Jared (Bachelors and Babies Book 7) by Charlene Raddon

Author:Charlene Raddon [Raddon, Charlene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Bachelors and Babies, Book 7
Publisher: Charlene Raddon
Published: 2019-11-30T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

St. Louis, Missouri

Skelly Bernard stormed through his house on Bascom Street, slamming doors and kicking a black and white cat. Reaching his desk, he waited until the two men trailing him had entered and his assistant, Rupert, shut the door. After removing his coat and handing it to Rupert, he smoothed back his darkening blonde hair and addressed the second man, Chips Donahue, his head of security.

“All right, Chips. Bring me up to date. Any word from Blackie?’

“No, sir.” The tall, burly man stood with his feet spread, hands behind his back. The perfect image of a hireling, but Skelly knew better.

“No? What the hell is the man doing? You did wire him, didn’t you, with the address I told you to give him?” He struck his desk with his fist. “Tell me, damn you!”

Rupert, his assistant edged closer to the door as if Skelly wouldn’t notice. Chips simply looked at his employer, his face inscrutable.

“I apologize, sir.” Chips didn’t even blink. “I paid that telegrapher to send his boy here the minute he gets any word from Blackie.”

Skelly stalked around the desk to face the man nose to nose. He enjoyed getting into people’s personal space and making them nervous. The fact that Chips showed no reaction at all added to his ire. “Go there yourself and check again.”

“Yes, sir.” Spinning on his heel, the man left the room.

Rupert hugged his ledger to his chest and stared, adding to Skelly’s ire. Uttering a curse, he strode to his liquor cabinet and poured a finger of whiskey. Tipping back his head, he swallowed the golden liquid in one gulp. “That’s better.”

After refilling his glass, this time with two fingers worth, he returned to his desk and sat down, his feet propped on the gleaming rosewood top. “What did you learn from the ticket master at the depot?”

“Someone broke into the ticket office and ravaged the place. They ripped up ledgers and logbooks, broke lamps and made a general mess of the place. They’re still cleaning up and haven’t yet found the ledger listing tickets sold in the last three days.”

“Incompetent slugs,” Skelly muttered. “Send a message to McCurdle that I need to talk to him.”

“Very well, sir.”

Rupert nearly managed to escape before Skelly stopped him. “How is Annie, Rupert?”

“Very well, sir. Nurse told me she spent an hour in her bubble bath, playing with her dolls.”

Skelly strode toward him, making the coward back out of the way. “Good. I’m going up for my afternoon visit.”

He marched to the stairs, pausing halfway up to force the cat to squeeze between two balusters and jump. On the second floor, he unlocked a door, then entered. A pretty woman in her twenties sat on the floor rearranging furniture in a doll house. “Hello, my sweet. Feel like spending some time with me?”

“Always, Skelly,” she answered. “But…have you seen my kitty? I want my kitty.”

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