Unstoppable Force (Force of Nature Series) by Kathi S. Barton Read Free Book Online Page A

think that Ginger had come looking for him, but when he looked in the
peephole, he saw the manager there again.
    “I would ask that you move on. We’ve
talked it over, the missus and I, and we’ve decided that we don’t want your
kind here.”
    Dean snorted at him and the man flushed.
    “We might have the lower end of the
economy staying here, but that doesn’t mean we have to keep people like you
here.”
    “People like me. What is people like
me?” The man looked back toward the office and Dean saw the woman, the missus,
he presumed. “Oh, I see. You’re pussy-whipped. Should have known someone… No
problem, buddy. Wouldn’t want you to get in dutch with the bitch now, would we?”
    “Now see here. You can’t talk to me that—”
    Dean cut him off with a raise of his
hand. “You know as well as I do that you’re only down here giving me shit 'cause
she’s making you. Okay. I’ll be gone by the morning.” Dean closed to door in
the guy’s face and sat on the bed. He was simply going to go. He eyed the
television and grinned. ‘Course he was gonna make sure they remembered him when
he left too.
    About two hours after the owner left,
Dean had everything packed up that he was taking. His stuff was already in the
car, but it was the rest he was waiting on. He looked at his pile. Yeah, this
was going to put him down as the worst case kind of stayer.
    The blankets he’d folded nice and neat. The
spread was ugly, but he was taking it too. The pillows were tied together with
the towels he’d not used, as well as the coffee pot and all the toilet paper. He’d
put all those things into the laid out shower curtain. The television was going
to be a bitch to sneak out—it must have weighed a ton—as well as the two lamps
and the alarm clock. He couldn’t take the table or chairs, but he had plans for
them too. They weren’t going to be fit for the trash heap when he walked out
the door. Yeah, Dean thought, he was going to make a splash.
    It took him three trips to his car. And
another one to take care of the furniture. He’d had to leave the television
after all. He’d accidentally dropped it when he’d tried to lift it off the
stand. How the hell was he supposed to know that the fucker was screwed down? Busting
up the furniture had the guy next to him bitching so Dean was glad as hell that
he’d waited to do it until the other crap was packed away. He was pulling out
of the shit hole when the cops pulled in. Dean was still laughing when he got
to the second stop sign. That’s when he saw it. Release to Work Program. Hot
damn, she’d be there. Damned girl was nothing but a pain in the ass and just
this side of the law. He was grinning when he wrote down the information and
who to contact. George Taylor, County Judge. And there it was. A fine list of
who was helping him out. Dean pulled the sign out of the dirt and tossed it in
the back with the rest of his shit. He whistled as he drove down the street in
search of another shit hole to live in.
    ~~~
    Nancy had to sit down. That poor girl. That
poor, poor girl. She wiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks and blew her
nose for the second time since she’d left the bedroom. Nancy looked up when
Connor walked into the room.
    “What is it?” He dropped to his knees in
front of her. “What happened, Mom? Tell me.”
    “Oh Connor, that girl. She’s—”
    “Damn it. She can be pissed at me all
she wants, but if she makes you cry then I won’t have it.”
    Nancy looked at him, stunned.
    “I’ll take care of her. Just stay away
from her until I get—what the hell?”
    She hit him again with her wooden spoon.
She hoped this time she’d knock some sense into him. She stood up, glared at
him, and thought about hitting him again for good measure.
    “Sit.”
    He moved to the opposite chair and sat
rubbing his head.
    “Have I… Did I say to you that she was
mean to me? Indicate it in any way?”
    “No. But she—” She simply pulled out her
spoon