Reed: Bowen Boys (11 page)

“I think she’s a good one to have on our side.” Corrine nodded and put the container from the breakfast he’d had in the back of the limo in his lap. “I can explain.”

“I just bet you can. What did I tell you? What did I tell that cook? You are to be on a diet. I don’t want a—”

He kissed her. George had seen his sons do the same thing and had always wanted to give it a go, but hadn’t had the opportunity until then. When she moaned at him, he felt his old body stir to life. The groaning from the others in the truck had him pulling away. With a wink, he took his Corrine’s hand and held it. No more was mentioned about the food he’d been smuggled.

“You think Death sent them?” He looked at Walker, who was driving when he asked. “I don’t think so, but what do you think? Did they say anything about them?”

“Nope. I was out until she’d been hit. When I came out of the ride we were in she was being held by the bigger one and the other was beating her to shit. He did mention something about a job, but I didn’t understand him. You think she had something to do with him losing his license to drive that limo or some other bullshit?”

“He worked for the cable company until three weeks ago. Both of them did. The bigger man, Russ McCall, is the one that left her on her own when she was training as a lineman. The other man, Robbie Kline, is the one that lost his job for sharing information, personal information, about another employee, namely her.” Dylan turned in his seat to look at them. “He shared that she was making good money and that her being out as a lineman was a man’s work. I fired them both, as well as Agnes Wells. She was another of them that just had to go. I plan to see if Wells had anything to do with this too.”

“So this Death person, he’s not a part of this and is still out to hurt our girl?” Dylan nodded. “We have a plan? If so, then I’d like to be a part of it.”

George expected them to tell him no, he wasn’t, and at the very least his Corrine to tell him no, but Dylan nodded and his mate followed suit. The girl needed him, and damn it all to hell, he needed her too.

He loved all his daughters-in-law, but this girl, for whatever reasons, held his heart. Not because she’d saved him, but there was something about her that made him need to keep her close.

He leaned his head against the back window and tried to tell himself that he was okay, that he was going to be fine. But every time he closed his eyes, he could see her tearing into those men. Tearing into them like she’d meant business.

He supposed she had, too. It took something extra to tear a man’s head off with just one swipe of a claw, and she’d done it. Not only had she done it, but she had done so with the other man shooting at her.

Yeah, George thought, he was going to keep her around.

Chapter 11

Death read about the two men getting killed twice before he tossed the paper away in disgust. They were idiots, and now that they’d put the Bowens on heightened alert, there was no way he was going to just simply go in, get the girl, and get out. He had to think of something else. Dora came into the room just as he was leaning back, and he realized that he should have left a few minutes earlier.

“The phone is off.” He nodded, wondering what he was supposed to do about it. “And the electricity man said that we have seventy-two hours to get the unpaid balance paid or that will be off too. How can they just do that to us? And why is Kerry not doing her job?”

“Her job? I’m pretty sure she, like most people, thinks you should get up off your lazy fucking ass and find your own job. Why the fuck are you waiting around for her to do everything for you?” He pulled away from her when she stood up. “You’ll figure this out today or I’m history. I don’t need a bitch like you hanging on my shoulder. At least Kerry gets what I tell her and doesn’t fuck around.”

“You know she had to sell her stupid collection to get that money for you. If you’d pay her back, maybe we’d have—”

He backhanded her. It felt better than he’d imagined it would, and he hit her again. Pulling his wolf back was hard; he wanted to taste the blood that now poured from her mouth, and he wanted to kill her. Death actually thought about it, but Norman came in just then. Another sorry piece of shit.

“What have you done now?” He turned to snarl at the man and realized he was speaking to his daughter. “Haven’t I told you time and time again not to bother this young man? He’s our ticket, I think. Yes, he’s going to get us out of the shit hole and onto bigger and better things.”

“How so?” Norman looked at him. “How do you figure that I’d do anything for you? You’re as stupid as she is if you think I’m going to start footing the bills around here. Go find yourself another sucker.”

“But you’re going to bring Kerry to heel, aren’t you?” Death looked at him, ready to attack if he said the wrong thing. “Oh, I know you’ve been watching her. I even know that you’re not human. But I don’t care. Neither was Kerry’s mom, for that matter. At least her mother was a panther and her father…I’ve no idea. Is that what you want her for, her being a cat and all? Won’t do you any good. She won’t shift. Not ever, according to her mom. Said she didn’t have enough genes in her or some lame shit.”

“Kerry’s mom was a panther?” Norman nodded, and Death sat down. “Since when? And why the fuck didn’t you tell me this?”

“Since birth, I would imagine. And tell you? Why, you didn’t share what you were, so I thought I’d keep my little secrets as well.” He started to help Dora up off the floor, but then left her there. “She’s much too heavy for me, but I believe she’ll be fine in a few moments. Now, where was I? Oh yes, Kerry. Her mother brought her here when she was just a baby. I suppose I should have been more suspicious about them both, but my wife had just died and I had Dora to care for. I had no idea what to do with the baby, so the woman took over her care with her own daughter.”

“So she just told you?” He shook his head and laughed. “But you found out. How? And how did you end up with Kerry?”

“She…disappeared. And I’m not saying I killed her, but she won’t be coming back here. She changed when…when she was bleeding. I was scared of her and, well….”

“You did kill her.” Norman said nothing. “And me, how did you know that I wasn’t human? I know damn good and well you never saw me shift.”

“I have a friend at one of those labs. She was kind enough to tell me that your hair has canine in it. She said you were wolf, a werewolf. You can’t imagine how many pictures flashed through my mind when she told me.” He sat down on the couch and watched him. “Now, we are going to strike a deal, and with this deal I’m going to be a rich man.”

“You’re going to blackmail me?” Norman nodded and smiled. “And what’s to happen if I decided I don’t want to play your game and simply kill you?”

“You have no idea what I have on you, first of all. Then there is the added bonus that I’ve taken precautions. Very detailed precautions, you might say.” He pointed to the chair across from him, and Death sat. “You really didn’t think that I’m as stupid as I’ve led you to believe, did you? My daughter sadly is, but not me. I have prided myself on taking care of number one.”

Death thought he could easily kill the man, but for the moment he couldn’t. He had something up his sleeve and he would bet his last buck that it had to do with bilking money out of the Bowens. It had been his plan until the fuckwads had messed it up.

“I can get her here. For a price, mind you.” Death leaned forward and waited. “She’ll come here if I tell her to. Especially after what you’ve done to her sister.”

They both looked over at Dora, who was still out. He’d hit her pretty good, and her face showed it. He doubted very much she’d die from the wounds, but she’d be pretty fucking sore when she woke up. Death had an urge to get up and hit her again, but Norman continued.

“She’ll come here because you’ve lost your mind and hurt her. I’ve no way to get her to the hospital, and now that the phones are off, well, there is no way for me to call the hospital either.” He smiled, and Death waited. “You’d have to leave me your phone somehow. Then I’d call her and she’d come. Right away, too, I would imagine.”

“I’d just happen to leave my phone here. And how will that look? And who’s to say you wouldn’t call the police and tell them what I did?” Norman grinned again, and Death thought about how much he was going to enjoy tearing this man to shreds when the time was right. “You’re not giving me a warm and fuzzy feeling, you prick. What’s the plan?”

“Simple enough. I call Kerry and tell her you’ve nearly killed her sister and…and the hospital won’t take her because of unpaid bills. That should have her bringing money. Plus, I don’t have a way to take her. That way when she shows up, you can nab her and hold her until that man she’s staying with pays up.” He leaned back and looked entirely too smug. “You do like my plan, admit it.”

Death did, but he had to have something out of this. He looked at Dora again and wondered what she’d say when she woke. More than likely anything so long as she was taken care of. Norman would turn him in, but the man was used to others doing things for him, and right now he needed money more than anything. Besides, if they caused him problems later, he could always come back and use them in his hunting plan. He smiled for the first time since sitting in this chair.

“I’ll have to hit you.” Norman looked frightened. “No one is going to believe Dora and I struggled and she got my phone. It’ll have to be you, and you’ll have to take it like a man.” He stood and held out his phone and tried not to show how much he was going to enjoy this. “This is the way it will have to work. Especially if she’s beat to hell and all.”

“You’re not to hit me too hard, and not in the face. I pride myself on my looks.” Death shook his head, and Norman stood. “I guess you’re right, damn it. Well, I suppose there has to be some pain for all this. But first, how much do you plan to ask for her?”

“Ten million dollars.” His fist connected with Norman’s nose immediately. He’d checked himself at the last moment, forgetting for just that second that this man was human and could die if he wasn’t careful. Death leaned over the prone man and licked blood off his face.

“The better to find you later if you fuck with me.” He moved to the door, dropping the phone on Norman’s chest. Time to make tracks. But first he went to the man’s bedroom and searched everywhere, coming up with nearly four hundred dollars. The fucking bastard had been holding out on them. He did the same thing to Dora’s room and found a grand. Going to the living room where they both still lay, he smiled. He might have to bring them out to his new place anyway if this worked out. They were about as cold as he was.

~~~

“Her name is Letitia, no maiden name as yet. She was twenty when you were born, and she disappeared right around your birthday. Your actual birthday. The one on the certificate is incorrect. We’re pretty sure that Norman Stephens killed her.” Kerry looked up at Jack, and she sat down. “I’ve been trying to figure out your dad’s name and finally had to go to my source. Don’t ask.”

“Is he dead as well?” Jack shrugged. “Did he kill him as well?” Kerry looked over the notes that Jack had handed her and looked up when she didn’t answer.

“There is nothing about his death in the archives. It simply says ‘presumed dead.’ It’s the only entry in the entire book like that. Either it says what killed them or it says they’re alive. I don’t know why it says that.” Jack handed her a photo. “I did find this, however. I think that’s your mom there, and the man is your dad. His name was Olen Hendricks. His name is on the back, but I can’t read the other name. Could be anyone, I guess, but you look like her.”

She did too. Kerry could see her dark hair and her startling eyes. Even in the black and white photo, she could tell that they were as blue as hers were. She ran her finger gently over the picture and handed it to Reed, and took the other picture.

“That one is a little clearer, but not much more help. I found them in the back of the file. There are more pictures of panthers with the last name Taylor, with Stephens in parentheses, but those two are the only ones attached to your name. The older woman with them in this one looks like the man, so she might be your grandmother. She is deceased. Natural causes.”

“And this person that’s calling himself Death, have you found out anything about him?”

Jack told her to keep the pictures as she answered Reed. “Yes. He’s a loner. A wolf that doesn’t belong to any pack, and he hasn’t reported to the pack leader here. I would say he’s been here for a few months, maybe as long as a year, but not much more than that. He hooked up with Dora Stephens about a week after coming here. Not sure what the interest is, but it happened.”

Dylan laughed, and she looked at him. “You know something?” He shook his head and then nodded. “You do or you don’t? I’m just scared enough right now to take you on.”

“You’re a mean little cuss, aren’t you? Did Gilbert—because I refuse to call him Death any longer—has he ever made an advance toward you?”

Reed growled, and she looked at him. There was something so sexy about the way he would get all cat-like when he thought she had someone else. She nearly laughed, but Monica, who was in the other room, cautioned her.

He’s a little on edge right now, and if you give him the slightest reason, he’ll go out now and find this person and kill them. Then where will you be?

Not being chased? Not having someone kill me? I can list a dozen reasons or more to just let him stop this shit.

Monica laughed, then sobered.

And if he is a part of something bigger? What then? Will you continue to have Reed kill off everyone until you can feel safe? I have to tell you something, love, you’re never going to be free of these people until you know what they want. Trust me, I know.

“Kerry? Did he?”

She shook her head. She had a feeling that all of the women of this streak had had to deal with much worse than she had. She looked at Reed and touched his face. “I’m sorry. You’re being put through so much for me. I’ve never had anyone care for me as much as you and your family have.”

“It’s not hard. We love you.” She kissed his mouth and looked at Dylan. “No. He never did. Why do you ask?”

“Because for some reason, he didn’t try to date you. Instead, he went for your sister. Why do you think that is? You had what he wanted. The numbers, right? He wanted you to steal the credit card numbers of everyone and give them to him. That would have made more sense to have you helping him and not your idiot sister. There is something about you that…for lack of a better term, frightened him off. Much, I would assume, like the feelings we all get to protect you.”

“You think that even though he wanted her, he found some reason that he couldn’t have her?” She looked at Jack when she spoke. “I get it. Sort of like she has this shield around her that repels him and attracts us. But what?”

“I would imagine that only her parents would know the answer to that. But in the meantime, we have to figure out who, if anyone, Gilbert is working for. Because even though I think he’s incredibly stupid, someone has to be telling him what to do. He’s just not smart enough to do this alone.” Kerry got up to pace. “Do you know anyone? Anyone at all that he might have mentioned?”

She tried to think, but nothing was coming. She’d tried her best to avoid Death…or Gilbert…any time she’d been with her family. He’d rarely talked to her except the one time when he’d wanted the money. She’d had to….

She turned to the table with all of them at it. “I sold off all my eggs. He had a buyer that I spoke to twice. He said that he would give me a fair price for them, but he wasn’t going to give me their weight. Not their worth but their weight. Then a few months later, a man came to the house looking for Gilbert. He said that Gilbert owed him something, and he was there to collect his weight.” All of them were poised for his name, but she couldn’t think of it. The harder she tried, the more it seemed to slip away. She told them she couldn’t think.

“Come on.” She looked at Reed when he took her hand and led her to the kitchen. Camps was there, and he handed a bag to her and a basket to Reed. They were on the deck before she could find out what the hell he was doing.