Feeling stupid, she looked at the paper and then at Emerald. She hadn’t any idea if the woman was making fun of her or was serious. Rachel was out of her element right now. When encouraged again to ask the paper, she did it.
“Are you the original translation of this work?” She watched as the letters moved around until it said, in Bosnian, that it was. “Why are you written as gibberish?”
It took it a long time to answer her this time. She was just about to toss it on the table again when the letters moved to form several lines of words. As she watched and read them, Rachel read out loud what it was telling her.
“The person forced me to write this just as he said it to me. I hope that once you figure this out, you’ll know there is nothing here for you to read except from a person trying to see his name put into the newspapers.” She looked at Emerald and asked her why it had been given to Mel. The letters moved again. “The forceful person is just a boy looking for attention.”
“How many man-hours have been wasted on this, do you figure? The little fucker is going to hear from me.” Emerald looked around when Rachel cleared her throat. There stood Becky and Jon. “Hey there, kids. I’m sure you’ve heard someone pissed off before.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jon sat down at the table with his sister. “I was wondering something. You don’t have to answer us or anything if you don’t want to. But Becky and I were wondering if there was some way that we can talk to our...Sandy. We both want to tell her that we don’t want her messing this up for us like she did everything else.”
Sean cleared his throat as he began speaking. “I can tell her that for you, Jon. I have to be honest in telling you I don’t think it’ll do a lick of good. Your mother isn’t out for anyone but herself.” Jon nodded as if he already understood that. Sean continued as both children looked down at their laps. Rachel hurt for the two of them. “I’d like you to meet my other sisters. This is Emerald, the woman I was telling you about, and Brook. She’s not my sister by marriage or blood, but we all love her just the same.”
“Whatever he told you, it’s a fucking lie.” Emerald sat down beside the two of them, and Rachel held her breath. The woman didn’t give a crap who she was speaking to; she didn’t hold back. “I want to tell the two of you something. Something that I want you to take very seriously. This house is a safe place for you to be. Any of our homes, the Crosbys, is a safe home. You can say whatever you want. Ask for whatever you want, and you can pretty much do what you want. Within reason. The reason I’m telling you that now is that you can’t be safe anywhere if we don’t know where you are. Do you understand?”
“You mean if we were to just get up and go out into the yard or something, we could be snatched. I’ve been raped before. It’s not at all fun.” Emerald told Becky she was sorry for that. “It was my mom that caused those men to do those things to me. She didn’t have the money for her dope, and she traded me off for the money.”
Jon took Becky’s hand when no one said anything. “It wasn’t her fault. My sister wasn’t the one that caused her to get raped.”
Sean stood up and went to Jon. Rachel had never seen him so angry before. But when Sean spoke to Jon, his voice was as calm as the hands he put on his shoulders. He, too, didn’t seem to hold back with what he said to him. Rachel was afraid they might see violence as a way of dealing with things.
“Of course, it wasn’t her fault. The men that did that to your sister, can I tell you something about them? It can’t go any further than this room, all right?” Becky nodded, then Jon did. Rachel already knew that Emerald had killed them. She watched the kids as Sean spoke to them. “They’re both dead. If you’re going to ask me if they suffered, then I’m going to tell you that they did. For as long as they could be hurting, they were. They’d taken another little girl and were about to hurt her as well. They’ll never hurt anyone, not ever again.”
Jon seemed to understand before Becky did that it had been Emerald. He watched her with narrow eyes as he seemed to be summing her up. Once he seemed to have come to a conclusion about her, he stood up. Putting out his hand, he looked her in the eye.
“I thank you for what you did, Miss Emerald. I do. I used to think I’d do it, go after them and hurt them too. But I’m just a little kid and would more than likely have gotten my butt handed to me in style.” Emerald went down on her knees and looked him in the face. “She’s my sister, and they hurt her badly.”
“I know they did, Jon. And I also know you would have been hurt badly too if you’d done that. You will remember, the next time someone hurts you or your family, that there are enough beings here that can kick their fucking asses to the moon and back, correct?”
“I know that. Now. I don’t want to go back to my mom.” Emerald said they were working on that. “You work really hard on it, Miss Emerald. She’s a mean, nasty, selfish person, and I think if she was to get us back, we’d be dead sooner than later. I’ve never felt so good as when sleeping here without being afraid. Even though you have a potty mouth, I really like you too. I think everybody here would come to help us if we needed it.”
“You’re right. Anyone, and if necessary, everyone would come to your and your sister’s rescue.” He nodded, then hugged her. “You have no idea how much a simple hug can make a person feel good. You and your sister are not going to be hurt again.”
After Emerald and Mel left, they were called to lunch. She wasn’t sure she could eat anything, not after the emotional morning she’d had, but as soon as they entered the kitchen, her mouth watered, and her belly growled. Becky made fun of her, and Sean laughed.
“What do we call you?” Sean asked Becky what she meant as he got them both the glasses of milk they asked for. “Well, you’re going to be with my aunt, right? I know you’re going to have sex and stuff, so what do we call you?”
He nearly dropped the glass when Becky said that. Looking at her, Rachel was shocked too, but she knew the only answer she could give them was the truthful one. But she wasn’t sure what the answer was. Laughing, she told Sean this one was up to him.
“Well, yes, in answer to your statement. We are going to have sex. While I’m not sure what you mean by the stuff, I’m sure we’ll do that too. However, I don’t want you to tell me what your version of the sex stuff is.” Becky just smiled at him. “What to call me? Let me see. For now, you can call me Sean, or even Uncle if you want. The paperwork for you being adopted, from what I just found out, has been filed. The verdict is still out on whether or not it’s done legally. It wasn’t, but not the version that your mother is telling people.”
“She’s telling people that Rachel signed my mother’s name to the paperwork because she wanted us. I don’t care how we end up as yours and Aunt Rachel’s, but I’m not going to go back with my mother. Never ever.” Sean said they were working on that as well. “Good. She sold me once. I don’t doubt that she’ll do it again.”
They ate their lunch and talked about school. They were both homeschooling for now, and that was fine with her. Rachel hadn’t helped them with their studies, as they were both doing a very good job. Now that they were caught up, it was easier for them. When Sandy had them, she wouldn’t make sure of anything to do with school or anything else for that matter. The kids really would be better off with nearly anyone than they would be going back to their mother.
When lunch was over, the kids went back to the media room. She had been in there before and thought it was the perfect place to watch a good movie or a game. Sitting back at the table, she picked up her phone to call Jamie to tell him what they’d found out. Sean asked her to hold on a minute, as he had a question as well.
“All right. But I’m not having any sex and stuff with you right now.” He laughed, and she did, as well. “I’m sorry if they embarrassed you. I had no idea they were going to say that.”
“It’s fine. Really it is. But what I wanted to tell you is that Ryan is build
ing a case against your sister. He wanted you to know that you might not be aware of is that Sandy is saying things about you that aren’t true. That you beat the kids.” Rachel was too shocked to say anything. “Also that when you took her kids away from her, you’re the reason she robbed the bank where she was caught. She was depressed, and that was why she did it.”
Rachel started crying. Why, she wondered, would her sister say something like that? Worse yet, why would people believe her? When she thought of all the things she’d done for her sister over the years, it hurt her that she could be so cruel to her. Not to mention the children.
Sean held her hand in his much larger one after handing her some tissues. “There’s more. Are you ready?”
She shook her head. Going into the kitchen, she searched around until she found what she was looking for. The big bag of chips was torn open, and she started feeding her face. Stress was going to kill her; she just knew it.
~*~
Sean watched Rachel as she ate. Her tears hurt him, but he knew if he said anything to her at all, she’d break down. When she paused in shoving great handfuls of the salty treat into her mouth, she looked at him and asked what else she should know.
“First, I want to tell you that I love you. I know you might not be ready for that, but it’s the truth. The second thing you should also be aware of is that you’re immortal. I think you knew that, but I’m just putting it out there, in the event you should get into some sort of place where you could be hurt.” She thanked him for that. Putting the chips on the table, she told him she was sorry. “For what? Being crushed by your own flesh and blood? I’m glad you’ve been taking this so well.”
“She’s not.” He asked her what she meant. “Sandy isn’t my blood relative. She’s my sister-in-law. My brother, Jonathon, was her husband. Neither of them was all that good at taking care of themselves. I believe to this day that she killed him on purpose. Even after she spent some time in jail—that’s when I took the kids out of the system—she claims it was an accidental shooting. I’m boggled by the fact that anyone believes anything that spews from her mouth.”
“I can have someone look into the death of your brother as well.” Rachel nodded. “Are you ready for some more news?”
“I know everyone thinks you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I’m not that trusting—not that much just yet—as I’m sure you’ve figured out. You are nice, I’ll give you that, but I’m so stressed out right now that I just want to lash out at you and have you hit me or something.” He said he would never hit her. “I know that too, on some level. I just need something, anything, to go right for me so I can feel better about that one thing. You have no idea how hard it’s been the last year. Sandy, she’s the worst kind of person. But those kids, they’re amazing. I was terrified I was going to wake up one morning and find she’d taken off with them again. I don’t know what I would have done had she done that.”
“May I ask you why that has you wanting to lash out at me?” She told him she wanted him to show that he was pissed off because she’d brought all this to him. “You didn’t bring this to me, Rachel. I barged into your life. I’m the one that wanted to and still wants to help you out of this mess. Jamie, you know him—he’s pissed off enough for the two of us. He seems to have it in his head that had he not involved you in any of this, Sandy wouldn’t have started this campaign to ruin you.”
“Sandy would have turned this all around, no matter where I was.” She put the chips away as she continued. “When I first brought Becky and Jon to my home, you should have seen them. Jon was sick with some sort of infection that hadn’t been taken care of. He’d been that way for a couple of weeks. Becky, of course, was so stressed that I made sure she had help. I never knew about the rape until the other day. I wish now that I’d known about it. I’m not sure what I would have done, but you can bet that Sandy wouldn’t have been around them again.”
“Ryan, as I told you, is working on a case against your sister. Slander is the most important thing right now. I’m to understand you gave him the letter, as well as copies of the adoption paperwork.” She said he’d asked, and she’d handed it over to him. “That was smart of you to have kept it. It’ll go a long way in showing the courts that you didn’t do what she’s saying you did.”
“I have to be honest when I tell you I haven’t any idea why I kept it. Usually, I just toss things out after I’ve finished with them. But this was important, so I filed it. I hate clutter. Where is Sandy right now? Do you know?” He told her what he knew. “That’s a good place for her. She told me once that she loved being in jail. There wasn’t anything for her to do other than to lay around and be fed three times a day. I couldn’t believe she’d say something like that. But I don’t believe a lot of shit she’s told me over the last year. It’s also why I’ve kept my checkbook and money locked away. I was positive she was hunting for them.”
“You would know that better than anyone.” She nodded. “Are you ready for some more information?” Rachel asked if it was important right now. “Nope. But if you ever have a question, I’ve said this before, you can ask me. Any of us.”
“I know that.” She wiped off the table. “I should know better than to eat something like that. It always gives me heartburn.” She put her hand over her chest and said she didn’t get it this time.
“You won’t. Not ever again. Little things like that, I’m sure they’re big to you, but you won’t get sick at all. You’re going to also find that you’re a good deal stronger than you were before I touched you.” She asked him about broken bones. “They’ll break, and it will be painful, but they will heal almost as fast as they broke. Same with the kids. They’ll never get sick either. I can’t fix what they did to Becky. I’m assuming you know she has nightmares. But I can get her to someone that can speak to her about her rape that will help her deal with it better.”
“I knew she had nightmares.” She cocked her head as if she were thinking. “It just occurred to me that she’s not had any since we’ve been here. Perhaps she is feeling safe. While I didn’t know she’d been raped, I did know she’d been hurt.” Rachel looked at him. “I wish I had a way of bringing that to light when I’m taken to court. I’d love to hear how Sandy tries and gets herself out of that one.”
“I’m sure we can figure out something. Ryan and Misty, they’re very good. Together they’re unstoppable.” She sat down again. “I would also like to tell you that tomorrow night, each of my family members will touch you and the kids. As we’re so old and strong, we can find people with just a touch. In the event that someone tries to take one of you, we’ll be able to find you a good deal faster. And at some point, I’ll show the three of you how to reach out to any of us when you need to. It’ll save you from having to make a call if you need something.”
He told her anything that she wanted to know every time she asked. Sean was able to ease her mind on things she’d read about as opposed to knowing if they were true or not. She’d done her research and had a lot to go on, but there were things that, as mates, she hadn’t been able to talk about.
Sean stood up when the front doorbell rang. “I’d rather you didn’t show yourself just yet. I’d feel better if you were to go into the media room with the kids until I deal with this.” She asked him if it could only be his family. “They would have come right in, or they would have told me they were coming over. Please?”
“Yes, of course. I don’t want anything to happen to any of us.”
She went to the room with the kids, and he went to the door. Telling Connor that he had it, the man said he’d be there if he needed back up. Sean appreciated that right now. Who the hell knew who was coming to see him today.
The man standing there looked familiar, but who he was Sean didn’t know. After asking him if he could help him, the man started past him into the house. Sean only had to put out his hand to stop him before he looked in his directi
on.
“I asked you what you wanted, not if you wanted to come in. Who are you, and tell me a good reason I shouldn’t hurt you for trespassing.” He told him his name. “That doesn’t ring a bell with me. Am I supposed to know you?”
He did know. This was the infamous brother of the new chief of police, Jefferson Quinn. Sean waited for Charles to answer him while he told Jefferson who was at his door. The first thing Jefferson told him after cursing was to not let him in the house.
“I’m searching for my brother, Jefferson. Where the fuck is he? I heard he was hanging around here.” Charles tried to move past him again. “You’re not all that friendly, are you? I just want to get in out of the cold. Can’t you allow me to get warm by your fire?”
“No. I can’t. Your brother isn’t here. Why would you even think he would be?” Charles told him not asked him to tell him where his brother was. “I’ll do you one better. I’ll call the police, and you can ask them. Move along or go to jail. This is not a good day to be testing my patience, Mr. Quinn.”
“See, that right there tells me you’re not as friendly as the townspeople said you were. They said that any of them Crosbys would lay down their life for someone they knew. You must be one that doesn’t have any niceness inside of you.” Sean didn’t answer him. However, he did feel someone coming up behind him. “Hello there, little lady. Why don’t you have your daddy here let me come in and get warmed up? I’m down on my luck, you see.”
“My daddy will kick your butt all over the place if you try anything with him. He’s not only going to hurt you if you don’t behave, but he might just get you into an early grave. Why don’t you go and bother someone else?” He wanted to turn and give Becky a hug for her bravery, but he watched Charles. “Dad, do you want me to call the police? I would really like to do that for you.”
Sean: The Sons of Crosby: Vampire Paranormal Romance Page 2