“We’re banning you from pairing with each other ever again,” Aristotle said.
“Come on, Aristotle. It was only once.”
“Uh-uh. Just like Taggart can’t pair with Bernie, Robert, or Alex. You can’t pair with him either.” Aristotle glared at the board. “Give some of us poor saps a shot at winning.”
“I’ll be your partner next time, Theron,” Bernie said.
“Sure, Bernie.” Theron rose from the table and went to hug Aristotle around the shoulders. “I’m good at any sort of board game.”
“I’m good with wood,” Aristotle said.
The room erupted in laughter.
“Not that kind, you perverts.” Aristotle leered at Theron. “Although that is a good one too.” He got serious. “I’m good with wood, so let’s play—”
“Jenga!” The Berkus brothers yelled, then started chanting.
The others joined in too. Aristotle went to get the game. While he did, Theron made a quick trip upstairs and came back down with his camera. He saw they were already setting up.
“Let me get a picture first,” Theron said.
“Why? If you take it of my brothers who don’t like pictures, they’ll just disappear.” Robert didn’t stop what he was doing to set up. “Oh yeah. Miguel wants to have a talk with—”
“Lecture,” Aristotle, Dante, and Lawrence said together.
“Yeah, he’s gonna want to see all of you for that. But I was talking to Aristotle. He and Tomas didn’t come because they, along with their brothers, are starting to figure out their plans for their parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary. They want to know if you’d be willing to sell them one of the bedroom sets you have in your overflow barn.”
“Tell them to let me know when they want to come to pick one out.” Aristotle glared at Robert. “But they better not mention money. It’s a gift from the Rodriguez boys and the Berkus clan. Mami and Papi have been keeping an eye on us as our parents asked them to.”
“I told them you would say that.” Robert laughed, then said, “I’ll let them know. Now, if they can find a place that could accommodate everyone without being too expensive, we’ll be good.”
“They are so stubborn and won’t let Bur, Del, or me foot the bill for the venue.” Bernie placed a block on the pile.
“Why don’t you just have it here? I have an empty barn you could decorate up, and there would be more than enough space.” Aristotle patted the pieces of the game to make them straight.
“But… that would be a whole lot of people,” Robert said.
“So? I’ll show my face, then go hide somewhere when I get tired of the crowd. Bernie, why don’t you tell the Rodriguezes, since they’re your and your brothers’ family, too, that you guys will handle decorating the barn for the party and the transport for people who don’t have a way to get here from town. That would leave it up to the Rodriguez brothers to provide the food and drinks. In my opinion, they should tap Leslie’s brother, who owns the restaurant, and even the ones who will be opening one with Simon, Hector’s partner, to provide the food. They even have bakers in the group who can make the anniversary cake and other pastries. And if I remembered right, there is a bartender, too, so there you go for drinks.” Aristotle shifted another piece to the top. “I’m sure Alex has some people he knows who can get you a deal on the shit you would need to set up the barn to make it look nice. Alex can even work on the invites and coordinating with people to know who is and isn’t coming, who needs transport or can offer their help. Hell, Leslie could help with transport too. Maybe that’ll keep his ass out of trouble for stealing people’s cars. To get Mami and Papi here, I’ll just invite them over to dinner with myself, Lawrence, and Dante. Robert and Miguel can use some excuse not to come, that way they’ll already be in the barn. When the time comes, I’ll take them to show them I have more furniture, then we’ll go to the barn and surprise, there’s the party.”
Theron stared at him, shocked. He’d just planned the logistics for the party without even trying. Robert and the other brothers noticed his surprise.
“Aristotle is a master organizer. If you want something planned out, just tell him, and he’ll have an answer for you without all the bullshit hemming and hawing you would do to get it done.” Robert laughed. “Wait until I tell Miguel you did in minutes what they decided to give themselves six months to plan. I told him to ask you what to do. But they were being stubborn and said they could do it themselves.”
“Six months!” Aristotle paused, then snorted. “They’re crazy. It’s not that hard to figure out a plan of action, set ways to execute, and get it done. Crazy.”
Theron shook his head. If he hadn’t seen it himself, he wouldn’t have believed it. Hell, if they had known Aristotle was such an organizer, they could have saved a lot of time and headache when they were working on the party for the center. He made note to ask Aristotle for help if he planned any functions for Treble Duo. As they discussed the surprise anniversary party, Theron turned on his camera and looked for the pictures he’d taken the day the Berkuses brought the last set of furniture.
“Hey, where are the pictures I took of you all?” Theron looked at Aristotle.
“I have no idea what you are referring to.” He used the same words Theron had.
Theron saw the look Aristotle, Dante, and Lawrence exchanged.
“Ha, ha. The joke’s on you. I kept them here on the camera, but I already made a copy of them on my computer.” Theron was glad he had.
“Poor delusional Theron.” Robert made a tsking sound. “There’s a reason Lawrence is so good at security. He’s a damn good hacker. I’d be surprised if you still have those pictures on your hard drive.”
“What?” Theron glared at Lawrence, who had an innocent look on his face. “You did not hack the computer you gave me.”
“Would I do that?” He put his hands on his chest.
“That wasn’t a denial.” Theron looked back at the camera, muttering, “Next time I’ll print hard copies.”
“They break into people’s houses too. And lately, they’ve been leaving behind some really funny pictures in place of theirs.” Robert shook his head. “I swear, Dante became a lawyer just so he can defend them when they get caught for larceny.”
“If the Berkus brothers weren’t law-abiding citizens, they’d make great crooks.” Taggart looked at Leslie. “You’d be a good car thief.” Then he gestured between the four men. “And I’d be glad to arrest each and every one of you.”
They laughed. Theron snapped a picture of them. He lowered his camera and noticed Aristotle’s subtle nod toward him.
“If the picture I took disappears, Aristotle—” He left the warning hanging.
“I wasn’t doing anything.” Aristotle whistled, then grinned. “Let’s Jenga.”
“Strip Jenga!” Dalton yelled.
“No one wants to see your crusty ass, Dalton,” Aristotle said.
“Let the man strip if he wants to. Make sure to get a picture, Theron….” Lawrence glanced at his camera, then smiled widely.
Aristotle and Dante mimicked him, and Theron knew they were going to try to delete his picture. He was not going to let them outsmart him and was going to keep the picture. Theron sat at the table, holding onto his camera, just in case.
Chapter Six
THERON STRETCHED, then turned away from the computer. All the paperwork and info on the residents at Treble Duo was up to date. A few days before the end of October, he was ready for his monthly meeting with the Jenkinses and Bailey. September was their first full month of being open. With two full months of operation, Theron had a better feel of how things were proceeding. He had a few suggestions he wanted to run past the others about the center. Theron mulled them over, but his mind wasn’t fully on it.
As usual, his thoughts turned to Aristotle and the great times they’d had. In the last few weeks, he’d gotten used to having Aristotle around. Aristotle spent almost every night at Theron’s house, and they had fun
hanging with his brothers, Theron’s, and their friends. Aristotle was turning out to be an intriguing man. That gruff attitude hid a soft core that was so welcoming that it made you want to be close. Theron made sure he was. The sound of knocking made him look up at the door.
“Taggart.” Theron smiled, noting Taggart was dressed impeccably in a suit, as he was when working.
“Theron, I have some news about Jordan.” He stepped inside, closing the door behind him, then came toward the desk and paused before it. His tone made Theron know it wasn’t good news.
“His parents are threatening to file charges if he isn’t returned to them.”
“What? They’re up on charges for hurting him!” Theron clenched his fist.
“Yes, and they don’t have a chance of convincing anyone to bring him to them. But I wanted to warn you, because as we both know, when people become desperate they do dangerous things, not giving a crap who they hurt.” Taggart shook his head. “Jordan has been through enough.”
Theron agreed with him. He’d seen it all too often in his previous job, how parents justified why and what they could do to hurt their kids.
“Even though Jordan’s parents don’t know where he is, it’s good to be cautious. I already told Rhodes what is going on.” Taggart leaned against the corner of his desk. “He’s probably going to tell you about what I said, but I wanted to tell you myself.”
Since the center opened, Taggart had been a big help. In Jordan’s case, although it was a different division that handled it, Taggart had taken the initial report to file the charges against Jordan’s parents. He’d been there when Jordan spoke with the detective handling his case, as well as any meetings with the police that came up in reference to it. With other residents, he’d also stepped in to do whatever he could to make sure the police aspect was handled efficiently and with little or no problems for the residents. With the kids scared to show or tell what had been done to them, it was crucial to get them to say what happened to them so the center’s staff could help them. In Brianna’s instance, Taggart had done as Theron asked.
“Thanks, Taggart.” Theron rubbed his fingers along the bridge of his nose. “I’ll speak with Jordan.”
“What you’re doing here is a good thing, Theron.”
He glanced at him, surprised. Taggart’s expression was serious.
“I’ll admit, at first I was leery when I heard about this project of the Jenkins brothers, but curious about why they were doing it. The things I found out made me know they were on the up and up. That’s why I wanted to be part of this. I’ve worked with a lot of people who claimed to want to do good, but at the end of the day, when it came down to it, they were all talk.” Taggart tapped his finger on the desk. “That’s not you, the Jenkins brothers, or the people you all have hired to be part of Treble Duo. We can do some good, but we know we can’t save everyone.”
The way he said it made Theron’s stomach clench. “What happened?”
“Jordan isn’t the only one I’m here about today.” Taggart paused, then said in a low voice. “Brianna Lowry is dead. To the world, she is gone.”
Theron gasped, then blew out a breath. “So you both pulled it off.”
Del had convinced Brianna’s uncle he was the one who took her from her nanny. The nanny had left town for parts unknown, leaving no forwarding address, so the uncle couldn’t find out if it was true or not. Del being as powerful as he was, and knowing what Billy had done, all worked in their favor to keep Brianna’s uncle quiet. The uncle knew Del had him where he wanted him, and Del made sure Billy was afraid of him. It gave him and the others time to execute their plan. When Del and the others had finally revealed their plan to him, Theron hadn’t thought it would work.
“Yes. Del got that fucker to sign papers for Brianna. Her uncle thought he was signing to let her go so she could go into the foster care system, but instead my brother Grayson will adopt her. We’re telling our family he adopted her privately. We’re not telling them too many details.” Taggart smiled. “Her name will be legally changed to Anna, since she hates Brianna, and that’s what she’ll go by. She’s going to be my niece, Anna Monroe, and live with Grayson in Texas.”
“It’s good that Grayson was willing to take her.”
“Willing? Hell, he’s always wanted kids. They’ve been talking on the phone about plans for how her room will look when she gets there,” Taggart said.
“I better go see her and get my fill before she leaves.” Theron leaned back in his chair.
“She’s already gone, Theron.”
“What? But I didn’t get to say good-bye.” Theron didn’t know they would move her so fast.
“We couldn’t take the chance of her uncle finding her or changing his mind. Hector and Dante pushed through paperwork to get her adopted and her name changed, and then Del used his connections to bury it.” Taggart crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t have to say good-bye. Grayson said you better keep in touch with her, since you’re her fairy godfather. I’m to pass the message on to all of you who helped save her. We saved her, and Grayson will help her heal and live a happy and safe life. Once she is settled, Grayson will send some pictures.”
Theron hoped he was right because Brianna… no, Anna… now had a special place in his heart.
“What about her uncle? What is planned for him?”
“Now that Brianna, who was our priority, is away from him, it’s my turn to deal with him,” Taggart replied.
“That’s not an answer, just an intent you will do something.” Theron didn’t want Taggart to get into trouble.
“Trust me, Theron. I’m not out to get into trouble. Just to bring down a despicable man and dirty cop.”
“Who—”
“I can’t say.” Taggart’s look was steady. “But you’ll know when it happens. This won’t be buried like a lot of secrets are. I’ve got to get back to work.”
“Thanks for coming by to tell me.” Theron rose and shook his hand.
“I like delivering good news. Nice picture, by the way.” Taggart pointed to the photo.
Theron lifted the picture he’d taken of everyone a few weeks ago. “I don’t know how they did it.”
The picture had all the faces, except where Aristotle, Dante, and Lawrence were supposed to be; there were yellow smiley faces in their place.
“They are resourceful.”
“They are something, all right. When I complained to Aristotle, he pointed out that I said I didn’t want the picture to disappear, and he kept his word.” Theron laughed. “Damn wily man did indeed. I’m going to have to remember to be really specific when dealing with him.”
“And think of all contingencies. Here’s a picture for you.” Taggart pulled one out from his inner pocket.
Theron took it, curious. “Aww… they’re cute dogs. Whose are they?”
“Mine.”
“Yours?”
“The friends I made while helping my brother move to Encounters decided I needed some companionship. They think they got one up on me, but I love dogs.” Taggart laughed as he left the office.
Theron had heard about Taggart’s trip, and his sending gifts relating to their favorite TV shows to the mothers of the two men he met there. Aristotle found it funny as hell and was working on a little project to help Taggart. Theron noted the time and quickly got ready to leave for the day. As he stepped into the hall, Bailey was coming out of his office, while Irene was walking toward them down the hall from hers. Bailey stopped by his door, and Theron waited with him.
When Irene was before them, Theron smiled. “How was your first week?”
“Wonderful. I’m all settled into my office.” Irene clasped her hands together in front of her. “Working with the kids will be much more in depth than I’m used to.”
“Yes, it will.” Theron gestured, and they headed off down the hall, chatting about the residents and the plans they had for them.
“Aristotle’s idea for implementing the reading program
is working,” Bailey said as they went down the hall. “The kids are excited about it.”
Irene nodded. “Letting them take over and plan it themselves was a good way to get them enthused about the program.”
“Yep. They’re looking forward to their second Saturday reading on November 10.” Theron was glad they were.
With Aristotle’s permission, Theron had used a similar concept to the second Sunday gatherings. They entered the main room, and Theron absently noted the loud music.
“It—”
“Come on, Doctor T, Miss Irene, and Doctor B!” some kids yelled.
Theron looked in their direction and saw the crowd gathered around the main TV. They walked over and noted the dancing game Bur had bought that the residents were playing.
“I don’t know about this.” Theron looked at Bailey and Irene.
“Ohhh… they’re too old!” Jordan yelled.
The other kids started chanting, “Too old.”
“Let’s show them how it’s done,” Theron said, putting down his messenger bag.
“It’s a good thing Cass will be home later to rub these old bones.” Bailey grinned.
“Humph. I’m the oldest one here, and I plan to show these young’uns a few things.” Irene pushed up the sleeves of her shirt.
They went around the throng of kids, and when they cued up the game, they all matched the dance moves. Theron laughed, rolling his hands over each other, then sliding. Bailey almost tripped him, but Theron shook his ass, then turned. His eyes widened as he spotted Aristotle grinning at him over the crowd. Theron quickly did the next move, then kept at it. Irene didn’t seem to be having any trouble. By the time the sequence was done, he was drenched in sweat, Bailey was breathing hard, and Irene was pumping her fist. The residents surrounded them, patting them and talking excitedly about how good they were.
“Another one!” the kids yelled.
“Another time. I’m heading home. You all have a good night.” Theron walked through the crowd.
The calls of “’Night, Doctor T” followed him as he made his way to Aristotle. He held his messenger bag.
Something in Common (Dreamspinner Press Bundles) Page 83