But he only shook his head and told the elderly woman that he was going to find her a
shoe that she liked. Anderson picked up a shoe with full intentions of bashing him over
the head with it when someone touched the back of her head.
“Move and it will be all finished.” Nodding, she moved back when the man pulled
her. “You have two options…well, one really. The other is more like a result. Death if
you don’t pick well.” Anderson started to turn around and ask him if this was a joke
when her daughter walked in. Emma told the man that she had it now. The gun,
because Anderson had no doubt that was what it had been, was suddenly gone. She
looked at Emma and tried to smile at her.
“I don’t know what that was all about. I just came in here for a pair of blue shoes.”
Anderson looked around and realized two things at once: they were alone in the store,
and Emma wasn’t where she should have been, at her own wedding and murder. “I
thought you were getting married today. I mean, I heard that today was the big day for
you. I was just here seeing about getting some shoes for my dress. For your wedding.”
Anderson snapped her mouth closed. She was talking stupidly and hated that. Not
having a clue what else to say, Anderson looked around the store for something to
point out, anything to bring the attention away from her and her babbling when Emma
answered her question.
“Why would you think that I’m getting married today?” Anderson had no clue. She
wasn’t sure at this point if Emma had ever mentioned her marriage before, or if
Steward had told her. Anderson was sort of lost as to how to continue. “I know about
the shoes, by the way. We’ve had your room monitored since just after you checked in.
Steward, by the way, is not going to meet my grandfather at the court house, for he’s
not going to be there either. And the gunman you hired to kill me? He’s been arrested
as well. The McCade family, my family, they’re all safe.”
Anderson tried to think. Laughing a little, she wanted to sit down and think her
way out of this. But Emma was there now, and she had no idea what was going on.
When Emma sat down Anderson wanted to run, but the ding of the little bell over the
door had her looking in that direction, and she saw Kenton standing there.
“I guess I was misinformed, about everything. I was going to surprise you by
showing up and seeing my only daughter getting married. I don’t know why you’d
think I would want to know why there…why my father hired a hitman for you, but I
really don’t care for your tone.” Emma said nothing, and that made Anderson nervous
again. “I guess I’ll be going then.”
“No, you won’t.” Anderson looked at the door and wondered if she could rush the
big man there. But when Emma laughed, she looked at her again. “He wants you to try.
To get by him, that is. Kenton wants you to try to get out of here so he can kill you now.
I have suggested that you’re not that stupid, but I’m beginning to wonder. Are you,
Anderson? That stupid, I mean?”
“Don’t call me by my first name, damn it. And what right do you have to keep me
here? I am your mother, Emma, and I expect you to straighten up and act right. I don’t
know what you’re talking about with that hitman and Steward—other than he worked
for my father. The nerve of some people. If you don’t mind, I’m leaving.” When Emma
didn’t say anything, she moved to the door. But before she could get to it, the man
there—Kenton—changed into a large dragon, complete with sharp scales down his long
back and tail.
Anderson fell back on her ass and stared at him. This could not be happening. She
knew about shifters, of course, but this man was a dragon—
a fucking dragon!
—and he
was standing right over her.
“Kenton said to tell you to stay right where you are or he’ll burn you alive. I’d do it
if I were you. He’s not in the best of humor where you’re concerned. We have a few
hundred questions for you, and you’re going to answer them for me.” Anderson didn’t
even move her leg, which was cramping up. “Grandda is on his way here too. He wants
to have a long conversation with you before you’re arrested as well. He’s not happy
with you either. I mean, what sort of sick fuck orders their perfume after they’re dead
and charges it to their dad’s account?”
“I couldn’t very well go back to the house and get mine, now could I? Besides, it’s
none of your business what I did or didn’t do. You’ll be dead soon enough anyway.
And what do you think I’m going to be arrested for, Emma? For being alive? No one is
going to care when they find out why I’m here now.” Anderson thought she’d ask her
why not, but she only stared at her. “I’ve had to run because your father was so abusive
to me. It was pretend I was dead or I would be. He was a monster. I mean, he even
knew where you were all that time, and he left you there to be abused by your own
brother.”
“Is that why you didn’t tell me? And so you know, Bartholomew knew that Bart
wasn’t his son. He wasn’t very happy about that either. He felt for some reason that you
weren’t worth even mentioning in his new will. I had a peek at it, so you know. That
man hated you very much for what you did to him.” Anderson looked at her father as
he stood there speaking to her. The big dragon didn’t bother him, but she had a feeling
that if she moved, he’d do just what he said he would. “You didn’t come to me and tell
me that Bartholomew was hurting you…why is that? You came to me about every other
little thing. Nor did you tell me that he was abusive to you when you were supposed to
be dead. Yet you lived in a house that he paid for. He kept you well dressed, warm, and
happy. I don’t believe that abusive part any more than I believe you to be a loving,
wonderful daughter. What changed in you, Anderson? What changed you into such a
bitch?”
“I’m still your little girl, and Daddy, I’m so glad that you’re here. You have no idea
how he treated me. I was so afraid of him. And he forbade me to go to you. I tried, let
me tell you.” She tried to move, but the dragon moved closer to her and she had to still
again. “Can you make him go away, Daddy? He’s frightening me. I just want to hug
you, but he’s keeping me from you.”
“So you can put the knife deeper in my back? Or did you think to pick my pocket
while you were at it? I have nothing for you, Anderson. Not one thing.” Anderson
wanted to ask him about his will but was actually afraid of the answer. “You are dead,
so there will be nothing once I’m gone either.”
That got her attention. He had changed his will, or if he hadn’t already, he would
soon. She sat up, no longer thinking about the dragon but of what this was going to cost
her if he cut her out now.
“You can’t do that to me. I have plans for that money.” Her dad said nothing as he
sat down next to Emma. “I suppose you’re leaving it all to her. Well, I’ll have you know
that she’s not going to get any of that either. I’ve taken care of things.”
“You mean the men you hired to kill the McCade family? Did you really think that
I’d not hear about it? That the men that you contacted wouldn’t have come to me when
they heard what you were doing?” Anderson asked him who had told on her. “Does it
matter? And then the icing on the cake was hiring someone to take me out too. That
really hurts, Anderson.”
“I didn’t mean for you to be killed, Daddy. You know that.” He only sat there, and
she sat up as well. “You have to believe me when I tell you it was all Steward’s fault. He
forced me into this.”
“Yes, I just bet he did. So you know, he said the same thing about you just before he
was killed. The amount of senseless murders nowadays is amazing, don’t you think? Or
perhaps, like you, he’ll come back someday. I’d not count on that, but you never know.”
She wasn’t sure of the tone, but at least he wasn’t telling her that Emma was going to
get it all. “I’m going to let the cops come in and take you now. I’ve seen and heard all I
want from you. More so really than I wanted, but I had to have closure as well. I do
hope that once they have you behind bars you’ll be able to see the error of your ways.”
“Daddy? You can’t do this to me. I need you. I’m your little girl. If you leave me
here with all this hanging over me, I’m going to go to jail. You know that they won’t
treat me right there. I need you to save me.” As soon as he stood up, she did as well.
And as she leapt on his back to drag him down, she tried to tell him he had to listen to
her. It never registered that he’d used the gun that appeared in his hand on her until the
loud pop sounded and the pain took her breath away. “Daddy? Did you just shoot me?
Did you…Daddy?”
Kenton stared at the file in front of him. He knew on some level that he should be
writing something in it, but for the life of him all he could think about was Emma and
what she was doing right now. The house, her father’s house, needed to be finalized,
and she was doing it alone. The way she wanted, but still, she was alone.
“You could go help her, you know.” If Jorden had been sitting there all along, he’d
not noticed until just then. “I know that she said she wanted to do this alone, but you
could just close up and go to help her. I would.”
“She pretty much kicked me out when I stopped by there on my way in here this
morning. She said that she had some demons to get rid of and she didn’t want me there.
She really hates it when I see her cry. I hate it, too, because it tears me up inside. But she
said she needed to do this.” He’d been hurt and had called his mom, who told him to
behave himself. That none of them knew what the poor girl was going through. “Mom
said that she needed this time to do this, too. She thinks Emma has been holding on to
her sorrow for too long and needs to get this done or explode.”
“Did you ever open the safe?” Kenton nodded. “Anything important in it, or just a
big box that he ordered?”
“Bartholomew thought it was funny on some level that Anderson would see it and
not be able to open it. He even hinted to the fact that she’d never guess the code, even
though she should have. The code was simply one through four. That’s it, just simply
the first four numbers. But he left Emma jewelry and cash in it too. Things that he said
that she should have that the government didn’t get a part of. Taxes, he thought, were
the ruination of the world. There were books too. First editions that he had bought in
the hopes of giving them to her for her birthday. I think, in a sad way, he knew that his
days were numbered even without the cancer being a big factor. He just didn’t trust
Anderson at all.” Jorden said it was a hard life, living the way these men did. “Yes, I
agree with you there. He also left her the deeds to several pieces of property that he
owned. Several of which you’ve been trying to buy up for a few years, as a matter of
fact.”
“Really? That’s nice. Do you think she will sell them to me?” Kenton shook his
head. “Oh well. I guess I can ask her if she can rent it to me for a while. Is one of them
the one on Basher Street? You know, I’ve always thought that place would be perfect
for my studio and place to live.”
“It is. Emma said the same thing when I mentioned that you coveted that place.
And she and I talked it over, and she and I are giving you the building.” Jorden started
to tell him no, but Kenton raised his hand up. “She will sell you her father’s home if you
want it. Cheap. I think that’s why she’s there today. She needs to put that part of her life
away for good. In fact, that was one of the reasons she wanted to get it done today, so
that I could talk to you about taking it off her hands. You will, won’t you?”
“It’s a big house.” Kenton nodded. “What am I going to do with a house that big? I
can barely fill the apartment I have now with stuff. And even if it is cheap, which you
say, I’m not a rich doctor like you are. My money is more…feast or famine kind of
income.”
Kenton knew for a fact that the reason his brother had never filled his apartment of
five years was because he wanted the building on Basher and was saving all his money.
The one time it had come on the market, when Bartholomew had purchased it, as it
turned out, it had gone for well over three million dollars. Then nothing more had been
done to it. Jorden’s plan was to offer the current owner, someone none of them knew at
the time, more than he’d paid for it, and Jorden had been saving for that day.
“She said that you can have a harem in it if you wish.” Jorden only smiled at him.
“There are three other houses that her grandfather owned, and two more that her father
left her. She’s going to give each of you a home. And if none of you want them, then
she’ll sell them off to the lowest bidder. She wants to finish it off. You need to do this
for her. She wants you to have the house and the building. She said that she owes you.”