Caught: In A Case by C.M. Steele
Chapter 20
It wasn’t until almost a week had passed that we could rest our minds and bodies. The accountants were able to access the accounts that had been siphoned off into off-shore accounts. Thank the world for embracing online banking. I was able to transfer the money back into our account. Over the course of the last few days, we were able to find out why he wanted me and Caleb taken out, one way or another. He had embezzled one point five million dollars into an offshore account with the intentions of robbing us blind. The logical motive that caused him to escalate his plan was due to the accountants meeting with the auditors soon, someone was going to stumble on the discrepancy.
“Hey, baby, how you feeling? You are looking a little peaky.” I looked over to my girl who was lying on the bed when I returned from the office today.
“I’m fine Jackson, just a little tired today,” she said groggily.
I was worried that she hadn’t been getting enough rest to recover from her injuries. She didn’t leave the house, and I was thankful for that; I couldn’t take another attack on her. It nearly destroyed me; she said it wasn’t her fear that kept her and the girls in the house but my father’s. He made it plain and simple to the girls; until this shit was resolved they were all being kept on lockdown. He wasn’t going through this shit again. My dad was in full “don’t mess with me” mode, and they didn’t.
“Baby, if you are tired just take a nap, and I’ll be working right in the next room. I love you, baby.” I kissed her briefly and headed to the other room as she took a nap.
When Reid called me, she had been sleeping for the last half hour. He was bitching about the fact that he had given me enough time. “I’m going to tell her as soon as she wakes from her nap. It’s not something that I can just blurt out. Hey babe, you were kidnapped as a baby, and your real parents want to meet you. The shocked gasp behind me made me drop my phone on the desk with a thud. I picked up my phone and turned to her. “I’ll call you back.”
“What are you talking about, Jackson? I just heard you say that I was kidnapped. I have seen baby pictures of me, in Seattle with Dad and Mom. It can’t be true. Why?” She busted out the waterworks, and I felt like a total prick. I should have checked on her, first, before answering the call or at least, closed the door. I messed up big time. I pulled Buttercup into my arms and sat us down on the sitting room chaise.
“Buttercup, please calm down. I don’t know why they took you, but it’s probably because they couldn’t have one of their own, but it’s true. Sweetie, tell me you are okay. I won’t continue until you do.” I just watched as she tried to process the information. It was a cool minute before she asked for more details. I went into the story, leaving out who her father was. “I want to meet them; you seem to know who they are.” Her tone was accusatory. How could I blame her for it? I knew for a whole week and kept it to myself; her health was the most important thing, and I didn’t want her to have a setback. “I wanted to tell you sooner, but you were recovering, and I was afraid of the shock and how it would affect your recovery, but they really want to see you. You have two little brothers.”
“When did you find out, and who are they?”
“I found out a week ago, babe.” She was pissed but fuck it, I told her why. “It’s Detective Reid and his wife Dr. Elizabeth Reid.” The tears flowed from her eyes. Damn, it was breaking my heart. “Baby, tell me what you are thinking.” I watched as my love cried, riddled with confusion and pain. Her body shook in my arms. Now, I really wanted to find Homan and his wife, lay them out, and shoot them for all the pain they caused my girl. “Buttercup, tell me what you need baby, anything.”
“I don’t know what to think. Is it wrong to say that I’m happy the Homan’s were not my real parents?” She looked at me with pained confusion and shame.
“Not after what they put you through, babe, no. Would you like to meet them?”
“Please, Jackson, please.” My girl jumped right out of my arms like she wasn’t destroyed a moment ago; now she’s pacing the room.
“What if they don’t like me? I mean, what if they were expecting someone more talented or pretty? What should I wear?” If she wasn’t so upset by the news, I would spank her ass for doubting the wonderful woman she was, and how anybody would be lucky to know her. Interrupting her path, I pulled my Elizabeth into my arms for a hug, kissing her hair to show support, but that wasn’t enough, she was special and she needed to see that.
“Babe, stop those thoughts right now. First, you need to understand that you are the most beautiful woman to me, and they have been searching for their baby all these years. They couldn’t care if you had a hump. You are brilliant; well, all except for math, but you have me for that baby.” I needed to lighten the tension she was feeling. “Reid has been harassing me for days; he wants you to meet them as soon as possible. They spent so much time hoping to see you again. Reid has met you and you’ve seen the way he stares at you. He sees the girl he lost. Baby, don’t worry, they will love you; they already do.” I kissed my adorable wife gently on her pretty pink lips, to comfort, but that didn’t last long before we were in bed enjoying the need to possess each other. She already owned me and possessed all of me, and me, her. Apparently, my skills were lacking because she was out of my arms and digging in the closet the moment I rolled off her, and I told her so.
“Silly, your skills are in tip-top shape. I just know if we do not get out of bed now, we never will. As much as I would love that I want to meet them, as soon as possible.”
I set up the meeting for the following afternoon when Dr. Reid would be home and wasn’t on call. I had to calm my wife down. She was ready to jump out of her skin with nerves, all morning. My family looked on as we broke the news to them. They felt for their daughter and sister, she was a part of us now. They knew only what I had told them previously about her father and stepmother. Needless to say, they were shocked at the developments. My mother began crying, “I feel so sorry for them. I couldn’t imagine losing either of you and not being able to know what happened.”
I pulled my mother into my arms, “It’s going to be okay, Mom.”
We were ready to go within the hour; I was really looking forward to this. As a good husband should, I looked into Reid’s story and background, and they were the perfect family for my girl to have. We were in the car when she told me some shit that if she had not been hurt, I would have spanked her ass for. Hell, I’m still tempted to kick her ass. I pulled over and into the mall parking lot, parked the car, and turned to her stupid ass.
“Why the fuck would you keep something like that away from me?” I couldn’t control how mad I was, I was her protector, and she needed to tell me this shit.
“Take your phone out and show me the email, now.” She looked scared as hell like I was going to beat her ass. “Baby, I’m not going to hit you. I would never do some shit like that but damn it, you can’t keep things like that from me.” She looked down at her phone and started entering her login information, when she finally looked up, the pain was evident.
She handed the phone over, and fury could be felt coming off me as I read what this piece of shit wrote. “She is used goods now. That fucking lawyer stole my prize. I have been waiting for the little bitch to grow up, so she could be useful. Richards still wants her, anyway. We will get less money for her, but we will be square with the fucking thugs. If he changes his mind will kill the little tramp.”
I was on the phone with Duke before I even finished reading this. The man was dead as far as I was concerned, it was just a matter of how to have it done. I needed to formulate a plan. Duke had informed me that Laney jumped bail this morning and was trying to head to Las Vegas; I wasn’t sharing this with my girl. She didn’t need to worry about anything. The dumb bitch didn’t realize the Feds were on her ass until she was cuffed. The police had her in custody, but that was all he knew so far.
There had been little movement, and I hadn’t been contacted by any law enforcement. I had to make sure Duke wasn’t on their radar, so he was in the clear to pay Homan a visit. I told him I would get back to him because I knew that Reid would want a say in this. Law enforcement or not that fucker had taken away his little girl. If I were him, I would gut the fucker and slowly torture him until he took his last breath.
When I hung up with Duke, I turned to my girl and caressed her cheek. “Don’t worry babe, I won’t let them get you. You are mine, and I protect what’s mine, Buttercup. Now smile because we are going to meet your family.” I kissed her lips and was rewarded with a smile. I need to remain calm for now. Once the family thing was done and my girl was tucked nicely into bed, I would start working on my plan.
