Chapter 39 #3
Acquiescing Logan lowers himself to the step. Bracing his elbows on his knees, he hangs his head as he works to regulate his breathing. I know I should go to him, I want to, but every cell in my body is screaming at me to stay back.
“Okay, that’s enough both of you,” Mason says firmly, stepping towards Jackson.
“This fight was long overdue, I hope you got it out of your system. Jackson, you need to come with me now.” He touches his arm to get his attention and that was a mistake.
Without warning, he swings around and punches Mason square in the jaw.
My eyes widen with shock, and I cover my mouth with both hands as we all collectively gasp.
“Oh fuck!” Carson grimaces as he drops down beside Logan. “That’s gonna’ hurt.”
“Fucking idiot.” Logan drops his head as adrenalin begins to leave his body.
Mason shakes his head as he staggers back a couple of feet, hitting his SUV. Cupping his jaw, he opens and closes his mouth a couple of times checking for damage. “Fuck, that smarts.”
“Jackson, look at me,” Ryan commands in a low firm voice. I’ve been so focused on Logan that I never even noticed Ryan had left the veranda. He stands at an angle a few feet away from Jackson with his hands at his side, his face remains relaxed and non-threatening.
The younger man slowly scans the group of us and lands on Ryan. He glares, his chest heaving.
“Good, ignore them, they don’t matter.” He shakes his head, slightly gesturing towards us. “Just keep your eyes on me.” I understand enough about de-escalation techniques to know that Ryan would really like us to go back in the house, but I’m not going anywhere.
“My name is Ryan, we have met before, when you were younger. Do you remember?”
“I know who you are.” He spits blood on the ground towards Ryan’s feet.
Unfazed, he continues, “Good. I know you are angry; you have every right to feel that way. Is there anything I can do to help you?”
“How the fuck can you help me?” Jackson squints his eyes with confusion.
“Well, let’s start with this.” Ryan motions with two fingers for Beck to come to him with a beige towel that she must have grabbed from the bathroom downstairs. He offers her a soft smile of thanks as he takes it from her outstretched hand and passes it to Jackson.
Cautiously, he watches Beck return to the veranda as he takes the towel and brings it to his face. Wincing, he tries to wipe up some of the blood. His nose is obviously broken but at least the bleeding has slowed down some.
Ryan nods his approval as he says, “Officer Kent has said that you missed a mandatory meeting with your probation officer, and he needs you to go with him.”
“I don’t give a fuck what Kent wants,” he grumbles. His eyes are already starting to blacken as they swell.
“That’s fair,” Ryan nods with understanding, “but he’s just doing his job; you know that. Refusing to go doesn’t hurt him, it only hurts you. You have breached the conditions of your parole. I’m sure you already know the consequences.”
Jackson doesn’t speak as he bows his head with defeat, the blood-soaked towel still clutched in his hand.
“I can come to the station with you if you want. I’m not sure what the next steps are, but I can hang out until you speak to your lawyer or probation officer – whoever comes first. Probably should see about that as well.” He waves a couple of fingers up and down in the direction of Jackson’s face.
“Why would you do that?” Looking up, he narrows his eyes at Ryan.
“Why not?” He shrugs, slipping his hands in his pockets. “I know you’re a good guy, just dealing with a really shitty situation.”
From where he’s sitting, Logan snorts, earning stern looks from both Riot and Carson. “Shut the fuck up, man. Don’t make this harder than it has to be,” Riot grumbles.
“Jackson, it’s time to go,” Mason says firmly, not allowing for further argument.
Raising his eyes he meets Ryan’s, suddenly looking much younger than his twenty-six years.
Turning slowly towards Mason, Jackson raises his wrists so he can be cuffed. “Okay, let’s do this,” he says, his voice has become resigned.
Mason shakes his head and opens the SUV’s back door. “That’s not necessary. Do I need to pat you down? Do you have any weapons or drugs on you?”
“No, nothing.” He makes eye contact briefly with his brother before dropping his head.
“Good. Get in.” He motions towards the backseat.
“I’ll be right behind you,” Ryan assures Jackson. He nods in acknowledgment before getting in the truck and leaning his head against the back of the seat.
Shutting the door firmly, Mason strides towards the group of us.
Logan slowly climbs to his feet. His jeans are covered in dirt and grass stains, and the pocket on his flannel has been torn.
He avoids looking directly at me as he joins the group of us circled around the yard.
Meg and Claire have wrapped their arms around me, providing the comfort I so desperately need.
I don’t understand what just happened, but I need answers immediately.
Beck jogs down the front steps with two ice packs. Standing beside Ryan, she hands one to Logan for his knuckles and one to Mason for his jaw.
“Thank you.” Mason takes it and places it on his jaw, hissing at the contact. Pulling it away, he opens and closes his mouth. Shaking his head, he says, “Fuck, I am way too old for this bullshit.”
Looking at each of us crowded around, he says, “This isn’t how I planned to spend the rest of my day off.”
“Who called you?” Riot asks.
Great question, but it could have been any of Logan’s nosey neighbours.
“Brian Marshal saw Jackson when he arrived and gave me the heads up.”
“Brian just happened to be in the neighbourhood, did he?” Logan says stonily, flexing his fist before holding the ice pack to his hand.
“I guess so, I didn’t ask.” Looking at the group of us he says, “I will need to get a statement from each of you by Tuesday at the latest.”
“I didn’t see anything.” Riot shrugs his large shoulders and looks to the rest of us.
“I saw Logan trip on the stairs and land right on top of Jackson,” Carson says, pointing back towards the offending steps. “You should really get that fixed, buddy, before you hurt yourself.” Logan shakes his head at his ridiculous friend and pinches the bridge of his nose.
“We were inside and didn’t see anything.
” Claire points between herself and Meg.
“Actually, I need to go up and check on Ben, and make sure he’s still asleep after all that.
Why don’t you come and help me, Meg?” She meets my eyes, and I shake my head slightly.
No, I need to stay and figure out what the fuck is going on.
“We all saw Jackson punch you, though. You should write that down.” Beck pipes up with her hands on her hips.
Sighing. Mason looks towards the night sky. “Awesome. I need to take him in and make some calls. Logan, we will be having a bigger conversation about this later.”
“Okay.” Logan nods his acknowledgment.
Logan turns to Ryan and says, “Thanks for that I guess, but you don’t need to go with him.”
“I want to. Sometimes, people just need one person in their corner for it to make a difference. I can be his one person today.” Turning to Beck, he says, “Can you catch a ride with someone, or do you want me to drop you off on my way to the station?”
“You go ahead. I’ll catch a ride.”
Nodding, he walks with Mason towards the driveway and his own car. Turning back, he meets Logan’s eyes. “Make sure you take his bike off the street. Put it in your garage or something so it stays safe, okay?”
Logan remains silent for a moment before subtly nodding his head in agreement.
“I’ll take care of it,” Riot acknowledges Ryan’s request.
We silently watch Mason get into his SUV and back out of the driveway, onto the street followed closely by Ryan in his own car.
Clapping Logan on the back, Carson looks at the five of us that remain in the yard and says, “Great food, great friends, and an unexpected fist fight for entertainment. Best Thanksgiving ever.”