Kenton (16 page)

it. “Not that I can find. And according to the billing, they told him how to set the

numbers, but they don’t know it. The company who sold it, I mean. I even called them

and asked. They don’t have a way to open it either. I guess that he was going to tell me

but never got around to it. Do you have any idea what might be inside this thing?”

“Plenty, I’m betting. I’m sure there are ways to get it opened without the combo.”

He moved toward it. “It’s fucking huge, isn’t it? I mean, you could store a body or two

in this thing. Whatever is in it, he must have thought he’d be adding a lot of shit to it.”

“I have no clue. Anyway, what did you find out about Daddy’s will? Did he change

it at any time after I was killed?” She wanted to make sure that her dad’s money was

hers, and Steward had kept assuring her that once he changed it, he’d let her know. But

it had been years, and she was beginning to worry that he was holding out on her.

“You’d tell me if he changed it, right? I mean anything in it? We can’t live without that

money, and Bartholomew’s will only hold us for a little while, you know?”

“I don’t even want to have to think about just living on what your husband might

have left you. You said he was frugal, didn’t you? And no, your father has not made

any changes to his will. He never even asks me about it anymore. Like he thinks he’s

going to live forever.” Not fucking likely. Not with the plans she had for him. “Have

you got any more calls to him planned? I’d really like to be there when you call him the

next time.”

Steward came toward her and slipped his hands up under her blouse. He fondled

her breasts for several minutes while she leaned back into his body, hoping that this

would be enough for him. She hated sex with him; he was too quick for her needs, and

he had the smallest dick she’d ever seen. But he was going to help her get what she

wanted, and Anderson wanted it all. So she could live with a little dissatisfaction for

now.

“I want to fuck you on your husband’s desk again. Take you like you were meant to

be taken. Hard and cruelly.” He’d done that to her before and she’d walked away with

a bruised hip and no relief. But if she didn’t give him what he wanted, he would pout

for the rest of the day, and she had work to get done. “Lean over it, baby.”

She did as he asked and felt him pull her panties off. He had torn them from her the

last time, and she’d slapped him. There was no way that he’d do that again, she thought

with a small grin. They were expensive, she told him, and she was not going to run

around panty-less because he was a jerk.

When her panties were down to her knees, he entered her pussy. No foreplay, no

seeing to it that she was wet, he just slammed his tiny dick in her and expected her to

enjoy it. Well, she didn’t. But then as small as he was, there wasn’t much discomfort

either.

She was sure that he was enjoying himself. His grunts and groans were enough to

make her want to tell him to just get it over with. Moaning a little to help hurry him

along, she was thrilled when he shouted to her that he was coming and she pretended,

not too much though, that she was as well. When he leaned over her, all Anderson

could think of was: Really? That’s it? Ten seconds of fucking and he was just worn out.

The phone ringing saved her from having to knock him off her so she could move.

When he asked her who it was, it was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that she

wasn’t a mind reader, but he walked to the desk and looked at the phone himself.

“It says Parker. Do you know him?” Anderson said that she had no idea, and was

surprised when he pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote the name and number down.

“I have this awesome little app on my phone that allows me to reverse numbers to see

who they are.”

“Why do you care? A man is calling a dead man?” Steward only nodded at her and

smiled that stupid smile that told her that he thought she was just too simple to

understand. Anderson could gladly kill him right now. But she needed him, at least for

a while longer. “Whatever you want to do, honey. But I have work to do. Convincing

my long lost daughter that I have her best interests at heart is hard work. She doesn’t

seem to trust me.”

“Well, that sucks. You’re her mother, after all.” She was, and somewhere along the

line she thought Emma had forgotten that. Like yesterday when she’d asked her about

her living arrangements. Wouldn’t a mother want to visit her daughter’s new home?

“I don’t know where we’re living right now. My place is too dangerous.” It was.

Anderson’s dad had several people watching the place all day and night. “I know we

can’t stay here, but I don’t have an address as yet.”

“You’ll move in with Kenton, right?” Emma only shrugged. “Come on, Emma.

Why are you not asking him these things? Doesn’t he know that you need a place to call

your own?”

“I have a place to call mine. I just can’t get to it right now.” Anderson had seriously

thought of burning her old place down, but it would be next to impossible to get close

enough to do it. There had to be some way to get her daughter alone. “Where are you

staying?”

The question had caught her off guard. Anderson had a sudden thought that Emma

knew just where she was living and with who. But she had to think quickly so as not to

look like a money grubbing whore, as her daddy had called her once long ago.

Where was she staying indeed? She’d been staying at her own house, one that

Bartholomew had bought for her, but now she was in his home. But she thought it not

the time to tell her daughter that. Instead, she skipped the question much like Emma

did when she’d asked. And now here she was no closer to getting Emma where she

wanted her than before.

“Who do you suppose is your husband’s attorney?” Steward asked.

She had no idea and hadn’t thought to ask him when they’d been together. She had

been plotting, keeping him from finding Emma, and making sure he was too busy to

notice what she was doing behind his back.

“Why do you care?” He told her. “So you think that he might have not left me the

money? Who else would he have left it to if not me? And don’t tell me that he thought I

was dead. We both know that he’s known that wasn’t true for years. He might have left

some to Bart, but as you know, he’s dead as well. And Bartholomew knew that Emma

was gone too. Or so I let him believe all these years.”

“I don’t know what he thought. He was an enigma to me. Still is, actually. He had

high standards, as well as a moral set of rules that even most bad guys would admire.”

Anderson asked him why he thought that was important. “Because, my dear lady, he

might have had more up his sleeve than you did. And until the will is read, which

won’t happen until they find Emma, there won’t be any way for us to know.”

“What do you mean until Emma is found? You and I both know where she is.”

Steward sat down on the chair she’d been in when he’d come in. “Don’t be coy,

Steward. What do you think you know?”

“There is an all-out search for her. Not just your father, but there are two firms that

I know of that are seeking information about her whereabouts. Both of which are

expensive and highly thought of. I just wonder, and this is why I want to know your

husband’s attorney, if they are looking for her to open his will up. You certainly can’t

go and claim it.”

“Because I’m dead.” He nodded. “Perhaps I can say he told me he left me

something, under the name I’ve been using since I came back.”

“Won’t work unless you’re named in the will. They’ll just tell you to wait until they

find all the parties that they know are living and go from there.” She flopped down on

the couch. “Being dead in the eyes of the law is going to fuck you up, my dear.”

Anderson was beginning to see that. But she still had to work on getting Emma. She

was going to be her ticket to a great many things. And get her back in with her dad.

Before she killed them both. Her daughter, then her dad. It was going to be epic.

“Don’t.” Emma moved slowly toward the man that was standing near the doorway

and put the gun to his head. She didn’t know him, he had no badge stating he was with

the moving crew, and there was no one near her to confirm or deny who he was. When

he put his hands up, she asked him who he was.

“I’m Douglas Parker. I work for…used to work for your father. I was his attorney.

I’m going to reach into my jacket pocket and pull out my business cards and

identification.” Before he moved, she poked the gun harder into his head. “Or not. You

have to believe I’m who I say.”

“No, I don’t. What I have to do is protect myself from idiots that can have business

cards printed up for ten bucks for a thousand. Not to mention, you’re not wearing a

suit. Don’t all you lawyerly types wear suits?” He laughed and told her she was most

assuredly her father’s daughter. “That’s not really helping you much, Mr. Parker.”

“You’re not to trust your mother.” She told him she didn’t trust anyone. “Good girl.

Your father left you a letter. He didn’t know when he was going to be killed, but he

figured his days were numbered. He had cancer. Did you know that?”

“I knew nothing about him other than what my brother and now my mother told

me.” Douglas nodded but still hadn’t moved. “Why should I not trust my mother? Not

that I don’t believe you, but you have to have a reason.”

“I do. May I turn around please? I’d like to see if you’re as pretty as your father said

you were.” The dragon told her to trust the man, that he could tell he wasn’t lying. So

she told the man he could turn. “You are. Much prettier than he said.”

“Fuck off.” Douglas nodded and asked her where Kenton was. “Why do you want

to know? If you hurt him or this family, I will kill you where you stand and put you in

the back yard for the wolves to eat.”

“They won’t have a thing to do with my carcass. I’m like them.” She saw the wolf

run along his skin and took a step back. “I won’t hurt you. But I would like to see

Kenton. He and I are old friends, and he will vouch for me.”

“He’s delivering a baby at the moment. Jorden is here, as is his other brother, Karl.”

The man said there was no brother named Karl, but good try. “Okay, so if you’re such

good friends with him, what is he? And his brothers?”

“Other than the best doctor I’ve met, you mean? He’s a dragon.” Her dragon

laughed and said that she was most untrusting. She told him to be quiet. “You should

really let me reach into my pocket and give you the letter I have for you. It will go a

long way to explaining a great many things.”

“The police are looking for me. So is someone else, trying to kill me too. How did

you find out where I am?” He looked over her shoulder a little and smiled, but she

didn’t trust him to think he was fooling with her. “I asked you a question.”

“Mrs. McCade. You are as lovely as ever.” Her future mother-in-law might have

been behind her or not, but when she came around her to stand next to Douglas, she

lowered her gun. “I was just telling Emma here how pretty she is. I think you might

have some competition for my heart.”

“Oh, go on with you. You know as well as I do that pretty mate of yours will have

me for dinner. And speaking of which, you should come by tomorrow night with your

family and join us. It’s been too long.” They both looked at her as Aisha continued.

“Emma, honey, you are smart not to trust this scoundrel. He’s been the biggest flirt I

know for years.”

The man was suddenly gone, as Grady swept him up in a bear hug and took him to

the floor. She wasn’t sure if they were friends or enemies until Grady laughed. Emma

wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to these men. They were too…big and friendly

sometimes. When both men stood up, Douglas asked if he could reach into his pocket

now.

“You have a letter from a man that had no idea where I was when I worked in the

same building he did. Why should I care to read it?” He retrieved the letter and held it

out to her. She could see her name across the front of the cream-colored envelope and

felt her fingers itching to take it. “How did you find me?”

“I’m a wolf and there are wolves on this property. They belong, I guess you could

say, to me. I am their alpha. I could find you when the others could not simply because

I didn’t use conventional ways.” He took her hand and wrapped it around the

envelope. “Your father had no idea you were working for him until two weeks before

his death. It was then that he discovered a great many things. Like the fact that your

brother was hurting you and stealing most of your paycheck. Did you know that he was

having your checks routed through his account, and you were only getting less than a

third of it?”

“He said that Dad didn’t want me to have anything because I was a girl and not the