The Thief Redeemer (20 page)

“I thought you and your brother might want to know this, but
tomorrow at noon is a small burial for Marcus Evans, Brandon’s friend since
high school. You said you remembered him. I thought you and Mark might want to
be there.”

“Yes, we definitely want to be there.” After plugging both
Mark and Luke’s cell numbers into her phone, she gives Luke all the burial
details. He ensures her that both Mark and he will be there to meet her the
following day.

“And Claire?” Luke says as they are about to hang up the
phone.

“Yeah?”

“It’s good to talk with you again.”

She pauses for a minute, remembering the boys and their
sweet demeanor at the pond.

“You too, Luke.” As she hangs up the phone, she feels peace
raining down her body. This entire experience wasn’t in vain. She has made a
friendship with Brandon’s brothers, and the three of them know the truth. They
might be the only three in the world who know the true colors of Brandon
Wilson, but at least Claire isn’t alone.

It is Mark, Luke and Claire against the world.

THE SECOND CLAIRE sees the twins she
is overcome with emotion. They look so much like Brandon with their long, lean
bodies and their wavy brown hair. The only difference is their matching pairs
of brown eyes versus Brandon’s hazel green ones. Brandon’s eyes spoke to her
without words, showing her a man in pain and remorse. They spoke of a man with
a hard outer shell which contained a soft warm heart. This is the man the three
of them know and love.

They embrace as soon as she sees them. They hold on to each
other for several seconds, unspoken words passing through the warm flesh. As
they break apart, she sees the pain and conflict in their eyes.

“Claire, we have a question for you,” Mark says. “It’s kind
of personal, but we both were talking and wanted to know.”

She signals for them to continue.

“Why are you doing this? Why didn’t you try to escape that
day at the pond? Why did you photocopy the picture for us? The only explanation
we see is that you love him. Do you?”

Just when she didn’t think she had any more tears, her eyes
start to water. She looks at the ground. “Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but yes.
I did love him. I saw a side of him few see, and that’s the side I fell in love
with. He was sweet, protective, and caring. Many wouldn’t agree with me, but I
know the two of you see the same Brandon that I see. He’s a good man with a
good heart who strayed off the beaten path a little.”

She pauses trying to formulate her words. “I thought I could
help him. I thought I could be the one to change him and be the one to show him
how great he really is, but he gave me up.” She chokes on the last word and
feels Luke’s arms glide around her waist.

“You can’t do that for him, Claire. I know you wanted to be
his savior, but you can’t. Brandon is going to have to save himself.” She looks
into his dark brown eyes and she is hit with a revelation. Luke is completely
right. She never had the power to change Brandon. He has to take the actions to
change himself. He did
want
to change, but wanting to do it and doing it
are two separate actions. These are wise words spoken by an eighteen-year-old.

“You’re right. He’s got to make the choice himself.” Claire
ponders her own thoughts a moment, looking into the warm summer sky. “I wonder
what the right choice for him is?” She glances at his brothers and notices more
similar features. They have the same jawline, same nose, and same lips. She
never noticed the resemblance at the pond, but then again, she had been
very
focused on Brandon.

The twins both shrug their shoulders and shake their heads.
“We don’t know either. I guess we’ll know when we see it,” Mark answers.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” It’s not the reply she was
hoping for, but it is the best any of them have right now. She takes each of
their hands and walks them towards Marcus’s burial site.

They are about to lower his body, so the three of them walk
to the grave and stand next to the minister. He says a few words and they watch
as the casket is lowered into the ground. Claire’s thoughts turn to Brandon,
and she quietly squeezes both Mark and Luke’s hands. She wonders if he is alive
and if he is doing okay. She wonders where he is and if he even thinks of her.

Once the minister has finished, they shake his hand and he
leaves. The three stand back, watching the crane drop dirt into the grave. Once
Claire decides she has had enough, she signals the twins back towards their
cars. Just looking at the vehicles makes her think of Brandon. Especially since
she’s spent the last three months watching stolen vehicles storm through the
warehouse.

“Claire,” Mark stops at the car and puts his hands in his
pockets. “Back to our previous conversation, I don’t know what the correct
choice for Brandon is, but he’s already heading in the right direction.”

She’s confused. “What?”

“Giving you up. Letting you go. That was a choice he made in
the right direction.”

Claire suddenly finds herself very angry. “What do you mean,
Mark? I actually
asked
to stay with him and he
still
gave me up.
He
made
me leave him, even after we both told each other ‘I love you.’
He tied me to a drain and ran away!” Her words are becoming louder as she tries
to get through to him.

Mark glances at Luke and then looks back to her. “I didn’t
mean to upset you, Claire. That’s the last thing I want to do, but can’t you
see? Him giving you up was the most selfless thing he’s probably ever done. He
didn’t want you as his prisoner. If you were going to be with him, he wanted
you there on your own terms. And he knew in a life like his, you would always
be a prisoner.”

She lets his words soak through her as she slowly reflects
on Brandon’s actions. He told her he was giving her up
because
he loved
her, but she just now understands his words.

“So I retract my previous statement, Claire.” Luke begins,
as he looks her deep in the eyes. “You
can
save him. Actually, I think
you already did save him. Brandon letting you go demonstrates this point. In a
small way, you did your part and redeemed our brother. Your part of saving him
is complete…he has to do the rest.” Luke places his hand on her shoulder as she
feels his words warm her like the summer breeze.

He is completely right.

The past three months weren’t a complete failure. If all she
did was open up Brandon’s heart to show him his full potential, then she can
sleep in peace, knowing she did her part.

“Thanks, guys,” Claire says, wiping away another tear from
her eye. She can’t believe how much lighter she feels after speaking with the
twins. They understand. They are the best form of therapy. “Let’s get lunch?”

A smile crosses both twins’ faces, and Claire almost gasps
at their resemblance to Brandon. She refuses to let this newfound friendship
go. They have a special bond that can never be replaced and can never be fully
explained.

They have a special bond called Brandon Wilson.

MARK AND LUKE say they know the
perfect place to eat, so Claire follows in her car. As soon as they pull into
the diner, another wave of nostalgia flows through her body. They are at the
Burger Bar, the same place Brandon had brought her with Marcus.

She meets them at the door, the memories flooding her soul.
“Why did you pick this place?”

“We’ve been coming here since we were kids. We love this
place,” Luke replies as he holds open the door for Claire. She takes a deep
breath and walks inside. She sees the exact same booth the three of them sat in
only months before. How things have changed. Brandon is lost forever and Marcus
is dead. She enters today with two new people.

They sit in a different booth, away from the one where she
sat with Brandon. She and Luke on one side, Mark on the other. She glances over
the menu but already knows she is getting a burger. The last time she was here,
it was delicious.

“So you’ve been coming here since you were kids?” She was
under the impression that Brandon wanted to come here due to its
hole-in-the-wall type atmosphere. She thought another reason was because the
owners and their employees looked high and wouldn’t recognize them.

“Yeah, Grams and Gramps always used to bring us here when we
were little. Brandon loved it, too.”

“He brought me here…with Marcus.” Her voice lowers as she
diverts her eyes from the table. She makes eye contact with the twins instead.

“He brought you to all his favorite locations, didn’t he?”
Luke asks, and she feels a lone tear stream down her face. “Yeah, he did.”

They are silent for a moment, as Claire pretends to look
over the menu. Then she decides to ask the loaded question, although she thinks
she already knows the answer. “Do you think he will try to contact you?”

The boys glance at each other, their matching brown eyes
searching the other’s face. “We’ve already talked about that, and we think he
will. We don’t know when, but…I have this feeling he will try to be in touch
again...” Luke’s voice trails off as what Claire thought to be true is
confirmed.

“Will you tell him ‘hi’ for me when you speak to him?” The
boys nod and Luke presses his lips together.

“You don’t think he’ll try to contact you?” Luke asks.

“No. You’re blood. He’s known you his entire life. Me? I’m
just a girl he met and knew for three months. If he contacts any of us, it will
be you two. Just please tell him ‘hi’ when you do speak to him and…let him know
I’ll always love him.” As she says the last sentence, she lowers her eyes to
the table. She is almost certain she will never see or hear from Brandon Wilson
again. The thought sends tremors throughout her body.

“If we do speak to him, we will be sure to mention you,
Claire,” Mark says, grabbing her hand to offer her comfort.

“Guys, I would like for you to make another promise to me,
please,” she starts, because she has to let them know what she is feeling.

“Anything,” they voice in unison, reminding Claire that they
are, in fact, twins.

“Even when you’re off at college in the fall, please keep in
touch with me. Please don’t forget about me.”

“Never,” Luke says, placing an arm around her in brotherly
love.

“I think our paths crossed for a reason, and I want to
continue to be part of your lives. Okay?”

“Claire,” Luke says, “in a round-about-way you saved our
brother. We’re indebted to you forever. Welcome to the family.”

She smiles a genuine smile for the first time in days. It
feels great to be part of the Wilson family.

SHE WALKS INTO her house, the day
almost gone, and for the first time since being returned, she feels at peace.
Burying Marcus and then spending time with the twins was exactly what Claire
needed. Walking inside, she is shocked to find her dad in the den. He is
sitting on the couch, his hands on his lap. He looks like he has aged fifteen
years. Claire wonders if he has looked like this since she returned home. Now
that her eyes have been opened, she sees her parents in their true light.