“I don’t blame you there.I nearly had me a gun, but my gut told me something was off, and I walked away.I just knew it was going to be someone undercover who was selling it to me.”He said that would get him back in prison faster than anything.“Don’t I know it.Something else you gotta learn is when to listen to your gut.If it tells you something is off, listen to it.It’ll save your life someday.”
Dad was forever giving him advice about living on the edge.He’d been heeding his advice for so long that he thought he could write a book on what he had to say.He wouldn’t.There was no point in others knowing when to shut up and when to walk away.He thought that was a song, but couldn’t remember the name of it right now.If it wasn’t a song, it very well should be.
“When do you get to see Mac?”He told his dad that he’d been waiting for him to come to town so that they could work on her together.“Good plan.I don’t want this fucked up because we’re at cross purposes with each other.”
He didn’t know what that meant, but he was sure that his dad couldn’t explain it.He might have a lot of advice, but he wasn’t happy with trying to explain himself when he knew he was right.It was just one of the many things that he had to forget about when dealing with his father.He didn’t explain at all, but expected you to do what he wanted when he needed it done.
“We’ll call her up and demand that she see us.Then, while we have her with us, we’ll make sure she understands that we come first in her life and that she’d better be paying up.I don’t want to have to work for a living, and she’s going to be our ticket to that happening.I do have to apply for a job now and again, but that ain’t going to mean I’m going to get hired.I’ll do what I’m told, but nothing more.Understand?”He didn’t, but agreed with his dad.“I also want to see Benjamin.He’s going to explain to me why he’s suddenly too good to be with us.I don’t care if he is or not, but he’s not going to just get away with telling me what’s going to happen.I’m his father by God, and he’s going to tell me where his head is thinking that he’s better than us.”
“I don’t know that he thinks he’s better than us, but more like he’d been given a second chance at life.”Dad popped him upside his head and told him not to give him any back talk.“Yes, sir.”Even for as old as he was, nearly twenty-two next month, he was still afraid of his dad.He could kill you with his bare hands and walk away like nothing had happened.
First thing they did was go and see Benjamin.He wasn’t in his cell today as he was in court.He thought that it was Sunday, but realized too late that it was Monday and that the court was in session today.He wondered if his brother would get any time for his part in whatever he’d been doing to get money from their sister, and wanted to know so that he didn’t make the same mistakes he’d made.Meeting in the bank was a big no-no.There were too many cameras around to get by with anything, not to mention there was usually a cop or two just hanging around in the event something like this happened.He also forgot to tell his dad something.
“Mac is married, you said.Did she marry the oldest Dresden?”He said that she had.“He’s a cop, and Mac is an FBI agent.”Dad popped him in the back of the head again.
“That might have been useful to know beforehand, don’t you think?Damn it, boy, what have I told you about details?They’re as important as getting the job done right.You have to have the right details, or you’ll screw up every time.Next time you have that sort of information, it would be good to know sooner rather than it being too late.”He thought to himself that he’d given it to him beforehand and was unhappy with the way that his dad was treating him.Like he’d never done anything against the law before.“We’ll have to rethink things now.I wish I had known that sooner, but we’ll get it taken care of.Is there anything else that I should know before we go and get our asses handed to us?Like, does he carry a gun all the time?”
“He’s a cop, so I would guess that he does.”This time, he didn’t get popped, but his dad was cursing like he’d been told that he was going back to jail.“Mac carries too, I would imagine.She being FBI, and all.”
“I wonder how she got that job.Must have not looked into her background too much, or they’d have not given her the clearance.I know that they do a good background check on people before they let them be agents.”He didn’t know how that worked with the FBI, but he tried his best to stay under the radar when it came to being on their list.He had a buddy once who had been on the most wanted, and he couldn’t take a shit without them up his ass about it.“Wouldn’t that be funny if we were to get her fired from her job?I think that I’m going to try that and see what I can get going from that.I tell you, son, it would make my day to be able to say that I got my daughter fired from the Feds just because she was related to me.”
Dad laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world.He didn’t get it, but smiled all the same.There were times when he didn’t understand a lot of things going on around him, but keeping his mouth shut had kept him from being made fun of.He’d killed for less than that.
After finding out it was going to be a bust in talking to Benjamin, they made their way to the hotel again.He didn’t have a car to drive around, but everything was so close that he didn’t mind it so much.Dad, of course, had to complain about having to walk in the heat.He was just glad to be free so that he could walk around when he wanted.
“I’ve been thinking on Mac.I think we should go and see her today.”He said that he didn’t know where she lived.“That’s easy enough to figure out.We just have to find us the biggest house in town and go from there.Surely with all their money, they’d want to have the biggest of everything.That’s the way that I’d do it.Go big or go home is what I always say.”
He’d never once heard him say that, but kept his mouth shut.Shawn was beginning to regret having his dad around.Before he’d been there, he’d been able to think what he wanted.Now, if he didn’t think like his dad, then he was popped in the back of the head.Like he was some kind of simpleton or something.He was smart enough to get away with murdering people, wasn’t he?He’d show him sometime how a real man killed someone.
His dad had been right in finding the biggest house in town and finding his sister.She was there at the house when they got there, and she still wouldn’t invite them in.He was sort of all right with that.Big places gave him the willies, and he didn’t care for it.As soon as she came out onto the porch with them, he noticed that the big man she was supposed to be married to had come out too.He didn’t want any trouble with the big cat.
Benjamin had told him about how he’d marked him up, and that was something else that Mac was going to pay for.He was going to need some surgery to get his hand and chest fixed up, or he’d know the reason why.Frowning to himself, he wondered what that meant, too.
He’d not admit this to anyone, but there were times when something in his head wouldn’t make the least bit of sense, and speaking it out loud was even worse.People looked at him cross-eyed.Sometimes the words would get all mixed up in his head, and he’d say them that way too, hoping no one would notice.They noticed all right, and that would piss him off when they’d snicker or make fun of him.Shawn decided that he hated all people and wished they were all dead, leaving him to himself.That included his dad right now, too.
“What is it you want?Before you answer that, I’m not going to give you any money.I’m not going to join your little gang.Nor am I going to look into things for you, like dates that money trucks are going through.”He asked if she could really do that, and she glared at him.“Did you hear that Benjamin is going straight?I think it’s the greatest thing since you two were put into prison.Why aren’t you there now?”
“We got out.And I’ll be telling you what you’re going to be doing, little girl.”Dad looked like he’d gotten a sour piece of candy when he’d said that.Shawn wished he could say things like that off the top of his head.He was better thinking about them when everyone had walked away.“I want you to give us some money.We have things that we’re planning, and that requires that you put into this family when I say you will.”
“I’m not going to be a part of your family.I thought that I said that.”She looked over at the big man, and all he did was nod.“I thought so.So, no gang, nor am I giving you money.Have you ever thought about getting a job?It would save you time in coming up with plans about how to rob someone blind of their money.Also, Shawn, the Feds are looking into the card you have from Baker.Did you kill her?”
“None of your business.You just listen to Dad, and we can be on our way today.”He thought that sounded really good and was proud of himself.“For now, you can give us ten grand, and we’ll be back later to get more.You got it, and there is no reason why we shouldn’t have a piece of it.”
“No, and there’s every reason why you shouldn’t have a part of what I have.I don’t like you.Either one of you.And you do remember that I’m a Federal Agent, and so is my husband.If you get nasty with us, we’ll call them in to look into your activities.I think you killed Baker, Shawn, and when we find her body, you’re going back to prison.This time, there will be no getting out for you either.”He asked her why she’d do something like that.“As I said, I don’t like either of you coming around.And I won’t be blackmailed or whatever it is that you think you’re going to do to me.I’m a good deal smarter than both of you combined.”
She was at that.When their mom had been alive and around, she would put Mac’s paper on the fridge for everyone to see.Even her report card would be hanging there with all ‘A’s on it.Shawn didn’t think she would have gotten dumber as she got older, but smarter, and she always was about as smart as he was stupid.Not that he’d admit that to her.
“Now, if there’s nothing else, I’m going to have dinner with Aaron here and go to bed.We’re trying to have a baby, and the best time we can have is making one.”He thought he was going to throw up in his mouth when he thought of his sister having sex with a shifter.“I don’t want you to come back here either.I’ve had enough of the two of you for several lifetimes.”
When the door slammed in their faces after she got up to leave them, Shawn just looked at his Dad and wondered what the hell happened.She’d actually told him no and then went into the house.She’d better be getting her shit in a row, or she was going to be hurting, he thought.Tempted to take out one of his knives and use it on her, he had to figure out a way to get into the house.She sure was lippy, and it was going to cause her some pain.
Chapter 7
Zeno was going to have dinner with his girls tonight, and Anna was cooking.He couldn’t wait to try her food, as it was something that she was sharing with him.He’d been invited to her house every night this week, but tonight seemed special.She’d never really cooked for him before.Last night, it had been burgers on the grill and he’d done most of the cooking so tonight was going to be food that she did all on her own.
He had no idea why that made it special, but he was going to enjoy it.For the past several nights, they’d been having a meal together and even Harri was beginning to like him.She’d called himthat manstill, but he was all right with that.As long as she said it in that little girl voice she had, he’d be all right with anything she did.When Anna answered the door, he knew immediately that something had happened.
“They want me to take the Dresden route all the time.Margo isn’t coming back from her vacation and now I don’t have anyone to work for me on mine.They said they would cover it for me if I were to take the route, but that messes up everything that we talked about.I will be around a lot more.”He said he was all right with that.“I’m not.Don’t you see?It messes with my picking up Harri after school.She doesn’t like it when that changes.”
