Chapter 12

" S weetie, it's time for dinner," Mrs. Francine calls out as she knocks on my door. The second I had gotten out of the shower after coming upstairs, I fell asleep on my bed. I didn't mean to, but I was still exhausted from last night. The shower made me feel somewhat human, at least, which helped with things. My head still hurt some, but not nearly like it did when I woke up. The McDonald’s that Steel had gotten me on the drive also helped my stomach settle. The nap was the last thing I needed to feel awake and be able to face my father.

I want to hope that he will behave during dinner tonight. However, it won’t surprise me if he doesn't at all. The only way he will is if most of the staff is sent home. He doesn't care how he behaves in front of Mrs. Francine. He knows she won't go anywhere or say anything because she is here for my sister and me. Once, two years ago, she asked me if I wanted her to say anything when my father lost his temper, but I told her no. He wasn't abusive, not physically, just sometimes he would lose his temper and yell at us. Usually, he directed it at me and I was fine with that. I knew how to handle him and calm him down. From what I know of, he's never really yelled at Grace and that's what I care about.

"Miss Illeana," Mrs. Francine calls out again, this time opening the door to my room. "Are you awake?"

"Sorry, yes, I am. I fell asleep," I reply with a sleepy smile, getting out of bed and moving to the small vanity in the corner of my room. "Let me just brush my hair and toss on some light makeup and I'll be down. Is Grace ready?"

"Grace is ready and waiting in her room for you. I told her you would grab her so the two of you can make an entrance together. Don't take too long. Your father sent the staff home, and he's been in a mood all day. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything," she pats my cheek softly. "Don't use any blush, you don't need it."

"Thanks, Mrs. Francine. I'll grab Grace in less than five minutes. Is Steel still here?" I wouldn't be surprised if my father kicked him out after they talked. I know my father is furious about what happened, and when Steel stepped in front of me to protect me from his ire, it pissed him off even more. I'm pretty sure if my father wasn't so concerned about his image, he may have actually punched Steel. That's how mad he was about what happened.

"He is. His room is set up just down the hall from you. I already told him to head down for dinner. That young man looked like he was starving. I don't think he's used to waiting to eat until almost seven in the evening," she chuckles as she grabs my hair brush and begins to do my hair just like she used to when I was younger. I don't stop her, letting her have this moment.

"He's a big boy. He can handle waiting patiently. If anything, he should count his blessings that my father didn't kick him to the curb immediately after he stepped in to defend me," I chuckle softly, being careful not to move my head too much.

"That he may be, but he's a good man standing up to your father like that. Not many men can do that and still walk away to speak about it. He may be rough around the edges, but he seems to have a good head on his shoulders," she clucks her tongue as she gathers my hair into a high ponytail.

"Wow, Mrs. Francine, it almost sounds like you have a crush. If you want, I can put in a good word for you," I offer. The words aren't even completely out of my mouth before she pulls tightly on my ponytail in scolding.

"Hush your mouth, young lady. I should tell you to go wash your mouth out for that. You know that young man is way too young for me. I meant he would be good for you. You need a strong man in your life who is just as outgoing as you. Someone who will protect you but also let you shine. I think he could be that for you if given the chance," she answers with a smile, patting my shoulder. "You need a good man in your life, dear. Don't be afraid of your father and the shadow he casts upon you. I've always told you that you are a bright, shining star, and the right man will see that."

"Steel's my bodyguard, Mrs. Francine. He was literally hired to protect me. There are no feelings there," I retort, shaking my head as I turn in my seat to look at her. "I'm not looking for a man to protect me or even be in my life. I want to discover who I am and prove to myself and everyone else that I can thrive following my dreams. Dating would just be a distraction."

"You can tell yourself that all you want, but I know better, Illeana. You can hide from it and deny it all you want, but just wait. Just promise me when the opportunity arises, you won't fight it, you'll chase after it with everything you have," she pleads with me.

"I promise," I answer, giving her a soft smile. "I'll try my best to be open when the opportunity presents itself."

"That's all I can ask. Now, go get your sister and get down to dinner," she instructs with a soft smile. When my mom died, I felt super lost, and Mrs. Francine was there to help me when I needed advice. She didn't necessarily take over the role of mom, but it was close enough. She has always given great advice and is rarely wrong, but this time I think she is. Steel is my bodyguard and nothing more.

Mrs. Francine reaches out and grasps my hand tightly before dropping it. Together, we walk out of my room. She heads to the kitchen, while I turn to go to my sister's room.

"Knock, knock," I call out as I knock on the door to get Grace's attention. She's sitting at her desk, head bent over intently working on something. I'm betting it's homework, but I could be wrong.

"Is dinner ready?" she questions, lifting her head to look at me as I enter.

"Yup, Mrs. Francine sent me to get you. Is that homework?" I question, nodding at the book lying open before her. Whatever book it is, I can tell it has some large chunks of text with a few pictures sprinkled within it as well.

"Don't tell, Dad," she huffs, closing the book quickly. "I told him I finished it Friday. I promise it'll be done tonight."

"Your secret is safe with me. Just make sure it's done tonight." I give her a pointed look. We both know how our father looks at grades. He expects excellence in all parts of our lives. I understand what that pressure is like, and I'm not going to add to it for Grace.

"I will, I promise," she smiles brightly, rising from her seat. "Care to tell me why you were called back home and why Dad is so pissed off? I know you did something."

When she asks questions like this, I tend to forget how young she is. Grace notices everything. Even if you try to hide something from her, she knows. "Who says I did something? Maybe he's pissed about something else and just wanted us to have a family dinner." I retort, trying to divert the attention from me.

"Because you're home, and I heard Dad yelling about something on the phone, and your name came up," she answers as she walks up to me and pats my arm. "It's okay, sis. Not everyone can be perfect like me."

Snorting, I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. "Grace, you are far from perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. It's what we learn from those mistakes that define us."

"And what did you learn, oh Wise One?" she smirks, knowing I walked right into her trap.

"Something you're still too young to understand. Now, let's get downstairs before Dad gets pissed we're even more late. I'd rather not suffer any more of his wrath right now," I sigh, turning to walk out of the room. Grace doesn't answer, but I hear her following behind me. Taking the main staircase down to the main floor of the house, we need to follow a small hallway to the back of the house. After walking halfway down, we turn to the left and enter the open double doors before we reach the back of the house, where the large, open living room is. When our father wants to feel important and show off, he has to do dinner in the formal dining room, which is where we are now.

"Illeana. Grace." Our father states pointedly as he watches us enter. "Please take your seats so we can begin."

Oh, yeah. He's still pissed and us being a couple of minutes late is not going to help. Quickly, Grace and I take our seats. Me to the left of our father and Grace on my left. Steel is sitting directly across from me, his green eyes watching my every move as he gives me a small nod and smile in greeting. I have no idea what he means by the greeting but it has me worried. I also can’t help but continue to keep glancing at him. His strong features pull me in, especially his smile.

"Now that my daughters have graced us with their presence, let's begin," my father's voice rings out. Seconds later, three members of our household staff begin taking the silver lids off the platters in the center of the table, revealing the delish-smelling food that Mrs. Francine cooked for us. She went all out making a spiral ham, fresh green beans, sweet potatoes, and a small bowl of mashed potatoes since father doesn't like sweet potatoes. She also made a small house salad for each of us. I half expected her to make steaks, but I'm excited for the ham. It's been too long since I've gotten to enjoy it.

Dinner passes in a blur, with most of the conversation focusing on my father's campaign. Next year is a re-election year, and he's already trying to get ahead of his competitor. Steel is good at keeping the conversation flowing and off of what happened last night, which I appreciate. No need to relive those events or have Grace informed of them to hold over my head for years to come. For most of the dinner, I ignore what Steel and my father discuss, only chiming in when expected. I've never been interested in the politics of his position, and I don't plan on starting now. I just show up when expected and do what I'm requested when it comes to his events.

As the staff begins to clear the table of our dinner plates, my father clears his throat, pulling me from my thoughts and back to the conversation at hand. "Ahem," he turns to look at myself and Grace. "Due to last night's events, it has been decided that you will be going away for at least a week. No need to worry about school. I will get that arranged for both of you."

"Who's going away and to where?" I question, worry seeping into me. I should have known his anger over the event wasn't over, but I never thought he would send me away and pull me out of school. I guess I should have expected it since he held school over my head when telling me I would be getting a bodyguard.

"Both of you," he answers, his tone leaving no room for argument.

My shoulders drop in defeat as my eyes cut to glare at Steel. His only answer is to shake his head no, which only infuriates me. What the hell does he mean, no?

"But, Dad, I didn't do anything, and I have the winter chorus concert coming up this week. I worked hard to get a solo," Grace complains, giving me time before I make a counterargument as well.

"Sorry, Grace, but you are going, both of you and that's final. Steel will be taking you somewhere that even I won’t know the whereabouts while we try to sort out everything here. It's for both of your safeties," he continues to explain like that makes a difference.

"This is so unfair," Grace complains through the tears as she stands, her chair legs scraping on the hardwood floor. "Why am I being punished because she messed up!" She points at me before turning and storming out of the room.

My father rises from his seat at the same time I jump up. "I'll go speak with her," I state in a rush, not wanting her to get in trouble for her outburst. She may try to act like an adult at times, but she's still a kid and entitled to her emotions.

"Very well," he answers, sitting back down. "Please remind her that behavior like that is inexcusable, and she's grounded for two weeks upon your return."

"I will," I nod, turning my attention to Steel who has been sitting here watching our family drama for the past few minutes. "Is there anything in particular that we should pack?"

"Pack for the cold," he answers. "Oh," he calls out as I turn away. "If you forget anything, we can make a stop, but I'll come check your bags before we leave just in case."

"I highly doubt that is necessary," I retort tightly, trying to keep my temper under control. "Thank you for dinner, Father. Steel." I nod to both of them and make my escape before anything else can happen. I can hear them already beginning to talk as I make my way down the hall.

By the time I make it to the top of the stairs, my anger has reached a new level. I'm used to my father bossing me around. That's nothing new. What I'm not used to is having someone else be involved in planning and discussing my life the way Steel has. And I really don't need him to check my packing. I'm an adult and know how to pack a suitcase. Even Grace is old enough to know what to pack for the most part, although she always asks what the activities will be so she can pack appropriately.

Despite being pissed, I stop at the top of the stairs outside Grace's room, take a deep breath, and knock on her open door. "Can I come in?" I question, not wanting to intrude. Her life is already being thrown upside down and she's decided I'm the reason for it. I don't need to piss her off more.

"If you have to," she snarks as she pulls her suitcase out of her closet.

Carefully, I move into her room and take a seat on the edge of her bed as I watch her walk back into her walk-in closet. "I'm sorry that you're being dragged into this. You know I would argue against it if I could."

"You didn't even try. You just let Dad walk all over both of us. It's like you don't even care!" she shouts at me.

"That's not true, Grace," I counter, my voice raising slightly. I have to force myself to take a deep breath before I continue. Taking my anger out on her won't help anything. "Sure, he wasn't happy I went out last night and reporters caught wind of it. However, it was obvious he already made up his mind, and arguing would make it worse."

"Just for once, could you take my side and stand up for me?" she shouts as she haphazardly tosses a handful of clothes in her open suitcase.

"I take your side more than you know," I sigh, seeing that she isn't in the mood to listen to me. "Steel said to pack warm clothes," I tell her as I rise to my feet. "He's going to check our bags before we leave."

"Are you kidding me?" she groans as she comes to a stop and places both hands on her hips. "That's it! I'm going to talk to Dad!"

"I wouldn't if I were you. He already said you're grounded for two weeks when we return due to your outburst at dinner. Don't make it worse," I add before moving to her bedroom door and out of range of her anger. "I'll check your packing once I finish mine and before you ask, I have no idea where we’re going or what we will be doing. Hopefully, that will be enough for Steel."

I don't wait for an answer before walking out the door completely and heading to my room. We weren't told when we were leaving, so I'd rather be prepared instead of rushing around. I am thankful that I have a closet full of clothes here. I would have been pissed that I wasn't told before we left campus that something like this would be happening, so I could have packed and prepared for it.

Thirty minutes later, a hard knock sounds against my open door, startling me and causing me to jump. Turning to look, I see Steel standing in my doorway, his eyes taking in my room before coming back to me. "Can I help you?" I snark, annoyed he is just looking at me and not saying anything.

"I didn't take you to be a white and pink girl," he jokes, moving a couple of steps into my room. "It took me by surprise."

"Well, you don't know everything about me," I answer with a huff. Who does he think he is? I mean, he isn't wrong; my mom picked everything out when I was younger, and I haven't had the heart to change it. Pink isn't really my color, but oh well, I don't spend enough time here as it is. Ever since we arrived at my house, it feels like he has been judging everything about me, and it is starting to get on my nerves.

Steel mumbles something that sounds a lot like "I'd like to" but I don't ask him to repeat because I'm not ready to open that can of worms tonight, if ever.

"Did you come to check my bag?" I ask, waving my hand to where it is still sitting open on my bed. I got a week's worth of warm clothes packed into a large duffle bag. The only thing that didn't fit was my toiletries bag.

"I came to let you know that we will be leaving by six a.m. I want to get an early start on the road as it looks like there is a snowstorm moving in," he answers while moving to the edge of my bed next to my duffle bag. He doesn't say anything else as he begins to push items in my bag aside to take a quick look. It doesn't even look like he is thoroughly looking at what I packed, more just moving things around to make it look like he is. "Everything looks good here. We will stop and pick up a few more items, but this will work. I assume you can check your sister's bag? I don't think she will take too kindly to me asking to do that after her outburst earlier."

"Not unless you want to get your head chopped off and a million questions," I chuckle. "Though I would pay to see that."

"I'm sure I probably deserve it for something I've done in my life. If it will make you feel better, I'll go brave her," he answers with a smirk. I'm almost positive he meant it if it wasn't for the small sparkle I caught in his eyes.

"No, I'll brave her ire. She's already yelled at me. I don't think it will get any worse." I shrug. "We will meet you downstairs at the god-awful hour of six in the morning. You better have coffee waiting for me because that's the only way I will be functioning."

"I think that can be arranged," he smiles before turning to walk to my door. "Have a good night's sleep, Illeana. I promise where we are headed isn't terrible."

"Good night, Steel," I answer softly. I'm glad he has some faith that wherever he is taking us isn't going to be terrible, but I'm not getting my hopes up at all. His version of terrible and mine are most likely completely different.