Revisited (Redemption Series) (4 page)

“Rome was a long time ago. You know how close the two of us have always been. His house is fortified against evil. Kind of wish I was there right now.”

“One thing at a time. We find Ian. If after that we can’t find Gideon, I will take you to New York myself.”

“You’re going to do this, aren’t you?” Becca looked deep into his glistening blue eyes.

Abe leaned in, pressed his forehead against hers, and whispered, “I’m going to do this . . . for you. I love you, Rebecca.”

She gave a shuddering sob. “I love you, too.” She brought her fingers to the back of his neck and ran them through his hair. She pressed her lips to his in anything but a chaste way. While the feel of her tongue against his swept away his doubts, the way her breath mingled with his brought about the thrill their love always held. The years of pain and anguish disappeared for that one solitary moment when they became Becca and Abe again.

The moment passed and Becca slowly retreated, leaving one last soft kiss on his lips. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I can’t tell you that we will be together again someday. Just know that a part of me will always belong to you.”

“And I to you.” Abe cupped her cheek and released a long breath. “Only to you.”

On any given day, it wasn’t unusual to find twelve-year-old Markus Southway up a tree. No one in the neighborhood paid much attention to him as he scaled birches, elms, and hawthorns. Even on that rainy January day with a pair of binoculars pointing straight at Leatherby Manor, not a soul bothered him.

    Gideon lucked out when he spied the young lad. He did not possess children as a rule, but in this case, he’d made an exception. The lad was easily lured over to the tailgate of his SUV. Gideon sat down in the back before taking over Markus’s body. All he had to do once inside the lad was lift the legs and shut the tailgate to hide the form that had once solely belonged to Ian Holt.

Up in the elm sitting on the Leatherby property, Gideon saw through a second story window what he had longed for—a glimpse of his Rebecca. The problem was, she wasn’t alone. He felt his pulse race through his veins as Abe held and kissed what Gideon knew to be his. The original plan was no longer an option. It was time to speed up Ian Holt’s return to society.

Gideon scurried down the tree and back to his SUV. He lowered the tailgate, reached for Ian’s wallet, and took out several pounds. He stuffed the money in the lad’s pocket, wiped his memory, and left Markus’s body for Ian’s. “Thanks, kid.”

Markus rubbed his slim fingers through his hair in confusion. “Sure.” He walked away in a daze as Gideon chuckled.

Once in the driver’s seat, Gideon took charge of his new plan, one that would bring him back to his Rebecca before the next dawn.

It didn’t take Gideon long to find a self-storage unit where he could set up everything to his specifications, nor did taking over the teenage clerk in the front office. He created a fake account and got the keys to a unit while Ian’s body sat in a nearby chair, seemingly asleep.

Gideon showed the unit as paid in full for a two-month term under one of the hundreds of aliases he had used over the years. He shut off all the security cameras and erased the tapes. If everything went as planned, it would all come back on Liam. It was imperative Rebecca not find out he had taken over Ian.

Still in the clerk’s body, Gideon moved Ian to the SUV and pulled the vehicle up to the unit farthest away from the office. Gideon then set the scene by gathering a chair, rope, duct tape, and Ian’s body. The latter he tied to the chair and placed a strip of tape across the mouth before stepping back to gather his strength.

One swing landed squarely on the right side of Ian’s jaw. The next landed on the right eye. A hard kick to the left side of the ribs almost knocked the chair over. The kicks and jabs continued until Ian was bloody, bruised, and swollen in several places.

“This is gonna hurt like a bitch when I get back in there.” Gideon panted as he assessed the damage. He was no stranger to pain, but didn’t enjoy when it was personally inflicted on him. He took the SUV and dumped it before returning to the unit. He wiped the clerk’s mind before finally re-entering Ian and surrendering to the pain.

You fucking asshole!
Ian shouted from the dark hole in his mind he had been forced into. With all the inner strength he could conjure, he had tried to move while Gideon possessed the young boy and the teenage clerk. His frustration at not being able to get control had reached epic proportions.

Gideon’s sudden transference into Ian resembled being shocked with paddles, and his entire system jolted as he accepted the pain. When Gideon attempted to move, he flinched from the sting of Ian’s swollen shut right eye. “Ugh.”

“Bloody hell!” the clerk screamed from his place on the concrete floor, then rushed to Ian. He ripped the tape away from Ian’s mouth and a horrific scream echoed off the metal walls of the unit. “Fuck, I don’t think I can get these knots untied. I’ll get help.”

“Medic,” Gideon whispered.

“Right, right.” The clerk whipped out his cellphone and dialed for help. After he had completed the call, he calmed down enough to notice his hands. Bloody, split knuckles and swollen fingers were a little bit of a shock. “What did I do?”

“Saved me.” Gideon grunted through the pain. “You fought him.” He winced as he licked the cut on the corner of his mouth. “He pushed you down.”

The clerk felt the back of his head and noticed a slight soreness. “I must’ve hit my head. I can’t remember any of it.”

Gideon nodded with what strength he had left as the clerk walked to the opening of the unit and processed what he had just heard as he waited for the medics.

So this is your brilliant plan? Fucking wound us to the point where we can’t function?

“Too much pain.” Gideon moaned.

That’s your own fault.
Ian mentally huffed then realized something.
Are you talking to me now?

“Who else?” Gideon licked another trail of blood from beneath his nose.

Why?

“ ’Cause you won’t shut up.” In the past, the voice of his vessel had just faded into the background rather quickly. Not Ian. He had yelled, screamed, and given Gideon hell. Gideon hoped choosing Ian was worth it after all.

Fill me in, genius. How is this supposed to get you into Becca’s pants if you can barely move?

“Will heal.” Gideon panted as he heard the telltale signs of sirens on the wind.

So, you heal in a hospital. Then my father will whisk you back to Boston if my mother has anything to say about it. When will Becca even enter into the picture?

“Soon,” Gideon whispered before he felt a tug at the ropes binding him.

“Sir, we’re here to help. I’m just going to cut these ropes.”

Gideon nodded as the ropes were removed from his wrists. The freedom caused him to fall out of the chair and into the medic’s waiting arms. The medics lifted him onto a stretcher before they began to monitor his vital signs.

“Can you tell me your name?” The medic pressed a stethoscope to his chest.

“Ian.” Gideon groaned as the skin at the corner of his mouth tore at the movement. “Ian Holt.”

“Fuck!” the medic cursed. “He’s the American bloke everyone’s been looking for. Get the chief over here!”

It was all a blur for both Ian and Gideon as they were rushed from the unit. The beeping of the machines attached to their body told them they were alive. They both seemed to have little strength so they focused on the beeping.

Beep . . . beep . . . beep . . . beep . . .

It felt like it had been days, but it was just a few hours later when the fog began to lift. With a few blinks of their good eye, the world was back in focus. But what they saw was a bit unexpected. 

They were in a room with medical equipment scattered throughout, but it was obviously not a hospital. There were no windows, just blood red velvet drapes covering parts of the walls. A rich, brown bedspread covered the king size bed they were on. They had monitors and IVs attached to them; that much they could tell in the dimly lit room.

Where am I?
Ian was groggy. The drugs had affected him just as much as they had Gideon.

“Where am I?” Gideon repeated. He didn’t have to wait long to get his answer as the door opened.

“Good to see you’re awake.”

“Sam,” Gideon croaked as the angel made it to his bedside and took a seat.

“You don’t have to talk. The doctors want you to rest as much as possible.”

Gideon nodded. “Where am I?”

“The Manchester Group in London. We needed to keep you close.”

Gideon wondered what that meant, but didn’t voice the thought. “Becca?”

Sam smiled. “She’s fine, but Liam’s plan succeeded.”

“He’s a vampire,” Gideon whispered as he closed his good eye.

“Yes, and he’s missing. When you’re up to it, we’ll need to debrief you. Now, just rest. I’ll be meeting with your father and several others soon.”

“Father.” The word came out foreign and scratchy. In all his years roaming the earth, Gideon never had family. Now he had a father and a mother. He wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about that. Ian, on the other hand, was ecstatic, which caused his heart rate to spike.

“Calm yourself.” Sam reached for the IV machine and punched a few buttons. “Let the medicine do its work.”

“Rrrriiiigghhtt,” Gideon slurred as the fog floated through his head. Their mind was at rest once again, and neither of them complained when the pain lifted.

Sam Fleming was no stranger to anyone at the London offices of The Manchester Group. He strutted confidently through the halls, commanding respect at every turn. When he got to the conference room where several colleagues were waiting for his direction, he paused.

    He had the answer to what he knew was true. Becca had been a small part of every decision he made, simply because she was Anne’s daughter. Upon learning Becca was his daughter, every move he made was that much more important. Every step he made to find Gideon and Liam had to come with her in mind. They had tortured his baby. He could not lead from the place inside of him that spat rage and anger. No. He had made that mistake before. Rational love, a love of peace and perseverance would give him the confidence he needed to face his colleagues. He would lead and they would follow. God help them all.