Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 135

Vivian wasn’t interested in learning self-defense, but she grudgingly admitted it was a good idea. Knowing how to take care of herself in a fight, or how to react if she was being shot at again, would go a long way to preventing Tyrell from getting a bullet stuck in his leg.

Her classes with the instructor were scheduled for Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Vivian was not looking forward to running track three mornings a week, then learning how to take a punch the following day. If this kept up, she worried she’d be nothing but a pile of sludge, too exhausted and sore to do anything but exist.

Putting these thoughts to the back of her mind, Vivian took a deep breath and focused on the present. They’d just pulled up to a mansion, one that made the Devreaux home look small in comparison. Three stories, too many windows, and not enough time to take note of much more was all she’d managed to see before being led to the front door.

“Remember, the second you want to leave just find one of us,” Samuel was telling her for the ninth time, as he opened the front door. They’d come in two separate vehicles for just this purpose; if she left, the others could stay, which alleviated a lot of the pressure of sticking it out no matter what.

The inside was massive. The ceiling had to be fifteen feet tall, maybe more, and from it hung a beautiful chandelier that, once lit, Vivian was certain would look breathtaking.

“Samuel!” A voice called out, laughter in its tone as a middle aged woman with blond hair styled with a pixie cut came towards them, arms open. The woman was good looking, her features beginning to soften with age and a bit of extra weight. Dressed in a pale blue blouse and grey slacks, she looked comfortable and classy as she stopped in front of Samuel. Taking his face in her hands, she proceeded to plant a kiss on both his cheeks. “So good to see you again. And your boys, too.” She had already moved on to said boys, giving them the same treatment as their father, before stopping in front of Vivian, who nervously waited. The last thing she wanted was a kiss from this stranger. “And you… must be Vivian.”

Vivian gave a small nod. “Nice to meet you.”

The woman let out a warm laugh, holding out a hand. “I’m Sunny Lamont — and no, Sunny isn’t my real name, but everyone uses it so it’s all I answer to now. I would be your… Great-uncle’s daughter…?” Sunny glanced over at Samuel, who shrugged. “Yeah, it doesn’t matter. We’re family, somehow, and the rest doesn’t matter.”

Glad at getting a handshake instead of the double kiss, Vivian relaxed a bit. Of course they’d been warned about her boundaries.

“Now,” Sunny began, as she stepped back and clapped her hands together. “Not many people have arrived yet, so feel free to make yourselves at home. There will be snacks going around in about an hour, and anything before that you’ll need to deal with yourself.”

She left as she’d arrived, like a breeze passing through.

“She seems… energetic,” Vivian said as she followed her family to a massive parlour, decorated straight out of some upscale magazine. Everything looked somehow old and new all at once; like antiques, but modern. She hadn’t a clue how to describe the place as she looked around in silent awe.

“Sunny is called Sunny for a reason,” Gabriel explained with a grin. “She’s sweet as sugar, and has the same amount of energy as someone on a sugar high.”

“She also has a sharp tongue,” Laurent added as he looked around. “She enjoys putting people in their place.”

“Laween!” A child’s excited voice reached them as a six- or seven-year-old appeared as a blur. Laurent grabbed the blur, turning it into a little boy with dark hair and eyes the colour of the sky. With ease, Vivian’s brother flipped the boy upside down, letting him hang there as he began giggling uncontrollably.

“Laweeeeen!” The voice from before shouted again, this time accompanied by the child owning it; a little girl with a mop of brown hair pulled into lopsided pigtails. Her hands were held out, little fists opening and closing as she reached up for the person whose name she called.

With his free arm, Laurent grabbed her and did the same thing he’d done to the boy, holding her upside down as she shrieked with glee.

“Trudy, does your mother know where you are?” Sebastian asked, as he reached over and tickled the little girl’s leg, earning him another happy screech.

“Mama knows,” the boy replied. “She said, when Laurent showed up we could bother him, so she’d get a break.”

“Is that really what she said,” Sebastian prodded, giving the boy a look at brought another fit of giggles from the children.

“Nooooo,” Trudy sang out after her giggles subsided a bit. “Cowey lieeeessss.”

“Hey!”

“Corey,” Laurent began, giving the arm holding the boy a shake. “Let’s go find your mother and see what she has to say.”

“But Laureeeeent!”

Laurent rolled his eyes and walked away, a child in each arm.

“I didn’t know Laurent was good with kids,” Vivian found herself saying.

“He’s always been good with them,” Samuel replied with a warm smile. “He has a way of dealing with them that makes them respect him. At family events, he’s probably the most popular person among the children.”

“Huh. Who’d have guessed.” This was yet another side to her brother, one that showed a depth of character Vivian wouldn’t have otherwise noticed. Already she was glad she’d chosen to come. Now she wondered if she’d get to see a different side of her other two brothers, or maybe even Samuel.

“You think Harold is in the garage?” Gabriel asked as he looked around.

Samuel let out a sigh, as though this was a conversation they’d had before.

“Harold is Sunny’s husband, and even more obsessed with cars than Gabe,” Sebastian explained when he noticed Vivian was looking between her father and middle brother.

“Oh. So, does that mean he’ll help Gabriel use the bathroom, if he hangs out in the garage?” The three men stared at her and Vivian shrugged her shoulders. “What? I heard him complaining yesterday, about how using the bathroom is difficult when he can’t use his hands.”

Both Samuel and Sebastian were now looking at Gabriel, their mouths twitching, as though they were trying not to smile, while the middle son averted his gaze. “What?” Gabriel demanded. “It’s a legitimate issue, okay? You try pulling your pants up when you can only use one arm and can barely move your fingers.”

“Don’t get flanked next time,” Sebastian retorted, earning another sigh from their father.

“Not the time, boys.”

Samuel might not have enjoyed how the exchange ended, but Vivian had loved every second of it, and hoped for more to come. It made her feel like she belonged.