“I didn’t think I would see you so soon Miss Cross. One night. Just one night and here we are again. Well, let’s see what it is your accused of this time. Yes, yes car bombing. Uh huh, uh huh.” The Judge pretended to read over the court case.
Gabi stood nervously watching the Judge read over the case file. She worried this might be the last time she saw daylight.
Irwin watched as the Judge played Gabi. He wasn’t happy about the way she was trying to make Gabi worry. He would see her after the case was dealt with in her chambers. His father would deal with her when he gets back. But she would know she was in trouble when he was done with her.
“Lucky for you Gabi Cross, the owner of the vehicle has asked to have you work your punishment off for him. You will report to Mr. Miles Redwood at seven in the morning. Just to be sure you show up, he has arranged for someone to pick you up in the morning. Be ready to go at Six. And Miss Cross if you don’t do as he asks you will spend time behind bars for all the destruction you caused. You’re lucky no one can link you to the bomb that was on the car. Dismissed.”
“Six? Judge Wiggins I have to be at work at nine. I can’t possibly…
“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear Miss Cross, if you don’t do this as you have been instructed you will be in jail for who knows how many years. Do you hear what I am saying? You don’t have a job as of now other than to do whatever Mr. Redwood sees fit.”
“For how long?”
“That too has been left up to Mr. Redwood.”
“I do hope he keeps you for a very long time. Maybe he can keep you out of trouble, nothing else seems to. One would think at your age, you would grow up. I guess some people never grow up. Good luck Miss Cross, you’re going to need it. From what I hear, this Mr. Redwood is a hard man to work for. Very strict.” The Judge was laughing.
Gabi couldn’t believe the Judge was actually laughing at her. Laughing at her in a courtroom full of people. That bitch would get hers one day. Gabi only hoped she was around to see it.
Gabi was taken back to the back and they went over the paperwork with her. Then she had to sign paper after paper agreeing to work for Mr. Redwood or go to prison.
Then she was released. She had to call a cab to pick her up. Then she headed to the casino. She went up to speak with Mrs. Bixby. Mrs. Bixby already knew what was going on. Alpha Redwood had warned her to be on her best behavior when Gabi came to let her know she wouldn’t be working at the casino anymore. And Mrs. Bixby would be because she had already been disciplined for some of the ways she had treated Gabi in the past. She wouldn’t repeat that for anything. His punishments could be very cruel.
“Come in, Gabi. I heard you had been arrested. I assume you’re here to pick up your last check. I have it ready for you. Your things have been boxed for you. You didn’t really have that many personal items in your office. I wish you good luck.”
“Yes, well, I have been assigned a new job. I will be working for a Mr. Redwood now. I guess I won’t be seeing you anymore.” She held out her hand for her check.
Mrs. Bixby was confused. How would she be working for Mr. Redwood still? She wouldn’t be working at the casino she was sure of that. He had said as much. “Where will you be working for Mr. Redwood?”
“I was told at his farm. Wherever that is. I just know I have a ride out there in the morning. Anyway, I’m out of here.” Gabi took her check and picked up the little box with her things in it and hightailed it out of there.
Mrs. Bixby couldn’t believe it Gabi was going to be working at the den house? But, how? Why? She had never gotten to work out there even. She was furious.
“That’s not fair. That’s not right. A human out at the den?”
Irwin had gone back to the Judge’s chambers to speak with her the minute court was over. “Judge Wiggins. I believe my father is going to be very upset when I tell him how you treated his mate today in your courtroom.” Irwin stared at her as she realized who he was talking about.
“Gabi? Gabi Cross is his mate? Oh shit, I had no idea. I did what he told me to do.” She was going to be sick. She knew what and who Redwood was. She knew more than she should no. It wasn’t safe to piss off the Alpha.
“You did what he said to a point, but you went out of your way to make her uncomfortable. It was unnecessary to make her squirm. To make it sound like he would be mean to her. To make it sound like you would be sending her to prison for years if she didn’t do what you told her. It isn’t in your power to do any of those things. I am sure my father will be paying you a visit when he gets back to town. He is on a trip at the moment. Be expecting to see him soon.” With that Irwin spun around and disappeared out the door.
Judge Wiggins was shaken. She had no idea Gabi Cross belonged to the Alpha. That she was his mate. She knew how protective the wolves were of their mates. She knew that she was in deep trouble if he got a hold of her.
She wondered if this job was worth it. Maybe it was time to retire and take a trip around the world. If she didn’t stay around, then the wolf couldn’t find her.
A trip around the world was sounding pretty good about now. Her husband was gone so there was nothing to keep her here anymore. He had died a year ago. He had a massive heart attack. She was all alone these days. Nothing to keep her from taking a cruise or a trip around the world. She had the money. Why not travel.
Chapter 18
Gabi couldn’t believe it six am and someone was at the damn door pounding on it. Why? Her alarm hadn’t gone off. She had stayed up most of the night trying to figure out what to wear. She had no idea what she was going to be doing on the farm. No idea what she was expected to do.
The pounding got louder. She yelled at them to stop. She slowly rolled over and stood up. That is when she remembered she was supposed to be ready to go at six. “Shit, I’m late!”
She ran to the front door and threw it open. “I’m sorry, my alarm didn’t go off. I’ll be ready in five minutes. Come on in and have a seat.”
“No worries Miss Cross. I’m Andrew. I will be your Chauffeur and your boss for the time being. I don’t know what they told you, but you will need to pack a bag. You will be living at the house for now. We will lock up your place when we leave because you won’t be back here any time soon.”
“I won’t? But I rent. How will I pay my rent? My landlord expects his money on the first or I am in trouble. What kind of work will I be doing, so I know what kind of clothes to pack?” Gabi stared at this man wondering what she was in for.
“You will mostly be working inside the house. The house is very large. There will be a lot to do. Cleaning house. Many bedrooms to clean, clothes to wash for many people. Cooking for several people. Stuff of that nature. Maybe more. There will be times when you might have to work outside in the gardens. Have you ever worked on a farm Miss Cross?” He was smiling, but she got the feeling he was laughing at her.
“No, I can’t say I have. I have worked out in the country giving tours at a cabin rental campground. But that is about as outdoors as I have been. I loved it though being outdoors. I bought a house and had it rebuilt out in the woods, but I didn’t get to stay there very long.”
“I see. Well, you will get used to it. We will teach you. Now get ready, we need to get back. If you like I can have someone pick up the rest of your things later and have them put in storage, so you don’t have to pay rent while you’re staying at the farm. I don’t know how long you will be out there. It could be quite some time. I understand there was a lot of damage done that you are supposed to be working off.”
“How the hell was it my fault that the car had a bomb planted under it? I didn’t know it was there? Why am I being held responsible for all of it? Damn it, this isn’t fair.” Gabi went back to her bedroom complaining all the way.
Andrew was laughing at her under his breath. He knew she wasn’t having to pay back anything. That wasn’t at all what was going on. The minute he had her out of the house the pack was going to pack up her things and m
ove them out to the den. They had orders to put her things in one of the barns for now. She wasn’t to know it.
Alpha Redwood had no intentions on her ever coming back to this house. She was his mate and she would soon find out. She would soon be mated to him and become one of them. Be a part of the pack. Be the Alpha Female of the pack. Boy was she in for some changes in her life.
When she had her bag packed, she carried it out to the living room. Andrew took her bag out to the car. She looked around and decided to grab a few of her books in case she had time to read. She didn’t want to be bored. Who knew if they had the conveniences of home. For all she knew she was being taken out into the middle of nowhere without electric and running water.
She grabbed a cloth bag she used for groceries and filled it with books, then grabbed her purse and headed to the door. He met her at the door. “You think we don’t have things to read?” He said smiling at her.
“I don’t know what you have or don’t have. I thought if I had time off I might need something to do so I grabbed some of my books. I like to read.” She wasn’t too happy about having to stay out on this farm thingy.
“Well then you will be happy to know we have a huge library in the house. Maybe you will have time to enjoy it. Come now, we must get going. They’re going to wonder where we’re at as it is.” He took her bag of books and loaded them into the back seat. He opened the front passenger door for her then went around to the driver side.
The drive seemed to take forever. Hours, at least she thought. When they finally got to the place they were going, they pulled up to a gate with guards. What the heck? She thought.
He pulled up to the gate and a guard stepped out of a little house, then nodded and went back inside the little guard house and the gate opened. Then they drove through.
“So I am like a in a prison here?” She looked back through the back window to see the gate closing.
Andrew laughed at her. “No, we have the gates guarded to keep out people we don’t want in. Not to keep you in. We don’t like people trespassing on our land. This is private property you’re on.”
“Is there something I should know? Are you hiding something? Is that why you don’t want people on your land?” She was curious why they didn’t want anyone on their land. The guards seemed a little like overkill.
“We don’t want anyone on our land because they tend to shoot then ask questions. We don’t allow hunting on our land. Too many accidents happen when humans and guns come along. They tend to get drunk and shoot anything that moves. We raise… we run a wildlife sanctuary here. We don’t want anything killed.”
“Oh, I see. That’s pretty cool. What kind of animals do you keep around here? Will I see any of them?” Now he had her interest. She loved walking around the mountains when she was back at the cabins because she was always seeing something different. Once she saw a bobcat, another time a black bear with her cubs. She loved wildlife.
“You might. We have a little bit of everything here. Lots of deer. Some black bears, mountain lions, wolves, stuff like that. So don’t go wandering around alone. Not all things in these woods are safe to be around. Some things here would eat you without thinking a thing about it.” Andrew thought she looked disappointed.
“Oh, I was hoping I would get to go hiking some. Will I have regular work hours while I am here? Or will I have to work around the clock?”
“You will have a schedule. It might not be what your use to. We start very early in the morning and work till late at night sometimes. You might have a break during the day. You will get one day a week off. I will have your schedule ready for you when we get to the house. Allison will show you what to do. If you have questions you can ask me.”
Gabi wasn’t too excited by all this. When they pulled up to the house, she was shocked. It was a three-story mansion. The house sat back in a valley hidden from sight.
Andrew drove around a curve through the trees into a clearing before she could see anything that looked like anyone lived there. Then all of a sudden, they’re in the middle of a field stood a huge three-story mansion like none she had seen before.
“I am going to be cleaning that. Me and what army? How many rooms are there in that place? It looks like a whole army lives here.” Gabi couldn’t imagine anyone living in a house so big. What would they need so much room for?
“This is where my family lives. Most of us live under one roof. There are sixty-three of us living here right now. Some of us live in town. A lot of us work in town. You will see people coming and going a lot.”
“Sixty-three people live under one roof. Dang, how big is your family?” She couldn’t picture having so many people in one family.
“Miss Cross where is your family? Don’t you live close to any of them?” Andrew had never heard anyone say anything about her family.
She looked sad. “I don’t know if I have any family. If I do, they didn’t want me. They dumped me when I was three. I was left on a bench at a hospital. I have never known my family.”
“I am so sorry. I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have asks. I can’t imagine not having my family around. Let’s go in and I will get you settled in. I hope you feel like part of the family while you’re here.”
He led her into the house. It was amazing inside. They had walked up stairs onto a beautiful porch, then through double wooden doors into a huge living room. It was gorgeous. Light colored hardwood floors that shined. You could see all the way through the house. The back of the living room was all glass. It looked like the back wall was all glass doors that could be slid open to open the entire wall if one wanted to. Like the glass panes would fold and glide along the floor folding together. You could open the house and really air it out she decided.
On each side of the living room was a staircase going up to the next floor. Over the back wall of the living room was a walkway that led from one side of the upstairs to the other. Again, the wall behind the walkway was all glass. The living room ceilings must be twenty feet at least letting in a lot of sunlight.
“Wow, this is amazing. I am going to be staying here. This is like some kind of lodge. I feel like I am on vacation at a ski lodge or something.”
To the right and to the left on each end wall was a huge rock wall fireplace. She could see through one. On the other side of the fireplace looked to be a huge dining room. Of course, if there were sixty something people living there, it would take a huge dining room to seat all of them.
Looking through the other fireplace, she could see what appeared to be some kind of large game room. She could see a pool table or two. She couldn’t tell for sure if what she was seeing was all pool tables or not.
Andrew led her upstairs and down a hall, then up another flight of stairs to the third floor. “Your room is here. The only room you will not be allowed to enter into is on the other end of the third floor. The Alpha’s section of the house is kept locked and off limits. It is up the other side of the second-floor staircase like this one was. There is no walkway connecting the third floors like there is connecting the two sides of the second floor.”
He opened the door and showed her in. She had her own apartment from the looks of it. She was surprised. She had a little kitchenette and a private bathroom. She had a huge bedroom. A small living room of her own. “This is all mine?”
“Yes, do you approve?” He wasn’t sure if she liked it or was complaining. He watched her face as she stared around the apartment. The house had been built with two private apartments. One on each end of the third floors. The Alpha and Beta had their own apartments. But for now, she was giving one of the apartments since Irwin didn’t stay at the den. Plus, the Alpha wasn’t ready for her to know about him just yet.
“I had no idea I would have my own apartment. I love it. This is much more than I thought I would have.” She was smiling now. Thank goodness he thought. If she wasn’t happy then Alpha Redwood wouldn’t be happy, and they all wanted him to be happy.
“I’m glad you like
it. Ok then I will let you put your things away. Once you have that done come down to the first floor. Take a right and go under the staircase and follow the hall to the end. There is an office there, that’s where I will be. You can come get your schedule and assignments. Then I will introduce you to Allison. She will help show you around and get you started. Do you have any questions before I go?”
Not that she could think of. She shook her head no. He headed on out the door then. Once he was gone, she started hanging her clothes up and putting her books on a shelf. She might as well make herself at home. Sure, she was stalling.
Once she had her things put away, she headed back down the stairs to find Andrew like he had told her. She saw people everywhere as she went back downstairs. She hadn’t seen anyone on her way in the house.
“Um, I’m supposed to go to the office.” She said as she nervously passed them. No one said much, just pointed her in the right direction. She was thinking how unfriendly they were.
Not all of them were glad to see a human in their house. Irwin had warned them. Andrew had warned them, that this female, this human, was very important and that she was to be protected with their lives. Then they told them why. She was the Alpha’s mate.
Irwin was so mad he hadn’t gotten to meet Gabi and take her out to the house. Something had come up at the casino and he had to call Andrew to pick her up.
Irwin had to be at the casino because of all the reporters sticking their noses in where they didn’t belong. Everyone was snooping around because of the car bomb. He had to beef up security. He was constantly having to go see about something, usually one of the reports had snuck in and was cornering an employee trying to get them to answer questions about what was going on.
He had called out to the house to make sure Gabi had gotten settled in. “How is she doing?” Irwin couldn’t keep Gabi off his mind.
“We have only been here a few minutes Irwin. Gee give her a minute to unpack. She is upstairs unpacking now. I gave her your apartment. The one you never moved into. I wasn’t sure where else to put her.” Andrew listened to see what else Irwin wanted him to do.
The Trouble With Two Alpha's Page 14