Chapter 3 #3
He knew that he didn’t. All he wanted was to talk to the girls; he called them and maybe have a meal or two with them.
While he didn’t like eating from the dumpster, he would do it just knowing that he wasn’t bothering his daughters about it.
The man just wanted a relationship with his daughters, no matter how little it turned out to be.
After Juice left him to go and follow the Taylors around, he put everything that he had in a file.
He knew he was being dishonest with Sammy about the information that he had, but he wasn’t sure how she’d take them looking for them.
Tonight, when he took her to the bank, he was going to have a talk with her about her dad and mom.
That way, he could gauge how she wanted to proceed with whatever she wanted from them.
Or them from her. Melbourne worried about Belinda some.
She seemed to be unstable, but he wasn’t sure that was all it was.
She seemed to have two sides to herself, and neither one of them was anything that he’d trust as far as he could toss her.
When Sammy touched his mind, he smiled. She was getting really good at doing something that she said she wouldn’t do around him.
“I think I saw my parents today. At least my dad.” He asked her where they were. “Out on Route Forty, just walking along the side of the road. It looked like they were collecting bottles or cans, but it was hard to tell.”
“What if I told you that that’s just what they were doing?” She asked him what he meant. “I have had a faerie on them since I found out where they’re staying. It’s not far from your place of work.”
“Are they planning to harm me? If so, you’ll have to visit me in jail because I’m no longer the little girl they abused.” He said that as far as he could tell, her dad only wanted to talk to her, just to get to know her again. “Before they ram the knife in my back, you mean?”
“I don’t think so.” She didn’t say anything for a long while, and he was worried that she was mad at him.
“Your dad has been watching you come and go from the restaurant. I don’t think he’s told your mother that he knows where you are.
I don’t know that for sure, but that’s just the feelings that I get from them.
I’ve read both their minds, and neither one of them seems to have any kind of ill will toward either of you. ”
“Then what do they want?” He told her, as best he could, that her father wanted a job to feel like a human again, and her mother would just as soon have him pay for everything.
“So she’s no different than before.” She paused, and before he could speak again, she did.
“That was unfair. If he knows that I’m working here, he must know that I’m not worrying about what he can do to us.
I’m supposing that they know where Justine is as well. ”
“Not that I’ve seen. They know both your cars, or at least he does.
When he sees them out and about, whether in town or at the restaurant, he keeps an eye out for each of you.
He acts like he’s almost afraid to have you see him.
” She asked him if he knew what he wanted.
“Nothing that I can sense. Like I said, he wants to talk to the two of you. Maybe have a meal with you, but nothing more than that.”
“What about my mom? You don’t mention her very much.
” He told her his opinion about her. “So she’s just hanging onto dad for whatever he says.
That’s different for her. She was the one who would tell him to hurt us.
I’ve always been more afraid of her than of him. She’s the devil we used to call her.”
“Since I didn’t know them before, I can’t judge them now.
I know just what I’ve read in their minds.
” She again didn’t say anything, and he was all right with that.
Then she did ask him how long he’d been watching them.
“About a week now. At least since you and I worked together that Friday evening, I saw him again when I took you to the bank that night. He was hanging around the vacant building across from your place. I’ve since found out that they’re staying there.
It has no heat, but it does have running water for them to use. ”
“Right now, I don’t know what to do about them.
I guess they’re all right where they are.
” He said that he could have them moved out by the police.
“No, don’t do that. Just let them stay there until I can figure out what they’re doing.
I don’t believe for a minute that they’re just hanging around us waiting for a chance to talk.
There has to be more to this than that.”
“I’ll do whatever you want. You just say the word and I’ll have them out of that place by the end of the day.” She again told him to wait, and he was all right with that. “However, if they try to hurt you, there will be no place they can hide that I don’t find them. Understand?”
“I do, and I think I love you for that.” His heart swelled in his chest at her words.
Since he already loved her and she thought that she loved him, it was making him feel things that he’d never felt before.
He felt like a new man and all because of her.
“Look, I need to get some work done. I’ll see you after work tonight, and I’ll think about everything you told me.
Is there anything else I should know about them? ”
“Not them, but I’d not mentioned anything to your sister.
I saw her in town yesterday, and she seemed stressed out.
Again, I don’t know her all that well from before she knew they were hanging around, but she seems like she’s one short scare from being locked up.
Is that normal for her?” Sammy told him that she was usually stressed out all the time, but she had been more so lately.
“I can understand that. You guys went through hell and back with them from what I’ve found about their trial. ”
For the rest of the afternoon into the evening, he tried to get some work done. It wasn’t easy; his mind kept going to his mate and her family, but he did manage to get two of the contracts read over from the city and one list of things that he wanted to talk to his mom and dad about.
His dad was an ancient and powerful vampire when he met their mom.
Mom was older than Dad by a great many years, so together their magic was powerful.
And in turn, they’d passed down their magic to their six sons, who in turn shared it with their mates when they came along.
They had powerful magic as well, which usually didn’t have anything to do with their mates.
Like Amy could jump from flame to flame, looking as if her body was completely engulfed in the flames to get from one point to the other, Dad likened her magic to one very old, even older than him, and a powerful vampire; she was so strong.
None of the other mates were as strong as Amy, nor were any of the brothers as strong as her mate, his brother Fowler.
They were to be king and queen of the faeries and other worldly creatures someday, and he would need to be strong in order to be able to do the job that had been in his family since the beginning of time.
His mom and dad were taking care of the magic these days while their grandma saw the world that she helped to create.
After getting as much done as he could, Melbourne went to the website that listed homes for sale.
There were plenty of them in his price range, but he knew that they were going to need something bigger than the condo that they both owned.
He didn’t know what Sammy was going to do with hers, as she owned the entire subdivision where she lived, but he was going to put his on the market as soon as they found a house they could both live in.
After finding several that he liked, he called the realtor that all of the family had been using and asked her to set up some times on Saturday morning to see the ones he’d asked about.
Two of them he was ready to write off but there were three that he thought would be perfect for the two of them.
He’d pick up Sammy and they’d see the houses before she had to work that evening.
Melbourne was about as excited as he’d been in some time.
Going to see his parents, always a treat for him, he handed his dad the list when he told him why he was there.
Dad said he could answer most of them as he’d heard the questions before from his brothers, but not all of them.
He would have to see his mom or grandma to see if she could get him the information that he might need.
“I didn’t know that Grandma was home. I thought that she was at an amusement park having fun.” Dad told him that she’d gotten bored with that after the first day. “It really isn’t as much fun to see one of those parks alone. It’s always better to take someone with you.”
“We told her that, but she said that she didn’t know who she’d bring with her.
I told her that I’d go with her and have a day of it, but she wouldn’t hear of taking me away from work.
I think this job is too easy for your mother.
I look for her every day to say she can’t stand the boredom anymore.
Your grandmother ran such a tight ship here that the place practically runs itself.
I myself enjoy all the creatures around and have the best time when it’s time to open up the faerie blooms.”
“I’ve seen that once. It is a beautiful time of the year.
To see all the new faeries born out of the blooms is the most exciting thing I’ve ever witnessed.
And when they have to test their wings, it’s just too beautiful to describe in mere words.
” Dad agreed with him. “I might have to bring Sammy here when that’s happening again. I’m sure that she’ll enjoy it.”
After Dad answered his questions, he went to find Grandma. He was thinking that he’d take her to the park with Sammy and they’d make a day of it. She’d enjoy spending time with him, and he’d love just watching Sammy and Grandma get to know one another.