Huston took over. Bobby, as I now thought of him, did his research and when he’d chosen his mark, he convinced the assistants he’d bring the coffee to them when they were too busy to make the trek down in the elevator. Thinking Bobby a friend and confidante, he was sometimes left alone while his friends were on the phone or ran an errand. He collected pens, paper, and scoured their waste baskets for tissues hoping to find DNA. That grossed me out but if you were looking to steal millions, why let a dirty tissue stand in the way.
“Bobby was caught a couple of times,” Oberon said. “But the executives were so embarrassed, they refused to press charges as the amount he’d pilfered was small compared to their bank balances.
“You were the first one whose parent had died, so he stood to gain everything,” Tanner added.
“And he did.” I let the information flow over me, my mind coming up with a million questions.
“He discovered your father had had a relationship with a man before he met your dad and he used it to the fulladvantage.” He hired some doctor who’d been struck off the medical register and convinced him to fake DNA results.
We had to act fast in case Bobby got wind of what my mates had discovered. They arranged for the detective to email us the photos, surveillance reports and affidavits from people who’d worked with or known Bobby in the past.
“I’ll take it from here,” I told them. “But thank you from the bottom of my heart.” If we got Bobby arrested and everything was returned to me, I’d pay them back. I refused to take their savings to bust Bobby’s racket.
Things moved slowly. The police had to check the details, rerun the DNA tests and interview witnesses. Mr. James had to be brought into our confidence. He was horrified he and Father had been hoodwinked.
It was weeks later that I found myself standing in front of the gate that led to my childhood home which evoked a multitude of emotions. I recalled both my parents taking me out for ice cream on Sundays and Father driving through the gate as his driver had the day off. Those were the happy yearsbefore my omega dad died.
So much time had passed since I was a pimply teen and the memories threatened to overwhelm me. I blinked back the tears because the Bobby story was ongoing. I shouldn’t have been here but I couldn’t resist and the only reason I knew what was about to happen was the police commissioner had given me a heads up that my nemesis and supposed brother was about to be arrested.
Shading my eyes, I studied the camera that should tell Bobby who was outside the gate. But on a whim, I texted Saul and asked if “Charles” was home and when he said yes, I asked a huge favor.
Please turn off the camera at the front gate. I know this is a huge ask but trust me.
He didn’t reply so I had no idea if he’d carried out my request. Thinking he might lose his job if his boss discovered what he’d done, I reasoned he probably hadn’t. And if that was the case, I expected Bobby to come storming out. He’d be fuming but maybe I needed to see first the fury and then the terror in his eyes when he discovered his ruse had been uncovered.
A voice in my head told me to get away from the gates. If my presence fucked up the arrest and Bobby went free, I’d never forgive myself.
I’d left messages for my mates giving them a brief rundown on what was happening but hadn’t asked any of them to come with me. They were at work and Tanner might be still flying. I hadn’t checked his schedule.
But as cars approached, I hid in the bushes, finally accepting I might compromise the police operation. I’d left my vehicle a hundred yards away from the gate so as not to attract attention.
One by one, three cars pulled up. Oberon, Huston and Tanner. I hissed at them to get out of the way. Each one of my mates hugged me, asking if I was okay. We squatted behind a bush with Oberon whispering it was similar to a spy novel he was reading. Huston rolled his eyes at his brother and I stifled a giggle.
Police sirens in the distance heralded a procession of cars, lights flashing. There was no need to buzz the intercom because the gates opened. That had to have been Saul. No way would Bobby let them in. Gods if he escaped, I’d use what little money I had to hunt him down.
Oberon got up but Tanner pulled him back. “You’re not going anywhere, bro.Let the police do their jobs.”
“Not even a little maul?” Oberon asked.
Tanner shook his head.
“What if we allowed our bears to shine in our eyes as he’s driven past?” Huston suggested.
We agreed that would be okay. Our discussion was interrupted by screaming and yelling but the house wasn’t visible from this angle. Eventually car doors slammed and the four of us stood. The police commissioner was in the first vehicle and he nodded and waved as he drove past.
The second car slowed, allowing us to see Bobby in the back seat. I didn’t waste words on him. He wasn’t worth it but judging by his reaction to my mates, their bears were scaring the fuck out of him. He screamed and the car drove away.
My phone dinged. It was Mr. James.Let’s meet at the house in an hour.
32
OBERON
Moving on up
Our mate was over the moon happy about being able to move back into his home and I understood why. From the little we’d seen, it was a thousand times better than ours ever dared dream to be. That didn’t stop a part of me from being sad about it.
I loved this home. It was more than just a building to me. It held a lot of memories and while I understood that when it came down to it, it was just a building like all others, emotionally it was rough. I refused to let my mate see that, though. He wanted this move and I was going to give it to him with bells on.
