Fractured

Chapter 9

He slowly shook his head and in a quiet voice, he said, "No.... No, Albany.  We need to get you out of here.  Even if for a few days while we try to go after them."

I scoffed and moved closer to him, staring up into his eyes and making them meet mine.  Did he not hear what I just said?   "Luke, we both knew this was going to happen.  It caught us off guard because we didn't expect it now but regardless, we knew.  And this whole time, your plan was to run?"

He shook his head.  "No, not to run.  To leave to protect you.  Then, we have people go in after them."

"Don't you see the problem with--"

Luke broke his gaze off from mine as I spoke, looking down as he nodded after sighing.  I knew he wanted to keep me safe.  But he wasn't selfish to where he would put his brother in danger over it.  "I do. I see the problems and your right;  I can't believe I never considered what Francis's position would be if we left."  He paused, looking away before looking back to me.  Lips parted like he was going to say something more, nothing came out. I knew he was accepting it, that we couldn't just leave. 

"We need to stay.  Okay?"

His eyes found mine again and he pursed his lips.  Looking down to the floor, Luke took another deep breath, nodded, and broke away from me as he led me to sit beside him on the edge of the bed.  Looking down to me, he continued speaking after a moment of just thinking.  Even when he was scared, when he was clearly human, he still knew to be ready and to think. 

It was hard for him to say what he did.  But he faced the facts. "We don't have many options," he said slowly, looking into my heart through my eyes and I could feel his pain.  Swallowing, he ran a hand through his hair as he continued.  "We are going to need to cover our tracks well with preparedness."

"What do you mean?"

"We need to make it look as if we are vulnerable.  Otherwise, that would be another clue that Francis is a traitor."

I sighed.  That didn't leave us much of a choice.  We were going to basically be sitting ducks.  "What can we do then?" I asked, scared now.  It was as if I surely would die now. What a great way to go.

However, he saved me with his next words.  I could feel in his words the relief I needed of a solid plan where I would be safe.  "You wont leave my sight, you wont leave this house.  It's suspicious, not leaving but that's too big of a risk.  We will stay inside.  I will have cameras set up, watching the property and waiting.  I'll be ready... and we will wait for them to come to us."

My mind was spinning and though it was a very serious event, he was speaking of several things at once.  "What do you mean you will be ready?"

"I'm going to start keeping at least one or two weapons in the house again.  Clare isn't dumb enough to try anything with them.  I will put a hand gun in your dresser drawer and there will be one downstairs in the kitchen drawer because it depends on where I will be in the house when they come.  Besides that, I'm going to have a gun on me at all times."

I nodded, swallowing.  The whole situation he was describing, what was going to happen, sounded serious and dangerous.  And it was; this was my life.  But knowing Luke would be around me at all times, he would have a gun on him and access to them around him, cameras will be set up.... I felt safe and actually calmed down quite a bit.  His next words helped even more.

"At night, I will sleep on your floor and your door will be locked.  I'll put bars over the window.  Only I'll make the blinds block the bars by putting them in front of the bars so they wouldn't see it.  This house has an alarm too.  So we will be completely safe.  After all, we will know when they set foot on the property.  That's the main factor."