Chapter 27
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN
CARBON
We pile into a couple cars, so we don’t make too much noise and scare Bobby off. Most of them wait just back from the cruising location. I sit behind the wheel with my father-in-law beside me as we watch Bobby’s place to see if he ducks out for the night. Mint sits in the back with Wally.
Wally of course has to remark. “All the men of the family alone, together, and everyone is still breathing! I am so proud of us.”
Hanger chuckles ominously before sharing his thoughts. “I suspect that is because your brother there has finally gotten it through his thick skull that he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”
Mint’s head jerks to look at his dad. “What? What old man? Huh? Do we need to fucking have it out too? Me sorting shit out with him and Harry wasn’t enough? You want your fucking say? You have been taking jabs at me all damned day.”
“Yeah. Maybe I fucking do.” Hanger shifts in his seat to look back at him, clearly pissed.
Wally sucks in a breath. “I spoke too soon.”
Our eyes meet in the rearview and neither of us is certain what is about to go down here. My eyes flick back to the new dump Bobby is living in and I try to not do anything to draw attention to myself because I definitely do not want to get into the middle of whatever the fuck this is.
“Then fucking say it!” Mint grits.
“You got a lot of fucking nerve. The way you spoke to your sister’s husband, in front of her and then what?
You thought she would just listen to your little hissy fit and think huh, maybe Ricky’s right and I need to ditch the one man I love more than fucking anything?
Fuck, Ricky. You need to start using your fucking brain sometimes. ”
Rick sinks in his seat some. “Look, I didn’t think it through. Clearly. I am glad they are together. It is going to take some time to be used to it, but I genuinely like this for both Frankie and Harry. Alright? I fucked up. I worked it out with both of them.”
“Yeah and from how it sounds to me, you still haven’t admitted to what fucking caused it.
You keep saying you don’t know. But I know what caused it.
And I know you fucking know too. You owe it to Frankie and your sister to fucking say it.
To fucking tell the damned truth. Once you do that, you and me are good too.
” Hanger jerks back forward, crossing his arms over his chest and I get the impression he is waiting, like he knows Ricky is going to say it… right fuckin?—
“Fine. I was scared. I was fucking scared. Are you fucking happy? Frank, I was scared. I was scared that I would lose the relationship I was building with my sister. That she would pull away from me and never fucking tell me what happened. That you would know more about what hurt her than I would. That you would get to fix it and leave me out. I was scared she would stop building this with me because you were there. I was scared she didn’t need me anymore.
” Rick slams his fist into the seat of the car and screams, “Fuck.”
Shell shock. Yup. That’s what this feeling is. I clear my throat but don’t make a move to say anything because what do you say to that?
“Feel better?” Hanger asks carefully.
Rick, seething, looks right at his father. He takes a couple deep slow breaths as Wally stays completely silent beside him. While I stay totally silent. While Rick and Hanger just stare at one another.
Finally, Ricky’s shoulders sag with one of his out gusts. His head nods. “Fuck. Yeah. Actually… yeah.” He runs his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I feel a lot fucking better.”
“Good. Do you now realize that your sister isn’t going anywhere?
That she just needed some time? That she just needed her brother to love and support her?
You realize now that your brother isn’t stepping on your fucking toes?
That he isn’t pushing you out? That his primary job is to protect and support his wife, and that your relationship is second to that for him?
But that doesn’t mean you aren’t still a huge fucking part of their lives?
Hmm? You fucking see that now? Your sister found what your woman found.
What you found. Don’t you fucking love that? ”
Rick’s head bobs slowly, his eyes move up to the rearview and connect with mine. “Yeah. To all of it. Yeah.”
I give a slight dip of my chin to him as Hanger settles back in his seat, a satisfied smirk on his face. “Alright then. I’d say we are good now—after you tell your sister.”
“Fuck,” Rick grits under his breath.
Hanger’s arm comes across the seat and his hand squeezes down on my shoulder. “Real glad to have three sons now. Don’t mind sharing with your daddy, not one bit.”
I manage to keep my face mostly flat when I look over at my father-in-law and give a little dip of my chin.
Hanger gives a low whistle, and we all shift our eyes spotting Bobby locking his front door.
I get the car started and pull from the curb, making my way out of the neighborhood already knowing which way he will be heading.
Wally clicks the radio we all have in our ears and confirms Virus and Hobbes are tracking him since he is on the move.
He goes exactly where we expect him to go.
I pull to a different part of the abandoned road, so he doesn’t spot us.
Jolt confirms they are eyes on. Parking the car, we all get out and quietly move through the woods, ignoring the faint sounds of men.
Jolt lets us know he lost eyes. Everyone has, but Virus and Hobbes confirm they are still tracking him.
Virus shows up beside me with a small tablet in his hand.
He points to the direction we need to travel.
We fan out and start to close in on him now that he has stopped in one location.
A groan meets my ears and the sound of clothes rustling makes me look over at Jolt and Virus to my left.
Jolt holds his hand up to everyone else telling them to hold back as he and I move forward.
We get past a boulder and see none other than Bobby, pants around his ankles, hand pressing to the back of a guy’s head as he kneels before him.
I intentionally step on a large stick, breaking it beneath my foot. His head jerks up and his eyes go wide.
He hisses a moment, “I’ll be done with him in a moment, wait your fucking turn.”
The person on his knees pulls back and Bobby tries to shove him back down. Pulling a rather large hunting knife out, I flash it.
Bobby jumps back. “Fine, fine. Take the kid.”
Kid. The word slams into my brain and my eyes jerk down. The guy at his feet cowers some, his face young. Too young. Jolt sees it too. He then barks into the earbud radio, “Take Bobby.”
My brothers rush forward to take Bobby. I hold frozen, horror and anger eating at me. The kid squeaks in terror, falling back to his ass and shoving his feet pushing himself across the forest floor until his back hits the boulder.
Jolt dips to a squat and motions to the kid. “We won’t hurt you. I swear it.”
The kid quietly pleads, his hand up before him. “I saw nothing. Nothing. I swear. I won’t tell anyone. No one. Please.”
Jolt moves closer hushing him gently. “Shhh, it’s okay. No one is going to hurt you. You are safe.”
Bobby makes a yelping sound, the kid’s eyes jerk up to him, tears begin to slide down his cheeks. Vanilla steps into his line of sight, blocking Bobby from view. “Hey my guy. Tell me your name?”
The kid’s eyes jerk to Vanilla. His lower lip trembles. Vanilla drops down like Jolt and the kid’s eyes go with his movement. “My name’s Vale, and this is my friend?—”
“Seth. My name’s Seth, wanna tell me yours?” Jolt jumps in likely because he isn’t sure Vanilla knows his real name like we do his—part of the whole overseeing their chapter’s onboarding and shit.
His eyes bug out of his head as tears keep making tracks down. “B-Blake.”
“Hey Blake, it’s real nice to meet you. I gotta ask, whatcha doing out here?” Vanilla keeps his words quieted and I realize it is just a couple of us standing this close everyone else has either moved off with Bobby or is staying back a distance to give this kid room.
He shakes his head. “I-I… I don’t want to talk about that.”
Jolt nods. “No problem. Do you have parents to go home to?”
The kid’s head dips down and his head shakes. “Threw me out.”
Vanilla nods. “So shitty parents. Got it. Well, I’m guessing you’re not eighteen.”
Blake’s head shakes. “No, sir.”
“How old are you?” he gentles.
“Sixteen. I’ll be seventeen soon.” He seems to be searching for words then rushes out, “Please, I can’t go to the county, they will send me back home and they’ll just kick me back out.”
Vanilla nods. “We won’t be making you go to the county or your parents. We are not in the habit of throwing kids to the wolves.” He rubs his hand over his face. “I’m guessing you are uh… not doing this shit because you want to.”
His head shakes and more tears slip down his cheeks. “No, sir.”
“Look, Blake, I am going to need you to come with me. I can’t leave you out here.
” Vanilla stands but hold his hand out to him.
“I swear on my life that you are safe and if you come with me, I can guarantee that no one will ever touch you without you wanting them to do it again. And I promise you won’t have to do anything for a meal or a roof over your head. Alright?”
The kid eyes him. “Why? Why would you offer that?”
Vanilla rubs his free hand over his head. “You gay?”
Blakes lips press together tight, and his head bobs slowly. Vanilla nods. “That why you got thrown out?”
He nods slowly again. Vanilla nods too. “One of my brothers, he is gay, and thankfully my family loves and supports him being him. But looking at you… fuck, thinking my brother could have been subjected to this… no. Not on my watch. So, you’re going to come with me.
We’ll sort out what happens next together. I promise.”