Stolen (16 page)

“Please tell me they aren’t inside?”

“As far as I know they are love, do you know them?” He asks.

“They are my family.” I tremble.

“Oh, can you tell me if they would be in this house?”

“At this time of the morning, yes.”

“We have pulled out a few servants, but they are too shaken to talk.”

“Where are they?” I demand.

“Over there.” He says pointing towards the ambulance; I rush over. Josie is sitting on the edge of a stretcher, clearly in shock.

“Josie tell me now, are my family in there?” I ask her.

She just looks at me her lips trembling.

“FOR
GOD
’S SAKES JOSIE THEY COULD DIE ARE THEY IN THERE?” I scream.

“Yes.” She stammers before crying again.

I don’t know what I feel at that moment; my heart falls out of my chest. Even though I haven’t spoken to my family, they are still a part of me. The thought of them being hurt sends my mind into a frenzy, I rush back over and start to run around the back of the house
. An officer grabs me,
I kick and scream.

“My family. They are in there.” I scream.

“Yes and you don’t need to be, you need to stay calm.” He orders.

“NO! Please, somebody get them out!” I cry.

Then a fireman comes running out the front door. He rushes over to the officer.

“Well did you find anyone?” The officer demands.

“Yes.” The fireman says, his voice shaky.

“Well bring them out, they need to get out of that smoke.”

“They are all dead sir.”

“NO!” I scream.

“How many?” The officer asks.

“Three servants, Joe Lacey, Isabella Lacey and Mark Lacey.”

I scream dropping to
the ground, my hands drag
t
hrough t
he dirt. No one tries to grab me, then out of the blue a set of arms wrap around me and stand me up. I turn and seen it is Blade; I guess he had seen the news. Next to him is Bill and Jock. Their face’s blank.

“NO…” I whimper, shaking violently as Blade holds me in his arms.

“Officer?” Blade asks.

“All dead son, do you know these people too?”

“She is their daughter.” He says gently.

“She said she was family, I didn’t
realize
she was their daughter.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am sure, sorry.”

“Thanks.”

I look over his shoulder and see bags being brought out of the house. I let my legs go from Blade’s waist and push off him, running over. I hear him yell out to me.

“My family. No
, I want to see them.” I wail.

“No love, believe me you don’t.”
The officer says gently, catching my arm.

“Please.”

“Come o
n.” Blade soothes, taking me
and pulling me backwards.

“Blade get her out of here. Nessie is waiting at the house; she doesn’t need to see this.” Bill demands.

I turn and look at my home; it is just a
smoldering
mess. They have gotten the fire right down, but it is too late. I look over and see a body being dragged out, for some reason it doesn’t have a bag on it. I can’t see who it is, all I can see is the burnt
,
lifeless body. The flesh has been turned to black ash, and small bits of red peer through; I drop to my knees and throw up.

“Shit Blade, I said get her out of here.” Bill screams.

“Fuck.” I hear Blade mutter when he realizes what I have seen. An ambulance officer comes running over.

“Is she okay?”

“No mate, that is her family in there.”

“Get her out of here. Take her home now, where does she live?”

“Just in a cabin about a hundred meters from here.”

“Alright. When we are done we will come and make sure she is okay.”

“Thanks.”

“Come on
angel
.” He whispers, taking me into his arms.

He carries me the entire way to my cabin, and when we step inside, Nessie comes rushing over.

“Blade what happened?” She panics.

“All dead mamma. She saw the lot.”

“Oh dear lord in heaven, the poor girl. Lay her down on the couch, she is in shock.”

He lays me down on the couch and I roll towards the back of it, pulling my legs up to my chest. I don’t want to live; I want to die. I feel someone stroke my hair.

“Love it
’
s Nessie, you are going to be okay?” She says softly.

I don’t speak; I just lay there.

“Is she going to be okay mamma?” Blade whispers worried.

“I don’t know son. She has had too many blows today; I fear this is going to do some damage.”

“This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have been so hard on her.”

“No son perhaps you shouldn’t have. Now is the time to stop and think about something…”

“What is that?”

“It could have been her in there.” Nessie whispers and I hear her walk off.

Blade leans down and strokes my hair. “I’m sorry
angel
.”

I don’t move from that spot for hours; I hear a knock at the door. Nessie answers and I hear her speaking to the police officers and an ambulance officer.

“Hi mam, we are here to see Emerson.”

“Is this truly necessary? I think she is in shock.”

“Well that what we are here to check.” The ambulance officer says gently.

“And what about them?” She snaps towards the police.

“Sorry mam but we have to speak to her.”

“Alright.”

“Emerson?” The ambulance office asks, and I roll towards him. “How are you feeling?”

“How do you think, my whole family has just been burnt to death…” I whisper.

“Sorry, I know this is tough, but I want to help you.”

“Then help me.” I snap.

“I think she is in shock. I will give her something to make her sleep; it is the only way for her to get through it.”

“Emerson, can I ask you a few questions?” The police officer asks when the ambulance officer moves.

“Okay… do you have any idea how this fire started?”

“How am I supposed to bloody know? I wasn’t there.”

“Alright, well do you know if somebody would have done this on purpose?”

“Probably.”

“Why do you say that?”

“They were rich snobs, who wouldn’t have a grudge against them?” I mumble.

“Well do you have any idea who?”

“NO!”

“Emerson, is there anyone else taking care of your parents affairs?”

“I have no idea.”

“Well you know that you’re the only surviving Lacey it may all be handed to you.”

“I don’t bloody want it.” I screech.

“Well you may have no choice, but we will leave that for now, if you think of anything that might help us please let us know.”

I just roll towards the back of the couch. Right now I don’t care, all I want to do is sleep. Nothing feels right. The ambulance officer comes back in and gives Nessie some pills, leaving her with instructions before he goes. She shuts the door and comes and sits beside me.

“Love the officer wants you to have a shower and take these, would you do that for me?”

I don’t answer her; I just stand up and walk into the shower slamming the door shut. I take my clothes off and curl up in a ball on the shower floor. I just lay there, letting the water run over me; then the tears come flowing out. I sob, and my body shakes, I cry for my lost family. They may not have loved me right, but they were still my family. I regret not going and seeing them in the last few months; I hear Nessie and Blade arguing at the door.

“You go in there mum.” He says in a quiet voice.

“No it will make her feel worse, you should go.”

“Like that will make her feel any better.”

“You have seen it before Blade, she trust’s you.”

“I have a wife!”

“Get over it for two minutes of your life Blade. This girl need’s you, and you’re the only one who can help her though this.”

“You know I can’t. I am trying to make my marriage work, Cassie isn’t going to let me come over here and help her out.”

“Well for once in Cassie’s life she is going to have to get over it. Blade if you don’t help her, she will go down quicker than you can blink an eye, she needs you.”

“I know she does.”

“Don’t you love her enough to do this for her son?”

“I do love her, I love her so much it hurts.”

“Then go in there.”

“Alright…”

I hear the door open, but I don’t move, I hear him take off his clothes. Why is he taking off his clothes? He opens the shower door and steps in. Then he takes me in his arms, pulling me close to his chest.

“It’s going to be okay.” He soothes.

“Nothing is okay.”

“It will be, I will help you through.”

“You don’t want to help me through, I heard you and your mum talking.”

“I do want to help you, I just can’t be here all the time.”

“I don’t want you to go Blade, please don’t leave me.”

“I am going to be here for the next few days Em but only because Cassie is out of town for work but then I have to go home.”

“Please no!” I wail, tears begin flowing again. “I have lost everything, I don’t want to lose you too.”

“I know…”

He holds me in the shower for at least half an hour before lifting me out and wrapping a towel around me. I sit on the floor while he gets dressed, then he helps me out. Nessie has made some soup and tea; she has it all
organized
next to the couch.

“How are you love?”

“I don’t know Nessie, I can’t think.”

“Don’t try and think but won’t you please try and eat some of this.”

I don’t want to hurt her, even in my time of pain. She is so good to me, so I sit down and take a few
spoonful’s
of the soup and then some tea. After that, I swallow my pills and lay on the couch.

“Blade I have to go back and
organize
some things, please won’t you stay with her tonight?”

“I will stay mamma.”

“Good boy.” She murmurs, kissing his head, then mine.

“I love you Em, we are all here.”

“I love you too Nessie…” I whisper, then she leaves.

After we hear her car drive off, Blade turns and looks at me. Things have been so hard between us, but he is the only person I want here right now and I have hurt him so much.

“Blade, I am sorry about what I did to you tonight. You don’t have to give me that money back.” I whisper.

“
It’s
okay, don’t you worry about it. It
’
s forgotten.” He says gently, catching my tears.

“I have ruined your marriage for you.”

“No you haven’t. We will sort out a plan, for now, I am yours.
”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah I am, now stop worrying about it.”

“I am getting tired now Blade.”

“Go to sleep okay, I will be here.”

“Blade?”

“Yeah?”

“Please say you love me. I want you to tell me, I need you to...just once.”

I close my eyes and I feel him stroke my hair, then he leans down and kisses my head. Ever so quietly he whispers “I love you” before I fall asleep.

CHAPTER 11

I wake in the morning and sit up. It is only early, maybe ten am, and it is pouring rain. Why wasn’t it raining last night? When my house was on fire. I get off the couch; Blade is asleep on the floor, poor thing. I step out quietly and walk outside; the rain is pouring down creating a mist. I can’t see a lot, but I walk out, making my over to the house.

Standing there staring at it, I can’t help but cry out. The whole top half of the house is a mangled mess; the bottom is perfect. Like nothing has been touched. It is steaming as the cold rain hits the hot bits of timber. I sit on the ground; I can smell the rain and the smoke combined. I don’t think I will ever forget that smell. I grab fistfuls of sand and squeezed it in my hands, I grit my teeth and scream.

I punch into the sand and then I hurry down the beach further. The rain has soaked me, and all I want to do is get in the ocean and swim away, away from all the pain and terror ahead of me. Why did this happen to me? Why did
God
pick this path? I fall to the sand and cry for hours. I see a torch light coming towards me, of course it is Blade. He is always there when I need him, in one way or another.