Page 22 of Chrome Poppies

“Thanks, man! I owe you.” Braeden shook my hand again. I love when I alter a person’s mind, it’s comparable to some strong marijuana, yet, this takes days to wear off or until I change them back to normal.

“You don’t owe me a thing. You owe Jensen Grimes and Emilie Dillon your allegiance.” I waited until he was on the bike and went far enough to where it was safe for me to fly back home without witnesses.

***

When I arrived back home, I expected my tea to be cold but didn’t expect to find Franklin sitting on the edge of the desk. Her glare and the way her arms crossed in defiance gave credence to the idea she was not happy with me. At times she’d forgotten who was in charge and overstepped boundaries every single time.

Franklin asked curtly, “Where did you go, Zeke?”

I gave her a condescending smirk and replied with the same curt tone, “I risked my life and recruited a sentry for Jensen and Emilie.”

Her expression softened, and she grinned, “Don’t you mean my doppelgänger and Emilie?”

Alright, my thought that she was going to be more tender was stricken with the notion this was all a competition to her. “My dear, sweet, beautiful Franklin,” I purred while stroking her milky cheek. I patted her on the same cheek and answered her ridiculous question. “No, Braeden Collins will see Jensen, not your doppelgänger. Besides? Who taught you the appearance altering spell?”

Franklin threw her hands up in defeat, “Fine. Whatever. You win. But that’s not the point. The point is, you are putting another human at risk to protect a ghost and this child.”

“He’s not a ghost. He’s an angel.”

She leaned toward me, “He’s in limbo, therefore, in my opinion, he’s a ghost. And on that note, I am going back to bed. You look tired too, so don’t be up all night looking at that monitor.”

Franklin jumped off the desk and rushed past me. There was nothing I could do to alter her attitude into seeing things my way. However, in the past century I’ve known Franklin, I know she will never change.

NINETEEN

JENSEN

Another night in another hotel. Yet, Emilie couldn’t care less, the only thing on her mind was Roblox. I spread out on the bed next to her and watched the screen in front of her. I couldn’t make hide or hair what the hell was going on.

But my mind was heavy, and I needed to have her open to me, only to find out why this massacre happened in the first place. It’s hard to say if she will tell me anything or clam up as she normally did when I’d ask her important questions.

It was worth the shot, and I softly ordered, “Emilie, are you able to stop playing for a few minutes? We need to have a discussion.” She didn’t respond, and I waited a few seconds to say her name, this time a bit more sternly. “Emilie! Stop playing the game for a few minutes.” She slammed the laptop closed, “Without the attitude please.”

Emilie slid the laptop aside and sat up, though with her back turned to me. “I don’t want to talk, Jensen. I want to play my game.”

“I know, but I want you to trust me and be open with me. Because none of this makes sense to me.”

She arched a brow and tightened her lips, “Well, I watched you die and here you are. That makes no sense to me.”

Emilie had a good point, “I am your guardian angel, so let’s leave it at that. Do you miss your family?” I only asked that because she hadn’t cried over them since the moment I met her. It was a safe assumption this was her way of shutting down and forgetting it happened or it affected her more than she was letting on.

“I miss my momma and Selena. She always protected me when Daddy’s friends were over.” Emilie’s eyes moved slowly to mine. “He tried to make me marry this guy named Thor or something like that.” She giggled, “Of course, that was when I got much older.”

My blood boiled at the thought that her father played pimp with his own daughters. I didn’t want to imagine this, but I had to ask, “D-did these men ever do anything inappropriate with you or Selena?” When Emilie vigorously shook her head, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“No, they would just say stuff like - ‘Oh, look Thor - it’s your future wife.’Stuff like that. The one time I told them to shut up, I was sent to my room without dinner. But Selena always brought me dinner, anyway. My daddy was mean. He killed people, and stole stuff a lot.”

I couldn’t believe how much information I was getting from her now. It was hard to say what the trigger was, but now I was seeing Ozzy Dillon in a completely different light than that of the victim in such a heinous crime.

“Why did Levi have to kill you and the rest of my family? It was my daddy who stole the money from him. Not my momma or Selena or Ozzy Junior.”

Shaking my head, I was trying to comprehend what I just heard. Ozzy Senior stole money from Levi. Ozzy deserved the punishment he got from Levi; however, the rest of the family didn’t. There was no repentance for slaughtering an innocent family and he was going to pay for what he did to Emilie.

“Jensen?” She asked softly. “Can I have my water?” Okay, it was a bit off topic, but I leaned over and took the bottle off the end table, teasing her with it. “Please?” She asked with a playful grin. Emilie took a hearty swig before she continued. “If Mr. Levi had asked nicely, I would have shown him where Daddy stashed the money. But shhh, don’t tell anyone - me and Selena took some of the money and bought stuff, like candy and stuff.”

“Where did he hide the money?” I asked.

“Under my bed, in a locked safe. I know the combination because Daddy wrote it in Selena’s diary.” Emilie laid on her stomach and resumed her game.

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