Stranded with My Stepbrother Chapter 158

Will

I waited, not quite so patiently, for Ike to collect himself. “Well?!”

“Will, it’s always good to hear from you,” he recovered smoothly. “I’m surprised you managed to get a hold of Rafael’s phone.”

“He gave it to me. I was very convincing. Now shut the fuck up and tell me what happened to McKenzie’s parents,” I snapped.

“Well, Will, how am I supposed to ‘shut the fuck up’ and tell you what happened to the Killeens at the same time?” Ike asked, laughing.

The sonofabitch actually laughed!

“Ike, I swear to Jesus…” I growled.

“Put me on speaker. I think McKenzie should hear it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak,” he replied.

I wasn’t so sure about that. Whatever it was, it was bad news, and he had all the delicacy of a hammer. “You can tell me.”

“Speaker, Will. I don’t want to repeat myself,” he insisted.

Grinding my teeth, I pulled the phone away from my ear and pressed the speaker icon. “You’re on speaker,” I grumbled.

“Excellent. Now, from what I’ve seen on the news, it seems someone bombed an FBI safehouse in Oakdale. Terrible tragedy,” he said.

“Why tragic? Was there someone in there?” I hazarded a guess.

“Oh, a few agents. The explosion also got the car outside with Attorney General Joy Packard in it. And another agent. There was quite a bit of blood and bits, but the impression is that there were two high-profile witnesses in the back who… may or may not have survived. Caleb and Jocelyn Kent, also known as Killeen,” Ike said. “Of course, the top story is the death of Ms. Packard, so it’s been difficult to get much else. It would be nice if the Killeens had been stopped on a more permanent basis, however. Then your grandfather could come home without delay.”

McKenzie lost all color. I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her into my chest. “What makes you think the Killeens might have been… permanently stopped?”

“Their blood is at the scene. Quite a bit of it. Not a fatal amount, but then….” I could almost hear him shrug.

“He can stop now,” McKenzie whispered.

“You can stop now, Ike. Thank you for taking my call,” I said and hung up before he could protest. I handed the phone back through the partition to Rafael then put both arms around her. “He said they haven’t found any evidence of them being dead, just injured. And, knowing your parents, they probably got away. Grandfather would agree that they’re very hard to keep down.”

She hiccupped, and I could tell she was trying not to cry. “That’s true.”

I unlocked my seatbelt and hers and pulled her into my lap. “It’s okay, honeybee. You can cry. This is very disturbing news.”

McKenzie trembled, still fighting it, then burst into tears, wrapping her arms around my neck.

I rocked her and kissed her shoulder. “They’ll show up. I mean, maybe not on our doorstep, but they’re going to turn up somewhere. I know it.”

“Why does this keep happening to our family, Will? What did my parents do wrong?!” she cried.

“As I understand it, they went out of bounds on a camping trip,” I sighed. “When your mother was about your age.”

“That’s so stupid!” She shook her head, her chin rubbing against my shoulder. “So stupid.”

“It really is,” I agreed.

She sat up a bit, looking stricken. “I can’t believe they never told me we were in such danger.”

“I don’t think they thought you were anymore.” I lowered my eyes. “I keep thinking, if I hadn’t shown up on your doorstep, none of this would have happened.”

McKenzie shook her head. “No. Masterson would have shot a missile at the farm or something. He always knew we were there. Remember when he talked about me playing in the mud? That really happened.”

I thought of arguing that it was still my fault, but then, she was right about the missile. As his court date got closer, it would not have surprised me at all if he’d done something like that.

“You might have saved us, Will,” she said softly.

“I… hope so. And I mean it about your parents. They’re scrappy,” I responded.

She laughed through her tears. “‘Scrappy’?”

“Well, they are.” I blushed. “Is ‘scrappy’ an old man word or something?”

“You’re not an old man.” She poked me in the chest. “So, I guess we just… wait for a sign?”

Rafael cleared his throat. “There’s been a sign.”

“What?!” we shouted together.

He took his earbud out and put the sound on whatever he was listening to.

“… Witnesses Caleb and Jocelyn Killeen have been brought to Fairview Woodwinds Hospital in Woodbury, having escaped a bombing in Oakdale. Their conditions have not been made public. Witnesses to the scene have stated that Mr. and Mrs. Killeen were able to walk several blocks before collapsing beside the road. An ambulance was called, and the two are now receiving medical care. It is unclear what they know about the death of Attorney General Joy Packard or if they were involved—”

“Involved?!” McKenzie’s eyes widened. “Involved?!”

“These people just want ratings,” I soothed. “At least now we know where they are. Rafael, we’re going to Woodbury. And I swear to God, if you don’t take us there, we’ll do a tuck and roll out of this car and walk.”

Rafael swallowed and locked the doors. “I will have to clear your request with Mr. Freeborn, sir.”

“Then clear it with Mr. Freeborn,” I ordered.

“Very good, sir.” He turned off the news and made a call to Ike. “Mr. Freeborn….”

“Take them,” Ike said without hesitation.

“Yes, sir. At once.” Rafael took a different exit than what we’d taken to get to the prison.

I held McKenzie as he drove, counting down the seconds. It was a long, silent ride, but soon enough, Rafael was dropping us off at the front door of the hospital.

There was a crowd of reporters, but men in dark suits stationed at the door were not letting them in.

I walked with McKenzie straight up to one of the men in a black suit. “I’m William Masterson the Third.”

The agent looked bored. “And?”

“Try putting that over your com,” I said. I looked over at McKenzie. “This is McKenzie—”

“Killeen,” McKenzie finished.

The agent blinked then spoke to someone on the other end of his com. The response he got made his eyebrows shoot straight up. “This way, please.”

We got a two-person escort through the lobby and into the elevators. We passed a nurses’ station and went straight to a room, the door of which was being guarded by another two agents. One of them held the door open.

McKenzie burst into the room. “Mom? Dad?”

I followed after her, hoping the Killeens were okay.

Jacey was sitting up in bed, poking at a food tray. Her arm was bandaged, but she didn’t seem that much worse for the wear. “McKenzie!” she cried, shoving her tray away and opening her arms.

She went straight to her mother, carefully wrapping her in a hug. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where’s Dad?”

One of the agents helpfully pushed back the curtain that separated the beds of the double room. Caleb was laying on his stomach and his back was covered in bandages. He was asleep.

“Dad!” McKenzie looked over at her father, her face pale with concern.

“It’s all right, honey. He was awake not long ago. He’s just resting up now. Of course your stubborn father had to go and save my life,” Jacey sighed.

McKenzie snorted a laugh. “Of course. He wouldn’t be Dad otherwise.”

“Mrs. Killeen, I’m so very sorry,” I finally interrupted, shuffling forward.

“Oh, Will. There will never be anything you need to be sorry for.” Jacey let McKenzie go over to see her father and reached out to me.

I went to her, not sure what she wanted. Then I was wrapped in the strongest, most loving hug I’d ever had in my life.

“You’re a good boy. I’m just sorry we couldn’t keep you,” Jacey said tearfully. “I want you to know you were wanted. So wanted.”

I had the strongest urge to cry. I cleared my throat. “Thank you, Mrs. Killeen.”

“Call me Jacey. Or maybe Mom. I hear you’re planning to marry McKenzie, so it’s only fitting,” she replied.

If I call her Mom, I really am going to cry. “I am planning to marry McKenzie. I’ve never wanted anything more.”

“I’m glad. I mean, it’s an unusual relationship, but who am I to talk?” She laughed, releasing me.

I smiled. “I guess you could say that. Unusual or not, I’m never letting her go.”

“Good. Of course, Caleb will want you to ask for formal permission,” she warned me.

I squared my shoulders. “I absolutely will.”

“And we’ll want to be at the wedding, no matter how this all shakes out,” she continued.

“We’d both want you there, even if it ends up being a little courthouse ceremony. You know, however this all shakes out,” I said.

“And—”

Caleb groaned. “What’s all the talking?” he asked, turning his head our way. He glanced up. “McKenzie!”

“Daddy!” she sobbed. I could tell she was trying to figure out how to hug him, but had to settle for putting a hand on a small bare patch on his arm. “I’ve been so worried! How are you feeling? Does it hurt really bad?”

“I’ve been better,” he chuckled. “But we’ve been in worse spots than this.” He looked over at me. “Will?”

“Mr. Killeen,” I responded.

“You’re sleeping with my daughter. I think we might be on a first name basis now,” he said.

McKenzie blushed, and I frowned. “I don’t appreciate your tone.”

“Caleb! Be nice,” Jacey scolded him.

He tried to shrug and winced. “I’m just saying.”

“There are some things you keep in your head and don’t say out loud. Honestly,” Jacey sighed.

“Caleb, are you all right?” I asked.

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?” he joked.

McKenzie made a distressed sound.

“Really, I’m fine, my darling,” he said, giving her a smile.

“He’ll be fine. You know your father,” Jacey said, though I could tell it was a little strained.

“Remember that time I stepped on the pitchfork? I recovered just fine,” he reassured McKenzie.

“Dad, this is a lot more than a pitchfork,” she replied worriedly.

I walked over and put an arm around her. “Your father will have the best doctors. Don’t worry.”

Caleb’s eyes narrowed on me. “You make it sound like I’m going to accept help from Masterson.”

“Look, you might have a grudge against my grandfather, which I understand. I do, too. But I don’t mind spending his money to help you,” I said. “You can stay with us until you’re well enough to take off again. Hell, take us with you! You’re a lot better at this disappearing thing than I am, clearly.’

“Will… the last time we were in Masterson’s house… your father killed himself to try to get us out. And even that didn’t work,” he told me, dropping his whole attitude. In fact, he sounded sad and wracked with guilt.

I swallowed. “Oh.”

“We can just go with the FBI. You should, too,” Jacey said quickly. “I mean, you’re already here.”

“Ike would never have let us come here if he thought for a second he couldn’t force us to go back home,” I responded, a knot forming in my throat. It was good to hear my father hadn’t just given in and offed himself, not that I wouldn’t have understood. He’d actually done something heroic. Or tried to, at least.

With a grimace, Caleb reached out and patted my knee. “Masterson is not all-powerful.”

“I’ll let him know you said that.”

I whirled around.

There stood Ike in the doorway, grinning from ear to ear.