Kenton (3 page)

much about it.

“Apparently Emma Gentry isn’t dead, as we’d been told, and was in the building

when it blew.” Baldwin nearly screamed out his frustrations. Would this family never

fucking end? “So far they’ve not found a trace of her in the number of dead, and she’s

not on the injury list, either, that they can find. I don’t…someone saw her climbing out

of the sublevel of the basement just as the police arrived. I have a man on it.”

“How do you know it was my granddaughter and not some rat climbing out of her

hole after a night of fucking whatever had a dick?” Steward stood up and went to his

briefcase. Pulling out the file that was on top, he handed it to him. “What is this?”

“I told you several days ago that there was rumor that Emma was alive and hiding

out somewhere. We could never confirm nor deny that information, so you told me to

keep on it. I had someone follow her and she lives…lived in a poor neighborhood that

catered more to the people that her father worked with than his type of wealth. There

wasn’t any reason to believe that she was this person, due to her living conditions, and I

nearly tossed it away as just that, rumors. But then we got a picture of her just this

morning. I forgot until just this minute that I had it.” Baldwin looked at the picture and

felt his heart twist up in his chest. “They have some of her DNA that I’m running, but

so far I’ve not heard back. But the girl in this picture looks like your daughter

Anderson, doesn’t she? I don’t know why she’s been hiding out the way she has, but I

intend to find out.”

“Yes.” Baldwin looked at the blurred picture of the woman. Even with the poor

quality of the picture, he knew that it was her. “Call them up, rush it. I want to know

now.”

He looked at Steward when he said nothing. There was more, he just knew it, and

when he got the information, his well-controlled temper was going to detonate. He told

him to tell him.

“The ring was in the building.” The fucking ring. The motherfucking ring was there

and not where it was supposed to be. Which was with him. “Bart, the younger, took it

from the courier this morning. Killed him and three other men while they were en route

to us. He took not just the ring, which was the most valuable piece, but he also took the

money they were bringing here. I’m guessing that it, as well as the cash, was in the

building when it went up. I’m going to have his home searched, of course, but I’d not

hold out much hope. The kid, for all his stupidity, seemed to know just when to lay

low.”

“Why wasn’t I told about this before now?” Steward told him that he’d only just

found out too. “And how do we know that it’s him? And not some random fuck that is

going to die too?”

“He left you a note. Well, not you, but the person he was robbing.” Baldwin asked

him what it said. “It says thank you for the money, that he really did appreciate it, and

that when you sent some more this way for him, to make sure that you made the pick-

up easier, as in boxes and not suitcases.”

Baldwin was happy to know that Bart had no idea what he’d found in the ring. Few

ever would, and when he had all the pieces, he’d be the wealthiest and the strongest

man in the world. He had only to find all six pieces to make that happen.

The legend, one as old as the earth, had fallen in his lap some time ago and he’d

been searching for the pieces since. He and two other people, enemies of his, were the

only ones that had an inkling as to what the jewels were really for.

“Kill him.” Steward nodded and asked about the girl. “Her too. If she is Gentry’s

daughter, then she’s just as guilty for killing my daughter as the rest of them.” No

witnesses were the only way to ensure that he got what he wanted in this.

It hurt him to say that, almost as much as it had when he’d been told that his lovely

little girl, Anderson, had been killed when they’d thought she was her husband in the

car. But the entire family needed to be purged from the earth, and if he had to murder

his own flesh and blood to do so, then he would. When Steward left him, Baldwin

picked up the picture again and looked at it. It was as if he were looking at his little girl

again before she’d been pulled into the life of crime with her husband.

Anderson had been…well, willful didn’t begin to cover what his little girl had been.

She had a mind of her own, and damn the person that had any other opinion than hers.

Even he had butted heads with her from time to time, and had, in the end, decided that

it was easier to give in than to fight with her. That was how she’d ended up married to

his worst enemy. Bartholomew had been a thorn in his side then, and had been placed

on his list of ones who needed to die when his daughter had called him from the

accident she’d been in that night so long ago.

“Someone hit me. I think…I’m hurt badly.” He asked her who’d done it, his mind

not fully awake when the call had come to his home in the middle of the night.

“Bartholomew. Help me. I don’t know yet what’s going on, but I don’t want to die.”

Baldwin could hear the sirens then, the men coming to rescue his little girl,

knowing that it was going to be too late for her. She told him that she was sorry that she

couldn’t hang on for him. Then the line had gone dead; his little girl was gone from him

forever.

“Doctor McCade, there are two more patients to see you if you have time.” He

looked at his nurse and wanted to sob. He’d been working since four this morning and

it never seemed to end. “One of them is the Mason boy. He’s
fallen
again.”

Fallen. Of course he had. And his father wasn’t beating the shit out of him to make

him fall. Kenton told her to put young Jim in the room, and then told her to call child

services. It was well past time to do something.

“Tell them to come to the back. We’ll scoop him out that way. Who is he with this

time? Grandma or just him?” She told him Grandma was sitting with the child, Dad

was in the car. “Good. Tell her that we’re done and then show her to the other room. Is

she hurt too?”

“Black eye. I think she’ll about go with anything you want this time. I think she’s

had enough too.” Kenton nodded. Some people did not deserve what was given to

them. “What about the father? He’s here too this time, but not in the building as yet.

Grandma is holding onto the kid like he’s her lifeline.”

“I’m sure she knows that I’ve had about enough. And taking Jim to the hospital

would have gotten the dad arrested this time.” Kenton stood up and stretched, feeling

his animal move along with him. “Move them around, leave the rest to me.”

Kenton knew that this was going to end badly. He actually hoped that it would. He

was tired, his head hurt, and he wanted to go home. Calling out to his brother Jorden,

he asked him to come to his office. He knew that he was working on a piece of art and

would come if he asked. His brother shared a building with him but not a practice.

Jorden was an artist, and used the lower part of the building for his studio. Also the

upper level when the mood stuck him.

Jim Mason has been hurt again.
Can you come here? Give me a little help in the event I have

to murder his father?

Why don’t you just do it and do the world a favor? The bastard has been hurting that kid

since the day he was born. Just let go and take care of him.
He could hear the humor in his

brother’s voice, but was pretty sure that he was partly serious as well
. Where is the

fucking shit? Your office again?

Yes. He and his mother-in-law are here with him. I’m having Cortland put Jim in one office,

the grandmother in another. She’s been beaten too, I think.
Jorden said he was on his way.

I’ve called Children’s Services this time as well.

Good. I’m just outside your offices. Let me see what is up before you come out.
He told him

to go ahead.
Yes, the kid is hurting. Badly too, if his face is any indication. Also, I think

Grandma might have more than a black eye. She’s not breathing all that well. Do you suppose he

has been hurting her all this time too?

More than likely. He’s a fucking bully and taking it out on someone much smaller than him.

I will be happy when this is done. Maybe he’ll find him a nice friend in prison that will show him

what it feels like to have the shit knocked out of him all the time.

Kenton moved to the hallway to see where Cortland was taking his patients. He

listened as his brother spoke to her in the hallway just outside of his waiting room, and

then to Mr. Mason. Apparently the man was not happy with the turn of events. He

thought he should stay with his boy.

“Mr. Mason, you know that you can’t do that. I’ve told you before that Doctor

McCade likes to talk to his patients alone for a few minutes.” There were some

mumbled words, and Kenton walked into the waiting room just as Mason stood up.

The man puffed out his chest, but Kenton was still much bigger.

“You think you can just order me to wait out here while you put stuff in his head?”

Kenton asked him what sort of things he could put into his son’s head. “You know

what shit I’m talking about. How do I know you don’t tell him that you wanna have sex

with him or some shit?”

Kenton looked at young Jim. “You go on back with Cortland, Jim, and I’ll have a

talk with your father.” Jim looked scared, which Kenton was pretty sure he was. But

after reassuring him things would be all right, Jim went with his grandmother and

Cortland. Kenton turned to the piece of shit in front of him.

“You aren’t getting him back this time.” Mason—Kenton wasn’t sure what his first

name was—lunged at him, and Kenton shoved him back into the seat he’d been

occupying. Leaning over the fat man, he put his face right next to his and smiled. “Try it

and they’ll be taking you out of here in a body bag and not on a stretcher. I’m in a foul

mood, and would love to make sure that Jim and his grandmother are safe.”

“You think you know it all, don’t you? You fucking bastard. I want him back out

here now. You hear me? If you don’t, then I’m gonna say you kidnapped him from me.

And you can bet that I don’t think we’re going to be needing your services no more.

You’re gonna hear from my attorney too.” Kenton asked him if he could afford that.

“You don’t got no business asking me what I can and can’t afford. I know my rights.”

“Yes, I’m sure you do. But I know the rights of the two people in the other rooms.”

When Mason lunged at him again, Kenton let him. He knew that it was going to hurt,

but he also knew that whatever the pain, it would be worth it. He just didn’t expect the

knife that was stuck in his belly when he hit him.

As he fell back, he saw Jorden hit Mason. Whether or not he killed him was beyond

Kenton’s control right now. He was bleeding and hurting, and the man had done it.

Looking up at the person that said his name, he wondered for a second when Jorden

had changed. Then he realized it was a cop.

“Doctor McCade? Can you hear me?” It was on the tip of Kenton’s tongue to tell

him he’d been stabbed in the belly, not the ear when the man continued. “We’ve called

for an ambulance for you. And the other two as well. We got Mason in custody.”

“Good. I think he tried to kill me.” The cop said that was sure enough. “My brother,

where is he?”

“He’s calling your momma. I don’t think she’s going to be none too happy with you

either.” No, she’d be pissed was what she’d be. He’d promised her that he’d be safe

working at his own practice and not the hospital emergency room where he’d been

working before. “We’re taking you in now.”

He tried to tell him that Jim needed to be helped first, but he saw Jorden then. He

looked grim. Kenton asked him what had happened. He didn’t think he was going to

like that answer either.

“Mom is on her way. She said you’d better not die or she’s going to be very

disappointed in you.” Kenton told his brother he would be as well. “Yeah, well I’d

work real hard at not pissing Mom off any more if I were you. She’s pretty upset that

you lied to her.”

Kenton said nothing. He was working hard on not screaming like a baby. He

looked down at the knife that was still protruding from his belly and asked why he was

still wearing it. Jorden laughed.

“Because we told him not to remove it. We don’t know what it might be touching or

cutting into.” Kenton looked at the man standing over him and told his friend and

former colleague, Walker, hi. “Don’t
hi
me, you moron. You’re supposed to come to my

wedding on Saturday, not be laid up in the hospital with a knife wound that you could

have easily avoided.”