Page 7 of Waylon

Londyn couldn’t have been happier. Now, if she could get that bastard Roman off her back, she’d feel a good deal better about life all the way around.

Chapter 3

The move didn’t take them long, only about a week. The house was furnished and even the little bits and pieces that he had didn’t take but a single truck to take it to their new home. They’d not realized when looking around the house that the Dutch’s had moved out already and were just wanting to get it off their books, so to speak. After the paperwork had been signed, they were handed the keys as new owners of the Dutch Estate. Soon to be the Dixon Estate.

“When I can cash my checks, I’ll pay for half the house?” He told Londyn that he had it. “I’m sure you do, but I want to have my name on the deed as well so that if anything ever happens to us, someone will be able to have a house to live in.”

“I sometimes forget that you’re an attorney.” She asked him what that meant, and he laughed. “Nothing untoward about you. I just understand that you’d want to have all your i’s dotted and all your t’s crossed. I like that about you. And I also know that you’re right that both our names should be on the deed. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He could tell that she was still unsure about what he’d said, but he was all right with that. They were having a good time making the place their own, and he wouldn’t want her to feel slighted in any way about this forever home.

They were only going to need a few things before they could claim they were moved in. There was furniture, of course, but no linens. They decided to get themselves new mattresses as well as everyday kitchen plates and silverware. It was easy enough for them to get staff on board as the troop that Dallas ran was mostly older people who would jump at the chance of having a job so close to home. There were other details to work out, none of them terrible, but they were well on their way to get themselves situated into their home quickly.

Their new cook had worked at one time for his parents. But when she’d had to take over the raising of her grandchildren, she’d had to stop work to take care of the kids full time. He was excited to have Belle back with him. She made the best cinnamon rolls he’d ever tasted.

They also hired a driver for Londyn. He wanted her to have protection wherever she went until Davis was captured. He’d found out from his dad that there was a warrant out for Roman’s arrest and questioning about a body that had turned up in his office. Dad said it also looked to him like Dale, his father, was taking precautions to have his only son out of the house permanently. Just as he was going to suggest that they take a drive to the Davis and Davis law firm, a courier came to the house with a cell phone in an envelope, especially for Londyn. She opened the large padded envelope as soon as it started to ring. He had her put it on speakerphone so that he could hear as well.

“Londyn? Is this Londyn Rice?” Londyn told him that it was her and what did he need. “Yes, I’m so happy you took my phone so that I can call you. This is Dale Davis of Davis and Davis. I had a feeling that something had happened to you and was worried that Roman had caused you bodily harm. How are you?”

“I’m scared out of my wits if you want to know the truth. Your son is trying to kill me over insurance money that was supposed to have come to me years ago. Now, not only am I worried about if he’ll catch me or not, but to wonder at the lengths that he’ll go to get me by burning me out of my own home.” Dale said that he’d not heard about that. “My place is gone and everything that I had in it. Also, my car. It wasn’t much, but it was mine.”

“I’m so sorry, my dear. So very sorry. I should have known that somehow he would be involved in your disappearance. Not that this has anything to do with you, but he had a dead man in his office this morning when I found him. He didn’t say a word either. Just left for the day, and when I went in there to talk to him about finding you…you can imagine my surprise.” She told him about the twobodies that had turned up in her apartment when it was burnt up. “I swear to you, honey. I knew that he was a bad person but I just didn’t know how bad he was until all this. And he’s been searching for you too. I heard from your father-in-law. He was going to do something for me about my son or to help me with him when he told me about him having your insurance checks waylaid from you. My goodness, I never expected…well, I suppose no one expects their child to be a monster. And that’s just what he is. A monster.”

“I’m terrified for my life. And from what I’ve heard, I should be afraid.” He said that he’d do anything he could to help her. “Did you call the police when you found the dead man?”

“I did. It was in my head, I have to tell you that I wouldn’t do it. Somehow making it justified in my mind about him. But how does one do that? Justify their child killing someone when there was no reason for it. I called them right away, and they’re looking for him.” She told him good. “I also have changed the locks on my home, stopped him from having a driver, and anything else that was on the list that Sherman gave me. He’s upset with me as well. A good man that, Sherman Dixon. And now he’s helping me turn the tables on Roman to get him arrested.”

Mr. Davis told her that he was working with the insurance company to get her the rest of her money. That had been a surprise to find out there was more money coming her way. After struggling to be able to eat and pay the rent, now she had more money than she knew what to do with. Dale, as he asked to be called, asked her to hold on as he had a call coming in on his house phone. She did so without putting up any kind of fuss.

“You’re going to be happy to hear that Roman has been arrested. He’s currently in a jail cell in Columbus, where he was caught trying to steal a car. His excuse with that one being that he couldn’t find his own so he took what he needed.” There was a little hiccup of a sound, and she knew that he was crying. “I raised him to be better than this. I want you to know that. I wanted him to be a partner with me in my firm, but all he ever did was lash out at the others there and treat them as his own personal servants. I did indulge him a bit more than I should have when it came to his education too. Oh my, what have I done?”

She didn’t interrupt him in his crying. She’d cry, too, if she had a child that was as bad as Roman. But there was very little that she could do about it now, so she thought that moving on was her next step. Then she asked what he was going to do about helping her with her insurance money.

“I’ll get the checks in the morning delivered here. Once they’re here and certified to be correct, the underwriters of them will hand them off to you. You’ll have to be careful with them. They’re certified checks, which, I’m sure you understand, can be cashed by anyone who has them. You should get those Dixon boys to take you to the bank to get the money distributed for you. They’re gorillas, and that will make you safe and sound.” She looked at him, and Waylon told her that she’d have nothing to worry about. “Good for him. Women like you don’t come around all that often but I’m so happy that you have yourself a good man in Waylon. All his family are good people.”

“I’m beginning to see that.” After they had finished speaking, she handed the phone off to him. Waylon made the arrangements for Londyn and his family to go to the offices tomorrow. Just knowing that Roman was in jail, he knew that he’d sleep a good deal better than he had last night.

Every creak of wood, every snap of rain against the window, woke him up. Not only did he not sleep well because of Roman, he was pissed off at the man for making his mate so upset. After closing the phone, he went to find Londyn. He found her in the kitchen making herself a cup of hot tea.

“I don’t care for it, to be honest, but there is something about making it that makes me feel less tense. Not that I’ll simply dump it out, no, I’ll drink it but I do feel better once I sit down to drink it. I believe there are cookies somewhere, too.” He pulled down the large tin and handed it to her. “I’m not even going to ask you why you knew that this was up there. Did you, by chance, sweet talk Mrs. Dutch out of knowing where it was?”

“I put it there when I came down here this morning, and our cook, who I like, by the way, was baking. I put them in the stash so that even if my brothers came over to snitch a few, I had our own special stash right there.” He took one of the iced treats and bit into it. “I’m hoping that you’ll havedinner with me tonight. The cook told me that she’d need to have supplies brought to the house, so I’m assuming that there isn’t enough to make even a sandwich.”

“I don’t know. How about we order something and have it delivered. I need to feel safe here at home. I know he’s in jail, but just the thought of him being out there gives me the willies. How about a large meat pizza and some nice wine?” He thought that was a splendid idea and set about making it happen. “I believe I saw a couple of bottles of some wine in the basement. I’ll go there and get it now.”

While she was getting the wine, Waylon decided to not just order pizza but was going to have some desserts delivered as well. Finding a place that would bring him some cheesecake, he ordered an entire cake and thought that it would be nice to just have some around to eat on when they wanted a treat. He knew that it would freeze nicely and he sort of liked the frozen confectionery too.

They ate, sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, watching television. It was much too warm out to have a fire but it was nice to just sit and have some quiet time. Waylon was more than a little bit happy that she suggested ordering in. It was certainly more relaxing than having to drive someplace and back again.

Clean up was put off in favor of just sitting around. Leaning against the couch, he was just closing his eyes when he heard from Cullen. There was going to be another child brought to his brother, and he wanted to know if he wanted to join them at the hospital. No biggie, he said, as no one else was planning to go either.

“I think that we’re in for the night.”He just then remembered that his family was supposed to come over later to have a look at their new home.“I’m assuming that the plan to come here is off as well.”

“I forgot about that. Yes, I would assume so. But a new child in the family is good, right?”Waylon remembered his other brother Jayden telling him that they were going to be taking in children all the time now and wondered if they’d get to keep this one. “He’s about ten, the little boy is. His parents were both killed in an automobile accident about a month ago. Todd is only just getting to the point where he can get around. His grandparents are making arrangements to come and get him in a week. As you can imagine, it’s been hard on all of them.”

Waylon let Londyn know about the new addition, if only for a week that they were going to get. Like him, she’d forgotten about them all coming over to see the house and got up to clean up their mess. It wasn’t much of one, not really, but like him, she didn’t care for clutter.

Getting up to get onto the couch, he realized that it wasn’t as comfortable as he might have thought it would have been. Deciding that he was going to get them something else, something that went with the house, he wondered how the elderly couple was able to have a nice relaxing sit down when there were springs popping up everywhere. Waylon thought that after all this time, they more than likely knew where the bumps and springs were.