BEYOND THE GRID BOX SET: The Complete Beyond The Grid series (book 1-4)

by Connor Mccoy

  Boss braced her knuckles against the end of the table, close to the stove. “You understand all of this now?”

  Courtney glanced at the two small rows of jars on the other side of the stove near the right edge of the table. The food already was packed and sealed in the jars. Courtney would have to can more vegetables and meat herself once this first batch was completed. “Sure,” Courtney replied.

  Boss let out a sigh as if she had been holding it in for a long time. “Good, good.” She straightened up. “Please tell me you can take care of this. I don’t want to come by every five minutes to babysit you.”

  “Relax,” Courtney said, “I can do this.”

  Boss stepped back, nearly bumping into the side of the house. “Okay.” She actually sounded a little pleased. She’s probably forcing it, Courtney thought.

  “Well, if you can hold down the fort here for a while, I’m going to look in on Guy. If he managed to get Arnold started on some decent work in the fields, I’ll be shocked.” She chuckled.

  Courtney might have chuckled along with her, but at the moment she found the sentiment a little too mean. She wasn’t exactly buddy buddy with Arnie Lerner, but she knew the man couldn’t help himself and was trying his best.

  Boss walked off the porch, leaving Courtney to her work.

  Jacob waited as long as he dared. There was no further noise from the den or the hallway, nor did Jacob detect any voices through the door. The day’s activities must have begun in earnest. The house likely would be silent until one of them had to come back inside for a rest or something to eat or drink.

  “Okay.” Jacob sucked in a deep breath. “It’s time for action.”

  Domino grasped the back of his shoulder. “I’m ready.”

  Jacob smiled. “You’re always ready. Just watch yourself.”

  “You too.” Domino quickly reached in and kissed Jacob’s cheek.

  Jacob moved the obstructions from behind the door. He fastened his hand around the knob. His heart rate accelerated. He was about to commit himself. He either would die or be able to sleep in his own bed once again.

  He slowly opened the door, unveiling the den. The den looked normal, so normal that Jacob was shocked. Rays of sunlight poured through nearby windows, shining across the walls, the bookshelves and the round of old chairs and their dingy green cushions.

  The only thing out of sorts was the lack of illumination from the ceiling lights, plus the stagnant air that hung around the room. The loss of air conditioning had cut off the regular air flow, which meant they would have to keep windows open to circulate air throughout the house.

  Jacob turned toward the open door leading to the hall. The house was eerily quiet. Of course, the air is off, Jacob thought. The hum of the house’s HVAC was no more.

  Jacob slowed his pace. He worried about his footsteps squeaking too loudly. The den’s floor was solid concrete underneath the tiling, so Jacob’s feet made no noise. However, the hall floor was composed of wooden panels that produced a squeak or two. Jacob vowed to be careful.

  Once at the door frame, Jacob stuck his head out, checking left and right. The left side went to his and Domino’s bedroom, the “junk room” where he and Domino stored a lot of things, and the laundry room where the back door to the house lay. Going right would take the Averys toward the bedrooms of Brandon and Jubilee, the kitchen, and the dining room on the far end, with the living room accessible by an adjoining hall on the right.

  First thing’s first. Jacob would lock the back door. It was the most direct route to his crops, and he didn’t want Arnie or Guy Wickers taking them by surprise. Domino waited by the door, her hand on her gun.

  As Jacob approached his laundry room, he marveled at how weird this was. He was back home and yet he was stealing through it like a spy or a secret agent. To his amusement, he figured Brandon would get a kick out of that thought. The seriousness of the situation, however, kept Jacob from feeling too merry about this.

  He stopped at the threshold to the laundry room. The washer and dryer were still, as expected. They likely never would operate again. Jacob silently thanked himself and Domino for learning how to hand wash laundry and hang it out to dry, and that they had taught their kids how to do the same.

  It’s my house, but everywhere I look, I find things that aren’t going to be the same, Jacob thought.

  Jacob waited until he got a good look out of the back door. The door had a window frame that took up much of its top half. Jacob did not want to be visible to Wickers or Arnie if they were close by. But all Jacob could spot was the shadow of his house and a row of his crops beyond. No human beings were in the vicinity.

  Satisfied, Jacob crept along the wall, still trying to keep his body out of view of the window as much as possible until he reached the door. Once there, it was simple to turn the deadbolt and secure the chain latch above the knob.

  His next destination would be the living room. Upon returning to the hall doorway, he pointed down the hallway. Domino nodded and rushed off. He would give her a head start to the porch leading off the kitchen, before he hurried to the living room. If Courtney spotted movement for any reason, Jacob wanted her to see Domino first.

  Courtney almost smiled. Heating the jar lids was simple. In all, this was an easier task than whatever Arnie Lerner was stuck with. However, Guy Wickers had made it clear that some field work would be in her future sooner or later. No kidding. At least I got a brain, she thought. She would be amazed at what Arnie would produce from today’s labors.

  She looked down at her ill-fitting clothes. She couldn’t believe she ended up on a farm. Of all the fates she had dreamed for herself, toiling on a homestead wasn’t even in her universe.

  A soft breeze caressed her cheek. It is kind of nice, she thought. The quiet was also peaceful. She hadn’t realized how much noise had been present in her everyday world. Once the plug was pulled on everything, it took a lot of the noise with it.

  Returning her attention to the heating jars, she asked, “Okay, how long do I wait again?”

  “About ten minutes,” spoke a strange female voice.

  Courtney spun around toward the doorway into the kitchen. That wasn’t Terri Boss at all. Instead, it was a thin woman dressed in sweaty brown clothing with what looked like a gun holster around her waist. Although the lady was covering her right side with her hand, blocking what might be the holster from view with the help of the shadow cast from the house.

  “It doesn’t take long,” the woman said. “You’re doing pretty good for your first try. This is your first try, right?”

  Courtney swallowed. “Who the hell are you? Where did you come from?”

  “Easy. I’m a friend. Actually, you’ve been living in my house.” The woman smiled. “The bear said to Goldilocks. And you’ve been sleeping in my daughter’s bed.”

  Courtney was a second away from shouting for help, but this woman’s story startled her a little. “Wait! This is your place?”

  “Yeah. I’m Domino Avery,” the woman replied. “This house belongs to me and my husband Jacob, and my son and daughter.”

  Domino stepped a little closer, allowing the sun to shine across her face. Courtney’s mouth hung open. “Hey, it is you. The pictures in the bedroom. You’re that woman.” No doubt about it. Domino’s face matched that of the lady Courtney had spotted in pictures in the bedroom and throughout the house. “But…you’re back? Why were you gone so long? I mean, they told me that anyone caught out there wouldn’t have a chance in hell of coming back.”

  Domino giggled. “You never have met our family. My husband prepared us for an emergency. Of course, we didn’t think it would be this much of an emergency. We just came into the area not too long ago.”

  “Oh shit!” Courtney said. As she thought of Terri Boss and Guy Wickers running into the old owners of this house, she almost laughed. Talk about a blindside! It would serve those two right to have to deal with this skunk dropped into their picnic.

  “I know thi
s is a shock. Trust me, I’m not here to hurt you.” She took her hand off her holster. “This gun is just for self-defense. I know I look a little, well, scary.” She chuckled. “It’s been a rough week for me and my family and I’m sure it’s been no better for you. Those two people that are watching you, Guy and Terri, there’s something you should know about them.”

  “What, that they’re losers? I knew that,” Courtney said.

  “No. I mean, I won’t argue with that. But those two don’t have your best interests at heart. They’re planning to bail out of this homestead and leave you and that man Arnie Lerner here by yourselves. They may even kill Arnie before they go.”

  Courtney didn’t know how to react to that. So, Wickers and Boss were planning to run off? It hardly surprised her. Hell, it sounded great, actually. She’d have her own house and wouldn’t have to answer to those two ever again. Well, there was still the matter of Arnie, assuming they didn’t kill him, as Domino said they might.

  But another side of Courtney spoke up inside her mind. Are you crazy? Sykes is coming back here in a few days. What’s he going to do when he sees Terri and Guy have split? He’s not leaving you here alone with the house! He wants the crops. He’ll just plant another worker here to do the job. He might even take you away and put you someplace worse.

  And then a wave of sadness passed through her. The idea of adults ditching her, even ones she didn’t care for, did hurt her a little inside.

  “Really?” Courtney cleared her throat. “And how do you know? You might be trying to trick me.”

  Domino strode a little closer. “You might say my husband and I have been doing a little…secret agent work in our own house.”

  Courtney kept an eye on her, particularly on her hand near her gun. If you’re trying to sound cool, it’s not working. Okay, maybe you’re kind of cute, but still, I don’t know you.

  “So, what do you want? You got the gun.” Courtney looked to Domino’s other hip. “And a wicked cool knife,” she added slowly. “If you want the house back, I can’t do crap to stop you.”

  “My husband and I don’t want a fight,” Domino began.

  “Wait, he’s here, too?” Courtney asked.

  “Yes.” Domino winced a little, as if she didn’t want to give up that info. “We’re both here. We do want our house back, but we don’t want this to get ugly. Do you think Guy and Terri would be willing to talk to us without a fight? Are they armed?”

  “I don’t know what they would do,” Courtney said. A little fear welled up inside her. It sounded like a fight was coming, and she was way too close to it for comfort. “Please, I don’t know what I can tell you.”

  “Easy,” Domino said gently, “all I want to do is make sure you’re safe. My husband’s inside locking the doors. Everyone is outside. That means you can be safe if you go inside the house and wait for us. We’ll talk to Guy and Terri.”

  Courtney still wasn’t sure. Domino sounded a lot nicer than Terri. That was for sure. And she was a mother with a family. Sure, the gun and knife screamed she was a little intimidating compared to your typical suburban mom, but even so, maybe she was telling the truth.

  “What would you do with me?” Courtney asked with such fear that it surprised even her.

  “Sweetie, we’re not going to do anything with you. I mean, we want you to be safe and taken care of. We would find someone close by that could take care of you. Or maybe…”

  “Maybe what?” Courtney asked.

  Domino looked as if she wasn’t sure about what she was thinking. Quickly, she shook her head and returned to her pleasant smile. “Once this is over, I know we’ll find a good place for you to live. You won’t have to worry about being abandoned or having to work for people who don’t care about you. But we need you to help us, to come inside and take shelter so we don’t have to worry about involving you in a crossfire out here.”

  Courtney was torn. Wow. She sounds so nice. She also recognized that Domino very well could have pulled that gun on her and forced her inside if she had a mind to do so. Why go through all this trouble to talk her inside if she didn’t have to?

  Courtney glanced at the fire in the stove. “I probably should turn this fire off. I mean, I don’t want to accidently burn down your porch before you take your house back.”

  Domino chuckled. “I appreciate your courtesy.”

  Courtney reached for the damper on the stove and turned off the fire.

  However, footsteps were approaching. “Shit,” Domino said as she backed into the house.

  Courtney looked up. Terri Boss was approaching!

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jacob tried quelling his fears as he slipped out the back door. He hoped Domino was not running into problems with Courtney. If his wife could secure Courtney’s loyalty, one quarter of their problem was solved.

  As Domino made her way back in the kitchen, Jacob made himself busy securing the front door. Once he had finished, he slipped back down the hall to the laundry room. There had been no commotion. Arnie, Wickers, or Boss had not made any effort to reenter the house from here.

  Jacob had wondered about simply barricading himself and Domino in the house and waiting for his “guests” to try reentering. It seemed like a good idea, but Jacob worried about Boss or Wickers starting a gun battle to try breaking inside. Plus, Jacob wanted to resolve this matter. He didn’t want Wickers or Boss or Arnie Lerner wandering around outside as loose ends, especially not with his children and Sheryl still out there.

  So, Jacob was going to confront Wickers, Boss and Arnie openly. He would gamble that Wickers and Boss weren’t up for a fight. As for Arnie, he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

  As it turned out, Jacob was about to cross that bridge sooner than he thought. As he strode toward the farthest crop row, which housed his lettuce heads, he spotted Arnie in the distance, digging in the ground.

  He must be working on the end of the carrot row. Wickers must have seen that area could use some tilling. I’ll give him that much credit, he’s not a total newbie when it comes to farming.

  Jacob didn’t want Arnie to see him approach from too far away. He would have to seek some cover to mask his approach as much as possible. Walking along the lettuce rows would not do. The corn stalks, however, might do the trick. They were a few rows over, but they would deposit Jacob fairly close to Arnie.

  Jacob bit his lip. He tried walking as softly as he could. Inevitably, Arnie would hear the crunching of Jacob’s boots against the soil. Jacob feared Guy Wickers would detect his approach first, but so far Jacob had not spotted the man yet. Wickers might have gone to the animal stalls. Jacob wouldn’t see him from here if that was so.

  The last thing I want is for Wickers to get the jump on me. I’ve got to get Arnie on my side first.

  Jacob took big steps to try covering as much ground as he could while touching down softly. Unfortunately, on his latest step he happened to press down on a mud patch. The slippery surface sent him tripping and falling onto the ground, flopping out into the open, out of the immediate cover of the corn stalks.

  Jacob tried with all his might not to exhale the profanity that rose in his throat. That trip hurt.

  He might have succeeded in keeping his mouth shut, but that did not prevent Arnie Lerner from detecting his presence. As Jacob looked up, he saw the giant of a man staring over him, holding a gardening hoe over his shoulder.

  Well this isn’t going as well as I hoped, Jacob thought.

  Arnie didn’t attack him. The man just stared down with a puzzled expression. Jacob was afraid to even move.

  Then Arnie spoke up. “Weird man. Mud is for pigs!”

  Jacob rolled his eyes. Well, at least Arnie did not perceive him as a threat. “Who knew?” Jacob replied as he climbed to his feet.

  Even standing up, Jacob was overshadowed by Arnold Lerner. It was a little unnerving to be this close to him, and yet, looking into the man’s eyes, Jacob didn’t feel immediately threatened by him. The man
was indeed mentally no different than a child, which meant Jacob could not explain the situation to him in all of its complexity. Jacob would have to relate to him as a child might understand it.

  “Although sometimes…” Jacob glanced at the mud patch behind him. “It’s a little fun to play in the mud. You like to play, don’t you?”

  Arnie nodded. “Playing is fun.”

  “It is. And work is, too.” Jacob pointed to the hoe Arnie was carrying. “In fact, you know who that hoe belongs to?” With a smile, Jacob tapped his shoulder with his thumb. “Me. I made all of these crops. Well, with help from my kids and wife.”

  Arnie leaned a little closer. “You make all this?”

  “That’s right. And the house you live in is mine, too. I guess I should welcome you to my farm. My name is Jacob. What’s your name?”

  “Arnie!” came Arnie’s reply. He pointed to Jacob. “Jay…cob. Mister Jacob?”

  “Sure, you can call me that. Mister Jacob.” Jacob patted himself. “And I want to be your friend. Who told you to work on this field?”

  “Mister Guy,” Arnie replied.

  “Is he a nice man?” Jacob asked. He was curious what Arnie thought of him.

  Arnie nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Yes! But I don’t like Miss Terri. She’s mean, but not really, really mean. But she does sing to me. That’s good.”

  “You like singing? My wife, uh, she’s Miss Domino, she always sang to my kids. I’d like you to meet her,” Jacob said. “She’s a very nice lady.” Jacob winked. “Much nicer than Miss Terri.”

  “Miss Terri is poo!” Arnie said, then let out a belly laugh.

  Jacob couldn’t stop himself from laughing as well. “Well…” He coughed before continuing. “…I think we ought to head back to the house so you can meet her.”