And So It Begins: Part IV

And So It Begins…

Part IV

An R.L. Mathewson Chronicle

“You do realize that I hate you, right?” the man that hadn’t stopped bitching since Devin dragged him out of his office said.

“You realize that I don’t care, right?” Devin asked his wife’s best friend as he glanced around the large parking lot, making sure that none of his cousins or uncles were around before he reached for the car door.

“Are you going to tell me why we had to take my car?” Ben asked, sighing heavily as he reluctantly climbed out.

“Because I couldn’t take my truck,” Devin murmured absently as he looked back and…

He just couldn’t help but shake the feeling that this was a trap.

“And the reason why I had to cancel all my meetings today and leave work early…” Ben prompted smoothing only to frown as he followed Devin’s gaze.

“It really does though,” Devin said even as he couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be before this all went to hell.

“I’m assuming that you’re not going to tell me why you brought me instead of your wife and kids,” Ben said, moving to head to the restaurant only to sigh when Devin reached over and stopped him.

“Something’s not right,” Devin said, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong here.

“You mean besides the fact that you kidnapped me in the middle of the day so that I could drive you to a buffet?” Ben asked, blinking at him.

“You’re the decoy,” Devin said as he sent one last look at the cars surrounding him and decided that he was wasting precious time standing here.

“Wait. Why am I the decoy? Why couldn’t Charlie or those evil minions you call children do this?” Ben demanded as he followed him to the restaurant that had somehow managed to open without him finding out.

“Because I love them,” Devin said, deciding that it would probably be for the best if he didn’t mention that he didn’t think that his children were ready for this and his wife…

He couldn’t do this to her, not when he knew how this was going to end.

“Fair enough,” Ben murmured as they walked inside and-

Let his gaze run over the competition as he pulled his wallet out.

“Did you just hand that kid a hundred bucks?” Ben asked, frowning in confusion as Cole sighed with satisfaction as he slid the money in his pocket.

“Finder’s fee,” Devin murmured as he glanced around the busy restaurant, taking in all of his cousins and uncles torn between glaring at each other and glaring at him.

“I wonder if she had to pay that fee,” Ben said with a nod that had Devin glancing over his shoulder and-

“Thank you, mommy,” Dustin said while Devin was forced to stand there in line, waiting to pay so that he could go find out why his pregnant wife and children were at a buffet full of Bradfords.

“You’re welcome, sweetie,” Charlie said with a warm smile that quickly turned devious when she spotted him standing there.

That was followed by Dustin and Abbi glaring at him as they brought their plates overflowing with every delicious morsel available closer to their chests as they muttered, “Traitor.”

“They shouldn’t be here,” Devin said, trying not to panic as he looked from his wife and children to the Bradfords moving around the buffet, already back to glaring at each other and bit back a curse as he moved to get them out of there before it was too late only to throw the cashier a panicked look when his wife, the love of his life and the woman that was apparently pissed that he hadn’t told her about this place, sent him a syrupy sweet smile as she said, “Oh, my god, Devin Bradford? Is that you?” screwing him over.

As the manager and several busboys showed him out, Devin glared at the woman who’d betrayed him. She would pay for this.

Oh, god, would she pay…

To be continued…

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