Page 8 of Dallas

“Why did you hide out? I keep coming back to the fact that you seem to know a great deal about law. Now that you’ve explained that to me, I think even more you had other plans.” She told him it really was being in the spotlight all the time. “There is something that I can relate to with you. I don’t like being the center of attention about things, either. I will if I have to, but I’d just as soon not have my name or face out there.”

“Yes, that’s me. But now that this is all coming out about Carol and Jamie, I think he’s going to need me there for him more than ever. Jamie is an attorney too and will take on some trials if he finds something that interests him, but usually, he’ll just help someone on the sidelines.” Dallas moved to the China cabinet that was along the entire wall of the room, filled with the most beautiful, delicate pieces he’d ever seen. “Those were my grandparent’s first dishes they got as a wedding gift. Grandma added to it as she found pieces of it and had collected the entire set before she passed away. She gifted it to me in her will, along with the house and the contents. We can change them out if you wish.”

“No, please don’t do that. I love them.” She nodded and sat at the largest table he’d ever seen. He sat down next to her and reached for her hand. “What else is in this house that you love? Are there any particular rooms that you want to keep just the way that they are? I know we’ve not seen the upper floors yet, but we can talk too if you want.”

“My grandda died in the master bedroom. Would it bother you to stay in there with me? I mean, the mattress is gone, of course. I don’t think any of the beds have mattresses on them anymore. Also, there is a staff too who lives on the property. We’ll need a cook, of course. I don’t cook.” He told her that he did. “Good to know. Do you want staff here? It’s a huge house.”

“Yes. Simply because we both work. And I’d hate to be tied up in the kitchen if family arrives. What are you avoiding?” She started to stand but only turned in her chair before speaking. He didn’t rush her but waited until she was ready.

“As I said, I have a room here. What I didn’t mention was that it’s a suite of rooms. All the bedrooms are like that. The master is the largest suite. Then there are seven other bedrooms here that all have a bathroom, walk-in closets as well as a kitchenette. Grandma loved the fact that someone could enjoy a snack if they wanted. Or a nice hot cup of tea. The back bedrooms have a balcony that has a nice view of the backyard. Also, back by the butler’s home, there is a good sized garden that can sustain the house with fresh vegetables when in season.” She turned to him then. “I like you, Dallas. I didn’t know what I’d think about you when I first met you, but I do like you now. I don’t love you yet, but I can feel myself falling for you. Is that weird that I feel that way with only knowing you for such a short time?”

“No. I’ve fallen in love with you over the last few days. I think that it’s in my DNA as a shifter gorilla to fall quickly, but it’s more than that. I feel like I’ve been waiting my entire life for you, and now that you’re here in my life, it feels like I’ve completed myself.” He grinned at her. “I don’t think I’m saying that right. But I have fallen in love with you.”

When she nodded, he watched her face. She had such a lovely face, and he wanted to be able to stare into her deep blue eyes for the rest of his days. He heard the crunch of gravel from the front of the house and told her they were about to have company. He stood up when the front doorbell, a lovely tune that he’d heard long ago, began to ring.

“It’s more than likely my parents. Jamie, too, I’m thinking.” When he answered the door, it was her family. His parents were pulling in just as Amy joined him at the door. They were all carrying in bags of food from local places. “I guess we’re going to be having dinner here, it looks like.”

They did indeed have a feast. About halfway through dinner, the butler, Mr. Armstrong, and his wife, the cook, joined them. Not to eat, they said that it wasn’t proper, but they did tell them that they’d heard that Amy was coming here and had looked into getting some staff gathered up. Mostly family of the Armstrong’s, but he was happy with the extra hands. He had a feeling that there were going to be people coming and going all the time that they lived here.

The meal was enjoyable. There was no political talk, nor did anyone talk about their jobs, the mess that was coming with Carol, or any bad news. It was like that at his home, too, when the family got together. It was good things, questions about the day, as well as whatever the family was doing with their free time. Dallas had to laugh a little. There was very little free time in his family since they’d all grown up and gotten well-paying jobs.

After they all left them again, it was nearly midnight. The rooms, all the bedrooms, had been dusted, and the bed measured, they’d been told. Linens, a great many of them as it turned out, were put into the bathrooms to make it so that they could take a shower. Dad had brought them a couple of air mattresses so that they could sleep there if they wished. Also, Mom helped Mrs. Armstrong set up the ordering apps for the kitchen as well as the household. All in all, it had been a very productive visit. But all he wanted to do was go to bed. His body couldn’t stand up, he was so exhausted.

Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow that had been unearthed, he was wide awake. He blamed it on the fact that he was just too tired, but it was also a new place, as Amy was too far away for me to make sure that she was all right. Instead of just lying there, he got up and made his way to the yard. The pool had been uncovered tonight, too, and he just wanted to take a swim to wear him out mentally.

“Hello.” He was startled to hear Amy’s voice and smiled at her when he was able to make her out in the dark corner of the porch. “Couldn’t sleep either, I guess. Too much going on. I’ve been out here making a list, and then I saw you. Are you all right?”

“I am. Yes, I have too many thoughts going through my head right now to get any kind of sleep. What sort of things are you making a list about? Something that I can help you with?” She handed him the notepad, and he smiled at some of the things on it. “It says you’re picking up your birth control. Just so you know, like all shifters, if you’re in heat, breeding, or whatever you want to call it, birth control won’t work. I don’t know why, but if you want to get pregnant right away, then we should talk about that before it happens. But I do like that you’ve added things like the pool house being stocked with snacks. I’m always hungry after a good hard swim.”

She made a note before speaking. “I don’t know anything about children. And less than that about shifter children. I haven’t in all my life babysat. I do take Jamie’s kids for the night, but they were past the diaper stage before that happened.” Amy leaned back on the chair she was lounging on. “I don’t know what I want to do about waiting or not of kids. We do need to talk about it, but…I guess that’s a conversation we need to have soon, but not tonight. I don’t know that I can make a good decision right now.”

“All right.” He looked over the backyard before speaking again. “I don’t know that I’m happy with the security that you have here. I mean, actually, there isn’t any at all. I would imagine that we’d need more if your brother and family came to visit us. My family wouldn’t care, as you know, we can protect ourselves pretty well. What do you think?”

“Nothing. I mean, nothing about security. Speaking of security, my dad called me just before you came out. He had left a file in the office you were working in that is about Carol and what brought her to be a part of the government witness protection program. She really did testify against some pretty big hitters. They were her parents. Have you ever heard of the name of Lansky?” He turned to look at her when the name brought up all kinds of articles that he’d read when he’d been much younger. “I thought you might. They’re currently in prison for the death of their three children. Included in that is Carol. The other two are actually dead; however, Carol is presumed dead by them, too. The Lansky’s also were charged with treason and drug running. A few other things that have kept them in a federal prison for the rest of their lives.”

“I’m assuming that your dad pulled some strings to get that information.” She told him that Jamie had demanded it, and they turned it over. “Good for him. So, with this information, what do you think he’s going to do with it? Call out Carol? Or let it lie?”

“What would you do if you found out this stuff about me?” He said that he’d just let it lie as it had nothing to do with him before she was taken under witness protection. “But it would be forever in the back of your mind, wouldn’t it?”

“Of course it would. But loving you, even as much as I do now, would only make me want to protect you more than I had before. Carol didn’t do anything wrong. You understand that, don’t you?” She said that she did, but she wasn’t so sure that anyone else was thinking that. “You mean the government or your brother? I don’t know your brother well enough to understand the workings of his mind. Would he think that your sister-in-law is innocent of being hated by him?”

“See, that’s just it. I don’t know either.” He thought about her answer before she spoke again. “It’s not just him either. It’s everyone that was at the house tonight. They seemed to think, or at least that’s what I got from them, that she’s somehow the bad guy in all of this. Not family, mind you, but the people who seemed to be holding onto information that needed to be told to us. When in actuality, she was just a child that they wanted information from, and they got it. Now that they don’t need her, they’re sort of making her out to be this monster. But like I said, that’s what I got from them.”

“I did as well, now that you mention it. Especially that Douglas guy. And come to think of it, why was that file out there for just anyone to click on? I believe he might well have done that to get her out of the White House or perhaps just your brother. I don’t know the answer as to why he’d do that, but like you, those are the feelings that I got from him.” He and Amy sat there for several seconds before he realized something else. “They’re putting pressure on her at the White House. That’s why she didn’t come here with Jamie. She’s probably been told that someone knows about her past life and maybe that Jamie found out. So she’s, I don’t know, sick with stress that he’s going to dump her or something. Someone needs to talk to her about Douglas.”

“I agree.” Amy stood up and put out her hand to him. “I don’t think I’m going to get any more sleep than I was before. Want to go to the upper levels and have a look around? I’m strung out about this shit and need something to take it off my mind. Will you hang out with me? Even for just a little while?”

“Gladly.” They didn’t talk about anything but the house as they moved around the upper floors. The rooms were just as she described them. And more beautiful than the rooms at his parents’ home. He was going to enjoy living here with her. He couldn’t wait until everything with the house was settled so that the two of them could get to know one another.

~*~

Carol sat in the bathtub and tried to think of nothing at all. She didn’t want to think of her past, present, or her future. It was difficult, damned difficult, to not think of any of the three things for her since they’d been a big part of her days for the last several weeks. All because she’d fallen in love with Jamie Parkerson, and now she was being pressured to come clean.

“Hello.” Turning in the tub, she pulled the washcloth that she’d been using up over her breasts. She didn’t know who the woman was that was suddenly in the room with her and thought of all the things she’d been told about— “I’m not here to harm you in any way, Carol. Amy sent me to bring you to her. She’s worried that you’re going to try something really stupid. Or worse yet, someone is going to make it look like you’ve succeeded in doing something really stupid. You’re not, by the way. Stupid, I mean. You’re stressed; I can smell it on you, but you’re far from what the men around here think of you. Right?”

“I haven’t any idea what you’re talking about. How did you get in here? There are all kinds of secret service around that should have—who did you say sent you?” The woman smiled and said that she was a good friend of Amy’s. “Amy wouldn’t send anyone without telling me about it. Unless she’s part of the ploy to kill me off. Now that I would…I’m babbling. Why are you here?”

“My name is Elizabeth. I had a last name long ago, but it matters little now between the two of us. Yes, Amy sent me. I’m a vampire and can, with the powerful magic that I have, pop in and out of places that I want. Or she wants me to.” Carol asked her why Amy would send her. “Ah, there is the question of the ages. Not really. I’ve always wanted to say that. She sent me here because she is fearful for your life. Someone here in this building is out to make you disappear.”

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