At The Cove, Mr. Wayne arrived for lunch. But before they would let him eat, he, Mr. Ken and Mr. Chris had to take the wrapped packages up to the guest room. The pile of Christmas gifts was ever-growing. And, yet, a large number of packages still needed to be wrapped.
With Momma Maria enjoying herself, helping wrap the boys' Christmas presents, she didn't prepare a fancy lunch, as she would normally have. The five adults did have soup and sandwiches to warm them up, as the cold air had stuck around the area.
Mr. Ken talked to Chris and Wayne to clarify again what would happen at the Holiday Parties. They talked about the Six Flags trip and the weather forecast for Monday. They had already scheduled Tuesday as the rain date, but for now, Monday looked good to go.
Over at a nondescript motel, the four men, Carter, Benjamin, Lincoln and Lonny discussed their plans for next week. Lincoln was still pissed they didn't bail him out earlier and he continued to rant about that. But Carter reminded him he told him to lay off the boy, but since he continued to beat the boy, he was caught.
Lincoln persisted about the boy and wondered what they knew about him and was there an opportunity to capture the kid. Carter told him what they learned about the boy and his and foster brothers' movements, but they didn't know when the boy would go to the doctor's office building again.
Lincoln continued to fume over being arrested because the boy talked to someone after he was told not to. Lincoln wanted control of the boy very badly. He wouldn't talk about next week's caper until they had a plan to grab the kid. That's when they told him how they watched the school every day to see if any of the boys would go to the medical office building.
Lincoln was all for watching today, but they told him all of the boys had already gone to the medical office building and there was only a remote chance that any of the boys would go again. The man didn't care.
Lincoln wanted to watch for himself. The other three men looked at one another and figured Lincoln would stay unfocused until he saw the boy wouldn't be going to another appointment that week.
Looking at the time, the men decided to take three vehicles because Lincoln didn't know where the school or the office buildings were. But instead of all three vehicles waiting at the school, they figured they have one car at the office building to wait in case they missed them.
At The Cove, Mr. Ken got ready to head to the school to pick up Matthew and take him to Doctor Doug's office building. The doctor's receptionist called to say there was an opening earlier than their 5 o'clock appointment and did they want it. Mr. Ken readily agreed to the earlier time and said they'd be there.
Mr. George was already waiting at the school. Mr. Ken had called to tell him the appointment was moved up and he'd be at the school at 1:45 PM to pick up Matthew. George called his twin brother, who was working as a roaming substitute teacher, to tell him of the change from after school to the middle of the afternoon.
Carter Dunlapman and Lincoln Redwingger went in one of the vehicles over to the school. Carter felt he could keep Lincoln settled more than the others and they agreed. And, since Lonny had already been seen, he followed in another vehicle. Benjamin Bateterson was sent to the parking lot of the office building to watch for an early arrival.
Mr. Ken had told Wayne he'd take Matthew that day, as he wanted to talk to Doug Jennings after the appointment to get some feedback on all five boys. The owner of The Cove arrived at 1:45, as planned, and George Warren saw him enter the guest's parking lot.
It took Ms. Andrews, the school secretary, almost 10 minutes to get Matthew from his classroom and signed out. The two Covers walked out of the school and got into Mr. Ken's F-150 truck.
"'Dad', you haven't used this much since you got the van have you?" asked Matthew.
"No, 'son', it is very tight for all six of us to pile into this truck and now that we have the security detail the van is so much roomier. Matthew, are you ready to talk to Doctor Doug today about your dreams? Have you been writing what you remembered down like Robert suggested?" asked 'dad' Ken.
"Yes, sir, I have. But, 'dad', I still have no idea what pennies, targets and ringing bells mean. The dream has been a little more detailed, though. Last night I also saw clothes covered in pennies, and the target was all red circles. The ringing bells were on Santa's sleigh this time. Do you ... do you have any idea what all that means, 'dad'?" asked Matthew.
"No, 'son', I haven't a clue, but that's why I want you to talk to Doctor Doug about it. Maybe he can give you some suggestions," replied 'dad' Ken.
When Mr. Ken and Matthew drove out of the school parking lot, Lincoln couldn't wait to intercept them. If Carter hadn't been driving, Lincoln would have pulled the truck over within three blocks of the school. Carter had to calm the man down and remind him at the office building they'd have four people against the man and the boy and would be better situated for a take down.
Lincoln still fumed over not having the boy in his possession. He kept telling Carter to speed up and pull alongside of them. But Carter knew better as Matthew knew what Lincoln looked like and that could spook the man driving to suddenly change direction.
Up until then, Carter had totally forgotten about the man who grabbed Lonny outside of the restroom at the medical office building. But why should he? The big man didn't mean anything to any of the men.
As the two Covers drove over towards the medical office building, Mr. George saw two vehicles pull out behind Mr. Ken's Ford truck. He didn't like the idea there was three men in two cars, so he called his brother to leave the school and head over to the medical office building.
Mr. Ken saw two cars following him. They didn't speed up and they slowed down as he did. He could also see Mr. George's vehicle behind them, but he wished Mr. Gene were there with him. All the owner of The Cove could do was continue to drive to Doctor Doug's and hope there would be no trouble. Mr. Ken now wished he'd brought his gun.
Benjamin Bateterson was waiting in the parking lot of the office building. He was in constant contact with Carter using his cell phone. Up until that time there was nothing to report.
Two minutes after he received the call from his brother, Gene Warren rushed out of the school. He didn't even stop to tell Principal Chadwick why. He knew time was of the essence and he needed to back up his brother and protect Matthew at all costs.
The twin security man drove much faster than the posted speed limit. He just hoped that Mr. Ken wasn't in too big a hurry to get to the appointment. That way he could catch up to them. When he passed his brother he knew he was at least in the ballpark and could help if there was a need.
When Mr. Ken saw Gene Warren pass him he felt relieved. He knew the two men were doing their job and doing it well. The thing that concerned him though was why Gene felt the need to follow them to the office building and get there before he did.
Mr. Ken felt bad that after telling Wayne and Chris that when they have the boys with them, and there was a potential for trouble, they should take their gun. He again wished he had brought his gun and was chastising himself for not following his own advice.
When Mr. Ken pulled into the parking lot, he searched for Gene Warren. As he and Matthew waited in the truck for George to enter the parking lot, Mr. Ken noticed the vehicles that were following pull into the parking lot. He noticed they found a parking space in front and behind him. It was then George Warren pulled into the parking lot and Ken Thomas felt relieved. He knew that Gene was already there.
Feeling good that his security men were there, Mr. Ken got out of his truck and had Matthew also get out. They began to walk towards the building when the four men got out of their three vehicles and look in his direction.
Hotheaded Lincoln began to walking towards Matthew and Carter had to pull him back. Lincoln violently shrugged him off and began to go towards Matthew. Lonny got to him and stopped him long enough for Carter to come over and hold him back.
"Come over here you little prick!" yelled Lincoln. "I said come over here you little bastard. I'll teach you not to do what I tell ya!"
Mr. Ken's hackles got up at hearing the man call out his foster son. He balled his fists up and was ready to protect the boy at all costs. The man kept yelling at Matthew who began to cower at knowing his tormentor was out of jail and was there, in the parking lot, and after him.
Just then, Mr. Ken saw George Warren come up alongside the three men in the driveway, but was three car lengths away. Then, for some reason, Mr. Ken looked towards the building and saw another man walking towards him and the boy. Mr. Ken now wondered where Gene was. He needn't worry, though, as Mr. Gene was right behind the man.
Lincoln was still very hotheaded and he could smell the boy only four-car lengths away. Lincoln then saw Benjamin walk up from behind the two he was after. That put a big smile on his face. What he didn't notice was that Gene Warren was coming from the far side of Benjamin putting the four men between him and his twin brother.
Mr. Ken was now fully aware of the situation. His two security men had them all sandwiched between them and his only out was to go towards the office building. But, George saw his employer looking to go towards the building, but shook his head for him, not to do that.
Lincoln really wanted to get to Matthew and badly. He continued to fight Carter and Lonny to get away and get to the boy. Mr. Ken saw what the man was doing and was prepared to fight him with all he had.
Then, on the off chance, Lonny looked over towards Benjamin. There, he noticed a man coming up on his side. What startled him was the man looked exactly like the man who stopped him cold outside the restroom. Then, he glanced to his other side to see what was there and he thought he saw a ghost.
"Carter, that man who grabbed me ... he's coming along Ben's right side. But, also to our right is another man who looks exactly like him. Something's not right here. I think we need to get out of here before Lincoln gets himself, and us, into trouble and he puts us all in jail," advised Lonny.
Carter looked at the situation and thought it through. He then waved to Ben Bateterson to go back. He then told Lincoln what Lonny saw and Lincoln had to look for himself. The man out on bail saw that the two men where bruisers and they looked like they weren't anyone to be dealt with. He told Carter he agreed.
The three men walked back towards their car, but Lincoln had to yell to Matthew one last time.
"I'll get you, you son-of-a-bitch. And yea, Matthew, your mom is a BITCH! She's lucky she's back in jail! Just you wait, though, you'll be with me in no time and we'll become real good friends," laughed Lincoln, as he finally got the vehicle and slipped inside.
The Warrens stayed where they were. They didn't want to give the four men any idea of who they were. They just stood there looking on as the men drove away. They didn't even go to Mr. Ken and Matthew. They just walked back towards where they came from. Mr. Ken knew they would follow them into the office building very soon.
Matthew, needless to say, was late for his appointment. The receptionist wasn't happy with the boy's lateness. Even though they told her what happened outside she told them it would put the rest of the appointments behind.
When Doctor Jennings came out looking for his patient he saw Mr. Ken was there. The doctor asked the man to go along with him and Matthew inside the interview room and talk.
Mr. Ken told the doctor what transpired outside. He added what was going on with Matthew ever since his mom tried to take him away early last week. Matthew then brought out his dream notes and explained to the man what his dreams were all about as of late.
Doctor Douglas Jennings told the man and boy that he wasn't very good at interpreting dreams and that Matthew needed more definitive information for him to attempt to figure it all out. Mr. Ken then left the room, so that Matthew and the doctor could talk some, before the next patient was due.
When Matthew and Doctor Jennings came out of the interview room they were both laughing. To Mr. Ken that was a good sign. Doug Jennings told Mr. Ken that things would work out, and if he needed to have Matthew talk to him next week he'd try to work him into his schedule. The men shook hands and left the office.
Matthew asked to use the restroom, and as the two walked in that direction Gene and George came out of nowhere. The men talked about what transpired outside while Matthew used the facility.
When the Covers returned to The Cove, the four boys were anxiously waiting. They wanted to know why they were so late, even though they left school early enough they should have been home already.
"Dad, where were you guys?" asked a worried Robert.
"Boys, let's go into the Study," was all Mr. Ken said.
When they got to the Study, Mr. Ken was happy to see Wayne Mitchell was still there. He asked the Estate Master to stick around as he and Matthew had a story to tell. When everyone was settled in the Study, Mr. Ken told the story from his vantage point.
When it was Matthew's turn to tell everyone how he saw what happened, he sounded very timid and scared. He was thinking through what Lincoln yelled to him and he had a difficult time thinking of what to say and how to say it. Mr. Ken saw the boy was having a difficult time, so he went over to him and hugged him.
As Mr. Ken hugged the boy, he told the boy not to let Lincoln lead his life for him. It was then 'dad' Ken reminded Matthew he had decided to fight, and now was one of those times he needed to fight Lincoln and get his story heard. Matthew smiled up at the man and said he agreed.
"I was surprised when 'dad' came to get me earlier than I thought he was. We talked on the way over and nothing seemed out of line. Hearing what 'dad' said surprised me, but of course, I wasn't driving, so I wasn't watching who passed us.
"It was when 'dad' parked the truck, and we got out, that I heard Lincoln calling out to me. He sounded mad and I could tell he wanted to get to me really, really bad. The men he was with ... they held him back and I'm glad they did. I was afraid of what he'd do to 'dad' and me.
"Then, I noticed Mr. George come up on their right side. But it was the fourth man that showed up in front of us that got me really scared. I thought they were going to rush us and Lincoln would take me away. I was ready to squeeze my coin.
"That was when 'dad' bumped me to look out to our front. That's when I saw Mr. Gene there putting all of us between him and Mr. George. I was still scared, as I didn't know what was going to happen. It was then I saw one man grab another man, other than Lincoln, and point out something.
"Suddenly, they all headed back to their cars and left the parking lot. Boy was I ever relieved they left us alone. I don't know what would have happened, but I bet that when they saw Mr. Gene and Mr. George sandwiching them between themselves they decided they wouldn't try what they had planned," finished Matthew.
"What do you think they were after?" asked Kyle.
Matthew's lone answer was, "Me!"
Hearing their youngest 'brother' say he thought the men were after him, caused them all to take in a breath. They then went to him and gave him a group hug.
"Boys, it appears Lincoln has been bailed out of jail. Their brazen act this afternoon says they are desperate, which means I have to be more careful where all of you boys are until they are neutralized one way or another.
"Boys ... you MUST have your coin with you at all times," cautioned 'dad' Ken.
"You mean even in our beds?" asked Kevin with a smile.
"Come over here, young man," called out Mr. Ken, to the older twin,
When Kevin went over to 'dad' Ken, the man grabbed him and tickled him. Kevin squealed and squirmed, but laughed as he was being assaulted in a good way.
"And let that be a lesson to you," laughed 'dad' Ken.
'Dad' Ken told the boys to go get their snacks. He said that, knowing Momma Maria was just outside the door and had a look that said she was upset the boys were talking to their 'dad'. She'd heard much of the story, and the look was of concern and surprise that the boys might be in much trouble.
After the boys enjoyed their snack, they went upstairs to get started on their homework. Mr. Ken then took that time to explain to Momma Maria what that was all about. She was appalled that someone was after Matthew and was very happy that her boss was doing everything in his power to watch over the boys and keep them safe.
The woman then thanked Mr. Ken for telling her that very secret of secrets and trusting her with that knowledge. Mr. Ken hugged the woman.
Mr. Ken then sat down with Mr. Wayne and told him what went through his mind, as he knew there were people following them. Then, he told his Estate Master that when they almost surrounded him and Matthew he chastised himself for not following his own advice, to take his gun.
Mr. Wayne was taken aback by his boss's revelation. But he thanked Mr. Ken for his candor and honesty. The Estate Master said he was now even more committed to getting his Texas concealed carry permit. That was the second time that it definitely would have been good to have a gun around to stave off any trouble.
Back at the motel room, Lincoln was fuming. He wanted to rush the man and boy and take the kid away. Carter had to be the adult in the room and explain to the hothead that if they'd done that, they'd all be on the lam for kidnapping. The leader told the recently bailed out man that after the caper next week, he didn't care what he did to get the boy back into his grasp.
Lincoln smiled at hearing that, but he wanted to know where the boy lived, so he could start making plans to get the boy. Carter told him that they needed to focus on their plan for next week and that was more important to them than he getting control of the boy was.
Lincoln stood right up and challenged Carter. Carter anticipated that move and when Lincoln stood up he immediately punched him into his gut and made him bend over and gag. Carter told the man he was tired of his childish antics and if he didn't want to have his bail revoked he'd better get back into the game.
Lincoln looked at Carter as if he wanted to beat the living daylights out of him, but knew better of it, for now. The hotheaded man decided to play along and he agreed to what Carter had planned. The four men then sat around the kitchen table and they started looking over their plans for the robbery they had on their books for the entire summer.
After the Covers ate dinner, they sat in the study to talk some more about the day but mainly about the Holiday Party that was scheduled for the next day. 'Dad' Ken told the boys they'd wear their suit pants, shirt, tie and either their red or green vest. He told them there was no need to wear the jacket.
The Covers also reviewed the rest of the Holiday events. They did that so everyone was clear on what was going to happen until after the New Year's Day Swim party. Kyle asked about the sleepover for next week. He wanted to know if they would have some floats they could lay on in the water as they watched the movie.
'Dad' Ken told him he'd make no promises, but he'd ask Santa if he could have an early Christmas present. All the boys got a great big smile on their faces.
Matthew asked what movie they would watch. The other boys started yelling out their favorite movies they'd love to watch. 'Dad' Ken had to put a stop to all the yelling. He told them that since this was the Christmas Season, they should consider something like Frosty the Snowman, or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Robert asked his dad if he was serious. All the teen's dad did was smile back at him.
"Yea, let's look for Santa and the Shark Finally Meet," chuckled Kyle, and everyone laughed.
"Or, Frosty the Snowman Avoids Saltwater," laughed Kevin.
But no one, including 'dad' Ken, laughed at Kevin's attempt at humor. The older twin looked around at his 'brothers' and then at 'dad' Ken. He couldn't believe no one, not one person laughed at his joke. Then everyone in the Study laughed at Kevin.
"Gotcha!" yelled Kyle. "Kev, you take things so seriously," laughed the older twin's, twin brother.
"So, you guys ... you guys planned this?" How"? We' were all sitting here," asked Kevin.
"No, we planned this a while back," spoke Charles. "You've been trying to adlib a joke or say something silly like we do and it never works for you. So ... we all planned that the next time we were all together, and you tried, we'd just ignore whatever you said."
"We love you, Kev, that's why we did it," said Kyle, who then went and hugged his twin.
Kevin accepted the hug as his other 'brothers' waited to hug him.
"I don't know what to say. You ... you all did that for ... for me? Wow! ... Yea, I try to do what you guys do, but ... well, it never seems to work out that way for me," lamented Kevin. "But, at least I know, now that you did that to me, it was funny." Kevin had a big smile on his face.
"Kevin, I'm glad you're taking this so well. I thought you'd go ballistic over the way your 'brothers' just teased you. But you must know they did it because they do love you, 'son'. They want you to succeed, but you always try too hard. It has to come naturally to you. Someday, you'll do it," counseled 'dad' Ken.
Kevin smiled and they went back to talking about which movie they'd show during the sleepover. 'Dad' Ken asked them to talk to their friends and see what they might want to watch. Then he asked them to go down to the Theater and see what Mr. Chris has bought. The five boys got out of their chairs to head in that direction, but Matthew held back.
"'Dad' ... can I talk to you about what happened today at school?" asked Matthew.
"Why didn't you talk to me while we drove over to Doctor Doug's?" asked 'dad' Ken.
"Well, I was focused on what I was going to talk to Doctor Doug about. Then, when we arrived those men came after us. But, anyway, what I want to talk to you about is what Bailey told me when I got to school this morning.
"Bailey came over to me and ... and she told me the other kids were talking behind me and my friend's backs. All because I decided to talk to Max and be his friend. She said she wanted to hear it directly from me that I was being Max's friend.
"'Dad', why would the kids do something like that? I told Bailey about how they all treated Ryan last year and they were treating Max the same way this year, as they had done to him a few years before.
"'Dad, I asked Bailey what was wrong with Max, and she told me he was a bully and that's when she told me the kids were talking behind my back.
"I told her I'd bet the kids who are talking behind my back are all of those kids who wanted me to invite them over here to The Cove. None of them, except for my friends, never tried, never really tried to get to know me and be my friend. I told her she was the only exception.
"I told Bailey to let the kids talk behind my back. I told her that no one deserved to be singled out and ignored just because someone has a hair up, ahh, their butt," smiled Matthew.
"If anything, all those kids who are talking behind my back never cared to become my friend, so why should I care? Oh, sure, they came over to talk to me, at first, but then left just as quickly. It wasn't until they learned where I lived that many of them wanted to be my friend, only so I would invite them over to The Cove.
"'Dad' ... I told Bailey that I wouldn't back down over talking to Max and getting to know him better. I also told her I had nothing to lose by being Max's friend and neither did any of my friends. I explained to her that the boys and girls could ignore me all they want, and it wouldn't bother me one bit," finished Matthew.
"We talked some more about the comparisons between Max and Ryan then Bailey defended what the boys did to Ryan last year saying he stayed away from them. Then, I asked her if she and the other kids knew why Ryan is so small. She said she didn't. So, I told her it was his mom's fault because she didn't feed him right while his dad was away fighting in Afghanistan.
"'Dad', Bailey asked me what I was going to do about the kids talking behind my back. Then she told me that some of them came from influential families. 'Dad' I have no idea what that meant. I took it as some of the kids were rich, but what should that mean to me. I'm not rich and if they'd only talk to me because I was, then they will have a long wait. I don't even get an allowance," smirked Matthew.
"I'll allowance you," teased 'dad' Ken, as he hugged the boy and tickled him some.
"'Dad ... I'm going to continue to treat all my classmates equally. If they want to talk to me great. But, if they decide to ignore me, then there isn't anything that I can do about it. I wonder how many of them, though, are going to come to the Holiday Party tomorrow night?" chuckled the Cover
"Matthew ... I'd say you are handling it the right way. You have a good head on your shoulders and I applaud you for sticking up for Max, even though you don't know him all that well, yet. As for the other kids, I like that you let them talk to you and if they don't it is their loss.
"Matthew, I can't say what Bailey means about some of the kids coming from influential families. Some kids think that because their moms or dads are big shots in the community, or their families have more money than the other kids do, they think they are special.
"Matthew, the same thing happened to Collin when he lived here. It happened to Robert when he first started to live here, and it happened to Charles, as well. I'm not sure if that ever happened to the twins.
"But, the bottom line is ... you ... you come from an influential family ... mine!" laughed 'dad' Ken.
"You're my foster son, and if anyone tries to tell you that you don't have anything because you are a foster kid you tell them, your foster dad is Mr. Ken and you live at Three Finger Cove. Then, ask them to match that!"
Mr. Ken and Matthew had a big laugh over that. They were then joined in by the other boys who'd just come up from the Theater after looking through the movie titles. The Covers then talked a little bit about what Mr. Ken meant about the boys not flaunting his wealth.
Mr. Ken did tell them that if anyone teased them they aren't anything; they were to tell them where they lived and ask them if they could match that. The boys said they understood, but with a smile.
Since it was getting late, Mr. Ken told the boys to head up to their rooms to relax before getting in bed. He told them he'd be up in a few minutes to say Goodnight to them.
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