AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Now that you put it like that, I do as well.”Carrie glared at him again.“You could have been killed.”
“It would have been on the recording too.”It hurt her that he was so cavalier about his own life, it seemed to her.She turned on her heel and left him there.Carrie could hear him calling for her as she left the room and headed to the exit out of the emergency department.
It didn’t take her long to get to the road.Still upset with Barkley, she cursed him and called the man every name that she could think of under her breath.When Barton caught up with her, she told him to go away.That she needed time to not just cool off but to burn off some energy as well.
“He’s upset.Not at you but that he’s upset you.”She told him good, then pleaded with Barton to go back to his brother.“I was told to stay with you, and that’s what I’m going to do.He doesn’t want you to meet up with the Cartwrights.They’ve not been arrested as yet that we know of, and even if he didn’t know who you were, he’d have seen that you were with Barkley and used you against him.If I were evil, that’s what I’d do.Please.I need to stay with you.”
She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Barton.Stress and anger made her cry, and she was doing so now.When he told her not to cry that Barkley would murder him, she asked him why he’d do something so stupid as that.
“He likes you, I guess.We all do.”Carrie said that she liked him and all the Strongs as well.“I agree with him on you being out alone.As I said, even if Michael got a glimpse of you while the two of you were together, he might retaliate by coming after you.I’m not saying that is going to happen, but in my experience, stupid people don’t think beyond what they want to happen.”
“Cartwright threatened your brother.”Barton nodded and said that the police had arrived when he’d come to get her.“I’m sorry that he sent you out.I’m sure you would rather be with him than out chasing some woman.”
“Nah.I love chasing women.”She giggled when he smiled at her.“Good, you can still see the humor in things.But Barkley was right in making him pissed off enough to have him threaten him.They’ll arrest them simply because of who we are.”
“The great Strongs.Are you all as wealthy as I’ve heard you are?”He shook his head and told her they were more than likely more wealthy.She stared at him.“You’re not kidding, are you?You’ve more than a few million dollars at your disposal, do you?”
“More like a few billion at our disposal.”He put out his arm so that she’d take it.But she was too busy thinking about what he’d said.“First of all, my dear friend, I’m happy that you didn’t believe that we were as wealthy as we are.It means that we’re not showing off what we have.My parents and their several generations back parents were smart businessmen and women.”She put her arm through his, and they made their way back to the hospital.“As a family, we’re extremely wealthy.But even as individuals, we’re still extremely moneyed too.I think that Jenson has the most with several billion in investments and money, thanks in part to him marrying Jade, who was wealthy before meeting him.Then Barkley.He’s always been the smartest with money.That’s the reason that he’s in charge of the real estate part of our wealth.He also does investments for us all that keep us able to use our money for things that we want.”
He continued telling her about each of his brothers and parents.Explaining to her that they had put wings on the hospital when it had been needed.Purchased items for other countries that had one thing happen or the other.Barton also told her that they each worked too when they could.
“Not work so much as volunteered.If we do get paid, the money is invested in whatever project that is near and dear to us at the time, and it works out for everyone.”Carrie asked about Jenson running for Congress.“Yes, he’ll get there, we hope.Since he’s been married to Jade, he’s had talks with our family about running for president in a few years.I can see the two of them being there for a bit.”
“You talk to each other about everything then.”Barton told her that they did.Simply because they want to make sure that we’re all on the same line of things so we have backup.“And if one of you disagrees about what one wants?What happens then?”
“Most of the time, we will do it anyway if it’s only one person.But we do listen to why they have their opinion.But if it’s more than that, the project or idea is set aside until things are thought through more.Usually, not always, but usually things work out the way they should be.”The police were in the cubby with Barkley, and when he saw her, he asked her if she was all right.Nodding at him, he looked so relieved that she felt her heart flutter.She wondered if her brothers would be that relieved if she’d been pissed off enough to hit one of them and then stalk off the way that she had.Probably not.
“We picked up the recordings that you mentioned.They’ve been gone over, and I have some of my best men, along with some agents that are in town, to go and pick the two of them up.They’re living in a house that we didn’t have a record of when we made it so that they’d not be able to get any money from their estates.That will be the best way of keeping them in town while we do research.As it stands right now, we’re taking a deeper look into what else we might have missed.”Barkley asked about the satellite that was being used for the property.“We’ve been lucky there so far too.While our local police station is not involved in that part of it, we have been asked to help with digging and such if there is a need.And from what I’ve heard and read in the morning reports, there will be some digging.”
Carrie didn’t know what that meant, but she was sure that someone would tell her if she asked.And she would.After the police were gone.Taking both hers and Barkley’s statements as to the threats that had been thrown at them, the police asked if they wanted to have a guard on his curtain while he was there.
“No.I’m going to be released soon, I hope.I know that I have a slight concussion, but if I behave myself at home, then I can stay there.”Carrie couldn’t help it.She snorted at the idea that he could behave himself.“I will.You’ll see.Besides, I think your brother Neal went to the airport to pick up the wives.This might take a bit longer than we had first thought.I don’t know about you guys, but I’m excited to meet the rest of your family.”
“Are you sure about this?I mean, they all have children.Robert and Dan don’t, of course, but they could get a call at any time to adopt.But Neal and his wife Paula, they have four and one on the way.”It was Barton that assured her that they’d be fine.“All right.But don’t say that you weren’t warned.They can be a lot when they’re all together like this.”
When she got a call from her brother Robert, asking her to explain to the family that he didn’t have a wife like the others, she told him that she’d do that.Where to start on something like that wasn’t anything that she was sure about.So as soon as she got off the phone, she told both Barkley and Barton that her brother was a homosexual.
“Okay?Did you think that we’d care?”Carrie told them that she wasn’t sure about people and her brother’s sexuality.“I can understand that.But really, it makes no difference to us.Nor do I think they’ll have any trouble with anyone in town.I’m not saying that everyone will be accepting, but for the most part, no one will care.”
“I hope not.I don’t want my brothers hurt.”Barton told her that he’d take care of anyone that said anything.“Robert and Dan can handle themselves.They’ve gotten used to hiding out in plain sight.But, as I said, I don’t want either of them hurt.”
“I’m sorry that they have gotten used to that.I can understand, too, that it’s not something that everyone can get behind.But I swear to you that he’ll be protected along with Robert.Frankly, it’s none of our business what the two of them do or, for that matter, who someone loves.”She thanked Barkley.“You’re welcome.And I was serious.If anyone gets out of hand, then you tell one of us, and we’ll make sure that your brothers don’t have anyone hurting them.That’s a promise that I can keep for you and them.”
She didn’t know what to think about that.People say things like that, being accepting of people when they’re only mouthing the words and not saying them to be honest.Carrie decided that she was going to wait and see what happened.Looking at the two brothers as they talked about Cartwright, she had a feeling that they were sincere about what they said and would actually make sure that everyone was all right.
~*~
Barkley was glad to be home.He was getting around all right.Having a headache wasn’t nearly as bad as he knew that it could have been, but he was home and not dead.Thinking about what Cartwright had told the police made him a little ill.The man did indeed have an evil streak in him.About as wide as the man was tall, Barkley thought.
Heading to the kitchen, he wasn’t surprised to find Carrie there with Dan and Robert.Dan was going through the cabinets, looking for supplies, he told Barkley since he was going to be cooking dinner tonight.Everyone was going to meet at his home so that they could have a nice meal and see the babies.They were going to be coming here tonight so that the wives could get a look at them.Whatever that meant to women, he thought with a laugh.
Since all of Carrie’s brothers had children, with the exception of Robert, Mom thought it would be a good idea if they each took a family apiece into their homes.That way, the children would have more room than they would at a hotel to run around and be kids.Also, since their homes were so close together, they could still see one another and talk.
“You had enough yet?”He asked Carrie what she meant.“Last night, I thought for sure you were going to run them off, but you didn’t.Today, you don’t look like you’ve slept a wink.Are you all right?”
“Yes.A terrible headache, of course, but I enjoyed the kids.I’m glad now that Dad and Mom put up the swing set this year, and the pool has been a huge hit for them.”She said that she’d been enjoying it as well.“I’m glad.I think that Jenson was afraid it would be too cold to use his.Which is fine.The one there has been ready to go since winter.I love a refreshing swim year-round.How about you?”
“I will take it when I can get it.”The two of them sat at the bar in the kitchen, and Robert handed him a large glass of ice water and two pain pills.“I’m going to just take one of them right now.I’m better at handling the pain, and I don’t want to be drowsy when the family comes over.”
