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“I have this strange sensation someone is watching me. Maybe it’s because I’m out in the open. I’ve been hiding for so long. It’s nothing; forget about it,” I replied. Viper got up and walked outside. He came back ten minutes later.
“I didn’t see anyone, so maybe you are right. Still, I want to keep a close eye on you. Stay close to me.”
“Aren’t I always close to you?”
“Yes, but now I want you closer.”
“Okay, just remember you are the one who said it.”
11
Viper
I observed Bailey interacting with more family members, and it became evident that she was feeling overwhelmed.
“You’ll all need to wear name tags. I’ll never remember everyone here. Will all of you be at Steel’s home on Saturday? It’s going to be a blast. Uncle Joe mentioned Steel's parents were also going to be there.”
“I wasn’t aware they’d be here too. It looks like everyone wants to meet you. I’ll give them a call. Did he mention their arrival time?” Steel asked.
“He said they would be here today sometime,” I said smiling, I could tell Steel was worried about something.
“What? Today. They haven’t even contacted me to pick them up at the airport.”
“That’s because my Dad is picking them up,” someone chimed in, then looked around the table at her cousins, she said. “Did you all know that Viper and Bailey are engaged to be married?”
Bailey almost choked on her drink she was taking. I chuckled because she was lost for words.
We stayed there for another hour before everyone started leaving. “I’ll pick you up at eight for grocery shopping,” Steel said, looking at Bailey.
“Sounds good. We’ll see you then,” I responded, exchanging a glance with Steel. I noticed the smirk on his face and couldn’t help but chuckle.
We drove home in silence, and then Bailey turned toward me. “I’ll never remember all of their names. My goodness, I counted thirty cousins. How the heck am I going to remember their names?”
“You’ll get the hang of it in no time. It might seem challenging now, but soon, you’ll know all your cousin's names because now that they have met you, they’ll start showing up at your place whenever they want. That’s the way with family around here; they tend to drop by unannounced. They just pop in and say hello out of the blue.”
“Does it bother you that someone can show up whenever they want?”
“It didn’t use to, but now that I’m at your place, I wouldn’t want them to interrupt us while doing something important.”
“So we can’t just go home now and do something important because someone might show up.”
I reached over and took her hand, “Don’t worry; they won’t show up today. But they’ll start tomorrow, so we have the rest of the day to ourselves.”
“Great, I feel like cuddling with you right now.”
When we arrived at the cabin, Spartan was there, and I sensed something was up. “What’s happened?”
The Arizona police informed us that they found Donnie Turner in his burned-out house. He was unidentifiable. They conducted a DNA of the body and confirmed it was him. So you don’t have to worry about Donnie Turner anymore.”
“What? I don’t get to kill him. He’s dead. Why do I feel like he’s still watching me? I guess I should be happy he’s gone,” She turned to look at me. “Are you going home now?”
“No, I’m staying until we can confirm his identity through our DNA test on him. I won’t accept the word of a small-town coroner in Arizona. I have some calls to make. This country owes me, and I’m cashing in right now,” I said, looking at Spartan.
Spartan smiled as he replied. “That’s what I hoped you’d say. We have someone there already. This was too convenient, and he knew everyone was on to him, and suddenly, his house burned down with him in it. I doubt he was in that house when it burned down. We know his brother died in prison. I’m uncertain how this body shares the same DNA as Donnie Turner, but I don’t think it’s him.”
“I agree. It’s too convenient that this happened right now. Thanks, Spartan. I’ll keep my eyes open. Let me know when you get the coroner’s report on the other DNA.”
“Will do. I’ll keep in touch.”
