Chapter 145
It was starting to get dark as they rode through the city. For the first few minutes, Vivian clung to the man like her life depended on it. After realizing they weren’t about to tip over, nor was she going to suddenly fall off, she began to relax, until she found the courage to open her eyes.
Somehow the world looked different while riding on the back of a bike. The things she saw as they sped by, the feel of the wind rushing over her skin… it all felt so much more real to Vivian.
It was exhilarating.
Just as she was really beginning to enjoy herself, they pulled into an underground parking lot. It took Vivian a second to realize it was Gilbert waiting for them by a parking spot; gone was the suit she’d only ever seen him wear, exchanged for a pair of jeans and a black tee. They pulled up next to him, parking between the white lines. “See? All good,” the stranger said as he dismounted and took a step away.
Vivian did her best to follow his example, and was relieved when she did it without falling on her face. By this time, the stranger had removed his helmet to show a man somewhere in his mid to late twenties, with tanned skin that looked almost golden, and a crooked, confident smile. His dark hair was a mess after being trapped in a helmet, but he did nothing to fix it as he looked from Gilbert to his ride-along. His grey eyes watched her as she removed her helmet, passing it back to him with a nod.
“Thanks,” he grinned, tucking a helmet under each of his arms.
“Come with me,” Gilbert said in lieu of a greeting, as he turned and began to walk away, cane tapping against the floor with every other step.
Vivian hurried to catch up, falling into step with him after a few seconds. They took an elevator to the fourth floor in silence. Down the hall, on the left, Gilbert unlocked a door and motioned for them to enter.
It led to a small, one bedroom apartment. There was little in the way of personal touches, but there was a laptop on the table just inside the door, and dishes in the kitchen sink, so someone was using the space. “Have a seat,” Gilbert instructed, motioning at the table before stepping into the small kitchen.
Vivian wandered over to the table and took one of the available seats as she looked around, curious about the place. “Is this… Gilbert’s place?” She tentatively asked the stranger, not wanting to overstep with the question, but too curious to hold back.
“It is,” the man who’d driven her there replied with a nod as he settled into the seat opposite hers. “I’m Jacques, by the way. Jacques Morris.”
Morris? Does that mean… are they related?
Jacques’ mouth quirked as her eyes widened in surprise. “Gilbert is my father.”
What?! “I… didn’t know… he had a son…” she replied, feeling horrible that she’d just assumed he didn’t have any family. Why else would he have agreed to be on call, as her bodyguard, knowing he might be needed at any time, day or night? Did he also have a wife? Other children?
“Yeah, well, neither did he, until five years ago,” Jacques laughed, looking at ease as he spoke.
“Jacques,” Gilbert said as he left the kitchen, a warning in his tone as he set a bottle of water on the table in front of Vivian.
“What?” His son shrugged. “It’s not like it’s a secret.”
Vivian looked between the two men and decided this particular topic wasn’t one to continue. “Have you heard from… anyone?” She asked, looking at Gilbert.
They both turned their attention to her, causing her to fidget under their combined gazes.
After a moment, Gilbert said, “I’ve contacted Mr Montague, who is looking into matters.“ Pulling a chair out, he sat down facing Vivian, and continued. “I need you to tell me everything that happened, in as much detail as possible.”
Doing this took some time, as she went over everything from Cassidy showing up at the mansion, all the way to when she called him using Tyrell’s phone. Gilbert interrupted a lot, asking pointed questions, forcing her to elaborate on things she wouldn’t have thought to include otherwise.
Who was the officer who entered without permission from the homeowner? How did the case worker react to him? Did they appear to be familiar, or was he just another officer to her?
What colour was the vehicle that’d struck Sebastian’s? Did she know the make or model? Had she caught sight of a license plate?
When Patricia had dragged her from the car, had Vivian heard or seen anything or anyone other than her aunt?
This went on for what felt like an eternity before she finally finished recounting the events that’d led to her meeting Gilbert’s son.
I can’t believe he has a son… she thought to herself, sneaking a glance at the man who, except for his skin tone and eyes, looked and acted nothing like his father.
A few times throughout her tale, Gilbert’s phone had rung or buzzed. He only glanced at it whenever this happened, sometimes picking it up to swipe his thumb across the screen, but he never gave whatever was coming in much attention as Vivian spoke.
“Have you heard anything about Sebastian and Laurent?” She asked now that he’d stopped asking questions. “Are they alright? What happened to them? And Tyrell, is he alright?”
A chuckle came from Jacques, but otherwise he stayed silent as Gilbert gave her a slow nod. “Sebastian and Laurent made to the hospital. It seems someone called for help, and because of that they’ll be fine.” His grey eyes were locked on Vivian as she let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank god…” she breathed, feeling like a great weight had been lifted off her heart. Her brothers were okay. They’d made it to the hospital and would be fine.
“However… it seems Mr Devreaux and Gabriel have… disappeared.” There was hesitation before he’d said that last word. It caused a shiver to run down her spine.
“What do you mean, disappeared? Are they alright?”
Gilbert’s mouth was in a grim line as he glanced at Jacques, who lifted his shoulders. “You don’t have much choice, old man.”
“Gilbert, what happened to them?” Vivian demanded, almost on her feet as if she were preparing to run for the door if the answer was bad.
“From what Laurent was able to tell us, the accident wasn’t an accident. It was staged. Who, or why, we still don’t know, but while your father and Gabriel were attempting to get them out, some people showed up and grabbed the two of them. They would have taken Sebastian and Laurent, or killed them outright, if emergency services hadn’t arrived when they did. You did the right thing, calling them in when you did, Miss Vivian. You saved their lives because of your quick thinking.”