Mark turned quickly to look the other way. There was a person in the dark, sitting on his chair. He couldn’t make out her face too well. It was definitely a ‘her’.
He smiled, just his type.
“God, I hope you’re attractive.If a hot female is going to surprise me in my bedroom, I can be pretty receptive.”
“Oh Mark, this isn’t going to be one of those meetings. We are going to talk about Cheryl Lynn and that little group of men you tried to use to rough her up.”
Mark turned over fully and got up on his elbows, trying to see her better. “I don’t know what you are talking about. My wife left me and I don’t know where the hell she is! She even took my kids with her.”
“Save it, Mark. Or should I call you Ronald Warden?”
“Who? I don’t know a Ronald Warden. What are you, a PI?”
“Ronald, I’m your worst nightmare. A woman who is going to make you taste death and then beg to die.”
He smiled at her obviously melodramatic comment. She didn’t scare him, no female scared him.
The woman stood up and Mark noticed a body to die for, the snarky comment died in his throat when she came into the light from the window and her eyes turned red and fangs grew out of her mouth.
That was when the screaming started. It ended a second later when both bodies disappeared.
John heard the faint scream and started the timer on his phone. He was surprised when it went past ten minutes. Obviously Bethany Anne was really going to keep him alive. John had to admit that he was ambivalent on Mark’s survival, but he had hated the guy for a long time. He might need to be around a grounding influence other than Bethany Anne as well.
Maybe.
Nah, Mark was a dick.
Had he not been staring right at the house he wouldn’t have known that Bethany Anne had appeared on the sidewalk, right in the darkness provided by the tree in the yard.
John started the Jeep and Bethany Anne slipped in. He pulled out and drove down the street, backtracking their trip into the neighborhood to get back out to the freeway.
“How did it go?” He asked.
“Our dearly almost departed Ronald Warden has provided his assurance that he won’t be asking for the children back. That due to his many indiscretions, he understands why he wouldn’t be a fit father for the kids.” She turned to look at John, “You know that prick didn’t give a shit about Tina and Todd? I had his money tied up, once he figured out he could lose all of his carefully squirrelled away money he broke down.”
“You just took his money and he crumbled?” John asked.
“Well, that’s after taking him into the Etheric a few times. Funny how that place drives you insane when you realize there isn’t a way to get back if your ass is left there.” She was quiet for a moment, “That man is an anti-parent.” She mumbled.
John looked over, “What was that?”
She explained, “I was thinking that all kids should have both a mother and a father, or two parents. But that guy is so messed up he is, literally, an Anti-Parent. I can’t fathom one bit of good he would do if he raised those two kids.”
John wanted to puke, but he admitted, “He did provide shelter, food and clothes. That’s more than most.”
“Oh, he didn’t get out of that.”
“No?”
“Nope, he was happy to provide a million and a half dollars to Cheryl Lynn to divorce him.”
John snorted, “Any particular reason he felt so giving?”
“Yeah, I told him all of the dirt that Cheryl Lynn had on him and that if he didn’t provide a separation amount she would go to the cops with it. He bitched a little until we took another trip into the Etheric.”
“You dropped him there until he paid?”
“Hell no, I dropped him there until he quit whining. What a blubbering pussy.” She looked out the side window.
“What’s going to stop him from being a bad guy in the future?” John worried that Mark, or Ron, or whatever the hell his name was, would just do this to another person.
“Nothing.” She paused, her tone changing to one heavy with anticipation, “God, that would be so nice if he did!”
“You told him you would be watching, didn’t you?”
“Of course. He’s been warned. Well, to be fair ADAM is watching, but if he strays outside of what I told him he can do, that information is being dropped at the nearest DA’s office.”
“What if they won't do something about it?”
“ADAM will gift his wealth to needy charities. With no money, he should focus on himself instead of other women. If he keeps to the straight and narrow, that will be fine. If he doesn’t...”
“Three times not a charm?” John turned on the blinker to exit the freeway.
“Not if the fourth chance is being dumped somewhere he can’t survive, it isn’t.”
John turned into the private entrance to the airport as the dawn started to break in the east. He pulled around to the hangar.
Their plane had arrived during the early morning. They parked the Jeep and John grabbed their gear. After storing the weapons and gear on board, they decided a donut and coffee run would be nice. Bethany Anne and John stayed on the plane so Captain Paul Jameson and his co-pilot could stretch their legs and get out. Those two used the Jeep to go get something to eat for themselves and brought back a dozen donuts for John and Bethany Anne.
—
The kids had been excited to see the new limousine waiting for them as they exited the hotel. Cheryl Lynn was in shock.
She had been fairly well off, so this wasn’t all completely outside her experience. But the way she had been treated by the hotel and the driver in the limousine last night was beyond her expectations.
The gentleman had barely had the door open when Todd had jumped in. Tina was waiting for her mom’s consent before she jumped in herself.
“Ma’am.” The man was big, he looked maybe Hawaiian. His name tag said, “Alika”.
Cheryl Lynn stopped before stepping into the limousine. She turned and looked around at the hotel. What a difference twenty-four hours could make.
Cheryl Lynn heard the driver ask, “Something wrong, ma’am?” There was a tinge of concern in his voice.
She turned back to answer him, “Alika is it?” He nodded, “I’m just trying to get my bearings. I’ve had so much happen in the last twenty-four hours. I’m trying to get a sense of grounding.”
“Feeling like you aren’t in Kansas anymore?” Alika smiled at her.
She put a hand on his arm and smiled, “A big guy like you watches the Wizard of Oz?”
When he shrugged, she felt the muscles flex in his arm. “My grandmother was a fan. We watched it every Christmas.”
She nodded and made a quick decision. “Alika, could I ride up front? I’m thinking my life is about to get very strange. I’d like a bit of normal before that happens.”
Alika closed the door, “I would be honored, ma’am.” He walked up to the front passenger door and opened it, “Your carriage awaits, milady.” He gave her his best smile.
Returning his smile, she put one foot in the car before turning to tell him, “It’s Cheryl Lynn, Alika.”
She sat down and he closed the door and started walking around the front to get into his seat.
“Yes ma’am, it is.”
Author Notes - March 22, 2016
Guess who?
You know, I’ve actually read something on either an Amazon Forum or on Facebook or someone mentioned seeing that the real author of the Kurtherian Gambit is Frank Kurns, and that ‘Michael Anderle’ is actually a pen-name for Frank Kurns.
Damn, now I don’t know who the hell I actually am.
Just to screw with people, I should open up another author name account with ‘Frank Kurns’ and then put books out under THAT name.
That will teach us all a lesson. A lesson on how to really screw up your author branding, that’s what it will teach us!
So, Margaret
, here is the book you asked about. Why am I highlighting Margaret? Because I was on the forum an hour ago and noticed her comment about ‘when is John’s book coming out?’. That’s when I realized that the beta readers had delivered the document to my Production Editor who had promised it to me tonight. But then, he pulled a fast one and delivered it early while I was out eating. So, I completely forgot I HAD the document to go through and get it online.
Which, I’m doing right now because Margaret was asking. (See, I get back to the original point eventually).
I hope you enjoyed this small slice of John’s life with Bethany Anne as much as I enjoyed writing it. I will do Tabitha next, and if you have a particular person or character / situation you would like to read about, why not drop me a line sometime? Or, better yet, create a Forum post and argue why it should be done and maybe the Amazon Almighties will wonder just what the H#LL is going on with all of these forum posts/updates on such a tiny Indie-Authors Forum?
Mwuhahahahaha! We are having fun, that’s what we are doing :-)
If this is your first book, by now I think you have figured out that these characters (John Grimes and Bethany Anne) are actually from The Kurtherian Gambit Series. So, apologies from myself and my readers that you are now part of the family.
I imagine it feels a little like a shot-gun wedding.
Love the book? Drop a review! Like the book? Drop a review! Hate the book? Here is another author you might like to read… ;-)
http://www.amazon.com/Veronica-Roth/e/B004FX672S/ref=kar_mr_-1_99
Just be prepared, if you like my writing, a few people have lost a few days ‘catching up’ on the series.
Don’t say you weren’t warned (and I’m not being egotistical, read the reviews. All of them (good and bad) are real. Except that the first book has been edited since November…like a few times ;-)
Best Regards,
Michael Anderle
A R E Y O U R E A D Y ?
WE WILL BUILD
The Kurtherian Gambit 08 - April 2016
You Don't Touch John's Cousin (Frank Kurns Stories of the UnknownWorld Book 1) Page 5