The limo pulled up in front of the inn while they were watching. Thomas was the first one out of the back, then Thatcher. The other kids, even Sarah, clung to him like he was their only hope. Handing off the children to Sissy was difficult, Jonas could see, but it was when Sissy was handed the envelope that things looked confusing to the other woman.
Thatcher didn’t hang around much after that. He did kiss the kids goodbye, then hugged Sarah tightly before climbing into the limo and being taken away. Sissy stood there holding a sobbing Sarah in her arms while trying her best, from what it looked like, to get the others to follow her into the building. There were cameras in the rooms where the kids were staying too, but she didn’t bring those up while they were all standing there.
“What happens now? While I love my daughter very much, she’s never been like this before. Stubborn, yes, but not foolhardy. I don’t want any of them hurt over this.” Rogen said she was doing her best to make sure they weren’t. “I can see that, young lady. I can. But I’m her father, and I do worry.”
“Good.”
Heath looked at him. “I hate that you’re drawn into this, Jonas. But I suppose jumping in with both feet is the best way to get to know us all. What are your plans for my other daughter?”
“Plans? I have no plans other than to love her and support her in anything she wants to do. I have a good job working for the family. I work at other areas around town that benefits them. If you want to know if I’m going to rule her? Then I can honestly tell you I’m not stupid enough to think I could make that work. Nor would I do something like that to her.” Heath laughed, bringing a smile to his own face. “I’d like to marry her as soon as possible. But I think we’ll have to wait until this is all done. However, I do believe Rogen has taken care that we’re officially wed in the books downtown. That way, if anything ever happened to me, she’ll get any benefits I have for her.”
“You know what she does for a living, don’t you? I mean, other than the pictures she takes. Which are good.” Jonas told him that he thought them beautiful. And yes, he did know what her other job entailed. “Thank you for that. Since their mom passed away when they were just little girls, I’ve been watching over them. Ginger never gave me a moment’s trouble, not in all her life. Sissy…well, I didn’t want her marrying that idiot, but she wanted it, and I relented. Every day I wish I’d put my foot down a little harder.”
“It wouldn’t have done you any good, Dad, and you know it.” Ginger kissed her dad on the cheek as she sat down with one of the twin girls in her arms. Marie, he thought she was holding. “I found some pictures that might help you with your search on the building. These have landmarks on them that might help. Also, I took two shots of the mail on the table that have where they were taken. But I’m not sure that it will help either. The building cannot be seen from the sky, I don’t think.”
Jonas pulled Heath out of the room as the women worked. He had found, over the last few months, that it was easier on a person not to listen to details as they worked. Taking him to the back deck where his father and mother were sitting watching the other children play, he showed him where his house was.
“You all live close, then.” Mom sat down next to Dad on the rocker, and Heath sat down where she had been. “I want to apologize about the trouble from earlier. I didn’t raise them to be like that.”
“You don’t have to do that. We have six boys, Heath. I think we’ve heard and witnessed worse. The boys would take on so about the silliest things.” Mom smiled at Jonas when he pulled up another chair. “Jonas here surprised us about Ginger. I’m glad. They’re getting along like they’ve known each other for years rather than only a couple of hours. My goodness, they do make a lovely couple, don’t you think?”
“I do. Ginger never was one to get all worked up about a man. She rarely dated when she was in school. Even then, I didn’t worry about her. Both girls took self-defense classes when they were younger, and Ginger excelled at it.” Jonas laughed when Heath told them how she’d taken down one of the men that had come for them. “My goodness, I was scared out of my mind, and there that little thing was, punching that man like he wasn’t twice her size and armed.”
“Our boys used to take them classes when they were younger too. But they really didn’t need them, not being tigers and all. Now, with Rogen and the other woman working around here, it’s been wonderful to learn how to fall and such. Using a gun is something I don’t care for, but I have to tell you. I feel a durn sight better about knowing how to use it when the time comes around than not.” Dad looked at Mom and kissed her on the cheek. “Maggie, my love here, keeps us all in line, but Rogen and the other women, they keep us on our toes.”
“I just bet they do.” Heath looked at Jonas then. “Ginger and Sissy will have my estate when I pass on. As I’m sure you know, I’m not a well man. I’ve had a few scares with my heart, and I’m to take it easy. But I have cancer as well. All over my body, as a matter of fact.”
“Ginger told me you’ve had two surgeries on your heart. I don’t think either of them knows about the cancer, do they?” He shook his head. “You’ll need to tell them soon, I think. However, while here, I’d really like it if you’d consider having my brother Thatcher look you over. He’s a renowned surgeon and might be able to tell you something that your doctors didn’t. Or wouldn’t.” Heath said he’d like that. “I’ll talk to him when he gets back. Also, Heath, I wanted you to know that I’m going to talk to Ginger about being changed to a tiger. Not only will she be safer, but she’ll heal quicker too. If it comes to that, you might consider it as well. It’ll give you a great deal more time and without all the worry and pain with your heart.”
“I was thinking that too. I truly was. Thank you for that. Of course, I’ll have to talk it over with my daughters. But if they’re in agreement that it would help me, I’m thinking it might be just the ticket. Also, since Ginger is staying here with you, I’d like to find me a house to live nearby. The one I had back home, it’s just too big for me. I roam around it most of the time, wondering where all the years have gone. I need to start fresh as well, I think.” Jonas told him he had three homes right now that he was looking to purchase. “You don’t have to do that, Jonas. I can well afford to get myself a home.”
“I know that, sir, but it would be my pleasure to do that for you. Especially if it makes Ginger happy. Plus, it’ll be nice when we have children that you’re here to get to know them.” Heath nodded, then lowered his head. “She’ll come around, Heath. Even if she takes the kids home with her and makes it work, I do plan on staying in their lives. They’ll be my nieces and nephews too.”
“That they will. All right. I’ll take you up on that. But you don’t go overboard in this. I only need a little bit of space.” Jonas glanced at his parents when they laughed. That was just what they’d told them when they’d gotten a smaller home. The only difference was, now this one was all on one floor instead of three levels that they’d had. Jonas thought this was going to work out well. Better than he’d thought. He only hoped Sissy came around too.
Chapter 4
It was nearly midnight when Benny found himself a place to get warm enough to sleep. It wasn’t that it was all that cold out, but being in the jail had given him a nice warm place to hang out, and without that and the food he’d been getting, he wasn’t feeling like he was being done right. Even his house had been locked off from him.
It wasn’t like he’d not been warned about hitting Sissy. He had been when he’d popped her the first time. It was her fault both times, too, the way she kept ordering him around about stuff. Like a job. He’d not have married the whiney woman had he figured out beforehand that she wasn’t one of them Morgans that had all the money.
The building he was in didn’t have anything in the way of blankets laying around. Not that he had expected it to, but it surely would have been nice. Even though there was a great deal of
working equipment laying around, he’d not touch that either. He knew better than to fence stuff he’d find at job sites. Those companies went after blood, and he didn’t have any to spare. He wished he’d have figured out where Margo had hidden that shit she was always going on about.
Benny had seen it. But when it didn’t hit the papers about a new drug out on the market that was killing people, he figured she’d hidden it away better than he could find it. When he got up in the morning, he was going to hunt her down and find out where she’d gone with it. Come to think of it, he thought about how long it had been since he’d been to see her and her kids.
Margo was a flighty thing. She was forever stoned out of her mind on one thing or another too. It had been easy to dupe her about things, like her kids. Not that Benny thought of himself as a pedophile, but to him, fucking was fucking. Especially when Sissy didn’t want to put out unless he made her. While that was fun, when she was freed from anything that he’d used to make her have sex, she’d knock him around or find someone that would. Benny didn’t count that as knocking her around either. As her husband, it was his God-given right to have her when he wanted. ‘Course, she never thought that way.
“Hey, Benny. You in there?” He thought it was Margo yelling for him, but he waited. All he needed to do now was find somebody out there that was pretending to be her to see if he had any money on him. Everybody knew his relationship with his sister. “Benny? Come out and talk to me. I’m hurting real bad, and I can’t find none of my kids. That bastard took them again.”
Leaning out the second-story window, he saw that it was his sister and that she was alone. “Who took them? Those state people? I’m not messing with them again, Margo. They’re meaner than Sissy is when she’s in a mood.” She told him who it was. “I don’t know her. You say her name is JoAnn?”
“Jonas, you fucking shit head. Jonas Robinson. He took them from me when I wasn’t home. Even hid them away until I got myself cleaned up. Fuck that shit.” Margo let go of a scream that would have woken up the dead had there been any around. “Why am I having to shout at you, dummy? Come out here and talk to me.”
He was nearly down the last set of stairs when he was hit from behind. Falling forward, he hit his arms hard enough that he heard one of them crack. His noodle wasn’t doing much better. Someone, more than likely the same person that hit him, yanked him up by his hair and dragged him to the middle of the only room that seemed to be devoid of equipment. Margo was brought in the same way and was kneeling before him.
“What did you do?” She was crying then, her face all screwed up in pain and nasty sores. “What did you do to me, Margo? I’m your fucking brother.”
“I know that, Benny. I’m hurting really bad now. Really bad. They said that if I told them where you are then—”
Her head just exploded, gone from her shoulders as she slumped over onto the floor. He was covered in her blood and brains when the man across from him said his name.
“Where is it?” Benny couldn’t think of what he wanted to know. His sister was dead. Worse yet, she’d given him up too. “Where are my drugs and guns, Benson? Your sister here told us you knew where my shipment was and that you were spending my money. You should know that’s going to get you into deep shit.”
“I don’t know. I’ve been looking for it myself. I was going to go to you when I found it.” His shoulder exploded in pain as the man speaking came out of the shadows and stood in front of him. Someone had shot him, and here he was, trying his best to be cooperative. “Mr. Westbrook? I didn’t know it was your shit. I swear it. But I don’t know where it’s at. As I was telling you, I’ve been searching for it myself.”
“You have? Not what I’ve heard about you, Benson. I’ve heard that you’ve been taken in and questioned about my items. Do you know how that makes me feel? What it makes me want to do to you?” He looked at his sister, or what was left of her. “Oh, she got off easy. I think, and this is only my personal opinion, she’s better off dead than doped up so much that she doesn’t know when to shut her mouth. Did you know that her kids had something to do with my items coming up missing? She said you helped them.”
“Helped them? No, no. That’s not right. If I had known that them kids was in on— You know what? I think I might know where those brats are. My wife, you see, she was wanting me to come and get them from Margo and raise them up as our own. I didn’t want to and had to knock her around a bit about it, but once she got herself out of the hospital after what I did to her—I did have to knock her around, you see—she might have gone to get them. You can bet that if they’re not at my house, she’ll know where they are.” He asked him why he should believe him. “I’m not that stupid, Mr. Westbrook. I’d not lie to you because I know you’d be able to hunt me down and murder me off like you did my sister.”
“I didn’t murder your sister, Benson. She did that all on her own by fucking with my merchandise. And when I kill you, it will be because you had the nerve to touch something that didn’t belong to you.” Benny swallowed three times before he thought his throat could handle spitting out a few words. But Mr. Westbrook spoke first. “You give me your home address, and I’ll go in search of them. If they’re not there with that lovely wife of yours…. Well, I’m not sure what I might have to do to you to appease my temper. I’m running out of patience here. That merchandise should have been sold by now. But I’m having to hunt people down and make sure they understand that I’m not a happy man. I’m not. You understand that, don’t you, Benson?”
“I do. I really do, Mr. Westbrook. But I tell you right now, I didn’t touch your things. Not any of them. Didn’t even know about the guns until this very minute.” He said that someone knew about them. “Yes, I can see that too. It might well have been them kids. They’re sneaky little fuckers if you ask me.”
“I didn’t.” Mr. Westbrook walked around him several times. Each time he was behind him, Benny closed his eyes like he did his butt hole when he had to take a really quick dump. “Benson, I really, for the life of me, don’t understand why your mother didn’t smother you and your sister when the two of you were brought into this world. I don’t even know why she kept you inside of her womb when it was obvious that neither of you were going to amount to shit. I tell you, they’ll just allow anyone to breed. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes, sir. My mom, she wasn’t all that bright either. I don’t think she could even write her own name.” He didn’t know why he was making small talk with the man. Benny tended to babble too much when he was nervous—or terrified, just like he was right now. “Would you like for me to go and get the kids for you? I can do that. I will for you.”
“No. I have no further use for you. Don’t you agree?” Benny tried to think of one way he could be of some use to the other man, but nothing was coming to mind. It could have been the gun being held to the back of his head like it was being burrowed in so it could see what brain matter was in his noddle. “Benson, it’s not been any pleasure at all knowing either of you, Whitmans, I’m afraid.”
For his last minutes on this earth, Benny tried to think of one good thing he’d done. Just to see if that would be enough to keep him out of the place his mom used to tell them about when they’d been kids. Not a single thought entered his head that didn’t have him—
Noises were going on around him. Benny didn’t know if it was something Mr. Westbrook was doing or his brain banging around in his noddle. He was shaking so bad he was sure as shit that was making the noise. But as soon as the gun disappeared, he fell to the ground when someone shoved him there and never opened his eyes.
“Benson Whitman. How the hell you have survived all this time without someone putting a bullet in your head is beyond me.” He didn’t open his eyes to see who the woman was that was speaking. Instead, he just curled himself into a tight ball and put his hand over his mouth after thanking the woman for saving him. “I didn’t save you, moron. I’m here
to arrest you. I have some questions for you too, but for now, we’re going to— Jesus H. Christ. Did you shit yourself, or is that your natural scent you’re wearing? Whatever it is, we’re going to have to hose you down before you’re getting anywhere near one of my vehicles. Agent, take this creatin outside and hose him off. And make sure you get his crack too. I’d think that someone would have shown him how to wipe his ass long before now, but there just isn’t as much good parenting going on nowadays.”
Benny didn’t know what was going on, but his clothing was cut away from him, and he was standing naked in the yard behind the building he was in. When the cold water hit him in the chest, he was sure they were going to kill him by ice. Dancing around in circles like he was being told to do, he saw the woman coming out of the building with three other men. They were carrying a black bag. He knew what that was for.
Knowing that this group was higher up on the food chain than the police were, he wondered why they were bothering with him. Benny couldn’t remember a time when he’d done something to bring the Feds down on him. Nor did he think Margo was smart enough to figure out how to breathe and think at the same time. Drugs. He blamed it on the drugs she was forever taking.
The woman came to stand in front of him. Trying to hide his puny penis wasn’t that hard. Even without the cold, he knew he wasn’t all that big. It was why he hit instead of just having sex. Women tended to make fun of him because of his size, and that would piss him off.
She asked him what the hell he was hiding. “If you think I give a shit about what you’re hiding under your one finger there, you’re stupider than I was told you are. I just don’t care. What did you tell Westing?” He asked her who that was. “The man that lit out of here like he was running a race. Arnold Westing.”
“His name is Westbrook. I mean, that’s what I was told.” She asked him who told him that. Benny couldn’t remember but said he thought it was Margo. “I think she was the one that introduced me to him too.”
Jonas: Robinson Destruction – Paranormal Tiger Shifter Romance Page 5
