Chapter 36
GARY AND ROB TRILLING left the meeting with Arnold Marks and went directly back to their mother’s house. They wanted to talk to their grandfather right away and ease his growing concerns about Marks buying the family business.
They left Fido the llama at the car lot and drove a Chevy Camaro, one of the lot’s faster vehicles, home. Mona Trilling was not a huge fan of Fido’s, and Gary didn’t want to take the time to transport him in the van, then settle the llama in his pen at Gary’s house next door.
Before they opened Mona’s front door, Gary turned excitedly to his brother and said, “Smells like empanadas.”
Rob let a smile slide across his face. He’d missed his mother’s cooking. New York City might have a thousand options, but nothing was as good as something his mom made. At least nothing he’d discovered since leaving home six years ago.
Chet Trilling sat at the kitchen counter and looked toward the front door as they stepped in. The first words out of his mouth were “Did you sell?”
Gary said no.
A couple of different things made Rob happy at that moment.
First: the fact that his grandfather knew exactly what was going on and had asked exactly the right question.
Second: the expression on his grandfather’s face when Gary told him he had not sold the car lot.
It was inspiring. Chet looked like a teenager, he was so excited by the news.
“How did the man from Los Angeles take it?” Mona asked.
Gary shrugged. “He wasn’t happy, but what choice did he have? He offered us plenty of money, but we refused to sell. He owns most of the businesses on that side of town now. We’re the only holdout.”
His mother didn’t say anything but looked over at Rob. He knew she was looking for a different opinion about the interaction.
Rob took a moment to consider his words. “The guy did understand that we’re not interested in selling. However, there’s something about him I don’t like. I don’t feel like he’s going to let this drop yet.”
Mona asked, “Do you think he might go to the county and convince them to get involved somehow, try to un-incorporate us, then do some sort of eminent domain on our property? Our car lot doesn’t exactly bring in people spending a lot of cash.”
It was Gary who answered. “I hadn’t considered that, Mom. I mean I hadn’t considered that the reason Marks wants our property is because it’s in an incorporated town. The county has no real say. Maybe that’s what makes everything so attractive to him.”
Rob said, “Or he’s a spoiled douchebag who doesn’t like to be told no.”
Gary nodded. “There is that also.”
Chet had a broad smile on his face. Then he chimed in: “No one runs us off.”
Rob had slowly been edging closer to the tray of piping hot empanadas sitting next to the stove.
He used all the abilities the government had taught him to conceal his movements.
He thought he might actually manage to pop one into his mouth before anyone noticed.
If he did, it would be the first piece of food he’d successfully snatched since taking a chocolate chip cookie when he was eight.
His mother was like a hawk who guarded everything she cooked as if it were gold.
Right before his finger touched the empanada, Mona spun around like she had a warning system strapped to her back. She didn’t say or do anything. She just gave Rob a look. He withdrew his hand without comment.
His grandfather really was on the ball today. Chet caught the little dance between mother and son. He chuckled and said, “I don’t care how much training you’ve been through as a Ranger. No one has ever defeated your mom when she’s protecting dinner.”
Gary’s phone rang and he dug it out of his pocket. After a moment, he looked up at Rob and said, “The car lot is on fire again. We gotta go right now.”