His eyes shot open and he woke up in a start. He was on the commuter bus, with an old guy he'd never met snoring next to him.
He quickly scanned the crowded bus, and sighed in relief as he caught Jazmine's eye. Emma sat next to her, looking out the window and playing with the small stuffed bear clutched tightly in her 6-year-old fingers.
He relaxed in his seat. Jazmine and Emma were his sisters, and the only people he cared about since the double funeral three months ago. Watching his parents put in the ground together, he swore to them he would protect them, that's what brothers are for.
"West Park stop!" The bus driver called, startling him out of his thoughts.
He stood, slightly waking the old man, who quickly resumed snoring. He nodded to Jazmine as he walked past her, trying to avoid the legs and feet in the aisle. She stood silently, grasping Emma's hand firmly as she led her younger sister after him.
He nodded to the bus driver as he passed, and the bus driver turned to him, leaned in, and whispered,"it's not safe out here for a couple of orphans." He smirked at Jazmine, who backed up nervously.
"Yeah, we'll be fine." He growled back, putting his arms around his two sisters. "Come on," he said to them, "this is our stop."
He could feel the driver's eyes following them down the stairs. He could also feel Jazmine's hand firmly grasping his.
The bus sped away as soon as they all were off. They stared out at the small island of grass in the middle of all the concrete. West Park.
"Are you sure that this is the place?" Jazmine's asked worriedly. "It doesn't look like a typical meeting spot."
"This is where the letter said to meet." He scanned the rickety old benches.
"Are you sure that it's safe to meet a stranger at all? It's not like we have any backup."
"There." He pointed to a bench across a row of rose bushes. A tall, thin lady sat delicately there, obviously waiting for someone.
Waiting for them.
"Come on." He took Jazmine's hand on one side and Emma's on the other, leading them toward the woman. Only now did he realize all of the possible ways this could go wrong. He's bringing his sisters to a complete stranger, but of course now there was no going back, even if they did have other options.
The woman spotted them and stood up quickly. He evaluated every inch of her body, watching how her legs tensed as she walked toward them. She was sleek and graceful, but the strong muscles in her legs showed how powerful she could be. Not good odds if he needed to fight. Her arms showed similar muscles, and her chin was sharp and well shaped. Her hair was red like fire, but tamed into a flowing ponytail. But what really caught his eye was her eyes, an icy blue, observant, like she had been inspecting him while he studied her.
"Brian." It wasn't a question. "Jazmine, Emma. Good you're all here. Please, sit."
The three orphans walked silently behind her back to the bench. They sat down, all except Emma looking at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.
"I heard of the...accident a couple months ago. I am terribly sorry for your loss." The woman regarded them with her chilly eyes.
"It was no accident!" Jazmine growled.
"Really." The woman pretended to be surprised.
"Someone paid for their deaths!" Jazmine snapped.
"Lower your voice, child. Someone could hear. Yes, I indeed know of the assassin." She paused thoughtfully. "Why don't you all come to my cabin in Canada. It's quite lovely, and it would give you a break from your grief. You live in the city alone?"
Brian shifted. It wasn't exactly a question you would answer to a total stranger. The letter had offered a new residence, but he wasn't sure about going with a stranger to her own house.The truth was, they only had a few more days in the shelter they were staying at, after that, well...
He straightened up in the uncomfortable bench and nodded. "Yes, we won't have a place to go in a few days." He ignored Jazmine's concerned glance.
"I see..." She stood abruptly. "I do insist that you come out to the cabin. It'll be a safe place until we can find you a new home." She held out a rigid hand to Brian. He glanced at Jazmine, who looked defiant, and Emma looked so sad, he had to find a way to make her happy again. He grasped the woman's hand and shook it.
"Meet me here tomorrow morning at seven, bring your belongings, whatever you have. It'll be a long drive."
And with that, the lady with eyes of blue walked away.