Theodore (Xavier's Hatchlings #2) - Kathi S. Barton Page 0,45

home had been, he looked out over the area. He’d not known that they’d had so much land when he’d been living here. Had he figured it out, he would have surely had them sell it off to keep him in cash. Or he would have done it on his own. Damn it all to hell and back, they had cheated him. Austin too, but he had money when he married that bitch Caroline.

She’d turned her nose up at him every time he saw her like she was so much better than he was. Patrick had always told Austin that he’d married beneath himself by marrying Caroline, but Austin said she was a good woman and he loved her. Love?

“That right there is the ruination of the world. Love isn’t good for anyone.” He looked around when he realized he’d been speaking aloud. People tended to look at you sideways when they heard you doing that.

Patrick decided to see if he could get himself some money by stealing one of the big rigs that was working on the land thereabouts. They were a mite bigger than he’d thought they were. Standing right up close to one of them, he realized that the wheels on the suckers were larger than he was. He could have made him a whole house by living in one of them too, he thought with a laugh. Walking around the big yellow monster, he couldn’t for the life of him figure out how someone was supposed to get into the thing.

“Can I help you?” He turned and looked at the man standing there. Big man too, dressed in a nice suit that fit him like it was made just for him. Patrick tried holding in his belly but couldn’t breathe and talk while doing that. “Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Black? I would like to point out that you’re on private property. The fence you knocked over had a sign hung on it that states that. In the event you missed it while breaking and entering.”

“I was going to have me a little fun with this thing. How do you suppose them guys get into this sucker?” The man told him he wouldn’t know but that he should move along. “You’re not very friendly, are you? Well, I want you to know that my daughter’s family owns this here land, and she said I could come here and have myself a little fun. No harm in having some fun, now is there?”

“It is when you trespass and try to steal a piece of equipment that doesn’t belong to you.” He said that his daughter said he could have a time on it. “I’m your daughter’s brother-in-law, and I know for a fact that she’d not let you touch any of this equipment, much less tell you to have some fun with it.”

“What the hell? Is she fucking related to everyone in town? Which one are you?” He told him his name. “What kind of name is Milo? Sounds fake if you ask me. Anyway, you call her up and ask her about it. While you’re doing that, I’m going to figure this thing out and have me a couple of turns with it.”

“What are you doing here, Dad?” He turned too quickly and fell over. Neither his daughter nor the two men with her offered to help him up. “Hello, Milo, thanks for calling us. As you know, I wouldn’t allow him on the property to take a pee, much less a large piece of equipment to take a joy ride in. His plan more than likely was to steal it.”

“Give me some money, Pem, and I’ll pretend that this never happened.” She told him no and that nothing had happened. “Damn it, girl. What the hell is wrong with you anymore? You used to be good enough to tap for some cash when you was younger. I might have to resort to that sort of tapping again if you don’t pay up.”

The low growl from both the men scared Patrick enough that he backed away from Pem. Neither one of them moved, nor did they take their eyes off him. Patrick felt his asshole tighten up like it knew before his brain did that something was about to get jiggy here.

“I wasn’t gonna hurt her. You’re too close.” That got him another growl, this one from the man he knew to be her husband. “You got no cause to be scaring