Johan Birch

"You have my word, no blood will be spilled here," Joshua's voice came from my left.

"That's just amazing," Graham whispered.

"You know they can still hear you, right?" I asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Of course."

Graham called a notary when we were almost to the town center. The pavilion in the center of the circle would fit us comfortably.

Just a second short of the allotted hour Aysun, Petra, Nora and Vera popped into existence in front of me and Graham.

In a moment I could tell that Aysun wasn't just acting as a travel agent, she and Nora were both involved. Why? I gave them another look and then looked at Graham. He shook his head to tell me that my wife, my daughter, and my closest lover were not under thrall.

Shit.

"Lay it on me," I said. "My house first."

Nora quietly spread the documents out on the table, the deed and associated mineral rights claim already in my name. I saw that an Arthur had signed my name and marked it in absentia with a covering Attorney Power. That meant the house had actually belonged to me the day after I said I wanted it. That meant that the gold being removed from the cavern beneath was also mine.

Good enough.

"Care to show me the documents that I signed now?" I asked.

Petra set a binder on the table. "Took you a second to figure it out, right?"

"Shut up." I looked at Aysun, then at Nora. Nothing there, what had I missed?

Vera, of course, was leering, but she didn't say anything.

The first paper was me signing over control of The Arthur Firm to a company called Shawnel, Limited. Evidently that was where everything else was supposed to go. I set it aside to my left. The next was Jacer Semiconductor. Left. The next sheet was for Birch Textile. I showed it to Graham before setting it off to the right.

I couldn't believe the next one, Petra had me sign over my building! That sheet went to the far left. Shit. Then there was Boulder, Limited. Left pile. She also wanted the mineral rights to Gravelton. Far left pile for that one. Birch Aerospace and Birch Aeronautics. Left pile. Sprout Machining, LLC. Right pile followed by Birch Marine.

Final page listed the gold assets at Aruma's. Far left pile. The condo went in the right pile. Birch Automotive was actually a division of Scarlett Industries and not even mine to sign over.

"Is this everything? No addendums or DBA's?" I asked. "No patents?"

"That's all we need," Petra nodded. "The Birches, that is."

"You're talking about all the sisters?" I asked.

"Just the one who matters," Vera said.

I heard growls out of the air. They startled the woman who had come as Graham's notary. "Graham, I hate to ask, but can I have a couple folders?"

"Certainly, Johan." There was a ticking sound and folders brushed my shoulder. I laid them on the table underneath the left and far left piles of paper and opened them up.

I flipped the piles of paper over so I could start with my first shock. "Well, do you want to know how stupid you are now?" I asked.

Not a single word. I thought I heard some crickets in the woods.

"Let's start with The Arthur Firm. Two days after Tara Knight attacked my servers, I sold it back. That particular action took the gloves off Arthur in case he wanted to take action against the club." That went into the left folder. "Worthless. That agreement is on file at another firm and the courts."

"Jacer Semiconductor. I sold that back to Hillary a week after I asked you to start enacting The Siefert Clause, just in case the Birch sisters got really smart. Now I see that it was a good idea. Worthless to you."

Vera squinted at me. I continued. "Birch Textile is based on a five-year lease with Laurel Township. You'd have the building and machinery, for, how long, Graham?"

"Ten months until the end of the lease," Graham replied. "Also of note: We are just licensing the patents for those machines, which would become invalid upon transfer of the machines. The control modules and the godet and birotor shafts would have to be given to the company that licensed the parts to us."

"You win that one, partially." I put that back into Petra's binder. "Worthless after ten months but worthless before. The carbon fiber patents are filed in my name and worthless to you."

Vera huffed.

I went next to Birch Automotive. "Birch Automotive. That company pretty much has everything with wheels under its umbrella, but is actually a division of Scarlett Industries. The DBA was to make Birch America seem really big. Not mine, so not mine to sign over." Left folder.

"Birch Aerospace and Birch Aeronautics are actually DBA's of a company called Stone Flight. Those two companies don't really exist but as a shell and are worthless in assets."

"Sprout Machining and Birch Marine. I actually own those outright, win for you. I can always buy another machine shop and hire those same machinists, so worthless" I put those back in the binder.

"Boulder, Limited." A flicker of a smile on Vera's face. "That company and the surface land are actually under the control of Granger, Incorporated. I'm only on the board of that company, so I don't have the rights to sign over the entire company, and not even my part without a vote. You need to have an addendum for that, and the blessing of the board."

Back to no emotion. Good.

"Birch Haus. It is a nice place, actually. I'd hate to lose it."

"It's not for sale," Vera snapped.

"You are absolutely right. Graham, we don't need your notary at the moment."

"Huh?"

"I'm about to get foul-mouthed and I don't want to offend her," I clarified.

"She's okay," Graham chuckled.

"Birch Haus was pretty much a shell until I bought it. Petra didn't even pay too much attention to the renovations I ordered except for the interior decorations."

Petra's face screwed up with a question. I would indulge her.

"Jacko, you remember her? She's the genius who designed most of the electronics for the building, the busses for the inverters, the mounts for the solar panels. She came up with the version three point five panels that face toward the south and came up with a special layer that needed to be made out of gold sheets."

"So?"

"Also, since we are close to a few government buildings in the area, she also came up with that film on the windows called TEMPEST shielding to protect the computer systems from nosy people. Michaela charged me a super high price to make gold into a film like that."

A chuckle from Graham. He knew my point.

"I told Jacko no budget on electronics. The servers, connectors, even the microwave conduit up to the dish on the roof. Everything is plated with or lined in my gold. If you want to keep the building, due to the nature of the way you had me sign it over, you must remove every single microgram of my gold." I set that paper off to the right.

Petra was squinting at me again. Aysun didn't appear very composed, and Nora was deep in thought about something. Vera huffed again.

"Condo, fine. You may want to check the agreement Petra made with Leigh and Chastity." I set that paper in Petra's binder.

"Mineral rights for the land under Gravelton are covered under a gentlemen's agreement between Travis Brooks and Jaci Stone, later Johan Birch. Travis actually owns those rights, but gives part of the gold and other minerals to Granger, Incorporated. I don't own the rights, and I don't own the minerals outright. The overall gold count does appear in my corporate balance sheets but as a salary of Granger, Incorporated in accounts that you don't even see as my wife."

I let out a sigh, picking up the paper for the rights to the gold housed at Aruma's. "This presents your biggest blunder, an attempt at highway robbery if you will. A part of the gold at Arumas under my name and under my control was entrusted to me by Doctor Michaela Winters in the name of Jaci Stone. That gold is slowly being sold off and the proceeds held in trust for the children of Jaci Stone; including you, Aysun, for education and lifestyle. The trust is held by The Stonebrook Coven, LLC, so nothing there, either"

Vera and Petra gasped together, not for the same reason. I heard growls again. Nora was absolutely terrified, along with Aysun.

"Now the remainder of that gold is mine, harvested from the god's tear under my house. When you FUCK with somebody's gold, especially by trying to trick them into signing it over like you did, you can get ripped limb from limb or eaten alive. I don't know how incredibly stupid you had to be to even think of shit like that!"

"You potty-mouth," Graham teased.

"Joshua?" I asked.

He popped into existence beside me. The woman with Graham took a second before she fainted, allowing him time to catch her.

"All of this, for what?" I demanded.

"They won't answer and are somehow preventing me from reading them," Joshua said. "Highly unusual."

I put the Birch Haus sheet into Petra's binder and slid it across the table, closing it as I did. "These are the only negotiable documents. I want to know your answer by month's end so I can make arrangements for a new office building. All the equipment and code for Akira is worthless without my presence, don't forget that."

Petra pulled the Birch Haus sheet out of her binder and handed it to me. "Keep it. I was stupid, underestimating you like that. You are a better conniver than me."

"Joshua, you and your siblings need to play with Vera again. Make sure she gets the message about trying to suborn these gals."

"As you wish." Joshua and Vera vanished in a puff of smoke.

"How did you do all of this?" Petra had evidently regained some of her confidence now that I had ordered Joshua and family away. "I've never seen any indication of this!"

"You're just reading the bottom lines created by the movements at the top. Most of the dealings were secret and took less than an hour to finalize. All of the reports that came in were for the companies were legitimate, but based on line-item details in the establishment papers, weren't really for me. Now, you could take this to court. There is a chance that a court would give you certain parts of Birch America because they are solely owned by me and we don't have a prenuptial agreement."

"I know."

"But there is a difference between the Letter of The Laws of Man and The Spirit of The Laws of Man. The Letter would say I signed the documents in good faith and you could claim that in court. Fine. The Spirit, however, is a little different. It is managed by yours truly."

"You can't claim that right!" Petra sputtered.

"Actually, I can. Your trickery is quite evident, and you even admitted it in front of witnesses," I countered. "I'm giving you a pass on all that as my wife. As the trickster? No."

Petra shed a single tear. "Let's go." They all took hands and left via linear fold.

I turned to face Graham sitting on the ground, holding the woman he had brought with us. "Have I worn out my welcome?"

"You are a potty mouth but you were a good sport," Graham smiled. "You used a qualifier at the end there, do you expect her back?"

"Graham, I don't know what they could have promised her. Petra had money, power, and love. Well, we loved first. You know that Petra and I were each other's first love."

"You did mention that." The woman in his arms started to stir. "I'd better get Gayle home. Are you staying?"

"Until tomorrow. I'd like to see Sindee again."

"I'll pass that along," Graham promised before he popped out of existence.

There was a rustle of papers behind me, Marlo had appeared and was putting them in the folders. "It's the land," he explained as I stood back up.

"What?"

"Dad. Whenever he is in the township limits he can teleport at will."

"Oh, I hadn't paid much attention to that," I admitted.

"He said he gave you the ranch house. Are you going to keep it?"

"Yes, I think I will."

Marlo snapped his fingers and a gold key appeared in his opposite hand. "This is for you, then."

I took the key in confusion. "There aren't any locks on that house."

"The key is a symbol," Marlo chuckled. "The key can be given, but not taken, just like a heart. Sindee will have to explain the rest."

Oh, neat.

An hour later, Akira called me to let me know that she was back online. I told her to wo-man the fort and to call me if anything important came up.

My heart felt a little better when I heard Sindee knock on my front door. She was wearing a yellow flowered sundress with a scoop neck, and it flattered her figure. She held out her hand and I let her pull me outside. Yes, dinner would be nice. When we arrived back at my house, I asked her in for a beer. She told me only if I had a cigar to go with it.

Surprise, surprise.

We did sleep together that night, but we didn't have sex. I had stripped down to my boxers and was surprised when she came out of my bathroom in a nightgown that would have made Jaci Stone jealous. She crawled onto the bed and gave her chest a pat. I took that as a comfort sign and lay my head in the area just below her breasts. She gently stroked my hair as I cried myself to sleep.

***

If Sindee had asked to come to LA with me just two days earlier, I would have had to refuse her. I didn't refuse her request the following morning, I needed her around me.

Gregory was on the jet for the return flight, emphasizing that he had come at Samantha's request. I called Samantha and she told me that her taking over Petra's role was to help me keep my lifestyle at normal levels. She didn't have to tell me anything else, we had settled the score with a slap on this very jet.

Sindee stopped speaking until I put my hand on hers. I knew that she could read me a little, and the feeling I passed to her made her smile. I told her that I had to see Samantha. If it were only to thank her for taking over a role that belonged to a woman that had betrayed us both.

The driver delivered us to a house in Northern Las Vegas. It was actually in the same gated community where Travis Brooks lived. I fought the urge to ask the driver to take a pass by his house.

A trustee opened the door, but before inviting us in she gave Sindee the queerest look. Samantha was in a sunroom, plants evenly spaced along the glass panes that made up the walls. She stood as we entered, giving Sindee the same once-over that her trustee had, before pulling her into a hug. A whisper and a giggle passed between them.

When Calleigh brought out drinks for four, she gave the same look and the same giggle.

"Okay, so what is the deal here?" I asked. "Is this some big secret that only women can share?"

"I'm a nymph," Sindee admitted.

"A forest spirit?" I asked in confusion.

"I am a maiden of all things green," Sindee clarified.

"Sindee, you need to tell Johan the rest," Samantha prodded.

"I have six sisters."

Well, shit.

"That's a twist, isn't it?" Samantha teased. "The seven daughters of each of the seven daughters?"

"I've already told you that Merlin's Polygon was a prank!"

"Do tell," Sindee probed. "You haven't mentioned that to me."

"Not yet. We've had so many other enlightening conversations, you know?"

"That's true," Sindee admitted. "We have time if you want it."

"Time," Samantha giggled. "Yes, that."

"Samantha, what are your plans?" I asked.

"Johan, I don't really have much to do, and I would love to help you out. So much of what you do is important to you and others; I want to help lighten your load."

"Me, too," Calleigh added. "If you want me to, that is."

"I would welcome it," I nodded. "Daughter."

"Well, let's eat," I said.

"Just one thing, Sindee," Calleigh said.

"What's that?"

"Should I, like, take the salads off the table?" Calleigh asked with an impish grin.

"You just hush," Sindee wagged a finger at her.

Over our dinner we talked about travel. Sindee could obviously go through Halavana and could fold with a travel agent, but I was doing my corporeal travel and that would be quite boring for her.

Surprisingly, Sindee said that she wouldn't mind traveling with me. She hadn't flown before, and seeing the land below her when we were flying had piqued her interest.

Once that was settled, we moved back to the sunroom to watch the sun creep into the mountains. Sindee and I said our good-byes a little after twenty-two, the drive to my condo in Vegas taking less than an hour.

Sindee seemed rather shocked, looking down at the lights of The Strip, the cars looking like little fireflies. I went up behind her, and wrapped my arms under her breasts. She didn't flinch, letting out a long sigh.

I started to pull away, but her hands moved to keep my arms in place. When I nuzzled the side of her face with my beard, Sindee let go of my arms and pushed them down. She didn't go far, instead just turning around and pushing her chest against mine.

My hands instinctively went to her face, and I pulled her into a kiss. She melted into me, and I freed her head to wrap my arms around her.

***

Wednesday morning Sindee and I rode one of my helicopters from Vegas to Gravelton. She got to see up close what I had told her stories about. Erin caught up with us at the helipad. She seemed to want a private conversation, and Sindee went to sit in the helicopter to wait.

She asked about what had happened with Petra and I gave her a brief rundown. Erin said that Petra had been showing two women around the site, like they owned it. The two women were obviously magicians, but Erin didn't take any action because they had been with my wife. I told her that everything was under control, hoping that no event would come to prove me a liar.

Sindee followed me and Samantha around, obviously wanting to learn more about how my days went. When the time came to leave for the day, Samantha asked me for a private moment. She went to my minibar and fixed us both a scotch, plopping down in a chair after delivering mine.

"That woman is seriously in love with you, Johan," she said.

"I know," I said. "And I fear for Petra when they cross paths. You can't tell Petra that I'm being sheltered by a nymph, her apology has to be sincere."

Once Sindee had admitted to being a nymph, a lot of things about Laurel made more sense. Graham had joked to Jaci Stone about them luring young men into their clutches. He had also said that every man that came to live there knew exactly what was going on.

Nymphs in legend found men who had been jilted or betrayed by their wives or lovers. They took these men into their lives to shelter them from further heartbreak, protecting them.

If the wife or lover came and offered the man a sincere apology, then the nymph would unbind the protection and let him go. The woman would always know that if she jilted her man again, the nymph would, well, rip her limb from limb. If the nymph felt that the apology was not sincere, then she would offer the man the chance to run away with her forever.

Petra would get one chance to make it right. Given that this was a connected world, and therefore no place to help the man, meaning me, run away to, she had every right to kill Petra.

And there wasn't a single thing that I could do about it. The forest spirits predated Ceres and that's why they had so much power. Revengers, however, could prosecute nymphs who had not followed the rules. I was pretty sure that's why Sindee had waited for me to make the first hard, sexual move on her. Nothing was assumed, and we had both reaped the benefits.

Of course the same danger applied to Nora. I wasn't really sure of what her role in the takeover was, or if she had no role. I was sure that Sindee knew.

"I know the legends better than you, Mister Birch," Samantha scolded.

The doors to my office burst open and Nora came rushing in. She vaulted over my desk, landing in my lap. "I'm sorry, Johan. I didn't know what Petra was up to, I swear! She just came and told me that we were coming to see you! I didn't know she was trying to steal everything from you!"