by J. Haney
“Come on in. Upstairs on the left is a spare room. You can put the little ones down and give me and the boy here a chance to talk.” I look over at Caleb; he’s tired and extremely stressed. I’m sure he’s expecting me to give him a hard time, especially given the hour.
As soon as he walks in, he closes the door to the room that holds his mother’s and sister’s ashes then skulks over to the back door. Kyler and the kids leave the room as he opens the door and steps outside. I follow and find him with his head in his hands for a moment as he clears his throat. I stand beside him and wait for him to speak.
“I’m sorry for coming over so late. I didn’t know what else to do. I think I’ve messed up bad and I’m not sure what to do.” He turns around to face me. “I’m sorry, Pops.”
As the tired sorrow spreads across his face, I take a deep breath and step forward, put my hand on his shoulder, then pull him to me. My hand protectively grasps the back of his head, as an arm goes around his shoulders, I give him a gentle tap and feel him lean into me. He's not normally like this. Something’s gotten to him—perhaps it’s this young woman? I know he’s in trouble. He’s already said as much. I wait for him to speak but he doesn’t, so I keep holding him.
"It’s okay, my boy. Spit it out. Whatever this is we can sort it, together."
He nods. He’s a lot like his mother even though I know he tries to be like me. Always has done, but he has his mother’s reckless love of life, which is one of the things I liked most about her. He’s so much like her, it hurts. Which is probably why I pushed him away when she died; the constant reminder was often too much for a man like me.
“Come on; let’s get some coffee in you, maybe some food as well. Then you can tell me all about it.”
When we walk back in, the young woman is looking around the kitchen.
“Thank you for letting us stay the night,” she says. “Caleb hasn’t given me much information." She looks from me to Caleb. “What has Caleb told you? If he’s told you everything, I am very sorry for getting him messed up in this. I told him on the way here, he could get out now. I’ve been on my own since before the kids were born. I could do it again." She wipes at her face quickly then looks back at me. “I’m very, very sorry. I know he’s worried. Hell, so am I.”
Caleb walks over and places his hand on Kyler’s shoulder. She looks up at him before excusing herself and quickly walking out of the room.
Caleb stares after her, doesn’t take his eyes off of her as he takes a seat. I watch him uneasily, waiting for him to speak.
“I’ve messed up. She’s got a past and I was trying to help her out, but it’s so much. It’s deeper than I thought.” Caleb finally looks at me and pauses long enough to hear me sigh. I shrug my shoulders before he looks back the way Kyler disappeared.
“I take it she doesn’t know about your past? Maybe you need to fill her in a bit. She thinks she’s the only danger in your life, and we both know that isn’t so. I’m helping you out on this, and with everything else, whether you like it or not, boy. I see the strain in your face, this burden is too much for you alone. The old man is going to come out and play.”
Caleb just drops his head, and then takes off in the direction of Kyler. I follow at a distance, standing around the corner from their position in the living room.
“I need to tell you something,” Caleb says with a sad sort of urgency.
“What is it? You can tell me anything,” Kyler answers, and I can hear the strain of tears in her voice.
“I don’t come here much. I tell Pops daily I will come see him, and rarely do I ever show up. When I do come here, it kills me. You see, there’s a room where my father keeps my mother’s and sister’s ashes. I always have to shut the door to that room. Not that it matters, I can remember what happened like it was yesterday. Liam had been working with me for a little under six months; his daughter was due any day. We took on this crazy case… it was our first murder. Long story short, we killed someone and in retaliation, they ran my mother and sister off the road. Both were killed on impact; the doctors say they didn’t suffer.”
Caleb’s voice breaks. “I... I… that day still haunts me. Liam has to deal with this as well. His daughter Izabella Kymberly Hudson was born a week after we buried them.” Caleb takes a deep breath. “I have people chasing me too. I’m trying to deal with that as well, and I just thought you should know.”
The room is dead silent as I stand there listening, waiting for someone to speak. This is just as emotional for me. I miss my girls from hour to hour.
“Hey, look at me,” Kyler says. She sounds stronger than before. “It seems like we are quite the pair. I have someone after me and you have someone after you. Neither of us are the nicest of people if we need to be mean. I know you haven’t seen me shoot, but I can promise this tiny frame you see is much stronger than it looks and quite a good shot. So what we do is take care of both problems, mine as well as yours.”
I hear them kiss. If they only knew I was listening. “We just need someone we trust to stay with the kids so we can get all this taken care of,” Kyler says. “That means whoever will be stuck with us for a while. What do you think, sweet man? Are we a team?”
This young lady may just be what he’s needed all along. I listen for a moment longer, waiting to hear what Caleb is going to say.
“We’re a team, gorgeous." Caleb finally says, and then I hear kissing. That’s my cue to leave this conversation.
I head to the kitchen with a smile on my face. I busy around, and am scrambling eggs and buttering toast when Caleb and Kyler walk back in. I set a plate and beer in front of each of them before taking a seat myself. Caleb starts eating while Kyler watches him. I think she’s afraid to eat. What the hell has my boy told her? I’m sure nothing good.
“After you’ve eaten, you need to get some rest,” I tell them. “I’ll stay up and keep watch, but I’m not sure what is actually going on?”
I protectively grasp the back of Caleb’s chair as I search Kyler’s eyes for answers. She glances meekly from me to Caleb a few times, all while biting down on her lip. She drops her eyes to her hands, then straightens up in her seat and looks directly at me.
“Well, sir, the only answer I can really give you is my family was murdered when I was sixteen. I had the twins just a few months after that.” She watches the both of us closely
I give her a head tilt and lean into the counter, getting comfortable. Girl obviously has things to say. I lift my hand to gesture for her to get on with it.
She chuckles uncomfortably. “You see, I was the smart girl dumb enough to let her high school sweetheart knock her up. Do I know where he is? No. Could he be dead? Quite possibly. Everyone I get close to seems to die.”
She takes a long pull of her beer before speaking again. “The man that took care of me and helped me get on my feet after it all happened seems to be involved somehow. Which actually makes sense considering someone was always able to find us no matter where we went. Now that I’m not communicating with him, he has shown his true face. Pardon my language, but I’m fucking happy he can’t find us. I’ve learned if someone is nervous they are probably hiding something.”
She takes Caleb’s hand, smiling. “Or just not sure what they are feeling. I may look like a helpless young lady to you, but I can promise I am a hell of a lot meaner than I look.”
She smiles at me and reaches into her purse. The next thing I know there’s a Glock doing a half spin on my kitchen counter.
“My daddy didn’t raise a victim,” she says. “I know how to handle that, as well as a shotgun. I have more guns stashed in different warehouses. So as you see, sir, I’m not as innocent as I look."
I can’t help but smirk as she mentions the guns. Damn it if they aren’t meant to be.
“I get it now that Caleb has a past, and I told him we are a team, but I’m going to tell you something that he doesn’t even know yet.” Caleb gives her a confused look. “If I would have walked out of his li
fe, it would have hurt me more than he could ever know. He is the first man the twins have ever been around, aside from the detective who wants us dead. We’ve been through so much in such a short time, and while some may say it’s the situation, I’m telling you now, I am… no, I have fallen in love with your son.”
She swallows hard as she stares at my boy, who looks rather stunned. She smiles widely as she turns back to me. “Yes, I get that my timing really sucks, but us being together has not been quite normal. I’m sure you have plenty of questions, so please ask away. I’ll tell you what I can. But just so you know, I think Caleb knows more than I do.”
Caleb’s eyes are as big as saucers as he looks at her.
“First of all young lady, call me Travis,” I say. “You just make sure you can really handle those guns of yours in a sticky situation.”
I worry about Caleb. Her remark that everyone around her ends up dead increases my concern, yet I know that Caleb has the exact same worry. Maybe they are going to be good for each other.
I turn and look at my boy. Underneath his tiredness, he has that troublesome glint in his eye. He obviously really cares for this woman, but I’ll be damned if I let anyone hurt him. Hot girl or not, the old man is tagging along for this one. I’m not going to say anything. I will just join them. Less arguments that way.
“Well, kid, out of all the tons of women you have brought back, this one seems to be the only one that has any guts. What were you doing kid, testing them all out before you found a good one?” I tease, trying to make everyone laugh. I take my plate to the sink and begin to clean it when Caleb starts scolding Kyler.
“You need to eat.”
“I’m okay; I'm not really hungry. I’ll eat something tomorrow, but you need to go to bed. I’ve slept most of the day away.”
I can imagine Caleb is about to protest when Kyler’s voice takes on that mom tone. “You heard me, Mr. Hudson, you’re barely keeping your eyes open.”
“What are you going to do?” His voice almost squeaks and I can’t help but shake my shoulders in a quiet laugh. This woman certainly seems to know how to wrangle him.
“I'm going to work on Ava’s teddy and I’m guessing your dad isn’t going to bed anytime soon, so I’m going to talk to him a bit more.”
I turn from the sink to see a silent Caleb get up, bend over, and kiss Kyler on the forehead before walking off. My eyes sail back to Kyler, who’s watching me as intently as I have been watching her.
“Okay, out with it,” she says. “I’ve been watching you and you have the look only a parent can get. I know it very well.” She smiles at me, right before the sound of someone coming down the hall makes us both turn.
“Caleb, go to bed!” we say at the same time, then a little girl’s head peeks around the corner.
“Mommy, where are we?” She quietly shuffles in her sock feet over to Kyler.
“Avaline, this is Travis; Travis is Caleb's dad.”
Ava sticks her little hand out for me to shake. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Hudson. I don’t know my daddy, but I hope he is a lot like Cal.” I smile listening to her act all grown up, apparently, she has given Caleb a nick name.
“Nice to meet you, beautiful. Can you do me a favor and go upstairs to make sure Caleb is in bed?”
She nods and runs off upstairs with a beaming smile, her ponytail bouncing behind her.
“You come with me,” I say sternly. I lead Kyler to the doors that Caleb always closes when he comes here. I slide them open and switch on the light, motioning her into the room.
There are two large photographs, one of my Erin and one of my Kymberly. In front of these are their urns and fresh flowers. I stand by the side of the photo Erin.
“This here is Erin, my wife. She died when Caleb was twenty-five. That young lady over there is my youngest, Kymberly.” I turn and look at Kyler with cold eyes. “I'm tagging along whether you like it or not. If things get messy and it’s either you or him, I’m not going to be a gentleman, I’m going to be a father. Caleb and Liam are all I have left and I’m not letting him get hurt. I kid you not, young lady, you will have to do a lot more to impress me than smile, say you have a gun and tell me you love the boy. I expect you to live up to your speech back there, especially when the shit hits the fan. And it will, so no dramatics when that time comes. You can’t fall apart; do you understand?”
“Sir, your son doubted me at first also. I get what it is to be a parent. I’ve done most of it alone up ’til now. I have never once asked Caleb to help me. I understand you coming with us. You won’t get a fight from me. Caleb, on the other hand, could be a different story.”
She places her hand on my arm. “I plan on proving to you from here on out I would do anything to protect your son. He and the twins are what keep me going daily.” She grins wickedly. “If you want to know how I shoot, I’ll show you. You set it up. Any kind of test you put me through, I will make it.”
“There is a way to make sure that Caleb won’t make too much fuss.” I smile. “I can always knock him out, put him in the car, and drive to a safe place, or there is just leaving it to the last minute and just getting in the car, choice is yours.”
She raises an amused eyebrow at me. “I'm being serious,” I tell her. “Those seem like the best two options to me. While you decide, I’m going to get my gun.”
I walk past Kyler and head upstairs toward my gun cabinets, then I decide to stop and look in on Caleb. He’s lying on top of the bed. He managed to take his jacket and shoes off, at least, but he’s out cold. I lean over and touch his hair and chuckle to myself. He’s a pain in the ass sometimes, but he has a heart of gold. Must get that from his mother.
I gently close the door and head back into my gunroom. I take down a box from on top of the glass cabinets, then unlock one cabinet to take out my shotgun. That’s when I spy Kyler’s refection in the glass. I hold up my gun. “Can’t miss with this, I should think.”
She gives me that raised eyebrow again before she turns and walks away with a shake of her shoulders. She’s trying hard not to, but I think she likes me.
“You coming?” she asks over her shoulder.
I lock up the cabinet and meet her in the hall. She’s just closing the door where she put down the kids; she sighs.
“Travis, if we knock Caleb out, he is going to be pissed. I say you just get in the car at the last minute, or we can try it my way.”
I give her a confused look for a moment. “I just tell him you’re coming with us,” she says. “He wants me safe, and the best way to do that is to bring you along. He’ll argue for a few minutes, but he will give in.”
She takes the gun out of my hand and begins looking it over; damn, she’s got some balls. “Where do you want to do this?”
I take back the gun. “It's goin’ on 2 a.m. We can’t go shooting now. I like your theory about Caleb, but if you warn him about it he’ll tense up, go quiet, and mull things over in his head, think about every scenario and basically stress himself out. So we do this my way. Now you go get in there and get some sleep while I keep watch.” I open the door for her, and give the dad look, which beats the mom look any day, in my opinion.
“Okay,” she says, “but when he gets mad, it wasn’t my idea.”
She closes the door behind her. Damn, Caleb’s got himself a feisty woman.
Chapter Thirty-One ~ Detective Ryan
After that bitch and her new guy, bested me at the diner, I go back to my car and try to regain my cool. I’ve kept in control all these years and again I am so close to payday, that woman has ruined it yet again!
I can feel the rage build up inside me. I take out my notebook and jot down the name Caleb Hudson PI. I can’t track Kyler anymore, but I doubt that the kid will be able to cover his whole life up so quickly.
His swagger and confidence make me think he’s proud and possibly a family man. As soon as I get back to the office, I search his name and bring up all of the information about this guy. Mother and
sister are dead; there is a brother who works with him, a sister-in-law, and a niece. I really don’t feel like killing any kids right now.
Looking at the screen again, I see the next of kin: Travis Hudson, father. I feel a smile spread across my face. Perfect. I pick up a cell phone from my top desk drawer and write a text with Travis’s full name and address. I send it to three numbers. Good luck, pal. You're going to need it. I smile to myself and rub my hands together. Soon it will be my payday and all this will be worth it.
All three numbers text me back letting me know they’re on it.
Chapter Thirty-Two ~ Kyler
Lying in bed with Caleb, I am just about to doze off as I hear a noise. I try get out of bed, but he tightens his grip on me. I reach over and shake his shoulder.
“Hey, let me go. I heard something. I want to go check on the kids.”
Caleb lets me go and is in action quick. I run to Ava and Jax, and Caleb goes down the steps with his gun. Ava must have heard the noise too because she is awake.
“Ava honey, I want you to get in the closet there and hide, okay?” She does as I ask, and I hurry to wake Jaxson. When he opens his eyes and sees me standing there, he sits up. I don’t let him say anything, just usher him into the closet with Avaline. I kiss both their heads.
“Just stay here and be quiet. Okay?”
“Momma, what’s—” I put my finger up to Jaxson’s lips.
“Please, baby. I’ll be right back, just keep your sister safe.”
I kiss them again then shut the closet door. I run back to the bedroom Caleb and I were in. Getting my gun out of my bag, I make sure I’m loaded and ready, glancing out the window to see if there’s anyone out there. I walk down the hall, inspecting all the rooms before going downstairs as quietly as possible. I peek around the corner into the kitchen.