Chapter 16
Joel stayed overnight at Sterling’s. Sterling talked Grandpa into staying with Lindsey.
Thankfully, Richard was kind enough to wait for that argument to end up with Grandpa in Richard’s private vehicle before leaving the farm.
With Chelsea finally tucked into bed and thankfully sound asleep, Joel sat down with Sterling. “What the hell, man?”
After Richard left, Joel got the full uncensored version about Richard veering off the true and narrow path. “It’s bad enough we have a sniper on our ass, but now we have the PD going to pot, protecting the damn criminals.” Joel shook his head.
“Yeah, I know,” Sterling replied. “I asked Lindsey to just stay away until this is resolved, both she and Grandpa.”
Joel nodded. “That’s smart. Anybody associated with this death or with us just becomes collateral damage or leverage with a guy like Tiger. Therefore, at risk.”
“I don’t know that he’ll want to pull off a mass shooting,” Sterling clarified. “I see it as being as quiet and as calm as he can make it.”
“But he’s gotten away with how many already? It won’t be hard for him to pull off whatever he tries.”
“I know,” Sterling acknowledged. “I’m just so proud of Chelsea for standing up for herself, with that asshole Richard too, of all people.
Chelsea’s been under her mother’s thumb, listening to her badmouth her for her entire life.
I’m glad to see how college gave her the self-confidence to believe in herself—no matter what trash Penny was telling her day in and day out. ”
“Yeah, Chelsea’s pretty amazing,” Joel added, that wistful look on his face. “Any problem with my staying around for the next few days?”
“No, I’m happy to have you, but I don’t have much in the way of weaponry around here. Just one for scaring off predators.”
“Nothing at all?”
“I’ve got a .22,” he shared, with a smile. “And I didn’t even have that, but it was actually left here by my dear aunt,” he shared, with a shrug. “So, I figured I might need it and kept it, just in case.”
“I hear you, and I’m not carrying either,” Joel admitted, with a smile. “I never thought I would need to when I got back home again.”
Sterling snorted. “Not to mention the fact that we would have to retrain just to get legal gun permits. It’s not as if my hand has the same strength it used to,” Sterling noted, as he held it up. “Strong enough to hold a shovel, but I don’t know about my aim with that finger.”
“Something to consider though,” Joel noted. “I’m worried about Chelsea.”
“An awful lot to consider, and none of it good. I can’t believe she fell asleep.”
“She took something to help her sleep since she’s got to go to work tomorrow. I know it’s eating into her pretty badly.”
“All because she drove out to Timber’s place at that particular time.”
“That’s the thing, Tiger was probably just driving around and found a place to let his buddy die peacefully or to take him out where he wanted to be. Still, that doesn’t mean he had any understanding of where he was going and how shitty the timing was for her.”
“True, so how will we protect her?” Sterling asked.
“I’ll take her to work in the morning, which she’ll probably fight me on, and I’ll pick her up as well,” Joel began. “But even with that precaution, we know she’s vulnerable within the hospital too, if not from Tiger, then from Gladys.”
Sterling nodded. “The security guards need to be aware, and we don’t want anybody taken out at this point. … Maybe Tiger is just looking to protect himself.”
“But if there is heavy or even heightened diligence around the hospital, it’ll be a big warning sign for him,” Joel pointed out.
“I know, and I’m afraid that, once word gets out, it’ll be much uglier.”
“So, we have to make sure we’re nipping it in the bud before it gets out of hand.”
“Yeah, so do you have any plans for that?”
Joel looked over at him. “I figured I would at least ask Timber for a couple firearms, if he has any to really help defend ourselves. Other than that, if you get any bright ideas, let me know.”
“Right,” Sterling muttered and Joel nodded. “It’s been a long time, and I wasn’t exactly thinking I would be heading into this shit, … not again.:
“Me neither,” Joel admitted. “But I’m not walking away.”
“Hell no,” Sterling agreed, with a big smile. “You’ve got something worth fighting for.”
“And you don’t?” he asked, with a laugh.
Sterling declared, “I think we all do. Timber’s given us a whole new set of rules to live by. I, for one, am not giving up. Lindsey is way too special, and I finally have family now,” he pointed out. “I’m not letting go of that at all.”
“No, neither am I,” Joel confirmed. “I sure wasn’t expecting it, but I’ll take it.” He sighed. “Chelsea’s become very special to me, and I won’t let that go easily.”
“No, we all worked a little too hard to get where we are,” Sterling shared, “and, if this Tiger guy thinks he’ll come in and take away all that we hold dear, that’s not happening.”
Joel laughed. “Yeah, but I don’t want to see you getting burned out of this place either.”
“Right,” Sterling noted, “so we’ll have to keep watch.”
“And even then,” he pointed out, “Tiger will be looking for it.”
“I know. I was thinking of that.” He looked at a window, thinking about the road out there. “There’s still only one easily accessible avenue, so if we can make sure that is cut off, or at least pops up on a monitor somewhere, that would help.”
“Okay, so tomorrow we’ll go into town and get a few things.”
“Yeah, more than a few. I wasn’t thinking I needed to set up heavy security here, but times have proven that I do,” Sterling admitted, looking over at his buddy. “Here’s to trying not to bring the war home with us but still defending everything we have that’s ours.”
Joel smiled wholeheartedly. “It’s not that we’re bringing the war home, but we sure won’t back down from a fight that comes into our own backyard,” he declared. “That’s what I care about.”
“You and me both.” And, with that, Sterling announced, “I’ll do a turn around the property, something I haven’t felt I needed to do, but now I do.”
“Okay, I’ll grab some sleep then. Wake me in four hours.
I presume we start watches tonight, just the two of us.
Then tomorrow we can include the other guys on a volunteer basis.
I want to make sure I have my head on straight and ready for anything that goes on tomorrow.
” Joel stood, looked over at Sterling, and added, “Thanks again, … you know, for letting me stay.”
Sterling laughed. “You might be sorry. It’s not necessarily your fight.”
He looked over at him and chuckled. “Well, in case you hadn’t figured it out, it absolutely is,” he stated, “because we’ll be family before you know it.”
Sterling burst into laughter. “I’m all for it; and I finally found some family, so I’m not letting go anytime soon.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean that you’re ready to start expanding so soon.”
“Are you kidding?” he asked, with a big grin. “Let’s get honest here. … We’ve been brothers for a very long time already.”
And, with that, Sterling turned and headed outside, as Joel headed upstairs.