Oakley: Marshall’s Shadow – Jaguar Shapeshifter Romance (Marshall's Shadow Book 3)

by Kathi S. Barton

  They talked about the price and the size of the place. It also had several outbuildings with it, plus a large garden that was bigger than the one they had on their property. What Harris was jealous about was that there was not only a stocked pond on the back of the property, but there were two houses for staff on the property as well.

  Will I need staff? She told him he would. With a house that had seven bedrooms, it would be difficult to keep up. And how do you think I’m going to fill those rooms? In the event you might have missed it, my mate is still in the hospital.

  I know that, dork. But with your grandda making plans to stay over at each of our homes, it would be nice for him to have a bit of space for himself. Or, and this is what Shep said, you could easily let him live in one of the smaller homes, so he has a place to call his own. He liked that idea and told her that. I’m going to send you some pictures of the house and property. Show them to Lach when her family is gone. Or after you kill them. Whichever you do, you know I have a lot of experience in making it look like an accident.

  This time when the door opened, he knew it was going to be Lach. When she reached for his hand, he took hers into his. She was pale and in a great deal of pain. He knew if her family wasn’t there, he’d make sure her back was healed too.

  “I need something for pain.” Her sister and mother said no at the same time. “Kiss my ass. I’m hurting, and I’m taking care that I don’t take too much. Fuck, I hurt.”

  “Every time I’m around you, I realize what a lowlife you are, Lach. For heaven’s sake, don’t act like this around me.” Her mother went to the other side of the bed and reached for her other hand. Lach jerked away from her. “You ungrateful child. I was just going to offer you some comfort.”

  “I wondered for a very long time if you knew what that meant. But I don’t want you to hold my sore arm, Mother. In case you’re forgotten, I’ve been burned badly.” She looked at Oakley. “Please.”

  He picked up the call button, but before he could ring for the nurse, she came in. Martha had been Lach’s nurse yesterday, and Oakley thought she was about the most no-nonsense woman he’d ever met.

  “I got you some good juice right here, Lach, honey. You just lay there and let me take the edge off for you.” Lach started crying and told her she was sorry. “You don’t have to tell me you’re sorry, child. I know you had to be beat up pretty badly when they took you away. You just let this fill in the spaces of pain, then you’ll be right as rain in no time.”

  “I don’t want her to have anything.” Martha huffed at Rita when she spoke. “Did you hear me? She’s going to have my baby, and I don’t want her to make him stupid by having too much dope in his system.”

  “Do you, by chance, have a medical degree? Do you happen to know more than I do about such things? You don’t. Now, if you don’t have anything nice to say here, then you just sit your skinny little butt down and leave me to my work. This child has a hole in her noggin, and I’m betting you’d be begging for something for pain too if it were you. Now, leave me alone.” Martha looked at him and winked. “Oakley, I heard your grandda is coming in later. You tell him to come by and see me. I have him some late tomatoes if he wants them.”

  “I’ll do that. He’s bringing dinner us. The doctor told us this morning that she can have something on the light side, so he’s getting her some soup and bread.” Martha, like him, ignored the others in the room. “I think he’s bringing you in something as well.”

  “Your family, they’re the best, Oakley. Don’t know what your little town down there would do if it wasn’t for your generosity.” Rita cleared her throat and then asked who he was. “He’s the best thing that ever happened to your little sister, if I don’t miss my bet.”

  “He is.” He leaned down and kissed Lach on her mouth when she spoke to him. “I’m all right now if you want to sit down. You’re wonderful for being here with me.”

  Roger nearly knocked his wife over racing to get to the other chair. Oakley didn’t try to hide his laughter at the man. The idiot was going to have to get up soon anyway. As he said, his grandda was bringing in dinner.

  When Martha left them, telling them they weren’t to sit on the bed, she winked at him again. He was going to have to do something special for the woman. Oakley thought of all the things she’d made sure he had while staying here, including enough towels for him to shower in Lach’s room. As well as a meal for him when the others on the floor were having theirs.

  “I’m glad you’re here. Well, not really, but now that you are, we can get some things taken care of. First and foremost, I want you to know I’m having my attorney look over the contract you signed for me.” Rita asked her why she’d do something like that. “Because of how I ended up carrying your children.”

  “You won’t have to do this again for us, Lach. I wish I hadn’t asked you to do it in the first place now. The way you whine and moan about every little thing.” Lach pointed out that she’d not been asked at all. “Not that it matters now, but I should have thought things through about what sort of person you are. No. We’ve only ever wanted one child, and this is all for us.”

  “I’m glad you brought that up, Rita. You lied to me about not being able to carry a child to term. From talking to Dad, I know you’d not had any trouble at all getting pregnant and carrying the first time you were—”

  “You’re not to talk to that man.” Oakley held tightly onto Lach’s hand when her mother got up and stood over her. “He’s nothing. Less than nothing, and I won’t have you talking to him at all. I forbid it.”

  “Not that I care what you forbid me to do, but I’ll see and talk to whomever I want to. He’s my father.” When Rita drew back like she was going to hit Lach, Oakley growled. No one in the room moved. “It’s all right, Oakley. If she’d hit me, I would have gladly had you toss them out of the room. Sit down, Mother, and shut the fuck up.”

  “This right here is what I mean about you being unfit to carry my child.” Lach said children. “I have already explained to you, Lach, that I’ll never allow you to carry another child for me.”

  “I’m carrying twins, Rita. A boy and a girl.” Rita told her to grow up. “I have no idea why that would be said to me, but that’s the truth. There is no direct science on how many eggs get fertilized when you do in vitro. I’ve been asking the staff here a lot of questions. But I’m having twins for you.”

  “Then you’re going to have to get rid of one of them. I don’t want two. You have them abort the girl. I want a son.” No one spoke. He even thought Lach’s mother was shocked by what Rita said. “You heard me. I only want one of them. I don’t care how you do it, but I will not allow you to have two children. No. Do something about it now.”

  “Do something about it? Are you insane? I can’t abort a child because you want only one. What the fuck is wrong with you?” Lach looked at him. “I thought she’d be happy, not a monster like she is. Christ.”

  “I’m not a monster. I told you when you found out you were pregnant that you were to have me a son, and that was all. I don’t want to raise a daughter. I need you to take care that when you have this done, you only take the girl out. Or so help me, Lach, I won’t pay you a dime for anything.” Oakley could feel the pain coursing through Lach. “I’m going home. You had better have this taken care of before I return. Do you hear me?”

  “I’m not going to do anything. I’m going to have two children that you had some quack plant in me, and that’s all there is to it. Do you hear me?” Rita moved to the door and called for Roger to come with her. “You’re not going to make me do a damned thing, Rita. I’m pregnant with twins. Deal with it.”

  “I don’t want the girl. Whatever you do, you make sure you deliver a son. I’ll sue you if you dare bring that girl into this world.”

  Oakley finally had enough. “Shut the fuck up, you fucking bitch.” Rita said she was leaving. “Good. But know this.
The moment you walk out that door without settling this with your sister, you’ll have to go through me to see the children. They’re both coming into this world, and you have two choices. Take them both or neither of them. And you had better never do anything to harm the little girl, either. If you do, I’ll come at you so hard you’ll wish you had kept your fucking mouth shut.”

  “Who the hell do you think you are, telling me what I can and can’t do? I’ll have you know that this is my decision, not yours. Lach, I will speak to you later about this. However, if this is your decision too, then I won’t pay for anything for you.” Lach said she’d not paid anything as yet, so that wasn’t going to be a hardship for her. “Always the smart ass, aren’t you? Well, I have news for you, little sister. Let’s see how quickly this man here runs out on you. I hope he does. It’s exactly what you deserve.”

  Rita just stood there, her anger evident on her face and in the way she stood stiff and unyielding. When she spoke, her lips moved, but her teeth remained clenched. In that moment, Oakley decided he was going to have Harris look deeper into the life of this woman. Anger like that didn’t just show itself on a whim.

  “You are no longer a child of mine. I will never come to speak to you, nor will I have one thing to do with you if you don’t do what Rita said.” Lach didn’t bother saying anything but did lift her chin up to show she wasn’t budging. “Fine. Suit yourself. But don’t come running to me when things sour for you. I’m washing my hands of you.”

  After her mother and family left, Lach was inconsolable. She cried so hard that Martha came in to see what had happened to them. After a quick explanation to her about what had happened, she went out of the room only to return with two boxes of tissues and some more medication for her. Lach was still crying softly when the medication took her under again.

  ~*~

  Harris was spitting mad. Not nearly so much as Grandda was, but Harris thought she was about as close to pissed off as he was. It was all she could do not to find her guns and hunt the bitches down. The nerve of some people. Asking again if Oakley needed anything, Harris went into the hall and made some calls. She had made all her calls except to her office, which she did now.

  “I’ve been looking into the names you’ve given me. Roger Underwood died fifty-one years ago. If there is another one around, I certainly can’t find him.” She asked him if he found anything with that name for now. “Yes, sir. I have a driver’s license for the name—and address. However, none of that is any more recent than the last ten years—about the time he married Ms. Russell. I am looking into some other information I got from a neighbor. She said she thought someone had come by once looking for a different name than Underwood. Mrs. Rake said she’d call me back when she found the name. She apparently wrote it down.”

  “I wonder why she did that.” Gilbert told her what he’d been told. “So, this elderly lady thinks something is fishy about the couple living next door to her and starts keeping notes. Perhaps we should hire her for some undercover shit.”

  “I thought of that as well.” Gilbert was one of her best men, and he was a good deal more fun to work with than most of the other agents she had. “She’s supposed to be letting us use her notes once she lets us know the name. I’ve sent a courier to her home to get them and also sent a hundred dollars out of petty cash for her help. I hope that was all right.”

  “Excellent idea. No, that’s a great idea. Thank you for doing that. When you get the notes, let me know. I’ll come by the office tomorrow and—”

  “I’m having them brought straight to you, sir. I know you’ve been there at the hospital with your friend, and I thought that would save you time.” She was going to promote this kid soon if he kept this up. “Also, I have a lead on the sister. She’s not nice to her help, so they’re ready and willing to share all kinds of juicy stuff with me.”

  “You are going to have my job soon if you keep this up.” He assured her he just wanted to keep right on being able to do research. “I can tell. I’m guessing you didn’t get to do this sort of thing much under Jamison, did you?”

  “Not a great deal, no. He had everyone doing the same research. Once we all had the same information, he would have us compare notes on it. It wasn’t a very good use of our time, I always thought. I liked working for him, don’t get me wrong, but he had his own ways of doing things.”

  After making sure Gilbert had everything he needed, Harris went back into the room with the rest of the family. Lach was still resting, and Oakley had filled them in on what had happened. She had an idea what they could do but wanted to test the waters a little more before she brought it up.

  “I’d like to have them right here is what I’d want. Them durn people should have been a good deal nicer to my little girl.” Oakley told Grandda he wished he’d had more room and a place to hide the bodies. “You got that right. Poor little thing. I wish I could have been here for her.”

  “She cried herself to sleep, Grandda. I don’t think either me or my cat was very happy with that. Even with the drugs in her system, she still cried off and on. I’m in love with her, and I want to do nothing more than to hurt those that made her cry.” Grandda told him he felt the same way. “Have you found anything, Harris?”

  “I’ve been having my office look into things. Before I forget, I’ve spoken to Ricky about the contract. There are so many loopholes in it he was surprised anyone would want to sign it.” Grandda asked her what she meant. “The contract is mostly for the benefit of Rita and Roger. If she does anything wrong, such as gets the flu, gets a tattoo, they can demand that she terminate the pregnancy. And here’s the kicker—they can demand that at any stage of her carrying the baby.”

  “Anytime?” Harris nodded at Oakley. “Christ, that’s the most horrible thing I’ve ever heard. What was she supposed to do about ending a pregnancy in her last few months? I’m hoping it’s not mentioned.”

  “It isn’t. Ricky told me it was really too bad they didn’t say how it was to happen. That would be premeditated murder without having to go to court. As it is now, they’re in deep shit for even mentioning it. But as I said, anything done to them will need to be before a jury of their peers.”

  “They told me verbally what I had to do.” Harris looked at Lach when she spoke to them. “Rita explained to me how she would shove me down a flight of stairs to help me out. Also, she said I could pretend to get robbed sometime, and they’d make sure the baby was murdered. She didn’t actually say murder, but it wasn’t hard to figure out.”

  “How are you feeling, honey?” Grandda hugged her hand to his cheek before speaking again. “You don’t have to worry about a darn thing with them. I’ve got you covered. I’m a pretty well-connected man, and I’ve got people helping us out, so you’re not harmed by them.”

  “I’m in some pain, but not nearly as badly as I was.” Lach looked at Oakley. “You worked your miracle on my back, didn’t you? Now that it feels better, I think I can finally lay on my back for a little while.”

  The staff had been coming into the room for Lach several times a day, not only to check on the dressing but to roll her from her left side to her right, then back the other way the next time. Harris wondered how much of her back Oakley had fixed for her, and was happy he’d not completely healed her. It wouldn’t play well with anyone outside the hospital. Healing too quickly would be just as bad. Her family would call her a liar even though there were records to say how badly she’d been hurt.

  “I couldn’t stand to see you in pain. It was help you or go out and hunt down the people that were making you cry. I thought you’d like this so much better than me being in jail for murdering someone. Though if anyone had met your family, they’d think it was justified.” Oakley laughed. “Before I forget, your dad was in. He said he’d come calling on you this evening. He was afraid you’d be too upset, and he didn’t want you to stress out anymore.”

  Nodding, Lac
h looked at Harris. “Oakley told me you had a house for us. I was wondering how we could get a look at it before I’m released. At this point, I’m willing to live anywhere that will keep me safe and sound.” Harris told her she’d bought it yesterday. “Oh. Well, maybe we’ll be able to find another one close to you guys. I’m beginning to like having you all around all the time. Even though you’re kind of bitchy, even you are growing on me, Harris.” All of them laughed. Harris was really beginning to enjoy this woman.

  “I’ve purchased it for you. Don’t even bother telling me I didn’t have to do that. I wanted to, and it’s done.” Lach said she’d never say that. “Good. Also, so you know, I’ve taken the liberty of marrying you two. The paperwork has been filed, and the house is in both your names, as Oakley and Lachlan Marshall. Ricky, my attorney, said the way things are going for you right now, it would go better if you can show you’re getting all the support you need to raise your own children. He did want me to ask you if you know whose sperm they used.”

  “It wasn’t Roger’s if that’s what you mean.” Harris said it was and asked her why it wasn’t his. “He told me when I asked that he’d had some kind of accident as a child, and he didn’t have the ability to produce anymore. I didn’t bother looking into it because I was still reeling from the fact they’d fucked me over like this.”

  “They have, too. I don’t know if you read the contract, and that was the reason you didn’t sign it or what. But there are some things in it that could mean the death of those babies, as well as yourself.” Lach told her that was one of the reasons she’d not signed it. It seemed to be very one-sided. “Oh, it is at that. Like the part where if you don’t have a son for them, they can demand that you try again within four weeks of the birth of the female child. That in and of itself is very dangerous. Also, they hint at the fact that if it is a girl child, you are to dispose of it. Dispose? Christ, I hate these people.”