of the grieving, childless widower. He yearned to be surrounded by the librarian’s children, to see their cute little faces and hear their happy giggles, but he was afraid his older brother and his husband Bart, who was Edward’s best friend, would start praising his twins’ virtues again.

I know better than that, Brian said to himself, taking his phone from the small coffee table where he put it when he laid down on the couch. He dialed his younger brother’s number and, to his great relief, the man picked the phone up. “Hey, little brother, how are you?”

“The usual.” Edwin’s answer came in a sad, barely audible voice. “How are you? Do you need anything?”

“I'm doing okay.” Brian managed to sound relaxed. “Would you go out to lunch with me? I really need to talk to you.”

“Sorry, I can't.” Edwin sighed tiredly. “You can come here, though. Tell me what you'd like to eat. Mrs. Michaels is the greatest cook.”

“I can do that.” Brian smiled against the phone. “When is good for you?”

“Anytime, except mornings.” Sadness and affection mixed in Edwin’s voice. “I'm visiting Reardon every morning.”

---