Loving Ashlynn (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 53 - Robert Delaney (Ansel Conrad POV)Pt.1

Chapter 53 – Robert Delaney (Ansel Conrad POV)pt.1

"Did you get everything disabled?" I demand from Angela, as Kalenah, my mother, father and I search the go bags that everyone from my grandfather's home brought onto the bus. As far as we were traveling it only made sense that we stopped and let my grandfather travel in his own motorbus with those that had been living with him.

Snorting, Angela narrows her eyes at me.

Palms out, I retreat.

One by one, my cousins boarded the second bus with their meager belongings but at least I knew they would be safe. Once we arrived in Asheville, I'd give everyone an allowance of sorts to make up all that was left behind.

When they were settled, I called on one of the three boys that were following behind Liam in a smaller motorbus. Jamal.

Not quite at Angela's level, his expertise was coding, program creation, but he'd be handy and able to help Angela with what I had planned ahead for.

Once we board the bus, dad goes behind the wheel once again. Kalenah sets out to make everyone something to eat since most of the food from the house had Berty's brain matter on it.

On the table, Angela sets Jamal up with headphones and the system put in place as she "checked" Lewis' bus, putting hidden devices around the bus to keep a lookout on that bus. It was not that I did not have faith in Lewis, but at the same time, he was not one we expected to bring along, I needed to know before we arrived to North Carolina if he could be counted on.

Sure we forced him from his home, saving everyone there from an impending doom, but that does not mean he was automatically loyal.

I'd be a fool to assume such a thing.

With Jamal set up nicely, listening in, I waved Naomi forward, taking a seat at the front, in the passenger seat next to dad.

"Okay, can you please explain what just happened?" I asked exasperated with myself. It was as though Naomi had this information that she had gathered that was more than even I knew.

"Please, because right now, I'm literally going through the names of everyone I know trying to match them up to this 'Betray No Elder' thing you wrote," Angela added and sure enough, on a blank sheet of paper in front of her were names just written.

I had sent Michelle with Lewis, but wanting biased information on Berty, I kept Peter, her oldest son on the bus with us. He had remained silent after telling his mother that Berty was up to no good, but silently, begged to be given information.

One minute I had met his eyes in the house and the next, I came in and took this man he had not been able to trust out.

Peter had a good read on him. Whether it was because he was protective of his mother and siblings, I did not know yet.

"I don't understand," he mumbles and really, I wanted him to be on the same page as the rest of us. He wouldn't know all information easily, nor would I tell anyone where we were going, but at this point I wanted to know what Peter knew. Why had he watched Berty with this look of distrust? Could this be something we had to look out for?

"Actually," I stop Naomi, focusing on Peter, "What happened with Berty? Why the glares?"

My cousin, twenty years younger than myself, scoffed, "Where do I begin? He was just – we as werejaguars do not have chosen predestined mates, I mean not that I've ever been told," he says and I nod, wanting to follow his train of thought.