Chapter 18
***MALCOLM***
They followed the smell of coffee downstairs and found everyone gathered in the kitchen. Hattie was just setting a steaming pan of scrambled eggs on the table. “You’re just in time, breakfast is ready,” she called. “Grab some coffee and join us.”
“Do you all have breakfast together every morning?” Rose asked, following him over to the coffee pot.
“No, not normally, but after last night…well, they’re all here to help.
It’s just what we do,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.
“Besides the fact that you’re important to me, one of the things we’ve been taught about our power is that it should be used to help the innocent when we can, as long as we don’t get exposed. ”
“Wait, it’s not just you?” she said, looking around the room. “Are they all…”
“Dragon shifters,” he finished for her. “Only the men, the women are regular humans just like you. Until they met the boys, they didn’t know about shifters either. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind sharing their stories with you; they’re all really nice. Hopefully, you can all be friends.”
“I’d like that,” she said, taking the cup that he offered her. “Is that what this fraternity is all about?”
“I guess you could say that, we’re all here on a scholarship from our clan,” he said. “We’re the first group to get it. I guess it’s something new the elders put together. I wouldn’t have been able to afford an education like this without it.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to go to college if Chet hadn’t paid for it…” Her words trailed off, and a guilty look appeared on her face. “Malcolm, your friends are here to help me, but I’ve been spying on you all. They’re not going to like me very much when they find out. Maybe I shouldn’t be here.”
“They’ll understand when you explain,” he said. “You might have been spying, but you never told Chet anything. That will help.”
“What am I going to do about him?” she asked. “He’s going to expect something soon. I don’t think he’s going to like it when I tell him that you all weren’t involved; he’s going to think I’m lying.”
He studied her for a second, then let out a long sigh. “And you would be, but it’s a long story and the food is ready. Let’s take one problem at a time, we’ll figure it all out,” he said, then hesitated. “Rose, do you know who your stepfather really is?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, following him over to the table. “He’s an executive at some big corporation. He never stops bragging about how rich and successful he is.”
“That corporation he’s talking about is really his clan, the same one that Thomas belongs to.
That’s how he recognized you,” he said, helping her into a chair.
“He’s not a good guy, sweetheart; he’s dangerous.
Whatever he’s threatening you with, don’t think for a second he won’t follow through.
He’s been trying to take over the clan for about a year now, and I bet this is just his latest attempt to gain power. ”
She shivered, and he put his arm around her.“You’re not in this alone, you’ve got all of us,” he said. “We’ll get through this, you just need to be honest with everyone. They’ll back you up, you’ll see.”
When they joined the group at the table, Rose waited until everyone had been eating for a few minutes, then after a quick look over at Malcolm, cleared her throat.
“Ummm…there’s something I have to tell you all, and I’m afraid that you’re not going to like it very much,” she said, then waited as silence fell over the table.
“My stepfather is Chet Carmichael and he sent me here to spy on you. He wanted me to find out what happened to Diego and Sebastian and report back to him. I didn’t want to do it, but he threatened to kick my little sister out on the street if I didn’t.
I’m sorry I lied to all of you, but I was desperate.
If it helps any, I haven’t told him anything, and I don’t plan to.
The truth is, there hasn’t been anything to tell him.
I’m afraid he’s losing patience with me, though.
I’m not sure what I’m going to do other than keep stalling him. ”
The silence only lasted a few seconds, then the table erupted with suggestions, offers of support, and a couple of hugs.
By the time everyone quieted down, Rose had tears in her eyes.
Malcolm squeezed her hand under the table and gave her an I told you so look, then flashed her a smile before turning back to his friends, ready to get down to business now that the truth was out.
“Okay, the way I see it, we’ve got two separate problems on our hands,” he said. “Sandra is still out there and, from what Rose said, I don’t think she’s going to quit until she gets even. Then we’ve got Chet and his threats against Chloe, Rose’s sister.”
“Sandra is the bigger threat right now,” Ryan said. “Until she’s caught Rose needs to stay hidden, as unhinged as it sounds like she is, I’m afraid of what she’ll try next.”
“I agree, but not here; this is one of the first places she’s going to look for her,” he said. “We need to find someplace out of town to disappear for a few days until the police catch her.”
“You can use my mom’s old cabin. I’ll call her as soon as we get done here,” Taylor said. “I’m sure she won’t mind, and it’s on clan land. You’ll have a little extra protection once she finds out what’s going on.”
“That’s perfect, thanks, Taylor,” he said, nodding at his friends. “That just leaves Chet to deal with.”
“Do you really think he’ll kick your sister out?” Gabe asked. “That’s pretty brutal.”
“He’ll do it to get what he wants, he’s an awful man, but he hides it so well that I sometimes think I’m the only one who sees it,” she said, shivering.
“My mom is so far gone, she thinks he’s perfect, that he’s the best stepfather in the world.
Chloe doesn’t see it either, she thinks I’m just being a bitch.
I’ve tried to talk her into leaving before.
I could easily support us both now that I have a degree, not the way Chet does, but we’d be free.
She refuses, she can’t see the danger that she’s in, and nothing I say will convince her. ”
“Then she needs proof,” Abby said. “She’s what, sixteen?
That’s a tricky age, she probably thinks she’s old enough to make her own choices, and in a way she’s right.
You’ve got to prove to her what a piece of trash Chet is, that’s the only way you’ll be able to get her away and keep her away, especially if your mom is backing him up. ”
“I guess I could record him the next time he starts threatening me,” Rose said, a little hope in her voice. “Maybe if she hears the awful things he says she’d listen to me.”
“That’s a good place to start,” Malcolm said. “If you can just stall him for a little longer, the problem might solve itself.”
“I hope you’re right, that would be so much easier,” she said, letting out a sigh. “It feels better just knowing that I’m not alone in this anymore.”
“Sweetheart, you’ll never be alone again,” he said, leaning over and giving her a kiss. “You’re stuck with me now.”
***Rose***
“If we’re going to the mountains, I’ll need some boots and a warmer coat. It’s winter, Malcolm,” Rose argued, trying not to get angry. “The police are watching my apartment, so it should be safe to stop there. I hate to buy new stuff when I already have perfectly good things at home.”
“It just feels risky, the police haven’t done a very good job of protecting you so far,” he said. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, Rose, that’s why we’re hiding out for a few days.”
“But I have you,” she said, grinning at him. “She’s not going to hurt me with you around.”
He let out a long sigh. “Fine, but make it quick,” he said, shaking his head. “I want to get out of town as soon as we can.”
“Five minutes,” she said, relaxing back in the seat. “I promise.”
When she opened the door of her apartment, she knew instantly that someone was there, and she froze, then the scent of Chet’s cologne wafted toward her. Looking over her shoulder at Malcolm, she whispered, “Chet’s here, I can smell his cologne.”
He waved her inside, shut the door behind them, then slipped into the hall closet, leaving it cracked open a couple of inches.
Bracing herself for another encounter with Chet, she pulled her phone out of her pocket, switched it to record, and tucked it back into her pocket, then took a deep breath and walked into the living room.
Chet was sitting in the chair right where she knew he would be, a magazine open in his lap, a drink on the table next to him.
“I see you made yourself comfortable,” she said, sitting down on the couch. “I was going to call you later.”
“Oh, really? I find that hard to believe since I haven’t heard from you in days.
I’m getting really tired of having to chase you down; these trips up here are getting old,” he said.
“You’d better have some information for me, it’s been weeks, and I know for a fact you’ve been spending a lot of time with Malcolm; he must have told you something by now. ”
“He wasn’t involved, he swore to me he wasn’t, and neither are his friends,” she said. “I don’t know what happened to those two men, but Malcolm isn’t responsible.”
“He’s lying, I know he is, you’re just not trying hard enough,” Chet said, leaning forward in his chair. “Have you slept with him yet?”
“What?” she asked, then shook her head. “That’s none of your business.”
“So, you haven’t,” Chet said, shaking his head. “I knew you couldn’t handle this. You have to sleep with him, idiot, that will loosen up his tongue.”
“I’m not going to sleep with him just to get him to talk,” she said, shaking her head. “That’s going too far, I won’t do it.”
“That’s a shame. I was hoping that you’d be more cooperative, but that’s okay, I guess you don’t care about your sister as much as I thought you did,” he said, then sighed. “I would hate to see her get hurt because you’re being uptight about sex. It would really be a shame.”
“That’s not going to work anymore. Go ahead and kick Chloe out; I’ll just find her and let her move in with me,” she said, deciding to call his bluff. “I’m a grown woman now, your threats aren’t going to work. I will never let Chloe live on the streets again.”
“Oh dear, you haven’t heard, have you?” Chet asked, clearly enjoying himself.
“The plans have changed. I’ve decided that since you can’t give me what I need, I’ll find another way to get the power necessary to take over the cl…
corporation. It has come to my attention that a few of my business partners had a little party planned recently.
Sadly, their entertainment fell through, and they had to cancel the event.
I’ve been approached to help them find a replacement, and it occurred to me that Chloe would be perfect. ”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she said, feeling sick to her stomach. “She’s still just a child.”
“You clearly haven’t seen your sister lately,” Chet sneered. “If she wasn’t my stepdaughter…well, let’s just say I might just join in the fun.”
“You’re disgusting. Mom will never let you get away with this,” she said, jumping to her feet. “I’m going to call her right now, tell her everything.”
“She won’t believe you,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “She thinks you’re spending some time in a mental institution.”
She could only stare at him, too shocked to speak.
“Oh, and your sister, well, she’s been having a hard time lately too,” he said, shaking his head sadly.
“She’s been acting out at school, stealing, sleeping around, skipping class.
They’re about to expel her and send her home.
It won’t surprise me one little bit if she suddenly decides to run away and we never see or hear from her again.
Of course, your mom will be devastated, but she’ll get over it, after all, she has little Ben and her loving husband to console her. ”
“You’ll never get away with this. I’m going to stop you,” she spat at him. “Now get out of my house before I call the police and have you arrested for trespassing.”
“You seem to forget that I’m on the lease,” Chet said, getting slowly to his feet. “But I’ll go. You’ve got twenty-four hours, Rose, get me the information I want or your sister is going to pay, and pay big.”
She managed to stay on her feet until she heard the front door slam, then sank to the carpet a feeling of desolation settling over her, the defiance drained right out of her.
A second later, Malcolm was there lifting her to her feet.
“Oh, no you don’t,” he said, turning her to face him and tipping her chin up so that she was looking into his eyes.
“That was amazing, you stood up to him, you challenged him. I’m so proud of you, and best of all, you got him to reveal his plan, and you recorded the whole thing.
We’ve got him right where we want him, on the run, don’t give up now. ”
Looking into his eyes, she felt her confidence returning. She wasn’t facing Chet alone anymore; she had a whole army behind her. “You’re right, I just let him get to me for a second,” she said, then took a deep breath. “We have to go get Chloe, we have to get to her before he does.”
“Yep, looks like it’s time for another change of plans,” Malcolm said, pulling out his phone. “I sure seem to be doing that a lot since I met you, but desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m calling in the National Guard…well…my version of it anyway,” he said, then hit the speaker button so she could hear it ringing until a woman’s voice answered. “Hi, Mom, I’ve got a huge problem and I think you and Dad are our best hope.”