Fourth to Run

by Carys Jones

  Aiden flinched at her hostility and also the unavoidable answer to the question.

  “Okay, yeah, that’s how things played out in the case but—”

  “I don’t even care!” Isla put down her coffee and threw both hands up into the air. “Whatever issues you had with Guy in the past, I’m hoping you can put them aside for me. I’m just trying to be happy, Aid. Don’t you want me to be happy?”

  The words were there, pressing up against Aiden’s mouth, desperate to be flung free and the truth of the matter declared. But Aiden held them in, coughing as he forced them back and cleared his throat.

  “Yes,” Aiden declared. “I want you to be happy.”

  And he did. And if being happy meant being with Guy Chambers then Aiden would sadly just have to suck up his mounting resentment towards his former friend. That is, until he had proof that Guy had set him up to be killed. Then the gloves would well and truly be off.

  “Thank you.” Isla lowered her arms and smiled. “And I love that you’ve dropped in, truly I do. But in future, you know, maybe call first?”

  Aiden nodded and glanced over at their daughter. Meegan was twirling and giggling to herself. His heart swelled with happiness upon seeing her. Even if she wasn’t in danger, the whole trip was still worthwhile just to see her little face.

  Smiling, Aiden went over to her and asked her about her new favorite show. With bright, excited eyes she began to point and explain to him about the fictional little town and the vibrantly colored people who lived there. Aiden nodded as he listened, sitting down on the sofa as Meegan eagerly climbed up his legs and settled herself on his lap. She was happily chatting away while Isla stood and watched from a distance, a sad smile pulling on her lips.

  *

  Aiden awoke in the middle of the night, a light film of sweat coating his skin. For a few confused seconds he had no idea where he was. The nightmare he’d just been in hovered at the surface of his thoughts. Justin had been wandering a rain-soaked street, his head bent beneath a giant hood as, distantly, a woman continued to scream. The sound of the screaming became so intense that Aiden was jolted awake.

  But there was only silence in the dark room. As his senses came back to him, he remembered that he was in Isla’s apartment, spending the night sleeping on her sofa. Meegan was safe. He’d helped bathe his daughter and then read to her in bed. It had felt good, it had felt like odd times.

  Yet something niggled unpleasantly at the back of Aiden’s mind. Sitting up he ran his hand down his neck which was sore from sleeping on the sofa.

  “Shit,” he gasped aloud as it suddenly dawned on him that he’d neglected to call Buck Fern and ask him to check in on Brandy. He considered phoning the sheriff on the spot but decided it was pointless to wake him. Meegan was safe. The call from Andre Caulerone had clearly been meant just to scare him, the brothers had no intention of actually hurting anyone else they would have already come for Meegan.

  Chapter Ten

  Return to Sender

  Buck tilted his Stetson in greeting to the receptionist at the sheriff’s station as he casually strode into work. As usual he was in before pretty much everyone else. The clock told him that it was eight sharp. He could hear the distant sound of the percolator bubbling as it prepared some fresh coffee but other than that the offices were relatively peaceful.

  Moving deeper into the small building, Buck headed towards his own office. The whiskey he’d placed in his own morning coffee seemed to have worked, leaving him with the desired effect of feeling quite optimistic about the impending day. Lately, Buck was having to rely on a morning dose of liquor more than he cared to. But each time he woke up he felt the hole of loss open up within him and it threatened to swallow him whole. He had to do something to overpower it.

  Dropping into the chair behind his desk, Buck leaned back and closed his eyes. Soon the madness of the day would start; the phones would start ringing and the air would rattle with the senseless chatter of his co-workers. But for now it was calm and Buck wanted to savor that as long as he could.

  His eyes had been closed for perhaps three seconds when the phone on his desk started to shrilly ring. Buck’s mouth turned down in annoyance and he lazily opened his eyes and stretched.

  “You want to get that, Claudine?” he shouted over the ringing for the receptionist to answer the call but she didn’t respond. She must have been away from her desk. Grumbling to himself, Buck straightened and reached for the phone.

  “Sheriff speaking,” he muttered tersely to the caller.

  “Oh, Sheriff Fern, hey.”

  Buck rolled his eyes and placed the fingers of his free hand to his temple. He instantly recognized Aiden’s voice.

  “Morning, Connelly. What can I do for ya at such an ungodly hour?”

  “I was actually calling to ask you a favor.”

  Buck stretched out in his chair, his eyes widening with interest.

  “So you’re after a favor?” he taunted, feeling brazen like a cat who had finally caught their mouse but would now execute several hours of play and torment. A big part of Buck still loathed Aiden Connelly, still saw him as an unwanted outsider. But there was another part which had started to identify him as something else, something greatly needed.

  Buck grimaced against his own internal conflict and waited to hear what favor was being asked of him.

  “Yeah, I’m actually not in town right now,” Aiden explained.

  “Oh?”

  “I’m in Chicago.”

  “Oh.”

  Buck started to put two and two together and got six. Had Aiden tired so quickly of his little blonde mistress back home?

  “It’s not like that,” Aiden quickly corrected him. “I came here to see my daughter. I wanted to make sure she was okay.”

  “Right…” Buck shifted in his chair, he was starting to grow weary of the conversation. He wished that Aiden would get to the point already.

  “I thought she was in danger,” Aiden blurted.

  “Danger?”

  “Yesterday I got a call from a guy. He…he threatened her.”

  “What guy?” Buck demanded sharply. There was a tense silence on the other end of the line before Aiden responded.

  “Andre Caulerone.”

  Buck felt the warming effect of his morning tipple suddenly become overwhelmed by the icy fear which now engulfed him.

  “Dammit.”

  “You know the Caulerone brothers?” Aiden’s voice lifted with surprise. “Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

  “I hoped I wouldn’t need to say anything,” Buck declared gruffly. “Those vermin will try and run their precious powder through any small town they think they can strong arm. But Avalon is a strong town, one that cannot be bought.”

  “So you’ve dealt with them?” Aiden’s words were brittle with tension.

  “That surprise you?” Buck wondered with a smirk. “Which part surprises you more, that an old man like me could run them out of town or the fact that I lived to tell the tale?”

  “Both,” Aiden admitted honestly.

  “Well, let me tell you, those brothers don’t mess around. They left Avalon alone but only because they found some other town to squeeze, with some sap desperate enough to take their dirty money.”

  “Greensburg,” Aiden quietly breathed the name of his hometown. Buck drew his lips into a narrow line and nodded to himself.

  “Was your friend that sap?” he asked, already aware of the answer.

  “Yes,” Aiden replied quietly.

  “I wouldn’t beat yourself up about it,” Buck kindly suggested. “When the brothers rolled into town it was like Ali Baba and his cave of wonders. They offered the world to kids who had next to nothing. It was easy for them to find people to run their dirty errands.”

  “They threatened my daughter,” Aiden stated. Buck could hear him swallowing nervously as he spoke.

  “Is she alright?”

  “Yeah, I’m here with her now and she’s fine. I
just…” Aiden sighed regretfully on the other end of the line.

  “I had to leave Brandy alone at my place and she’s already shook up after what happened at the house. I know she’s not exactly your favorite person but could you please check in on her and make sure she’s okay?”

  Buck sucked in the sides of his mouth. The cold feeling which had spread out across his body refused to leave, it was like just hearing the Caulerone name was enough to rob Avalon of its sunshine and warmth.

  “Buck, please,” Aiden pleaded. “It would really mean a lot. She’s really scared right now.”

  “I’ll check in on her,” Buck agreed. “I’ll drop by in an hour or so during my morning patrol around town.”

  “Thank you,” Aiden gushed. “Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.”

  “So what about you?” Buck asked. “You staying in Chicago?”

  There was a brief pause on Aiden’s end.

  “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’m worried about my daughter. I mean, you know these guys, you’ve dealt with them before. If they make a threat, do they follow up on it?”

  “Always,” Buck replied sadly. “Perhaps it’s best you stay put in the city for a while.”

  *

  “Aid, are you okay?” Isla asked as she came into the living area looking fresh from a good night’s sleep. Aiden stretched his name and tried to hide the fearful look from his face.

  “Yeah, I’m good. I was just checking in with things back home.”

  “Everything alright?” Isla wondered as she headed past him towards the kitchenette.

  “Yeah,” Aiden nodded. “I think so.”

  “That’s good.” Isla smiled kindly. “Coffee?”

  “Please.”

  Isla flicked on the kettle and pulled out a frying pan from a nearby cupboard so that she could start cooking some bacon.

  “Why don’t you go wake Meegs up?” she suggested brightly, raising her voice to be heard over the rumble of the kettle.

  “I’d love to.” Aiden grinned. He began heading towards his daughter’s bedroom when he stopped and turned back to face his wife, one eyebrow lifted in scrutiny.

  “Does this mean I’m on diaper duty?”

  “Sure does!” Isla laughed.

  Aiden shook his head and smiled. He creaked open the door to Meegan’s room, trying to be quiet in case the little girl was still sleeping but he needn’t have worried. She was standing up in her crib, her little hands gripping the bars. The second she saw Aiden she began frantically jumping up and down.

  “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” she shrieked in delight.

  “Good morning, princess,” Aiden reached down and scooped her up in his arms. “Woah!” he exclaimed. “You’re getting big.”

  “Mommy says I’m a growing girl,” Meegan told him proudly.

  “You definitely are!” As Aiden held her close, he caught the pungent smell of a dirt diaper.

  “Want Daddy to change your diaper?”

  “I need to pee first,” Meegan pursed her lips and furrowed her brow in concentration.

  “Hang on a second,” Aiden carried her out of her bedroom towards the pink-infused bathroom. Cradling Meegan with just one arm, he used the other to bring forward her potty. Meegan eyed it with disdain.

  “Daddy, no!” she objected, scrunching up her pretty features.

  “Come on, princess. Do a little pee in the potty. For Daddy? It would make Daddy happy.”

  Meegan tilted her head to the left as she considered this. Then she scrambled out of his grip and stood waiting by the edge of the potty. Aiden pulled down her diaper and helped her sit down. Meegan scrunched her face up again and her cheeks burned red with effort.

  “You can do it,” Aiden encouraged her. Moments later, he heard a soft trickle and Meegan’s expression relaxed.

  “Good girl!” Aiden shouted joyously. “Well done, Meegs! Good girl!”

  “What are you yelling about?” Isla pushed open the door and looked in. Her jaw dropped when she saw her daughter sitting on the potty, beaming up at her proudly.

  “I went pee pee in pot pot!” Meegan clapped her hands together, applauding herself for her triumph.

  “Good girl!” Isla enthused ecstatically. “You can have some bacon for that, sweetheart!”

  “Yay!” Meegan clapped some more. “Bacon!”

  *

  While Aiden dressed Meegan, Isla continued getting breakfast ready. As she turned the bacon and made cups of coffee, she couldn’t wipe the happy smile from her face. Her small apartment was suddenly full of laughter and love. When she walked into the bathroom and saw Meegan using the potty, her heart had swelled not just for her daughter’s accomplishment but for Aiden. He was gazing adoringly at the little toddler like the perfect doting father that he was.

  When Isla had first found him on her doorstep she feared that it would be strange to have him in her home but now she was contemplating how strange it would feel when he left.

  The bacon sizzled in the pan as Aiden placed Meegan into her highchair and sat down at the table where a fresh cup of coffee was already waiting for him.

  “Thanks,” he called to Isla but she kept her back to him, seemingly preoccupied with preparing breakfast but she could feel his eyes upon her.

  “Daddy, I went pee pee in pot pot,” Meegan excitedly told her father.

  “I know sweetheart, I was there,” Aiden replied gently. “You were a good girl and now Mommy is going to give you some bacon.”

  Isla moved to pull out some plates from a nearby cupboard. As she did, her cell phone started to vibrate in her jeans pocket. Sighing she pulled it out and glanced down at the screen. Guy was calling her. She took a second to deliberate on what to do before putting the phone back in her pocket and letting the call go to answerphone.

  “No one important?” Aiden noted curiously from behind her.

  “Just work,” Isla shrugged as she turned off the heat under the frying pan and started plating up the crispy pieces of bacon.

  “How’s it going?” Aiden wondered. Isla turned to smile at him, loving how his eyes held her with genuine interest.

  “It’s going okay,” Isla handed him his plate of bacon and gave a smaller one to Meegan. “I mean, I still feel like I’m being punished for having ever left but I’ll catch up.”

  “You’ll get there,” Aiden nodded as he hungrily bit into a piece of bacon. Meegan was merrily chewing on her own piece. Isla smiled warmly at them both and turned back to the sink and the window beyond which offered an impressive view over the city. She finally felt like she was where she truly belonged and it wasn’t all that difficult to imagine that if she and Aiden had just stayed in Chicago they would have remained happy. All of the problems which plagued them in Avalon might never have found them in the city.

  *

  Buck pulled up on the curb and shut off the patrol car’s engine. He sat for a moment in the driver’s seat, looking through the windscreen at Aiden’s home, hoping Brandy might move past one of the windows in a golden flourish, preventing him from having to go and knock the door.

  Five minutes passed and there was no movement inside. Muttering angrily to himself, Buck climbed out of the car. The bright Avalon sunshine burned brightly on him as he took slow, deliberate footsteps towards the front door.

  Raising his hand, he knocked sharply against the wood. Then, patiently, he waited. A few more minutes slipped by.

  “Jesus Christ,” Buck rolled his eyes and knocked on the door again, louder this time so that it shook in its frame. There was no way anyone inside could avoid hearing him. Still no one came to the door.

  Buck chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip as he contemplated his next move. He glanced around at the tidy front driveway and noticed that some of the bedding plants had been flattened. Frowning, Buck followed the route he had taken during the storm. He moved around the side of the house, towards the back and the patio door. Despite the warmth of the sun, Buck felt his body start to cool again. He f
elt as chilled as he had that fateful night when, drenched to the bone, he’d been forced to draw his gun and take another man’s life.

  The back yard of Aiden’s home boasted a small, tidy lawn. There was a washing line strung up but there wasn’t anything currently hanging on it to dry. Buck approached the patio door and stopped suddenly. It was wide open, the drapes lightly blowing out into the yard. Carefully, Buck reached for his pistol and, mustering as much stealth as he could, walked through the open door.

  In the living room the television was on but paused. An upturned bowl was on the floor surrounded by popcorn, some of the kernels having been crushed into the carpet. As Buck narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the scene, he saw the dark stains leading towards the front door and felt something knot in the pit of his stomach.

  “Brandy!” He stood in the center of the living room and hollered her name though he didn’t expect her to respond. Sure enough, the house around him remained silent.

  “Come on, girl, quit hiding. You’re okay now, Aiden sent me to check in on ya.”

  Silence.

  “Shit!” Buck moved deeper into the house, heading towards the kitchen. Methodically he checked each and every room but Brandy wasn’t there. Sighing, he holstered his gun and briefly removed his Stetson to rake a hand across his head.

  Coughing nervously, Buck came and stood beside the telephone on the small table in the hallway. Picking up the receiver he leaned against the wall and glanced out of the patio door to avoid looking at the stained carpet.

  *

  Aiden was laughing as Meegan smothered her hands in red paint before smacking them down onto the crisp piece of white paper. He was already wearing an assortment of colors on his shirt and face. The little girl gave a shriek of delight when she looked down at what she had just created.

  “That looks amazing!” Aiden gushed.

  “Maybe she’s destined to be some great artist,” Isla joked tenderly from across the table.

  Meegan had been giggling all morning as both her parents doted on her. She’d squealed with excitement when Aiden had suggested that they do some finger painting.

  “Eee!” Meegan clapped her painted hands together, splashing her cheeks with the color.