Chapter 156

Adam couldn't figure out why he was rarely allowed to sit quietly on the deck and enjoy the scenery.

But he couldn't.

This time it was Veronica who came calling, a cell phone in hand.

Adam looked up from ogling Erin and Trinity's bodies with a questioning expression.

"Your sister is on the phone," Veronica said. Although their employee was familiar with many aspects of the group's personal life, Adam's sister had not been mentioned.

So she was shocked when Trinity and Erin jumped to their feet with murder in their eyes.

"I'll get the others," Erin said to Trinity. "You take care of the bitch."

"I can handle this," Adam said but it was evident he was among the severe minority in holding that opinion.

Erin stopped in her tracks and gave Adam an appraising look.

"I can," he insisted.

Erin and Trinity exchanged glances and Erin departed through the doorway. Trinity gave a "have-at-it" gesture with her hand.

Adam sighed and took the phone from Veronica.

His sister was all sweetness and light when Adam answered. He had seen the act before. It was her usual demeanor just before she hit their parents up for some favor.

"Hey, Baby Bro," Marcia Walters said. "I guess I can't call you Little Bro anymore, huh?"

She laughed nervously after her not-so-casual reference to Adam's new life.

"What do you want?" he replied curtly.

"What makes you think I want something?" she asked quickly.

"Because I'm not eight years old anymore," Adam shot back. "I know the routine by now. What do you want?"

Marcia sighed.

"I think we might be able to work together," she said finally.

"What!?" Adam exclaimed.

There was a time, when he was a child, that Adam thought his sister was the most beautiful person on the planet. Before she left home, Adam reveled in the attention she paid him.

But in the years preceding their parents' deaths, Adam had taken to avoiding Marcia completely. He was certain his parents saw her for who and what she was and he couldn't stomach the way they would fawn over her during her infrequent visits.

Any beauty Marcia once held in Adam's eyes had long since faded.

"I'll let Barry tell you," Marcia said, seemingly unaware that Adam had jumped to the wrong conclusion.

There was silence while she handed the phone off. The rest of Adam's entourage, including Walt, Sean, Rachelle and Mary, stepped through to the balcony at that very moment.

"Put it on speaker," Shelly commanded. Adam frowned but complied. In a moment, Marcia's boyfriend was on the line. Adam couldn't remember if this was the old boyfriend or if she had somehow found a new one.

"Z'up, Dawg," a voice said. "I think your sis and I got a good business proposition for you."

The group rolled its eyes collectively at the greeting and groaned aloud when the last sentence was stated.

Rebecca spoke before Adam could respond.

"First off, using outdated inner-city slang with an Ozark Mountain accent is a really bad idea," she said. "Someone is likely to pop a cap in your proverbial ass."

"Second off," Karlie chimed in, "I sincerely doubt any business you have a part of will interest us in the least."

There was silence.

"Dawg, I think we need to talk in private," Barry said. "I'm sure you don't want all your friends to know your business, you know."

"He knows and we know," Allie said. "We're not his friends. We're his family. So say what you want to say and then get lost where you can't be found."

"OK, Dawg, here goes," Barry said. There was knowing humor in his voice. He thought he was going to out Adam to his close friends. "Since you're doing porn and all, Marcie and I thought we could help you out on the supply end. You know, I know some people out here. I'm sure we could work out something."

Adam glanced around the group. Only a few faces showed anything but confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Mary finally asked.

"Come on," Barry said. "I don't want to say it out loud. I know the life, Dawg. I know the shit you're into. I can get you product a lot cheaper than what you're paying now. Thing is, we'll need a little startup cash."

Barry sounded disappointed that no one seemed surprised by his revelation of Adam's employment.

Recognition finally dawned for Adam – and for a few others as well. Barry was talking about drugs.

"No thanks to the business idea," Adam said. "And no thanks to giving you people any money."

"Since you already stole everything that wasn't nailed down at the farm," Allie added. Allie never bothered to hide her anger. If she was pissed off, she thought everyone should know about it.

She was well past merely "pissed off" in this instance.

"Marcia only took what was rightfully hers," Barry said. Sean started to chime in, thought better of it and bit his lip – literally.

"Uh-huh," Adam said. "Well, whatever you think. It doesn't matter. You're not getting anything else from me."

The next voice Adam heard was his sister's. Apparently she and Barry hadn't learned of the "Speaker" function.

"I left you the farm," Marcia said. "And, like he said, everything I took had my name on it."

"And the account book you used to steal my money had 'Adam's College Fund' across the top of it," Adam countered. "At least it did three weeks earlier when I deposited all the money I made last summer into it. Yeah, Mom and Dad put money in there. But so did I. You not only stole from their memory but you stole every damned cent I worked for since I was 14 years old."

"I didn't know," Marcia whined.

Finally Sean had all he could take.

"You did more than steal from your parent's memory," he spat. "You stole from the farm."

"I did not!" Marcia said.

"Someone did," Sean pointed out. "Adam's dad kept money in his 'Weekend Fund'. That wasn't personal funds. That money belonged to the farm. It was corporate assets. It was missing from the strong box and I know the state police want to talk to you about it."

Adam shot his friend a questioning glance. He had no idea what Sean was talking about, but Sean simply shook his head sadly and mouthed the word "later."

"I don't need any more trouble with the cops," Marcia said hurriedly. "It's why we came out here in the first place."

Adam's throat went dry.

"Out here?" Adam asked hesitantly. "Where are you?"

"We're in L.A., Dawg!" Barry said.

"Son of a bitch," Adam muttered.

It took Adam several minutes to reconcile himself to the fact his sister was living in the same city he was. Sure, Los Angeles was a mammoth place. But she knew where he went to college and would eventually be able to track him down.

It finally dawned on him why she had called the business phone. It was his old number and the only one she had for him. Or maybe she pulled it from his PornLife profile.

While Adam was putting together the pieces of the situation in his head, the rest of the group was taking up his defense.

"You probably should pack up and head back to wherever it is you came from," Sarah warned. "Because you have a lot of people out here who wouldn't think twice about sending you home in a box."

"People like the two or three dozen that Adam interacts with daily," Rachelle added icily. "There has never been a moment that your brother wasn't willing to stand up for me or anyone else out here. If you think we won't do whatever we have to do to protect him, you're dead wrong."

Marcia – who had figured out how to use the speaker function – decided a direct plea to her brother was best.

"Adam, just give me a little of the farm money and we'll be gone," she said.

Allie had reached the end of her rope.

"You ignorant bitch," she yelled. "Farm money? What fucking farm money? You ran off with whatever you could carry before your parents were even buried. You didn't bother to start the legal process. That farm is languishing in limbo because you decided stealing from your family was more important than doing what was right. Adam has been busting his ass out here to keep that farm going in hopes there might one day be some 'farm money' for you or your kids. But that is a hell of a long way off. Probate won't even start until you show up back in Missouri."