29 - Lane
Lane
The night stretched on in a blur of heavy lifting, the steady hum of a shop vac, and the rhythmic crack of Silas’s nail gun sealing the new subfloor.
But beneath the chaotic rush of construction, a quiet, domestic warmth settled over the basement.
There were frequent check-ins and water breaks, brushing shoulders and the occasional dance break; well, the latter was mostly just Sy.
And me, when he somehow managed to rope me in.
It was exhausting, dirty work, but working alongside the three of them and getting sweaty while rebuilding this house made the place feel less like a battlefield and more like a sanctuary. And at the end of it, we made an insane amount of progress.
The bathroom was almost done, and the smell of damp greenboard, fresh pine and fresh PVC cement wafted out into the hallway where we were slumped shoulder-to-shoulder.
We sipped on beers that Sy headed out to buy and were just about to dig into the pizza that arrived minutes ago.
It was still piping hot and the vibe was good as we made passing comments about everything we managed to achieve today.
During a comfortable lull of silence, Bear chuckled and leaned his back against the wall, gesturing to Dax with his slice of pizza. “It’s great to have you back, man.”
Dax stopped laughing. The sardonic smile he usually wore was nowhere to be seen, and the atmosphere and day’s accomplishments seemed to bring out a rare, softer side to him. A side that was finally willing to open up.
“It’s good to be back. Thanks for giving me another chance, Bear.
Or, another chance again.” He cleared his throat, staring down at his beer like it was going to bail him out.
He ran his thumb around the bottle mouth, contemplative.
“I just…I’m sorry. To all of you, I owe you guys a real apology. I’ve been kind of a dick lately.”
“If you’re being charitable,” I smiled over the rim of my bottle.
“I’m trying to be heartfelt here,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me.
“Continue,” I replied.
He shook his head with a chuckle, temporarily relieved of the tension until it was time to speak again.
“I never told you guys the details but my family is in a shit ton of debt. I’m partly responsible for it.
That’s why I started going back to the cage.
It wasn’t about ego or greed. But being back in that world just…
messes with my head. The whole thing with my family is just fucked. ”
I leaned into his shoulder just a little more, trying to use my weight to anchor him. He leaned against me.
“I’m almost out of this, I swear. I just need one more fight. One more good win and I can cover my brother’s debt and be done with this for good,” he said.
I flinched away from him, surprised at the admission. He was still going to fight.
“Dax, your bail conditions…” I said in warning.
He dropped his head against the wall behind him. “I know. But it’s only a violation if I get caught.”
All of the warm, bubbly feelings I was just marinating in evaporated like mist. Anger curdled there instead.
I couldn’t believe that Dax was seriously willing to risk his life and future for this after everything we’d been through trying to help him.
And it wasn’t just my effort. There was Nance, too. Not to mention the guys.
Sy was staring at the bottle in his hand, silent. Bear’s face reflected the rage I was feeling inside. “You’re really going through with this.”
“I don’t have much of a choice,” Dax answered.
“You always have a choice. And the one you’re making is going to screw over no one but yourself,” I said, trying to keep my voice from rising. “Think about this, Dax.”
“I have. A lot. You don’t think I’d have taken another route if there was one?” he asked helplessly.
“You don’t have to do this, man,” Silas muttered, still staring down at his beer. “We can find another way to handle the cash. You’re going to get yourself killed.”
“Or arrested,” I added.
Dax didn’t look up, his fingers picking at a dried patch of drywall mud on his jeans. “There’s no other way. It’s one last match. I get the purse, pay off the sharks, and my brother’s slate is clean. Then I’m out for good.”
“Yeah? And what happens next month when he screws up again?” Silas pressed, his voice tight. “You going back into the cage every time he gets desperate?”
Dax went dead silent, his jaw clenching as he stared straight ahead into the unfinished bathroom.
He was being destructive, dedicating himself to self-sabotage. I couldn’t figure out why. The formerly comfortable air suddenly turned brittle and the underlying tension the conversation resulted in remained for the rest of the evening.
*
“We could stay the night again,” Bear offered. The three of them all looked at me with expectant eyes. I raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a wry smile.
“Hmm. Thanks but I have a full day tomorrow. I need the rest,” I said.
Sy grinned. “We promise to let you get your beauty sleep in, Lane. Come on, it’ll be fun.”
Yeah, too much fun. “I don’t trust any one of you to keep your hands to yourselves. I’ll see you off now.”
Bear shrugged his heavy shoulders. “Fine, if that’s what you want. But I’m not leaving until I’ve made sure everything is secure.”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, soldier.”
He performed a methodical sweep of the entire house, forcefully ramming heavy wooden dowels into the window tracks, testing the deadbolts until they clicked aggressively and wrapping a heavy chain around the rear kitchen door handle. Everything was completely locked down.
I looked at his adjustments and planted a hand on my hip. “Why does this feel more like a prison than anything else?”
“Try breaking into one,” Bear said, pulling in for a kiss. He followed it up with a chaste peck and for just a brief moment, I wished I’d agreed to let them stay. “Take care of yourself, okay? And keep us on speed dial.”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
I walked them to the door and gave Sy a kiss as well, drawing him closer by the back of his neck. “Thanks for everything today.”
He smiled sheepishly. “It’s my pleasure, Lane. Sleep well.”
When I got to Dax, the tension between us was still somewhat prickly. But I let him tug me against him anyway, and returned the depth of his kiss. I pressed my forehead against his. “Please. Just be careful.”
He swallowed hard but didn’t say anything, nodding and kissing my cheek before heading out.
“We’ll have a sleepover again soon, I promise,” I called after them.
“I’ll hold you to that, Counselor,” said Bear with a wink.
Just as they got into their respective vehicles, I heard a loud, contentious snort coming from the second-floor landing above me. I craned my head and saw Sandy staring down, leering at me with a smile that made me queasy.
“You better get a good night’s rest, Miss Whittaker. The cops will be here nice and early tomorrow morning,” he said smugly.
I pressed my mouth into a resolute tight line and stormed up the iron stairs until I was face-to-face with him. I reached into my pocket and unfolded the notice Nance dropped off with a flourish, then shoved it straight in his face.
He stumbled back in shock, and when he paused to actually read the paper, his eyebrows shot up into his receding hairline.
“Make sure to give them this when they get here,” I said triumphantly before turning on my heel and walking back down to my own unit. I looked up for one last satisfying glimpse of Sandy’s shocked face before I ducked into my house.