Page 5 of Brad

“You think that they thought that you were in the death toll too then.” She nodded. “Were there any death records files? For you and Toby?”

“I don’t know. I do know that there is insurance that was taken out on the two of them. But I think that when I disappeared too, they just assumed the worst. I was among the dead like—Someone is with Toby and your wife, Mr. Meyer. And from here, it doesn’t look like a social…Your wife has it under control.”

When she turned to tell them that she’d knocked the man on his ass and had him down, she saw that it was just her and Brad in the room. He had the strangest smile on his face when she asked him where they’d all gone.

“I don’t think you finished your sentence before they all just disappeared. I might not have said this to you before, but they’re very protective of each other. And that would include you and Toby now.” She asked him why he’d order them to protect her and her nephew. “Oh, I didn’t. I would have if it had occurred to me, but they see an issue and take care of it. I have no doubt too that soon, if not already, you’re going to know who the man is that has been following you around as well as getting any answers that you don’t yet have about their murder, too.”

They ended up going down to the first floor of the massive building the old-fashioned way. Becka didn’t ask if he could do the popping thing and was glad that he didn’t suggest it. As she’d been saying before, she was overwhelmed by everything.

Toby was laughing when she got to him. When he hugged her to him, something he’d done all his life, she put her hand on his chest and asked him if he was all right. He told her that he was better than all right and was looking forward to having dinner with all the people present. She looked at Brad, the first she’d heard of them having dinner together and he said he’d not known either. But he thought that it would be fun. She did, too, but had a lot to do before she went out again.

“The man was making lude comments about my wife hanging out with a younger man. He wasn’t believing the fact that Toby was her nephew, so she showed him that he’d better be more polite or she’d show him how. I don’t think that he’s going to be assuming anything anymore.” They all laughed, and Calhoun, what he asked to be called, thanked her for telling him about it. “I’d find out about it, but it wouldn’t have been all that big of a deal to her, and it would more than likely have been about six months from now. Not only do we protect each other, but the wives keep us out of trouble as well.”

Dinner was loud and friendly. It took both her and Toby a while to get used to the noise. Having only been the two of them for so long, it was as if the volume had been turned up as high as it would go. She figured that when they’d been put into an empty room with the door closed, that this group must do this a great deal. Especially when they could all get together. When her salad was brought to her, she remembered the last time she’d had one and how it had been covered in specks of blood. She looked over at Toby when he was laughing.

“I was just thinking the same thing.” The story was related to the table by Brad. Toby was helping him tell the story, and it was louder and longer than she thought was necessary. But she really didn’t mind. They were having a good laugh, and sometimes that was all that was needed to bond people. A good story and some fun times.

She’d killed a man while she’d been enjoying her lunch, the first real salad that she’d had in a long time, when a man approached her, thinking that she was Brad’s wife and could make him do what they wanted. However, when he tried to muscle her, she killed one of the men and held the second one with a gun to his head. Toby had kept eating his meal, telling her that he’d not had a good home-cooked meal in some time and was going to enjoy it.

After dinner, the lot of them helped the waitstaff clear the table so that they could use it for talking. It wasn’t like her nor Toby to be up so late, but she tried her best to hang on. Toby, his body growing by leaps and bounds, was nearly asleep while sitting in one of the many lounges that were throughout the restaurant for people to sit on while awaiting a table. Waking him up, he stood up and looked like he was ready to do battle. Something that he did every time they were out and not in their usual bed. The two of them had to be on the go at all times when they were using a parking lot to sleep in sometimes.

On their way to the rig, Brad asked them if they’d like to stay in a hotel tonight. He just happened to have three rooms, one for each of them, that were connected by connecting doors. She no more believed that he’d just happened to have them, but she was exhausted, and a bed did sound really good.

Toby just looked in her direction when she asked him if that was something that he might enjoy. He told her to have a bed that he could stretch out on sounded like a dream come true. They decided to stay the night in the hotel. She thought it would be nice to stretch out, too.

Just as she was ready to turn off the lights, Toby asked her if he could talk to her. When she agreed, he came into her room and sat on the floor. The kid was getting taller by the day, she’d swear, just remembering how tall his father had been when he married his mom. But he didn’t look like he was in the mood to remember things, and she asked him what he needed from her.

“What do you think of the family? I guess all of the families.” She asked him why he was asking her that. “Because it’s the first real friends that we’ve ever had. They are helping you out with some of the million questions that you’ve had over the years about being a bear and having one in the family. Not to mention, they all seem to be genuinely nice.”

“I don’t know what I’m to think. To be honest with you. In actuality, I never gave it any thought. Why do you ask? Is there something that I should know?” He asked her what she meant. “They’re really nice, but I’m worried that they’re only pretending to like me because of you. Also, the fact that—I’m still wondering about that, but because of Brad, supposing to be my mate. I only have their word for it and, of course, yours. I don’t know all that many people like you do. I have a very limited pool of information about a great many things concerning you.”

“Okay. That’s just silly. Why would they only tolerate you to make me happy? I don’t know if you realize this or not, but I’m just a small cub in comparison to having the king of my kind—not to mention the king of vampires in the family.” She answered him. “Okay but you do realize that, like I said, I’m only a little bear compared to them. If they really were afraid of me attacking them, which I don’t see, then I’m reasonably sure that they could each take me out before I was able to shift. I don’t want to attack them, but they have more firepower than I will ever have. You’re goofy if you think that I’d even contemplate doing something like that. But however, I want to point out that I’d give my life if they hurt you in any way, Mom.” Her heart swelled up with the love that she had for this kid. She couldn’t have loved him any more than if he’d been her biological son.

She got up to pull the blankets off the bed to join him on the floor. Giving herself a few minutes to get her emotions under control, Becka sat with him. She asked him, point blank, and he’d better be honest with her if he was tired of being on the road all the time. Becka knew or thought that she knew the answer to that. He was sixteen and wanted to drive and meet girls. And that would be difficult to do with his aunt/mom hanging around him because he wasn’t yet old enough to drive a big rig.

“Not sick of it. I do enjoy the traveling. And I’ve seen more of the country than most adults have. It would be nice to have someplace, like this room, to be able to have a couple of days of downtime in.” She said he was just thinking about the showers. “That would be my number one complaint about being on the road. The lack of really nice showers. Also, not having to take my gear with me every time I want to get cleaned up. I most assuredly don’t like having to share said shower with everyone that wanders in there either.” They both laughed. “Are you thinking of giving it up, Mom?”

“Yes. I’ve been thinking about it for the last several months. I’m not old, but I do not like having to think about hooking and unhooking my trailer. You’ve been a tremendous help with that, but you’ll be off to college soon, and I’m going to have to do it myself again.” She smiled at him. “I still remember the first time that you did it on your own.”

“Yes, I remember that too. You sent me to someplace and then redid it. I wasn’t embarrassed so much as I was a little mad at you about it. Then I thought that you were going to need me, so I decided to have you teach me the ropes so that I could eventually do it on my own. And I ended up being able to do it as well as you did. I’m happy. No, I’m thrilled to have had you as my mother. I don’t believe that I would have had the confidence and knowledge that I have about the world without you there with me all the time.” She thanked him and wiped the tears away before they fell. “Ah, mom, don’t do that. You’ll have us both blabbering here in a few minutes, and I need to get some sleep.”

When he stood up, he put out his hand to help her up. Instead of letting her go, he hugged her to him and kissed the top of her head. Emotionally overwhelmed, she held onto him tightly as she thought of all the times they’d done this very same thing. Hugged before going to bed for the night.

Chapter 2

Having a few minutes of her own while Toby went with Brad to get some much-needed clothing that he needed, Becka called the insurance company that her attorney had finally tracked down for her. It had been a long time coming, but she’d be glad to have this last detail finished dealing with hers and Toby’s family.

“I was going to try to reach you today. As it turns out, there is a birth certificate in Toby’s name. I’d swear that it was only just put in the books but for the date on it.” Becka thanked Launder under her breath. “Anyway, I have it now, along with the death certificates of his family. Also, a copy of the adoption paperwork has been located as well. Everything that I need is certified, and we’re ready to cut the check for the three policies.”

“Three? I thought that there was only one, his parents.” He told her that since they were all gone, Roman’s entire family had been killed that day, too. “Yes, his wife. Oh, I never thought of his mom. It never occurred to me…What are the names on the check going to be? Toby is still a minor, but whatever the amounts are for, he gets it all. I don’t want him to have to work going to college. If there is enough for that, I’m going to be thrilled.”

“There should be plenty enough for him to get himself a new car as well. The insurance policies have a clause in it that doubles what someone would get in the event of murder. All three of them were murdered. Then there are the homes. Ms. Jermon, Roman’s mother, had a house on the land there too. It, too, suffered damage to the point that it had to be torn down, so there is that coming to the young man as well as the house that his parents lived in. It’s a goodly sum of money, Ms. Dillard. Close to a million dollars.”

“I’m sorry. What did you say?” He laughed and told her that he’d written out the checks today and she could come by and pick them up at any time. “We’re not in town yet, but—did you say that there was close to a million dollars?”

“She had a large house, Ms. Jermon did. And there were a lot of valuables in there, too, that she carried extra insurance on. I’m to understand from the man who checked on things for you that everything, including the car, was destroyed. I’m glad to be able to finally put that to rest for you and your young man.” Becka said that she was as well. “I bet you are. Also, I’m to make you aware of other things too. The money for the stocks that your family had will be paid monthly after you receive the back pay on the—Ms. Dillard, are you all right?”

“Yes. I am. We’ve been struggling for a while now, and to know that it’s not all been in vain takes a good deal of weight off my shoulders. Toby will be able to do all the things that my sister and Roman wanted him to have. Thank you so much.” He told her that she was very welcome and listed some of the other amounts that the checks would cover. Becka only paid about half of attention to it all.

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