Goodbye is just the beginning

Taking care of business

Mitchum’s P.O.V.

“I don’t do emotions well and I just had to comfort my broken son, something I have never done or ever wish to repeat. I love him, but I have always taught him to stand on his two feet. He doesn’t need anyone and today for the first time in his life he actually needed me. I won’t allow for anyone to make him feel that way again. If you show weakness, then people will aim to exploit it. I will be damned if anyone gets away with messing with my family. He hurt my son, and my daughter-in-law and my grandkids. That’s unforgivable. Frank, I need you to go and retrieve Seth. Tell him I am here to retrieve him for business purposes. I will be waiting,” I command Frank.

Frank who is not just an employee, but a trusted confidant simply nods and proceeds to retrieve Seth. While I am waiting, my phone dings.  I check it to see a texted picture from Shira. It is a black, white, and gray photo of two tiny little Huntzbergers still fighting to stick around. My heart clutches while my anger increases immensely, not because of my grandkids, but the thought that we could still lose them if anything else happens. We could lose them and Rory. I slip my phone back in my pocket just in time to see Frank has returned with Seth who appears to be holding his left side and has a fair amount of bruising on his face. It is obvious he is in pain, but the last thing anyone has for him is sympathy.

Frank opens the passenger door for him and as soon as he enters the car he smiles. I just want to smack that stupid smile off his face, but instead I remain calm. With an apathetic expression upon his face, Seth speaks, “Mitchum, to what do I owe this honor? Your driver said you wanted to talk business?”

“That’s right. Let’s talk business, the oldest kind of business. Hand me that folder,” I say motioning toward a manila folder that is sitting just across the seat from Seth.

As soon as Seth leans forward to grab the folder, I hit him with a hard jab right into his rib. He yells out in pain and doubles the rest of the way over from the sickening sensation of piercing pain coursing through his body. “AHH, Fuck, why?” he yelps.

I lean back in my seat staring menacingly at Seth before speaking.  As I contemplate doing it again, I say, “That one, was for my son. Just a little piece of the pain he is in because you almost took everything from him.”

“She attacked me first! She kneed me and so I reacted badly, it wasn’t my fault,” Seth whines out.

With a smug smirk playing on my lips I can’t help but feel pride thinking about my tiny soon-to-be daughter in law attacking a man twice her size, “I’m aware of what happened. What did you think was going to happen? You were cheating on her friend with another one of her friends. She is a very protective person when it comes to people she cares about. Now, far be it for me to tell someone what extra curriculars are acceptable when it comes to fidelity, but you got caught. Then instead of taking responsibility you made up excuses and accosted not one but two pregnant women. One of them being my soon to be daughter-in-law; that happens to be carrying my grandchildren. Do you know what that means Seth?”

Blinking and trying to inconspicuously open the door that appears to be locked. Seth sighs and says, “I’m assuming that means nothing good for me? I really didn’t mean to hurt either of them, I swear! I didn’t even know Stephanie was pregnant.”

Chuckling at his feeble attempt to flee from the car and his pathetic excuses, I can see I have Seth very nervous.  I say, “I like Stephanie. She’s a good girl, but this is about Rory. You don’t get to speak to her the way you did, and you sure as hell don’t get to put your hands on her. Not that you will ever get that chance again… Seth, stop fidgeting with the door. They aren’t opening until I want them opened.”