Page 10 of Kingston
Tank was sitting at the desk, filling out the last of the case file, when the phone rang.He nearly didn’t answer it for fear it was going to be about the case again.But as soon as he picked it up, a tingling went down his arm and to his chest.The man at the other end was someone that he never thought to speak to, even though he’d told Ace that they could call them.
“This is Tucker Savage.We got a notification that we’re related from the DNA tests we sent in to the company calledRelationships.The company didn’t give us any names, but as I said, I’m Tucker of the Savage family.”Tank told him that he was called Tank, but his real name was Sherman Savage.“You must resemble a tank, then?I’m not sure about that, but I can see you as a linebacker for a football team.”
“I’m built like a Tank, yes.And I did play some ball in high school and college.Right up until I blew out my knee when I was a senior.We didn’t get names either, with the results only showing that we were related to you guys.You’re part of the Mercury and Helen Savage family, isn’t that right?That’s where we come in.We’re the sons of Mildred and Hank Savage.My father was the half-brother of Mercury.”He asked if they wanted to get together.“I would love that, as will my brother.My parents aren’t going to be a part of this reunion of sorts, as they wanted nothing to do with the family after we were born.I don’t know what happened, but I can tell you that we’re unable to shift, but we do have magic.”
They talked for an hour or so before Tucker asked if they could set up a meeting where they got to know all of the cousins.He was excited to learn that they were nice-sounding dragons and that Helen and Mercury had been taken care of by the council.He wasn’t sure what that might have entailed, but if the counsel was involved, it had to have been serious.He and Ace had said that they wanted nothing to do with the older dragons if they could help it, and were glad that the cousins sounded just as nice as they could be.
“You do know that it could be a scam, don’t you?For all we know, they’re the same, if not worse than Helen was all our lives.As I’ve said before, you’ve heard the stories as much as I have.”He said that he knew that when he was telling Ace that Tucker had called.“I don’t know that I’d trust them to follow through on sending a car for us either.Nor the plane ticket to get to see them.I know I’ve said this a dozen times to you, but please don’t get your hopes up only to have them dashed when things don’t work out.”
“I’m trying.Tucker is married to a woman by the name of Kaida, she’s human, and Kingston, he goes by Kings, is mated to a woman by the name of Skye, also a human, and they have a son named Trevor.”Ace was impressed that they shared that much information.“He seemed really nice.There were times when I was talking to him that I felt like he was genuine and friendly.I don’t know thathe’s any happier with his lot in life with his family than we have been.I also told him that our parents wanted nothing to do with them.He seemed all right with that as well.”
“When are we supposed to go there?You know we have our new business starting up, so we can’t just drop everything and go.”Tank said he wasn’t worried about the business, that things would work out with it.“Did you tell them what sort of jobs we had?I mean, did it come up that we’re dirt poor?”
“No.I have a feeling that he has money, though.I don’t know about the other four cousins, but he just sounded like he didn’t have the daily worry that we did.”He asked him what he meant.“He said they owned a couple of houses that we could stay in as they were furnished and that we could stay for as long as we liked.They would love to get to know us.”
“Maybe they’ll see that we’re the poor end of the family and decide to send us back home with our tail between our legs.”Tank asked his brother when he’d gotten so negative all the time.“I don’t know that I’m that way all the time, but in this, I think that I’m right in saying that they’re going to be disappointed in us when they meet us.And I don’t care if they want to get to know us, I’m going to come back here and live the life that we’ve carved out for ourselves, regardless of how much we have in common with them.”
“I agree.”His agreement seemed to shock his brother, so he explained.“That’s why I’m saying it will matter little if we leave the business for a few days.We can get messages on the phone and work from anywhere, and if they don’t like us, we can just do as you said.Come back home and just live our lives like we’d been doing, but be a little wiser about family matters.”
The car was going to take them to the airport on Friday morning and then bring them back from it on Tuesday afternoon.They would be flying there; it was going to be a short trip from North Carolina, and they were looking forward to the trip now that they’d come to the conclusion that things with the other side of their family didn’t matter all that much.They’d take it one day at a time, and that was all they were going to hope for.
They had three days to get their things gathered up that they were going to pack.It wasn’t going to be a great deal of packing as both of them could change their clothes with a thought.They could also feed themselves thanks to Ace’s magic, and so all they worried about was having a carry-on so they had some kind of luggage when they got to the airport.He was taking his laptop so that he had something to work with.And Ace was taking his cell phone that was paired with the phone in the office that they used.Things were going to work out for them no matter what kind of people their newfound relatives were.
The morning of the ride to the airport was a beautiful day.Most people would say that every day was beautiful in North Carolina, but they had seen their homes destroyed by all kinds of weather.That was all they had: the rental that they used for the business and their home that they’d gotten from their parents when they moved more inland along the coast.He supposed they could sell it for a great deal of money, but they wouldn’t have the ocean views that they had now.It was a win-win for them, he thought.
The tickets were at the airport for them to use.Both of them had been excited that they were in first class on the plane and couldn’t believe how much room they had while sitting up front.There wasn’t a meal or anything; the trip wasn’t all that long, but there had been drinks and snacks that they partook of and were happy that they had come this far at least.Tank was happy to see that his brother seemed to be in a better mood about getting together with their relatives, and it made him less stressed about it as well.
They were met at the airport in Zanesville by the family.It had surprised him that they had all taken time out of their day to come to greet them.Then, after they had gotten together to go to dinner, they had a wonderful time getting to know them, and he was especially happy that they didn’t seem bothered by their lack of dragons either.
Since it was so late when they arrived after dinner, they were taken to the home they were going to be using while visiting.The house was fully staffed, which they hadn’t expected, and it was done upnicely for them.They each had their own rooms, and it was an ensuite room, so that they didn’t even have to share a bathroom.If this was what money could buy a person, he thought that he could get used to it fairly quickly and never turn back to being poor.
~*~
Kings like the two younger men.They were smart and savvy and seemed to have a good head on their shoulders.Since Tucker had gotten to know Tank the best, it was fun to get to know both men as they seemed to have different personalities but similar in a way that made you realize that they were related.They certainly didn’t look all that much alike.
“We’ve been trying our best to just live out our lives while trying to figure out what to do with ourselves.The PI business has come as both a blessing and a terror.”Ace told him about the happenings at the club on their first assignment.“She was a beautiful woman, and to have had her throat cut like that surely was a shame for her family too.She’ll be greatly missed.Her husband is in jail now for his part in her death.”
“We’ve had some things going on around here as well.”Kings told Ace about how his mate and the boy that she’d been protecting had come to be a part of their family.“They’re still in jail, but I know that the judge will be hearing pretrial information in the coming weeks.Right now, he’s got all he needs to tell if there is going to be a trial or not, but I don’t see that being an issue.They both have murdered people, and there is proof of them doing it.In fact, Waggoner has confessed to murdering a lot of people and seems to take pride in his work.”
“I can help you if you’d like us to get involved with it.Tank and I have enough magic that we never have to do anything more than to touch the people that we’re working with.One of us should be able to trace back to all the people who have been killed, and that would surely help in keeping them in jail.Where it sounds like they need to be.”
“That would be fantastic.”They talked a bit more about how their magic worked, and as soon as they could set it up, one of them would go to the jail and see the other three, and that would be all it would take to keep them behind bars.“Maybe then my wife will stop having nightmares about Waggoner.She doesn’t have them nightly, but they bother her enough that she’s terrified some nights.”
“It would be my pleasure to help her out with that.I’ve never had a nightmare, but I’ve heard enough about them that it makes me think that I’m lucky that I’ve not.”Kings told him that he’d never had one either, but he knew firsthand what it could do to someone who was in the middle of them.“I bet it makes you feel helpless.I know that it would me if my mate was having dreams that I couldn’t do anything about.”
Kings kept an eye on the two men and his mate.Skye seemed to be enjoying their company, but he wasn’t sure about Trevor.While not really an outgoing young man, he did seem to be keeping his distance from him and was going to figure out why as soon as possible.It might be nothing more than they were strangers and that was it, but he wouldn’t know until he talked to the younger man.
When Ace got a phone call, he stepped outside to take it.He hoped it was a job for the two men as they seemed desperate to make their PI business a success.When Ace came back and went to his brother, he figured it was going to be a job and wished in some way that he could help them.But he knew nothing about the job of being a PI and even less about the two cousins he now had.
Kings drove them home after the dinner and told them if they wanted to change anything, just do it.They didn’t have to ask for permission, he told them, as he wanted them to be comfortable when they were here and there was little to nothing that they wouldn’t approve of anyway.They just wanted them to be comfortable during their stay.After dropping them off, he made his way home with his own family, but didn’t get the opportunity to ask Trevor about his behavior when talking to the other two.
“I was wondering something.And you can tell me it’s none of my business if you want.But why haven’t you slept in the master bedroom when it’s clearly where you should be?”He told her that he actually liked the bedroom that he was in more and hoped that sometime he could convince her to make it the master suite instead of the one that she was currently using.“I’d have to see it, but this is your house.You can do whatever you want, and no one would say anything.”
“I had hopes that someday I’d be sharing the room with you, and I want you to be happy.The room has a better view, and if you come with me now, we can see the deer that are usually out this time of day.”She said that she’d love that.“I was hoping to bring you down to the room sooner rather than later, so this is perfect timing.”
The family of deer was out, and it looked as if sometime over the last couple of days they’d given birth to two little fawns.They were covered in spots and seemed to be having fun being out in the open with their parents.The buck wasn’t that old either; his horns were just beginning to look large, and the mother seemed to be a good one as she kept an eye on the two little ones as they romped around the yard.
“I was wondering something.When are we going to have sex?”He didn’t have an answer, so he just looked at her.“I know you said nothing would happen unless I wanted it to, so I’m wondering what I have to do to tell you that I’m ready?”
