The Protectors: New Generation Book 1

40 - Birthday Surprises - Michaela POV

The day after Estel bought me my new phone I decide to call Uncle Derrick. He wanted to take me to live with him in Boston after his brother, my dad, died, but he's married to hell in heels. A woman filled with so much vinegar, I don't know how Uncle Derrick hasn't pickled laying next to her all these years.

The air has stilled, and the plants sag as if weighted down by the moisture in the air. This is one aspect of being in the mountains I've not grown accustomed to—humidity. Sometimes I walk into the cabin damp and it's not raining and I'm not sweaty.

I have to make this call short if I want to survive the rest of training today. The number I've memorized is typed before I can even think.

"Hello, who's this?" A familiar voice says.

"It's me."

"Mickie, Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks."

There's a pause. Maybe I need to say something else.

Finally, Uncle Derrick speaks. "I haven't heard from you lately."

"I'm not that late with my monthly check-in."

"I'm glad you called. I received a call from a lawyers office in Dallas."

"Why's that 'mportant to me?"

"You need to get to Dallas somehow. Can you catch a bus from Avens?"

"I'm not in Avens anymore."

"Where are you then? I need to know in case I need to send you more money."

I stop and steel my nerves. "That won't be necessary. Someone found me and brought me to my birth family. Well, my cousins anyway. My birth parents left me too, sixteen years ago."

"I'm sorry Mickie."

"For what?"

"That I couldn't bring you to Boston."

"And live with the Queen Bitch. Nope, I don't believe that would have worked. Coño."

"Mickie." He chides like I'm five years old.

"What? You know she doesn't like me. And I wasn't going to ruin your marriage just to live with you."

"You know it was more complicated than that."

"Sure, but we've already talked about that. Like beating a dead horse."

He chuckles, and it does lighten my heart. I wish I could hate him for not raising me, but I got over that a long time ago.

"Anyway, what's this 'bout some lawyers lookin' for me? Am I in trouble?" I ask.

"Hardly. Apparently, your parents left wills. The wills were supposed to be read when you turned 18. I didn't know anything about these wills. The lawyers told me that they looked for you, but when you ran away from the last foster home, they just couldn't find you."

"Cause I didn't wanna be found. Why'd they reach out to ya now?"

"There is a stipulation in the wills that if they aren't read by the time you turn 21, they forfeit their fees. Since you just turned 20, I suppose that lit a fire under their butts to find you. They started calling Russell and Gina's next of kin letting them know they were looking for you."

"What's in these wills?"

"I have no idea. Russell never indicated that he had a will that left anything to you or anyone for that matter. I'm guessing Gary would be the Executor of your dad's estate. When Gary didn't contact me after your dad's death, I thought he didn't leave a will."