Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Marshall watched the meetings that were going on in the pack house. He didn’t much care for the way that things were going, but he figured that he only had to come here once a month to pay his dues, and then that was it for another thirty days. When his name was called, he stood up and stretched. He hadn’t realized that he had gotten stiff just sitting there.

“Are you trying to impress me?” He looked around to see who the man was talking to. “You, you fool. Making yourself look bigger because you had to wait your turn isn’t going to get you anywhere with me.”

“What’s your beef? I’ve been sitting there—” He looked at the clock over the man’s head and realized that it wasn’t working. Figured. No one else was working either, so it was a perfect way to get out of work early. It was set at five when the hours of the pack house closed up. “I’m here to pay my dues. Then I’m going back to my home.”

“You’ll leave when I tell you to.” Marshall didn’t understand how Hamish and the others would talk about this place like it was a perfectly run machine. Every time he had to show up here, he was met with hostility and anger. “You’re going to pay more for being a shit to me. I’m fining you a thousand dollars. To be paid in cash now before I’ll allow you to leave.”

Stretching his neck, hearing it pop a few times made him feel better. Right up until he was hit from behind. Turning on the person who dared to hit him, Marshall saw the gun before he did the man. It was then that he reached out to anyone that was nearby.

“I’m in a bit of trouble here. I can get myself out of it, but there is going to be—how on earth did you think that this place was a good pack? There has been nothing but arguments, backstabbing—about you, Hamish, and how this place would be better if all of you were dead. That wasn’t told to me, but I’ve been in the dickweeds head here”. Hamish said that he was right outside the building and could come in right now. “No. I mean, just stand out there and listen. As I said, I have a handle on what’s going on in here. Just…just listen to how he talks about you.”

It was a shitty thing to do, but he really thought that the pack leader, Amish Shores, was playing everyone. When he handed over the dues, minus the fine that he wasn’t going to pay, the man stood up. He understood at that moment that the man was a good deal shorter and rounder than he’d first thought.

“You listen here, you cheap piece of shit. I’m in charge here. And if you run to that pussy Hamish about what I’m saying and doing, who do you think he’s going to believe? Me, that’s who. I’ve been buttering up that moron for weeks now, and I’m going to own his ass as soon as I get that wife of his out of the way. Women shouldn’t be able to go out and about like that one is.” He laughed. “She just might find herself dead if she doesn’t play well with me. Do you suppose she’s a good lay? Don’t answer that. She can’t be. Christ, why are women acting like they’re all that when men like me can cut them down in no time.”

When the door behind him slammed against the wall next to it, Marshall didn’t even turn to look. He knew who it was and wasn’t the least bit surprised when Amish put his hand over his now missing throat. One thing you never did was talk about a mate to a vampire. Much less one that is the king of all their kind.

Hamish had ripped the man’s throat out. Blood sprayed all over the room as his head, slipping down his chest, landed on the desk the man had been sitting behind. It looked like a trophy with his eyes wide open and an expression of disbelief written all over his face. Christ, this should have been done decades ago.

“Are you all right?” Nodding, he sat down when someone shoved a chair into his legs. He’d not realized how weak he was until then. Marshall didn’t know if he could ever enter this building again without seeing all the blood. “Marshall? Look at me. Are you all right?”

“I don’t know. Christ, I knew that he was a shit, but when he started going on about…did Launder hear this shit?” She kissed him on the cheek when she moved around to stand in front of him. “I’m so sorry, honey. I didn’t know that he was going…how stupid do you have to be to say something like that to a good friend? Especially about his mate.”

There was no reason for the police to be called. The man wasn’t in good with them either. But within a few seconds, a pic of faeries showed up, and the area was cleaned of not just the blood but the body as well.

As they talked around him, Marshall got up and made his way outside. He was going to be sick and didn’t want the others to know it. Tossing up his lunch and most of the bile on his stomach, he moved back to the pack house and sat on the steps. Breathing in and out, making sure that he wasn’t smelling the blood or puke mess that he made, Marshall moved when the other two came out of the building. He just wanted to go home.

Waking up, finding himself in his big bed, he rolled to his side and tried to remember how he’d gotten here. Not that it mattered, he told himself. He was home and was feeling a good deal better than he had before. Dozing off and on, he decided to get up, shower, and start the rest of the day. It was nearing six in the evening when he entered the kitchen, where he noticed that most of the kiss gathered. Then he laughed. They asked him what was so funny.

“Vampire kiss meeting in the one place there is no need for them to have much less gather in. I never thought about how much we all gather in this one part of the house.” A plate of food, mostly small things that he could eat with his fingers, was sat in front of him, and he was glad for it. Nothing breakfast-like. He didn’t know if his belly could take that right now.

After eating, he made his way to the office that he’d been using when he needed to keep up on things for his business. Being an investment banker had made him and his friends a great deal of money over the years. And he was glad for it.

So many people who had been around for as long as he had were living off the streets. Having become bored with life in general, they stopped caring if they had money or even material things to depend on. He didn’t want to be that person. The person who would stay with friends until he wore out his welcome, bouncing from home to home. Christ, his parents were like that. He wanted nothing to do with their lifestyle.

“I have a few things that I have to take care of. I want you to know that I’ll talk to the board for you if it comes to that. Not that I think it will. I hadn’t any idea that…well, I can’t thank you enough for helping me out with that. To think that I had allowed Toby to go over there and hang around. Not that I could have stopped the young man. He’s a great deal like his mother in that respect.” They both laughed. “I’ll make arrangements to have the pack taken care of. I don’t suppose you’d want to run it, would you?”

“No. And hell no. I have enough going on in my life that I don’t need for you to add to it. Thanks for thinking of me, but nope. I don’t want anything to do with that.” Hamish said that he figured that was going to happen. Changing the subject, Marshall asked if there was anything that he could do to help around the town.

“Not yet, but come fall and into the winter, we’ll need to be getting things for the people in town. Wood for fireplaces is a priority.” He made a mental list for himself. Marshall did tell Hamish about the fallen trees that were clogging up the pack land, which he was sure someone would love to have gotten rid of. “I’ll ask about that. Thanks. Are you all right?”

“I am. Thank you. And just so you’re aware, I found myself a house. It’s not on the market yet, but I’m hoping for it.” He told him the address, and Hamish, of course, knew the home. “I’ll probably be turned down for a loan. It wouldn’t be the first time. But I can pay cash. Thanks very much for bringing me here, Hamish. I don’t know what I would be doing if you’d not called.”

“My pleasure. Now, if we can get you a mate, things will be much better. For all of us.” Marshal didn’t comment. He didn’t much care for having a mate. He’d been married once, a long time ago, and hated to admit it, but he didn’t want to ever go through that again.

Going to his room, Marshall decided that he was going to go to bed early. It had been a long couple of days, and he’d had enough stress. Lying on the bed, his body relaxing as he shut out the noise of the house, Marshall decided that he should do more of this. Taking to going to bed early and eating better. It certainly made his disposition a good deal better.