33. Johree
JOHREE
I’d instigated a vid comm call in my office once Jesse fell asleep after watching that horrible message from Lauren. His father answered, looking haggard.
“You heard, then, huh?”
“That she sent his horses to die? Yes.”
He swiped a hand down his face.
“I didn’t find out until Ted went over there the day after their fight and found out. He reached out so I could get our lawyer on it.”
“And?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.
“I don’t know. The auctioneer said the horses had legitimate bills of sale made out to the ranch, all neatly printed off the computer with the ranch letterhead, and Lauren sent her a copy of her ID, saying she was my business manager.
So the horses sold, and they won’t tell us who they sold them to without a warrant.
Ted said, ‘Fuck the warrant.’ He was going to the auction house to see if he could get an employee to spill.
I was gonna reach out to see if you could get your ambassador to make some waves, seein’ as they actually now belong to a prince of your people and all that. ”
“So, a diplomatic incident.”
He nodded.
“Yeah.”
I nodded.
“Bob!”
“On it, boss dude, your royal governorship sir.”
I rolled my eyes at his silliness.
“Look, there’s a few animal rescue groups that attend all of their auctions. They try to buy them all up, fundraising while streaming live on social media so they can get enough funds to get ’em. There’s a good chance they’re happily munching grass at a sanctuary, and we can buy them back.”
“Lauren better pray that is the case,” I replied darkly, and he flinched.
“I hear ya. I’m not gonna sit here and make excuses for her.
Susie and I both agree she needs to understand she has to face the full consequences of her actions, and that includes criminal charges.
I’ve already spoken to the sheriff, and he said we can come file a complaint for theft and forgery at the very least.”
I grunted in agreement.
“Tell your sheriff to expect the ambassador to contact him.”
He swallowed.
“Oh, he’s gonna really love that. Talk about creating a shitstorm,” he sighed.
“I thought I’d raised her better than that.
Where she even got the idea for a TV show and a dude ranch is beyond me.
And deciding to get me to just give them the ranch because she was going to get herself pregnant?
Ted said they’d agreed not to have kids until they’d put seventy-five thousand dollars in their savings account, and they’re only at ten thousand, unless she turned thirty-five first, and then they’d go ahead and try for one. It’s like she lost her damned mind.”
“Don’t withhold information from us any longer. You hear something, no matter how insignificant it may seem or how upsetting it will be to Jesse, you let us know immediately. Comm this channel. It’s our direct line.”
“Okay, I will. Promise.”
I felt pity for him then, watching how much older and more haggard he looked than he had just a few days ago.
Still, he’d had his own part to play in this tragedy.
If he’d only spoken to his own mate to confirm the words he’d been told, and been a good enough father to choose his son over bigotry, none of this would have happened.
Lauren would have had her plans foiled, and as it turned out, he’d have still gotten to marry his new mate.
It had to be hard on him, knowing he’d unwittingly helped one child wound the other so horrifically, and that she’d done it not just once, but twice.
“I’m going to go sit with him now. He cried so hard he fell asleep from exhaustion, and I do not wish for him to wake alone.”
He looked even more stricken hearing that.
Good. Let this cause a scarred wound on his heart so large that he will remember it always, and take care never to hurt Jesse or anyone else by listening to hearsay or siding with bigots ever again.
“Thank you for loving him. He deserves every bit of it. I’m going to try to show him he has love from me and Susie too.”
I nodded curtly.
“We shall speak again once there is news.”
I ended the comm call, eager to return to Jesse’s side. He would need to be coaxed into eating something. Hopefully, Ted or the sheriff or the ambassador would discover the buyer or buyers and have good news to report very soon.
And if not, Lauren would never know another day of peace.
I would make certain of it.