Dealing with the Past, page 1
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Note from the Publisher
Dedication
Trademarks Acknowledgement
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
About the Author
Also by Toni Griffin
Reviews
A Silver Publishing Book
Dealing with the Past
Copyright © 2013 by Toni Griffin
E-book ISBN: 9781614959069
First E-book Publication: March 2013
Cover design by Reese Dante
Editor: Jason Huffman
All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Silver Publishing
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden.
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This book is written in Australian English.
PUBLISHER
www.SPSilverPublishing.com
Note from the Publisher
Dear Reader,
Thank you for your purchase of this title. The authors and staff of Silver Publishing hope you enjoy this read and that we will have a long and happy association together.
Please remember that the only money authors make from writing comes from the sales of their books. If you like their work, spread the word and tell others about the books, but please refrain from sharing this book in any form. Authors depend on sales and sales only to support their families.
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Lodewyk Deysel
Publisher
Silver Publishing
http://www.spsilverpublishing.com
Dedication
To Freddy. You know why… *Tackle hugs*
In his words: To my arsehole brother whom I love dearly and without his words of encouragement and gentle nudging I wouldn't have been able to meet my deadline.
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
VW Bug: Volkswagen Aktiengesellshaft Company
Bluetooth: Bluetooth SIG Inc.
Outlook - Windows: Microsoft Corporation
Mitsubishi Triton: Mitsubishi Motors
Glock: Glock, Inc.
Real Steel (movie 2011): DreamWorks II Distribution Co., L.L.C.
Wolverine (movie character): 20th Century Fox
Blu-ray: Blu-ray Disc Association non-profit mutual benefit corporation
Bones: 20th Century Fox Television
Chapter 1
Jackson Thomson sat at his desk, slowly working his way through the unending pile of e-mails currently clogging his inbox. His last appointment for the day cancelled so he found himself with an unexpected amount of free time on his hands. It was a welcome reprieve after all the work he had been doing recently. Considering he was part of the family business, free time was valuable and needed to be used wisely.
Being a necromancer meant Jackson didn't keep regular office hours like most people. There was no way in hell he would be getting up to go into the office at eight in the morning after spending god knows how many hours in a cemetery the previous night. He could raise three or four people per night though. However, he was limited to fifteen minutes of being able to converse with them before his power started to give out on him, unlike his brother.
Jackson just recently found out that he wasn't anywhere near as powerful as his youngest brother, Jayden. Jayden had raised his mate's brother and allowed the pair to talk and write a book for almost the entire night. This had also gone on nearly every night for a month. Jackson had been both angry at his brother for keeping his ability from his family and in awe of what his baby bro could do.
Jackson needed roughly an hour of time between appointments so he could recoup his powers. So, Jackson usually got to work sometime between nine and ten then left about four in the afternoon. This, along with spending anywhere between three and five hours in a cemetery most nights had him feeling exhausted ninety per cent of the time and was usually the reason behind his foul moods.
He had tried to sleep during the day, before he went to the cemetery, but he'd ended up with a headache every time and that left him feeling out of sorts. So instead he slept after he was done for the night. Jackson usually managed to crawl into bed somewhere between one and two most mornings, if he was lucky a little earlier.
He knew his exhaustion had been one reason behind the way he'd treated Jayden when everything had come to light earlier in the year. That and the fact his baby brother had found his mate when Jackson had been looking for his for the past ten years. He hadn't thought it fair that Jayden seemed to get everything. All the power and a mate. Jackson knew he had been a complete and total ass to his youngest brother. However, his mouth had just seemed to run away from him before he could even think about what was coming out of it. His jealousy and envy had burned hot and bright and unfortunately resulted in the vitriol that had spewed forth from his mouth.
Jackson knew he had hurt Jayden, hell, apparently he'd been doing it unconsciously for years. That little fact had knocked him for six. Jackson had always been Mr Popular in school, he was good at any sport he tried and had always found classes and study easy. He supposed this had allowed him to get a rather large ego and apparently, an attitude to match. The fact that his baby brother had come out of left field and announced he was more powerful than Jackson had smarted a little and helped fuel his emotions.
Causing any of his family pain was unacceptable to Jackson and finding out he'd been doing it for years hit him hard. After Jayden had been shot—when he'd accidentally raised six murdered women, something Jackson still had trouble wrapping his mind around—Jackson took time to talk things out with his brother afterwards. Jayden had been hesitant at first, which made Jackson's heart ache that he'd hurt Jayden so badly he hadn't really wanted to talk with him.
Thankfully Jayden's mate, Noah, had encouraged Jayden to listen to what Jackson had to say. They had talked for hours, along with their other brothers, and managed to resolve a lot of their issues. Jackson couldn't say things were perfect, as it had only been a few months, but he now knew the way Jayden had viewed him for years. Therefore, he could fix the problem. Things were a great deal better than they were and, hopefully with time, they would continue to improve.
Jackson cringed when he remembered the dressing down his mum had given him and his brothers over their treatment of Jayden and even Noah. He knew things must have gotten bad for her to get involved. Jessica Thompson was sorely outnumbered by men in their family. Eight to one was not good odds anyway you looked at it. But Jackson thought his mum and dad had done a fantastic job raising him and his six brothers. With so many boys under one roof, there were bound to be fights. His mum and dad had allowed them to work out their differences themselves, only stepping in when they thought it was truly needed.
It'd been needed this time. Jackson hadn't even been aware of the way he and the rest of his siblings were treating Jayden.
He was glad Jayden had found his mate and Noah was a good match for his baby bro. The man was protective as hell and had no trouble telling Jackson exactly what he thought of him. Thankfully, as Jackson and Jayden had worked through their issues, Noah thawed towards him.
Jackson shook his head, trying to get his mind back onto the job in front of him, but it didn't seem to be working. His brain felt foggy from lack of sleep and staring at the computer screen was doing nothing but straining his eyes.
He had just come to the decision to pack up and leave a little earlier today and hopefully get some shut-eye before his first appointment at the cemetery tonight when there was a knock on his door.
"Come in." Jackson groaned, it seemed he wasn't quite fast enough.
Jayden walked into his office looking a little frazzled. He glanced around and seemed relieved when he noticed Jackson didn't have a client with him. Jackson knew right then he was about to kiss goodbye any chance he had of leaving work early.
"What can I do for you, Jayden?" he asked, knowing he wasn't going to like the answer.
"Umm… Can you take my last appointment of the day? I've just been asked to consult on a murder case and no one else is available." Jayden didn't look too happy about being called away. Since his powers had been reveale
Knowing he would do anything to help his brother after the way he had treated him Jackson nodded. "Yeah, man, no worries. Go do what you need to. When's your next appointment due?" he asked.
"Aiden Montgomery should be here in about fifteen minutes. Here's his file," Jayden said as he stepped forward and handed it to Jackson.
Jackson hadn't even noticed it, what did that say about how tired he felt? "I'll take care of it, don't worry," he said as he took the file and set it on his desk.
"Thanks, bro, I owe you one."
"No, you don't. Just go do what you need to do."
Jayden smiled at him then turned and headed for the door.
"Oh and Jayden…" He waited for his brother to turn back to him.
"Yeah?"
"Get some rest, you look like shit." Jackson chuckled lightly. "Go home and cuddle with that wonderful mate of yours." The smile on Jayden's face was worth it.
"As soon as I'm finished with this damn consult that's exactly what I plan to do. Thanks again," Jayden said, then walked out of Jackson's office.
Jackson sighed. God, he would give anything to have someone at home waiting for him. Someone he could cuddle up with after his long and exhausting days. Someone who cared if Jackson worked too much and was willing to stand up and tell him he needed to step back and take some time. Someone he could fuck into the mattress and snuggle with afterwards. It was a true testament to his state of exhaustion that the thought of fucking his yet unknown mate's tight rear end didn't even get a flicker of interest below his belt.
Resigned to staying for a while longer, Jackson turned his thoughts away from things he didn't have—didn't know if he would ever be lucky enough to have them—and concentrated on the file in front of him.
Reading the details listed, Jackson found out that Aiden Montgomery was a thirty-two year old whose partner of three years had died unexpectedly of heart failure while he had been at work several months previously. He'd never gotten to say goodbye to his love and wanted this one opportunity to do so. It looked to be a very clear-cut, easy case, leaving Jackson to wonder why the hell it had ended up on Jayden's pile, as nothing this mundane had been given to him in months.
Deciding to concentrate on things he could control, Jackson closed the file and placed it to the side before going back to his e-mails. Fifteen minutes later, there was another knock at his door.
"Come in," he called out.
Frannie, the company secretary, opened the door but was looking at someone else as she spoke. "As I said, Mr Montgomery, we're very sorry but Mr Thompson was called away at the last minute on urgent business. Mr Thompson here has gladly accepted your case and is willing to squeeze you into his busy schedule."
Frannie swept her arm into the room, clearly indicating Mr Montgomery should enter.
Jackson stood behind his desk, ready to greet his new client, when the man walked into the office. Aiden Montgomery was nothing short of stunning. The man stood roughly five-eight in height, his curly blond hair just long enough Jackson could take a firm hold at the height of pleasure. His hazel eyes seemed a little dull, which, given the circumstances of their meeting, Jackson understood. Aiden's nose looked to be the prefect size for his face and his soft, light pink lips looked so kissable Jackson ran his tongue over his suddenly dry lips.
He eyed his client up and down, noting the slight pooch to his belly, which added to the overall attractiveness of the man. He had never really been interested in twinks who looked like nothing more than a bag of bones. He liked the feel of a nice soft body, nothing worse than taking a hold of his partner while trying to fuck them stupid and feeling their bones through a very thin layer of skin.
Jackson's eyes travelled back up the man's body until he met Aiden's face. He was taken aback slightly by the open hostility staring back at him.
"No way. No fucking way," Aiden Montgomery spat.
To say Jackson was confused would be an understatement. Had he offended this man somehow? As far as Jackson was aware, he had never met the man before. Jackson's gut clenched at the thought that he might have done something horrible to this beautiful creature to cause such a reaction. He racked his brain but couldn't seem to come up with anything he might have done. Jackson knew he had been a dick to his brother but he didn't believe he could be so horrible to someone to react like that.
"I'm sorry?" he asked questioningly. "Let me introduce myself, I'm—" Jackson didn't get any further before he was interrupted.
"I know exactly who you are, Jackson." Vitriol practically dripped as the man said his name.
Before he could react, Aiden Montgomery spun on his heel and left his office.
"What the hell just happened here?" he asked Frannie, who still stood in the doorway looking slightly confused and uncertain.
"Beats the hell out of me, but I suggest if you want to find out, you better get your ass into gear," she said as she waved in the direction his client had stormed off.
He rounded the desk and was on his way out of his office before he could even form the thought of going after the other man. He jogged lightly across the open lobby of their office and caught up to Aiden just before he reached the front doors.
Jackson reached out and grabbed Aiden's arm to stop him from leaving. Jackson gasped as electric shocks immediately started to tingle in his skin where he touched Aiden's arm. They coursed through his body and made a straight line to below his belt. Jackson gasped as the meaning behind this broke through his jumbled thoughts.
Aiden Montgomery spun around fast. He drew his right arm back and let fly with a punch that landed squarely on Jackson's jaw. Not expecting the hostile move, Jackson hadn't had an opportunity to plant his body and, as such, ended on his ass in the middle of the lobby floor. It wasn't like he was trained in any form of martial arts or anything. Hell, he would never lift a hand against someone so much smaller than him. A quick flash back to high school days long past by had him recognising that fact hadn't always been true.
"Fuck," Aiden said as he shook his hand out.
Jackson agreed. His jaw was killing him. He looked around as movement caught his eye and noticed his family descending on them. They all stopped and stared at Aiden when the man spoke again.
"Don't touch me. Don't you ever touch me. I always promised myself that if I ever saw you again, I would do that. And now I hate myself so much for stooping to your level." Aiden's eyes became shiny as the man fought back tears.
"What's going on here?" his father asked in a stern voice. That's exactly what Jackson wanted to know.
"Just a minute, Dad," Jackson said before facing his client again. "Have we met before?" He was genuinely curious as to what he had done to cause this stunning man hurt in the past. The more Jackson looked at him, the more something niggled at the back of his brain, telling him that he should know Aiden Montgomery. At the moment, he just couldn't seem to think straight enough to be able to place him.
Aiden gasped as he stared at Jackson, still on the floor. Utter horror and disbelief clouded his beautiful features before he turned and fled the office.
Jackson didn't move from where he sat on the ground, but just watched in surprise and confusion as the door quietly closed after the fleeing Aiden.
The silence in the office became almost oppressive before his father finally broke it. "Would someone please tell me who the hell that was and why in the world he took a swing at one of my sons?"
Jackson knew his father was addressing him, even if his questions were asked to everyone. James Thompson's eyes never wavered from Jackson's still prone form. He didn't really know how he felt at the moment. He had so many emotions coursing through his body all at once he felt like one big jumbled mess. One thing he did know was that he needed to figure out where he knew Aiden from and what in the world he had done to hurt the man.
