Jade (Rare Gems Series) (11 page)

“Bastard.”
A notion that Quentin agreed with wholeheartedly and told Diamond that when she spoke. “And now he’s out of prison. Do we have any idea why?”

“I do.”
They all looked at Jade. “I’ve been looking into it. It seems it really was a mistake and the prison system is doing everything they can to make it right. Your father’s social ends in seven three nine four. The numbers of the man they were supposed to release were seven nine three four. They transposed two of the numbers and didn’t catch it. When I called them back, I found out that prior to his untimely release, there have been five total that have been released under the same mistake, each of them done by the same person.”

“Well I hope to Christ they fired this person.”
Jade shook her head at Blair. “Don’t tell me they gave them retirement and let them go without even a smack on the wrist? That would really piss me off.”

“Everything pisses you off, love.”
Sapphire kissed her husband on the cheek as she continued. “Hush now and let her finish. Can’t you see she had the whole story?”

“No, he’s been fired until
an investigation can be performed and does not get paid. It’s the deal that Quentin and his lawyers worked out. If no one is found to be guilty of purposely letting these prisoners out, then he and the other families that have been victimized, as well as the prisoners that weren’t released, won’t sue.”

Blair looked at him and smiled.
“I’m impressed. Way to make things work for you. This way they’ll find him quicker by working harder and you don’t have to do all the leg work all by yourself. I think I’m going to like having you as a brother in arms.”

“Speaking
of which.” Quentin walked toward Jade and dropped to his knees in front of her. “I’ve wanted to do this for several days now, but I’ve been sort of looking for the right ring. It’s been my mission to give you something that symbolizes what I feel for you.”

Angie walked up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. He’d asked her if this was okay with her and she had a lot of questions
, most of which centered on having a mom and maybe a sister or two. “No boys,” she’d told him. “They stink.”

“I want you to be my wife
, and Angie would very much like for you to be her mom. She’s not had one really and is excited to see if you’ll do okay.” He winked at his little girl when she laughed. Then he turned back to Jade and held out the ring. “Will you marry me?”

The ring really had been something he’d been looking for. The smooth oval
-shaped jade was surrounded by a dozen diamonds and held on a wide gold band that he knew would look lovely on her finger. The matching band wasn’t as wide, but it did have all their initials inside the band, including Angie’s. He looked at Jade’s face and saw that she was crying.

“It’s beautiful.
And I’m not going to ask you if you’re sure. You must be if you went to all this trouble.” He slipped it on her finger and it fit just like he knew it would. “I love you, Quentin.”

“And I love you as well.
You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” She nodded and pulled Angie in for a hug. “We’ll get married as soon as this can be arranged.”

Quentin sat on the couch next to Jade and Angie as Blair talked about some of the
precautions he’d been working on to keep the family safe. He’d taken his advice and hired a few body guards, as well as armed a few of the wolves that worked the property at nights. Blair was very good at being an alpha of this family, and Quentin was proud to be a part of it.

“And I have an
announcement to make as well.” Blair stood up and pulled Sapphire with him. “We’re going to have a baby. I’m sure most of you know already, but we wanted to have a little time to ourselves about this, so we sort of kept it to ourselves. It’s…you’ve no idea how happy I am.”

Quentin laughed when everyone pulled gifts from every corner of the room and presented them to the couple.
Even Angie had one that she laid on the top of the growing pile. When she stared at Sapphire for several seconds, she finally spoke in a low frightened voice.

“Uncle Roger said that
girls would whip their babies. You won’t do that, will you, Aunt Sapphire? You won’t whip them, will you? Even if they’re bad?”

Sapphire pulled her into her lap.
“Did he say whip or whelp, honey? Because there is a big difference.”

Angie seemed to consider it and frowned
, then looked at him. He could see her mind working through it, and when she smiled, he knew that she’d gotten it worked out. “He said whelp. I thought he was saying something mean, but that’s not mean, is it?”

“No
, Angie, it’s what our kind does when we have children. We whelp them.” Sapphire looked at him before continuing. “She is aware of what we are, right?”

“Oh
, I know what you are. You’re a wolf like my uncle. But you’re not really. He’s big and scary and comes into my room when he watches me, with Debra, and he turns into a wolf and snaps at me if I don’t do what he says.” Quentin started toward her when Jade stopped him. Angie didn’t seem to think what she was saying was all that bad. “One night he came in the room and said if I told Daddy he was there he’d come back and tear my arms off and eat them. But I locked my door after that. Then Jade came along, and I didn’t have to be watched by him again.”

Quentin was going to kill his brother.

Chapter 11

Roger moved a good deal slower than he did before being shot, but he was feeling better daily. He was just sitting at the table thinking about the dream he’d had about Debra and the strange feelings he had about her being dead. When someone knocked on his door, he moved toward it only to have it explode open, and a man holding his dad about a foot from the floor came in. He was holding his dad like he weighed nothing.

“What do you want?”
The man dropped his dad, who lay there without moving for several minutes. When he started coughing, Roger looked at the vampire who dared hurt what was his.

“Sit.”
The man raised a brow at him when Roger only stood there. “This will go a good deal better for you if I don’t have to hurt you, too. I’ve wasted enough time just trying to find you. I won’t let you help me get to your brother if you don’t simply fucking do as I tell you.”

Roger helped his dad up first.
Then when he had a drink of water and was sitting, so did he. The man might be this bad assed vampire, but this was Roger’s home and—

“How the hell did you get in here? I
didn’t invite you.” He nodded toward his father. “This is my place, not his.”

“But he doesn’t feel that way.
Are we going to have to have a fight about how I can do pretty much whatever the fuck I want, or are you going to shut the fuck up and listen? I don’t have all night you know.”

If it was supposed to be a joke
, Roger didn’t think it was all that funny. His father was wincing every time he swallowed, and this asshole had yet to do anything more than piss him off. He glared at him.

“I’m Kent Ballard
, or at least that’s what I go by now.” He grinned as he pulled out a chair and straddled it from behind. “You know Jade Erickson. She is the fucking cunt you’re going to help me get.”

“Why?
Debra is the one you have to talk to about her. She hates the girl.” Roger thought again about the dream he’d had and wondered briefly if she was all right. “Have you talked with my mate?”

“Oh yeah, we did a little talking
before I made a nice meal of her and her lovely body.” Roger started to stand but was frozen in place. “You’ll sit down or I won’t tell you what a fine piece of ass she was.”

Roger fought it but in the end had to sit.
Draining his strength fighting this bastard now wasn’t going to help him if he attacked them. Roger asked him what he knew about his Debra.

“Your Debra?
I think not. At least not when she came to me. She said you scammed her about a house you left a dead body in. One she was sure you’d fucked.” He winked at him. “Not that I blame you on that. Pussy is pussy, right? Anyway, she mentioned that she was pissed at this bitch because she took her man. I’m guessing she wanted him because of his money.”

“He’s my brother and he’s been fucking me over for a long time. Dad too.”
Which wasn’t really the truth—not even close—but what the fuck did it matter now really? “I want him before he and that fucking cunt Erickson whelp a brat and I get nothing.”

“You think you should have it all?
Well, not going to happen now. I want my part, which isn’t going to leave a great deal after I’m finished. I’m very selfish like that.” He leaned his chin on his hands that rested on the back of the chair. “I tell you what. If you help me get Jade and all in one piece, I’ll let you kill off the brother. I have no use for him, and as far as I can remember, he’ll be willing to give up Jade without much of a fight. She’s a lousy lay, and I can’t stand her.”

“But yo
u want her?” Kent nodded and smiled. “I don’t understand. If you don’t want her for sex or for herself, what the fuck are we doing here?”

“I never said I didn’t want to fuck her
. I said she was a lousy lay. And let’s just say she’s the one that got away and I need to rectify that. As soon as possible as a matter of fact.” Kent stood up and stretched before continuing. “I want you to find her and bring her here. I’ll do the rest. I don’t care how you do it, but do it.”

“And if we don’t?
Then what?” Roger wasn’t prepared for his quick move. Before he could finish the implied threat, he was lifted up off the chair and dangling from the vampire’s hand in seconds. When he pulled him to his throat, Roger had a moment of panic. Then nothing. The last thing he heard before the darkness took him was his father screaming.

~~~

“This is a Fowler’s Toad. See how his vent is long? Their dorsal colors are brown, tan, gray, or light green with a series of dark spots along their back to their groin. Their chests are white.” Jade pointed to the little girl in the front who raised her hand.

“Where do they live all the time?
And how do I help them when I find them?” Typical question for a child, but not usually from a girl. Jade laughed.

“You really shouldn’t
help them because studies have shown that their numbers sadly are beginning to decline. We need to preserve what few we have left so that our next generations can enjoy them. They’re a wild animal like all the other creatures that live out in the woods and surrounding areas. But they can be found most anywhere. They don’t mind the open air and can be found not only around rivers and streams, but in barns as well as in your yard.”

Each child got to see the small frogs as they sat and honked at them.
As they moved deeper into the forest, she saw two wolves running with them, but they never encroached in her area. She knew that they weren’t the usual kind of wolves, but ones that would sit down with their families later tonight and watch television afterward. She steered her group to the next area.

By the time her hour with the group of Junior Rangers
was finished, she was glad to sit down. They always made her day, younger kids wanting to know just what was going on in the woods behind their home or in the parks, but their endless questions made her head ache. She was still sitting in the lounge when one of the other rangers came in.

“You have a man at the desk that wants to talk to you.
He said it’s important.” Jade nodded and started to stand when the woman continued. “He looks like someone knocked him around a little. Hard to believe that someone would tangle with a guy that big.”

Jade paused before standing.
She had no idea who it might be but feared it might be Roger. Cautiously, she sniffed the air and found that while there were too many scents in the room to really help her, she still believed it to be Roger. Moving slowly to the door, she peered around the slightly opened door to see. Still nothing. Taking a deep breath, she moved into the open lobby and saw him standing about ten feet from the door.

“What do you want?”
Startling him, he turned to her, and Jade had a moment to wonder if he’d even tried to heal himself. “You’re being hunted by all kinds of agencies as well as a few wolves I know, but here you stand. So again I ask you, what the hell do you want?”

“I’m here to take you back with me
, but I think there are too many witnesses around for me to try that.” She looked around and saw that they were the only two in the room, then looked back at him. “I’m working with a friend of yours, and he seems to think you’re the one that got away.”

Kent.
Her mind screamed at her to run but knew that it was impossible for Kent to be here during the daylight hours. Lifting her chin, she glared at Roger and waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, she noticed that he had an envelope in his hands. Almost as soon as she saw it, he dropped it on the floor and nodded at her.

“My father is dead.
Your friend said that it was his payment for all the problems you’ve caused him. I’m not sure what my father had to do with the issues between the two of you, but he’s dead all the same.” She started to tell him she was sorry for his loss when he cut her off. “He’s going to get the brat too and make her like him. I don’t like the kid all that much, but I’m thinking she’ll make a great monster.”

His head shaking was in direct opposition
to what he was saying. She had a sudden thought that he was terrified and only doing as he had been directed. When she nodded back at him, he seemed to sag with relief.

“Is De…my mate, is she dead?”
She nodded at his very softly spoken question. “Did he…was he responsible?” Again she nodded, and he looked away from her.

“Your brother was with her.
She told him who had hurt her.” Roger didn’t say anything, but she could almost feel his anguish. “Do you need help?”

His laughter was bitter.
“I’m beyond that now, I’m afraid. I’ve no way to escape him or ever be free of him. He’s taken what he needed to find me, hear me. If I speak a name, he will come for me. I’ve…I’m as good as dead.”

Jade almost felt sorry for him.
He was going to die. And while she didn’t care for the man, he was still her future brother-in-law. When he turned back, he nodded toward the envelope, and she leaned over to pick it up as soon as he turned his back. She had a feeling that what Roger said was true; Kent was able to see what he did and said, so she quickly hid it behind her.

“I’ll be back for you. Mark my words that when I come
, I’m going to take you to him. It’s out of my hands.” She nodded at his back and then told him she’d be waiting for him. “Convert him.”

Roger walked out the door before she could ask him what he meant.
When he was out of her sight, she pulled the envelope out of her back pocket and looked at the front. It was addressed to Quentin. Going to the back room, she gathered up her things and headed for the door. She was in the parking lot when her cell phone rang, startling a small scream from her.

“I wanted to know if you’d like to get dinner in town.
Angie is staying at your sister’s house, and we have a free night. I’ve rented us a room.” She felt her body respond to Quentin’s sexy voice, but it was overridden by fear. “There are so many things I want to do to you. First of which is drink from your pussy. I’ve not had a lot of time at that one feast.”

“I need to see you now.” He laughed. “I have something for you. Something that will…Roger was here today.”

The change in his voice was immediate. “When? Did he hurt you? I’m coming there right now. Stay inside and wait for me.”

“He gave me a message for you.
Roger also said your father was dead.” She could hear a sharp intake of his breath and her heart broke for him. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m coming to you. Could you please stay there until I get there?”
She told him she would. “I’m going to contact Sloan. I’d like…I’d very much like you to consider doing what he asked. I know it’s going to be hard for you and I’d like to think I can protect you at all costs, but I’m thinking I can’t. Not as a human.” She heard a car door shut and wondered if he’d drive while this upset when he answered her unspoken question. “When the driver pulls up, I’ll come inside to get you. Please, just stay where there are people.”

Jade moved back into the building and to the break room.
“I’m so sorry about this. I think…Roger said that I should convert you. It was his last words to me before he left.”

“I believe he’s correct, don’t you?
I will be stronger too…fuck, I don’t know what I can do, but being able to be as strong as you will at least give me a fighting chance.” She agreed with him. “I’m in love with you, Jade. So much so that my heart aches to think that you’re in danger.”

“We’re both in danger.
And we have to protect Angie, too. Roger mentioned that Kent was going to hurt her as well.” She heard him cursing and knew just how he felt. “We’ll do everything to protect her, Quentin. I swear to you that nothing will happen to her.”

“I know you’ll try
, but I’m still scared out of my mind to let her out of my sight.” She heard him tell the driver something. “I’m going to be there in ten minutes. I think we should go back to the house and try to work this out. I want this over with, don’t you?”

“More than you can think.
” She sat down on the small couch and tried to think after hanging up with Quentin. He said he wanted to contact Blair as well as Donny. The man was going to be following her everywhere now; she just knew it. When Quentin came into the small break room, she was still seated and he pulled her up from the couch only to pull her tightly against his body.

“I love you.”
She nodded and let him hold her, loving the feeling of him so close. “I’ve contacted Sloan. I know you never answered me, but I have to at least try and protect you both. You’re all I—”

“I agree. I’ll let him bite me.”
She shivered and Quentin pulled her tighter against him as she thought of fangs biting into her flesh. “I also think it would be smart of us to have him do the same to Angie like you said. Kent will go for her and he’ll hurt her if we…Quentin, Roger said that Kent was going to change her into a vampire. If he does, she’ll never grow up.”

“He’ll touch her over my dead body.”
Not words that made her feel good, and she told him so. “I’m sorry, love, but I can’t stand the thought of this prick doing anything at all to you or our daughter.”

Her
heart blossomed when he called Angie her daughter, too. She already loved the little girl like her own and wanted to protect her as well. She let him snuggle into her neck, knowing that he’d find as much comfort there as she did when he touched her.