Page 22 of Unwanted Vows

“Who says we are going to do anything?” Austin says, gently while keeping a firm grip on the man’s collar. “We’ll just let the elephants drop you into the leopard cage. ‘Gosh, officer. No idea how he got in there. So unfortunate’. Accidents happen all the time around animals.”

Not around the zoo animals from Ildogis or around Austen’s dogs, I knew that much. A more meticulously trained assemblage of beasts would be difficult to find anywhere. Which is why I also know, if the elephants were instructed to dangle this little man over the leopard cage until he talked, that is exactly what they would do.

“Who are you working for, you little slime?” Rylie demands. “Who is your parole officer?”

From the way he squirms in Austin’s grip, I know she has struck gold. “I ain’t supposed to tell,” he says. “I like my kneecaps. I like them just fine the way they are. Rylie, please don’t make me tell! I didn’t mean things the way you took them. And I already been beat up. Lots of times. I was in the infirmary as often as in my cell.”

“You know him?” I ask my sister.

“Oh, yeah,” she says. “He’s my asshole ex, Jason Wintergreen. When he couldn’t get me to marry him, he tried to murder me. Look you spineless little worm,” she says to the skinny man. “You made me feel worthless. You criticized me, my business, the dresses I designed, and just everything. I can’t think of even one single reason not to feed you to the dogs.”

She crosses her arms, and glares at the little man.

“I did not try to murder you,” Jason whined. “You took everything all wrong”

Austin gives him another good shake. “Try again, dimwit. Who hired you? And, oh, just incidentally, was he the same guy who insisted you marry Rylie in the first place?”

The man squirmed and didn’t say anything.

“I still have my copy of that pre-nup,” Rylie says. “I could give it to the press. They would love it.”

“All right, I’ll talk, I’ll talk.”

Austen plonks him down on a chair, and straps him there using zip ties. “Sing, little bird,” he says. “Coo your little heart out, before I cut it out for what you did to my mermaid.”

Jason swallows. His Adam's apple bobs up and down. “I was hired by Rodri Aims. You know, head of Aims Corporation. I don’t know if you are aware or not, but it’s a huge gang of criminals. They’ve got gambling dens, escort services, and do ‘security’ work. Only, usually, you end up paying them not to off you or bust your kneecaps. You’ll see many crippled shopkeepers in my old neighborhood — those are the guys who tried to buck the system. So are some of the street beggars.”

He pauses for breath. Then he went on, “I knew Rylie would recognize me, so I hired a lawyer to make my proposition to the ladies. When they turned him down, I tried to get this school teacher dude to woo the little ones in, but he wouldn’t cooperate. The boys roughed him up a little too much, so I knew I had to act fast. Those kids must love their grandpa.”

I ask, “Why now? What has changed?”

“Two things,” Jason says, calming a little now that no further threats are forthcoming. “Old man Aims is dying. His doctors have given him six months to live, and he is desperate for an heir. And you have turned up alive and have found your son.”

A deep silence falls on the room, as we all try to digest this information. We are all trying to figure out what this means for each of us.

Into that silence, I say, “Ms. Northernfield, do I have your permission to introduce myself to your son?”

A MEETING

MADDY

I glare at Dr. Lane. “Right here? Right now?” I shake my head. “No, not in front of everyone.”

He cringes a little, then squares his shoulders. “I still want to meet him.”

“Fine,” I say shortly. “Come with me.”

I march from the room without looking back to see if he is following me. I hear his footfalls behind me as I hurry to catch up with the gaggle of children.

“Paul, honey,” I call to my son. “Come here for a moment.”

Paul halts and turns. He looks up at me, eyes wide as I draw closer to him.

I put an arm around my son, holding him close. “Paul,” I say, “Please allow me to introduce Dr. Andrew Lane, your biological father.”

Paul is completely silent for a moment. Then the formal manners I drilled into him take over, and he says, “Pleased to meet you, sir. I’m Paul Robert Northernfield.”

Dr. Lane gravely shakes his hand. “I’m very pleased to meet you. I’m sorry we did not meet sooner, but I had no idea you even existed.”

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