Xander_Winchester Brothers_Erotic Paranormal Wolf Shifter Romance
Page 11
No. No one can touch them. She asked her why not. Because, my dear friend, you’re going to throw the right people under the bus, and it’ll turn out just fine and dandy.
The rest of the afternoon and well into the morning was spent going over the things that just about everyone was aware of. The shooters had been dealt with after finding out who had hired them and why. The wolf pack had had their fun. And neither man would be found again. Even Asim and Bug had gotten in a few licks.
“The two men, what do you know about them?” Jamie handed her a sheet of paper that had some of the information that she could get on the two men, which honestly was very little compared to what she told her through their connection.
She had their bank statements, who had paid them and how much, as well as information on where they had spent most of their ill-gotten gains and a lot more. One of them had been thrifty, the other, not so much. In total, both men had been paid a total of sixty million in cash to not kill just her, as they had thought, but her and Taylor. The man had only just come on the scene, and she had a hard time equating the kind of money that was being put out there for him when it hit her.
Jamie, how many people, other than the few that work for you, knows that your first name is James? She said that no one knew as far as she knew. Other than the few that have seen your application, correct?
No. And had you not brought it up, I might not have remembered that as a lie. I put Jamie. She looked at Addie when what was going on occurred to her as well. They think that Taylor is James. Not me, but him. They were aiming at him and you, right?
Yes, that’s what I believe as well. She handed her the paperwork and sat down. I’m going to have to go home soon. I want you to come with me. Or at the very least to see Taylor. The two of you should be able to keep yourselves safe.
Yes. She looked around the office again. “I’m going to look at houses tonight. This will be a good time to go look, since there is nothing here.”
“I know. I surely thought there’d be more information.”
Jamie stood up and picked up her purse. They were baiting the hook, as Kelley had said to her once. It was the catch of the day that scared her more than anything.
Chapter 8
This was going to be fun, or so he hoped. If Addie was wrong, he was going to look like such an asshole. Today, however, he was working for the CIA—in a diminished capacity, but he was still having a blast.
Going to the front door, he knocked hard. He was with Charles, though no one could see him but himself. And there was Gabe, as the local doctor, and Agent Warren. He was really going to like having the guy around now that he was accepted as Jamie’s mate. He thought they could be good friends. Xander knocked again when there was no answer.
“You sure Leo is here?” Charles disappeared then came back, nodding. “You saw him? Don’t tell me if he was in a compromising position.”
“He was in a position, all right.” Xander told him to shut up and he laughed. Telling Taylor what was going on, the man laughed too. The third knock got him a gun shoved in his belly in the hands of a pissed off man in a wheelchair.
“Who the fuck are you? And what are you doing here this early in the morning?” Looking at his watch, he told Leo it was well after noon. “Whatever time it is, my father and brother aren’t here. If you’d like to talk to them, then you’ll have to come back. Sometime later in the day.”
“Sure, but we’re here to talk to you. It’s about your father.” He said that he didn’t care so long as he wasn’t dead. “He is, I’m afraid. This morning your time.”
The man looked upset for all of a second. Then he looked around the dirty kitchen and invited them in. Bumping into the table, he not only knocked over the glasses there, but the empty pizza and chicken take out boxes as well. Leo hit several more things as he made his way to the living room.
The wheelchair Leo was in was one of the more expensive models. He wasn’t getting around as well as Xander had thought he would, but then, he wasn’t there for a critique on his driving skills. When the woman came from the back room with a maid’s outfit on, Taylor snickered, and he just stared at her when she bent at the waist and showed off her naked ass.
“My sister.” No one laughed, though they didn’t believe Leo either. “She’s been helping me with some of the physical therapy.”
“Sure she has. And I’m his uncle’s monkey.” He started to correct Charles, but knew that he’d only make things worse. “She sure has a nice hiney, don’t you think? I’d like a hiney like that. Sitting right over my face.”
“Behave.” Taylor laughed then when Leo asked him what was going on. “Never mind. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that your father was killed this morning. The bullet was intended for someone else, but he was—”
“Does that mean that someone else will have to pay for his funeral?” He sounded hopeful, and it made Xander sick to his stomach. “We don’t have any money around here. I mean, I get a check once a month, but that mostly goes to my brother. He takes my checks.”
“He does?” Leo nodded. “Well, that sucks. And I’m not sure who will be paying for it if anyone will. There was some talk that he might be put into one of the cemeteries closer to the church. They’re free, with only a donation to—”
“I don’t have a donation either.” Sure, he didn’t. Xander sat down and looked around the room. There were more electrical things in this one room than he had in his entire house. “People like to give me stuff. Me being in a wheelchair and all. How can I turn it down if it makes them feel better?”
“Perhaps you can sell some of it.” He was shaking his head even before he finished speaking. Taylor got up and started to walk around. “You don’t seem all that concerned about your dad. Don’t you have any feelings that I can talk to you about?”
“You a counselor or something?” He said that he was, thanks to his brother. “Yeah? Well, I don’t need your head fixing shit. My father just died.”
The waterworks were next. Not any tears, though he wasn’t sure what to call the dry sobs. When he was finished, or to him, appeared to be, he looked at what Taylor was staring at. A photo hanging on the brand-new fridge.
“That was taken of me when I was younger.” Taylor said he didn’t look much older now. “Good genes, I guess. Me and my dad, we like to travel when we have the money. It’s been difficult lately, because of me not being able to get around as well.”
“Really? I would have thought with the laws the way that they are, you’d have all sorts of places that you could go. And this is in Italy, if I don’t miss my bet. That must have been expensive.” Taylor handed Xander the picture. Flipping it over, he just had time to see the date, last month, before it was snatched from him.
“If you guys are done, you should go now. I have to grieve.” Taylor nodded just as Charles disappeared again. “You two are annoying, if you ask me.”
“Yes, we are. I didn’t introduce us to you. You didn’t seem to mind, but I’d like to do so now. My name is Xander Winchester. My wife is Addie.” Leo didn’t seem impressed. “This is my brother Gabe. He’s a doctor. And Taylor is an FBI agent. Taylor, come say hello.”
Taylor smiled and shifted into his cat as he approached the man. The big tiger laid his head on Leo’s lap. When Leo screamed loudly but didn’t move, Xander was sure that they’d made a mistake. Then Taylor put his massive paw on his leg and extended his claws.
The leap from chair to floor was quick. But what was funny was when he stood up, danced around the room, then jumped up on the table, knocking more things to the floor. Taylor must have been feeling playful, because when he stuck his nose in one of the containers and showed it to Leo, the man screamed over and over and wet his pants.
“Mother of Jehoshaphat get that thing out of here. Why the fuck would you bring a lion to my house in the first place?” Xander corrected him. “I don’t really give a rat’s two toots, get him the fuck out of my house. What the fucking hell is wrong with you?”
“You can’t prove any of this.” Xander pointed at the camera on his chest. It didn’t work, but Leo wouldn’t know that. “Then it’s a miracle. I’ve been cured. That big tiger, he cured me.”
“No, I’m afraid that won’t fly either.” He asked Gabe why not. “Because had you been only just cured, then you’d still not have been able to walk. Your muscle tone would have been nonexistent, your bones would have been weak. Not to mention, that was an Olympic style leap you did there to get away from him. And we have it on good authority that you were having a nice fuck time with your sister there.”
“No way.” Gabe nodded and did the circle with his finger going in and out of it to demonstrate what he was talking about. “You seen us? Christ, man. How far will you go to make a man feel bad about a little lie?”
“Little lie? No way. You’re going to jail for insurance fraud. And over a decade of getting benefits that were never meant for you. Not to mention, all these things that people sent you because you were hurt.” Taylor shook his head as he returned to the room, finishing up his charges. “You have a long list of shit that you’re going to go to jail for, for a very long time. And the really sad part is, you did this to your brother. He didn’t have any idea.”
“He did too. He knew all along.” Taylor just shook his head. “He did. It was all his idea. I wanted to walk around and stuff, but he said it would play better at his job if I just did this. Yes, it was all his idea.”
“Even if he did know, we have enough on him right now to put him away for a long time. You too.” When he was read his rights, Leo kept asking about his things. All the nice gifts that he’d been given over the years. “Those will be sold off in an auction or donated. The money will go to your victims.”
He was screaming about his rights as a cripple—Leo’s words, not Xander’s—as he was taken to the police car. When the sister—her name was never given as she said it wasn’t required by her—but when she found out that she wasn’t going to get paid for her time, her fit was rivaled only by Leo’s song and dance about his things.
“You did well in there.” Xander thanked Taylor. “Have you thought about running for office? Columbus could use a guy like you. And it doesn’t hurt that you have a wife that is as bad-assed as yours is.”
“Nah, I’m writing, and it fills up a lot of my time. You should run.” He shook his head. “Why not? I think your wife has the same qualifications. And you’re going to be staying around here, right?”
“Her dad wants me to take over his leap. And it is around here, just outside of Columbus.” He nodded and waited for the man to say he wanted to do it. “I don’t, in the event you’re asking. I don’t want to be leap leader just yet.”
“Have you told James?” He said that he was having dinner with him tonight to talk it over. Then he asked if he’d go. “You might want to have an alternate plan if you tell him you’re not going to take his job right now. Tell him...I know—tell him as police chief, you’d be better at the rules and laws of humans. Not that you’re not already, but small towns, I’ve noticed, have a set of rules that don’t apply to the bigger city ones. Not that they’re against the law, just more laid back. That might be a better way to go with him.”
“I’m telling you right now, Xander. If you run against me in this, I’m going to sock you right in the nose. You’re good at this.” He nodded, and Charles told him to tell him about the extra help he could give him. “You see ghosts?”
“No, just two. Well, one now. I have Charles with me all the time now. And then there is Asim that is a part of me, as well as Bug who lives on Addie. Oh, and it’s Gabe that sees the ghosts, him and his wife Rayne. Rayne can even send them away when necessary. She’s the death watcher. Caleb is the—”
“Enough.” He smiled at his new friend. “Christ, I’m never going to be able to keep you all straight—you know that, don’t you? What does your mom do? Or your father? I’m sure that they have some sort of power that makes it so you can’t lie to them.”
“Nah. But I’d not lie to my mom. She can see through you all the way to the back of your shirt. And my dad’s power is his little off the cuff sayings. Mom can bake a pie out of anything and have you begging for more.” They were both laughing as they went out to the car, where Gabe seemed to be having a conversation with himself. “He’s got trouble. I don’t know what is going on, but it can’t be good.”
“No, I can see that.” When Gabe turned to look at him, he could see the horror on his face. “Come on, Xander, let’s see what we can do to help him out.”
“There is a body here.” Nice way to start a conversation, he told his brother. “It’s the mom. She’s been here for a very long time, and is unaware of what is going on. She’s been murdered most brutally. And is unaware of how she ended up here.”
“What can we do to help?”
Xander was proud of Taylor. He didn’t miss a beat in asking him what was needed rather than making fun or something about what Gabe could do. He was going to do well as the new police chief. As Gabe told him what needed to be done, he reached out to Addie, who was working on talking to Lyman. It had been a really shitty day for the Birdman family.
~*~
Lyman tried his best to absorb what was going on right now. Addie had been in his sights for so long, he couldn’t equate her with the woman she was being right now, visiting him in the hospital. The woman was nice, talking to him about what had gone down today. And she was very nice in telling him that not only had his brother been arrested, but his father was dead. Lifting up his hand, she stopped talking.
“You’re telling me that someone was hired to kill you and you believe it was my dad. Why would he care? I mean, you were on my work load, not his.” She didn’t tell him anything that he didn’t already know. “Yes, he’s an ass, but there has to be a reason that he’d kill you.”
“Me and my partner. Jamie.” He shook his head. There was more, he just wasn’t sure he wanted to hear it just yet. “Your father thought that Jamie was a male. And that killing us would get you fired. You were so jealous of us, me and this other man, supposedly, that you took your anger out on us and that was what would get you fired. You told him and your brother how you put out to have Boone killed. He talked to someone else about that, and was hired to find a killer to do the job for him.”
“My dad works for someone else? That’s not possible.” But it might be, his mind screamed at him. He thought of the things that had just come into the house recently. “We have a new computer. A stereo system too. And then there is the new appliances, as well as the barn out back.”
“Things paid for by someone wanting us dead. Did you know that Leo has been able to walk since he came home from the hospital? The wheelchair was necessary in the beginning, but after that, when the things and cards of sympathy came in, some with cash, they decided to cash in on it. There are other things too, welfare that your brother was receiving, that your father applied for. Things like rallies and fundraisers brought in more cash and gifts.” It was too much. He wanted to cry. After all this time— “My partner just went to the house and your brother has been walked out of your home. On his own two feet.”
“No, no. That can’t be right. Leo was forever telling me how lucky I was that my mother hadn’t killed him. That she’d been murdered, by my dad, because of.... Is he really dead?” She nodded at him. “And you’re telling me that my brother is in jail, that he can walk?”
“Yes. He walked out of the house on his own.” She sat down then, her badge evident now that he knew to look for it. CIA. She was a
sniper for the CIA. “Lyman, there was never going to be anything between us. I thought, even now, that telling you straight out was the best way to go.”
“It wasn’t you. Christ, I’ve made a mess of everything. While I was lying here before you came in, all I could think about was what my family was going to say to me. That I was never going to live this down.” She nodded as if she understood. Which, he was pretty sure, she didn’t. “My brother has been holding it over my head for decades that he was a cripple, that he deserved to be treated the way he was. I wonder what our dad would have said. Wait, he would have known. Christ, they took all those vacations together, and I was never able to go with them.”
“Yes, that was the big thing that set them off. And the money in an offshore account. They’re being paid by someone to keep an eye on you so that they could get information about jobs, people that you were or might be working with. Had you not had Boone killed, they would have. He was on their list too.” Lyman nodded. “You’re going to jail too, Lyman.”
“I figured as much. Treason for one thing. Murder. Lying to a superior officer. That might not sound like much to you, but he was the president, and that is going to cost me.” She didn’t say anything, just stared at him. “When I go to prison, will I be alone then? I mean, as an FBI agent, I’m not going to be in the public, am I?”
“No, you’ll be given a cell well away from the public population. Also, you’ll have at least an hour a day out in the sunshine. Again, alone. Of course, there are things you could help us with, to maybe get you a few more perks should you want them. A desk, perhaps. Computer time to do what you want. I’m not saying that’ll come true, but some things can happen.” He asked her what they’d be. “Your mother. Do you know where she might be buried?”
“Behind the shed that’s to the left of the house. I put flowers on it every year on her birthday.” She told him she’d get someone on it. “There are others too. Not by my hand, but others. I can tell you where they’re buried as well. One you’re never going to find. My dad, and now I can assume my brother, put a man into a wood chipper once. Just after seeing that movie. Dad said it was messier than it showed in the television set. I should have said something, but to be honest with you, I was just barely hanging on to my job as it was.”