Free Cormac by Kathi S. Barton Page B

too.”
    “No, that’s all right. I’m fine.” She heard
the car pull into the drive and looked out the back door. They must have been
on their way or Mac lived closer to them than she’d thought. As they got out of
the car, she told Storm that they were there and hung up. Turning to Rogers and
Bethany, she told them what was going on.
    “She told you about us, did she?” Andi nodded,
suddenly a little afraid. “We’d never harm you. We owe Miss Storm everything,
and you are her family. She saved our son for us when we all…she was in the
service, you know? Well, our son was as well, but he’d been ordered to go there
or he had to go to prison. When he was there, he met her. Not a good beginning
to their relationship. I guess he insulted her. But Miss Storm, she got him on
the right track and he did well for himself.”
    “I’m very glad for you. I think that’s what
she’s trying to do with my brother. He’s coming as well.” She looked out the
window again to see Mr. Harrison pulling things from the back of the truck and
handing them to Jim. “I’m afraid of him…my brother, I mean. He’s not always
mean to me, but I don’t know if my dad has sent him here to get me or not.”
    “He won’t harm you. No one will so long as we
can be here to help you.” She nodded and asked if she could please go elsewhere
while he was there. “Of course. Why don’t you go to the living room and I’ll
bring you something to hold you over until dinner? I don’t know what we’ll be
doing for dinner right now, but we can give you a nice snack.”
    Andi moved out of the kitchen and to the room
that she felt the most comfortable in. It was also the only room with all of its
furniture. Mac had told her that he’d only just moved in and was buying what he
liked when he found it. She hoped that he found things like the furniture in
this room for the rest of the house. She really liked this.
    The house really was big. Five bedrooms and
five baths on the upper floor. Four each on the second floor, as well a game
room with a big screen that rolled from the ceiling, and seating like that of a
movie theater. She had wondered if there might be popcorn, just kidding about
it, when he showed her the big old fashioned popcorn maker in the corner of the
room.
    The main floor had the master suite with
bathroom, a dining room that would hold fifty people she’d bet, kitchen, and
living room. There were two bathrooms on this floor, not counting the one in
the master bedroom, as well as a pantry that was as big as the place she stayed
in before coming here. There was a linen closet, Rogers told her, as well as a
plate room. There were no plates in it as yet, but he assured her that with the
size of Mr. Mac’s family, it would need to be filled up.
    There was a pool and a pool house, also a
gardener’s shed, whatever that meant, as well as a butler’s cottage and a
garage. She’d yet to see either of those places, but was assured from Rogers
that it was more than adequate for him and his wife. As she lay back on the big
sofa, she wondered, not for the first time since coming here, what the fuck she
was doing.
    ~~~
    “I’ve been trying to reach my nephew. He’s
stupid, so I’m thinking that he’s forgotten where his house is. There are times
when I wish we’d just drown him like one of them stupid pups that end up at the
house.” Hester waited for the man behind the thick glass to answer her. She was
sick to fucking death of getting the run around with these people. And having
to come all the way down here to find Jim since that cunt of a niece wouldn’t heel
was really making her have to do things that she didn’t think she should have.
“Well? Is he there or should I call the morgue or something? Answer me, damn
it.”
    She pounded her cane on the floor when he
just stared at her. Hester had things to do and not one of them included
hunting down Jim. Why George hadn’t gotten rid of that kid when it was obvious
to