Page 11

Ranford wasn’t happy. And more than that, he knew that whatever came of tonight he was going to be more pissed than he was at the moment. The nerve of his son telling Jenna Winslow to make him come here. And since she held all the cards right now, he either had to come here or be out on his ass. Fucking bitch.

His son moved about the room as if he owned it. He’d heard rumors that he had put his house on the market and was now living with someone. Ranford hadn’t any idea what the new address was until now, and he wasn’t happy about that either. Forrest was just trying to make him look foolish, and he’d pay for that as well.

“Would you like for me to make an announcement, Ranford? Or are you going to sit there and keep your mouth shut until you go home?” He glared at Jenna. “Don’t you dare give me that look. Anyone with a bit of knowledge about the stock market and how to do a search can find out what I did in ten minutes. And I’m old. What did you think was going to happen when you started screwing with things you had no idea of?”

“I dislike you a great deal.” Her laughter only fueled his anger. “I have no idea why you think that my coming here is going to make a bit of difference in whatever is going on here, but I’ll have you know that I will not be blackmailed by you.”

“No, I would imagine that you have enough of that going on in your life. When is the girlfriend due, Ranford? I think it’s soon.” He should have known that she’d find out that little tidbit of information as well. The woman was tenacious if nothing else. “I would have thought that after the first three times, you would have kept your Johnson in your pants and not out where any fertile woman could dance on it.”

“The things you say sometimes border on obscene. What sort of people do you hang around with to learn such things?” She looked at his son and the man that he presumed to be his latest lover. “Him? He’s nothing. Less than nothing. Had I known what he’d turn out to be I would have had his mother abort the monster.”

“Are you referring to him being like her and a cat, or the fact that he’s a homosexual? Either trait, as far as I’m concerned, is a good quality in a person.” He said nothing. “I often wonder if you had any idea that Bernadine was a cat when you proposed to her. I’m thinking not. You think your blood is too pure to have mixed with her.”

“She should have told me.” Jenna only laughed. “Then when she told me that she carried my child, I worked my damnedest to get her to leave it on the floor of a doctor’s office. Even told her that I’d pay for her to have a nice long vacation, with no limit on how much she could spend.” He looked behind him when she nodded to his right. His son stood there, looking at him with as much hate as Ranford had for him. “You can’t have thought that you were welcome into my world. Your mother conspired against me, and in doing so, she was taken ill for life by giving birth to you. A monster.”

“Monster or not, I’m a better man than you’ll ever hope to be.” Ranford stood up; it was time to take his son down a few notches. But almost as soon as he did, standing a good six inches shorter than his son, Ranford realized something else. His son wasn’t the coward he’d been all those years ago. “What’s the matter, Father? Have you only come to realize how much I look like you? Or is it the fact that I’ve grown up?”

“You sicken me. Here you are with this man, and what do you expect to get from it? Do you think he’ll be friends with you when he figures out what a depraved mind you have?” He looked around the room for something else he could point out that Forrest would never have. “This place, I’m sure that it comes with a high rent. Did you come here thinking to show me how much you’ve come up in the world? I have news for you, Forrest, it was a waste of your money trying to impress me.”

“I have no desire whatsoever to impress you. Not anymore at least. This house, along with the four thousand acres, belongs to Jake. My lover, my mate.” Ranford looked at the man talking to the butler with new eyes. “In the event you missed it, Father, he’s Jenna Winslow’s grandson.”

He felt his world crashing down around him. Forrest was mated? To a Winslow. He wanted to hurt him, lash out at him that it was lies. But he knew this was just the kind of thing that would happen to him, that his son would be richer than he was.

“You’ve done well then.” Ranford wanted to go, to leave this place and never return. “I should be going.” He turned to do so; his plans to come here and humiliate his son, to make him feel less than a person, were ruined.

“I’ve bought your loans.” He turned slowly to look at Forrest as he continued. “Jake and I, we did some investigating and found that you’re broke. Not just broke, but on the verge of being put out of your home. Isn’t that about right, Father? You will be tossed out as well soon enough, when I get what I want from you. Then there is the money that you’re paying out. My goodness father, you have been a very busy man.”

“They’re not mine.” He asked him who. “Those bastards. They’re not mine. I’m paying to keep them from going to the press. A man with my connections does not need this hitting the press about women just saying that I’m the father of their child. I’ll deal with that soon enough too. However necessary. And I’m not broke…I’m in a financial bind, that’s all. I’ll be recovering before the ink dries on your next lawsuit.”

Forrest sat down hard. Ranford wasn’t sure what had happened, but was glad to see that he had felled him. But when he looked up at him, he could see contempt here, hatred like he’d never seen before.

“I was talking about the lawsuits from the vendors that you owe money to.” The other man came to him, put his hand on his shoulder as Forrest stared at him. “You’ve fathered children that you’re not acknowledging? I thought it was bad enough that you hated me, but to do that to a human child? How could you?”

“You make it sound as if I didn’t do anything for you. Well, I have news for you. I did. You’re not dead, are you?” Ranford stood up. “And I’ve had just about enough of this nonse—”

“Sit down.” Ranford had no choice but to sit. The voice that thundered from his son made his cock shrivel in his pants and his head hurt. “You fucking bastard, you will not take this night from me. You will sit where I tell you to sit, speak when I allow it, and you will not, under any circumstances, leave this house without my permission. Do I make myself clear?”

Ranford nodded. He was terrified, more than he’d ever been. As he sat there, his body a mess of sweat, fear, and panic, he wondered where that had come from. Why the urge to roll to the floor with his belly exposed to his son had seemed not only the most natural thing to do, but there was an insane need to do so.

As other people came to this farce of a party, Ranford didn’t move. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, he told himself, but he was comfortable where he was. No little shit of a faggot was going to tell him what to do. And when he saw Jacob and Trina Winslow coming into the room with him, he knew that his son was going to come out to them all, and he wanted to put a stop to it.

Standing up, Ranford hated that he found himself looking for his son. Not that he wanted to see him, but fear, the little finger of it, ran down his spine. When he made his way to the other couple, keeping an eye out for not just Forrest but Jenna as well, he asked to speak to them both alone.

“Dinner is served.” He looked around the room when a butler, a big man, came into the room. And when he glared at him, like he knew he was going to cause trouble, fear came over Ranford. He wasn’t even sure why.

The house was beautiful; he’d give that to the host. The room that they were led to by his son was huge, the table could have easily sat a dozen more people. There were chargers on the place settings with name tags that were done in a lovely hand, as well as several wine glasses per setting. Ranford just knew this was going to be one of those faggy dinner parties with all kinds of food that he didn’t know what the fuck he was eating.

He wasn’t going to eat any of it. The decision made, he leaned back in his seat and didn’t even bother picking up his napkin to lay over his lap. It was in his head to tuck it in his shirt like he was five years old, but he decided that ignoring the shit in front of him was easier.

When the young man stood up—Jake, he thought his name was—the room grew silent. But only for a moment. Jacob told him to sit down and then Jake nearly did. Then Trina started crying, loud wailing noises that hurt his head.

~~~

“What the hell do you think is happening here? I told you to sit down.” Jake stiffened his entire body for the onslaught of words from his dad. “When I tell you to do something, Jake, I do not expect any lip or excuses. And you might as well know that I’ve called in a few favors, and you will not be divorcing Carol Lane. I don’t care what you think she did to you, or even if she actually did. You will not divorce her.”

“She’s going to prison for the murder of her mother. Does that change your mind about the divorce? I know that appearances are everything to you and Mother.” His dad looked around the room and glared at his grandma. “You think she had something to do with this?”

“You and she are like two peas in a pod. Always conspiring against us. Well, I will tell you right now that I won’t stand for it. I’m done with the lot of you.” When Jake’s father stood, so did Forrest. “What do you think you’re going to do to me? Turn me into what you are? I’ve had people like you killed for less.”

“No doubt you have. But we’re not done here until he says we are. Now, you fat mother fucker, sit down before I knock you down.” His dad tried hard to not do as he’d been told by Forrest, but in the end he sat. And like Ranford, he shoved his plate away as well. “You people might want to pay attention here. This will more than likely be the last time you see either of us.”

“Good.” Jake wondered if it hurt Forrest when his father spoke. But it didn’t appear to. Then he looked at his own parents and thought he might be better off with them completely out of his life as well.

“As I was saying, Carol is going to go to prison for the murder of her mother. Before her father killed himself, he had been told that there had been no brain activity for Belinda. Killing her when he killed himself was not murder. Carol did that for him.” He looked around the room to the people that, for the most part, meant little to nothing to him. His grandma and Forrest were all he had. “I’ve decided to leave my partnership with the firm, and I’m moving my practice in with Forrest. We’ll be taking on—”

“You most certainly will not.” His father stood up and slammed his fist on the table, breaking two wine glasses. “You will stop this right now, Jake. I will not sit here and let you ruin all that I’ve sacrificed just to see you ruin my reputation with this queer.”

“Really? I wasn’t aware that you had any say over what I did and didn’t do. Not for a very long time. And tell me, Father, what sort of sacrifices have you made for me? You talked about conspiring? Did you mean when you and Tyler threw Carol and me together? Was it your plan for her to kill me one night in a fit of rage so that you could draw the insurance you had put on me? Or was it the money that Tyler gave you on the day of the wedding and every two weeks since to take her off his hands?”

“What?” Jake glanced at his grandma when she stood up. “What is this? Jacob, what have you done?”

“Nothing that any other man wouldn’t do for a son that he could not stand nor want. I did this for my family.” Grandma asked his dad what family that would have been. “You cut me off until you die; what the hell was I supposed to do for that money? Had you just gone on like a normal mother and died when you were in your seventies, then I’d not have had to resort to filling my coffers another way. It was working too. I will not have this thing you see as a problem end that either. For as long as there is money in the estate, no matter what, I get my cut. So long as they’re married. It’s only right that I should.”

“You’re a sick bastard, Jacob. I never knew that until just now.” Grandma looked at him when she continued. “Go on, Jake…tell him the rest. I’ll be in the living room with my friends.”

Attorneys. Grandma had brought in a slew of them for this dinner tonight. Forrest had told her that now that he was in a relationship with Jake, he could no longer help her, and she understood. He wondered what his father was going to do now, after tonight, when all money was cut off. He turned to his father.

“I’ve left the firm as of this morning. My divorce is final due to Carol’s status, and I’m coming out of the closet, I guess you could say.” He took Forrest’s hand as he continued. “Forrest and I are lovers, and will remain together until death us do part.”

The explosion was long in coming. But when it erupted, Jake wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh at his parents or simply cry. His mother started her bawling again, fat tears that rolled down her cheek almost comically. His father started screaming at him, pounding his fist against the table and calling him names. Jake just let him.

He’d come to the conclusion that he was an adult. Yes, he supposed that he’d been one for a very long time, but being happy and in love had given him a great deal more confidence than anything he’d ever done before. Frankly, Jake thought, he just did not give two fucks what people thought anymore.

Jake realized that things had gotten quiet as he’d stood there letting the arguing and sobbing roll over him for a few moments. He burst out laughing, his entire body feeling like it had been given a large dose of some happy drugs. Then he looked around the room.

Finding his dad on the floor with a huge tiger on his chest, his mouth around his throat, wasn’t really funny, Jake thought. As he moved closer to them, his lover and father, he noticed two things at once. The gun, and then his grandma.

“What have you done?” He went to her, lying so very still on the floor, and knew that she was dead. There was a neat hole in her forehead, and blood pooling around the carpet surrounding her. “Father, what did you do?”

Picking up her hand, Jake felt his world crash down around him. His grandma, the only person that had ever loved him no matter what, was gone. He looked at his mother as she sat on the floor near his father, and wanted to take the gun and end them both. They’d done this, taken her away from him.

Jake, I need for you to call the police. He nodded at the voice in his head, getting some comfort from the sound of Forrest’s voice. Come on buddy. You need to get up and make the call. And to tell the others in the living room what has happened.

I don’t know what happened. Forrest asked him again to call the police and to tell them that his grandma had been shot. All right. But you’ll tell me then?

Yes. Your father wasn’t happy that you were doing things on your own. He said that if you were going to try anything that he didn’t approve, then he wasn’t going to allow you to live. Jake pulled out his cell phone and called the report in. Then he made his way to the living room as Forrest continued. You seemed to be smiling at him, and I think he took that as you doing as you damned well please. Him pulling a gun out startled all of us into a stupor, and when he pointed it at you and fired, your grandma just jumped in front of you. There wasn’t any time for anyone else to react, it was over in a split second.

Jake told the two men in the living room what had happened. That his grandma had been shot by his father and that she was dead. He sat down on the couch when they left the room, pulling out their cells as they went. Jake just needed to be alone.

I’m going to our room to change. You should know that Quincey is here as well. He’s not saying much, but there is an aura around him that is glowing with anger. Jake said to let him kill his father. I can’t do that, and you know why. The man has to be prosecuted. To the fullest extent.

I know, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy that he gets to live. Forrest said nothing. He was going to kill me. My own father was going to kill be because I’m happy.

That’s about right. Saying it was one thing, having it confirmed was something entirely different. It really brought it home . You’re going to be just fine, Jake. I promise you this.

I loved her. With all my heart. She was the only woman in the world who ever loved me, held me when I needed it, and slapped me around when I needed that as well. He heard the sirens but didn’t move. Forrest, what will happen if Father says a cat hurt him?

It won’t matter at this point. He’s as good as convicted. Jake knew that as well. But he told Forrest he was still worried . Don’t be. Anyone else in that room is going to say that they never saw anything. My dad will talk, but all I need to do with that is bring up the fact that he was getting back at me. Also, there are his past complaints about my mother being the same thing. It’ll mean nothing in the long run.

And my mother? What will happen with her? He didn’t reply and Jake sat there, just wondering what his mother had done now. He could feel Forrest, his emotions, but not what it was he was feeling. Anger? Sympathy? Whatever it was, Jake figured he’d find out about it later.

“Mr. Winslow?” Jake turned to the voice, not understanding for a moment that it was a person talking to him and not a voice in his head. “Mr. Jake Winslow?”

“Yes.” He stood up and faced the officer. “I’m sorry. I came in here…I’m not entirely sure why I came in here. To breathe, I think. I don’t know. My grandma is dead.”

“Yes, we’re talking to the others in the room now.” He came more into the room. “You should know that I’m not human. Forrest knows me, but I wanted to tell you that so you’d know you could tell me the truth about what happened.”

Jake reached to Forrest, not sure who to trust.

Yes, tell him everything. What he needs will go into his report, the rest will be set aside for later. He’s the pride leader, as well as a cop here in town. Jake started to ask him what that meant when he answered him. Like I said, he’s the pride leader. If there is trouble with this, I could face some fines. He told me not to worry but for you to tell him the truth. It’ll be all right.

Sitting back down, he offered a seat to the cop. Jake told him everything that he knew, even some of the things that he could only guess at. Then he got to the part where he’d found his Grandma lying in a pool of her own blood.

“Forrest said that he attacked your father because he was fearful of him killing you as well.” Jake said he didn’t know, but could see his father and Forrest doing just that. “You think your father meant to kill you?”

“Yes. I had just told him that Forrest and I were lovers and that we’re going to be living here. And I also mentioned that I had left my firm to work with Forrest as well.” The man nodded. “I’m sorry. I don’t know who you are other than the leader of the pride here.”

“Frank Carlson. My wife, Lila, and I don’t live too far from here. Not in this nice of a home, but we’re happy there. Are you?” He said that he was now that he was living it the way he was. “Good. I’m glad to hear that. I’ve met your ex-wife, by the way. She’s a real peach, isn’t she?”

“More like the pit.” He laughed when Jake did. “She’s in jail; I’m assuming that’s where you might have met her.”

“Yes. She and I have had words over some things. She’s a woman used to getting her own way, I think.” Jake said that she was. “When your father pulled the gun, where were you standing?”

“Across from him. He was talking, yelling at me really, when I sort of zoned out. I was thinking about how happy I was, and that pissed him off.” Jake didn’t have trouble keeping up with the conversation’s switches. “Carol killed her mother, I’m sure you know that.”

“Yes. We were there when the doctor told Mr. Lane that his wife would have no quality of life in her current condition. He asked him if he wanted to donate her organs, other things while she laid there, but he said no, said he wanted her whole when she was buried.” Frank looked at his notes. “The attorneys said that they’d been called here to make changes to Mrs. Winslow’s will. Did you know that?”

“No. I thought they were here to talk to my father. I guess he’s been complaining about the amount of money my grandmother had been giving him. Something about investments, and I think she wanted them here to make sure that he didn’t do or say anything stupid.” He looked at the door where he could hear the others talking. “I guess he did. He killed her.”

“Yes. I’m sorry.” Jake nodded. “One more thing, Jake. When your father shot at you, when he fired the weapon, do you know if he had it with him or did he get it from here?”

“I don’t have guns in the house.” He nodded and waited. “No, he came here with it as far as I know. I remember vaguely, in a distant sort of way, seeing him pull it from his jacket pocket. But not much else.”

“Did you know that he carried a gun? The reason I’m asking is, the gun is registered to your mother.” Jake said he didn’t know. “What can you tell me about your mother, Jake? Do you know what happened to her?”

“Something happened to her?” He nodded but said nothing more. “I can’t tell you for certain, no. Mother had some issues. I have no idea if she suffered from depression or if crying all the time got her anything she wanted. I had become immune to it. But as for today, no, I can’t say that I know where she is now. She was in the dining room too.”

“Your mother is dead.” Jake said nothing, not even sure what he could say at this point. “Do you want to know how?”

“I can honestly say that I don’t care. I mean, I know that sounds like I’m a cold hearted prick, but after today, I just can’t muster up any kind of sadness for her or my father.” Frank nodded and stood up. “Is Forrest in trouble?”

“Why would he be?” Jake asked about shifting in front of humans. “There wasn’t a person out there that doesn’t have some knowledge of shifters in general. But as for him shifting to save your life, no one outside the pride will believe that he did such a thing. And even if it hits the papers, who is going to believe anyone in that room? No one, I can tell you that. Forrest is just fine.”

Jake knew that at some point he was going to have to leave the living room. He wasn’t in any kind of hurry to do so. When Forrest came to sit with him, neither of them said a word as they held hands. Things were just too intense right now for them to speak.