by Cee Bowerman
“So he went to prison.”
“Yeah. He was 18 and a senior in high school when he did that. They charged him as an adult and prosecuted him for two counts of attempted murder, arson, and something else. Anyway, that was 20 years ago and I guess he’s out now.”
“And he’s a drug dealer.”
“I guess,” Reba shrugged. “I can see him leading some sort of criminal empire. He’s ruthless enough that he’d be the top dog before too long.”
“I wonder if your mom knows.”
Reba shrugged.
“Have you talked to her lately?”
“Not since before my wedding, so no. It’s been years. I’m not even sure where she lives now.”
“Damn.”
“So now you know my big family secret. Do you understand why I’ve got to run? He can’t find me.”
“Nope.” I shook my head. “You’re not leaving town and going somewhere that you’ll be completely alone without resources, Reba. Think of what that would be like for the kids for a minute. They’ve had a normal childhood so far, right? And now you want to jerk them away from the only home and family they know so you can live somewhere random in fear? Really?”
“I can’t put everyone else in danger. He wrote us letters when he first got convicted. You know, to me and our mom, talking about what he was going to do to us when he saw us again. You have no idea what he’s got planned for me.”
“Do you know how to shoot a gun?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you own one?”
“I do.”
“Where is it?”
“In my safe at home.”
“Maybe it should stay in your purse until all of this blows over.”
“If I was staying in town, that would be a good idea. I have to protect my kids, Mace. Leaving is the only way I can see to do that.”
My phone rang and I picked it up out of the cup holder and hit the speaker button before I heard Sonny’s voice say, “Meet me at Martha’s Diner. You know where that is?”
“I do,” I told him. “Give us five minutes. We’re close by.”
Sonny hung up without another word and I looked over at Reba. She was staring at me and I couldn’t read the look on her face.
I reached over, took her hand in mine, and squeezed it gently.
“You’re not alone, Reba Lane.”
“You’re such a stubborn man, Mace.” Reba shook her head but didn’t let go of my hand. “We’ve been on one date and this is what you’re hit with. I don’t know why you haven’t already bowed out. I wouldn’t blame you at all.”
“Hey! No, ma’am.” I shook my head and glanced at Reba. “We’ve been on more than one date. I consider the coffee shop a date. Then there was the lake and that should count for more than one since it lasted two days. Then we went and got ice cream with the kids and I spent the other evening on your sofa watching that movie with you guys. That’s at least five dates by my count, probably more like seven. And the fact that I’ve seen you naked more than once should count for something.”
“I’m serious, Mace. This isn’t your fight.”
“Maybe I want it to be. Did you ever think of that? I like you Reba and I’m not willing to lose you or those awesome kids of yours. I see something here between us, something I want to explore. I can’t do that if you run away.”
We pulled up in front of the diner and I waited as Reba turned around and shook her kids awake gently. Luckily, both kids were happy when they woke up unlike some of my brothers who woke up breathing fire and hating the world for at least 10 minutes.
“Why are we here?” Cyrus asked Reba as he rubbed his eyes.
“We’re here to see Sonny and some of his friends,” Reba explained. “We need to get you guys a sundae or something. What do you think?”
“Yes!” Vada yanked her seatbelt off and bounced in her seat. “I want three scoops with lots of fudge and whipped cream.”
“We’ll see what we can do.” I laughed as I got out of my truck. I opened the back door and the kids scrambled out as Reba walked around the back of the truck to join us.
The four of us went into the diner and I saw Sonny and a few other men sitting at a large table in the back corner. One of the other men at the table was Smokey Forrester, an old friend of my parents. I recognized his son Bird sitting beside him. I greeted the two men and started to introduce Reba, but she hugged them both as if they were old friends.
Smokey introduced the other man that was with them as Grunt.. I couldn’t help but hope for his sake that wasn’t his given name.
While we were talking and getting settled at the table, Martha Forrester came out of the kitchen with two kids in tow. They looked close to Vada and Cyrus’s age and Reba smiled as Martha ushered all four kids to a nearby table so she could get their orders and entertain them while we talked.
“I’ve talked to my brothers here and we have an idea about how to make sure you and the kids are safe,” Sonny told Reba. “And that does not include you leaving Rojo, honey. If he ever does catch up to you, who will you have in your corner then?”
“I agree.” Smokey nodded at Reba. “We’ve come up with a plan and the most important part of it is keeping your kids safe.”
“Yes,” Reba agreed. “That’s all I care about right now.”
“I’ve got four kids who are close in age to yours,” Grunt explained. “We live out in the country with my wife and assorted animals. My wife homeschools all but the oldest, and we’re home all day and night. There are only two neighbors within a few miles of us and those are close personal friends of ours.”
“One of them is Rowdy. You know him from Tink’s club,” Sonny explained.
“Okay,” Reba said slowly, unsure of where this conversation was going.
“We think it would be a good idea for you to let the kids go stay at Grunt’s house for a while. They won’t be out of Grunt’s sight unless another one of us is there to watch over them.” Smokey explained the plan to Reba and I could tell she was actually considering it.
“And you’ll protect my kids?” Reba asked Grunt.
“Ma’am, your kids are going to be in my house with my kids. If someone comes knocking, I’ll protect all of them,” Grunt assured her.
He looked like the kind of man that could take care of any issue that came along, but I honestly didn’t know that he was the type of guy I’d want my kids around. He seemed very distant and hard. Not really the kind of guy you’d pick as a babysitter.
“Grunt!” The little girl sitting at the table hopped up and rushed over to our table. Her bottom lip was stuck out and she had tears in her eyes. “I hurt my finger.”
“Oh, sweetie. Let me see.” Grunt’s face changed and he turned into a dad right before my eyes. “That’s just a little hangnail, goober. It’s not fatal.”
He pulled a keychain out of his pocket and there was a small pair of clippers on it. He held the girl’s hand and fixed her fingernail, then kissed the back of her hand before he made growling noises and pretended to feast on her arm. Her pout turned into a giggle and I saw Reba smile as she watched the two of them. The little girl skipped back over to the table where she had been sitting with the other children and Grunt watched her go.
When he looked back at us, his expression had gone from dad to deadly again.
“That’s your daughter? Aunt Sandy told me you had finally found a good woman.” Reba smiled at the man across the table from us.
“She is now.” Grunt smiled. “We’ve got two girls and two boys at home. There’s an older son and then two older daughters who are off and married now and we have grandbabies everywhere. My wife did all the hard work before I met her, but now I’m here to help.”
“That’s sweet.” Reba glanced back at the table where the kids were and watched them interact. The two boys’ heads were close together and they were having an intense conversation. The two little girls were looking around the room and occasionally giggling together.
“He’s my father-in-law.” Bird smiled before he reached over and pushed Grunt’s shoulder.
“Oh, really?” Reba laughed.
“He’s Lout’s father-in-law too.” Bird laughed again and Grunt growled at him. “He wants us to call him “Daddy”, but we won’t do it.”
“Man, fuck you. I’ll show you Daddy,” Grunt grumbled and the rest of us at the table laughed.
“I’ve been around his kids enough to tell you that there might be one teeny problem.” Sonny chuckled when he glanced up at Grunt. “Petra is the baby over there talking to Vada. The two of them together could be dangerous. We’re wondering which country she’s going to rule when she gets older. The boy, Terran, is smarter than all of us put together. If he and Cyrus start studying together and comparing notes, I bet they can invent the firepower the girls will need for their coup.”
“Your little girl is a wild one?”
“The wildest.” Reba confirmed.
“Bet me.” Grunt shook his head. “I’m hanging on by a thread half the time when the four of them start plotting. The only thing I’ve got on them is size and experience and so far, that’s only worked because they haven’t called my bluff.”
All of us laughed and watched the kids get to know each other.
“I’ll want to talk to them everyday,” Reba ordered. “And see them when I can, but I understand that could be a problem if he’s following me.”
“We’ll get it figured out,” Bird reassured Reba. “They’ll come to our house a lot and swim with my kids and it won’t be a problem to have you out too. We live outside of town and no one can get close to our house without us knowing about it.”
“We don’t know that Darryl is even in town yet, so I think it would be a good idea for the kids to go with Grunt today. We have Jace at your house now and he comes and goes. We’ve got another man who’s going to go to your house and stay. We don’t want anyone to know he’s inside.” Sonny told Reba. “You two are going to go pick up your car and take it over to Kings Customs. He’s going to crawl into the back of your SUV where no one can see him, then get out when you are closed up in your garage. He’s already packed and waiting for you at the shop.”
“What about work?” I asked the men.
“I know the director of your facility. Jace now has an employee ID and he’ll be allowed into the back where you are. He won’t always be in the room with you, but he’ll be within earshot at all times.” Bird told Reba. “I’m going to give you this bracelet, Reba, and I need you to keep it on until this is all over. If something happens and we lose you, this will help us find you. It looks like a regular bracelet, but it has a chip in it that can track your movement. We’ll give one to each of your kids too.”
“Okay,” Reba whispered as Bird fastened it around her wrist. She started to dig through her purse as soon as Bird let go of her hand. “Cyrus is allergic to shellfish and I have an epipen for him in my bag. I can pack some stuff for them. How can I get it to you?”
“Give their things to me tonight and someone can pick them up from the jobsite in the morning,” I told her as she handed the epipen to Grunt.
“No, you have to take me to my car and then stay away from me. If he follows you to your house, the rest of your family will be in danger.” Reba shook her head. “I can’t have that.”
“I’ll get my brothers to pack for me and they can give it to me at work,” I argued with her. “I’m in this now, Reba. You’re not going to push me out.”
“I should just run,” Reba groaned as she put her hands in her face. “I thought for sure he’d never get out.”
“He served 20 years, babe. I know that’s not enough, but he was eligible for parole.” Sonny rubbed his hand up and down Reba’s back while he talked to her. “He’ll fuck up and go back or he’ll fuck up and we’ll get rid of him. Either way, this won’t last forever. In the meantime, your kids are going to have a blast at Grunt’s house.”
◆◆◆
REBA
“Come sit with me for a minute,” I told my kids as I walked up to their table.
They could sense that something was wrong. Both of them got up and followed me with no argument.
“I’ve got to talk to you two,” I started as we sat down together in a booth a good distance from the rest of our party. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths because I was too close to tears. I didn’t want to scare or upset them. I’d rather they looked at this like some sort of adventure. “What do you think of your new friends?”
“We’ve met them with Aunt Sandy before, but I like them.” Cyrus was the first to answer. “He’s funny and he likes to read too.”
“Petra is so nice and we’re going to have a tea party at her house.”
“That’s what I want to talk to you about.” I reached across the table for Cyrus’s hand and reached over and took Vada’s with my other hand. “You two are going to go and stay at their house for a little while.”
“We can have a tea party!” Vada cheered.
“On a school night?” Cyrus was confused because they never got to spend the night anywhere if they had school the next day.
“Yeah,” I smiled. “You get to take some time off from school and daycare while you stay at their house. Their mom teaches them at home and we’re going to see how that works with you two.”
“We aren’t going to school?” Cyrus questioned, his eyes narrowed.
“No! Doesn’t that sound like fun? And I hear that they even have animals out there!”
“Why?” Vada saw right through me every time I tried to lie and tell her I wasn’t upset about something. This, of course, wouldn’t be any different.
“Okay.” I blew out a breath. “There are some things going on that make it safer for you to stay out there than at home with me. I don’t want anyone to know where you are, but I want to make sure you’re taken care of, so you’re going to go with Uncle Sonny’s friends.”
“Why?” Vada asked again. “What are the things?”
“Grown up stuff, baby.” I shook my head when she started to ask another question. “I’ll explain it to you both when you’re older. Let’s say 20. Until then, you’re going to just have to trust me.”
“Are you leaving us like our dad did?” Cyrus whispered.
“No! That’s not it at all, Cy. I’ll never leave you, baby.”
“But you’re leaving us with someone else.” Vada had tears in her eyes now. “Will we stay there forever?”
“No.” I shook my head. “This won’t last forever. I’ll talk to you every chance I get and I’ll see you whenever I can. It’s just safer for you two to be away from me for a while. You’re going to go with them now.”
“Today?” Cyrus was choking back tears now and it was breaking my heart.
“You guys, there’s no reason to cry! This is just another adventure. You’ve made some new friends and you’ll get to experience new things and tell me all about them when I talk to you.”
“What if we miss you?” Vada wiped the tears off her face and tried valiantly not to cry.
“Then we’ll talk on the phone or I’ll find a way to see you.” I was broken inside but needed to be strong for my babies. “You’ll see - it will be lots of fun.”
Petra, Grunt’s little girl, popped over to our table and scooted up close to Vada’s other side. The little boy scooted into the booth next to Cyrus. I watched the kids hold back their emotions in front of their friends and within a minute or two they were all four chattering about what they’d do while my kids slept over.
The kids did what I couldn’t do and reassured Vada and Cyrus that this was going to be a fun adventure and not some sort of punishment. I watched them talk and get excited and realized it was all going to work out okay. Grunt, Sonny, and Bird got up from the table and walked toward us and I realized that they were about to take my children with them.
I interrupted the girls so they could let me out of the booth and then I leaned down and kissed Vada an
d gave her a big hug. I reached for Cyrus and he let me hug and kiss him too. I saw that he wasn’t nearly as upset as he had been a few minutes ago.
“Okay, you guys. I’ll call you tonight after you’re all settled in.” I smiled at my kiddos praying I could stay strong until they were at least out of sight.
“Okay.” Vada looked at me curiously and I thought she might start to cry again, but Sonny swept her up in his arms and made growling noises in her neck. He always made her giggle. I was so glad he was there to help us with this transition today.
“Bye, Mom,” Cyrus whispered. He threw his arms around my waist and squeezed me tight before he pulled away and followed my cousin to the door.
Grunt squeezed my shoulder as he walked past and leaned down and whispered in my ear, “I’ll take care of them like they’re my own, honey.”
“Yeah,” I sniffed. The kids were already out in the parking lot with Bird and Sonny, so I turned and looked around frantically for the bathroom. Martha Forrester appeared beside me and took my arm. She guided me over to the end of the bar and back into the kitchen without a word.
The tears were flowing now and I was taking deep breaths to try and hold back my sobs. Finally, she pushed open a door and followed me into a small office. She slammed the door behind her and pulled me into her strong arms just as the first sob broke free.
“Oh, honey.” Martha held me close and rubbed my back with one hand. “It’s all going to work out just fine. Those kiddos will have the time of their lives and this will be over before you know it.”
I blubbered on her shoulder for quite some time before I could finally pull myself together enough to pick my head up.
“I’m sorry.” I apologized as I tried to wipe the mascara out from under my eyes. I knew I had to look like a raccoon right now, considering the wet spots on Martha’s shoulders had half my eye makeup on them. “I’m just so scared for them and for me. For all the people around me, really. Darryl is evil incarnate.”