Marc (10 page)

“She tried to kill me?” Jack nodded at
Jonny’s question. “I have a scar in my shoulder. I often wanted to ask about it,
but whenever Mom saw it, she would turn away, like it hurt her or something
knowing that it was there. How did she do it?”

“It doesn’t say. It only says that you
have a scar on your left shoulder and that it is unknown as to how you received
it.” Jack got up and walked to her. “I’m sorry, Jonny. I truly am. But I knew
that you’d want to know what you’re up against.”

Jonny nodded, and a few minutes later
Jack and Dylan left. Dylan told him to contact him if she had any questions,
and he promised him he would. Jonny stood by the window and stared out it. He
wasn’t sure what to do to help her with this.

“Your brother asked me to pledge myself
to him. I told him I’d talk to you. I’m not really sure what it means, but he
said that basically I tell him that he can pretty much ruin my night when he
can contact me at a whim.”

That sounded like something that Khan
would say. “You would tell him that he is your leader and that you would abide
by any rules he sets forth.”

She snorted. “Like that’s going to
happen. Do you think my father wanted to see me?”

He was getting used to her swift change
of subject and was able to answer her. “I don’t know, but if you want we can go
and see them both. Or just your father. Jack said she’d give you the name of
the zoo if you decided that is something you’d want to do.”

She shook her head. “I’m not ready for a
family reunion just yet. Besides, she might still be a little pissed at me
because I didn’t die when she tried to hurt me. Do you think Roy knows what’s
going on?”

“It’s hard to say. You told me that the
day you left that Anita was in his bedroom. Had you ever seen them in the room
together before?”

“No. In fact, that was the first time
I’d been in that part of the house before. I was just coming down the windows
when I heard her talking.” She turned to him. “Now that I think on it, I got
out fairly easy. Do you think they planned it that way?”

“I doubt they expected you to actually
get away. They probably figured that you’d get that far and then you’d walk in
on the
murder
. I’m pretty sure you were early and heard them reading
from a script like you thought. They were more than likely still practicing when
you over heard them. Otherwise, they would have taken more care not to have
Anita laugh when you left.”

“They didn’t find me until several hours
later. I know that because I was on foot and they were in cars. I had shifted,
of course, to get that far, but it was still a long way to go and I got lost
twice.” Marc nodded. “She’d become my friend to set me up.”

“I’m afraid so, love.” She stood there
for several more minutes before he stood up to stand behind her. She leaned
back against his body when he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“I’m sorry.” He asked her for what. “All
this. You couldn’t have known that having me for a mate would be so
complicated. I’m betting you’re regretting this about now.”

“Never. I told you before that I was
falling in love with you, but I’m not anymore.” She turned in his arms and
looked at him. “I’ve fallen in love with you. I do too. I love you with all my
heart.”

Marc held her until his phone rang and
let her go, regrettably, to answer it. He picked it up and smiled at his mom. He
glanced at Jonny before he answered her.

“Yes, we’ll be home for dinner tonight. And
I’ll ask her about the other. Or he can when we get there.” He hung up and
walked back over to her. “My mom is expecting us for dinner, and little George
wants to know if you’ll read him a story again.”

“He’s a cute kid. Smart too. Do you want
kids someday?” Smiling, he pulled her into his arms for a long, sensual kiss
before answering her.

“Why, Miss Jonny, are you propositioning
me? If you are, then yes, I want kids. If not….” He grinned. “If not, then I
will proposition you and have a baby with you anyway.”

Chapter 10

They drove back to Marc’s house after
dinner. Khan’s house was getting really full, and when Marc suggested they go
back there, she had agreed. Besides, she wanted to sleep in the big bed he had.
Plus, he had promised her a run, and she felt as if she needed it now more than
ever.

“Mom said she’d set us up with
housekeepers to interview within a few days. I hope you don’t mind that I asked
her to help.” She shook her head. What did she know about interviewing for a
housekeeper?

“She would know more about what you need
than I do, I guess.” She wandered around the living room, then the kitchen. She
knew that he followed her, but she really didn’t care. What she needed was some
fresh air and alone time.

“I’m going out.” She opened the door and
was standing on the deck when he came out. “I want to be alone. I have things
to think about and I…I’ll be back.”

“No.” She turned to look at him. “No,
you can’t go off and think on your own. I want to talk about whatever it is
that’s bothering you.”

Where to start? She looked out in the
woods that seemed to be in the backyard of all their homes. All their big-assed
homes. Their furniture was really nice, some of it really old but in beautiful
shape. And they had nannies and maids, things she didn’t understand or know what
to do with. And they were violent at times, more so than she’d ever seen when
it came to their families.

“My parents are a little overwhelmed by
all of you. Mom said she felt like she was living in a castle staying with Khan
and Monica. I told her she didn’t have to curtsy when they came in the room.”
It was supposed to be a joke, but she knew even to herself it sounded lame. “My
dad isn’t used to not going to work either. He’s worried he’ll lose his job.”

“I have a couple of houses they can live
in if they want after this is over. Or they can go back to their home too, when
this is over. You have to know that they’re safer here with all of us.” She nodded.
“What else is wrong, Jonny?”

“You saw where I grew up. You had to
notice that you’re way above me in the blue blood scale. I’m not ashamed at my
home, but it’s nothing like this. My parents have to work to make ends meet. I
do too. You sort of come and go as you please because there are others to help
you out. I’ve never…my family and I have never had that. We’ve only ever had
each other.”

When he started to step toward her, she
stepped off the deck. He moved to the railing around them and leaned into it as
he watched her. She was trying to tell him what she wanted him to understand,
but she felt she wasn’t telling it right.

“I don’t know how to be one of you
guys.” He laughed. “I’m trying to tell you that I don’t know how you expect
this to work out. Your parents are the nicest people I’ve met and have treated
me really well, but I’m just a panther they’re trying to help out, I think. Your
brothers are amazing and rich and seem to like me okay. But I don’t know how to
act around them.”

“You don’t need to
act
at all,
Jonny. Just be yourself. When you’re standoffish to them they think you don’t
like them.” She looked at him and started to deny what he said, but he cut her
off. “You do. Even at dinner tonight you sat next to me and hardly said a word.
Sebastian tried to get to know you, but you only gave him one-syllable answers
until he just gave up. He asked me if you hated him.”

“I’m afraid for them to touch me.” She
flushed when she realized how loudly she’d said that. “I don’t want you to kill
any of them because they touched me. Your dad said that a male could and would
kill to protect what he has claimed. He was telling me a story about this man
he’d seen torn apart because he had the nerve to touch another man’s female.”

“He raped her, not touched her.” She
looked at Marc. “And I’m going to kill my father the next time I see him.”

“No. Don’t do that. He’s really old, but
he’s nice. I think he was trying to tell me not to go around hugging people. He
said it would make you want to kill, and then you’d mark me again.”

Marc laughed. “Yes, he’s going to die a
slow and painful death. He was kidding you, love. He’s the most lovable, ornery
man I know. And he doesn’t know when to quit. I won’t kill any of my brothers because
they touched you. So long as they know that there is touching and there is
hurting. And when you get back to me, I’m going to mark you again. Everywhere I
can.”

He moved toward her, and she stood still
on the step. She wanted him to touch her, to mark her, but she wasn’t sure how
to tell him that. When he pulled her into his arms, she went to him willingly
and laid her head on his chest.

“I can smell Monica on you. And your
mom. I don’t feel the least bit like going out and killing them.” He chuckled. “You
know, I think I’d like to handle your dad. I think there are some ground rules
he and I are going to put down, and I’m going to make him pay for making me a
nervous wreck all night.”

“Good. I’ll play along. Khan too. I’m
betting any of them will be willing to help you out.” He lifted her chin. “You
need to understand something. Everything I have is yours. Everything, Jonny. This
house, the money, the buildings and property? All if it belongs to you as much
as it does me. And as for your parents? They are as welcome into our family as
you are. If they want, we’ll put them into a castle if we can find one and hire
all the people they want to wait on them.”

“I doubt they’d want that. My mom has
been a housewife all her life. And dad has been a beat cop longer than I can
remember. He is terrified of losing his pension as well as his seniority. The
house isn’t even paid off.”

He was quiet for several minutes, and
she realized how incredibly quiet it was around them. Her parents’ house was on
a busy, rundown street that had things going on all the time. And not in the
good neighbor sort of way, either. There were drug deals going down daily and
police cars making runs down their street nightly. She looked up at him when he
started to speak.

“I was going to say that I’d take care
of that for you, but I realize that you’d be pissed at me again. And since I
have plans for that luscious body of yours later, I have decided to be man
enough to ask for your help in helping them.” He grinned. “How would you like
to make it so that your parents aren’t worried so much?”

“What do you mean?” She followed him to
the chair and sat in his lap when he patted it. She watched him as he seemed to
be working something out in his mind. When he smiled at her, she felt like the
sun had warmed her.

“I have money and you have money as
well. A great deal of it. Not endless, mind you, but close. I’ve invested well,
and when Walker married Caitlynne, she gave each of us a substantial amount of
money as well. She paid off all our debts, and if our houses were paid for, she
gave us enough to purchase another. Her money is pretty much endless.” She
started to ask him what this had to do with her parents when he kissed her
quiet. “Now, as I said, we have a few houses that we rent out. They are in good
neighborhoods and within a few miles of us. I think, as a couple, you and I
should discuss having your parents, if they want to, move into one of them as a
gift to us for our wedding.”

“I didn’t know we were getting married.”
He laughed and asked her to stand up for a second. “No, I like it right here
for now. You will explain what you mean by the wedding comment.”

“I can’t if you’re sitting on my lap.”
She stood up and he turned her and sat her in the chair. “I meant to do this
yesterday, but we were sort of busy with other things.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled
out a tiny little box. She stood up quickly, only to be pressed back down into
the chair. When Marc knelt down on one knee, she tried to stand again.

“This will work much better if you don’t
keep acting like a jack-in-the-box and let me propose to you.” He slipped the
ring on her finger to the first knuckle and held his hand across her lap at the
same time. “Damn but you’re stubborn, aren’t you? Jonny Thomas, I would very
much like for you to become my wife. As soon as possible. Tomorrow, if I can
arrange it.”

“Marry you?” He nodded and pushed the
ring all the way onto her finger. “You can’t possibly think that…I thought we
were going to discuss our staying together after this thing with Roy was over?”

“Well, I don’t really think that’s going
to be necessary, do you? I love you, and I’m reasonably sure you love me as
well.” She just stared at the ring. “You’re supposed to say ‘why, yes, Marc, I
love you very much,’ not stare at the ring like you’ve never seen one before.”

“I haven’t. Not on my hand anyway. This
is what you want?” Marc shook his head. “You’ve already changed your mind?”

“No, this is what
we
want. You do,
don’t you, Jonny? You want to be my wife?” He kissed her hand and held it to
his cheek. “You wouldn’t want to break my poor little heart would you?”

“What if we—?” He cut her off with a
kiss. She melted into him as he stood and pulled her to her feet as well. When
he lifted his head, she blinked several times, trying to bring things back into
focus.

“We could ‘what if’ this to death and
we’d never be married. We could think of all sorts of reasons why we shouldn’t
do this and not be together. Or we could just skip all that in favor of saying
yes and worry about everything else as it comes.” He kissed her again. “I love
you. I want to be with you. I want to have babies with you. I especially want
to work on having those babies with you.”

She laughed. “Why yes, Marc, I love you
very much and would love to spend the rest of my life giving you a hard time
and making you want to pull your hair out.”

He hugged her tightly. “Close enough. But
I think I’ll have to teach you to be romantic. You’re a little on the weird
side.”

~~~

Roy watched the video again. He didn’t
see what had Harris all in a tizzy, but he was willing, for now, to give him
the benefit of the doubt. He peered closer to the computer when he indicated
that it was coming up. Then he saw her.

“Christ.” Harris nodded as Roy backed
the DVD up to watch it again. She was at a cash register in the same fucking town
as they were right now. They had given up looking there after she’d run,
thinking that she would have been long gone, and as far from them as she could
get. And here she was hiding under their fucking noses.

“I told you I’d find her. According to the
manager of the store, she wasn’t a regular but he remembered her. She said that
she owed him some extra money on account of her getting home and realizing that
she’d not paid for something, a coat or some shit. He said he remembered her ‘cause
of that. And she was a beauty.”

Roy nodded, trying to think what to do
now. The shifter that they’d bought from Kidd had turned out to be a dud. Who
knew that in order to shift to a panther you needed permission from the local family?
He’d had to look up what the fuck he’d been talking about and found that a pack
of panthers was called that. A family. What a lame-assed name for a bunch of
big fucking predators like cats. He personally would have called them a pack,
sounded so much better than a family.

“Have we got someone watching this store
front?” Harris nodded. “It’s doubtful that she’ll return, but it’s good to know
that she’s close. Stupid bitch will be mine before too much longer.”

“There are like six empty buildings
around that store. All owned by the same company. Bowen something…I don’t
remember. But I asked around and none of the other store owners have seen her.
I was gonna go and see that Bowen guy tomorrow. He’s got some sort of insurance
place about a block from the Vintage place.”

“Good. That’s good. And when you get
back, swing by the office and tell me what you found.” Harris nodded and left.
Anita came through the door as he was leaving and Roy found himself putting his
hand on his gun.

“You find her yet?” He told her what
Harris had just relayed to him. “She’s as good as dead, you know that, right?
As soon as this fucking thing with pets is fulfilled, I’m going to take her out
into the woods and blow her fucking brains out.”

“We could make a million off just her if
we keep her around. I’m not kidding, Anita, I’ve got them lined up out the
fucking door wanting a female panther roaming around their yards. We could
practically own this business.” She shook her head. “Then give me a year with
her. After that we should have enough money put away that we can go wherever we
want.”

“I can go wherever I want now. Daddy
would send me just to get rid of me.” She had that right. Her dad had called
him just last night asking if she was in danger. When he’d told the man he was
keeping his daughter safe, he’d told him not to bother, he wouldn’t.

“She’s an evil psychopath that should
have been locked up years ago. Not only that, but she spends more money on
drugs than ten men I have selling it for me. I’ve had it with her. She’s not
been right since her brother and mother passed.” The older man had broken down
after that. “Anita is my only living child and I can’t stand to be in the same
room with her any more than it takes for me to hand her some cash. What kind of
father thinks that about his own child?”