by Jamie Begley
“You can?”
Reaper’s heart dropped at the love and hero worship apparent in the kid’s expression.
“I can,” Ginny professed with a ring of truth in her words, not faking her reaction. “The girls at school will all fall in love with you.”
Reaper saw an inexplicable expression cross the boy’s face.
Ginny gave Silas a questioning glance at her little brother’s forlorn countenance as he settled a hand on Fynn’s shoulder, letting him know without words that he was there; a brotherly bond on display with the simple gesture.
“We were worried about you when you didn’t answer our calls,” Ezra admonishment, taking Ginny’s focus off Fynn. “Silas and Matt were going to head out in the morning to see what’s going on. Glad you finally called and saved them a trip.”
“I’m sorry, Ezra … all of you. I should have called. I changed my number. I was going to call and got sidetracked.”
“We can discuss this later,” Silas averted the questions that Ginny’s apology invoked. “Ginny and her guest are tired and don’t need you keeping them up with all your questions. Ginny, you introduce Reaper to everyone before they take off. I’ll go inside and put the food on the table.”
Becoming the center of attention, he felt all of Ginny’s brothers eyeing him. Then, as if in a long-ingrained habit, the brothers formed a line. They were a variety of different sizes and complexions.
Ginny pointed to the left side, giving the man a cheeky grin. “That is Matthew, and the one next to him is Isaac. They’re the hunters in our family and why our freezers are full. Don’t ask him to go hunting. He doesn’t believe in killing animals.”
Reaper couldn’t hold back his eye roll this time—neither could the two brothers.
The brothers had similar brown hair, yet they wore it differently. Matthew’s wore his high and tight while Isaac’s was tied back. Matthew was a couple of inches taller than his six-foot brother, Reaper estimated. Their piercing gazes vetted him, not shying away from his as he looked them over. From their appearance, they didn’t seem much younger than him. Their complexions were tan and weather-bitten, as if they spent most of their time outdoors.
Feeling as if he was under a microscope at the intense way they were staring back at him, it was apparent that Ginny’s comment about his lack of desire to kill was being taken with several grains of salt.
“This is Jody.” Moving down the line, Ginny pointed to a honey-haired man with coffee brown eyes. His expression was the friendliest of the group standing in front of him. The same height as his older brothers, Jody was heavier built than Matthew and Isaac; more brawny and bigger chested than all his brothers, as if he could drive a steel spoke into the ground with little effort. Whatever Jody was doing to develop his upper body strength, it didn’t involve weights or time at a gym.
“Jacob looks the most like our father.” Going to the next brother, Ginny brushed away a swatch of her hair that the wind had blown across her face.
Jacob’s features were more angular, thinner than the rest. His height was comparable to Matthew’s, yet he seemed half his body weight. He didn’t come off as bony, merely lean. Gentle, midnight blue eyes traveled over his body in return, taking in the tattoos and his haircut without the judgmental condemnation that came from most people he came into contact with.
“Moses takes care of all the animals on the property.” This brother was just as tanned as the others, except his complexion was more golden than bronzed. Sienna brown hair and azure eyes that probed his, as if he could see the empty shell within. There wasn’t anything small about him He was a Goliath among them. The younger man looked like he could snap him like a twig, and he wasn’t a small man. The man had to being lifting some serious weights or heaving tree trunks over his shoulders. There was also a quality about Moses that was different than the rest of his family. Unable to pinpoint what it was, Reaper planned to watch him closely until he could.
The brothers left an empty space between Moses and the other man that Ginny introduced next.
“Ezra had to suffer through Leah and I using him as our baby doll. He has a bald spot on the back of his head thanks to us.”
The younger man grimaced at the reminder. “I threw the pictures away, so don’t think you’re going to be able to pull them out and show him.” Ezra’s voice boomed across the distance separating them.
“I have backup copies,” she informed him serenely.
Topaz eyes glittered in challenge. “Where are they?”
“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” Ginny crooned, trying to spark an argument with her brother.
“Careful. Want me to show him the pictures of you playing dress-up?”
Ginny hastily shook her head. “We’ll talk later.” Pretending to put her phone to her ear, she said, “Call me.”
The easy teasing was unusual with them being separated for so long. Reaper surmised with them being closer to age, they must have developed a close bond before she’d been taken away.
Ezra didn’t resemble any of the family. His coal-black hair and topaz eyes were striking but somehow didn’t have the stand-out features of Moses, while his body was almost the same size.
“And last but not least, Fynn is the baby in the family.”
A grimace showed his appreciation at being called a baby.
From Shade’s information on Ginny’s family, the boy had been born right before their father’s death. There was some resemblance to Jacob, but the still growing boy was lanky and he awkwardly shifted on his feet next to Ezra, as if he was finding hard to stay still.
“Do you ride a motorcycle like the other Last Riders?” Curious, electric blue eyes stared at him from across the lawn.
“Yes,” Reaper answered, expecting the next question to be the one children always asked: if he could be taken on ride. Already planning his refusal, he was shocked at the sad expression that crossed Fynn’s face as he turned to his brother, hiding his face in Ezra’s chest.
Ezra put an arm around the Fynn’s shoulders.
“Fynn’s afraid of motorcycles,” Silas explained, coming up behind the group of men. “Boys, better be getting on home. Fynn, you pack your suitcase? Don’t want you trying to sneak back in just to see Ginny. She’ll be staying for a while; just want to make sure her cooties don’t get you sick.”
The boy didn’t need another prompting. Running off and up the steps, he disappeared into the dark in a matter of moments.
“I’ll catch up with him.” Matthew jumped up the porch, taking off after his little brother.
“Fynn’s afraid of anything resembling a four-wheeler,” Silas explained as his other brothers took off at a slower pace.
“How did he find out?” Ginny unhappily stared out into the darkness.
“The children in school,” Silas answered. “I blame myself. I should have told him. The kids turned it into a joke. How many Colemans does it take to ride an ATV?” Lines of pain laid heavily on Silas’s face. “Three.”
“They didn’t!” Ginny angrily started up the steps once her brothers were far enough away.
“Leave it alone, Ginny. It happened a while ago. Fynn has been making the kids pay for it ever since, even the ones who didn’t take part in the teasing. He’s been pulling mine and Matt’s old trick of getting thrown out of school. He’s been suspended for fighting.”
“Oh …I might have gotten in trouble once or twice that way myself.”
Carrying the box, Reaper followed Silas and Ginny into the house.
The inside was huge. A massive stone fireplace took up the center wall with two couches placed on two opposite ends. Comfortable chairs were scattered around, leaving enough room to walk. Framed pictures filled the walls at various stages of Ginny’s family members added to the cozy, comfortable atmosphere that beckoned anyone entering to feel at ease.
Going to the table with her, Reaper found a spot at one end of bench, opposite from the one Ginny sat on.
“I�
�m not that hungry.”
Silas set a pot down on table. The aroma changed his mind.
“I’ll show you to your room, then.” Silas started to move the pot toward Ginny.
“I could eat a small bowl.” He reached for serving spoon before Silas could take it away.
Taking a piece of cornbread from a platter, he took a bite before spooning a taste of the mouthwatering stew. The warm stew slid down his throat with a delicious blend of spices and chunks of meat and vegetables. The stew was home in a bowl. It was a meal perfect for a cold night, comforting ….
“Do you like it?” Ginny asked, refilling his bowl for him as he reached for another piece of cornbread.
Reaper could only nod, his mouth full of honeyed bread.
“I’m glad you like it.” Ginny lowered her head as she took a bite from her bowl. “Matthew makes it a couple times a week to use up the meat.”
Taking a drink of water, he noticed brother and sister watching him with amusement. He really didn’t want to know what meat was in the stew.
His appetite plummeted as he looked down at a full bowl of road kill stew, Bambi soup, squirrel goulash … With a mountain as their grocery store, the possibilities were unfortunately endless.
Ginny was the first to break, bursting into peals of laughter.
“It’s beef,” Silas informed him, finally taking pity on him. “But I’m not promising there might be a piece of racoon swimming around in there. Ones been turning our trash cans over, and Matthew promised to take care of it for me.”
“Tell me you’re joking.” Dipping his spoon in the stew, he scraped the meat, trying to determine what it used to be.
Glancing up at a choked sound, Reaper saw Ginny’s head laying on the table with her shoulders shaking in laughter.
The fucker was making fun of him, and Ginny was letting him. He couldn’t even be angry. It was the first time since his rescue that he had been treated like anyone else. Fucking normal.
“Welcome to my family.” Ginny wiped her tears of laughter away with a napkin. “I’m sorry I laughed, but your expression was priceless.” Waving a hand at his bowl, she urged him to keep eating. “Don’t worry, we only serve racoon to guests we don’t want to stay.”
Chapter Thirty
“Do you think you’ll be comfortable?”
“Can’t say I’ve ever slept on a swinging bed before.” He had never slept on one, much less seen one.
Ginny plopped down on the end of the bed, sending it swaying. “Dad built it for me and Leah.”
The bed looked like any other bed, except being supported by four thick ropes hanging from the ceiling.
“We would fall asleep here, watching for falling stars,” Ginny told him as she got off the bed to lower the blinds on three set of windows on each of the walls. “We ended up sleeping in here more than we did in our own room. It was just a back porch until we kept getting eaten alive by bugs, so he enclosed it with the windows and added the heater.” Flicking a switch on the portable heater, Ginny twisted her hands together uncomfortably. “I know it’s not much. If you’d rather, you can have my bedroom and I can sleep he—”
“This will be fine.” The add-on room had a door to the outside, so he wouldn’t have to go through the house to reach the front door. On the other hand, the doorway that led into the rest of the house didn’t have a door. Ginny had told him that Silas had hung up the sheet on a curtain rod to give him privacy when he slept.
“Can I get you anything before I go to bed?”
A door would be nice. Reaper kept the thought to himself, seeing a sleepless night in front of him.
“No, you’ve already shown me the bathroom. Go to bed before you drop.”
“I’m going. I plan on sleeping in late. If you get up early, make yourself at home. Silas laid out some cereals and bread for breakfast in case he’s not around. And feel free to wander around outside. You’re probably sick of being cooped up. Just make sure if you do go exploring, don’t cross over any fences. The Porters and the Hayes shoot first and ask questions later. I really don’t want to be awakened by the sound of gunfire before noon.” There was no amusement in the warning. Ginny was being deadly serious.
“They’re that strict about no trespassing?”
“Wait until you see the notices they posted; you won’t have to ask me that question again. If you get close enough to read them, then you’re too close to their property, and they’ll take you out before you know what hit you.”
“Are you related to them?”
“Why do you ask?” Ginny tilted her head questioningly.
“Seems like the Porters and the Hayes aren’t the only ones who aren’t against sneak attacks.”
Mischievously, Ginny got his meaning. “My brothers were just welcoming me home.”
“They ambushed me.”
“They were concerned. Which was my fault for not returning their calls.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I was a little distracted.” Reaching out, Ginny tenderly smoothed her thumb along the ridge of his temple. “Sweet man, it worked out for the best. You’re going to enjoy staying here. I’ve been trying to come back since I had to leave. I can finally repay a gift given to me. Good night, Gavin.”
When Ginny walked through the curtained-off doorway, a sense of yearning hit him out of the blue. He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck, as if erasing the feeling of incompleteness and the deep loneliness blanketing him as darkness surrounded the earth at night.
Changing into a pair of shorts, Reaper turned the lights off before climbing into the bed. His movements set the bed swinging back and forth, then it subsided into a barely perceptual rocking motion that stilled when he didn’t move. Rolling over, Reaper set the bed in motion again. He was obviously going to have another restless night.
Fatigue had his muscles twitching from driving for so long, so he got out of bed, paced around the small room, and counted off each footstep.
When the air became too heavy to breathe, he turned off the heater, raised the blinds, and opened two of the six windows.
Gasping in lungsful of deep air, he stood at the window until his sore muscles couldn’t hold him up any longer. Then he slid down to the floor, resting his back on the lower portion of the wall below the window.
Feeling the sweat drying on his skin from the cold air but too tired to close the windows, he started to make his way back to the bed. Feeling lethargic, he stopped trying to make himself move. If he still believed in God, he would pray to go to sleep and never wake up.
Maybe you should pray, he thought sarcastically to himself. He’s never answered one damn prayer before. Why put me out of misery now?
Falling to the side, he felt the rough texture of the indoor/outdoor carpet against his face and body. Sleep finally gave him the respite from the torture chamber of his thoughts.
Reliving explicit images of what had been done to him and those he had committed under the influence of the drugs had him writhing on the floor, trying to escape the memories he couldn’t escape from in sleep. Sleep made the recollections worse. They couldn’t be pushed away or combatted against, caging his mind in a never-ending nightmare playing out each time he went to sleep. Sleep had become his new tormentor, replacing Slate in the ability to make him not want to endure another day.
Unconsciously, his hands clawed at the carpet, dreaming about digging out the hole that he had hidden under his cot. He was going to make it out … keep digging … the frame repeated over and over….
Warmth covered him in a soft cocoon, pressing him down, stilling his restless movements. Comforting heat drove out the aching coldness, allowing him to slip into a deeper sleep, one without nightmares. The scent of sunflowers replaced the filth he had been trying not breathe in. He felt the perfumed scent sink into every pore of his being, as if he could never wash it away regardless of how many times he tried.
He imagined himself sleeping on a hammock, swaying in the sun with someon
e singing in the background. God had finally answered his prayers … this was how he had always imagined heaven …. The voice banishing the memories as if they never existed.
A burning sensation had him lifting heavy-lidded eyes and raising a hand to swat away the irritating sensation. He wasn’t ready to wake. Just five more minutes … Just five more blissful minutes and he would get up.
Turning on his side, he shoved the pillow under his head more comfortably. The rocking motion came with the dawning awareness that yet another of his prayers hadn’t come true. Jerking himself upright, he found himself on the swinging bed with a thick blanket on top of him.
The vague memory of sleeping with the swaying motion underneath him kept his fear in check. He must have been so out of it that he didn’t remember switching from floor to the bed.
The heat of the sun hitting his face was what had woken him, not the sudden swinging motion of the bed.
Getting out of bed, he stretched languidly, twisting his upper body left and right. His muscles moved supplely with ease, the soreness gone.
After getting himself showered and ready, he headed into the kitchen and poured himself some coffee. Not hungry, he decided to check out the vast property Ginny grew up on. Strolling to the side of the house, he saw a target nailed to a tree trunk. Exploring over a small rise, he found a fort built out of small logs. Reaper could imagine hours of enjoyment the boys would have spent outside. A firepit close by would have provided additional entertainment roasting marshmallows. Every step, he discovered more of the happy childhood they must have spent together. The Colemans’ land had been their playground; the siblings, their playmates, and confidants.
Over another rise, he saw a lone building among towering trees. Curious, he strode toward it.
When they ate last night, Ginny had explained that Matthew and Isaac shared a home that they had put together after buying an online kit. Ginny’s description didn’t resemble the one he was looking at. Jacob and Jody, however, told him that they had taken the easy route and bought second-hand trailers until they were ready to build.