Unprecedented

by C. D. Gill

  Reggie looked genuinely excited, but his mouth was still full so Xander kept on talking.

  “I’ll check with the laws to see if we can’t get you a store with parental permission now. If that doesn’t work, we can keep with the arrangement we have now. Your stuff sells like hotcakes.”

  “Thanks, Xander. My carpentry teacher was surprised that I had ‘advanced techniques’ for someone so young,” Reggie said with a smile.

  “Advanced carpentry or beginners?”

  “Please, man. I need an easy A. Beginners.”

  They laughed. He would have done the same thing as a high schooler. “Guess you’re not wasting your potential if you’re selling your work on the side and what you make for school is just getting a grade.”

  “That’s how I see it.”

  At three pm, Xander said goodbye to Reggie and closed up the shop. He spent the next hour and a half researching sales laws and minors nationally and statewide without much specific to his question. Finally, he searched for websites like what he wanted to build and read their policies on store owners under eighteen.

  Cade had been right. There were other sites out there with big followings that were doing what he wanted to do. He scribbled down a few notes on how to diversify. He’d ask Reggie what he thought, too, since he had some skin in the game.

  Then, he turned off his computer. He’d start fresh after Christmas and really hit things hard in the New Year.

  Tonight, he was meeting Avri and Lincoln to eat dinner and drive through a Christmas light show. Avri warned them that she’d be bringing her boyfriend tonight, a landscaper who was very sensitive about his title and preferred to be called a “landscape architect.”

  Guys with his kind of pretentiousness sank quickly in the shark-infested waters of prison. They adopted a meaner nickname really fast. And, of course, he didn’t like the guy based on the fact that he was trying to get his sister’s romantic attention. The guy had some frat boy name like Tanner or Dylan.

  “I’m Chad. Nice to finally meet you.” The boy was a head shorter than Xander and stockier than Linc.

  Xander shook his hand. Firm grip. Calloused skin. Sturdy like a man who worked with his hands should be. Next to him, Avri looked like a willowy flower and she was no slouch in the athletic department. They stood in the waiting area at an Italian restaurant Linc had picked in downtown Denver.

  Avri and Chad offered to grab drinks for them while they waited for a table to open up. As soon as they were two feet away, Linc turned into him.

  “Talk fast. What is happening with that thing that occurred in the parking lot?” His eyebrows rose as he spoke.

  Linc loved cornering him in a crowd to talk about personal stuff. He needed to find a better way. Xander debated playing dumb just to watch Linc get frustrated, but he would be so annoyed if Linc did that to him.

  “Short version.” Linc nodded and motioned him to speed it up. Xander rolled his eyes. “Cops never got back to me. I got a note saying that I needed to visit this vet in Kittredge to make this all go away. So I did.”

  Linc’s jaw dropped progressively as Xander told him the story. With a snap, he closed it. His eyes narrowed. “Stop messing with me. That’s not funny. What actually happened?”

  Xander blinked. Dang. He should have gone ahead and played dumb in the first place. Brothers.

  “You’re serious?” he said, far too loudly. He glanced around and moved closer. “Are you for real? Like absolutely no lies?”

  Xander nodded.

  “Bathroom now. I want to see the wound.” Linc pushed him toward the bathrooms right near his wound.

  “Ow.” He glared back at Linc.

  “Wuss.”

  They passed Avri and Chad coming back with their drinks.

  “Bathroom,” Linc said, not stopping.

  Avri’s face scrunched. “Together? Bunch of girls.”

  He wanted to explain, but Linc nudged him onward. The bathrooms were those individual rooms that anyone could use if they were open. Two guys going into one would certainly draw questions. Linc didn’t care. He grabbed the door of an open one and followed Xander in.

  Xander removed his jacket and unbuttoned his collared shirt to the middle. “You’re going to have to pull it the rest of the way open. I’m still sore.”

  Linc moved the shirt to expose the bandage. “It’s smaller than I expected.”

  “The chip was barely two millimeters encased in plastic. The vet knew exactly where to find it, too.” Xander huffed as he closed the shirt and buttoned back up.

  “And suddenly, the gangs will stop trying to assault you in parking lots and destroying homeless shelters to get your attention?”

  Xander shrugged. “That’s what it sounded like. Benny said that the right people had the information now so coming after me would be useless. Not really how my life has played out the last half decade.”

  “You could hope.” Linc propped his hands on his hips. “How do you feel about this?”

  “Livid. Blind with a rage that borders on hate. Played a fool again. I’m tempted to get a full body scan to make sure nothing else is hidden inside me that some secretive lunatic will come for in a few years.”

  Linc shook his head. “Might be worth the effort if you have a doctor friend that can keep secrets.” Then he unlocked the door and pushed it open.

  “I don’t have any friends, Linc.” Xander followed him out, keeping his eyes trained on Linc’s back. There was a line for the bathrooms and everyone saw them exit together. “Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.”

  “What did your investor pal say about Dad’s plan?” Xander said as they walked back through the throng of people to where Avri and Chad waited for them, staring at their phones.

  “He recommended panning for gold in the rivers if it meant avoiding that kind of scam. Get rich quick schemes have always been too good to be true. Dad knows it but is getting desperate. It’s a pressure play.”

  “Why can’t he be honest with Mom and tell her about their finances? They’re married.” It was a stupid thing to say. At some point or maybe ever, Mom and Dad’s relationship had not been open and honest about money being spent, things the kids did, and what passed for acceptable. The results were painfully obvious to him, even as a kid, that a marriage shouldn’t have secrets.

  Yet he was headed down the same path as his parents. He’d kept things from Gia, figuring it was best she didn’t know the extent of what was going on. That wouldn’t magically change if they signed a marriage license. She had every right to be mad at him for withholding the truth about the interview. With her forgiveness and a determination to do better, they’d move past this.

  “Stubborn pride, I guess.”

  “What’d he say when you told him your investor advised against it?”

  Linc scrubbed his hand across his neck. “I haven’t told him yet. I’m hoping to get through tomorrow without an uproar. And I have a good chance since Dad won’t want to make a scene and draw attention to their situation in front of Mom.”

  “You’re banking on his need for secrecy. Clever man.”

  They stopped next to Avri and Chad and took their drinks.

  Avri’s suspicious glance darted between them. “Everything okay?”

  They nodded.

  “To a peaceful Christmas,” Xander said, raising his glass.

  The others grunted as Chad heartily “cheers”ed each of their glasses, oblivious. Xander sat in the tension for a moment, relishing the renewed bond with his siblings. They eyed each other, waiting for someone to crack.

  Avri set her hand on Chad’s shoulder. “Chad, would you mind running to the car? I forgot to bring in my lipstick.” At his confusion, she handed him the keys. “Just bring in the whole makeup bag, if you don’t mind. If it’s not in the front seat, check on the floors or under the seats. It might have rolled under.”

  Chad handed her his glass and disappeared out the door.

  She leveled her squinted eyes at Xander a
nd Linc. “Spill, you two. We have maybe seven minutes before he realizes I don’t have a makeup bag in my car.”

  The hostess called out “Reinerman, party of four” saving either from having to answer.

  As they sat down, Avri waved her phone. “Somebody talk, or I’m texting Mom to tell her what that stain on her carpet she’s been trying to hide for years with the coffee table is really from.”

  Xander really didn’t mind if Mom knew they’d had an illegal party at the house back in high school, but he did mind if Linc ratted his business out first. Self-preservation, the sibling code. “Mom and Dad are about to have to declare bankruptcy. They’re in deep debt.”

  Avri gasped. “Because they helped me pay for my tuition?”

  Xander and Linc spoke at the same time.

  “What? He didn’t help me.”

  “Of course, they helped you.”

  She looked a little sheepish.

  “I doubt it’s from helping you pay for your degrees, Av. Dad told me he used their retirement on Mom’s therapy,” Linc said. “But it couldn’t have been that one thing. There has to be more he isn’t telling me, not after preaching retirement savings religiously for the last twenty-something years.”

  Avri raised her hands. “In my defense, Dad told me he had gotten a new tax guy that helped him save on taxes each year, so he had a little extra to put toward my education.”

  Linc sat forward. “Tax fraud?”

  “Wouldn’t that be rich? The old man going to prison for something like tax evasion.” Xander snorted. He tried to picture his aging dad in the uniform, forced into group showering, eating in the mess hall, working a job that paid pennies to afford another tube of toothpaste, being recruited by prison gangs.

  He felt…nothing when he should have felt incredible sadness.

  “Prison.” Avri blanched. “That would really break Mom. She barely recovered from her endless worry about Xander.”

  Xander could see Chad walking past the outside windows towards the front door. “Anyone know why Kelsey and Doug aren’t coming for Christmas?”

  “I think they’re having some trouble that they don’t want Mom and Dad to know about. Although, this is probably the year they could slide under the radar with Dad being so distracted,” Linc said. He and Kelsey had always been fairly close since there was only an eleven-month age gap.

  Avri sighed. “I can’t get her text me back usually. She’s so busy. Maybe she just doesn’t want the family drama this year.”

  Chad returned empty-handed, his expression forlorn. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I looked everywhere. Did you drop it somewhere along the way?”

  Avri pressed her lips together to keep from smiling as Linc and Xander studied their menus. This guy had to go. Avri needed someone who couldn’t be so easily hoodwinked.

  Xander exhausted his knowledge of landscaping past his high school days of mowing lawns. So they listened to Linc tell stories about the crazy stunts he and his hockey teammates pulled and then Avri countered with physical therapy horror stories of people who took years to recover or never did from doing stuff like Linc did. It was a comfortable banter until Chad interjected.

  “Xander, Avri said you were in prison for five years. I bet you have some insane stories from that.”

  He was two breaths shy of dismissing Chad completely. Linc and Avri stared, open-mouthed.

  “I do have some interesting stories, because who goes through the most traumatic experience of their life and doesn’t have something to say about it, right?” Be nice, Xander. “None of my stories are polite dinner conversation, so I’ll leave it at that.”

  Linc appeared ready to physically throw Chad out of the restaurant while Avri barely chewed the food she was scooping into her mouth.

  Chad nodded, his expression appropriately chagrined.

  They struggled through the dinner conversation, paid the bill, and walked out. Avri said good night to Chad while Xander and Linc waited by her car watching the awkward hug she gave him.

  “Fifty bucks says she breaks up with him before the New Year,” Linc said.

  “I’d give her until right after Christmas, because she’s too nice to ruin someone’s holiday.”

  She patted Chad on the shoulder as he got into his car, but didn’t stay to watch him drive away.

  “Well, I should not have invited him to dinner tonight, guys. I’m really sorry. That was socially horrific, and I just broke up with him,” Avri said, digging into her purse. “He asked if it was because he couldn’t find my makeup bag.”

  They laughed in disbelief.

  “You broke up with him because of him mentioning my prison time?” Xander asked.

  Avri waved him off. “No, I broke up with him because he is a nice guy, but clearly not the right one for me. I knew it needed to happen. Tonight confirmed that to me.”

  “Single for the holidays.” Linc lifted his hand for a high-five which Avri promptly ignored.

  Chuckling, Xander pushed off the car. “Let me grab your camera equipment, Av.” He grabbed the case out of the back and took it back. Avri stared at her phone in horror with Linc looking over her shoulder.

  “Chad just changed his status on social media and said he broke up with you first?” Xander smiled.

  Avri’s brow pinched together as she tucked her phone into her chest. “No, um.” She stared at him for a second. “Here you should see this.”

  When her phone leveled with his eyes, his smile disappeared. His heart splintered into two. It couldn’t be.

  Chapter 21

  “I told Judita where the key was to unlock the door.” Ma paused, gripping Daddy’s hand. “I hope Cara didn’t overdose.”

  “I checked her clothes for more drugs. That bag was—” Gia gasped. “She could have hid them in her underwear.” Stupid move. Rookie. She knew how to hide stuff when she really wanted it hidden. It felt like an invasion of her privacy. Why hadn’t she gone there when it could have been the difference between life and death?

  Five minutes into the drive home, Ma got another call. Judita yelled into the phone. As she spoke, Ma gasped and covered her mouth a hand. Tears welled in her eyes.

  Daddy searched her face. “What is it?”

  “Get to the University Hospital now.”

  Daddy called out the change in plans to the driver.

  Ma continued to listen to Judita, then told her they’d meet her at hospital. The tears poured down her cheeks. Gia’s chest tightened. Ma rarely allowed herself to become so shaken.

  “She overdosed? Is she breathing? Unconscious?” God, please let her be okay.

  Ma gripped Gia’s hand and inhaled a shaky breath. “Cara tried to commit suicide with razors to her wrists in the bathroom. She’s lost a lot of blood. Judita called from the ambulance. The medics are not sure she’s going to make it.”

  Her words didn’t compute. Cara did what?

  Then it hit her with enormous force. Willing herself to breathe, she pinched the bridge of her nose.

  A warm hand rested on her back.

  Her fingers searched for the window controls on the door panel. The cold air hit her face as she gulped for air.

  No, she couldn’t lose Cara, too.

  Not to drugs.

  Not to suicide.

  Not to anything.

  At the Emergency Room entrance, they walked into the waiting area. Their clothes drew half of the rooms’ attention, but it didn’t matter. Judita sprang to her feet, her clothes covered in blood. Ma threw her arms around Judita’s neck, murmuring in Portuguese her apologies for not being there with her tonight.

  “She’s in critical condition.” Judita smoothed her hands over her hair. “They’ve repaired her arms as best as possible, but they’re running out of blood. She’s AB positive.”

  “I’m A positive. I can help,” Gia said.

  “I’m O negative. I’ll donate,” Andy said from behind her.

  Within minutes, a nurse had them all hooked to bags to take thei
r blood. Daddy’s blood type wouldn’t work for Cara, but the donations were their desperate pleas to be doing something to help in a situation that was far beyond their control.

  They sat Andy on the other end of the room since he was O negative and they’d be taking his blood directly to processing in case they need to use it for Cara tonight.

  Since Judita was from Brazil, they couldn’t accept a donation from her so she waited in the waiting room to hear from the doctors. When the nurse left them for a minute to grab more supplies, they were left alone in the silence.

  The most pressing question burned in Gia’s mind was something she wasn’t sure she should ask, but these were her parents. Dare she speak out and criticize? Summoning her courage, she turned to Daddy. “Have you known about this since she started? The night I found out, Andy said that the people who needed to know did. He was talking about you, right? I mean, you and Ma keep close tabs on everyone.”

  Her words sounded harsher than she intended. Their watchful eyes had spared her a lot of grief, but why draw back now with Cara so exposed?

  Daddy shifted in his chair. Gia almost apologized for confronting him. She bit her tongue, intent on waiting him out. She wasn’t a little girl anymore. They’d shielded her from so much, but she longed for answers, to be allowed in on the dangerous world that was coming after her this year. It was time for her to know.

  Daddy’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. “Do you remember when Cara was little she’d have those seizures?”

  “Yes, she had to go on medication and then they said she grew out of them.”

  Daddy nodded. “About three months ago when Carolena started declining quickly, Cara started noticing slight tremors again and periods where she’d black out. Nothing like her seizures returning, but enough that the doctors who have monitored her her whole life took notice. Instead of traditional medication, she opted for medicinal marijuana. It helped tremendously. However, she was still experiencing depression and anxiety with Carolena’s illness. Carolena noticed a change and asked us to watch out for her.”