Tall Dark & Heartless
R. L. Mathewson
Page 19
They didn't know what the hell they should do with him, but it was clear that he couldn't be allowed to leave the cell he currently occupied in the fourth sublevel of the compound. As long as no one came near him, he was calm. He'd sit on his cot quietly, but if anyone tried to come into the cell he went insane.
If they couldn't figure out what the hell to do with him soon he'd have no choice but to chain his brother and drag his ass out of here and find a way to keep him locked up at their new estate in upper New York. If his wife, and daughter as well as Madison, his little brother and the twins Madison was due to deliver soon didn't need to get the hell out of here so they could actually leave their home without worry he'd stay. He loved working at the compound and he loved his job as a trainer, but their needs were more important than his and he wanted them happy and safe.
His precious baby girl's cries thankfully broke through his rather depressing thoughts. He watched as his father stood up, cradling Jessica against his chest as he tried to soothe her.
"I think it's time for lunch," Ephraim said, chuckling softly. As relieved as he was to see his father smile, he knew it wouldn't last. The moment Ephraim was alone or they were on patrol, he'd go back to beating himself up for what happened to Joshua. It killed him to see his father in pain and he did his best to distract him, but there was only so much he could do. Hell, they needed to figure out how to deal with Joshua or he would never be able to forgive himself.
"Medic?" the Sentinel croaked weakly from the mat, making Chris and Ephraim roll their eyes. What a pu**y.
Chris was reaching for his precious baby girl when his Sentinel phone chimed. With a sigh he pressed a little kiss to her rosy cheek and pulled out his new phone, a smart phone which Izzy demanded everyone switch over to even though most of them didn't have a clue how to use them. He was still learning how to use the damn thing. Thankfully the basics were pretty much the same. He pressed his thumb in the middle of the large screen and didn't have to wait long before the phone's screen unlocked with a message from his little Munchkin.
Need you now.
Even though common sense was arguing that she wasn't demanding sex because she wouldn't send that message via the Sentinel network, his mind still went there. It had been way too long since he slid between his little Munchkin's legs.
His father tried to hide his chuckle behind a cough, no doubt he could smell the lust pouring off of him, but he didn't care. He needed his Munchkin and as soon as he got his precious baby girl down for a nap and handled Izzy's needs, she was going to handle his.
"Why don't I take Jessica and feed her?" his father suggested and he could have kissed the man.
"She gets tired after her afternoon bottle," he reminded his father.
"I know the drill. Four scoops of formula," he'd rather give his baby girl breast milk, but since Izzy was pregnant again she couldn't breast feed much to his dismay, "warm it, rub her back, walk around with her and make sure she has her pink princess blanket or she won't go to sleep," his father said, pressing kisses to Jessica's nose, making his little girl giggle.
"Thanks, Dad. I owe you one," he said, giving his little girl another kiss before heading out the door.
"I plan on collecting when your brothers are born so Madison can get some sleep," Ephraim called after him. Since he'd already planned on doing that, he nodded as he headed out of the training room.
Five minutes later he opened the door to the IT suite and strolled inside. He ignored the men and women who were busy typing away at computer terminals and the few having heated discussions about which Star Trek was the best. Thankfully they ignored him as well. They'd only tried to pull him into one of their sad little discussions once and that's all it took for them to realize they should never come between him and his mate.
He paused at the small kitchenette and grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge, ignoring the insane amount of caffeinated beverages that his mate would probably kill for, but wasn't allowed while she was pregnant. Not while she carried his precious baby boy. With a sigh he grabbed a box of Twinkies and bag of peanut butter cups then headed for the door covered with The X-Files posters.
"You're lucky you're pregnant, woman, or you and I would be coming to blows!" he heard Kale bite out as he opened the door.
If any other shifter had spoken to his little Munchkin like that he'd already be dead, but his mate had a soft spot for the bastard which meant he had to behave. Then again, he actually liked the guy, not that he would admit that to anyone. He really enjoyed busting the shifter's balls.
He walked into the room and sighed heavily as he took in the scene before him. Izzy sat in front of the wall of monitors that she somehow kept track of while she made a huge show of finishing off a bite of what appeared to be fudge cake while Kale glared down at her, growling softly.
"That was my cake, woman," Kale snapped.
"You left it on the counter for ten seconds," Izzy pointed out with a careless shrug. "You know the rules. "
Yeah, it was sad. These two junk food addicts actually had rules. They came up with their rules three months ago when Kale swung by to visit her and check on Joshua. As far as he could tell, the two of them came up with this idea after Helga, the chef who ran the compound's cafeteria, made the mistake of not baking enough chocolate chip cookies for the two addicts. After that, the two came together and created "The List. " They made everyone's life a living hell if anyone got between them and their junk food.
He was actually surprised to see the shifter. Last he heard the man was in Germany hunting down a rogue Alpha who'd stolen from a Master. Of course he only knew that because the damn man called or texted Izzy at least once a day. If he didn't know the man thought of her as his sister he probably would have said the hell with it and killed the shifter by now.
"It was only nine seconds and you damn well know it!" Kale sneered. While most women would have probably run screaming, his little Munchkin rolled her eyes and called the man, "A big baby. "
"Mind if I interrupt?" he asked since he knew from experience that the two of them could keep this up for hours.
"Fine. I was just heading downstairs to my room anyway," Kale said, throwing Izzy one last glare, but the fact that he bent down and planted a loud kiss on her cheek killed the effect.
"You don't have a room," Chris reminded him.
"Of course I do. It's the room with the large flat screen and endless supply of Coke," Kale said, stealing the box of Twinkies and bag of peanut butter cups out of Chris' hand as he headed for the door.
It didn't really surprise him that the man considered the lockup suite's recroom his, considering the man spent all of his time there when he was supposed to be a prisoner. Now the bastard snuck in and out of the compound anytime he wanted. If he didn't think his little mate had something to do with that he'd be a little nervous about the lapse in security.
He shoved his worries aside and leaned down to kiss his beautiful mate. She returned the kiss briefly before she pulled back. It was then that he noticed the tension around her eyes. He placed the orange juice on the long counter that served as her desk and kneeled in front of her.
"Is he okay?" he asked, placing his hands on the large swell of her belly.
They didn't know what the hell they should do with him, but it was clear that he couldn't be allowed to leave the cell he currently occupied in the fourth sublevel of the compound. As long as no one came near him, he was calm. He'd sit on his cot quietly, but if anyone tried to come into the cell he went insane.
If they couldn't figure out what the hell to do with him soon he'd have no choice but to chain his brother and drag his ass out of here and find a way to keep him locked up at their new estate in upper New York. If his wife, and daughter as well as Madison, his little brother and the twins Madison was due to deliver soon didn't need to get the hell out of here so they could actually leave their home without worry he'd stay. He loved working at the compound and he loved his job as a trainer, but their needs were more important than his and he wanted them happy and safe.
His precious baby girl's cries thankfully broke through his rather depressing thoughts. He watched as his father stood up, cradling Jessica against his chest as he tried to soothe her.
"I think it's time for lunch," Ephraim said, chuckling softly. As relieved as he was to see his father smile, he knew it wouldn't last. The moment Ephraim was alone or they were on patrol, he'd go back to beating himself up for what happened to Joshua. It killed him to see his father in pain and he did his best to distract him, but there was only so much he could do. Hell, they needed to figure out how to deal with Joshua or he would never be able to forgive himself.
"Medic?" the Sentinel croaked weakly from the mat, making Chris and Ephraim roll their eyes. What a pu**y.
Chris was reaching for his precious baby girl when his Sentinel phone chimed. With a sigh he pressed a little kiss to her rosy cheek and pulled out his new phone, a smart phone which Izzy demanded everyone switch over to even though most of them didn't have a clue how to use them. He was still learning how to use the damn thing. Thankfully the basics were pretty much the same. He pressed his thumb in the middle of the large screen and didn't have to wait long before the phone's screen unlocked with a message from his little Munchkin.
Need you now.
Even though common sense was arguing that she wasn't demanding sex because she wouldn't send that message via the Sentinel network, his mind still went there. It had been way too long since he slid between his little Munchkin's legs.
His father tried to hide his chuckle behind a cough, no doubt he could smell the lust pouring off of him, but he didn't care. He needed his Munchkin and as soon as he got his precious baby girl down for a nap and handled Izzy's needs, she was going to handle his.
"Why don't I take Jessica and feed her?" his father suggested and he could have kissed the man.
"She gets tired after her afternoon bottle," he reminded his father.
"I know the drill. Four scoops of formula," he'd rather give his baby girl breast milk, but since Izzy was pregnant again she couldn't breast feed much to his dismay, "warm it, rub her back, walk around with her and make sure she has her pink princess blanket or she won't go to sleep," his father said, pressing kisses to Jessica's nose, making his little girl giggle.
"Thanks, Dad. I owe you one," he said, giving his little girl another kiss before heading out the door.
"I plan on collecting when your brothers are born so Madison can get some sleep," Ephraim called after him. Since he'd already planned on doing that, he nodded as he headed out of the training room.
Five minutes later he opened the door to the IT suite and strolled inside. He ignored the men and women who were busy typing away at computer terminals and the few having heated discussions about which Star Trek was the best. Thankfully they ignored him as well. They'd only tried to pull him into one of their sad little discussions once and that's all it took for them to realize they should never come between him and his mate.
He paused at the small kitchenette and grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge, ignoring the insane amount of caffeinated beverages that his mate would probably kill for, but wasn't allowed while she was pregnant. Not while she carried his precious baby boy. With a sigh he grabbed a box of Twinkies and bag of peanut butter cups then headed for the door covered with The X-Files posters.
"You're lucky you're pregnant, woman, or you and I would be coming to blows!" he heard Kale bite out as he opened the door.
If any other shifter had spoken to his little Munchkin like that he'd already be dead, but his mate had a soft spot for the bastard which meant he had to behave. Then again, he actually liked the guy, not that he would admit that to anyone. He really enjoyed busting the shifter's balls.
He walked into the room and sighed heavily as he took in the scene before him. Izzy sat in front of the wall of monitors that she somehow kept track of while she made a huge show of finishing off a bite of what appeared to be fudge cake while Kale glared down at her, growling softly.
"That was my cake, woman," Kale snapped.
"You left it on the counter for ten seconds," Izzy pointed out with a careless shrug. "You know the rules. "
Yeah, it was sad. These two junk food addicts actually had rules. They came up with their rules three months ago when Kale swung by to visit her and check on Joshua. As far as he could tell, the two of them came up with this idea after Helga, the chef who ran the compound's cafeteria, made the mistake of not baking enough chocolate chip cookies for the two addicts. After that, the two came together and created "The List. " They made everyone's life a living hell if anyone got between them and their junk food.
He was actually surprised to see the shifter. Last he heard the man was in Germany hunting down a rogue Alpha who'd stolen from a Master. Of course he only knew that because the damn man called or texted Izzy at least once a day. If he didn't know the man thought of her as his sister he probably would have said the hell with it and killed the shifter by now.
"It was only nine seconds and you damn well know it!" Kale sneered. While most women would have probably run screaming, his little Munchkin rolled her eyes and called the man, "A big baby. "
"Mind if I interrupt?" he asked since he knew from experience that the two of them could keep this up for hours.
"Fine. I was just heading downstairs to my room anyway," Kale said, throwing Izzy one last glare, but the fact that he bent down and planted a loud kiss on her cheek killed the effect.
"You don't have a room," Chris reminded him.
"Of course I do. It's the room with the large flat screen and endless supply of Coke," Kale said, stealing the box of Twinkies and bag of peanut butter cups out of Chris' hand as he headed for the door.
It didn't really surprise him that the man considered the lockup suite's recroom his, considering the man spent all of his time there when he was supposed to be a prisoner. Now the bastard snuck in and out of the compound anytime he wanted. If he didn't think his little mate had something to do with that he'd be a little nervous about the lapse in security.
He shoved his worries aside and leaned down to kiss his beautiful mate. She returned the kiss briefly before she pulled back. It was then that he noticed the tension around her eyes. He placed the orange juice on the long counter that served as her desk and kneeled in front of her.
"Is he okay?" he asked, placing his hands on the large swell of her belly.
