Page 11 of Two for the Guard
"I knew they didn't like having us around, and mother didn't give a shit about us, but I never thought she hated us this much." Kyle choked up a little and buried his face in Bram’s shoulder.
"It doesn't surprise me, Kyle," Casey spoke up. Truce excused himself and told them he would wait for them in the SUV. He knew they needed some privacy.
“She’s always looked out for herself, and we both know how heartless she can be. We’ve seen it and felt it.” He reached over and laid his hand on Kyle’s shoulder. "She's not worth your sadness, Kyle."
"I know, I know." He said, coming around, forcing himself to see reality.
"This is a shock, and it will take some time to work through it, but just know that you are not alone. You have me, and you have the entire Old Mission Coven backing you up.” Bram stood and wrapped his arms around them. He would never get enough of these wonderful young men, and there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for them.
"Are you okay, honey?" He spoke to Kyle, who nodded first and then spoke.
"I'm okay, it's just that it's kind of a shock to find out your mother wants you dead.”
"She wants eleven million dollars, the dead part doesn't matter, just a means to an end in her book." Casey was cold as ice. Each brother was processing the information in their own way.
“Let’s go, Truce is waiting.” Bram urged him to grab his jacket. They headed outside to the SUV.
Brad and Hank sat in the restaurant at the Lodge, waiting. Margret would be arriving soon, and they weren't looking forward to her taking over. They hadn’t called the cops yet deciding to wait for Margret.
“What if some hunters find their bodies first. Won’t it make us look bad for not reporting that they were missing?” Hank was analyzing every angle of what they were doing, hoping to get through it unscathed.
“We stayed close to the border with the Cabot Winery. No one hunts close to that border. It’s rumored the guards are pretty vicious if you happen to wander across. No one will find them because no one hunts there. We’re fine.” Brad assured him and explained the research he’d done on the area. The Winery people are scary if you cross them, so no one crosses them.”
“What if they find the boys?”
“They don’t bother with state land. They only react if you cross onto their land.”
“What if the boys crossed their border?”
“Then it’s likely they will never be heard from again.” Brad laughed hard this time. "As it is said, it would be great if the Winer shot trespassers." He continued to laugh. Hank was shaking his head and not joining in the laughter. What he was hearing were assumptions; no facts were being shared, just a lot of what-ifs and likelys.
"I think this is going to get all fucked up before the day is over," Hank commented and slowly drank his beer. Where they were seated gave them a clear view of the front doors so they could see when Margret arrived. Unfortunately, what they saw walk through the front doors had them panicking and scrambling to hide.
"Oh, my God." Hank strangled out the words, and Brad quickly looked toward the front doors. Walking in looking healthy and well were Casey and Kyle, and they weren't alone.
“Oh, fuck.” Brad moved quickly with Hank close behind. They left payment for their meal on the table and slipped out the side door that led to the back lot where they’d parked their SUV. They drove around to the front and parked near the edge, concealed by a couple of pine trees.
"What the hell are we going to do?" Hank yelled, completely losing his cool and slamming his fists on the dashboard. Brad looked pained, but he pulled out his phone and did what he knew he had to do. He called Margret, who was due to arrive, and explained the situation. Within about 15 minutes, Margret appeared at the side of their vehicle and got into the back seat.
“You’re a couple of fucking morons.” She shouted and started punching Brad in the side of the head. “I should have done it myself. It was a perfect plan; no one would have asked questions. Now it's a clusterfuck of stupidity.” She calmed a bitbut continued to punch Brad in the head periodically. "I'm in the mood to kill you both.” She finished and took a deep breath.
“We need to stay calm and think this through rationally.” She paused, and neither man spoke nor even moved. “You said there are two men with them, and they are probably from the Winery.”
"They look like guards, yes," Brad said.
“Shut up, don’t talk, just listen.” She screamed. Brad did not respond.
"If I can get access to the boys, I can take care of this." She began to relax, and her words took on a gleefulness that was just as frightening as her anger. "They've been drugged and apparently are recovering, but that doesn't mean a terrible relapse isn’t possible.”
"Get me alone with them, and I will make sure they relapse. It will look like the original issue was the cause of death. Hypothermia is unpredictable; we just need to make it look like natural causes." She kept talking, not completely making sense, but Brad and Hank were beginning to follow.
Hank took the chance and repeated her thinking just to make sure he was following correctly. They wouldn’t be allowed to make another mistake. "We need to separate the boys from the guards, and then you plan to meet Casey and Kyle and kill them with something that would look like the effects of hypothermia.”
“What are you going to use?” Brad asked carefully.
“Something that will stop their hearts, perhaps a standard opioid. Don’t worry, I’ll find something suitable.” She said with complete satisfaction. "Design a distraction to separate the four of them, and I'll do the rest."
Bram kept his hands on both Casey and Kyle as they made their way down the long hall to their room. Brad and Hank were not in their rooms, and the front desk had no information on them. Bram scented them in the lobby, but it was from earlier in the day. He and Truce stayed alert and attentive, clearly aware of the danger facing Casey and Kyle.
