Page 7 of Carmine

Mom’s mindset rubbed off on us, and we became a tight-knit family. Mom and then Drake hadn’t given a shit that we did not share blood. No, all they cared about was they had a bunch of kids to love. And they’d certainly had a lot of children! People might perceive us as spoiled or rich brats; they could think again. Mom had money, but we worked for it. Despite giving useverything we needed to succeed in life, we still did chores. All of us understood the meaning of hard work.

No, the public wasn’t aware of the true Carmine Michaelson. And I wondered how much Molly let her real self show to people. She was tightly wound, and I had the feeling that had been ingrained since childhood.

Despite all that, I needed to get to knowDr Molly Balfour-Cherlyn. I wanted to peel back those layers and reveal the woman Molly was hiding. But now was not the time. Molly had information we required, and if I upset her, Dad would kick me from one state to another.

As we walked down to where her jeep and my bike were parked, I let Molly wander a little ahead of me. Her ass was cute and certainly eye-catching and was making my cock twitch. Before I could disgrace myself and imagine Molly in a thong, I thought about lava and Aurora’s prophecy.

Dad’s words that Aurora had collapsed this morning worried me. Having been a prospect alongside Klutz, I was bonded to Aurora more than most of the other old ladies. As prospects, we were closer to other prospect’s women because we hung together more. The women were a tight bunch, and we all pretty much mixed as a club, but yeah, the prospect’s old ladies meant a little more.

“This is me. How long will you be?” Molly questioned, interrupting my thoughts as she stashed her bags in the rear of the jeep.

“About two hours?” I suggested, not sure, really.

“Perfect. If you don’t find me at the house, behind it is my lab,” Molly responded.

“You have a laboratory?”

“Yes. After the U.S. Geological Survey team kicked me, I set up here. I wasn’t allowed to use their labs anymore, so I built myown. My grandparents left me a lot of money,” Molly said and climbed into the jeep.

“You’re serious about your hypothesis,” I somewhat stupidly replied.

Molly sent me a look. “If you’re really genuine, then you’ll find out in a couple of hours.”

Molly started the engine and, performing a neat turn, disappeared down the road.

“See you soon, Doc,” I whispered and swung a leg over my Harley.

Molly

The first I knew of visitors was when Mya sat up and barked furiously.

“Shit, did the doc mention a dog?” a guy asked.

“No, Dad, but it makes sense as she’s a woman alone,” Carmine replied.

“Mya, down,” I said, pushing my glasses back up my nose. They had a tendency to slip down.

“Dr Balfour-Cherlyn, my name is Drake Michaelson, may I come in? You spoke to my son in the Black Hills today,” a man called.

I recognised his voice from the phone call.

“You can, but please don’t enter the laboratory, stay in the reception area,” I replied.

Four men and two women walked in. Behind them came Carmine, and I relaxed at seeing him.

“Take a seat, I am just uploading the latest information. Mya may need fussing, but she won’t bite. There are treats in the cupboard if you wish to make friends,” I murmured, distracted by the report I was reading.

My visitors swapped glances but did as I asked as I peered at the data again. Quickly spinning around, I grabbed another printout and began comparing the facts. Shit. Whatever was going to happen was imminent. How had I missed the micro-tremors?

“That’s her!” a woman exclaimed, distracting me.

Confused, I looked up and focused on a beautiful lady standing up.

She pointed at me.

“Aurora,” a handsome African American said, but she shook her head.

“No. That is her. She’s been screaming and yelling, and they won’t listen to her. They drove her away and laughed, but she is right and always has been,” Aurora continued.

---