Chapter 9

Toby's POV

"So, what do you think she'll be like?" I asked aloud as Richard and I rode the elevator up to the fifteenth floor with my rucksack hoisted over one shoulder. It had been a long drive and my back was definitely feeling the effects of being in such a cramped space for nearly nine hours. Hopefully I'd be able to go to bed and catch a few hours' sleep soon. It was getting dark out and even though the temptation to go out and explore the famous big apple nightlife was strong, I knew that my orders were to stay and protect Miss Perkins' sister.

Lord knows why.

"Middle-class pregnant sixteen-year-old from England, who lives in a penthouse in New York... What do you think?" He grumbled in return, sighing loudly and obviously not looking forward to the oncoming day as his job was to pack up some belongings and drive them all the way back to Ohio first thing, "What are we even doing here, man?"

"Lord knows," I shrugged, the elevator flashing that we'd just passed the eighth floor, "It's all for this Perkins lady. Hey, who is she anyway?"

"Don't ask." He replied, adjusting his own bag in hand as we carried on past the twelfth floor. I turned my head curiously and noticed him begin to subconsciously rub his now almost fully healed bruised cheek-bone, "She can pack a f*cking punch though, I'll give her that."

"I just don't get it. What's Chris doing keeping a human in the house?" I couldn't help but wonder aloud, my eyebrows furrowed as curiosity got the best of me and I tried to figure out what his motives were. There was no discernible reason for her to be there, let alone for him to send men out to protect her relative. It just didn't make any sense.

"Trust me, it's best to keep your nose out of it." He sighed, the elevator finally reaching the number fifteen and sliding the doors open. Stepping out onto a pretty fancy looking hallway, I was now ragingly curious to know who she was as we both began making our way to the addressed door before I heard Rich curse quietly next to me and stop.

"You okay?" I asked, turning to look at him as he began to tap his pants' pockets.

"Yeah, I think I left my cell in the car." He muttered, grumbling loudly before chucking over his rucksack, "Here take my bag, would you? I'll be back in five."

"Sure." I replied, hitching the second bag over my free shoulder as he began making his way back to the still open elevator doors.

"Keys are in the side pocket!"

"Got it!" I called over my shoulder, continuing on my journey to the apartment and mentally preparing myself for the next few months ahead. Reaching the large entrance to the apartment, I sighed as I began envisioning all the boring days of babysitting a rich girl that lay ahead.

Goodbye life.

Hitching my bag higher up my shoulder, I knocked loudly three times. She should hear that right? Or was a maid going to turn up? Or a butler? Not going to lie, that'd be pretty epic.

But no one came.

"Come on." I muttered more to myself, knocking once again as I waited for any discernible trace of life. Had she gone out?

Shit, had she gone into labour?

After a few more knocks and a few more minutes of an unanswered door, I decided to Hell with it and quickly fished for the keys in Rich's side pocket. Shifting them in hand I inserted the keys into the high lock and turned, the door popping open with no problem as I tentatively stuck my head through the door, "Hello? Anyone home?"

If she was in labour she'd be screaming, right?

Noticing the coast was clear, I inched the door wider and stepped through into the entryway. Pulling the keys from the lock, I turned and shut the door behind me as I tried to listen and see if there was anyone home. My ear twitched as I began to hear what sounded like muffled humming. Was someone singing?

Putting down Richard's bag by the door, I couldn't help but scan the entranceway in curiosity. The walls were all painted white and looked modern with bright shining lights in cooperated into the ceiling. The wall adjacent to the door had a large polished dark wood coffee table pushed up against it, trinkets and a bowl full of keys placed on top.

A coat rack stood in the corner full of jackets and scarves, and the walls were littered with various photos of different people. The familiar face of Miss Perkins featured several times as well as what looked like a cute young blonde girl, who couldn't have been much younger than me. Even though I'd only seen the entryway, the sheer size alone gave me one notable fact.

These people were rich.

Alright, so this place didn't look so bad... Even if it turned out that this 'Lilly' character was a handful, at least the apartment was something I could reap the benefits of. It was a nice place, I should make the most of it.

"Hello?" I called quietly as I peeked into doors while walking closer towards the ever-growing noise. The more I looked the more the place became impossibly bigger. This was New York! How on Earth could they afford all of this? This was unheard of...

Daddy must have deep pockets...

Suddenly, I began registering a weird smell that grew stronger and stronger the closer I went to the noise. Someone must have been cooking as the whole apartment smelt amazing. But I couldn't quite place the scent. What was that?

Searching for a few more seconds, I looked up and was suddenly greeted with what was probably the most breath-taking view I'd ever seen. My eyes widened in awe as my breath was literally taken away from me and I couldn't help but pause in my hunt for the missing Perkins relative.

I scanned the open space mesmerized, a low whistle of appreciation involuntarily leaving my lips. The main theme going on with this apartment was white and modern. Everything looked like it came straight from an Ikea catalogue. In front of me opened a very stylish and modern looking living room with an entire wall made out of glass overlooking the Manhattan nightlife. Glass.

The wall to the right sported a large fire place with an exposed brick chimney, a flat-screen TV hung above the mantel. Besides the chimney on both sides were built in bookcases, filled to the brim with enough books to entertain an entire house for the year. I couldn't help but think about my little sister Sarah, the raging bookworm who'd literally be frothing at the mouth at the sight of just one of the shelves let alone two whole cases.

The couch looked extremely comfortable and I could tell that even if I had to sleep on that for the next couple of months, it would somehow still be ten times more comfortable than my own queen-size bed at home.

On the adjacent wall were two doors made out of light wood and a console table placed in-between, a hallway leading off to the side that led to Lord knows where and to how many more rooms. I blinked several times to try and see if my mind was playing tricks on me, but the room remained the same and the twinkling lights of the city below remained as bright as I had first seen them.

Who are these people?

Before I knew it, my feet had taken on a mind of their own as I found myself even closer to the ceiling high window that looked out across the city-scape. I'd never seen such a view and my mouth seemed permanently ready to catch flies as I stared out onto the beautiful view below.

"Star ships, were meant to fly-y-y-y-y! Hands up, and touch the sky-y-y-y!" I suddenly heard someone sing quietly, breaking my awkward stunt of gawking and making me turn to locate the noise. Next to the archway I'd just emerged from was another identical passage placed parallel to it a few feet away. The voice seemed to be coming from inside and snapped me back to reality as I remembered what I was here for; and it wasn't to stare out a window all day.

Following the noise, I eventually found the source as I came to a stop inside a bright kitchen. With wooden cabinets and granite work tops, it again seemed unnaturally large for a New York apartment. The island in the middle seemed to fill the space up a bit, but I still couldn't fully comprehend that the apartment was real.

But the main thing that caught my attention was a short girl dancing and singing to herself in front of the stove, looking to be stirring something in a pan. She had blonde, almost golden wavy hair that reach her mid-back. She was wearing a navy top and black leggings from what I could see and was happily oblivious to my awkwardly stood form by the door.

"Um...Excuse me, Miss?" I said politely, trying to get her attention. She continued to ignore me which caused my eyebrows to furrow as I stepped further into the room to grab her attention. Was she deaf?

"Hello...?" I asked again, moving into her line of vision and waving my hand to get her attention. A startled cry escaped her lips as soon as she saw me, the wooden spoon she'd been stirring the pot with clattering to the ground as she jumped out of her skin and spun around to face me.

Yanking out a pair of wireless ear-buds that I hadn't noticed, she stared at me with panicked wide-eyes and a hand over her heart. She looked like a doe caught in head-lights.

"W-who are you?" She stuttered out in a heavy English accent, backing away whilst holding her hands up in surrender, "Take what you want, just please don't hurt me."

My eyes widened as I realised that she thought I was an intruder. Had Chris not told her I was coming? I held my hands up in reassurance as I began violently shaking my head, "No, no! I'm Toby? Alph-- Chris sent me to look after you?"

"Chris? I don't know a Chris..." She said her panic growing as I saw her hit the counter behind her back and open a drawer to pull something out. I couldn't help but then note the pretty prominent baby bump that was visible beneath her button up shirt, the words of Miss Perkins warning me not to panic her flashing across my mind.

"Umm, you're sister—Miss Perkins? She gave me her keys." I tried to reassure, showing the key-ring that I had gripped in hand to prove to her that I wasn't just some random person from the street. I really didn't want to piss that lady off, and to top it off if her sister went into labour because of me I would then be stuck trying to deliver a premature baby; and in all honesty, I don't think I could deal with that.

"Danny? ...C-can I see?" She asked, her posture straightening as I assumed she tried seem more confident than she actually was. Nodding quickly, I put down my bag slowly and tried to smile to show her that I meant no harm.

"Sure, here." I smiled awkwardly, turning my hand and holding them out in my palm so that she could take them. Hesitantly she reached out and took them out of my grip, her fingers happening to brush against mine in the process.

A sudden painful jolt seared through my hand, the action causing me to yank it back and my eyes to widen. The feeling spread through my arm and straight to my heart as I automatically took a deep breath through my nose, a big mistake as I was suddenly made acutely aware that the amazing smell that was engulfing the room wasn't coming from the food. But the most important thing I would ever care about. The girl in front of me. The sixteen-year-old pregnant British girl. That in that moment became the most important thing that would ever exist in my life.

And this all happened in the span of two seconds.

My eyes widened a fraction more if possible as I realized what had just happened.

Crap.