Blind Acceptance (2 page)

Robert watched his daughter wrap her arms around herself and tremble. He smiled.
She’s afraid.
“Your mother would have wanted for us to get closer.”

As he watched, a single tear trailed down her cheek. “I just want you to share something that’s important to me. I want us to do this together.”

Her head came up. “Then why did you bring Jeremy?”

Robert lowered his voice. “I’m going to make him do all the work so we can spend time together.” He sighed heavily when she frowned. “Look, with your grandfather dying, we only have each other now.”

Laynee bit her lip and then gave him a small smile. “Okay, if it’s that important to you, then I’ll try and stop complaining.”

“That’s my girl. Here, I got you one of those orange sodas you like so much.”

When she held out her hand, he gave her the small can. “I know the perfect place to camp tonight. We should be there in just a few minutes. When we get there, I want you to stay in the car while Jeremy and I set everything up. I’ll come get you after we get a fire started.”

“Fine by me.” She turned up the can and took a long drink.

Robert put the car in gear and maneuvered back out onto the road.

Twenty minutes later he turned off onto a narrow, dirt path and continued on for a couple of miles. He stopped, put the car in park, and cut off the engine. He turned to look at Laynee. “We’re going to get set up now, and I’ll come get you when I get a fire started. I don’t want you to get chilled.”

Her head rolled back onto the seat.

“Fine, just wake me when you’re done.”

Robert grabbed a bag off the seat and motioned for Jeremy to get out. He walked a short distance from the car with Jeremy trailing close on his heels.

Spring was just around the corner, but traces of winter still lingered. The trees had buds, but the nip in the air was sharp. One could still see the snow on the mountains in the distance. The two men continued to walk until they reached a small creek.

Jeremy picked up a small stone and tossed it into the water. “Is it done?” he asked.

“Yes. It shouldn’t be too long before we can move her.”

“What’s the plan?”

Robert turned to study the younger man. “Once she’s unconscious, we’ll carry her into the woods and leave her somewhere near this stream. She’ll be out for hours and won’t know when we leave.”

Jeremy tossed another rock. “What happens if she wakes up in a few hours and manages to find her way back to the road? She’ll tell people we were with her.”

“This area is notorious for bear and wolf sightings. With her unconscious, she’ll have no protection against the predators that live around here. Hell, we’re leaving her next to a main water source.”

“And if the predators don’t find her?”

Robert chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m hedging my bets.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Jeremy.

“Everybody knows you have to be careful when you’re camping and not leave food lying around because it’ll attract bears.” Robert lowered his voice.

“I’ve got a whole box load of food in the trunk to leave out beside Laynee’s sleeping body. That should guarantee the bears get a tasty dinner tonight.”

Jeremy shuddered. “What are we going to do until then?”

“We’re going to drive south for a half hour or more and then set up camp.” He walked closer to the flowing water.

“Then, late tomorrow, we’ll call the authorities and report my dear, missing daughter. The police will show up and search around our site, and then branch out. We’ll say she must have wandered off when we were fishing or something.”

He turned and went back to stand next to Jeremy. “It’s important that we make it look like we searched ourselves and then realized we were in over our heads.

By the time they branch out a hundred miles or so, they’ll find her body, or at least what’s left of it. Then problem solved.”

Jeremy glanced uneasily toward the car. “Are you sure this is the only way?”

“What’s the matter?” Robert sneered.

“Are you getting squeamish or changing your mind?”

“No, I don’t give a damn what happens to her as long as I get my cut.”

Robert pulled a beer from his bag and offered it to Jeremy.

“No, thanks. We really ought to stay sober until we’re out of here.”

Robert shrugged and took a long drink.

“None of this would have been necessary if that old fool hadn’t gone and messed everything up.”

“You’re talking about Winston Weathers?”

“Yes, my dearly departed wife’s father, now also dearly departed. The old fool went and left everything to Laynee.” Robert had married Alicia Weathers because her father was filthy rich and he’d thought he’d found himself a cash cow. But the old man had turned out to be pretty shrewd. He’d held onto his purse strings tightly, only helping out when they were in a pinch a time or two.

He’d allowed Alicia to get pregnant because he’d thought it might loosen those purse strings, but it hadn’t worked.

After the baby came, Alicia got more and more depressed, finally drinking herself to death when Laynee was only five years old. The only consideration the old man made then was to fork over the money to send the brat off to a boarding school, and she’d been there ever since. Up until yesterday, she’d worked as one of their teachers.

Jeremy asked, “Does she know?”

“No, I got lucky. She just turned twenty-one a couple of weeks ago, and the records still show me as her legal guardian. They ended up notifying me instead of her. I guess they figured with her handicap, she couldn’t handle her own affairs.”

Jeremy shook his head. “He really left all his wealth to her?”

“Every last dime, including his house, all his stocks and bonds, everything in her name alone.”

“How will you get your hands on it?”

“Easy. I’m her only living relative.

When I can get a death certificate on her, everything will be mine.”

“Her dying doesn’t automatically give you any rights.”

Robert chuckled. “She has a will that leaves everything to her dear, ole dad.”

“How the hell did you manage that?”

“When she moved back home from the academy, I had her sign a bunch of stuff to get her insurance, change her address, and leave her worldly goods to me. She just happily signed whatever I put in front of her. It was easy.”

Jeremy laughed. “You seem to have thought of everything. How much money is it?”

“That’s none of your damn business.

It’s enough to pay back the clients and give you your hush money.” Robert had been living above his means for quite some time, and had borrowed money from a few of the company’s wealthier clients. It had been just his luck for Jeremy to figure out what he was doing.

The little weasel wanted a quarter of a million dollars to keep his mouth shut.

“When you get your money, our relationship is over. I expect you to take it and disappear.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll want more money to keep this quiet?”

Robert laughed harshly. “No, because you’re part of it now. If I go down, then so do you.” He glanced at his watch.

“This should be long enough. I’m going to go check on her.”

Peering in the tinted window, he saw Laynee slumped over in the seat. He quietly opened the door.

“Father, what’s wrong with me?” she mumbled.

“Nothing’s wrong with you, sweetheart. You’re just tired. Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you.”

Reaching in, he picked her up, cradling her in his arms. Swallowing hard, he looked away from her puzzled green eyes. She looked so much like his dead wife he couldn’t stand looking at her.

Slowly, he carried her deeper into the woods. As he neared the creek, he spotted Jeremy pacing back and forth on the muddy bank.

“Get the box of food from my trunk,”

ordered Robert. Not waiting to see if he was obeyed, he looked around and spotted a tall tree with fallen branches near the creek. Moving swiftly, he carried her over and placed her on the ground among the dead wood.

Laynee’s head rolled back and forth, her eyes fluttering, trying to open.

“Father, please, help me,”

she whispered as she struggled to get up, the can of soda clutched in her right hand.

Robert smoothed his hand across her forehead. “Hush, Laynee. Everything will be all right. I’m going to get your tent set up, and then you can get some sleep.” She seemed to settle as he backed away.

Jeremy came over the hill carrying a large cardboard box. Robert motioned for him to put it down, and then tore open the top. He pulled out a large package of steaks and one of pork chops.

Quickly, he tore open the packages and tossed the meat around in the area where his daughter lay unconscious. He looked up at Jeremy. “That’s it. Let’s get out of here.” Without glancing back, they made their way back to his car.

Eric felt a chill right before the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. They’d just finished their dinner of hot dogs, chips, and colas. He frowned when David stood suddenly.

“Why don’t we take a run?” David asked. “It’s still early enough in the season we shouldn’t have to worry about running into any human campers.”

Eric sighed and nodded. It was probably his beast making him nervous.

It had been a couple of days since he’d let him out, and he didn’t like being locked away. He peeled off his shirt and glanced at David. The man was huge, over six and a half feet tall and at least three hundred forty pounds. The firelight made the white scars that crisscrossed his back gleam. He’d never been willing to talk about the marks, at least to no one in his adoptive family. Several visits to a tattoo parlor left an intricate vine with leaves across his shoulders and trailing down his upper arms. His dark-brown hair lightly dusted his shoulders when he pulled off the rawhide tie.

David turned his nearly black eyes to Eric and raised his brows. “What are you looking at?” Without waiting for a response, he shifted into a giant, brown, Kodiak bear. He stood nearly five feet at the shoulders when standing on all fours and almost ten feet when on his hind legs.

Eric smirked. “I’m thinking your fifteen hundred pound butt is gonna have to run to keep up with my wolf.”

The bear rose to his full height and growled, his hot breath ruffling the hairs on Eric’s head.

Eric laughed and pulled off his pants.

“Stay close to the camp, David. You’re a lot more noticeable than my wolf.” His furry half weighed around a hundred twenty-five pounds and was only a little over six feet stretched out. He could run around forty miles per hour, and that was what he needed tonight, a good, long run.

David growled again, shook his massive head, and began to lumber off into the woods.

Eric sighed and started his shift. The tingling along his spine had him closing his eyes as the magic began. Bones popped and reshaped as fur began to sprout from his skin. He dropped to his knees as his face elongated, forming into a snout. It took less than a minute to go from man to wolf, and it was not a painless experience. Still a small price to pay as the freedom of enhanced senses was exhilarating. He lifted his head, let out a haunting cry, and then raced into the woods in the opposite direction from David.

Eric had been running for about an hour when he scented smoke and the unmistakable smell of humans. Surprised there would be campers this time of year, he crept forward quietly. When he was close enough to get a glimpse of their campsite, he froze and licked his lips.
It’s the same men from the gas
station.
Quietly, he circled their camp and spotted the car with Minnesota tags.

Moving closer, he scented the air.

Maybe he could get another glimpse of the woman.

The men didn’t strike him as the outdoorsy type. One was older, with brown hair and eyes, dressed in a fancy pair of jeans and a pull-on sweater. The younger man seemed almost frail, with brown hair and really pale skin. The younger man spoke. “It’s been long enough for that sedative you slipped her to wear off. Do you think the bears found Laynee yet?”

Brown Eyes laughed harshly. “It might not be a bear that gets her. Could be wolves, or who knows what. They probably have bobcats around here.

Hell, we left her right by the stream and the local wildlife will be heading there for a drink of water soon enough. With any luck, they found her before she woke up.”

Don’t you feel just a little bit guilty?

She is your daughter. You must’ve loved her at one time.”

Brown Eyes glared at the young man.

“Just shut the fuck up.” He stood, walked over, and crawled into a small tent.

Eric felt his heart speed up.

Something’s happened to the pretty
woman. They called her Laynee. David
and I need to find her before she gets
hurt.
He turned around, not caring if he made enough noise to scare the fools, and raced back to find the bear.

Eric raced into camp, nearly running into his fully-dressed brother. He shifted quickly and grabbed his jeans. “That girl we saw earlier is in big trouble. She needs our help.” He spent a precious few minutes telling David what he’d overheard.