Donald: Dalton’s Kiss: Vampire Paranormal Romance (Dalton's Kiss Book 3), Kathi Barton [8 ebook reader .txt] 📗

“Don’t promise her anything you have no intention of making come to fruition. She trusts that everyone who uses that word is only saying what they think she wants to hear. As I said, she’s been hurt. Not just by Mike, but by a lot of people.” Pfeiffer looked at him then and told him something she knew she shouldn’t. “You’d be blown away by how many people owe her money. I’ve seen the invoices she sends out and how they’re past due, some of them for the past few years of nonpayment. Not your fault, and I’m sure she knows that too, but promises mean nothing to her after being burnt so many times. Even our mother made promises that she never intended to keep. Grannie, I think, is the only person in this world that she trusts more than she does even herself.”

“Do you have a list of the people who owe her?” Pfeiffer said she did. “I’d like it, please. Not that I’ll go behind her back, but I can check out the reason they’re not paying her. It might be something as simple as they’re having money issues. I don’t believe that, not for this long past due, but I would like to see what I can find out about each of the companies.”

She wrote down the names she could remember. There were a lot more, she told him, but she didn’t know all their names. When she handed what she could remember over to him, she put her hand over his.

“She won’t be happy with either of us if you fuck this up. And while she might not be able to hurt you herself, you can bet that I won’t have any qualms about selling my soul to someone to have your throat ripped out. Do you understand me? She’s my baby sister, and I won’t have you treading over her heart so you can get a good lay.” Don nodded, then smiled at her. “Why on earth do you find that to be funny?”

“Grannie said the same thing to me not an hour ago. What she also told me was that if I fucked around and didn’t make her fall in love with me, and soon, that she’d castrate me. I believed her, and now you. But I won’t hurt her if I can help it. Never physically. I might hurt her by helping her, but I don’t think that is what you mean.” She told him it wasn’t. “Then good. We’re on the same page.” He stood up and didn’t leave right away but looked to the doorway where CJ had gone. “There will be money enough to keep you from worrying by the end of the day if you’ll give me your information. Also, you should know that I, too, have been hurt, but not by a woman. My father. I’ll tell you about it someday. But for now, thank you for trusting me with this. You’ve no idea how much this means to me.”

“See that you don’t fuck it up.” He said he’d not then kissed her on the forehead. Looking at Gwyneth, she asked if she’d just made it worse. “I don’t want either of them hurt, but if she can have someone love her, a forever love, then I’ll help as much as I can.”

“Don is a good boy, Pfeiffer. One of the best, next to my grandson. When he says he’ll do something, you can bank on it unless something else comes along to keep him from doing it.” Pfeiffer said she could understand that. “Good girl. Now, do you need anything from me to get the rest of this project finished up?”

“No. Just leave me to it, and I’ll have them organized in no time.” Most of it was already done, Gwyneth pointed out as she left the room. “I work when I’m stressed.”

Gwyneth was still laughing when she left the room. These were an odd bunch of people. They all laughed at the strangest things. Pulling another pile to her, Pfeiffer got to work on it. She didn’t know what she was in for, but for now, she was doing something she loved. Organizing.

~*~

Don just sat on the deck when he noticed that CJ was talking. It took him several minutes to realize she wasn’t speaking to herself as he had thought but to a faerie. He wondered then how she’d ended up with a faerie. It must be a wonderful story. Watching her, he saw her turn to look at him before she finally stood up. That was when he noticed that not only did she not have on a coat, but no shoes either. She sat in the other chair, and the faerie sat on his bent knee.

“I’m Cody.” Don told him he was happy to meet him. “Thank you, sir. I have some information I can share with you. It’s about Ms. CJ here. She’s got a man looking for her. Not a company as I thought at first, but a single man. I’ve told her that—”

“Why are you telling me, Cody, and not my mate?” He glanced over at CJ, then back at him. “Has she told you she’s not speaking to me, or—?”

“No, I didn’t tell him shit. He’s telling you so I can think about what he said. But if you want to think everything revolves around you, then I’ll tell you. The person who is looking for me is a vampire. Old, but that’s about all he knows. Cody also told me I don’t know him.” Don asked if she knew why he was looking for her. “Bancroft. This vampire, who I wasn’t aware of him being a vamp, is one of the many people I knew were looking for the other man, but I don’t know why. Again, because of the Internet situation.”

“What’s his name?” She told him. “I’ve heard that name before. I can ask around to the other vamps here and see what