“Mom, I’m sorry.”When she lifted her chin up, he could see the tears rolling down her cheeks.“I’m so sorry, Mom, but this is something that I’ve given a great deal of thought to.I should be able to have my own opinion.”
“It’s not your opinion that has this family upset with you.It’s the way you’ve been treating everyone.Snipping and snapping at people just because you don’t want a mate.Well, that’s fine, and I hope someday someone comes into your life and makes you see reason.However, I hope that she tears you up inside as you’ve done to me.I’m heartbroken that you would even think to talk to me like you have.”He asked her when he’d talked to her badly.“Saturday night at dinner.You made a harsh comment about me cooking dinner.Then you tried to blow it off like it was nothing more than a joke.It hurt me that you think that I don’t have anything to do with cooking the meal that brings you home on Saturday.I do it all.I just don’t clean up.And you’d know that if you came around more.I think that it’s time that you left.I’ve had my heart broken by you enough for one week.”
He left, but he wasn’t happy about it.They were all making him out to be the bad guy, and he wasn’t.It was none of their business that he didn’t want a mate, and they should have respected him for that.But no, they’d rather blame it all on him, like he wasn’t the one who was being persecuted for what he’d said.When they all found their mates, he was the only one who was going to be happy, and he’d show them then.There was no way he was going to find his mate now, even if she were to fall in his lap as Mac did to Aaron.He was made of sterner stuff than that.
~*~
Shawn was having a hard time finding his brother.He knew that he had a cell phone on him, but either he had not paid the bill or he was avoiding him.It had to be the bill, as there was no way that he’d think he’d be all right with being avoided.He was going to find him even if he had to go to the morgue to do so.And he’d better be dead if he knew the mess that he’d been trying to find him in.
“I’m looking for a man by the name of Benjamin Troff.He’d be about my height and a little skinnier.”He was at the last police station in the county, and he wasn’t having any luck.When the man told him to wait a moment, he stood there and had himself a look around.It was like all the other station houses that he’d been in.Dark and in need of a little color.When the man came back, he was ready to ask him where else he could be when he smiled.
“He’s been arrested.A month ago now.Since he can’t make bail, he’s been sitting in the cell waiting for his turn with the judge.”He asked what he’d done.“He threatened an FBI agent.Well, two of them.And they pressed charges against him.He’s been a model convict.He even says please and thank you when he gets his dinner.”
“Who is it I have to kill to get him out of jail?”He was serious, so he was startled when the officer laughed.“I want my brother out of jail right now.He came here to get money from our sister, and that was the last time I heard from him.”
“That’s who he threatened.Your sister and another agent.”His sister was an FBI agent?He must have heard him wrong.“No, they’re both agents.Though now I think that Mac has been teaching over at the elementary school for a while now.They were short-staffed when she said that she could do it.Did you know that she minored in elementary teaching when she went to college?”
“I didn’t know she was smart enough to go to college.You have to be shitting me about her becoming an agent.There is no way that I’d allow that, and she has to know it.”He asked him if he knew she was over eighteen.“Of course, I know that moron.But that don’t give her any reason to become an agent.Where is she anyway?”
“I would tone it down if I were you.We don’t take too well to being called names when we’re on duty.”He just laughed and shook his head.“I don’t know where Mac is, but your brother is back in the cells.He’ll be there until at least a week from Monday.He’ll be able to see the judge then.If you want to see him, you’re going to have to leave your personal items here at the desk.And that would include any knives you have on yourself.”
After leaving his personal items with the officer, he was taken back to see his brother.He was ready to bitch at him for being caught when he got a good look at him.Christ, what were they doing to him while he was locked up?Starve him?Benjamin looked like he’d lost thirty pounds, weight that he couldn’t afford to lose.
“What’s happened to you?Are they not feeding you?”He said that he was glad to see him, too.“I’m serious.You look like shit.Are they starving you for sure?”
“I’m just eating better.And they let me walk around with an officer outside when the weather is good.It’s good for me.Where have you been?”He said he’d been looking for him.“I’ve been here all along.I couldn’t call you on account of them not letting me use my cell phone.It’s probably dead by now.Anyway, I came here to get money from Mac and ran into some trouble.She’s a Federal officer now.Did you know that?Don’t threaten her or you’ll be in the cell next to mine.”
“I’ll do what I want to her, and you should know that.Christ, I can’t believe how skinny you look.You haven’t been eating well at all, have you?”He said that he doesn’t eat fast food anymore, but healthy food.“Why would you go and do something like that?Fast food is the food of the gods if you ask me.”
“It’s not like I can go out and get me some now, can I?”When he finally stood up, he could see that he really wasn’t all that skinny but healthier looking.“I’ve been debating on telling you this or not, but don’t go trying to get anything from Mac.She’s more than likely married by now and has a shifter for a husband.Big mother fucking tiger that nearly killed me when I tried to get some cash from her.Look what he did to me and my body.”
He put out his hand, and he couldn’t believe the nasty scar that was there.It was five stabs thatlooked like they’d gone clean through his hand.Then, when he removed his shirt, he could see the same marks on his chest.Like the tiger had been on top of him, smashing him into the dirt.
“I was lucky.People said that because he didn’t kill me when I tried to get Mac to do something she didn’t want to.All I wanted was a couple of thousand dollars, but she wasn’t having it.Told me right off she wasn’t going to be paying me for the rest of her life.How do you suppose she knew that I’d be coming by often to get a couple grand more?”He laughed.“I started out wanting ten grand.I was going to share it with you and Dad, but by the end, I was begging for anything that they could give me.I was stupid for thinking that I could take on a tiger and come out on top.”
“I’m not afraid of a tiger shifter.They’re all pussies.”Benjamin said that this man wasn’t.“So what.I’m going to take her to task, too, on you being hurt.Did she do anything to keep you from being clawed like you are?”
“No.But I think she had a lot to do with me not being dead.I’m just saying, Shawn, you’d be better off robbing a bank than to fuck with Mac.She’ll get you killed as soon as you try anything with her.I’m not shitting you right now.”He said he wasn’t afraid.“Then you have a nice short life.I don’t think he’s going to take too kindly to two of us wanting the same thing from her.I’m done.I learned my lesson right away.If you don’t heed my words, I don’t know what to tell you.”
“You will be all right when I get you out of here.She’ll be paying for an operation, too, that will take care of those scars.Also, I’m going to be asking for more than two grand.I want some pocket money to flash around, and she’s going to be giving it to me.”Benjamin told him good luck.“It’s not luck that I need.I’m meaner than he is, and I’m going to get what I want.See that I don’t.”
“I don’t want to see you dead, but if you’re set on doing this, you go right ahead.I did warn you.”He went to the cot and sat back down.“What’ve you been up to?I’ve been reading while stuck in here, and I’m enjoying myself.It’s been a long time since I’ve had some time to myself, and I’d forgotten how much I enjoy it.How’s Dad?I’ve not heard from him either.”
“Dad was in prison too the last time I saw him, should be getting out soon enough, then he’ll come here.He’d been stealing cars off the street, and he got caught.He was doing it in his own town, and that’s why they caught him.You should never steal where you sleep.It’ll get you caught every time.”Shaking his head, he couldn’t believe that he had to tell his father that and said as much to his brother.“When he gets out, he’s going to be none too happy to find out that you’ve been hurt by Mac.She’s going to piss him off something terrible, and I don’t blame him.Just look at you!You’re nothing but skin and bones.”
“I’m healthy.And I feel better, too.”Telling his little brother that he just didn’t know the difference between feeling good and being healthy.“Yes, I do.I told you that I feel better than I have in a long time.And when I get out of here, I’m going to be following the rules too.I saw my life flashing before my eyes when they couldn’t get my wounds to close up, and I’m not going to get myself in that way again.I had to tell him I was sorry.Both of them and mean it too.I did and finally stopped bleeding my life away.”
“You’re full of shit.”Benjamin just waved him off like he knew better.Well, he was older and did know better.“When you get out of here, and there aren’t any more cops watching you, you’ll change back to what you were doing before.And I’ll be there telling you how proud I am of you, too.You’ll see.Mark my words, they’re killing you here, and that’s about the truth of it.”
“There was never any talking to you when you got something into your head.I’m doing fine and will continue to do fine right up until I meet my maker.You’ll just have to go on without me.I’m happy to be doing what I’m doing.”Shawn couldn’t believe that this was his brother talking and decided they were feeding him something to be off his noodle.He told him that once he was away, he’d know.“I know already.I’m fine.But you had better listen to me and leave Mac and her husband alone.They’ll kill you and not have a second glance at you when they do.”
After leaving his brother, knowing that he was right, he went and found him a place to stay.He really couldn’t afford anything right now, but he had a credit card that he’d stolen about a week ago and hoped that it would still be worth something.All he needed was to get into the hotel somewhere,and he’d have Mac picking up the tab.While he didn’t know how much money she might have, he was going to take every penny of it.She didn’t owe him, but that’s what he was going to tell her.She owed him because he’d not killed her when she’d been a kid.That should be worth something to her, he thought with a grin.
The hotel didn’t even blink an eye when he turned over his credit card.He hadn’t really looked at it until he’d been handed it back, but it had the name of the woman on it that he’d killed a week ago.She might still be out in the field where he’d left her, and nobody knew about the cards yet.
He didn’t get him the best room in the place, but a nice one.It had double beds for when his father came to town, so they could share.He’d be getting out of prison soon and would be hanging around him for a while.As excited as he was, he knew that his dad was going to be twice as excited because he had a place for him to stay.Usually, they stayed in something that was abandoned, without running water or heat.Now he had all the things that came with the hotel, and he was happy for it.
Unpacking his gear, he decided that he needed to put his guns up where the staff couldn’t find them.That’s all he needed was for some little bitch to find them and tell the police.They’d be happy to get them, was what he knew, because they’d be solving a few cases if they tried to fire them and compare bullets.He never got rid of a good gun.
