“You’re joking.” Holloway laughed again, telling Bryson that not only was he not joking, but there was more. “Is any of this going to come back on Ellen? I hope not. I think she’s been through a great deal. Those kids, some of the stories that I heard about them makes me want to hunt them down and make them pay.”
“Oh, they will, Lord Bryson. They certainly will. The list of things that were left in the house when the father passed away is very well thought out, and provided not only the amount of each item, but where it was in the house. While I didn’t know the man, I certainly would have loved to have found out how he was able to keep things so organized. He even had pictures of each item that was worth something. And from what I can tell, everything in that house was worth a great deal.” Bryson asked him what he was going to do now. “Tomorrow morning, bright and early, the police are going to knock on the door and roust the pair. Rumor has it that they’ve been having some very loud parties there. There hasn’t been a reading of the will, so I’m assuming, as Remi did, that they’re selling off some of the things in the home to finance their lifestyle. A lifestyle that their father didn’t allow them to have on his dime, so to speak.”
“They’re going to be arrested?” Holloway said not yet. “Then why are the police there? I’m sure there are any number of things that they can be brought in for.”
“Yes, there are. However, we’re doing this one by the books. They’ll be asked to come to the reading of the original will, one that was brought to me a few days ago. This will, the one that Mr. Bishop signed about a month after he married Ellen, is the one that should have kept that poor woman in her home with luxuries that were left for her. The judge of the county will be there as well. As a favor to me.” Bryson asked what sort of payments they would be required to make. “Well, if they have about three million dollars each, that will only take care of the things that we know for sure are missing from the home. Remi again helped me with that. Then there is the money, another two million each, that they owe the estate. The judge in this case will more than likely give them the lightest sentence that he usually gives. They’ll pay back one hundred dollars for every day that they’re in prison. Are you good at math, Lord Bryson?”
He did quick math in his head. “Holy Christ, that’s nearly one hundred and forty years each. I don’t think they’ll get to pay it back at that rate. Will Ellen be all right?” Holloway assured him that she would be just fine. “Good. I’d hate to have her suffer because the children that she helped raise are assholes.”
“You couldn’t have picked a better term for them, I don’t think. But back to my reason for calling you. I just wanted to see if she came with anything other than the clothing on her back when she came to live with you and your lovely wife.” Bryson told him that she’d barely had even that. “Good. That’s good to know. I’ll be in touch with Ellen in a few days. I’m to understand you’re taking care of Curt soon as well?”
“Yes. He’s going to go away for a very long time. Perhaps we can get them adjoining cells. They can talk about how they treated people that were good to them. And from what I’ve seen with Ellen, she is a good person. She certainly was to me when I was a child.” Holloway said that he’d gotten that from the neighbors around them too. “Good. I’m glad to know that it wasn’t just hopeful thinking on my part about how I was taken care of by her.”
“No. I heard that she’d been trying to get Curt out of her life for a long while. Even had a plan set up with Ms. Biggby. She’s gone now, I guess, but they had plans, maps, and even some of those toss off phones they use. Ms. Biggby’s daughter gave it all to me when I was out there a week ago. Couldn’t say a nice thing about Curt, though. That man should have been shot years ago.” Bryson was sure that no one had a good thing to say about him. “Well, young man, I’ll let you get back to work. I’m sure glad that Lady Blaze found you. She sure does light herself up when she talks about you.”
“I love her as well.”
When the connection was closed, he went back to his work. Nothing really that he couldn’t put off, but he knew that if he didn’t get as much done today as he could, tomorrow would be terrible. It didn’t just pile up around him, it seemed to just take over his desk and everything else in the room.
But, and this was very strange for him, he was enjoying the work much more than he ever did any other job that he’d had. This would include the one where he was working at when he met his Blaze. Not that he wasn’t planning on going back to work there, just that he’d be in a different position. Running the development company rather than working at one of the desks was going to be great, he thought. Looking around the office, he wondered where he was going to put those files, because there would be plenty when the plant was open for business again.
“Are you packed?” He must have zoned out for a moment, and was startled by Blaze speaking to him. “For the trip tomorrow. We’re going to go home for Thanksgiving. I’m sure that I told you.”
“You did, and yes, I’m packed up and ready to go. Esy said that we’re going as our birds. I don’t understand how that could be safe, what with all the holiday travel going on.” She told him. “Oh. I didn’t realize that we’d be small birds. Did you tell me how we’re to take things with us when we travel like that?”
“I might not have on that. We can carry large amounts of things even when we’re small. But with this trip, everything that we can’t carry has been shipped out already. Things for you went out a few days ago, but it’ll be there on time. You’ll love it.” Bryson told her that he was looking forward to it. “I am too. Sort of. I’m also very nervous. It’s been since we were changed that any of us were there. New Town is going to be so different now that I’m sure no one will know who the hell we are, and why we’d even think that they’d care.”
“I spoke to Mr. Holloway today. He was telling me that he was from there. Or I think I might have assumed that.” Blaze told him that he was from there. Even Stella and Todd were. “Yes, that I do remember you telling me. How long will we be gone? Have you figured that out yet?”
“Just a couple of days. No more than that, I’m afraid. Because after Thanksgiving, we’re going to be getting ready for Christmas. We go all out with that holiday. And we give a lot of parties for a lot of different people that work for us.” He smiled at her when she sat on his lap. “I think that I’d rather stay right here with you instead of going so far away. Not that we can’t do it easily enough, but it’s nice to be snuggled up with you on the couch.”
“We never did much on either holiday when Dawn and I were living at the house. Then after Curt was kicked out, we still didn’t do much in the way of having fun. I can’t even remember the last time we even bothered with putting up a tree.” Blaze just stared at him. “I’m serious. It was a lot of hassle just to get out cards to the few people we cared enough to send them to. Much less putting up a tree and then having to take it down again.”
“Oh, that’ll all be done when we return. Next year, you and I will plan out the house. This year’s has been done for months. When we leave, Stella and Todd will let the decorators come in, and by the time we return, we’ll have a holiday home that will bring people from all over the state to look at.” He asked her if she was serious. “Yes. Three years ago Mercy was on the cover of some magazine. This year I’m planning on outdoing her. It’s been a competition between us for decades. I’ve never won, damn it.”
“You women are the most competitive people I’ve ever met.” Blaze told him that he was correct on that one. “I’ll just stand back and watch as you guys figure this out. I have no idea what sort of decorations you have in mind, but I’m betting it’ll be more than any one store sells for the entire season.”
“Pretty much. Since our homes are so close together this year, it’ll be a blast. Last year and the one before, the only people with homes of any size were Mercy and Piper. Piper’s decorations at Halloween are difficult
to match. She loves that holiday more than any other, I think.” He could see her going all out for Halloween. The woman loved witches and pumpkin decorations. “I’m ready to go tonight. I hope at least someone remembers me.”
“I’m sure that everyone will know you, love. You’re very hard to forget.” Blaze thanked him, then punched him in the arm. “I truly meant that as a compliment.”
“You did not.” Blaze hugged him tightly. “Whatever did I do without you before? I don’t even think I could change my shoes without you here now. Thank you for being what I never thought that I’d want in a mate.”
He wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but let it go. Being called to dinner, they walked hand in hand to the kitchen, a place where they took most of their meals. It was, to him, the heart of the house. Someplace that he could go for solitude as well as wholesome cooking.
Chapter 12
Blaze was so happy that they’d come here. So many people they had met when they’d worked for Dante were still there. And descendants were as vast and friendly as their parents had been. Of course, they didn’t really know them as people, and that had been funny to watch their faces when they realized that they were the Queen’s Prey.
“They’ve modernized much more than I thought they would have so far from anyone else.” Jude looked around as she continued. “Mercy told me that she thought the stash that was left for them did this for them. I’m very glad. I would have hated to have come here and found that it had changed very little since she passed away.”
“I was just happy to see that they had running water and electricity. I wonder which one of them came up with the idea that they were needed?” Jude told her. “Oh, that’s wonderful. They send their children to college in the bigger towns. I love it. And since they come back here when they finish, that’s even more special, don’t you think?”
“I do. I so wish that Dante could see this all. She’d be so proud of them for moving forward. I miss her sometimes. I’ve decided to go with Mercy to see the castle ruins.” Blaze said that she had as well. “What about Bryson? Do you think that he’d enjoy seeing where it all began?”
“I think he’s still resting. I had forgotten that he’s not used to flying as much as we do. He promised that when we get back home, he’s going to fly daily so that he’s in better shape. I think it shamed him some that Miley did better than he did.” They both laughed as they watched all the food being taken to the large city center. “It will be a feast, I’m thinking. I’m so happy that we came today. This is the perfect Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for, don’t you think?”