Joshua_The Whitfield Rancher_Erotic Tiger Shapeshifter Romance Read online

  “I’d like to work with you on this. I’m not sure what I can do, but you ask, and I’ll do my best to get it for you.” Josh looked at Reeve when he spoke. “I can’t tell you enough how sorry and embarrassed I am about this. Your family has always been good to mine, and I hate that he’s brought me into this in a bad light. I’m still having trouble wrapping my mind around this, but I don’t doubt that he’s as guilty as sin.”

  Dylan started to tell him what she had as a plan. It was simple really. Once they all showed up at the property, then her team would come in and arrest them. Josh knew that things could and more than likely would go wrong, but the way she had it planned out, it was going to net them the most people for this going down. And Josh wanted it over with. Reaching out to Carter, he asked her if she was all right.

  Yes. As you have guessed, they’re in the next town over in a hotel. They’ve taken a suite so that they can hide things in the room that they’re going to need. He asked her what that might be. Guns for one thing. They have also purchased chains to hold me with. I wonder if they realize that simple chains will not hold me. I guess they’ll figure it out soon, but it’s stupid all the same.

  I’m so sorry that you have to go through with this. But at least you know that Rachel is going to be safe and that I’ll not let anyone hurt you. He laughed a little. Of course, you’re much stronger and more capable of keeping us both safe, but I had to say that.

  Of course you did. And I love you for it. He knew there was going to be a “but,” and he wasn’t surprised when she said the rest of what she was thinking. But they’re not coming here for any other reason than to kill Rachel and to take me someplace where someone can cut me up and run copious numbers of tests on me. How could someone do that to their own flesh and blood? I mean, to kill Rachel as if she were nothing more than something in their way and be so callous about it, it boggles my mind.

  I know that it would me as well. And you’re right, they’re callous and cold-hearted bastards. And when they come here, which I’m assuming will be soon, then we’ll deal with them in the same manner. They’re going to be in for a huge surprise if they think that we’re going to just roll over and let them take what they want. She told him that she knew that as well. We’ve got this, babe. You and the rest of my family, we’re going to come out on top, see if we don’t.

  And this idiot—what do we do about him? He’s trying to take our home from us. And I like our house. He did as well and told her that they were working with the best and it would all resolve itself. I hope so. I’d hate to go after him on my own. He won’t care for the way things go. I’ll take him out in a heartbeat.

  It wasn’t a threat, but a promise he could hear in her voice. This guy was going to be toast as soon as he crossed the line. And Josh knew that the guy was going to do that sooner rather than later. Honestly, he couldn’t wait to have one less thing to worry about. There was too much going on in their lives right now to have some guy trying to buy up land to kill other human beings on.

  “Well, I can tell you this, I’m finished with him as an attorney.” Dylan cautioned him about being too rash. “You think he might kill me? Well, he can try. I don’t pussyfoot around when it comes to being an upstanding person. You can take that to the bank, my dear.”

  “I would hope that you don’t say anything to him just yet.” Reeve nodded, saying he understood. “Yes, and I hope you’ll understand that I’d rather you didn’t quit him just yet. I need to get all the men in one place to finish this. They’re hiring a man to help them murder someone. That is against the law as well.”

  “I can understand that, I can. What do I tell him about young Josh here? I can’t give him the real reason for him not selling.” Dylan said that she had a plan for that as well, and told him. “Ah yes, I see—Josh and his lovely bride are on their honeymoon for a month. Yes, I can see all kinds of ways that will help you. He might just trespass again, and that’s something else that you can add to his bad deeds.”

  All they had to do was lay low for a couple of weeks. Josh could think of all kinds of things he could be occupying his mind with while laying low. Making love to his future wife was one of them. And having sex with her was a good second too. Smiling, he looked over at Carter when he realized, again, how much he loved this woman, and was glad that she’d come into his life when she had.

  Chapter 8

  Adrian looked over the notes that Dylan had brought him. There was a lot to be thankful for when you had someone like her in your corner. When he asked her if this was correct, she just gave him the look that he’d come to start calling “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

  “So, these people that are coming have sold off their daughter to the highest bidder, and are going to stiff the buyer because you’re the one that bid more? How do you find this shit? I mean, is there a direct link to a site that is call henchmen and assholes?” She glared at him this time. “Look, it’s not that I don’t believe you—I really do—but this shit is just out there. Where would they have even begun to find this person that they’re selling her to?”

  “There are all kinds of sites for anything and everything you want. And we have a team of people that all they do all day is look for sites like this one. Then there is another team that joins these sites, so they can be aware of any changes that may or may not take place within it. You’d be surprised what I can tell you happens just in this state. You’d be a graying old man in about ten minutes.”

  “Don’t tell me, please. I’d like to live in the dark about it for the rest of my life, if possible. So, they figured out who they could get to pay them a great deal of money for Carter. And they’re probably going to use Josh or Rachel as bait to do it.” Dylan told him they were using one of them as an illusion to get Carter. “I don’t understand then. What’s the difference?”

  “They’ll kill whoever they take as soon as they take them. They, first of all, won’t want to mess with them by keeping them around tied up. And secondly, no witnesses. That’s what I’d do if I was the one selling off my relatives. But I would have been a good deal smarter about it.” He asked her what she’d have done. “Rachel might have been the key in their book, but Josh is a much better target. But I wouldn’t have bothered with him at all. I’d not take him out, though, until I had her. That way if she demanded to speak to him, then she could without any shit going on about faking it.”

  “Christ, remind me to never have you tell me shit like this again.” She laughed, and he smiled with her. She might be ruthless and a killer, but she was also his family and he loved her very much. Like his sister. “So, what is it you want me to do? I’m assuming this is something that is going to get the voters to love me even more. By the way, I’m a little nervous about all this shit I’m supposed to be taking care of. Whatever will I do once I’m in office and there is nothing else going on?”

  “You’ll have plenty to do, trust me. I could tell you several things right now that you could be working on and never see the end of it.” He told her again, he didn’t want to know. “Party pooper. But you are going to be instrumental in taking this guy down. And having the men with him arrested. Also, we’re going to play up the fact that you knew that the Comptons were coming and what their plans were concerning Carter. I’m afraid that one is going to require your attention first. They arrived in Columbus last night, and have taken a hotel room.”

  “Will anyone be hurt? I mean, are we killing them right off or are we going to have them arrested?” She told him that she was hoping for death but was more than likely going to have to arrest them. “But you’re waiting on the last part of the puzzle, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, I don’t know who the person is that they’ve made arrangements with to have Carter sold. He’s out there, thinking that this is going to be easy, and I’m worried about him starting up some kind of lab or something that will have Carter as the main attraction.” Adrian asked Dylan if Carter was all right with him being the heavy in all this. “Yes, it
was actually her idea. She wants to stay out of the light as much as possible with this now. I know that before she wanted to go ahead and confront them, but she’s decided that it wouldn’t such a good idea. What if they got away, is her thinking. We’re going to portray her as this shy little backward woman who was unfairly sentenced to a decade of her life in prison. All because of her parents. Then when the public finds out that they’re also the ones that were going to sell her off to the highest bidder for some insane reason, that will get her out of the limelight and put her parents and this other person front and center.”

  “And you think this plan of yours will work? Both of them?” She said that she hoped so. “I do as well. Just tell me what you want and I’m there for you. On both accounts. Oh, I also wanted to thank you for the downtown office. Lily is in seventh heaven arranging for my campaign for this governor seat that she says I’m a shoo in for.”

  “You are. Henry is going to come out and pose with you a few times, to commend you for things that you’ve done here in the name of progress. He also said to tell you that when you do put your name in the hat for governor, he wants you to call him direct. He said that the newspapers will have fun with that one.” Adrian nodded; that was still months away. “It’ll come up on you quicker than you think it will. Just be prepared for anything and everything that someone tosses at you. And I’ll make sure that you get things finished with these people too.”

  After she left him to set things up, he looked over the paperwork that she’d given him again. Henry was shuffling things through her that he wanted him to have. There was a lot of it too. And just today, he’d sent him a proposal for him to look over that Congress wanted to put through. It was one of his ideas on how to keep kids in school when the dropout rate had been rising in his state.

  It was almost so simple that Adrian didn’t think it would work. Just give them a bonus, in the form of a scholarship, if they managed to stay in school and make the grades that were high enough to ensure that they’d be able to get through college without much trouble. There was also a similar program for those that were doing well enough in school to go to college, but might not have either the money or other means to make it happen. His brothers were helping with that as well. Evan was even donating some of his free time in order to help kids fill out resumes, as well as applications for grants and such.

  When he looked up from the paperwork when his eyes started to get blurry, he was surprised to find his grandda there. He’d been there a while too, if the newspaper he was quietly reading was any indication. He was on page ten of it. Adrian asked him how long he’d been there.

  “Not long. Well, about twenty minutes. You sure were studying that paper there like you was going to have a test on it later. Are you?” He told him what it was. “Well, ain’t that something? My grandboy is helping the president out with a project. You sure do make this old man proud.”

  “I’m proud of you as well, Grandda. It’s good to see you feeling better.” He said that he still had some hard days, but there was so much to do now that he didn’t want to miss anything. “I can understand that. I still find myself thinking about Grandma and what she’d be thinking about this or that. She’d be proud of all of us, wouldn’t she? The kids coming along would also thrill her. I heard that you and Evan’s two boys were fishing this morning. Catch anything?”

  “We don’t go for catching anything. It’s a time for us to be manly men. I’m not sure that little Kyle gets it yet, but he sure does have a lot of questions, don’t he?” Adrian laughed and said that he’d heard that as well. “I came by to see if you wanted to grab some dinner with me. Your mom and dad are going to have them a good dinner out, just the two of them. I don’t think they’ve had much time to do that while raising you boys up.”

  “No, it’s doubtful that they did. Yes, I’d love to have dinner with you. But I’m sort of on call with Dylan. She has this plan going on that she wants me to be a part of. So, if she calls, I have to go to her.” Grandda said that he understood that. “Wonderful. What did you have in mind?”

  They ended up at the little diner that was doing a hell of a business. People were out and about, enjoying the nice weather that they were having. Fall was only a short few weeks away, and while it was nice today, tomorrow was supposed to be cold and wet. Grandda ordered after he did, and Adrian asked him what he wanted.

  “Want? I don’t want anything but to have dinner with my new mayor.” Adrian just cocked a brow at him. “All right, durn kids. I just want something to do. Everybody around here seems to have a job or something, and here I am just about to bust because there doesn’t seem to be jack butts for me to get into.”

  “I thought you and the boys were hanging out.” He said that they were getting ready for Thanksgiving pageants and the what for. “So you’re lonely. I never thought I’d say this, but you need to get a job. Not just something that you can hang out at once in a while, but something that keeps you busy every day. Otherwise you’re going to become a pain in the bottom and no one will want you around.”

  “You don’t think I don’t already know that? Even my darling Eve, she told me just yesterday that I had to get out from under her feet. All I was doing was trying to help her with jelly making. You’d of thinked that I was taking spoonfuls of it instead of an occasional bite of it.” Adrian laughed. “It ain’t funny, son. I’m bored out of my mind, and I think if I suggest fishing once more to those great grandboys of mine, they’re going to rebel.”

  “Mr. Whitfield, did you say you were looking for a job?” Shirley Mason, the owner and operator of the Mason Jar Servings, looked like she was on her last legs right now. “If you can make coffee and run the cash register, you have a job. I can’t do that counter and wait on people too. And my hubby, he said he’s not touching that contraption.”

  “Really?” She told him how much she’d paid him an hour, and she’d even feed him when he worked. “You got yourself a deal. Let me eat my dinner with Adrian here and I’ll run the register. You might have to show me how a bit, but I’ve done it before.”

  By the time their dinners arrived, Grandda had the register down pat. He was running to the counter to make coffee between bites. Even Adrian helped out by pouring coffee when it was needed, and even served up some ice cream when Shirley showed him how to do it. Someone from the newspaper had come in to eat dinner, and took some snaps of him and the rest of the crew helping out a friend. Adrian was having as much fun as his grandda was.

  When the rush slowed down, he finished his meal and then had a piece of apple pie for dessert. Shirley wanted to give him his meal too, but he told her that he’d not do that to her. She was making a living and he didn’t mind helping out. He also told her how much fun he’d had working with his grandda.

  “The two of you saved my butt tonight. I had a waitress quit on me, and after she quit without giving me any kind of notice and the other girl that works for me just couldn’t come in. I don’t suppose you know anybody that is looking for a crappy job where the pay sucks, do you?” He told her that he’d look around. “I’d appreciate that. It’s been hard these last few weeks with the kids home from college and all.”

  When Rachel showed up with Dylan to have a bite to eat too, he was telling them that Grandda had a job and that Shirley was looking for help. Rachel said she’d do it. He wasn’t sure if she was serious or not, and asked her.

  “Oh yes, I’m used to working long hard hours, and I used to wait tables to work my way through college. This would be nice for me. I need to get a job anyway, and this would be perfect.” He told her where to find Shirley, and when she left he looked at Dylan.

  “Evan got called into work for an emergency, and you just took my dinner date away too. I think I should be mad at you, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. How’s the paperwork going?” He told her that he had read it all today. “Good. I’m expecting the Comptons tomorrow. And I’ve already spoken to Rachel and Carter. Speaking of which, did you know that s
he can sort of invade dreams?”

  “I don’t even know what that means.” She explained to him just as it had been explained to her by Josh and Carter. “So, they can even interact with the people, but they don’t know that they’re there. That sounds...I’m not sure how that sounds, to be honest with you. Creepy, for one thing, and very helpful too. What did she find out when she did her little walk?”

  “Her and Josh sort of hang out together when they’re doing it. They don’t want a lot of people to know it, so mum’s the word. But here’s the thing that freaks me out a bit—they can touch things and pick them up like they’re really there.” He asked her what they’d done. “Took the chains and guns out of her parents’ trunk, and Josh slashed their tires too. Slowed them down a bit. I think there might have been more done, but they’re not talking right now. But you know me, I’ll get to the bottom of it.”

  He did know her well enough to know that. And she’d have every detail worked out as well as all the known names that the bad guys had. She was that good at her job. And she had the resources to do it. Dylan was smart, as well as gifted when it came to snooping things out. And Sunny was running a close second. The two of them were a hell of a duo. But only if they were on your side. Otherwise, you were so fucked.

  ~~~

  Lee couldn’t believe his luck when he’d come into town to get a look around and had been told about the new waitress at Mason’s. Not that he thought it would be Rachel, but when he’d walked into the place, he could have been knocked over with a feather. Sitting down at the first empty booth he came to, he messaged Hazel to tell her. Then Rachel came to his table.

  “What can I get you? The blue plate today is meatloaf with mashed—” He asked her if she knew who he was. “Oh yeah, I know who you are. You’re my biological father. I’m assuming that Mother dearest will be coming by later?”