Song Rec': Darker side — David Kushner.
Hero — David Kushner
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C A S T I E L
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After leaving Springfield, I drove home to get ready for work at Xenonov. When I arrived, Harrison was waiting for me in the living room. I instantly regretted giving him the passcode.
"Good day, Sir," he greeted.
"Why are you here to arrest me from my own home, chappie?" I groaned, peeling off my cardigan, the wool itching my skin.
"I've been calling you all day."
"What is it?" I asked, dropping my keys on the glass table before sitting down.
"George Loughton's daughter, Elspeth—"
"She enrolled her daughter at Springfield. I was 'priviledged' to meet her," I scoffed, my words dripping sarcasm.
Harrison sat cross-legged on the carpet, clearly curious about my next move.
"So, what now?" he asked, right on cue.
"I'm keeping an eye on how things play out. I still need ears in that household."
"Want me to contact an assassin agency? They'd provide a perfect spy. Wait... " His voice trailed off as if he was contemplating on something, "She looks like the woman who kissed you yesterday! Is she —"
I rubbed my temple. "Harry, I've had enough Loughtons for the day. Tell me about the company."
I'm not interested in chatting about that unfortunate incident.
I stood up, the urge for a nap gone, and wandered to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, I grabbed a bottle of water, scanning its contents half-heartedly.
"Nothing new except the board meeting tomorrow for the Nota Phone 8 launch. I had it rescheduled for 1 p.m., since you're at Springfield in the morning," Harrison said.
I opened the bottle, took a gulp, and tossed it into the trash. "Good."
Sometimes, I think about giving Harry a day off, maybe a vacation. But he doesn't seem like he wants one.
While Harry made calls in the living room, I went upstairs to shower and get ready for work. As I adjusted my tie, Reese's voice echoed in my head. "Sweetheart." I smiled at her innocence, wondering why Daisy had the nerve to call her slow.
The girl picks things up quickly for her age. I've noticed that she isn't very bold and also anxious during public interactions. The therapy plushie definitely needs a plushie of her own.
Honestly, I'd scribble in my book too if Daisy were my teacher. That woman's the opposite of her name—in appearance and character. Always giving fashion advice, yet can't do her makeup right.
When I came downstairs, Harrison was already telling the driver to get the car. As I packed the documents I needed, I realized I'd left a USB drive back at school. I must've overlooked it when I left Daisy behind.
"Take me back to Springfield," I told the driver. After a few minutes, I spotted a man holding a little girl in the school's uniform. At first, I was going to ignore it, but then I recognized those familiar chubby legs. Reese. Wasn't she supposed to be with her aunt?
The street was quiet, her loud cries echoing through the air.
"Stop," I ordered, unbuckling my seatbelt.
"Is something wrong, Sir?" Harry asked, but I ignored him and got out of the car.
"Hey!" I shouted. The man turned around, holding Reese tighter.
"Sweetheart!" she cried, reaching for me. The man pulled her closer, his grip firm.
"Who are you?" he demanded as I approached. Reese struggled, but he restrained her, making her cry even louder.
"Let her go," I commanded.
He laughed. "She's my kid, okay? Stay out of family business and mind your own." He blurted, turning to leave.
I grabbed his shoulder. "I won't say it again."
From the man's disheveled appearance, it was obvious he was lying. If I had to guess, the guy from the café was more likely her father, even if they didn't look alike—she probably took after her mother.
"I think we should let him go, Sir," Harry murmured behind me.
The man sneered. "Listen to your boy and back off. You—"
I punched him square in the face. He stumbled, releasing Reese. She ran to me, and I handed her to Harry. "Take her to the car," I ordered, cracking my neck as the man struggled to his feet.
He lunged at me, but I dodged and hit him again, driving him to the ground. I pinned his hands with my knees and punched him repeatedly until his skin split, blood staining his scruffy beards.
The idiot managed to free his arm and grabbed a shard of glass, aiming for my face. I blocked and it sliced my hand instead.
I gritted my teeth, grabbed him by the collar, and slammed my forehead into his before knocking him out. I sat back, catching my breath, while the bastard groaned in pain.
"Harry! Call the police!"
"On it, Sir!" Harry shouted.
Suddenly, a truck screeched to a halt nearby. The driver fired several shots into the air. The little crowd that had gathered dispersed. I stayed down as the man staggered to the truck, his buddies hauling him into the back. He grabbed a gun, trying to shoot at me as they drove off, but missed, hitting a tree instead.
I pulled out my phone to take a picture of the truck's plates, but there were none.
"Sweetheart!" Reese yelled, running toward me.
I stood and scooped her up, patting her back. "It's okay, you're okay. You're safe now." I whispered.
Minutes later, I instructed the driver to head home while Harry phoned the police. They wanted to see us at the station the next morning.
"Forget it," I told Harry. "I'll call Bradley and get her mother's number."
I asked him to reach out to press and make sure that no news of this encounter popped up just as I had taken care of her mother's harassment.
Reese clung to me even after we got inside the house. She refused to even look at Harry.
"Whose kid is this, anyway?" Harry asked, sitting on the couch.
I ignored him. "Get me the first aid kit."
He stood up to fetch it when Reese spoke up. "Sweetheart, I'm hungry."
"All right, let's get you something to eat."
Harry froze, raising an eyebrow. "Sweetheart? Is this your child, Sir?"
I scoffed. "No. Why would you even say that?"
"I don't know… her chin, lips—"
"She's Elspeth Loughton's kid," I cut him off.
Harry gasped. "What? You just saved a Loughton?"
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I did."
"Do you know what this means?"
I brushed past him. "It means I'm not the only one after them." I headed to the kitchen, signaling the conversation was over.
There's a sixty percent chance that if it had been George Loughton, his wife, or even Elspeth, I might've let the kidnapper take them and enjoyed the show. But this is a kid. An innocent little girl named Reese who doesn't even know the meaning of her name.
I set her on the countertop, took off my suit jacket, and rolled up my sleeves. As I wiped the blood from my knuckles, my gaze shifted to Reese. She sat quietly, swinging her chubby legs, blissfully unaware of the darkness surrounding her.
I sighed, washed both our hands, and handed her an apple to pass the time.
After some thought, I decided to make instant noodles. It was quick, and every kid loved noodles. I started chopping vegetables as she watched me intently.
"So, why didn't you go with your aunt?" I asked calmly.
She took a bite of the apple. "Auntie said she was taking me to my daddy."
"She did? Why didn't you go with him?"
She raised her hand, still chewing, then swallowed. "He was scary, and he wouldn't let me see Mommy."
It's clear that Heather Loughton set this up but for what reason? This family is so ruthless enough to attack their own.
I'm not surprised, their father did a great job raising them.
"It's okay. I'll take you to your mommy," I reassured her.
Never in my life did I envision myself listening to a Grade 1 pupil's class gossip. The girl seemed to have forgotten that she had almost been kidnapped and told me everything she had observed on her first day.
I laughed when she roasted Ms. Daisy, calling her "Froggie" because of her constant yelling. My early assumption that she was a spoiled kid faded off into the Great Beyond—she's better than that.
That evening, after she fell asleep on the couch, I sent Harry to the office while I worked from home, multitasking between work and watching over her. Bradley's line was unreachable, and he hadn't read my texts asking for Elspeth's number.
I can't call Ms. Daisy; it's obvious she didn't have her number, and I didn't want to start any crazy rumors. Not that I cared, but it's best for both mother and daughter.
Reese got out of bed and strolled toward me, yawning and rubbing her eyes.
"Hey, is everything okay?" I asked.
She curled up on my chest, her tiny frame rising and falling with each breath. How could something so small and innocent exist in the same world as men like me? As her mother? As the twisted family she'd been born into?
She deserved better, far better than the life she was destined for. Maybe that's why I couldn't leave her. Maybe that's why I wanted to shield her from everything—because, in her, I saw something worth saving.
I let her sleep a little longer until I heard police sirens outside. I ignored it, but the ring of the doorbell caught my attention. With a sigh, I gently placed the kid on the sofa before heading to the door to see who had the audacity to bang on it so loudly.
I unlocked and opened the door, only to see Elspeth standing there with a few policemen. There must have been some kind of misunderstanding. Before I could even speak, she raised her hand and slapped me twice.