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When he woke up, he was in a different room. There were three beds in the room, his sisters were in them sleeping and a big chair. He looked around the room, not entirely sure how he’d gotten in here, when he saw Mr. Gibb sitting in the chair next to his bed.
“I can talk to you like this if you want. Belle told me that you guys can talk to each other through a link as well.”Thad asked him how he’d gotten in here.“Your surgery went fine. You’re on the mend. The doctor said you’d need to stay here for a couple of days before he was ready to release you because of the infection. But you’re going to be just fine.”
Again the urge to cry rolled over him. Mr. Gibb sat up in the chair more and took his hand into his. He told him he was all right to be brave sometimes, but now he only needed to get well.
“Your mom is doing better too. They removed the bullets, and she’s resting. In the morning, they’re going to put her into a room where you guys can go and see her. She might not be awake fully, but she’ll be here for a few more days longer than you will be.”He asked where they were going to be staying.“I have a big house on my family’s land that you and your sisters will be able to go to. My family lives on a mountain that has been in our family for generations. I do want to talk to you about something. Do you know what a shifter is?”
“Yes.”He looked at the big man.“You’re one, aren’t you? All of your family—that’s why Mr. Mark said you were all magical. You’re a shifter too.”
“Yes, I’m a bear. A black bear. All of my brothers are. The reason that I’m asking you about this is that your mom is my mate. Do you know what that means?”He nodded, then shook his head.“She and I are like husband and wife. But I want you to know that I won’t ever harm her. Nor will I allow someone else to hurt her either. My entire family will protect you all with their lives.”
“Do you think that someone will—my uncle, Dave? He’ll come after us again, won’t he?”Mr. Gibb nodded.Then told him what he thought. “He won’t give up until he gets killed? You think he’ll be like that?”
“Money, especially free money coming to him with you guys helping, will make everyone greedy. Greedy men and women will go to great links, even killing someone related to them to get what they think they need or deserve.”Thad asked him how far he’d go.“I wouldn’t have to. I have a great deal of money, Thad. And in saying that, you and your family do as well. If Dave won every horse race from now until he’s dead, he’d not have nearly as much money as I do. I’m a very wealthy man. As are all my brothers and their families.”
“Mom said we don’t have two pennies to rub together.” He smiled at him and told him she wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore.“You don’t know my mom. She worries about everything. Even before we started running, we had some money. But she’d worry about a rainy day coming around. Sheesh, women are strange, don’t you think?”
“I’m not going to answer that. If your mom were to hear us talking about her like this, she’d brain us both, I think.”Thad laughed. It felt good. Also, like a weight as big as him had been taken off him.“All right, buddy. You need to get some rest. We’re all going to be staying here until you can go home with us. My sisters-in-law are taking care that your rooms are set up nicely and that you have clothing to wear for the next few days. After that, we’ll be playing it by ear until your mom is awake.”
Thad was asked if he wanted pain meds from the nurse when she came in. It was Belle that answered for him that he did. Then she and Maria climbed into the bed with him, and they snuggled up. Like they’d been doing since this nightmare began. Thad had never been so happy about having someone looking over them as he was right now. He thought they might be all right with Mr. Gibb and his brothers.
~*~
Dave looked at the two men that he had thought were following him. Turns out they were just as lost as he was. Moving slowly down the street, like there was any other way to move on this main drag, he thought about his next move. Then his mind, as it usually did about now, was back to where he’d shot his sister.
He thought that he’d gotten off two good shots at her. In his way of thinking, she should have been dead. However, he didn’t know. Because every time he called the hospital for an update, they’d tell him they couldn’t give out any information unless he had a code that was given out for patient privacy. So he’d had to make other arrangements about finding out what the hell she was doing still living. Not that any of his plans had worked so far. But he needed to get her out of the way. Anyway possible. Those kids were his, and he was going to take them as soon as he was able to kill off Maddy.
Surely, he told himself as he made his way through the hospital that she’d be on life support or something. But once he figured out she was on a surgical floor, he knew she’d been operated on. However, he could never get close enough to her room or what he thought would be her room because there were guards standing outside of it.
They wouldn’t tell him shit, either. Even after offering them a bundle of cash that he didn’t have didn’t even get them to say a word to him. It was like they were mute or something. Nurses either. It was like they knew he was there to check on his sister and kept their records close to them.
Today he was going to try and sound off a fire alarm. He figured everyone would leave the place, leaving the sick and bedridden behind to burn up if it were a real fire. But then he’d be able to get into her room, if it was hers and finish what he had started. As he got off the elevator, he noticed a woman standing there whom he thought he’d seen before. Moving by her, she said his name. Dave turned to look at her.
“You do know me, idiot. I’m the one that was there when you tried to kill off your baby sister.” He told her that he didn’t know what she was talking about. “Sure you don’t. Anyway, you’re going to have to think up another plan other than the fire threat. I’m afraid I’ve taken precautions that will not allow you to scare a bunch of people for no reason.”
“Again, I haven’t any idea what you’re talking about.” She only grinned at him. “You think you know something? Spill it so that I can think it’s funny too.”
“Okay. It’ll be my pleasure to let you in on a few things that we know about you. Your nieces and nephew have told the police what you were doing with them when you took them from their mom. Also, I know that you killed Nathan when he was trying to get money from your buddy Burney. Don’t you want your family to have the basic needs of a home to go to and food on the table? There are also ten unexplained but now explained missing people that the police in your town know that you’ve killed. Thanks to me, they know where their bodies are now too. Had you been able to kill Maddy, you wouldn’t have gotten what you wanted. It might interest you to know that your plan of them coming to you once their mother is dead isn’t going to fly. Not so long as I have breath in my body. And there isn’t any way that you can kill me. I’m immortal. Also, the kids won’t be going anywhere near you, I’m afraid. I have friends in high places that will stop you from going within five inches of them.” He looked around to see if anyone had heard her. “You’ll be happy, or perhaps not—I don’t really give a shit—that the Feds are after you too. I’m sure you know that not paying your taxes is against the law. Also, murder, but you’ve hit the big time with not paying on your ill-gotten gains by stealing.”
“Where do you get your information? Besides, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He looked down the hall where the guard was still standing in front of the door. “Do you suppose he’ll be able to stop me once I decide to go after my sister? Nothing will when I decide—and I will be the one deciding when she dies when I go after her. She’s too stupid to be living anyway. Did you know that she never once asked her kids for any kind of help with money? I’d be pushing that button daily to get some cash. But she had to stick her nose in where it wasn’t needed. My sister is a moron.”
“You think so? I know for a fact that she’s gotten the better of you several times now. For an entire month, you had to lay low until you healed up from the cut she gave you.” Dave touched the scar that he had on his cheek when Maddy had the audacity to try and kill him. “You should really have a look at the guard again, Davy boy. I don’t think you’re going to get by him with just a gun, do you?”
He turned to look at the man and nearly fell on his ass when he saw that great big lion that was there roar at him. Trying to back away from it as it took a few steps in his direction had him not just falling on his ass but nearly breaking his neck when he tried to crawl behind the nurse’s station to hide.
Davy closed his eyes. He’d been doing that since he’d been a kid now that he thought about it. When danger or his father was coming after him, he’d close his eyes. He’d be smarter. He’d tell himself every time if he was able to see how close the danger was, but nope. He could never get his eyes to stay open.
“You can come back out now, Davy. He’s a man again.” He asked her how she’d done that. “To use your phrase, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Dave stayed right where he was until he heard her laughing. As it faded away, he realized that there was no one at the desk. Nor were there any others around on the floor. Standing up, he looked around for files but all he found were notes, all of them with his name on them, calling him a murderer.
Thinking that he’d pull the alarm anyway, he was ready to pull the white bar when he felt a gun at the back of his head. Turning slowly, with his hands up, he saw that he was alone and that no one was behind him but the lion guard. Turning back around, he touched the bar this time. A sort of shock, like he’d touched something metal washed over his hand. Then damned if he wasn’t blown across the room from a bigger electrical shock. It pitched him back hard enough that he blacked out for a couple of seconds. Mother fuck, it hurt to hit the wall that hard.
No matter how many times he made his way to another fire alarm, he couldn’t touch it without being tossed away. Even using pencils or pens, gloves even that he found wouldn’t keep him from getting hurt. Damn it all to hell and back. That bitch was going to pay for what she did to him. Then he heard her laughter
“You’ll be thrilled to know that I’ve been looking through that tiny mind of yours. Speaking of which, you have a tiny dick too. Several women have told you that over the years, haven’t they? Poor Davy of the tiny peter. I would almost feel sorry for, well not you. A big dick is essential when trying to have a good time between the sheets, as they say.”He asked her where she was.“Like I’m going to be telling you anything like that. You really are a moron, aren’t you? But as I was saying, I have a lot more information about your misdeeds than I did before. I’m making a list and having the police check on them. They don’t even care that they’re years old. They’re so happy to have the cases closed that they could—well, they won’t kiss you. Not with me telling them the things that you’ve done. “
“You have nothing. You’re a liar.”She laughed, a sound that he was beginning to loathe. Then she told him how he’d killed his parents.“So what? No one cared about them. No one even showed up at their funeral.”
