Reed: Bowen Boys (9 page)

“Run with me.” His cat seemed to rub along his skin in agreement. “Come out to the woods with me and let’s run.”

Grabbing up his pants but not bothering to put them on, he moved off the bed. Helping her to stand when she staggered slightly, he realized then that she had indeed lost a great deal of weight. He wanted to scoop her up into his arms and hold her for what he’d put her through the last several days. Pulling on his own pants now, he asked her to get dressed, saying that he was starving.

“Then after I fill my belly, I’m going to run you down and take you to the ground. But if I don’t eat first, I may have to feast on you.” She shivered and he pulled her body to him. “My cat wants you so badly he can hardly stand it.”

Her belly growled, and she flushed. Helping her pull on one of his shirts, he took her hand and led her downstairs. When they got to the kitchen, Camps smiled at them both.

“I’ve made you both a nice luncheon.” He asked them to sit. “I have been experimenting with all sorts of herbs and was wondering if I could get your opinion on them.”

They sampled several dips and ended up putting the different sauces on sandwiches, crackers and cheese, and even a little of the cold salmon that had been left over from last night’s meal. Reed had had a meal before going up to find Kerry, but found he was hungry as well. When she pushed back her plate and claimed she was stuffed, he smiled at her. Camps was picking up their plates when she yawned for the third time.

“You need a nap.” She nodded, then shook her head. “Yes you do, and I’m going to lay down with you. We have the rest of our lives to run, and maybe if you’re a good girl, we’ll go out tonight.”

He picked her up when she staggered again and carried her up to their room. It smelled of sex and them, and he pulled off the blankets one handed and put her down into the messy bed, then covered her up. She yawned again and rolled to her side. When he got in with her, she curled around him and laid her head on his chest. Reed felt like the king of the world and let sleep claim him.

Chapter 9

Death hung up the phone with a growl. Where the hell was she? When the man had answered the phone, he knew it was the same from all the other times, but this time instead of putting him on hold and getting Kerry, he hung up. And had done so all three times that Death had called back.

“Fuck.” He paced around the large cave and tried to think what to do. He was going to have to go to her now, and that’s all there was to it. But he fucking hated panthers. Fucking cats thought they were so superior to him and his kind that he wanted to find all of them and kill them.

She had better do what he wanted her to do or else. He had plans for that money and she wasn’t going to back out now or he’d do just what he had said. He looked back at the pictures that had gotten damp after the last storm that had come through. Death thought about going to have larger prints made and wall papering his place with them, but he didn’t want to take the chance of anyone knowing her. Before he’d just used a regular printer, but these masterpieces needed better. He reached for his phone to call her again when his phone rang. He nearly shifted, it startled him so badly. He moved to the outside of the cave to answer.

“You’re bothering my family.” He didn’t know who this person was and nearly hung up when the man spoke again. “You leave Kerry alone, and I’ll think about not killing you.”

Death wondered briefly how this person had gotten his number, but then realized what the man had said. “Family? She’s mine, and I plan to take her once she fulfills her end of the deal. And she’d better if she knows what’s good for her.”

The man laughed. “She’ll do as she damn well pleases and we both know it. Kerry is just stubborn enough to piss you off one minute and have you want to hug her the next. But you’ll leave her alone, or I’ll make you a very dead wolf if you don’t.”

Even with the laughter Death felt the finger of fear run over his skin. The man had delivered his promise and made it sound as if he would take great pleasure in killing him if he didn’t do as he was told. He held his phone to his ear for a while after the call was disconnected. He wasn’t just afraid of the man who had called him, but terrified.

But the more he thought of it the angrier he got. What right did that man have to order him to stand down? And who was he to tell him that Kerry would do as she pleased? She would do what he said or else. Things he had in motion depended on her coming through for him.

He sat down on the chair he’d stolen a few nights ago and looked around. The first thing he was going to get was a nice house with hundreds of acres. Then he was going to put a large fence around it so he’d have it all to himself. He couldn’t wait to simply run for the pleasure of it. Then he could do what he really wanted. Gaming.

He was going to bring others like him onto his property for a large fee and let them hunt. Bringing in prey would be a little tricky at first, but he’d hire others to help him. Hunting humans for sport was going to make him rich.

Death could see it now. There would be traps for them to run into so that there would be the scent of blood. Then he’d have others, wolves like him, out there to chase them to the others, just so it didn’t get boring for his customers. He even thought about having a human day, a few days a month where he’d bring other hunters in, men and women who wanted to hunt their own kind using guns and knives to kill.

Smiling, Death was glad now that he’d decided to have people start calling him Death. It sounded so fear-inducing, and he liked the way it sounded when he told people. His real name, Gilbert, sounded so…ordinary, and he hated it.

“I’m going to just go by Death and people will be impressed.” He laughed as his voice echoed along the walls. This was going to make him famous and extremely rich. But only if Kerry came through.

~~~

Reed waited for Khan to say something, anything about the man he’d just spoken to. When he stood up and pulled a bottle of beer from the refrigerator in the garage where they were, Reed thought that he’d been pissed. But when he spoke, Reed let go of the breath he’d been holding.

“He’s afraid. Not a little either. But….” He took a long draw on the bottle before he continued. “I don’t think he’s going to give it up. He seems to be a man who does what he wants and fuck the consequences. Just my opinion.”

“He’s right.” Reed looked at Marc when he came into the garage with them. “I’ve found some information on our boy. He’s been in and out of jail a lot since he turned eighteen. Most of it was petty shit, but he’s gotten to the point now where he’s nearing his third strike. The last time he was in jail it was for robbery, but since he wasn’t carrying a gun and he didn’t make it out, he was let out with a small slap.”

Reed took the beer that Marc handed him without thinking, then put it on the workbench without opening it. Kerry had told him she didn’t care for the smell of beer because of her dad. He wasn’t going to mess up the chance to kiss her later if he could help it.

Sebastian came out while they were talking about Gilbert’s nickname. He had a tray of sandwiches. “Kerry said if we were going to pretend to work on stuff out here, we should have something to eat. I get the ham on rye. She put hot peppers on it for me.”

Reed figured she knew they weren’t working on his bike. First of all, the thing was nearly brand new; and secondly, how many men did it take to put a license plate on one bike? He shook his head as he watched his brothers sort through the food. She’d not just sent out sandwiches, but also a couple of bowls of salad, along with a pie. Camps made the best apple pie in the world.

“Did she ever tell you what he wants her to do?” Reed looked at Dylan as he stuffed a dill pickle in his mouth whole. It was something he’d done as a kid and had gotten his ass taken to the wood shed over.

He wondered when Dylan had joined them. Looking around, he realized they were all there, and wondered how they knew. When his dad came out a few minutes later, Reed laughed. They were a family through and through.

“I think I might know.” They all stopped shoveling food into their pie holes and looked at their dad. “She said she was not going to be able to get those numbers for him. She didn’t say this to me, mind you, but to the phone. I didn’t realize she was on it when I picked it up in the living room.”

“What numbers?” Dad shrugged at his question. “You think he wants her to get codes?”

“Or credit card numbers.” Walker sat on the workbench as he continued. “Caitlynne had a case before she left. She was telling me how this man had his wife work for a large hotel chain. She’d keep the credit card numbers with all the information on them and bring them home. They were pretty clever, she said, in that they didn’t spend a great deal on them, just enough to keep the bank happy and the customer in the dark.”

“How did they get caught?” Reed knew the answer to Sebastian’s question and told him. “You mean they stole the president’s number too? Who the hell would do that? Morons?”

“Apparently. The president wanted to buy something for Marshall and he wanted to keep it personal. When he had to pay for the gift, there was another charge for nearly the same amount from the same store. When he disputed the charge, the credit card company went to the store to ask for video. I don’t remember all the details, but it showed them buying things and the clerk letting them pay without the benefit of a card. She lost her job as well. And it later turned out she was their daughter-in-law and had done this several times.”

“So we think he wants her to steal numbers and give them to him.” Khan shook his head. “How would that even be possible now? Firstly, she doesn’t work inside; and secondly, she won’t do it.”

“No, not unless he has photos of her in the nude he’s holding over her.” Reed got up to pace. “You think that’s all he has on her? I mean, they’re not all that good of pictures, and most of them you can’t tell it’s her anyway. I’m betting there’s something else.”

“He said he’d kill my sister.” They all turned to the doorway when Kerry spoke. “I didn’t think he’d really do it at first. But then about three months ago he hit her. She ended up in the hospital for nearly three weeks before she could come home. He’d broken her jaw and five ribs. There were enough cuts and bruises on her body that she’d had to have a nurse come in twice a day to change her bandages. He told her that it was my fault. That had I done just what he wanted then she wouldn’t be hurting. That time he only wanted money. I had to sell my…I had to sell some things before I could pay him.”

“What did you sell?” She looked away and Reed moved toward her and pulled her face around to look at him. “Tell me, love. What did you have to sell that meant so much to you?”

“My egg collection.” She looked around the room and flushed. “I collected Faberge eggs. Not the really expensive ones, just what I could afford. When I sold them, I told him that I was finished with him. And if he wanted to kill my sister, I’d make sure he went to trial for it. But he only laughed at me.”

“How much did he take?” She looked at his dad and shook her head. “I gotta know, love. Because when I find the bastard, I’m going to make sure that every dollar he stole from you is paid back in pain. And if’n you don’t tell me, I’m gonna make up a number and extract that much from him anyway. It’d be my pleasure.”

Kerry laughed, and Reed held her in his arms. Dad asked her again, and she finally told him. Dad staggered back a little before he nodded.

“Never knew that they were worth all that. You should see the collection of them that my Corrine has. Nice one too, but then she’s been collecting for a great deal longer than you had. You still collect them?” She shook her head. “Shame that. So he kept on stealing from you even after you paid him off. It’s going to be my utmost pleasure to make the bastard pay. Yes, sir, he’s going to know that George Bowen means business.”

When they all went into the house, Camps had dinner about ready. He told him that the misses, all of them, were on their way over and were bringing things.

“I do not know exactly what they are bringing, but I was assured there was no food involved. Miss Caitlynne said that she would leave that up to me.” The man laughed nervously. “I’m glad, sir. She does not know her way around a kitchen, if you know what I mean.”

He did. Reed had stayed with them a few times when in DC and had seen her burn popcorn. Not just once but every time she cooked it. And it mattered little if she had microwaveable kind or the stove top variety; she burned the shit out of it.

Dinner was noisy and loud, just like they all loved it. When Camps reminded him about the dinner they’d been planning, Reed asked his mom if he and Kerry could host Thanksgiving this year.

“Oh my yes. What a great idea.” She looked at Kerry talking to Sebastian. “Does she cook?”

Reed laughed. “No, Camps said he’d do the cooking with her help. I’m thinking she can peel potatoes and stuff like that. Kerry doesn’t know yet.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring and handed it to his mom. His dad had helped him pick it out a few days ago. Not that he needed his help, but Reed was going into town to get one for her, and his dad had hitched a ride. The man had been driving him insane since.

“She’ll love it.” He hoped so. “When do you plan to ask her? Soon I hope. She’ll need the extra that a lovely ring can give her when she goes up against her family. They are somewhat of a pain in the ass, aren’t they?”

“You don’t know the half of it. The sister and her father came to my office when I was getting it set up on one of the buildings on Maple. Dora said she’d heard I was dating Kerry. Told me to tell her that the bills were piling up and asked her to pay up.”

“What on earth? Did you ask her why she wasn’t paying her own bills? And what was her father saying when this was going on? Don’t tell me the man encourages this sort of thing.”

Not only had he encouraged it, but was mad when Reed wouldn’t give them cab money to pay the driver. He remembered the conversation he’d had with the two of them and still couldn’t believe what they’d said and done.

“How do you propose that we pay him then? I’ve no money now that Kerry has decided to cut us off. And then there is her sloppy payment history. She’ll ruin our good name if she doesn’t pay them on time. I’ve told her time and time again that having a good credit history is the only way to go.”

“You have a good credit history because she pays your bills on time?” Norman had actually looked proud of that. “Un-fucking believable. Why don’t you have a job and pay your own fucking bills? You look fit enough, if you discount the fact that you’re a drunk and a bastard.”

“Now, you see here. You can’t talk to me that way. We’re just here to get what is due us from Kerry. She is our provider and always has been.” Norman looked around his office, and Reed could see the greed come into his eyes. “Maybe if you give me some money I can leave her be for the time being, until she gets back up on her feet anyway.”

“No.”

Norman laughed. Then when Norman realized that Reed was serious, he frowned. The look on his face was priceless, and Reed wished that he’d had his phone out.

“You mean she’s not off her feet and is working again? That’s good to hear. We should be hearing from her…. Why are you shaking your head, young man? Either she’s up and about or she’s not.”

Reed grinned. “She is up and about. She isn’t working, however, at the moment. And even if she was, you’re not going to get anything else from her. She’s done with the both of you.”