Fire and Granite

by Andrew Grey

  “Bullshit,” Harper growled, pulling a small knife, but it might as well have been a machete. “You were anything but fair, and you never gave me a chance to say my side of things.” He took a step closer, and Andrew knew he was going to get hurt.

  “Okay. Maybe.” Andrew tried pacification. “But why go after me and threaten me after you got out? You could have just run and stayed in hiding. Revenge isn’t going to get you or anyone anywhere.”

  Harper’s eyes grew darker as Andrew watched. “You don’t listen to anyone. After you sentenced me, I knew I’d get even with you someday. It’s what got me through the days in prison.” He waved the knife back and forth in front of him, his hands constantly moving. “I knew I’d make you pay.” He lunged, and Andrew took off, racing for the trees. He needed to get Harper away from the house. Clay and the kids were there, and Harper was not going to get the chance to hurt the people he loved.

  Andrew made it to the trees before his feet slipped out from under him. He slammed into the ground, frozen with fear as Harper loomed over him.

  “Every time I imagined getting you under my control, I imagined using my hands to rip you apart.” Harper kicked him in the side and Andrew rolled into a ball. He managed to roll away slightly, the second kick glancing off him.

  “Don’t move!”

  Harper sighed and lowered his hands as Clay made his way closer, gun drawn.

  “Andrew, can you get away?”

  He slowly got to his knees, crawled away, then stood and hurried over to Clay. Andrew held his side, which hurt with each movement, but he was away and safe.

  “Drop the knife,” Clay demanded.

  “Fucking hell. You turned parts of my family against me?” Harper glowered at Andrew, his face a mask of fiery rage. He dropped the knife, and it thunked to the ground.

  Clay passed Andrew his phone without lowering the gun. “Call 911. Tell the local police what’s going on and that we need assistance. Be sure to explain that I’m a sheriff’s deputy and need a fugitive from justice taken into custody.” Clay never looked away from Harper.

  When Andrew took the phone, he bumped Clay’s hand. He glanced over for a split second, and Harper drew and threw a second knife at Clay. Andrew jumped in front of him, pain shooting up his arm as he went down.

  A single shot rent the air.

  Andrew clutched his arm, the knife sticking out halfway between his elbow and shoulder. The phone went sailing but thankfully remained in one piece when it hit the ground nearby. Andrew held his arm and uses voice command to call emergency services. He did his best to explain the situation, pain radiating up his arm with every movement. In the end, he sat on the ground, letting Clay handle Harper, and did his best not to move the knife. Not that that did any good.

  Duane and Auburn raced out of the house, with Petey right behind them. They took one look at him and rushed over before he could stop them. He was engulfed in hugs that dislodged the knife most of the way, and he put his hand over the wound to stop the bleeding.

  “Please take Petey back inside.”

  “Is that the bad man, like on TV?” Duane asked.

  “Yes. Uncle Clay is making sure he can’t hurt you.” Andrew gritted his teeth. “Please go back inside, and Auburn, please lock all the doors. You know how to do that?”

  She nodded.

  “Excellent. Only let Uncle Clay or me inside. Okay?”

  She nodded again, seriously, and herded Duane and Petey inside, then slammed the door.

  The kids were safe, Clay was moving around, that’s what mattered.

  “If you move a muscle, so help me God.” Clay leaned a little closer. Andrew didn’t hear what he said to Harper, but he did pale for a second.

  Sirens sounded, getting rapidly closer, and Andrew went to the front of the house and sat on the steps, his head a little light. Thankfully the police arrived first. Clay showed his badge and explained what had happened. Ambulance crews arrived and bound Harper’s leg.

  “He shot me!” Harper cried, pointing at Clay. “I want to press charges.”

  “For what?” the officer asked. “By the looks of it, you assaulted a police officer. I’d say you’d be doing yourself a favor if you shut your yap!”

  Andrew liked this officer. She didn’t take any crap.

  An EMT took a look at his arm. “You were dang lucky,” she told him as Andrew lay on the gurney. “It isn’t too big, and we can close it with strips.” She got to work. “It looks like the throw was off and it didn’t go very deep, just a little long.”

  “Thank you.” Andrew gritted his teeth as she cleaned the wound and closed it.

  “There it is. The bleeding has stopped, and I’m going to bandage it. The wound is clean now. Be careful, and see your doctor if anything happens.”

  Andrew held his arm to his body. “Can I get up now?” he asked, then went to the door and knocked. “Auburn, it’s Uncle Andrew,” he said. The lock disengaged, and she opened the door and hugged him as soon as he came inside. “I’m okay, sweetheart.”

  “We had cheese and I poured juice,” she said proudly.

  “You were both very brave, and I’m proud of both of you.” He kissed Auburn’s hair and ruffled Duane’s, letting them lead him to the sofa. He sat down, breathing evenly, letting his head stop spinning. Petey jumped onto the sofa and lay next to him, providing doggy comfort. The kids eventually settled on the floor to play, and he closed his eyes, willing the throbbing in his arm to diminish.

  “Sir,” a rather soft voice said, and he opened his eyes. “I know this isn’t a good time, but I’d like to ask you what happened.”

  Andrew motioned for the officer to sit down. “I’ll answer anything you want to know,” he said, and told her everything he could remember, leaving out only the meeting in the park. He slowly petted Petey’s back to keep himself calm.

  “So, you had sentenced him,” she clarified, making notes. “And you’re here because he’s been threatening you.”

  “Yes. It’s a bit of a mess. My sister is ill, so I have Duane and Auburn. They needed to be safe, and we figured that staying in Carlisle wasn’t safe any longer. We thought we were safe here, but the threats continued, and we were going to relocate to Baltimore this morning. I was loading the car when he attacked me. Clay had him, and it was my fault that he lost concentration for a second.”

  “Is that when you got hurt?”

  “Yes,” Clay said as he came in. “Harper threw the knife, and Andrew stepped in front of it.” Clay looked angry, but Andrew wasn’t going to apologize.

  “Why did you do that, sir?” the officer asked as she continued making notes.

  “All I could think was that I didn’t want Clay to be hurt. When I saw that Harper was going to throw the knife, I jumped.” Andrew wanted to take Clay’s hand, but he held back and sat still. “I was afraid it was going to hit him in the chest.”

  “All right.” She asked a few more questions, and Andrew filled her in as best he could. “Are you still planning to leave?” she asked.

  Andrew turned to Clay. More than anything else he wanted to go home. “I don’t know. We need to figure things out.” Though he’d promised the kids they were going to try to see their mother, he wasn’t up to the trip.

  “All right.” She closed her notebook. “I think we have what we need for now.” She didn’t stand up right away. “Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

  Andrew shook his head, glancing at Clay.

  “I’m sure the various departments will be in touch to work things out.” Clay walked the officer to the door and thanked her, then came back over and sat next to him.

  Andrew didn’t want to move, but it was probably best that they head to Carlisle. He could be closer to home and get his house ready to move back into. He needed to call Mary and see how she was doing. At least now he could get his life back. “I want to go home… or to your home… for now.”

  “Okay. Why don’t you call your sister and see how she is? I th
ink the police are still outside finishing their work on the scene. I’ll see if they need either of us any longer, and then we’ll finish loading the car and go.” Clay cradled his cheek in his hand. “You scared the very life out of me.” He swallowed and groaned softly. “Don’t do that again. Promise me.”

  “I wasn’t going to let him hurt you.” Andrew hardened his gaze.

  “But he did.” Clay traced his fingers along Andrew’s jaw. “He hurt you, and that….”

  Dammit. Andrew closed his eyes. They had both been thinking the same thing. Hurting one of them hurt them both. That was a scary and exhilarating feeling.

  He leaned into Clay’s touch, keeping his eyes closed, needing some quiet time for his heart to stop pounding. “You’d have done it for me.”

  “But that’s my job,” Clay retorted, and Andrew shook his head.

  “Is it really? Was spending the nights in my bed part of your job?” Andrew whispered without heat, trying to make a point. “Was getting the kids and playing with them part of the job too?” He slowly raised his good arm and placed his hand in the center of Clay’s chest. “Or is it part of the deal, because of this?” He patted Clay’s firm chest. “And if that’s true, then my own heart demands that I protect you too.”

  Clay sighed and didn’t say anything, but he did lean down, sending a wave of gentle heat through Andrew as he kissed him. Then he turned, his hands sliding away, and left the house.

  “I think we’re going to leave soon,” Andrew told the kids. “Can you go upstairs and make sure there is nothing of yours left in the room?” He felt his energy slipping away by the second.

  Auburn agreed and hurried up the stairs. She came down with one of her dolls and Duane’s stuffed bear. Andrew patted the sofa, and she put them both next to him.

  Clay returned. “We can go. They have our contact information, and I got them in touch with Sheriff Hunter, so it’s all good. Did you call Mary?”

  Andrew shook his head, then grabbed his phone. All movement was painful, but he made the call to the hospital and was transferred to the desk on her floor. “Yes, this is Andrew Phillips, Mary Phillips’s brother. I’d like to speak to her, please.”

  Both Auburn and Duane hurried over as soon as they heard their mother’s name.

  “Just a minute.” She placed him on hold and soon returned to the phone. “Mary gave us permission to speak with you. She had a very bad night last night.” She cleared her throat. “She attempted to hurt herself and is under observation. Mary is severely depressed and has been for the last two days. She’s threatened to kill herself on multiple occasions.”

  “I have her children with me and they want to talk to her,” Andrew said.

  Duane jumped up and down in his excitement.

  “I’ll see if she’s able,” the nurse said, and Andrew waited while he was put on hold again.

  “Andy?” Mary said when she came on the line. She sounded weak and tired.

  “It’s me. I’m here with Auburn and Duane. They ask about you all the time. They want to talk to you.” He put the phone on speaker and held Duane, whispering that he needed to let Auburn talk before he had his turn.

  “Mama,” Auburn said. “I miss you.”

  “I miss you too, sweetheart, both of you. But you need to be good for Uncle Andrew.” She sighed, and Andrew was pretty sure he heard a suppressed sob. “I’m really sick, and getting better is going to take a long time. Both of you promise me you’ll be good for Uncle Andrew.”

  “Mary, I….”

  “No. They need to know the truth. The meds aren’t working.” She sounded even more tired.

  “I drawed you a picture, Mama,” Duane said.

  “I can’t wait to see it. You keep it for me. Can you do that?” She seemed to be getting weaker, and her speech slurred the more she talked.

  “I wanna see you,” Auburn said, wiping her eyes, and Andrew held her hand.

  “Me too,” Duane added, leaning into Andrew.

  “I want to see you both too, but they say I have to wait.” She groaned. “I’m so tired, Andy. All the time. I know it’s what they’re giving me, but I’m so tired.” She sniffed. “I love you both, and so does Uncle Andrew. Be good for him and I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Don’t go, Mama,” both kids said in unison. But Mary said goodbye and the phone went quiet, and Andrew realized she’d hung up. Tears ran down Auburn’s cheeks, and Duane whimpered. Andrew hugged them both and let them cry it out until they seemed to feel better, which took a while. Then Andrew gave them a while to play and for things to seem more normal once again.

  “Pack things up, you two. We’re going to go back to my house, and you can stay there while Uncle Andrew makes some repairs to his house. You can both play outside if you want.”

  “What about my birthday?” Auburn asked.

  “If you’re still with me, we’ll have a party and everything.” Maybe Andrew could get a bouncy castle for her. He wanted them to be happy. He couldn’t give them their mother better and able to be with them, but he could do his best to make them happy.

  “I’ve got everything loaded. We should get ready to go home.” Clay helped him to his feet and somehow got him, Petey, and the kids into the car. Clay checked that they had everything, locked up the house, and handed Andrew the keys once he got in the car.

  “Can we play games?” Duane asked.

  Andrew didn’t have the energy, but Clay seemed happy to accommodate them. He closed his eyes after finally finding a comfortable position for his arm, and eventually dozed off.

  “Uncle Sleepyhead.” Auburn’s words broke through the exhaustion. “I have to go potty.”

  “Me too,” Duane said.

  “We’re almost home,” Clay promised and drove faster, getting off the freeway and heading right to his house. He parked out front, which was something they hadn’t done before because of the need for security. Clay got the kids inside and let Petey loose in the backyard to do his business before helping Andrew to the sofa. “I’m going to get you something for pain, and you need to rest. I’ll unload the car.”

  Andrew sighed and carefully lay on his back with his aching arm on his chest. The kids raced upstairs to the rooms they’d been using and came down with their toys. Almost instantly the living room floor was littered with a Lego minefield, and Andrew smiled. He noticed that Clay did the same.

  “They’re making themselves at home,” Clay said, his arms filled with suitcases. “That’s really good.” He carried everything up the stairs and came back down to bring in some more. Andrew should have helped, but his arm ached as soon as he tried to move.

  It took two more loads for Clay to get everything, and then he went into the kitchen and made sandwiches for lunch. The kids loved having a living room picnic, and Andrew didn’t feel like moving at all. He needed to call and tell the head judge that he’d be back to work just as soon as he could arrange day care for the kids. He needed to make calls, and he needed…. There was so much to do, but he didn’t have the energy.

  His phone beeped with a message, and he lifted it off his belly. It had been easier to keep it there than anywhere else. It was from his dad, and he called him right back. “They got him, Dad,” Andrew said immediately.

  “How are Auburn and Duane?”

  “Pretty good. I’ll arrange day care, and then I’ll go back to work.” Andrew groaned and stifled a hiss of pain. “I took a knife in the arm during an altercation. The bast—pain in the butt threw a knife. Everyone’s okay, and my arm will heal. I’m resting now.”

  “Where are you?” he asked in a clipped manner.

  “The kids and I are staying with a friend.” He kept his voice level, but he was getting more and more tired.

  “Is this a… friend?” His dad always used that distasteful tone whenever referring to any relationship Andrew had.

  “Does it matter?” Andrew retorted. “The kids are fine, and Clay protected all of us and got Harper.” He took a deep breath. It was t
ime this was brought to an end, so he put things on the line. “It’s time you accepted me for who I am, if you want any sort of relationship with me at all.”

  “And the kids…?” his father demanded.

  “I’d never keep you away from your grandchildren. They love you and Mom.” Andrew closed his eyes. “There are things in this life that we can control, but most of it we can’t. I’m in the latter category for you. So either accept it… or….” This was going to go downhill fast. “It’s time we see each other as adults and maybe learn to be friends.” This was so hard, and Andrew slowly sat up because it made it easier to have this conversation.

  “Is that what you want?” Dad’s voice was unusually quiet, like Andrew had hit a nerve.

  “Of course.”

  His dad sighed. “I so wanted you to come into the practice with me. We could have made something amazing together. I know it.”

  “It wouldn’t have been that way. It would have been you being my dad and me working for you. I’d have hated it, and in the end, so would you. You always had to have things your way in your job. There wasn’t going to be any room for me or how I do things. You know that, and so do I.” Andrew didn’t want to sound angry, because he wasn’t—not any longer. This was his dad, and them not speaking was a shame. They had done so much together growing up, and he missed him. Andrew missed talking to the man who had first instilled his love of the law and who taught him how to ride a bike and took him to the movies on Saturdays sometimes, even if he took papers to work on while everyone else watched the movie. His dad had always been there and made time for him.

  Clay sat down next to him, and Andrew leaned gingerly against his shoulder. He needed some of his strength and fortitude right now. Having this conversation while he was injured probably wasn’t a good idea, but staring at a madman who wanted to rip him apart had solidified just how short life could be. And putting things off could only lead to regret heaped on a pile of loss.

  “Maybe,” his dad conceded.

  “That’s your practice, and you started and built it from nothing. It’s your dream, and you did an amazing job. You worked hard, raised us, took care of Mom, and bore the burden of the lean times yourself. That’s something to be proud of. I was proud of you… am proud of you.” Andrew waited, and damn it all, he thought his father might be crying. He wasn’t sure.