Chapter Twenty-Two
Laken
“I love you, Popi.” Laken didn’t say it nearly enough, but he meant it with his whole being. The last twenty-four hours had been a rollercoaster ride which had gotten derailed from its track and smashed through his family with terrific force.
The fall out wasn’t because of his past, but that he’d kept the blackmail to himself. Hadn’t gone to his brothers for help. It was lowering to know it was all his doubt that had kept him quiet, not their actions.
Laken wasn’t sure if his relationship with Rue would ever be the same.
He’d been quiet after the confession, and that wasn’t like him.
Laken decided to take a few days and go to the ranch after this shit show was sorted.
He might need a place to hide out for a little while until things died down, if…
A loud and undignified sniff brought his attention back to the man who’d persevered when Laken had struggled to accept the simple goodness he offered.
“I love you, too.” Popi warbled.
Dad, who had gone to change his clothes for their trip to the blackmailer's drop off location, reappeared and reached out, squeezing Popi’s shoulders. “Let him go, love.”
“I don’t see why I can’t come,” he pouted, his eyes darkening with a ‘don’t mess with me’ attitude. Laken’s lips twitched at a look that made Dad wince.
“My love, you know why,” Dad wheedled, making Laken look away and bite his lip to stop the chuckle.
Booker came down the stairs with a bag gripped in his huge fist, the undisguisable scent of Emmy's poop wafting from it, turning Laken’s stomach. He’d never gotten why Jupiter enjoyed changing a diaper full of poop. He’d rather cut off his own arm than do that. It was plain yuck.
“What do you plan to do with that?” Laken asked warily.
For the first time since he’d shared with his brother, Booker gave a wolfish grin Dad would be proud of. “I’ve raided Emmy’s diaper pail for some of her poopy diapers. They can give those fu—numbskulls,” he corrected quickly when Popi’s eyes narrowed on him, “a little shitty surprise.”
There was a second of silence before the hallway erupted with laughter.
It felt good, and Laken clung to that because they still weren’t aware of who the blackmailer was.
Oakland’s men hadn’t found anything from the envelopes or the contents.
The postage marks were all from Hazardville but mailed from different parts of town.
No closer to finding a fast solution with time ticking down, Oakland had attacked the problem from a different angle.
His men were already stationed around the drop-off location.
Laken didn’t know the ins and outs, just that they would see and hear everything that happened before, during, and after the drop-off.
They had decided as a family—taking into account Laken’s refusal to pay—that the twatwafflecunts weren’t getting a dime.
He loved Isley’s take on those who were purposefully setting out to hurt him.
By not complying—if Oakland’s plans failed—then they’d take what was coming.
They already had a press statement written and a work directive to minimise the mess internally.
Another email had been drafted to send to every business they worked with.
There would be fall out, people who wouldn’t want to work with him.
He expected it, accepted it. He couldn’t change it.
Isley’s words rang through his mind again.
You aren’t the same person you were then. None of us are. Every day we are shaped by experiences and they change us. Some for the good and some for the bad. You haven’t let it define you, the bad. You fought to find your place in the world.
He had, and he wasn’t letting these twatwafflecunts take that from him. Dad and Popi had brought him up to be better than that. He might have forgotten it for a while, but Isley had reminded him.
Jupiter appeared next, tugging on a black hoodie to go with some combat trousers that he must have gotten at an op shop with how old and worn they were. Laken got a good look at his face, his cheeks covered in some sort of black and green paste.
“Who’s driving the minivan?” he asked, like he wasn’t dressed for some black ops mission audition.
“What the hell, Jup?” Booker snorted. “This isn’t a First Blood movie.”
Jupiter gave Booker the finger, which he dropped the second Popi turned to look aghast at him.
“I’m so gorgeous, I’ll be easily spotted. I had to do something to hide,” he muttered snippily.
Laken sucked his top lip between his teeth at the urge to laugh at how ridiculous it was all turning out to be. Whatever he thought this evening was going to be, it wasn’t this.
First Booker with his poop bag, which could turn even the strongest stomached person.
That child had a lethal weapon for an ass, something he didn’t say when Booker was close by.
He was super sensitive to such comments about his daughter.
Now Jupiter was adding to the hilarity with his combat wear.
It was a struggle to hold back, it really was.
The chatter went on around him as Booker bitched at Jupiter, who pretended to be offended. Popi was in organization mode, designating Taylin as driver when he and Kodi bickered at the door about who was better at not drawing attention.
Laken went after his brothers wearing a bemused expression. Dad got in the front with Taylin, his fingers flying over the screen of his phone the second the door shut. Laken was crammed in between Kodi and Booker, and in the seats behind him, Kari sat wedged between Jupiter and Silas.
Frey stood next to Hollis and Ziggy as Popi waved them off like they were heading to drop Laken off at university.
Isley had asked to come this evening, but Laken wasn’t in any head space to deal with him after the emotional upheaval he’d been through.
He needed a little breathing room. Some distance.
We don’t.
Speak for yourself.
Isley had been subdued through the day, which was to be expected after everything.
Laken was nervous for the first time in years about what it all meant to him.
To Isley. To a possible shared future. They hadn’t spoken about it, almost like they’d gone back to their corners and were waiting for the bell to ring.
Would that be the fallout if they failed? He shook off the notion before it could take root. He had unfailing support from his family. From Isley—hopefully—and that was more than he’d had as a teenager. It had to be enough.
The sound of bickering coming from behind him eased some of the growing tension inside him. He looked over his shoulder. “Did you all need to come?”
There was a resounding “yes” that brought a smile to his face even as he shook his head and rolled his eyes at them.
“There’s a place to park just up ahead on the left,” Dad murmured, not looking up from his phone. Oakland must be directing him.
His nerves danced at the certainty of what was about to go down.
His skin itched under the sweater he wore as they parked on a fairly empty side street.
Taylin turned off the engine, and with it silence descended.
A sense of anticipation filled the vehicle while they waited for Dad, who dialed a number. A muffled voice gave little away.
Dad replied with a few yeses scattered with some grunts. A minute later, he ended the call to glance back at Laken with a feral smile.
“We ready?” Laken questioned, voice hitching.
He wasn’t backing down, he needed to know who from his past was out to get him.
It had to be someone he’d encountered during that night, except he was clueless about who that could be.
The only face he’d seen was Jim’s, and even that was a hazy memory.
The photos were all body shots, and the focus was him, not those fucking him.
The ‘why’ had run through his mind countless times, and he was still no closer to finding an answer that fit.
“Yes. I want you to take the bag we have to the drop-off and leave it like you’re supposed to. Then head down Stark Street and cross at Lexicon, heading back towards our offices. We’ll pick you up on the way.”
Laken nodded, waited for Kodi to get out first so he could get past.
“We got you covered,” Jupiter said forcefully.
“You’re staying in the minivan, Jupiter!” exclaimed Dad.
With a flexibility that Laken envied, Jupiter slithered over the seats to stand next to him, shaking his head and looking adamant which was hard with all the grease paste on his face. “He’s not going on his own. I’ll blend.”
Before Dad could utter another protest, Jupiter was hustling down the street, hood over his head, then skipped down an alleyway and disappeared.
“Fuck, Popi will skin me alive if he finds out,” Dad muttered, sounding scared.
Laken looked at his brothers illuminated by the interior light as they all tried to keep their amusement contained as Laken took the bag from Booker.Thankfully, the zipper was very firmly closed.
“Thanks.”
He moved it as far away from his nose as possible and worked not to inhale too deeply.
Even zipped, the aroma from the diapers was evident.
He didn’t wait for Kodi to get back in the minivan, taking off in the direction he needed to go.
He heard the engine start, but he didn’t turn around in case anyone was watching him.
He’d been instructed to come alone, on foot.
Around the next corner, his eyes narrowed as the hairs lifted on the back of his neck.
He gave furtive glances as he walked with purpose towards the lake.
There were no lights down by the lake, and no moon or stars to brighten the night sky, so he was reliant on his vision Where the fuck had Jupiter gone?
Can you sense Jupiter?
I can smell Isley’s sugar glider?
What? His step faltered at the thought Isley had been somehow able to follow them.
He patted himself down as his heart lodged against his ribcage.
Would Isley put himself in danger? No matter how Oakland had things covered, Isley was tiny.
He could be harmed so easily in his animal form.
A fear washed over him so strong, it held him in a choke hold any world wrestler would be proud of.
Jupiter, he’s got Isley’s scent on him., He smells like us, just not as strong. Isley isn’t here.
The explanation wasn’t helping and sent his blood pressure through the roof. Blood pounded in his ears hard enough to deafen him to everything else.
Jupiter! I’m gonna kill you!
He stomped to the narrow path that ran under an embankment where he was to leave the bag. It was pitch black, this place usually off limits at night. There wasn’t a whole lot of crime in Hazardville, but this wasn’t a safe place to come after dark. Alone.
Although Laken had good night vision, it wasn’t enough in the inky darkness.
The sounds of the water lapping at the edge of the path was the only sign of how close it was to the edge.
He dragged out his phone and used its torch to guide himself to the bin he’d been advised was halfway down the path.
The scent of days old garbage easily disguised the smell coming from the bag he held, and he gave a humorless chuckle.
He dropped the bag straight into the trash can. His skin prickled with awareness as he picked up his pace and headed in the direction he needed to go. His thoughts weren’t on what came next, but on Jupiter and wringing his scrawny neck.