Bonds of Duty

CHAPTER THREE

As he drove out of the station, Raymond questioned himself. What was he thinking bringing a strange lady into his house? Why did she stay? Was she homeless? Didn't she have anywhere else to go, or was she not convinced he could take care of Cherry? He wasn't convinced either.

Tina seemed strange. She hadn't said a single word. Was she unable to speak? He quickly brushed that thought away. Of course, she had never seen a dumb person be a nanny before. Turning slowly to his side, he watched Cherry press her nose into the window. She seemed to be enjoying the view. Fighting the urge to look back at Tina, he turned his eyes back to the road.

Tina hadn't moved an inch from where she sat at the back, scared that she might ruin or spoil something in his car. She had expected to see an expensive car, but what she didn’t expect to see was a Black BMW series 7. He was definitely as rich as she heard. As he pulled into a street not too far from the station, probably a 10-minute drive, Tina was awed at what she saw. Tall, magnificent and beautiful houses of different designs stood on both sides of the road. Driving down west of the street, Raymond led them into a small cul-de-sac surrounded by trees. Turning her attention out the window, it was odd that there weren't many houses on this side of the street until her eyes fell across the house at the farthest edge of the cul-de-sac.

Instantly, she knew it was Raymond's. He seemed like the type of person that would want to be the only occupant on the street. Amazingly, it wasn't as gigantic as the others she'd seen, but it wasn't small either. And it looked like it was owned by someone with a lot of money. The one thing she wasn't expecting was the iron gate surrounding the building. Raymond hit a button on the roof of his car and the gates opened, creating an entrance. He drove down his driveway, which was lined with cute little shrubs, and then came to a halt right in front of the house and turned off the engine.

Tina wasn't sure what to do. She hadn't been to such an expensive property before and wasn't sure how to go about it.

"You can come down now". Raymond said, noticing her state of confusion. On a second thought, he climbed down from the car and held open the door for her.

"Thanks" she muttered, not sure how to react to what he had done.

Going around the car, she helped Cherry out of her seat belt and carried her down. She starts towards the trunk to grab their stuff when Raymond’s deep voice halts her.

"Come on in. I can bring them in later". He nods towards the entrance, leading the way. Fiddling in his pocket, he pulls out a set of keys that's locked in a key ring. The yellow rectangular key ring attracts Cherry's attention.

"Did my dad give that to you?" She asks, pointing to his set of keys.

Holding it up, Raymond remembered receiving a twin key ring set from his father. Brad had the same one too. "No, your daddy just had the same one as me". He said, unlocking the door and gesturing for Tina and Cherry to go inside first.

Tina stepped in with Cherry by her side, her jaw dropped a little in awe. The ceilings were so high that from the outside one could actually mistake it for a second story. The second level is cut out in the middle of the room. Currently, they were standing on the first level and you could see the second level. A wide, metal-twisting staircase led down to the floor below where a vast living room was set up.

Tina was tempted to ask "How many rooms does this house have?" Looking down at the well-polished floor, she could easily see her reflection on it.

"The staircase there leads to the living room, which is the biggest room. There's also a second bathroom and kitchen on the floor below us. So that makes it seven rooms in total". Raymond answered, a little out of breath. That was the longest he had spoken in a while, and he really wanted to tell her a lot more. Shaking his head softly. "Come on, I'll show you to your rooms". He said, walking down the long corridor.

Picking Cherry up and resting her on her hip, Tina followed Raymond, her eyes still roaming around the beautiful place.

"You will take the room next to Cherry's and that is directly opposite mine". Raymond explained.

Nodding slightly, Tina liked the idea of staying close to Cherry to keep a close eye on her but why the thought of her room being directly opposite his own excited her. She couldn't tell.

Unlocking the door for her, Raymond led the way into what was going to be her new bedroom. Still carrying Cherry, she followed him in. The room was big, painted a mixture of white and gray. A king-sized bed lay at the center of the room and opposite hung a huge flat-screen television. To the side was a big wooden table and a chair. Just next to it is a door leading into a walk-in closet. It looked like the room had been occupied by someone before, a few blazers and dresses hung in the wardrobe. Strolling down to the window, she looks out to find a lake, the water dancing softly to the cool breeze. She inhaled deeply, taking in the beautiful sight and wondering what it would feel like to have the water on her skin.

Raymond’s fingers twitched as he watched Tina check out every inch of his house. As much as it fed his ego watching her expression, he felt nervous. He had never felt the need to let anyone into his house. Asides his best friend, Sabastian, and his parents, the only other person he had had over was his ex. Of course, this was going to be their home after they married. Oh and, of course, Brad.

The initial high of having them over had worn out and now he felt antsy. It had been long since he had someone over, even longer since he had a female over.

Even though Tina seemed to have a way of hiding it, she seemed so much at ease, and Cherry? Cherry had stuck to her like a leech.

Watching her take in the sight of the lake, he thought she looked at peace and didn’t want to disrupt it, but Cherry had yawned the third time, resting her head on Tina’s slender shoulder.

“You should take Cherry to her room, wash her up. I’ll get the bags up”. He said.

“Do you need help getting those?” She said, forcefully tearing her eyes away from the sight before her. Was he going to carry the bags in by himself? Did he live alone? She thought for a man like him, he’d have servants running around the place trying to keep it up to his standards.

“I’ll be fine, you both need to rest. Lunch will be ready soon”. He said before finally walking out.

Taking a final look at the lake, Tina leaves the room to check out Cherry’s. She finds a door next to his, and she is suddenly overcome with curiosity as to why he didn’t say anything about it. She knew it wasn’t right to go snooping around, but before she stopped herself, she found herself quietly opening the door. It was unlocked, great. The door opens to reveal thick darkness, the smell of mothballs meets with her nose, and she wrinkles it reflexively. Was this some sort of storage room? The lights were turned off, and they blacked out the room entirely.

Clutching already sleeping Cherry tightly with a hand, she uses her free hand to search for the light switch, but before she can find it, a large hand grips her shoulder, yanking them both out of the room. The actions startle Cherry, marking her jump from her sleep. Tina yelps out, nearly losing her balance. The door slams shut, and she looks up to find Raymond’s angry face glaring down at her.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, huh?” He growled. “Don’t go in there”. He commanded, his voice hard.

Tina blinked hard. “S-sorry”. She stammered.

His expression was still hard and his words tense. “Don’t go in there”.

“I won’t. I’m sorry Mr. Strucker”. What was in there, and why was he so defensive about it? What was he involved with, and what was he hiding? Were they safe here with him?

It took him a moment, but he managed to calm himself. He rubbed his forehead, he could feel the headache starting to brew. She was scared, he could tell. He had scared her and maybe even Cherry too. “I didn’t mean to pull you so hard, it’s just that no one’s allowed to go in there".

She knew she probably shouldn’t, but she already found herself asking. “It’s not your room, is someone else staying here?” She asked cautiously.

“No”. He responds dismissively. “Forget about it, just don’t go in there”.

“Alright Mr. Strucker”. She said, making her way into Cherry’s room. How cold, she thought as she headed towards Cherry's room, his tall figure flashing before her memory, his bright green eyes seeming to pierce right through her. His sharp jawline and cold expression made him look unapproachable and different from the man that had walked into the detective story office earlier. The man she had just seen was the man she had heard and read about. Raymond Strucker, the ruthless billionaire.

As she made her way into the room, she heard him let out a deep sigh and picked up their bags, coming up behind them.