Sabella & Malcolm Ch. 14

"Yeah," Malcolm replied. "I'm still amazed that I can talk to you on this thing."

"You should be amazed that you can talk to me," Mark told him, "because the average cell phone doesn't allow conversations through time."

"Are things ready on your end?" Malcolm asked deciding to get to the reason for his call.

"As ready as they can be," Mark replied. "I just hope things work out the way I hope."

"It has to," Malcolm said. "That can be the only logical explanation for the things you read about in the library and everything that's happening on my property."

"All the houses that were on your property have disappeared," Mark said. "It freaked my wife out so bad that she took our daughter and returned to Atlanta, but she promised not to tell anyone about what's happening here."

"Thank God," Malcolm said breathing a sigh of relief. "Has anyone else been asking questions?"

"I don't know what you did, but no one in Culbert County seems surprised or concerned about what's happening on your ranch," Malcolm said.

"You've got Mable and my new attorney to thank for that," Malcolm told him.

"Have you talked to Sabella about your plans for tonight?" Mark asked.

Malcolm held his breath and prepared to tell Mark his news.

"The only thing Sabella and I have talked about is getting married," Malcolm said rushing the words out of his mouth.

For a few seconds Malcolm heard nothing from Mark on the other end of the phone in reaction to what he'd said, and it worried him.

"You asked my sister to marry you?" Mark finally asked.

"Yes," Malcolm replied, "and she said yes."

Once again Mark went silent.

"Welcome, to the family," he said to Malcolm.

"Thanks," Malcolm replied, b a sigh of relief because he was worried about what Mark's reaction would be to, hearing that he wanted to marry his sister.

"Are you going to tell Sabella about tonight?" Mark asked.

"Do you think that I should?" Malcolm asked.

"I don't know." Mark replied, "but I have something I need to tell you that I found out reading an old newspaper. I found in the library. After you hear what I have to say you might decide to tell Sabella about tonight."

"What did you find out?" Malcolm asked tensing up at the sound of Mark's voice as he spoke.

What Mark told Malcolm made him want to get his gun and go on a killing spree.

"Those bastards!" he almost screamed his teeth clenched together.

"Calm down!" Mark demanded. "The last thing we need is for you to go off the handle and do something stupid. Now the newspaper reported that you, your guest, her assistant and the twins were nowhere to be found, so that means that everyone escaped the fire. It also says that the house burned down but the garage wasn't touched."

"I think Sheriff Jenkins might be responsible for them not burning down the garage," Malcolm said.

"Why would you think that?" Mark asked.

Malcolm told Mark about the Caroline showing up at his house nude, pretending to be drunk, him taking her home and then her accusing him of trying to rape her when they reached her father's ranch. He also told him about Caroling calling Sabella and telling her that she wanted her and the twins out of the house, and that if she didn't leave she would call the Sheriff and tell him that Malcolm raped her, meaning that Malcolm would go to jail and that Sabella and the twins would fall into the Sheriff's clutches. And who knows what would happen to her and the twins once they were in the Sheriff's custody.

"That bitch is psycho," Mark said.

"I nearly went a little psycho myself when I came home to find Sabella and the twins packed up, sitting in the driveway in that thing she calls her baby preparing to leave," Malcolm said.

"What?!" Mark said.

"Yes," Malcolm said. "Your sister had decided that she and the twins would be safer if they left Culbert County."

"How did you stop her?"

"I had Mabel park my truck in front of her tank, told her not to move it and ordered Sabella out of the damn thing." Malcolm replied. "While I was doing that Sheriff Jenkins drove up and demanded to know what Sabella was doing in that contraption and where she got it from."

"So, you think he spared the garage because he's hoping to get his hands on Sabella's Hummer," Mark remarked.

"Yes."

"That explains the rest of the story in the newspaper," Mark said.

"What does it say?" Malcolm asked.

"The paper states that you burned down your house and probably forced your houseguest, her assistant and the twins to go with you. The paper speculates that you did this because you're going to kill them later because they were possible witnesses to your attempt to rape Carolyn," Mark said reading the details of the story to Malcolm.

Malcolm once again became angry and filled with rage.

"I understand your anger." Mark said hearing Malcolm grunting and mumbling on the other end of the phone, "but because we know what they're planning to do, we're able use the information to our advantage. I need you to promise me that you're going to stick to the plan."

"I promise," Malcolm said.

"Malcolm."

"I have to go," Malcolm said up hearing Sabella calling his name.

"Okay," Mark told him. "We'll talk later."

Malcolm hung up the phone and made his way back to his bedroom. When he entered his room, he found Sabella about to get out of bed.

"Oh, no you don't," he said making his way over to the bed and pushing her back against it. "It's not time for us to be getting up yet."

"It must be," Sabella teased, "you weren't here when I woke up."

"I'm here now." Malcolm said kissing her on the lips.

"Yes, you are." Sabella said returning his kiss.

As Malcolm laid down beside Sabella, he eased his arms around her waist, pulling her against his chest. Sabella responded by nuzzling against his chest trying to get closer to him. As he tightened his hold on her and the warmth of her body moved through his body a sense of calm made its way through Malcolm's body, chasing away all the anger, he was feeling earlier. It helped him realize that Mark was right and that getting angry would be counter productive to what they planned on doing later that day and could possibly endanger Sabella, the twins and himself, all the people he was trying to keep safe.

Allowing the calmness he was feeling to take over his body, Malcolm was soon lulled off to sleep.

He had been asleep for about an hour when the sound of Mabel banging on the door of his bedroom calling his name snatched him out of his slumber. The banging also awakened Sabella.

"What's going on?" Sabella asked. Not recognizing Mabel's voice in her sleepy hazy state.

"It's Mabel." Malcolm said getting out of the bed rushing over to the door. "She probably thinks that you've left with the twins."

"You promised to leave her a note letting her know that we're sleeping in here with you." Sabella said jumping out of the bed, grabbing her robe and putting it on.

"I forgot." Malcolm said shrugging his shoulders.

"She's going to wring your neck." Sabella said laughing at the thought.

"You're not going to protect me?" Malcolm asked giving Sabella his best puppy dog face.

"You, my friend, are on your own," Sabella told him, standing to go over and comfort the twins who were now crying, frightened by the noise Mabel made as she continued to bang on the bedroom door.