Lies Don't Matter Chapter 12 Part 2

Lies Don’t Matter

By

Julia Matthews

Adult M/M Content

If under 18 leave sight

Unedited Story

My dragon whimpered but knew Charlie wouldn’t harm his other half. Charlie was the only on that my dragon felt comfortable letting Cree be comforted by. It had been hard as hell to convince my dragon to let Cree continue to live with her Mr. and Mrs. Hodges. Hindsight told me my dragon picked up Rex’s deception before Charlie and I.

Cree buried his head  in Charlie’s chest making my vision turn red. Clear sign that my dragon was reaching his boiling point. Again. Another explosion wouldn’t end well, which I had to avoid, so I scooted closer to Cree and Charlie. Together the two would soothe me.

“Sweetie, you’ve got to tell us what is bothering you. It’s the only way we can help.” I rested my hand on her back, making soothing circles as Charlie coaxed her into talking. “you know we won’t’ let them take you. You know they can’t since we have the proof.”

Hoped those papers were legal, if not . . . well . . . wasn’t going down that dragon pathway.

“I don’t understand this.” Cree hiccupped and reached back, resting his hand on my leg. “I wanted you two to explain what you knew but they are . . . I know you have to make calls and they are . . . Agent Carter killed my parents. Those people assisted in some way. That I’m sure of.” He moved so his cheek was pressed against Charlie’s chest and wiped his face. I’d not seen Cree this upset before. It grated at both sides of me. Took all my strength to refrain from rushing out there and tearing Agent Carter and the Stones in half. No one had the right to upset my man. No one had the right to push him to his emotional breaking point. Nope.

I ran my thumb over his chin, holding it in place when he tried to look away. “Baby, you trust Mr. Davis to take care things, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then let him and us handle it.” I expected him to buck, any other time he would have thrown a fit about being left out, but I got a huge bright smile. “Want to lay down?”

“Can I have some Aspirin?”

What? I’d heard wrong. I glanced over Cree’s head and saw Charlie’s eyes wide open. Cree never asked for medication, not even when she had surgery. Rex and Grace had to bribe her take the antibiotic the doctor prescribed.

“Sure.” I kissed the back of her head and made my way to the hallway bathroom.

* * *

Mrs. Stone leaned against the wall across from the door. I paused and waited to see if she was going to speak. When she didn’t, I took a moment to study the woman. She had red hair like Cree and a similar set of brown eyes. Cree took on more of Rex’s masculine features. The angular facial structure, deep dented chin, and high forehead enhanced Cree’s appearance. Her long, muscular legs were the biggest sexual draw for me. I loved when he wrapped those around my body while we made love.

“I’d like to see my daughter.” Raquel’s tone was soft and level but held a bit of tightness.

“Your son.” I snapped then took in a deep breath. “Mr. Logan answered you earlier.” I got two steps towards the bathroom when I turned and said, “Do not go near that door.”

“Why, dragon, afraid I’ll see something I shouldn’t?”

I shoved my dragon deeper inside as I walked into the bathroom.

“You know we won’t allow her and you to become one.”

Footsteps trickled behind me as I bit back my rude comment. Seconds later Mr. Davis, Mr. Stone, and Agent Carter appeared.

“Mrs. Stone,” Mr. Davis waved back down the hallway, “You had no permission to come this far inside.”

“I have the right to speak with my daughter.”

Mr. Davis moved his head towards me. “Did she bother Cree?”

“No. Mr. Logan answered the door and Cree refused to see her, so he told her to speak with you.” I held up the bottle of aspirin. “I need to take these to Cree, excuse me.”

“Tell Cree I’ll be in to talk with her in a few minutes.”

“Will do, Mr. Davis.” Charlie walked into the hallway before I could make it back to the door. “He okay?”

“Yes, but asking for you. Go tend to him. I’ll see to Mr. Davis and Agent Carter.”

Wished I could be in two places at once. I wanted to know more about what Mr. Davis and the three of the life-invading goons were doing and wanted to be with Cree. Cree won out over everything. He was my other half. His happiness was what mattered the most, but before I could go to Cree he stepped into the hallway. The stone-cold face told me Raquel was about to see just how strong and independent her child was.

Lies Don't Matter Chapter 12 Part 1

Lies Don’t Matter

By

Julia Matthews

Adult M/M Content

If under 18 leave sight

Unedited Story

Chapter 12

Hop

Red consumed my mind. Fear for Cree had overrode his common sense a few other times, but never to the  point his dragon talons expanded. If Charlie hadn’t been there . . . There’d been a dragon in the middle of his hallway. Owned the man big time.

Two more deep breaths and pure determination to put one foot in front of the other carried him further into the house. Further Cree and me were from those invaders the less my dragon yanked for freedom. Luckily, Cree hadn’t been paying attention to my fingers. Didn’t need him getting that kind of a crash course on dragon’s existence.

“You okay?” Charlie asked as he shut the living room door behind me and Cree.

“Will be.”

Warmth swarmed over my body as Cree slid his arms around me. “Sorry.”

“Why?” I kissed the tip of his nose. “You did nothing wrong.”

“I provoked them.”

He had, but not like he didn’t have the right to kiss me whenever he desired. He was mine. I was his. We’d be married in a year, no matter what Raquel Dray-Stone said. Cree had belonged to me since the day she gave birth to him. The story Raquel and Carter believed was simply a that, a story. Not that the story was a problem anymore. The child Raquel gave birth to was a little girl. Cree had ceased, mentally, being a girl since he was a teenager. Physically, Cree gave up his female body when he turned eighteen. The story that Raquel and Carter feared coming to life held no validity. Cree was full on man. I could vouch for that. Even if Cree had continued to be a female their story was full of shit. A child of ours would be the heir to the dragon, not a destroyer of the world.

“Baby,” Cree ran a finger down my arm, “you okay?”

Worry clung to his voice, making me nod. “Think I should be asking you that.”

“Huh?”

“You decked that prick.” I picked up his hand, pressing a soft kiss to the top of it. “Did you bust your hand?”

“Nope.” Cree let me turn his hand over and over.

“Hop, you are fussing. Cree knows how to throw a punch.” Charlie might have said it, but I saw him studying Cree’s hand.

“You taught her well.” I tugged Cree to the sofa. “Might as well take a seat.”

“Seems like we might be in here a few minutes.” Charlie tossed his head towards the door. “Sounds as if Mr. Davis is giving Agent Carter a lesson about not controlling the outsiders he brings.”

Hoped so. The couple needed a good kick in the ass for touching his man. “Why did Agent Carter bring civilians here on official business?”

“Not sure.” Charlie sat down in the huge black leather recliner, crossing his ankles.

“Is he here on official business?”

Good point. My other half was amazing at brining to life aspects my overloaded dragon’s mind couldn’t see. Made me proud but showed me he needed to regain control of his other side. Being distracted with enemies, so to speak, in residence could be deadly for every dragon alive.

A soft knock had Charlie squaring his shoulder and waiting for whoever came through the door. The soft delicate tap told me it wasn’t Mr. Davis.

“May I come in.”

I met Charlie’s eyes and then we shifted them to Cree. He gave a haphazard shrug and said, “What?”

“Is that Raquel?”

Cree nodded.

“Do you want to see her?”

Cree shook his head and shifted her attention not Charlie.

Charlie took his cue like the leader he was. He stood and opened the door enough to see her. “We have nothing to say to you.”

“Please . . . I just want to . . . explain to her.”

I mocked Cree’s shake of the head when Charlie looked back at me.

“Whatever you have to say can be said to his lawyer.”

“Her lawyer.”

Charlie ignored her remark and shut the door, retaking his seat.

Cree drew his legs into his chest. An unconscious move he made when struggling with emotions. He was stronger than most but had limits. And he was nearing his breaking point.

“What is it?” Charlie sat beside him, tugging him away from me.

Cover Reveal for Marked Ones Anthony and Larry

MARKED ONES

ANTHONY AND LARRY

COVER DESIGN BY:  Oliviaprodesign

Larry’s father ran his life since before he was born. He’d never had a typical life thanks to his father’s political life. All Larry knew was that he was to ensure his father’s life never became tainted by his actions. One mistake would keep his father from retaining the highest position among the U.S. Being the son of the President of the Untied States sucked. After watching three Secret Service men die and being taken, blindfolded, and held captive his mindset changed. He knew he had to do something to keep himself from falling into a deep PTSD filled life. What he got was more than Larry dreamed possible.

Anthony never wanted to be a Royal Leader, even though he was born with Bombardian royal blood. Him being in deep love with a man he would have to give up when, and if, he found his Keeper, the man that calmed his beast side, or his Protector, the woman that calmed his beast side. Or most likely would. That wasn’t the case though, because he had neither and hoped to never find one of them. Anthony was on the verge of bringing the love of his life to live with him as he adjusted to the seat of power he’d been born for. Or so he thought.

Lies Don't Matter Chapter 11

Lies Don’t Matter

By

Julia Matthews

Adult M/M Content

If under 18 leave sight

Unedited Story

Chapter 11

Cree

“Damn him.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised that Agent Carter brought Mr. and Mrs. Stone to Godfather’s home. He knew each and every person who visited Godfather. The man had been fixated on bringing down the Logan House for the last five years. It was as if . . .

“Shit!”

Godfather raised both his eyebrows at me. Knew he was curious as to what sprang to my attention, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. There was something about . . .

The limo stopped just out side the front porch and Hop began gathering the other papers from my lap. I rested my hand over his.

“What, baby?”

“Is whatever you guys keeping from me why Agent Carter has been obsessed with our family?”

Godfather and Hop exchanged a shrug of the shoulder. Not one of those kind that tells someone to go ahead and answer, but one that a deep, disgusted sigh accompanied. In Hop and Godfather’s case, it meant they hadn’t considered it.

“Is. Isn’t it?”

“Most likely.” Hop stuffed the papers inside the envelope and handed it to Mr. Davis. “I can tell you more when - -“

“I know. I know. When you tell me the rest.” I plucked the computer from the seat beside him and passed it to Mr. Davis. “Best be around when the other files are opened.”

Mr. Davis’ eyes went wide and drifted to Hop.

Irked me to death when someone in the family treated me less than who I was. “Don’t’ look at him for permission.”

Godfather snorted. Hop huffed. Mr. Davis’ shoulder and hands shook like they did anytime someone used a harsh tone with him. The man appeared to be a weasel among the family, but when it came to a courtroom the man had nerves of steel. Never made sense to me, but who was I to question him.

“Yes, Ma’am.” Mr. Davis lowered his eyes to my chin and stuffed the computer into his briefcase.

“It’s fine.” Hop’s words had Mr. Davis’ pale skin returning to a normal shade and his typical weak smile reformed.

“Uh, “Godfather jerked the limo door shut when the limo driver opened it for him. ‘I’m still waiting to know who is in the backseat.”

“Sir,” Mr. Davis pointed back towards the gate, “That would be Mr. and Mrs. Stone. I suggest we get inside before Agent Carter produces a warrant to enter the premises.’

“He’s right.” Hop pushed the door open and climbed out. “Come on, baby.”

I took his hand and wrapped my arm around his waist as Godfather exited. Mr. Davis brought up the rear as we made our way inside. The moment we entered the house Hop motioned towards Godfather’s office and said, “Make your calls as fast as you can.”

“Sirs,” Mr. Davis laid his main brown briefcase down, “Might be best to stash this where a search warrant can’t reach it.”

“You still have the birth certificate and custody agreement.” I shifted my stand, making Hop tighten his hold on me. Why? What had I done? Did he think I would attack Mr. Davis? The man was trying to help, wasn’t he? Or had . . . Shit. My tone. It always got me into trouble. “Sorry.” I muttered to Hop.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Godfather took the briefcase and made the short truck to his office. I had no idea where he would store the items, but one thing I did know was the Logan House had many, many hidden passages. Some the family members knew about and more no one but Godfather knew. None of them would be accessible to anyone other than the ones Godfather trusted the most.

“I’d make it a quick trip.” I chuckled when he scowled back at me. “What, Godfather, you know Agent Carter will be busting through the gate in a minute or two.”

Hop’s chuckle came along with a kiss. “Don’t antagonize the poor man. He’s already in a foul mood.”

Teasing him was natural for me. It’s what the man needed when he was uptight and stressed. Most feared rattling his cage, but not me. When I was younger it had been a game for me. As I got older it turned into a way to help Godfather. The man had the weight of the entire Logan House on his shoulder. He had to maintain a certain air of appearance, which wasn’t easy on him. Few knew the true him, but I did. The man was loving, caring, and giving. Deserved the same in return. The family members gave him whatever he needed, but Godfather refused to lean on anyone, so when I found small way to take some of his stress, I did so.

“Lave my Godson alone.”

“Yeah, baby, leave me alone.” I elbowed Hop, earning a pinch to the ass. “Oh, baby, don’t’ start fun games when there’s a big bad agent ready to barge into our home.”

Me and Hop making out like any other setoff lovers would be sight for Agent Carter and his partner to see.

“She’s right, Sir.” Mr. Davis dug into his briefcase. “It wouldn’t be wise if Mr. and Mrs. Stone came in with him.”

“Why not?” I wouldn’t mind them getting a first hand taste of who I was. Might run them back to whatever hole they crawled out of.

“They are still playing the game under the assumption that we don’t know the truth about your parents.”

The house phone rang before I could respond. One of the house staff answered it and brought it to Mr. Davis. He took it and had a few words with the caller. He hung up the phone just as Godfather joined them.

“Let me guess, Agent Carter is on his way.”

Mr. Davis nodded at me, but kept his eyes on Godfather’s chest.

“Is he bringing his guest with him?”

Another nod, but still no look my way.

Since Godfather, Mr. Davis, and Hop appeared to be in some kind of silent conversation I began to put my own plan into action. I slipped my hand into Hop’s back pocket, stood on my tiptoes, and kissed him. Not a chaste kiss, but one that would make his cock stiffen in a second. Hop did exactly what I hoped. Deepened the kiss and took over. His hands tugged me closer as his midsection pressed into mine. He pulled a deep groan from me when he sucked my lower lip in between his teeth. We were still lip and body locked when the door opened. Neither of us paid attention to the two gasp and a scream.

The command to break apart was ignored. Only one could tell me to break part from Hop and Godfather had never done so. Any other time, I might have stopped long enough to snap at whoever dared tell me what to do, but Godfather beat me to the punch.

“Don’t you tell my Godson what anything.”

“She isn’t yours. She’s mine.”

Didn’t need to see to know Denny was the one who dared shout inside Godfather’s house. One of his biggest no-no’s was loud noise. It was the one thing I stayed in trouble for during my childhood.

No telling how far Hop would have taken the make out session if I hadn’t been yanked away from him. I spun around, landing a fist against someone’s jaw. Hop snarled and ran towards me. Godfather blocked his path and jerked me behind him all in one motion.

“Take her.” Godfather’s words were not even out of his mouth before Hop had his nose buried in my neck, inhaling. I scooted closer to him, letting him calm himself. I’d only seen Hop so worked up once or twice before. Both times had taken him an our hour or two to regain his composure.

“Mr. Logan, take Cree and Hop into the living room.” Mr. Davis said.

“Come you two.” Godfather gave us a small push down the hallway.

Lies Don't Matter Chapter 10 Part 2

Lies Don’t Matter

By

Julia Matthews

Adult M/M Content

If under 18 leave sight

Unedited Story

I leaned back and opened one of the files and read through a financial record. One thing was clear, Rex Hodges left his child well off. Pretty much everything the man had belonged to Cree. I read over the list of properties, taking note of how may homes the Hodges had. That’s what was odd. Rex Hodges had a good job, but . . . Charlie had been keeping them living in such a lifestyle he saw befitting his Godson.

The Logan House records proved how much money Rex Hodges brought in from his job. Each den was required to keep monthly records on each member. Father instated the rule when some of the den began wasting money and ended up living off of the dues each member paid. The Logan House never had a money problem, but still they kept records. Charlie took it one step further by requiring a list of all property each member owned and who took care of the properties.

Since Charlie gave the Hodges money so Cree would have what he deemed a suitable lifestyle, there had been even more attention paid to their incoming and outgoing money. Begs the question of how Rex managed to hide ten homes in ten different states. Someone had to helping him. Who? Another dragon? Dragon balls . . . I hoped not. That would be enough to force Charlie into an Ice Dragon tantrum. It’s never a pretty sight to see a grown dragon huff and puff white clouds that freezes everything within a mile radius. It’s have to be brought to Charlie’s attention, but not then. There were other stuff to look at. I closed the file and opened four jpeg files. A photo copy of Cree’s birth certificate, listing Rex Hodges and Raquel Dawn Dray as her parents. The date matched the date we knew belonged to Cree.

“Mr. Davis, will this help?”

Mr. Davis studied the computer screen as I turned it to him. He leaned forward and back a couple of times, nodding and grinning. “It will if it’s true. Would be better if we had the physical copy.”

“Can’t we get that?” Cree twisted around, stretching his legs onto my lap and resting his head against Charlie’s side.

“I would think so.” I opened another photo soon as Mr. Davis nodded his agreement.

“I have it at home.” Charlie ruffled Cree’s hair as he took a sip of his drink.

“Does it match that one?” Mr. Davis pointed at the computer I was once again focused on.

Charlie’s sigh had me frowning up at him when Cree jerked his feet from my lap. The look on Charlie’s face tore at my chest, but I knew there was nothing that was going to ease the pain that Rex Hodges had created in the man.

“Guess not. It states Zoe Gail Hodges.”

“This might help, though.” I motioned for Mr. Davis to scoot over. “It appeared to be an agreement of custody dated before Cree was born.”

Mr. Davis lifted his hand for the computer and I glanced at Cree, who agreed with me. I passed the lawyer the computer and went to rubbing Cree’s leg. Past time of mine that I found contragitic.

“Once again the actual papers would be better.”

Course they would. Photos could be doctored. Rex left so much in that safe box, why not what they really needed.

“Dad would not have left only photocopies.” Cree tugged the briefcase they’d taken inside over and began digging through it.

She tugged out a long envelope, which had me lifting and eyebrow at Mr. Davis.

“Files that was inside the box. Didn’t think about checking them. We’d gone for the computer not passports, money, and envelops.”

“Mistake on your part.” I shook my head at the lawyer’s nonchalant attitude. The moment Mr. Davis saw the jpeg it should have clicked in his mind to check the other papers.

“I forgot to. “Cree pulled several sheets of paper from the long envelope. “Looks like,” she shuffled through several stapled sheets, handing one or two to Charlie.

“Here it is.” I took the sheet she offered me. “It’s her birth certificate.”

“This is the agreement Rex made with Raquel.” Charlie passed the pack of papers to Mr. Davis.

The limo’s partition parted and the driver said, “Sir, there’s an unmarked cruiser sitting outside your gate. Appears to be four inside.”

I glanced out the tinted window as we drove through the iron-rod gate. There was no denying who sat in the front. “Agent Carter and his partner, Douglass Rakes. Don’t know the other two, but they don’t appear to be cops.”

Cree gave a great impression of a dog snarling as he muttered something I couldn’t understand. The sound alone had me scooting to the edge of my seat, blocking him from any possible danger. The dragon inside me hissed and demanded out. Took me a few minutes to gain control, if Cree hadn’t spoken Charlie might have had to buy a new limo