Chapter Five #2
“It’s one guy, my man. It’s gonna be a walk in the park,” Napoleon said, shrugging. “Suck it up.”
“He has a family which is why the protective detail is taking some time.” I rubbed my face with both hands.
“Whine much?”
I looked over at Marshall Clifford. He was watching me with that lazy smile he often wore. “Who asked you, Brit?”
He shrugged. “I’m only saying I have a lovely camembert at home to pair nicely with that whine, should needs arise, mate.”
I rolled my eyes. “Should needs arise?” I waved my hand at him. “Go make yourself a spot of tea and leave me alone,” I said, doing my best to imitate his drawl.
He stood, stretching. “Smashing idea, mate. I could do with a cuppa.” He rubbed his hands together, glancing around. “I’ll put the jug on. Pot of tea, anyone?”
There were no’s all around as I looked back at the wallet in my hands. I set it down when I heard someone coming.
“I don’t see you typing, Hampstead,” Candy barked. “I want your report in half an hour.” He kept on walking, headed toward reception.
“Fine,” I muttered, before sitting forward and opening the half-written report on my desktop. Seconds later, I was doing just what the boss wanted, making sure I’d crossed every T and dotted every I.
JOSHUA
Just after two in the afternoon, I parked my mini in the driveway, feeling tired as I looked at the small house I called home.
It was old, needed a new roof and probably some paint, but I couldn’t help but smile.
As rundown as it looked outside, the inside was comfortable and welcoming.
I loved my home and the family I shared it with.
It’d taken me all morning to get Billy checked into New Beginnings out in Palmdale, and all I wanted to do was relax.
Unfortunately, the kids would be home in an hour which meant I had little time to tell Barbie everything that had happened.
I didn’t want the kids to overhear us. They were too small to deal with those horrors.
I got out of the car, slinging my messenger bag over my shoulder before leaning in and picking up the wiggling black and white puppy.
As I turned to walk to the gate, I noticed a black and white LAPD patrol car parked across the street.
Two officers were sitting in the front seat, and I smiled at them before leaning down to speak to the dog.
“I wonder what that’s about.” The puppy looked up at me and wiggled.
I chuckled, gripping him tighter so he wouldn’t fall.
“Yeah, me too. Come on, baby, let’s go see Barbie.
She’s going to love you.” I headed for the picket fence and opened the gate, setting the puppy down so he could do his business.
He squatted almost immediately. When he was done, he looked up at me and wagged his little stump of a tail, toddling toward me on short legs in the tall grass.
The lawn needed mowing, but I put it out of my mind as I headed for the house with the puppy following close at my heels.
When we reached the three porch stairs, I bent and scooped him up, carrying him since he was too small to climb them.
The front door opened before I reached it.
My seventeen-year-old sister leaned against the door jamb with her arms crossed.
“Two hours…no more, huh?” she said, repeating what I’d told her last night before leaving for dinner.
I walked across the porch and leaned close, kissing her cheek as I smiled down at her.
“I’m sorry, baby. In my defense, when I tell you what happened, you’ll understand.
” I stepped past her into the house. It smelled like bacon and coffee.
I glanced at the ceiling. “Thank you, God, for coffee.” I heard the front door shut and lock behind me as I continued across the hardwood floor, heading for the heart of our home.
“Joshua!” Barbie’s footsteps were muffled as she followed me in stockinged feet.
It didn’t matter. I could feel her behind me.
When I got to the kitchen, I slung my messenger bag onto a chair and set the puppy on the tile.
I was filling a bowl with water when she caught up to me. “You have a dog with you.”
I glanced over at her and smiled. “A puppy!”
She smiled, looking down at the little guy. “He’s adorable.” She transferred her gaze to me. “What happened?”
I set the bowl down and the puppy toddled over to it like a little drunk.
I straightened and gave my beautiful sister my full attention.
Her short, blonde hair was a shade lighter than mine, her gray eyes a shade darker.
Right now, though, they were filled with worry.
I walked over and wrapped her up in my arms, grounding myself as I held on tight.
She hugged me back and then leaned back, still in my arms. She wore a serious expression.
“You look tired, Joshua. What the heck happened last night?”
I framed her cheeks with both hands. Barbie, Pete, and Meggie were my whole world. I knew how lucky I was, counting my blessings every day. “I’ll tell you in a minute but first, a more pressing question.”
“What’s that?”
“How old is the coffee?”
Predictably, she chuckled. “If you let go of me, I’ll make a new pot. The dregs in that one will burn a hole through your stomach. I made it at seven.”
“This morning?” I asked, letting go. I considered the black liquid in the bottom of the pot as she poured the remnants down the sink.
“Jeez, it’s nothing but mud. Why didn’t you shut it off?
” I asked before realizing that was probably the wrong thing to say.
Sure enough, she frowned before filling the pot with fresh water.
“Because I figured you’d at least be thoughtful enough to be home by the time the kids got up and when you weren’t, I walked them to school and forgot all about the dumb coffee.
” She turned to look at me. “I jumped right into calculus after I got back, and the time got away from me.” Barbie was a senior in high school, but took advantage of online classes, only having to go in on Mondays to pick up a packet and on Fridays to drop off her completed assignments.
Since I held down two jobs, it worked for both of us and saved huge money on childcare.
“What happened last night?” She held up a hand as I opened my mouth to reply.
“If your answer is something sexual, spare me the details.”
I laughed as I dumped out the old coffee grounds. “Trust me, it wasn’t something sexual. It was the opposite of sexual.”
She glanced sideways at me. “You became a monk?”
I smiled at her, trying to decide how to tell her so she wouldn’t totally freak out. “No, actually, I got into some trouble with Billy last night.”
“Billy Jenkins?” Barbie frowned, taking the fresh coffee basket from my hand and slipping it in place before flipping the switch. She turned to face me, crossing her arms. “I don’t like that guy. You know he was high the last time he came over here.”
I opened my mouth to reply when Dog barked. We both looked down to see him standing at our feet, wagging his little stump of a tail as he looked up at us. I bent and scooped him up, holding him to my chest as he licked my face. “I need to get dog food,” I muttered into his fur.
“He’s a sweet, little guy.” Barbie petted him. “Where’d he come from?”
I glanced at her. “He’s Billy’s. We’re going to have him for a while.”
“What are you talking about?” she said. She held out her arms and I passed the little furball to her. She smiled, immediately cuddling him close. “What do you mean a little while, Joshua?”
“I convinced Billy to go back to rehab. I told you some things happened.”
“What happened?” She looked at me skeptically. There was no use trying to BS Barbie Calder. After life with my mother, she was a human lie detector just like I was.
“I’ll tell you, but first I need coffee.” I nodded to the pot and moved to the refrigerator. “And food. I haven’t eaten.” I pulled out bread and the makings for a BLT after the discovery of bacon.
“The avocado is ripe.” She gestured to where it sat on a shelf in the fridge.
My stomach growled. I pulled out a knife and quickly assembled a sandwich for myself. “Do you want one?” I asked, looking over at her.
“No, I’m okay. I had salad.”
She didn’t eat enough and worked too hard, forced to become a parent just like me when things at home had spiraled out of control three years ago.
I sat at the kitchen table and bit into my sandwich, finishing it off quickly.
I really had been hungrier than I realized.
I watched her hold the puppy up, letting him lick her nose as she giggled.
“What’s your name, little guy?”
“Dog,” I said, walking to the sink with my plate. I watched her set him down on the ground. He ran around in circles and then toddled toward the living room to explore.
“Dog? That’s a stupid name,” she said. “It almost sounds like the kind of name a drug addict would give their dog…oh, yeah, one did!”
I sighed, pouring coffee into my cup and adding half and half from the fridge. I glanced over at her. “You gonna have a cup?”
She stuck out her lower lip. “No, it makes me pee, and I have to go get the kids in a half hour.”
I chuckled. “I’ll get the kids.” I pulled out a mug and poured her a cup, adding a little cream to hers as well. I took her by the hand and pulled her into the living room. “Come on and sit with me. I need to get all of this out before the kids get home.”
I pulled her down onto the couch beside me, pulling one leg up under me to get comfortable as I turned to her.
I took a big sip of liquid fortification and launched into it.
I didn’t leave anything out, even telling her about how frightened I was in the cartel’s drug hangout.
Barbie and I were always honest with each other.
We’d been through hell and back with our mom so we made a habit of it.
By the time I finished, she was sitting beside me looking shellshocked.
“That’s crazy. I can’t believe it, Joshua.” Her eyes were shiny as she reached for my hand. “You could have been killed…all because of that asshole, Billy.”
I looked down at my empty coffee cup and pulled my hand out of hers so I could put it on the coffee table. I wanted to defend first myself and then Billy, but in the end, I settled for the truth. I looked her right in the eye and shrugged. “You’re right, but you know me.”
She cocked her head to the side. “I know this, Joshua Calder.” She smiled a little. “You have a heart of gold.” When she smacked me on the arm, I gasped in surprise. “But if you ever do something that stupid again, I’ll kill you myself!”
I reached for her then, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close as I kissed the side of her head. “I promise.”
“Love you, Joshua,” she said into my collarbone.
“Love you too, baby.”