Pushing on the glass door, he made his way through the line and gathered his meal, joining the boys at a table in the center of the room. The pair seemed oblivious to what was going on around them, while the noise level in the room dropped to half when he took his seat. Before he could even begin eating, the chair next to him became occupied.
“We need t’ talk,” Bill Tate huffed.
“Yeah, I know,” Pete agreed, “Soon as dinner’s over. Have Laura gather the boys an’ take them over to the park for a bit, so we can hold the meeting.”
“Ai’ght,” the other man agreed, vacating the seat and getting to work arranging the guest list, and who would be taking care of what.
Thirty minutes later, some of the square tables had been pushed together in the center of the floor, with the menfolk seated facing one another across the newly expanded surface, seven in all. Their wives and the remainder of the male adults of their community sat in a ring of chairs, surrounding the group to listen to the discussion.
All of the sons and daughters had been dispersed. The younger members of the township had been assigned to an older caretaker, who would ensure bedtime rituals were followed, in case things ran long with the elders.
Sitting up straight in his chair, James Fox cleared his throat. Glaring at John and Peter equally, he considered which of them he should yell at first. “You realize this’s a fine mess th’ two o’ you’s put us in,” he didn’t mince words, laying the blame equally between them.
“Yes, I realize this,” Pete leaned forward, laying his arms onto the laminate in front of him, “But throwing fits an’ pointin’ fingers isn’t gonna help us.”
“Agreed,” John joined in, stabbing the surface with an extended digit, “That girl’s got my boy’s head all screwed up – ”
“That girl?” his best friend cut in “That girl hadn’t done anything until your boy went to runnin’ his mouth about things that shoulda been kept secret!”
“That’s enough!” their patriarch interceded, “We’re all well aware o’ who gets th’ blame here,” he glowered at the two before him, “What we need t’ figure out is what t’ do ‘bout it.”
“Well, I promised Caleb we would leave ‘em alone, which is what you all agreed t’ do yesterday,” John exhaled loudly, “An’ I still think that’s a good plan. O’ course that was ‘fore she went ‘n clumped us all onto her Facebook an’ put Lawson all across th’ front of it.”
“You noticed that, too, huh,” Pete dropped his voice, addressing the man to his left.
“You bet yur ass I did,” he winced, “She’s got some seta balls.”
“She don’t know what Lawson is, John,” Pete countered. “She’s smart; if she knew what it was, she wouldn’t have done it. I think we been handling her all wrong, an’ it’s time we put a little faith in her,” he raised his voice as he went.
“I have to agree,” Chris Burns spoke up, “I realize this’s highly sensitive info she’s got out there, but she got it from somewhere; or someone. An’ she don’ know all the facts. This could be her way o’ askin’ to be let in. I’m thinkin’ she’s settled down; ready to be a part of us.”
“To do what?” Bill clomped the table with a closed fist, “First off, women don’ sit at the table. They know what we wants them to know,” several of the surrounding circle began to fidget, “An’ they’re a damn sight more respectful than that girl’s ever been.”
“You’ve known her for a month,” Pete opened his palms in surrender, “The month after both her parents died, at that, so you know she’s in pain. Her world changed at the drop of a hat, an’ you can’t tell me any of you wouldn’t have acted out in a similar circumstance.”
His face grew tired, his own sorrow exposed. “An’ in that month she became a whole ‘nother person, meeting the challenge we laid before her. I think John’s right; we should back off an’ give them a little time. See what she does. Send her a quiet message to pull down the Lawson reference, an’ see if she’ll fall in line.”
“An’ what if she don’?” the angry man held firm.
“If she don’t, then we’ll go from there,” Peter shifted uncomfortably. “You know, I was real sorry I even had to bring her here. If my mother woulda taken her, or if I felt like I coulda left her there all alone, I would have,” the man’s eyes grew wide as he pled for his niece, “But it didn’ work out that way. If somethin’ had happened to her, it woulda been on me. She’s my flesh an’ blood after all, not some piece o’ trash I found on the street.”
No one had a fast retort to his latest bit of sentiment, and Pete looked around the group, his voice overflowing with conviction, “So she came, an’ she got a taste for life on The Ranch. A whole different way for her. Le’s see what she does with it, before we do anything stupid. If not for her… then do it for me. I think I’ve earned at least that much here.”
“That’s right,” John quickly backed him up, “After all, we know where they are, an’ my boy’ll keep tabs on ‘er. Plus, they’re upstate, now. Not so easy t’ get to them without drawin’ attention, an’ we all know the las’ thing we want’s attention.” John cut his eyes around at the group that surrounded him, narrowing them into accusatory slits.
“An’ Caleb knows way more about this place than she does. I hate to say he’d turn,” he waggled a finger in the air, “He was raised here after all; this’s his home. But you know how it is when a man’s dippin’ his wick.” A small mixture of groans cascaded around the room.
“You can’t tell me he’s not,” his father continued, “You all seen the way they was together,” he cut his glare over at his best friend. “If we push him, he could really hurt us with what he knows,” the ex-marine finished, alluding to his son’s threat. “An’ for her, he jus’ might do that.”
An extended silence fell over the group, with more of the women and men in the outside circle beginning to whisper. Finally, Connie stood up, “I have sumthin’ to say, if you don’ mind hearin’ it.”
“Come on then,” her mate proffered his approval of her advice.
“I watched that girl from the time she came, t’ the time she left,” the oldest woman stepped closer to the tables. “I knowed who she was the mornin’ she first set at my table,” she paused for dramatic effect, “An’ I seen who she was ‘fore she left.”
“We got a lot to lose here, but no more than she does,” she cast her gaze on her uncle. “You wanna send her a message, you make it clear. Them boys’s still here, an’ if she were t’ put anything out there, it might become necessary for them t’ disappear.”
“Agreed,” he replied softly to her request, “I’ll let her know. Until then, I say we all friend her, an’ follow what’s going on the best we can. Le’s make her feel welcome, and let her see what she’s missing by not bein’ here, same as we did before. We do, after all, want her to come back.”
“Does that mean you want us to include her?” Alissa also stood, considering the budding relationship the two had shared. “I think we were friends. We might be able to persuade her, rather than force her hand.”
“By all means,” James agreed, shooting a glance at a few of the others. “My wife’s takin’ a hard line, but we do want ‘er back here, even if we have to wait.” He nodded at his youngest daughter, “I know several o’ you got closer to her when she was a part o’ the community. Give ‘er things t’ think about. Reasons t’ see our path… an’ to choose it.”
Listening to her father with a small nod, Alissa’s eyes darted around the small group. She had felt connected to the girl the few months she had been inside their walls, and in the end, she knew Bailey really didn’t have a choice; and neither do I. These guys are gonna get their way, with or without my help.
Stopping by the apartment, Caleb had a shower and changed into more comfortable clothing, borrowing from Pete’s closet. Combing through his hair, he thought about the tall auburn haired girl he would be seeing in a few minutes; well, not as tall as ‘Manda, but almost. He g
rinned at the comparison, realizing full well that Bailey suited him far better of the two, at least in his eyes; and what anyone else thinks don’t really matter.
Flicking on the computer while he slipped on his shoes, he wanted to check his inbox and message his father. Clicking on the icon, he watched the program open to Bailey’s page, and his heart leapt into his throat, oh shit! Not even bothering to shut down the system, he exited the room and bolted for the front door.
Pulling his phone out, his profile popped up and he accepted her friend request. Then he navigated to her page, the post jumping around, glaring at him as he stomped down the front walk. Leaving the screen up, he headed across the street at near a dead run. Inside the store, he stood in line, calming his breathing while clenching his fists as he waited.
Presenting himself before her a few minutes later, Bailey could see the panic in his eyes, “Are you ok?”
“No!” he practically screamed, “Tell your boss we have to go, right now!” Spinning around, he pushed through the line, and marched to the door to wait for her.
Dumbfounded, she followed his command, making an excuse and retrieving her purse. “I’m so sorry, Mark, I have no idea what’s happened!” she offered for the second time on her way back by.
“No worries, Bailey,” he took over her register, “See you tomorrow, if you’re able.”
When she joined Caleb, they exited the restaurant, but he didn’t give her a chance to speak. Pulling out his phone, he lit up the screen, “What the fuck is this, Bailey?!?”
She stared down at the timeline, her lips drawn into a heavy frown. Her green orbs cut up at him, she gave him a wide-eyed stare, not lifting her trembling chin, “It’s just a post. I thought it would help.”
“HELP?” he shouted, “No, it ain’t gonna help,” he ran fingers through his damp spikes, turning away from her. Becoming aware that they were still surrounded by tables, chairs and people out on the patio of her store, he groaned. “Le’s go,” he squeezed her arm, guiding her towards the light.
“I don’t understand!” she stammered, following his lead.
“I know you don’t,” his tone softened when they reached the other side. “You have t’ take it down, an’ hope that no one from The Ranch saw it.”
Bailey’s blood turned to ice in her veins, “But they already saw it!” She recalled the moment of joy on her break when she had seen her friends list filled with twenty-two new names. She stopped moving, and he swung around to face her as she continued, “I sent them friend requests, and they accepted!”
His eyes glared into hers for a moment, faltering slightly as he searched them, “They friended you?” he breathed.
“Yes, all of them. Even Amanda,” her voice quavered slightly.
“Shit,” he swore under his breath, “Come on, le’s go find out if they’re comin’ t’ kill us.” Grasping her hand, he held her firmly, guiding her up the stairs and into their living room.
Locking the door behind them, the couple moved to the bedroom, where her profile still displayed on the screen. Caleb taking the chair, Bailey hunkered on the edge of the bare mattress next to him, watching as he clicked on the red message alert.
Bailey-girl, you gotta take that down, right now, please.
Her uncle’s words gave her chills.
Two clicks later, the post had been removed. Sitting back in the chair, Caleb traced his lips with his fingers, pulling roughly at them for a moment and staring at the warm glow before him.
“I’m really sorry, Caleb. I thought,” she sucked in loudly, “I thought this was what you wanted.”
Shifting his eyes over, he considered her apology. “I’m really hungry, little bit. Would you mind makin’ me some grub?” His grin appeared strained, and she quickly agreed, leaving him to head to the kitchen.
As soon as she left, he opened a second browser from the desktop, and accessed his own account. There he found a message from his father, stating that they had held a meeting, and basically informing him that they needed to straighten up and fly right, or more innocent parties could become involved.
Caleb could feel the blood drain from his face, leaving him ghost white an instant before an angry flush took its place. “How dare they!” he slammed a closed fist onto the wooden surface, loud enough it gave Bailey a start in the other room.
“Are you ok in there?” she called, her hands hanging over her mixture and covered in flour.
“Yeah,” he shouted back, putting his fingers on the keys. Call me, he typed, and hit send. Not thirty seconds later, his phone began to chime.
Making it to the balcony before he accepted it, “How dare you!” he spit into the device.
“How dare I?” his old man countered, “I tol’ you yesterday this was a community matter!”
“Yeah, I got that, but that ain’t no reason t’ go threatnin’ those boys! They ain’t done nothin’ t’ deserve it, an’ you damn well know it!”
“I know it, an’ you know it, but that ain’ gonna stop anyone from hurtin’ them if it becomes necessary. What you need t’ do is get a handle on that red-headed bitch o’ yurs – ”
“Ok, just stop right there, cause I know where this’s goin’ an’ I got news for you, I DON’T OWN HER!” he looked around, aware that others might hear him, and dropped his voice, “An’ on top o’ that, I got more respect for her than that. Now, I know we need t’ deal with this, but I swear t’ you, I will handle it. I will make her understand how important this is, an’ she won’t do it again. Ok?”
John listened to Caleb breathe for a long moment before he yielded, “Yeah, I think we’re clear then. You take care of it, son. I’ll talk t’ you in a day or two.”
Random
Darkening the device, Caleb leaned his head against the support pole. Reaching up with his free hand, he steadied himself for a moment and gathered his thoughts, breathing in a slow deep pant. When he felt calmer, he made his way over to the door, and entered to find the girl still moving about in the kitchen.
“You ok?” he asked quietly, making his way around the large sectional sofa and into the dining area.
“Yes,” she nodded, turning to place his plate of chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes before him. “Are you ok?”
“I’m fine. You made all this?” his eyes grew wide, dipping a finger in the gravy and sucking it loudly.
“Of course,” she exhaled the words, smiling meekly. Giving him a small shrug, she plunked down in the chair across from him, “So, what did they say?”
“They said,” he grabbed his napkin, then switched to knife and fork to begin dismantling the meal, “That they’re pissed.”
“Ok, they’re pissed. What are they going to do about it?” Her lip formed a small pout.
“Well,” he shoveled in a few bites, letting her dangle in suspense, “We have to straighten up, which means I need to explain a few things to you.”
“Some of that stuff you were keeping safe for me,” she predicted.
“Yeah,” he agreed, “Some o’ that.”
Sitting back, she blew out loudly through her nose, “Alright, eat your dinner, and we’ll talk when you’re done.”
Standing, she moved over to the kitchen and began cleaning the pans and other cooking utensils before loading them in the dishwasher. Wiping down the stove, she glanced over periodically. Eventually, she noted that he had cleared the plate and had begun removing the remnants of creamy sauce with a slice of bread. Grinning at him, she exclaimed, “Wow, you really were hungry!”
“Oh, yeah,” he grunted, “An’ that was delicious!”
She smiled from ear to ear, surprised that he would pay her such a compliment, “Thanks.” Taking the plate, she finished up with the tidying and started the washer while he explained his news.
“First I need t’ tell you, this isn’t your fault. I should never have said the word Lawson t’ you. You should’ve never heard it, an’ I’m sorry,” he stared at her, his blue orbs pleading forgiveness.
Taking her seat, she nodded, “Ok, I get that. So why is it such a secret?”
His eyes glazed for a moment, “I can’t tell you that part. All I can tell you is, you shouldn’t ever mention it again.”
“You don’t trust me to know?”
“It’s not for me to decide,” he blinked rapidly, “An’ you don’t jus’ walk into town and decide to be a member. Everyone there’s part o’ the family.”
“Not everyone,” she corrected, thinking of the four unattached males of the group. “You still have those random guys there.”
He shrugged, “They’re still part of us. They were invited t’ be there.”
“Why?” she clipped the word, causing him to lean back and study her for a long moment.
“Be…cause… they have military training, an’ other skills an’ beliefs that make them good candidates for our community.”
“Survivalists,” she supplied the word coolly.
“Yeah, survivalists,” he smiled, aware that she understood more than she let on. “They bring a great deal t’ the group, with knowledge an’ abilities. Plus, they’re all single an’ disconnected from th’ outside world.”
“That division is very important to you,” she observed, “That everyone stay… aloof… from the rest of humanity.”
“In a roundabout way, I guess you could say that. Don’ get me wrong, we still need the rest o’ the world, so we can gather knowledge an’ resources. But, we’re not really a part of it,” he glanced down at her lips, noticing for the first time that she still wore no makeup, huh.
“Take Kathy for instance,” he continued. “We needed someone t’ take care of our medical needs. I remember vividly when she left t’ go t’ nursin’ school; it was a big deal. She was gone for two years, an’ that’s about the time we got the computers, an’ everyone got on Facebook.”
The Irrevocable Series Boxed Set Page 19