Page 7 of Brad

Everyone that was in the room turned and looked at him when he stood up. Brad cleared his throat before speaking. “Your honor, Ms. Dawson seems to have forgotten that we have both men on surveillance in the back of my factory, reliving themselves in my vats. Not just one of them but all six of them. Making it so that the contents had to be dumped out and the vats cleaned by serializing everything so that we’d not lose any more time than we needed to. If not for Ms. Dillard coming in early, at our request, I would have lost an entire day of work and product going out. That would have put a great many people out of work for several days. And we all know that things are tight all over the world right now. As it was, they had done several million dollars’ worth of damage to the cheese factory, not to mention all the overtime pay to have it cleaned up again.” Ms. Dawson said that was just a prank on their part. “Prank? Don’t you think that they’re a little old to be doing pranks, young lady? Not to mention costly ones at that? Sir, I have an itemized accounting of what the damage was in addition to the overtime to clean up the damage that had been too. It comes to well over fifty grand not even including the hazard cleaning of the restaurant, when Ms. Dillard had to defend herself when you presumed that she was the wife of a single man. Even for stupid bad guys, you seem to have your head up your ass.” The judge looked at the woman keeping track of the proceedings and asked her to mark that as a fine for him for cursing in his courtroom.

The judge then looked over at Mr. Campsall and asked him about the prank. When he shrugged, for the fourth time since being brought in, the judge admonished him again but not giving a full answer, citing the fact that his stenographer couldn’t write that in her comments.

“Like she said, we was just having a bit of fun. Isn’t anyone going to be going to jail about killing my cousin, your honor? He’s dead on account of her pulling out a gun when we already had things under control and just killed him dead.” He was asked if he’d been warned to not point their gun at her that she was armed—it was heard clearly on the surveillance recording that she had warned them several times. Also that she told them, again, several times that she wasn’t Mrs. Kirk and had no idea who they were looking for. “Yeah, well, I didn’t believe her. Ain’t no reason for her to shoot someone just because there was a little bit of misunderstanding. Yeah, that’s it. It was all a misunderstanding on her part. That’s not right.”

“Mr. Campsall, I do believe that I’ve heard enough. I’m going to send you to jail until you either figure out that the truth will get you finished up sooner rather than later, but mostly, you need to get your facts lined up. Playing pranks, as you called them, are not something that a man your age should be doing, not when it costs someone else a great deal of money.” He did some writing before he looked at Campsall again. “You will pay half of the damage done to Mr. Kirk’s place of business, then you will do community service until such time that I feel you have paid your debt. Additionally you will reimburse Mr. Kirk for all the cleaning of both the factory as well as the restaurant. The other half of the damages will be paid out of Mr. Archer’s estate, if he has one. You will also pay Ms. Dillard a sum of no less than ten thousand dollars for her role in trying to set you straight. Which I will admit that I don’t think that’s even remotely possible knowing you the way that I have in the last hour or so. Also, I’ve only known you for a short amount of time. I doubt that you would have learned anything, no matter how it was explained to you that you don’t piss in another man’s milk. Any questions? Good. Get this man out of my sight.”

There wasn’t going to be a jury trial for the two men. Even though Mr. Archer was deceased, he would still be held accountable for his role in what had happened. It seemed that everyone was thrilled about the outcome, but for Mr. Campsall and his attorney. She asked him for a moment of his time as he was being hugged by Becka.

“We need to strike a deal, Mr. Kirk. You know as well as I do that if this goes to trial, it’s never going to stick. They’ll see my client as the victim because he was just playing around. Why don’t you name a sum and I’ll talk it over with Mr. Campsall. That way, you’re not out any time or more money. Because if this goes to trial, you’re going to end up paying out the butt for this sham of a trial.” He named a sum and smiled. “Let’s be reasonable, sir. You have to know that this isn’t going to work out for you in the end. The next judge might not be so stubborn about listening to the facts that were right there for him to see.”

“And what facts are those, Ms. Dawson? You know what, I don’t care what you say. I believe that I will take my chances with a trial. You never know. I might just get more money out of the estate than I expected. Wouldn’t that be great?” She told him that he was simply a greedy man. “Perhaps. But if you believe that anyone is going to think that what he did to my factory was a prank, I’m afraid that you’re in for a rude awakening. I also think that I’m going to make a call to the law board to find out if you’re as good as you think you might be.” Turning his back on the other woman, he shook hands with Toby. He felt himself being jerked around by someone grabbing his shoulder. It was all he could do not to reach out to Dawson and tear her throat out. “Unhand me before I tear out your throat, Ms. Dawson. I’m not a man to be fucked with. What do you want?”

“I want you to do what I want. David…Mr. Campsall doesn’t deserve to be treated this way. He’s a good man and a great father.” He asked her if she was his daughter. “Step-daughter. But that makes no difference. He is a good man.”

“Good for the two of you, but what was said in this courtroom is what I agree with. Either unhand me, or I will press charges against you as well. You’ll find out the hard way that I’m not a man to be messed with.” Brad watched the struggle she seemed to be having as it moved across her face. “Whatever you’re thinking, you should understand something, I’m not human. You are. How long do you think you’ll last against me knowing that.”

“I loath you.” Brad said that he could live with that. “I’m going to get you, Mr. Kirk. If it’s all I do for the rest of my life, I’m going to make you pay for my dad being in prison.”

He didn’t break eye contact with the woman as he asked the man standing behind her if he’d caught the threat. Even when she was pulled away from him and read her rights, he still stared her down. Brad really wasn’t one to fuck with, and she’d soon find that out the hard way if she touched him again.

Once she was in cuffs, he had the jailer pause just for a moment. Smiling at her, he let just enough of himself go so that she could see that even though he wasn’t a bear shifter, he was as deadly as one. Perhaps even more so.

“Not only am I going to press charges, I’m going to look into having you disbarred. As I have said to you several times now, you’ve messed with the wrong person.” She told him that she’d see. That she’d be getting out of this, too. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see, now won’t we. Have a good day, ma’am. I know I will, just knowing that you’re off the streets along with your dad.”

He was in the sunshine outside the courthouse when he realized that he didn’t know how he’d gotten there. Looking to his right, he could see Toby talking quietly while Hamish held onto his arm. He had to peel his fingers away one at a time in order to free himself. Smiling at him, he asked Hamish how long he’d been there.

“Not long. I was worried that one of us was going to pull out a gun. By the way, did you know that Dawson was armed? No carry permit either. Like I have. But she’ll be taken to jail over that as well.” Brad wrapped his arm over Toby’s shoulder before leading Hamish and Toby to the limo that was waiting. “We’re going someplace?”

“Dinner. At Toby’s favorite place.” He heard the boy whoop it up while he was sliding across the seat in the back of the long, sleek car. “My treat. Then we have to go and find us a home that the three of us can live in for the rest of our days. By the way, Toby, in case I forget to tell you again, there is a car at Hamish’s home that is for you. I want you to be able to come back and forth from school to see your mom and me as much as you want. All right?”

“Yeah, that’s wonderful. Now, all I have to do is learn to drive. And get a permit.” He laughed with the younger man. “It’s been sort of hectic lately keeping you from being killed, so there’s been no time. If you think you can stay out of trouble for a week or two, I might be able to learn a few things that will get me some friends.”

“I’ll give it my best shot.” He decided to hire someone to help Toby out in learning to drive as well as take the written test. It was the least he could do for the boy since he really had been invading his time with work stuff. His mom would be back in the morning if things went well. Otherwise, she’d be back tomorrow afternoon. He was enjoying the time with Toby, and he thought that they were getting along just fine. Even Hamish commented on that. After getting on the road, Hamish showed them the two houses that he’d purchased when he moved here. Toby didn’t like either of them and didn’t think that his mom would either. She wanted a fenced-in backyard, and he wanted a pool. Time to move on, he thought, and make his beautiful mate glad to give up the open road.

After having some food, the two of them and Toby eating enough for ten men, they headed to the list of houses that Hamish’s realtor gave them. It was going to be a long afternoon if all the houses were nothing like he was looking for.

Chapter 3

Marlin looked at the two people that he’d summoned to his office. Actually, they weren’t the ones that he wanted, but close enough considering that his attorney was in jail because she’d been armed in a courtroom and his man, his brother-in-law, was dead. All thanks to their stupidity in getting caught with their drawers down, as his grannie had been so fond of saying about him. Tisking, hoping that one of these two would start talking so that he could kill them, his cell phone rang beside him.

It startled him enough that he jumped a little. He’d been so focused on the two men, Lowel and Louis, that he’d forgotten he was waiting on a call. Daring either of them to make a sound, he picked up his phone and said his last name.

“So that’s what we should call you is it? Marlin Couch? I think I might have known a Marlin before but no Couches. Why are you harassing me all the time? I don’t have time for your bullshit.” Hating to be at a loss when he was called, he asked the man who he was. “Brad Kirk. You’ve sent enough of your people around that you should know my name by heart. I’ve not even met you, but I can bet that you’re a fat fuck who orders people around like he’s god or something. What the hell is it you want? I’ve only just met my mate, and you’re keeping me from wooing her the way that I want.”

“How did you get this number?” He looked at his own cell and realized that Kirk had called him on his private line. “I don’t hand this number out because I don’t care to speak to just anyone with a burr up their asses about something that I’m doing. What do you want? You’ll tell me now, then lose this number. As you might well know, I’m not a man to be trifled with.”

“You’re men, or I should say your henchmen failed at their attempt to get me put in jail. Also, and I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not but your pretty attorney isn’t going to be able to represent you guys anymore. She’s not only been disbarred, but she’s also going to be spending a great deal of time—the next thirty or so years at least for carrying a gun into a courtroom without a permit. I’m to understand for also threatening a sitting judge as she was being dragged away. She needs to learn how to keep her voice down when she’s calling a judge disparaging names. He has good hearing and heard her calling him a worthless piece of dog shit. Dawson was a good deal more colorful than that, but you get the point. So you tell me whatever it is you want then we’ll both go about our lives trying to not interact with each other. What do you say?”

“You have something that I want.” Kirk told him that was the way it usually worked out. “All right. I want you to give me some money. A great deal of it, as a matter of fact. Then I’ll leave you alone for the moment at least. You have it, and I want it. It’ll be easier on you if you simply pay up and shut up.”

“That’s it? You just want a great deal of money, and you’ll what? Poof and be gone? Now, that isn’t the way it usually works out. How would you feel if I said no, I’m not giving you money? What would you have to say about that? Perhaps, you should explain to me why it is that you think that I owe you money? I don’t think we’ve ever met, so me owing you is going to go out the window of things that are going to happen.” He said that he didn’t much care for it and would show him his disdain for it if he were to send someone to him to bring him to his offices. “That’s not going to happen either. Option two? If you have one.”

“It would be a real shame if something happened to your new family. That young man especially.” What Marlin expected was the man to start begging for him to leave his family alone. He hadn’t expected to be laughed at. “You don’t think that I can do that? Take away half of your new family? Trust me when I tell you, I have ways.”

“Oh, I’ve no doubt about that. You more than likely have a lot of ‘ways,’ as you put it. But what you don’t understand and might as well get used to it, I have backup in my corner, like the man in front of you. I believe his name is Lowel. Would you like to see what I can do to your little operation without even being in the room with you?” He smiled, knowing that the man was full of shit. “All right. Let me know how full of shit you think that I am with this.”

Lowel was suddenly headless. If not for him seeing it himself, Marlin would never have believed that it happened. Screaming, trying to get away from the blood, picking random things up off his desk, he tossed not just his cigar box of his favorite cigars but his cell phone and a few other items as well. He thought that it bothered him more that Lowel’s body, a fat ugly one at that, was still standing, spraying blood not just all over him but the entire office, too. Screaming, his fear of getting bloodied making him leap back, tumbling over his now failing chair made him knock his head on the safe behind him. Christ, he hated blood. Especially if it was this close to him. If it got on him, like it was now, he freaked the fuck out. Literally freaked out.