Tss 3: Night's Son

Chapter 21: Political Coup

I felt my heart racing as panic began to set in. I was naked, in the back of my new SUV, along with Elly, Shayna, and Demitra, as we all scrambled to get dressed. Meanwhile, my vehicle remained on autopilot, ignoring the cop's flashing lights behind us.

Once we were all dress, and I was back in the driver's seat with Demitra in the passenger seat, I took over the driving and pulled over.

It didn't take long for me to see the cop exit her car, and I couldn't hold back a groan. Adam's aunt had a stern expression marring her features as she marched up to my window and gave it a firm knock.

"Officer," I managed to get out from a tightened throat. "What--"

"It's Sergeant Anna Roper," she corrected me, her voice matching her stern demeanor. Is your phone broken, Mr. Brody? I've been trying to reach you."

My stomach dropped. The meeting! I'd completely forgotten about our scheduled appointment at the precinct amidst the... distraction.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize—"

She cut me off with a raised hand, then leaned in slightly. Her nostrils flared, and I saw a flicker of something in her eyes. Not anger or disgust, but... curiosity?

"Change of plans," she said, her voice gruff but with an undercurrent I couldn't quite place. "Can't meet at the precinct. Got an address for you instead."

She handed me a slip of paper. I took it, my fingers trembling slightly.

"Everything alright, Sergeant?" I asked, trying to gauge her reaction.

Her lips twitched, almost a smile. "Just fine, Brody. See you there. Don't be late this time. I just finished my shift, so will probably beat you there."

As she walked back to her patrol car, I let out a shaky breath. The girls stirred behind me, equally tense.

"That was close," Shayna whispered.

I nodded, still processing what had just happened. "Too close."

Shit! I forgot all about Sergeant Roper wanting to meet with us. I glanced at the note she'd given me, then looked over at my wives.

"We should probably get going. I've got a... meeting," I said to Demitra, straightening my clothes further. Shayna and Elly stayed in the back, straightening their clothes and fixing their makeup in the rearview mirror, while Demitra moved up to the passenger seat.

"Well, this was more than I bargained for," Demitra chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, sorry about that," I replied as I pulled away from the curb and onto the road, making sure to follow the speed limit. The last thing I needed was to attract any more attention. "I guess with all the fun we were having, I forgot about meeting with that cop."

"Oh, I wasn't just meaning that," Demitra let out a rich laugh and reached over to pat my groin. "I'm not going to be walking right for the next day or so. You're not like other Knights I've been with. They tend to be more selfish. Thank you, Shayna and Elly for sharing him with me, but, um... I hate to ask, but do you mind dropping me back off at the dealership?"

I nodded, wondering at the sharp change in conversation, but was also happy to drop her off before seeing what this change in venue was all about. No sense in dragging Demitra into my drama.

As I drove away from the dealership with the sun starting to set behind us, I noticed Demitra waving from the maintenance entrance. I returned the gesture and saw her blow me a kiss. Man, she was something else. I couldn't help but wonder if I'd see her again, but also wondered if I really wanted to. She was a lot of fun, but I really didn;t need more women in my life.

You seem distracted,

Charlotte commented mentally.

"Huh?" I scraped my teeth along my bottom lip, unsure how to explain my thoughts to my wives—or Charlotte, for that matter.

Elly reached forward and squeezed my shoulder. "You had fun, didn't you?"

I smiled warmly at her. How could I deny it? But then my expression sobered. "But I'm more worried about this meeting that's not going to happen at the precinct. What do you think that's about?"

In the rearview mirror, I saw Elly and Shayna exchange a glance.

"The cop was very careful not to think of why they were meeting at that address,"

Charlotte observed.

"I don't like it. She didn't seem very happy about it, but that she had little choice."

I groaned inwardly. "Maybe she wants to talk about Adam. He did shoot himself, after all, and since she's his aunt, maybe she's trying to protect him by keeping this away from the precinct?"

"Can I see that address?" Shayna asked, and I handed the paper back to her. After looking at it, she grunted and I saw her shake her head. "This is in a ritzy part of town. I doubt it's her house, unless she has a trust fund somewhere."

"She doesn't strike me as the kind of person to be interested in fooling around with us," Elly added, deep in thought. "Though she definitely acted a little weird after smelling inside here. We have to smell like sex incarnate after that fun tryst. I don't think it's a trap, either. She seemed too straight forward after Adam tried shooting you, and shot himself instead. Does your

intuition

, tell you anything?"

I knew she was asking if Charlotte had an idea without being obvious. We didn't know if this car was bugged yet, and I would need to talk to Mary about that later.

"No, my intuition isn't telling me much," I gave her a sad smile as I answered.

The girls seemed satisfied with that explanation, and we drove the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

I pulled up to the address Sergeant Roper gave me and cut the engine. It was a nice house, two stories with a well-manicured lawn. The neighborhood was upscale, and I wondered how a cop could afford it, but I saw a police cruiser parked in the driveway.

As we climbed out of the car, Shayna whispered, "This is weird. Do you think this is her place? And why would she want to talk to you at her house? And without backup?"

I shrugged, my stomach doing flips. "Beats me." I glanced at my watch. "We should probably go in. Don't want to keep her waiting."

We walked up the driveway and rang the doorbell. Footsteps echoed inside, and the door swung open. Sergeant Roper stood before us, her expression unreadable.

"Mr. Brody," she greeted, stepping aside to let us in. She was still in her uniform, though I'm sure she had plenty of time to get changed before we arrived.

We entered a cozy living room, the furnishings imposing and tasteful. I noticed a sword mounted on the wall—an actual sword, not a decoration. Nothing about the interior of this home said a cop lived here. No decorations for valor, or anything else one might think would be in a policewoman's home. In fact, it almost seemed too sterile, like it was a prop set for what Hollywood wanted us to think the rich lived in.

Sergeant Roper closed the door, and I heard the lock click into place.

"Why aren't we meeting in the precinct, Sergeant?" I asked, doing my best to keep my cool. Something felt off, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. "I thought I was going to give an official statement on Adam's behavior."

"Please, call me Anna," she said, walking further into the room. We followed, and I noticed Elly and Shayna's shoulders were tense. Charlotte must have picked up on it too. "I want to get this over with," she added under her breath.

This doesn't feel like a social call,

she commented.

Her mind is all over the place.

Anna, or Sergeant Roper as I should probably still call her, led the way deeper into the immaculate home.

"You are here to talk about my nephew," she continued after a moment as we entered a lavish living room, replete with three true leather sofas, a love seat, and a gas fireplace. My stomach dropped as I recognized one of the people already in the room. "My brother insisted that he have an opportunity to discuss things with you before you go ahead and press charges."

Adam sat in a wheelchair near the fireplace with a smug grin on his face. His right arm was still in a cast, a bandage wrapped around his head, both of which I'd seen before. New, however, was what looked like padding—almost like a diaper—around his hips and backside. Other than his smarmy smile, he looked pretty pathetic. It was hard not to smile, knowing that he'd done most of that damage to himself.

Behind him stood an older gentleman, grey liberally suffusing his once-brown hair, who I assumed was Adam's father. The older man had an air of importance and dignity about him that only came from years of holding power. The expensive suit he wore told me this must be his home. There was very few similarities between father and son. Mr. Roper was stout, bordering on pudgy, with a bulbous nose, and a thick grey mustache decorating his upper lip. Two beady brown eyes regarded us as we walked in.

"Thank you, Anna," Mr. Roper said in a dismissive tone. "Be a good sister, and see if my wife needs any help in the kitchen, won't you?" While the words framed it as a question, the tone sounded more like a command.

"You promised you wouldn't speak to him without me here," Anna shot back, standing almost like a shield between her brother and me.

"Quite right," the older man waved dismissively. "I don't intend the boy any harm, though. You have my word. I just want to have a little discussion with him and..." he paused to take in my wives, an look of disgust crossing his already unattractive features. "And these young girls."

I didn't like being called a boy, much less how he treated my wives, but I kept my breath steady instead of crossing the room and showing him what I thought of his family.

Fucking politicians!

Charlotte snarled in my head.

Ever since the Chaos War, they've been taught how to keep their minds from being read. I can't read much from him, but he's being very careful with his thoughts. If he taught his sister, it's no wonder I can barely read her.

After a few tense seconds when Anna didn't comply, Adam spoke up in a syrupy sweet voice. "It's okay, Aunt Anna. We just want to talk and clear up a misunderstanding. Besides, you know my father. We have cameras all over this house, and this conversation will be recorded. Nothing bad will happen to them."

I saw Anna grimace, but after another second or so, she turned to face me, mouthed an apology, then left the room.

"Very good," Mr. Roper said as though everything were going according to his plans. I didn't feel any better about this whole debacle. "Now, if you'd please have a seat, Mr. Brody, there are a couple things I'd like to get cleared up."

I looked between the couch and the love seat, but knew what the old man was trying to do. I didn't doubt that he would remain standing, leaving him in a position of power. Internally, I grinned as I moved toward the love seat. It was only a perception of power, if I let it be.

I sat, and the girls stood behind me. I felt their presence like a comforting blanket, and I turned my head to give them a reassuring smile. They stood on either side of me, and I felt more comfortable.

"So, Bobby," Mr. Roper intoned, dropping the "Mr. Brody" act now that Anna was gone, his eyes never leaving mine. "I've been hearing some interesting things about you."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" I tried to keep my tone light, but it was difficult with the way the man looked down at me. It was obvious that he was accustomed to wielding power and not being questioned as I'd just done.

"Your... unique situation, for one. It's fascinating—and a little disturbing." He placed a hand on his son's shoulder as his eyes roved over the three of us. "Adam here has been telling me some interesting things."

My mouth went dry, and I felt the others tense beside me. "Look, I don't know what—"

"Save it," Mr. Roper interrupted, standing fully upright. "I'm not here to debate whether you're the real Bobby Brody, or some imposter." He paused, and her eyes drifted to something behind me. "As I'm sure you're aware, we're coming up on another election year, and I can't have a scandal popping up right now."

I swallowed, unable to speak. Beside me, Elly and Shayna were utterly silent.

I noted Adam's grin becoming even more cocksure and I felt sick. What were they planning?

"That's all well and good, Mr. Roper, but your son attacked me multiple times without provocation," I said with conviction. "He needs to learn to leave me and my wi—women alone."

His eyes narrowed at my near slip-up, but he chose not to address it.

Mr. Roper looked down at his son, who gave him the fakest, puppy dog eyes I've ever seen.

"So you claim," Mr. Roper said in a tone that made me wonder who he really believed, or if he even cared. "However, I believe my son has suffered enough, don't you? If it really comes down to it, who will the courts believe? My son who can't get around on his own in a wheelchair, or you who appear to be whole and healthy?"

I ground my teeth, but held back from snapping at the man. I wanted nothing more than to tell him what a narcissistic asshole and moron his was, but knew that losing my temper here wouldn't help my case.

"Now then," Mr. Roper said with a satisfied smile when he noted I wasn't going to argue with him. "How much is it going to take to make this little incident become a thing of the past?"

"I'm sorry?" I asked, uncertain what he was getting at. "I don't understand."

"Come now," he said slowly, as though talking to someone on the intelligence level of his son. "Give me a number, and if I think it's reasonable, I'll write you a check right now. I know college isn't cheap, and Adam tells me you just moved in together. Surely we can come to an agreement that will satisfy us all?"

That's when I realized he was trying to bribe me to keep quiet about his son. Maybe I should have realized sooner, but with the Paladonic Knights covering all my expenses, it basically meant I couldn't be bribed. At least, not with money.

I thought carefully over my response before answering. "If Adam can promise to leave us alone, then I can promise the same."

It left a sour taste in my mouth to let him off, but this was better than getting into a huge fight with a politician's son. Even though the Knights had incredible lawyers—like Shayna's father—it wasn't a battle I wanted to get into.

If I thought my words would have sufficed, I would have been wrong. Mr. Roper grimaced before shaking his head.

"Come, now, Mr. Brody," he said, his hand remaining firmly on Adam's shoulder. The cocky kid grimaced and I wondered what kind of grip Mr. Roper was applying. "Surely we can come up with a more agreeable method? One that will cement things between the two of you? Perhaps something a little more official than simple words..."

I can't believe there's a politician that actually

wants

a paper trail,

Charlotte thought at me.

To my surprise, and no small amount of appreciation, it was Shayna who responded.

"My father always told me that if you can't trust a man's handshake, then you can't trust anything he does."

The room felt like it was closing in on us. I looked from Mr. Roper to my wives, seeing the support in the ladies' eyes.

Before Mr. Roper could answer, we were interrupted by a newcomer.

"Dinner is ready," said an older woman with a very slight accent, dressed in plane but nice clothes. Looking at her, I knew immediately that this was Adam's mother. Despite the gender difference, there were enough similarities that I'd have to be blind to miss them. Where Adam was a very attractive man, his mother was probably a stunner in her heyday. Even with her plainer clothes, I could tell that she had a decent figure underneath, though she wasn't on par with Charlotte's goth form.

"Dammit, woman!" Mr. Roper snapped. "Can't you see we're in the middle of a discussion? I'm sure whatever you made will hold for a couple more minutes."

"Yeah, mom!" Adam piped in. "Can't you see we're busy in here?

Just then, my stomach let out a thunderous and unmistakable rumble. I hadn't thought I was hungry, but my body decided to inform me otherwise. Chagrined, I placed my hands over my stomach as I felt my cheeks heat up.

You can thank me later for that,

Charlotte informed me, and I realized my stomach's impromptu dying whale call was her doing.

Mr. Roper looked at me with disgust while Adam snickered.

"We weren't planning on—" Shayna began to speak into the silence, but Mr. Roper cut her off.

"Nonsense, little girl. We invited you into our home, simple hospitality dictates that we at least share a small meal." Despite the wording, his tone gave away his displeasure at the situation.

Once again, I found myself grinding my teeth at the way he treated my wives. Everything was, "little this," and "little that." And calling them "girls," and me, "boy," just to prove that he was bigger and older than us truly annoyed me. Still, I managed to keep my cool as I stood up and faced Mrs. Roper.

Turning up my charm, just because I knew it would get under Adam's skin, I said, "Mrs. Roper, I would be delighted to share a meal with you and Sergeant Roper."

Perhaps I overdid it, but I watched as a deep crimson flush worked its way up the older woman's cheeks. She gave a very girlish giggle, but it was Anna Roper that spoke next.

"No can do from me," Anna stated as she moved to leave. "I just got a call. It appears a couple of teenagers are harassing the faun the runs the convenience store down on 130th. Mitchell, I expect you will... Who am I kidding? You'll do whatever you're going to do, as always. Just be aware that I plan on making a call upon Bobby in the morning to make sure everything is above board."

Mr. Roper seemed both offended and somehow bored by his sister. "Everything I do is above board. Now, scurry along. You being an upstanding police officer looks good for my candidacy."

"Yeah, I remember from when we were kids," I heard Anna mutter under her breath too quiet for anyone without super hearing to hear. Then she stepped up next to me and met my eyes. "My brother is a big shot senator, so he has lots of pull. Play your cards right and he can set you up for life, but you'll always be in his pocket."

With that cryptic statement, she left.

Mr. Roper rolled his eyes before barking at his wife, "Get Adam into the kitchen and make sure he doesn't need anything, woman!"

I grimaced as his wife bowed her head and murmured an agreement. If it weren't for the situation, I would have found it hilarious. Here was a guy who was a bigwig in politics, but treated everyone around him like dirt. Except for Adam, of course.

Shayna and Elly seemed to be thinking the same thing, because I felt them relax behind me. We followed the woman into a large kitchen, and I saw Adam grimace as his mother pushed him into the room.

It was obvious that the Roper family had money, because this kitchen looked like something out of a magazine. Everything was chrome and gleaming white, but it didn't look like it was ever used. I couldn't imagine them cooking any family meals in here.

Mrs. Roper was already back bustling around, putting the finishing touches on what smelled like an amazing meal. Various smells assaulted my nose, and I was surprised to find myself drooling. Despite the feeling that I was in a place way too ritzy for me, I could tell Mr. Roper only cared about appearances.

"Smells delicious, Mrs. Roper," I said, turning on my charm again. "I'm starving!"

"You must be!" she laughed as she moved around, likely commenting on my embarrassing tummy rumble earlier. I noticed she kept her back to her husband and son. "All of you sit, sit. It will just be a minute while I finish up."

As we sat down, the table was laden with an assortment of dishes that looked more like they belonged at a five-star restaurant than a family dinner. The aromas wafting from the various platters were intoxicating. My mouth watered at the sight of the perfectly cooked steak, the golden-brown roast potatoes, and the vibrant green beans. There was even a dish of what looked like homemade macaroni and cheese, which seemed out of place amidst the other, more sophisticated dishes, but I wasn't going to complain.