by Vera Quinn
“No! No! No!” Callie is yelling out and I try to get just as close as I can and sooth her. Her eyes aren’t open yet, but she is fighting someone in her dreams. Cam comes up out of the chair. He almost goes face down on the floor but he catches himself.
“It’s ok Callie, I’m here. You’re safe I promise. Open your eyes sweetheart. Can you do that for me?” She’s still thrashing. Cam walks over to the other side of the bed.
“It’s ok, Baby Girl. We’re here for you. We love you and you are safe. I promise.” Cam is trying his best to stay calm, but I can see the pain he feels for Callie. “Bubba, never ever, never ever.” She’s crying so hard. She crawls right up me and has her arms around my neck. I’m crying with her and I don’t care who sees it. Callie is hurting and I will do whatever it takes to stop it.
I look over at Cam and he has tears running down his face. I know then that the both of us would do anything to make sure this never happens again. “I promise Callie. I promise never ever again. Uncle Cam is here too. We promise.” Cam gets as close to us as he can and Callie pushes up off me and goes into Cam’s arms. I knew right then that I made the right decision in picking Cam to care for Callie if anything happened to me. She would always have his unconditional love, just like she would have mine. Cam was rubbing Callie’s back and soothing her and she had quieted some. Then she twists around and comes back over to me.
“I want a drink. My throat hurts. Bubba my face hurts.” Cam pours her a small amount of water in her cup. She drinks it down and then snuggles back into my chest. How could anyone hurt such a beautiful child? Her hair is almost white and it hangs down her back. She keeps rosy cheeks from being in the sun so much and she has big beautiful blue eyes. She lost her second tooth this week. Her front tooth. One on the bottom and one on the top. She’s such a good child. She’s never fussy, except when she’s sick, but then she looks so pitiful, we overlook it. I just don’t understand the monsters in this world.
“Tomorrow I will see if Felix, Sarah, and Hanna can come see you.” She looks horrified. “What’s wrong sweetheart?” “Will they know what happened? I don’t want anyone to know.” Cam and I both look at her. Surely she doesn’t think she did something wrong. Cam rubs his hand up her back in a reassuring way.
“Baby Girl, you did nothing wrong. It doesn’t matter if your friends know or anyone else.” I don’t know what to say. “But I don’t want them to know Karen is so mean. I don’t want them to know the stinky man tried to take my clothes off. They’ll laugh at me. I hit him like my martial arts teacher told me, but I felt funny after I drank the water he gave me. My arms felt like I couldn’t move them. I tried hard. I really tried hard.” Callie was getting upset again. Cam had murder in his eyes. I knew the feeling.
“It’s ok. We won’t tell them. You can see them later.” That’s all I knew to say. Cam Callie has been home for two weeks now. She seems to be getting back to normal, but sometimes Tommy or I will catch her looking as if she is miles away in her head. We worry. She’s told us the sound of guns scare her, so today Trent and I are taking her and Ty out to the old home and do some target shooting so maybe we can help her with the nightmares. The doctor said maybe if she heard it with one of us handling the gun she might lose her fear easier. At this point we will try anything. I know people are opposed to guns, but it’s not guns that kill. It’s people who kill. All we’re going to shoot is some cans and targets with a 22.
We drive our old truck way back in the pasture. We have a place set up back here that has been here since before we were born. Dad has owned this place forever. He taught us how to shoot back here years ago.
We have round hay bales that are replaced every so often with steel sheets behind them. The hay is easy to move. The steel sheets not so much. We also have deer dummies. We have skeets, too, which I love to do, but I can go through a couple boxes in no time.
Ty is excited, but Callie is still trying to shy away. I would never make her do anything she didn’t want to, but I just want to help stop her nightmares and show her a gun is not always bad.
First we go over all the rules about touching guns. Never without adult supervision. All the safety procedures. How to tell if a safety is on and what a safety is for. We cover every subject that is in the handbook for beginning hunters. We have gone over and over it to make sure they understand. Callie is warming up to the idea. Then we go a step further and take the little 22 completely apart and teach them how to put it back together. They both like this part. They like working with their hands. They think they will get to fire the gun by themselves today, but that’s not the way it works. They only get to fire it with our help today. They have a lot more practice to put in before they get to that step. Safety first. Always safety first. Maybe it will help Callie though.
Tommy
I have been working my ass off this week. Putting money back so Callie can start her tumbling classes and martial arts competitions. That little squirt is good. Just a little more and I’ll have it covered.
It has been almost a month since the shit with Karen and T-Bone. Neither have been spotted. They must have found a hole to crawl into. I have been keeping a close eye on Callie, because I have a feeling something bad is coming. It’s almost the same feeling I had before Callie disappeared. I feel like we’re being watched. At times, I feel chills going down my back from the eerie feeling. I shake it off, but it’s in the back of my mind.
Tonight I am doing a repo for my boss and then home for some much deserved sleep. Grandma Sue is watching Callie until I get home. My day off is tomorrow and Callie and I are going to the park for a picnic.
Trent is out of town on a run, he’s been promoted to SAA since Bourbon and Rye moved to Oklahoma. They are opening a new chapter there. Blake is gone for the weekend on a fishing trip. Ty is spending the night with a friend camping and Cam is doing club business. He’s been busier since he was promoted to VP. Tomorrow is just Callie and me. I love our little family, but sometimes I like it just us.
The more I get into the night the more I want to get home. Callie has been on my mind all night. I’ve got the car and all I have to do is drop it and then I’m home. The drop was easy and I make sure I lock everything up tight. My whole drive home I was edgy. I don’t know what is wrong. I flip my lights off before I pull up in the drive. I notice a black van pulled up the road from our drive and it sets off warning bells in me. I shoot Cam a text with the tag number and another to Whiskey. I don’t want unnecessary people close to our house. The lights are out outside. Usually Grandma Sue leaves a light on for us. I fish my keys out of my pocket and my phone vibrates signaling a text message. I look at and it is from Cam. They are at the clubhouse and Fish ran the tag and it’s stolen. They are on their way. Now I have a real uneasy feeling. I go to put my key in the door and it isn’t locked. Now I know for sure something is wrong. I send a SOS message to Cam. It’s our signal for bad things happening.
I slide in the back door and try to be quiet, but I see Grandma Sue in the kitchen floor with a small pool of blood around her head. Then I hear Callie scream. That’s it, I sprint up the stairs that go to her bedroom. I know she is in her cubby hole. Both Callie and Ty have a hiding place in each of their rooms. It is a small place hard for adults to get to. It’s just big enough for a small child but it is deep so it’s hard to get the child out. We have taught both of them to go to these places if an intruder breaks in. Where is the prospect that is supposed to be watching out front? When I get to the top of the steps I see the body of the prospect lying beside Callie’s door. He’s had his throat cut. This makes my blood run cold. I feel a fear I have never felt before take over my body. I know I have to get to Callie, she needs me.
I kick her door wide open and look around but I see no one. I call to Callie and she is running for me before I realize my mistake. I forgot to look behind the door. I was in such a hurry. I just wanted to get to Callie. Callie is almost to me when I feel the sharp pain in my back. It’s in the middle of my ba
ck and it hurts and it burns. Callie is screaming and I spin and I see the man and he has a bloody knife in his hand and a sickening grin on his face. Callie is trying to climb me but I can’t help her. I feel like I can’t move. I think I’m going to be sick. The man charges me and I instinctively fight back. Where’s Callie gone? Then I hear a gun shot. It’s not real loud but I know it is a gunshot. Then I see Callie has a gun in her hand. I look at the man on the floor and it is Chaz, TBone’s brother. I scoop Callie up or I try to. My side is hurting so bad and I twist my hand back there and try to look. I look at my hand and there is blood.
That’s when I see the other man in the door. I push Callie behind me. The man is Grit, Chaz and TBone’s cousin. He looks at Chaz and then me. I take the gun from Callie. I hear the bikes up the road and I know Cam will be here soon. Grit and I stare at each other. We shoot at about the same time and then everything fades to black. Cam
We see a man running out the back, but I hear Callie screaming. Tequila, my cousin, takes off after him. As soon as I enter the kitchen, I see Grandma Sue in a small pool of blood. Dad goes to her side. I run up the stairs two at a time trying to get to Baby Girl. I hear what she is screaming now, “Bubba! Bubba wake up. Please Bubba, wake up.” I see the bloody prospect but I know he is dead. No one loses that much blood and still breathes.
I kick open the door and then jerk it closed looking behind it. I run over to Callie and check her for wounds and then I see him. Tommy. No not Tommy. I hold Callie close but she is fighting me. She is trying to get to Tommy. Then I see Chaz and my blood runs cold. This could only mean one thing. He was sent by T-Bone and Karen.
I’m trying to hold Callie but she is so squirmy I lose my hold. I don’t want to hurt her. She grabs Tommy and is holding on for dear life. She has blood all over her. “I promise Bubba never ever! I promise no one will ever hurt you again if you’ll just wake up! Please Bubba open your eyes! I’ll keep you safe…” she is hysterical.
I reach down and try to find a pulse but we are too late. Tommy, my best friend, my brother, he’s gone. Dead. I pick Callie up and go to her dresser and get her some clothes and I leave. I leave the man I respected most in this world cold and alone on that floor. I know he’ll understand. Baby Girl needs to be taken care of. She was always his first priority and he left her for me to take care of and love. That is exactly what I will do. It was my last promise to him and I will die before I let him down.
I return to the kitchen. Ever since we went down the stairs Callie has been perfectly still. I look at her face and I know she will never be the same. Tommy and Callie had such a deep connection. More of a child and parent than brother and sister. He knew when something was wrong with Callie instinctively. She clung to him like he was her lifeline. How do I repair her seeing him killed?
Dad comes over and I shake my head so he knows. I see Doc is working on Grandma Sue’s head. She is alert, but I could see the devastation in her eyes. She knows one of her children was taken from this world tonight.
Dad goes up the stairs to check everything out. He comes back down and he is shaking his head. He looks to me and I see how Tommy’s death has put a dark shadow in his eyes
“I swear to you all, Tommy’s death will be avenged. Mom do you know who was with Chaz? Who shot him? Tommy?” Dad is trying to be tactful but Callie still hears it.
“Grandpa Whiskey will you get the bad man who hurt Bubba? Why won’t Bubba wake up? I shot the man who hurt Bubba’s back.” What did this sweet child just say? “Callie, sweetheart, what do you mean?” Dad is asking hard questions but I know he needs to know. “No dad. Baby Girl don’t need to talk. She needs to stay calm.” I have to put Callie first. That’s my job now. It’s always been my j ob. I love her as much as I do my own child. She will be mine.
Callie looks at dad. She leans into me and hugs me and then she crawls out of my lap. I try to keep her in my lap, but she is having none of it. “I want to go find the other man that shot Bubba. I promised never ever would anyone hurt him again. I shot the man who hurt his back. When Bubba and the first man was fighting I went in the hall to find something to help Bubba. I saw the gun the boy in the hall had in his jacket. I took it. It was like the one Uncle Cam showed us and I pointed like Uncle Cam showed me and I shot. The man fell. I went to help Bubba and the other man came in with a gun. Bubba put me behind him and took the gun and they shot each other. The other man ran out of the room. We could hear the motorcycles. Bubba won’t wake up but I am going to help find the other man who hurt him.” I couldn’t take anymore. I had to get Callie out of here and explain it to her. Tonight Whiskey will have to take care of the club, I need to take care of my girl and Grandma Sue. Cam
Callie is just lying there staring at the ceiling. Her tears dried up but now she is scaring me. I rented a nice hotel suite for the time being. I know none of us will be able to live in that house again. I talked to Rye a little while ago and we are going to stay at his house for now. Just until I find something else.
Grandma Sue is at the hospital being cared for and will come here later if they let her leave tonight. I called Layla and asked her not to say anything to Ty about this and to keep him away from anyone that would until he comes home tomorrow. Home? I mean the hotel. Later tomorrow or maybe the next day we will go out to Rye’s.
Dad is handling clean up with the club. He’s going to contact Mr. H ankins for me tomorrow, too. I have to make sure Tommy’s wishes are carried out. Tomorrow morning, we will have to make arrangements for Tommy. Burial arrangements. How can that be? How could his life just be gone? How do I make Baby Girl understand? Well hell, I don’t understand it and then I have to tell Ty.
I watch Callie and she’s not moving, just staring. I will need to get her into some kind of counseling. How does someone so young grasp what has gone on? She has been listening to everything going on around her. She shot someone tonight. She watched her brother get killed protecting her. How will she ever come back from that? The only way is love and patience. We’ll all be there for her.
The anger I feel inside for the loss of Tommy is beyond words. I will have my revenge. I know Chaz had no reason to do this. He was sent. I know T-Bone and Karen are behind this and they will be dealt with.
Dad has reached out for my uncle’s help. Everyone is looking for those two. Grandma is going to be ok, but no one messes with the BlackPath’s women and children. Blood will spill over it.
I go over and lay down on the other bed so I can keep an eye on Callie in case she needs something or starts to cry again. It’s not long before my eyes feel heavy and I watch as Baby Girl crawls over her bed and walks over to mine and crawls in next to me. I snuggle her up like I used to when she was a baby when she couldn’t sleep. She relaxes but she is holding on for dear life. Then I feel her body go limp and her breathing even out. She’s asleep at last. Maybe she can find a little bit of peace in her sleep, but I don’t let her go in case her nightmares come. Tommy and I have done this so many times in her young life. Now it is my place to do and I do it with all the love I have for Baby Girl.
Cam
Three days later we laid Tommy to rest. Callie cried and I had to leave the grave yard early with her and Ty. I don’t know if I did the right thing letting her be there, but he was her brother and I didn’t know what to do. I don’t know a lot these days. Grandma Sue has kept us all going. I lost my best friend and the hate I have for the people that did this is consuming me.
Mr. Hankins, Tommy’s attorney, filed the paper work for me to keep Callie legally. If Karen shows up to dispute them, we have her. She can’t be that stupid. Mr. Cross, the club attorney, has filed paper work to sever the parent/child relationship. I am going to adopt Callie. That way we never have to worry about Karen coming and trying to take her. Dad said he would get her to sign the papers to relinquish rights but we can’t even find her.
I’m pulled out of my thoughts by Grandma Sue, “Where is Callie? She’s not in her room. Have you seen her Cam?” Callie was
in her room. She can’t be gone. We just moved into Rye’s old ranch style home. Maybe she’s in another room.
“I thought she was in her room. Ty have you seen Baby Girl?” I am getting nervous as we go from room to room searching. She’s not answering and we can’t find her. We looked everywhere and no Callie. I called for help. I’m scared out of my mind. I have already let not only Callie down, but Tommy, too. I hear Whiskey and Trent’s bikes out front and I run for the door hoping they may have heard something. I see Blake’s truck behind the bikes and then I see Blake taking Callie out. I can finally breathe again. I rush to Blake and take Callie into my arms. I squeeze her so tight I hope she can breathe.
“Where was she? How did you find her? Who took her?” Everything comes tumbling out of my mouth.
Trent takes Callie from me and then starts for the house with her, Blake right behind him. “Where are you going?” That’s all I can think of to ask. “I need to talk to you and that little girl needs to sleep. She’s seen too much and she’s exhausted. Doc is on his way to come see her. She’s not hurt, she just needs some rest and Doc can help with that. Now we need to talk.” Whiskey is leaving no room for argument. He’s pissed and not trying to hide it.
“Son, you have to get your shit together. Callie walked all the way back to the graveyard. That’s where we found her. It’s not that far, but she’s only six. She was lying on top of Tommy’s grave crying and saying never ever. Do you know what the hell that means?” He’s right. I have been consumed with my own grief. I have to pull myself out of this and do what has to be done.
“Never ever is what Tommy used to promise Callie when Karen would hurt her. We would tell her Karen would never ever hurt her again.” This is going to be difficult for Callie to deal with. More so than I thought.
“She told Trent she wanted to hurt whoever hurt her Bubba. She is hurting. Time is the only thing that is going to help. I got the papers signed and Cross is going to do whatever he can to get this pushed through. We all just have to give that girl extra love.” I’ve never heard Whiskey talk this way about anyone except Ty. Trent and I never got this when we were growing up.