Page 10 of Demitrius

“Who’s that?” She then had to explain that they were the kids that he’d sired. “Well, why didn’t you say that in the first place. Damned kids. I knew I should have been around when she popped them out. I surely wouldn’t have named them that.”

“Be that as it may, they’re going to be mine in a few weeks, and there will be nothing you can do about it.” Georgie laughed and said they’d see about that. She might not want to get used to breathing when she came around. “Breathing? You mean you’re going to do something to me that keeps me from breathing?”

“You bet your sweet ass I am. I’m going to do to you what Samuel did to your sister. Beat the daylights out of you so I won’t be bothered by you.” She asked her why she’d want to kill her. “Because you’re in the way of me getting those kids and the shit that comes with raising them. I don’t know shit about them but you can bet that I’m going to be using their benefits all up. Then we’ll see if they live long enough for their daddy to get out of jail. They might get themselves dead before too much longer.”

“You know they record what is being said back here.” Georgie looked up at the camera that was pointed right at her and pointed her fingers at it like a gun and made a noise that she supposed waslike a gunshot. “What is that supposed to mean? You think you’ll get a gun back here? You couldn’t even get a beer back here with some chips. What makes you think that a gun is going to be any easier?”

“I got my ways. You’d be surprised at how resourceful I am. Especially when it comes to family. Nah, you don’t have to worry your little head about cameras catching me. I’m above that.” Rolling her eyes, she realized that they really were idiots. “You’ll be waiting on me to come and get the kids, too. Nobody is going to be standing there holding a gun on me when I come for you, either.”

“Come on, Mandy, it’s time we left.” Nodding, the two of them backed themselves down the long hall back to the door. Once they were both on the other side of it, she looked in the window and saw that Georgie hadn’t moved, but that didn’t make her feel any safer. “You have to press charges against Georgie. All right? She threatened you and the boys. They’ll be able to hear it when they go over the recordings. Come on now, you’re all right. Just tell them what she said to you.”

“She really would kill me.” Shipley said she’d never get the chance. “You can’t be with me twenty-four seven. I have to go to work and take care of the boys.”

“You’d be surprised too with what we can do to keep you safe. I’m going to make a few phone calls and get us some help. That woman is worse than her brother. She’d kill someone for anything she deems against her. We’ll take care of her. You’ll see.”

She didn’t want anyone getting hurt protecting her. The boys, yes, but not her. Telling Shipley that they were standing in front of the captain when she nearly broke down. She might well die from just taking care of two little boys who meant the world to her.

“You have to protect the boys at all costs.” Shipley said that they’d do the same for her. “No, I want your promise that you’ll make sure that Teddy and Martin are your first priority. I promised Besty a long time ago to make sure they grew up to be fine men if she were to die, and I’m asking you for the same promise. Please? They have a life to live without fear of being killed.”

“I can’t make that promise, Mandy. You’ve come to mean a great deal to us, and I won’t allow her to take you from us.” She nodded and told her that she’d just ask Demi to do it. “I don’t think that you’re going to get any of us to make that kind of promise to you. Like I said, you’ve come to mean a great deal to us and the boys.”

After pressing charges against Georgie, she felt better knowing that she was going to be in a jail cell next to her brother. The courts didn’t have a judge all the time, so they’d only have until he came around again to hold her. Hopefully, she’d be in her cell as long as her brother was. Forever.

By the time she was in the car, she was shaking. Her entire body felt like she’d been run over a couple of times, then put out on the line to dry. Shivering, Shipley wrapped her up in a blanket and then drove. She didn’t care where they were going so long as it wasn’t home. The boys were there, and they’d ask questions she didn’t have an answer to.

When they pulled up in front of The Crockery Pot, she was never so glad to see Demi standing out there waiting for her in her life. As soon as she was in his arms, she broke down. It was talk to him or she’d be driving herself crazy trying to keep it all in. Babbling now, she told him what had been done to her this morning.

“I have you.” Nodding while he dragged her into the restaurant. “Come on now, I’ve got you. I have some things to tell you, too, about the Jameson people. They think that just because she’s come all this way to get the kids, she’s entitled to the money that Besty was getting. Not to mention the house and card that was used for gas for transportation.”

“How did you find that out?” He told her how Georgie had gone to the house last night and parked in the driveway. “So she wants the boys because of the money that he can get. I’m supposed to get a check each month for caring for them, but I was going to put that in the bank for them to use for college. It’s really not all that much. I think I was told that it would be twenty-five hundred a month.”

“Per child. And yes, you’ll get that. Zander is setting up things for you to get a food card and also money to get you a car. You might not need it, but it’s coming for the boys.” She nodded, thinking that whatever it was, she’d use it just on them. “Maybe you can get them some hot dogs once in a while.”

“I will not.” Demi laughed, and she smiled at him. “I can’t stand them. Hot dogs, I mean. Whenthey want them as a dinner, I usually treat myself to a quart of ice cream to compensate for having to cook them. Gross.”

“I know you give in to them more than once a month, too. Teddy told me that you’ve even made them chili to go with them. You’re a good aunt to them.” She thanked him and then looked at him. Really looked hard at him. “What? Do I have spinach in my teeth? I’ve been trying some of the things that the new cook is making. You should have some, they’re really quite delicious.”

“I’m in love with you.” She wanted him to say something, but he just stared at her. “I’m sorry if that isn’t anything you want to hear, but I thought that if something happened to me, then you’d know.”

“I don’t know what you expect me to say to that.” She said that he didn’t have to say anything. “I like you. You’re a good mother to the boys, but I’m not looking for someone in my life right now. I have a lot going on and I don’t—”

She stood up and smiled at him. It was difficult to make her eyes say what she’d just said to him when her heart was shattered. Telling him that she needed to get home, that the boys would be waiting on her, she left without another word. Glad that he was being called away when she did, Mandy was afraid that she’d say something else to him that would have her in tears if he said anything more than he’d already said. As soon as she was in the car, she broke down in front of Shipley.

“You’re in love with him.” She nodded, not even able to keep that to herself. “I thought as much when I brought you here. What did he say to you that has you in tears?”

“He likes me all right.” She laughed. “I didn’t pour my heart out to him, tell him why I’ve fallen in love with him, but I did tell him that I was in love with him. He’ll more than likely want me to move out of his house now.”

“No, he’d not do that. He might avoid you more, but he’d also want to keep you safe.” Nodding, she asked if they could go home. “Yes, of course. But let’s get some lunch first. I’m starving and it’s past one now.”

“I’m not really hungry. But sure, I’ll go with you.” When they pulled out into traffic to go to the only other place to eat in town, they ended up at a pizza shop. The two of them were being seated when she thought of something. “Don’t tell anyone, please? I’m going to be…it’s going to be hard enough to be around him, much less the entire family if they find out. I don’t know that I could handle that.”

“All right. I don’t like it, but I understand. I’m a bit pissed off at Demi but that’s all on me.” She told Shipley that it wasn’t his fault that she’d fallen in love with him. “No. But he could have been nicer about it, other than saying that he liked you all right. That’s kind of mean if you ask me.”

After ordering a large pizza for the two of them, Shipley eyed the salad bar. Telling her to go for it, the other woman left her sitting there while she filled up a plate of mostly vegetables. Mandy didn’t think she could eat anything right now and wasn’t surprised when she was given a plate of carrots and dressing to munch on. After a couple of carrots, she did feel better. She looked at Shipley.

“Do you think I should have told him? I mean, my reasoning sounds kind of lame right now. ‘If anything happens to me, I wanted you to know.’ It sounds stupid when I say it to you. I could have gone my whole life without seeing the panic look in his eyes, you know.” She told her that he’d come around to her. “I don’t want him to settle with me. I want the passion that I see in your face when you look at Dusty. Or when Locke is asked about his own wife. His settling for me would be worse than having him say he loves me too when I know he doesn’t.”

“I’m sorry. I truly am.” She ate a couple of slices of pizza when it arrived, and she was happy that the subject was changed. Anything would be better than being turned away when you were a love-sick person.

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