Chapter 36 #2
Patricia nods reassuringly. “We’ll start small and build our way up. There’s actually this house… It’s a funny story. It’s a friend’s house and they locked their keys inside of it. I thought this group would be amazing at unlocking it for them.”
“We’re not breaking into a millionaire’s home and stealing their stuff again,” Nolan says.
“Again?” Paisley asks.
Brandon, who seems to have turned over a new leaf, shakes his head. “They’re joking. Such a joke. Haha.”
“Oh, sorry! I thought you guys were being serious,” she says before looking at August and Landon. “How did you two begin dating?”
“Brandon dragged me into a bank which he was—”
Brandon claps his hand over Landon’s mouth. “I was getting a loan… for my truck!”
“Oh yeah, that’s what happened,” August says. “Landon sprained his ankle watching Brandon get a loan, and I had to carry him to his car.”
“You sure did. It was a lot of work getting that loan. The guy almost didn’t want to give it to us for some reason. No idea why,” Landon muses. “Could have been the masks, or the pillowcases… or something.”
“So strange,” August agrees.
“You two are so sweet,” she says.
After we’re finished eating, Patricia looks at Landon. “What are we supposed to do if we can’t rob anything?”
“We could all read books?” Landon suggests.
She tsks. “Fucking hell, child, you’re so boring.”
“Paisley and I brought a croquet set!” Brandon says eagerly.
Patricia raises an eyebrow. “Croquet?”
“I’ve never played it, but I’ve heard of it,” Ellison says.
I shrug, up for anything. “Never played it or heard of it.”
“It’s got mallets!” Brandon says.
“I approve. Do we hit each other?”
“Balls, Asmodeus. We hit balls,” Ellison says, like it’s my fault for thinking otherwise. This family drives over one child, ditches the other with strangers, and he thinks it’s odd I’m asking if we’re supposed to smack each other with the mallets?
We follow everyone out to the backyard where I watch them set it up.
They claim they have no idea how to set it up properly, so they just put the hoops in random spots with a stake here and there.
Pocket Lint chases Brandon around and chews on his ankle some, dissatisfied that she gets no reaction out of him.
Then she sees Nemesis and prances over to him.
She doesn’t make it all the way there before Zacia leaps onto her, bats her once, and flies off.
Pocket Lint barrels after the naked cat.
“Pick a color,” Landon says as he waves toward the mallets. “There are too many of us, so let’s just do teams. We’ll just do it so each person on the team swings once each turn.”
“Let’s go with red so it’s already the color of blood,” I decide, grabbing it just as Lex goes to grab the red.
“No, sorry. This is mine,” Lex says. “It’s Nolan’s favorite color.”
Nolan cocks his head. “Oh? My favorite color is blue.”
Lex’s hand stops mid-reach as he slowly looks over at Landon. “IS IT?” His voice becomes oddly squeaky. “IS IT?”
Nolan seems confused. “Yes. Yours must be red,” he says, noticing Lex’s all-red attire, hair, and nails.
“Ha… haha.”
“What a loser,” Landon says, all smiles.
Lex grabs the blue mallet and starts stalking toward Landon.
Landon slides behind August. “August… August, I think Lex is planning on murdering me.”
I rush over. “Lex, wait!”
“Thank you, Deus. See, Deus loves me,” Landon says, looking relieved.
“You’re holding the mallet wrong. Grip it like this or it might slip out of your hands. You want the mallet to do the work, not you,” I coach Lex as I help him readjust his hands.
“Deus, no! Dammit! I thought you loved me!” Landon cries.
“Let’s not murder Landon,” Ellison says. “We might need him for something.”
“True,” I agree.
“Lex, why don’t you guys go first? That’ll be fun. Yeah…” Landon suggests, wanting to distract him.
“Come on, Lex, we’ll win this,” Nolan says as he takes a swing that goes far in the opposite direction. “Maybe.”
Lex gets him back on the right path before it switches to Landon and August’s turn.
Landon’s swing is so pitiful that it gets stuck on a mound of grass, but August recovers and sends the ball through the first hoop.
Brandon smashes his so hard it hits the hoop and flies off in the other direction, leaving Paisley to try to direct it back.
And Mark and Patricia get theirs close to the hoop.
Ellison swings and it stops somewhat in the right direction before I take the mallet from him and give the ball a tap, sending the ball through the first hoop, knocking August’s ball out of my way, ricocheting off the wall, and through the second hoop.
“Here, babe,” I say as I pass the mallet back for when it’s his turn again.
“What the fuck was that?” Landon asks.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I say, quite pleased with myself.
“Deus is cheating!” he cries. “August, we need to win.”
“Of course, hon.”
Landon gets really into it at that point, trying his hardest, but every single time, he misses the shot he needs to take. Then he decides that his life goal is smashing my ball off course, which he actually accomplishes. He’s quite smug when it comes to our turn.
“You got this, My Lord of Suits,” I encourage while Ellison takes his swing as he tries to get our ball back on course, but Landon had sent it so far off, it’s still quite a ways from it.
“I tried,” Ellison says, a little uncertain.
“There’s no way you can get it through that hoop at that angle,” Landon states, very proud of himself.
I grab the mallet and swing as everyone watches with bated breath when the ball goes in the opposite direction.
“Ha! Where are you going? Your next hoop is that way!” Landon says, grinning until he sees my ball smash into his, sending it careening off course and throwing mine back on course as it hits the edge of the chair that Mark is currently sitting on, ricochets off a rock, and slides through the hoop.
“What were you saying?” I ask.
Landon growls at me. “August, kick his ass.”
“It’s just a game, honey. We can still come in… fourth.”
“Fourth? I want to win!” Landon says, and I notice that the next time he swings the ball, it does a very peculiar curve right through the hoop.
“Cheater,” I accuse.
“Who? Me? NO! I would never,” Landon says.
While I wait for my turn, I walk up behind Ellison where he’s standing alone and drape my arms over his shoulders as I lean my head next to his. “How’s it feel to smoke their asses?” I ask.
“Honestly? I’m having more fun watching Landon get flustered than winning.”
“I can knock their ball into the next county, if you want.”
Ellison laughs. “I think Landon would fly it back and then try to kick your ass.”
“He’s not that good,” I assure him before kissing his cheek. “You having fun?”
He reaches up and grabs my arm. “You imagine what life would have been like for us if we’d had a family like this?”
“I think I would have been a very good villain.”
“I know you would have… but I meant more…”
“I know what you meant,” I say as I lean harder against him. “But I’m happy because I have you and I have them, and I have a whole life ahead of me.”
“Me too,” he replies quietly. “Thank you for giving that to me.”
“Me? I didn’t do it. You really need to give yourself more credit.”
“I know exactly who to give credit to, and it’s you.
I know that things are just starting to get better for this city.
I know that we have a lot to do. We still need to figure out who set the villains loose in the prison…
and I’m afraid I’m not going to like what we find…
but I’m happy that I’m doing all of this with you.
” Ellison lifts my hand and kisses it. “I love you.”
I smile at him as I squeeze him tightly. “I love you too.”
“Never thought I’d get to say that to someone since my brother died.” He seems a little flustered as his face turns red.
“It’s a new one for me too.”
“I’ll love you even more if you go kick Landon’s ass.”
I grin at that. “Oh yeah?”
“Very much.”
“What the fuck are you two doing? It’s gross. Come over here so I can see you lose,” Landon demands.
“You know he’s going to use his power to grab the ball, right?” Ellison asks.
“Sure do.”
“Then don’t let him do it.”
“Got it,” I say, letting go so Ellison can take his turn.
Pocket Lint gallops after him, so I scoop her up before she can accidentally get hit, and then I have the wonderful idea of grabbing Zacia too.
“Look at this cute kitty I have!” It’s the ultimate distraction as Landon looks away from the ball to gaze at the cat.
“Isn’t she so cute?” Landon asks.
“Did you see her jump?”
“NO! Oh my god, what did she do?” Landon asks while he hurries over, giving Ellison ample time to make his hit.
“It was definitely the cutest thing ever. A little hop and a jump,” I say as Ellison slides the mallet into my hands while I slide the cat into his.
“Ellison will tell you all about it.” I smack that ball since Landon’s eyes are only on Zacia as he tries to figure out what cute thing his cat did.
The noise of the ball hitting his ball seems to wake him up and he quickly looks over and uses his mind to fling the moving ball off course before freezing.
“Landon… why did you just fling our ball?” August asks.
“NO!” Landon cries. “I just saw a ball moving, and I just… August, what have I done?”
Ellison is smiling as he walks over to me. “Wow… I almost feel bad for them.”
“Right?” I ask. “Why’s their ball way off in the bushes? Look at August climbing in there to find it.”
“You deceived me!” Landon complains.
I laugh, very pleased with myself.
As I sat in the woods months ago, my rifle trained on his head as they floated on that swan boat, I couldn’t help but be jealous of what they had.
The task was simple, I’d done it so many times before…
but that day… that day, I couldn’t pull the trigger.
I watched them float, August sleeping while Landon read.
It would have been so easy to put an end to the “great hero.” Even as I watched them try not to drown and even as they came up on the shore where I waited, I held my finger just off the trigger.
A simple chance led me to a family… and led me to the man I love.
That day I took a shot… just not the type that I’d been raised to take.
And I don’t regret it for a moment.