42. Mason
42
MASON
I t’s been a long day of work, but I feel more settled with each sunrise and sunset. A great job, my brother by my side, the woman of my dreams, and a family I’ve made for myself—it’s damn near perfection.
Almost.
My brother parks the truck and silently gets out. He’s been quieter than usual, and the unease I’ve been trying to ignore starts creeping back in. Things are so good right now I don’t want to do anything that might push my life out of balance because I need it.
Even for just a little while.
I stare at my brother, assessing him as we stock the truck and put away what we won’t need tomorrow. I know he’s been having more migraines, but he’s been stubborn as hell about doin’ something about it.
I’m so lost in thought it takes me a minute to see Bodhi pull a white envelope from his back pocket and hand it to Case.
“What’s this?” Case asks, drawing Otto’s attention. Bodhi doesn’t answer, instead shoving his hands in his pockets and giving a single nod toward the envelope.
My heart rate kicks up into a sprint as Case tears open the crisp white paper, looking at the contents before handing it to his brother.
“It’s a formal letter of resignation. Effective at the end of this month.” Case’s tone is flat, and even as he says the words, my heart drops all the way to my mud-covered boots.
We’ve never been apart.
Not in over fifteen years.
It’s always been this.
We’ve always been like this.
It’s the only way I’ve survived.
Obscenities run through my mind, but I can’t make my mouth move. Can’t do anything but brace my hands on the truck as I watch the scene in front of me unfold.
“You want to talk about it?” Otto asks, his voice unusually calm.
Why is nobody objecting? Why is nobody saying anything?
I feel like I’m gonna be sick, and I just want this fuckery to end. I want it to be normal. I want to be back to the five minutes before when I thought my life was perfect.
Is it because I’m serious with Lana? Because we’re talking about moving in together?
“I’ve appreciated everything you’ve done for me. For us. But I have to go. It’s time I moved on.”
Me not we.
“The fuck you do!” My voice is loud, disturbing the quiet of the Tennessee evening as three sets of eyes turn to look at me.
Bodhi’s gaze is somewhere past me, like he can’t stand to meet my eyes.
“There’s something I need to take care of and it’s best if I go.”
“I’ll go with you,” I say, conviction in my tone.
“No, you won’t. You have a family here.”
“ You’re my family,” I snap, closing the distance between us and jabbing my finger into his chest. “You are my family,” I seethe, low and dangerous as I punctuate each word and push him back a step.
He takes it, his eyes still not meeting mine. His body’s tense, and his fists are clenched, but he won’t hit me.
I know he won’t.
And I won’t either, though I wish I could knock some fucking sense back into him. Because we are nothing without each other.
Case has his phone to his ear as he mumbles something into the receiver, but I don’t catch what he says. Blood roars in my ears as I watch the only person in my life who’s ever stood by me try to walk away.
“You’re not fucking leaving,” I bark.
“Mason, I’m not doing this with you here.”
“Well then, you should have fucking done it with me at the house. But you didn’t and now we’re here.”
“I did what I needed to do. I got you here. I got you safe. You fucking fell in love. Hell, you have a family.”
“You’re my goddamn family. What the fuck is the matter with you? You think you can just leave as if it means nothing. As if we mean nothing. Don’t even fucking think about it. Pack my shit; we’ll be on the road.”
He must finally snap because he looks at me. “You’re not fucking leaving. I did my job. I got you here. I did everything I needed to do.”
“Don’t make me into some fucking checklist. I’m not some goddamn item you can just cross off because you finally made it. Fuck that. Figure something else out cause I’m not gonna let you go.”
“He won the appeal,” Bodhi shouts, the sound strained like it was ripped from his throat. “He’s getting a new trial.” I stagger back, my legs hitting the trailer, almost toppling me over. But Bodhi is right there like he always is, grabbing my arm and lifting me up.
We’d left it all behind us when we moved to Tennessee. Audrey’s death had haunted us…haunted Bodhi. It’d taken him years to convince anyone she hadn’t run away, that she’d died in that house. That the man trusted by the state to foster kids in need of a loving home could be so cruel, so heartless. Audrey’s death had been the worst, but it hadn’t been all of it. He would have killed me too if Bodhi hadn’t jumped in.
My brother had served one year in juvenile detention for assault.
He’d saved me, and just like his plea for the little girl who’d been like his big sister, the truth had fallen on deaf ears.
He doesn’t deserve to be free.
“I’ll go with you.”
“You can’t. A lot of people depend on you now. Beck and Holland need you.”
“But I’ll always need you,” I say as panic starts clawing at my chest.
Why can’t I get through to him?
The roar of the engine pulls our attention to the road, as a Chevy Blazer pulls into the lot.
Sorren Mackay jumps out of the passenger seat with Hank Thayer following soon after. He’s slower but no less intimidating as he unfolds himself from the driver seat.
Help.
Sanctuary.
“Oh, this looks nice,” Sorren deadpans, ignoring the tension completely.
Bodhi looks at me one more time. “I always knew that you’d find happiness. And it’s alright that it’s not my time. And it might never be but?—”
“Alright dickhead, time to get in the car,” Sorren says, earning a snicker from Case and an exaggerated cough from Otto. Hank looks at me but otherwise doesn’t say anything.
“Listen, guys,” Bodhi starts, but Sorren just squares up on him and growls, “Get in the car.” When Bodhi doesn’t move, he adds, “Look, I’m not sure why you thought that running away was an option, kid.” Sorren smirks. “You still have no idea who we are, do you?” Silence hangs over us.
Hank snorts. “As if we’d let you guys roll into this town and not know what’s going on.”
The feeling is unsettling. And weirdly charming.
“This isn’t your problem,” Bodhi says, his voice rising.
It’s the wrong thing to say, and I can tell by the way his Adam’s apple bobs that he knows it too.
“Told you from the beginning, man, we always show up for family. And you, my brother, are family,” Otto says, strong and sure.
I don’t pretend that his words don’t choke me up inside. They’re not directed at me, but they are. It’s Bodhi and me, and we’ve always been a package deal.
“So get in the car before Hank puts you in the car,” Sorren tells him.
“Hey, I don’t want that job,” Hank retorts.
“Did I ask your opinion?” Sorren utters with an eyebrow raised and a slight twitch of his lips. It’s almost imperceptible but I catch it because I’m watching him.
And I’m watching the way Bodhi watches both of them, trying to figure out his odds.
They’re not good.
But that’s never stopped him before. But this time there’s no doubt that Case and Otto will jump in.
And hell, I will too. I’ll do anything to keep him here with me.
“Get in the car, man. Really don’t want to have to hog-tie you and throw you in the back,” Sorren tells him as Hank scowls.
“Don’t scratch the seats, man. I worked hard for those.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Bodhi mumbles under his breath. “Listen, it’s not that I don’t want to be here. I do, and if things were different I?—”
“Yeah, I’ve heard enough.” Sorren’s words are full of bite as he turns to Hank. “Sorry about the seats, man. We’ll deal with it later.”
Otto snickers again but it’s Case who steps forward, palms out, his voice smooth and placating.
“Listen, we know what happened. And the good news is you’ve got a hell of a
family here, man.”
“A family with resources,” Hank adds with a smirk. “Lots of resources.”
“And deep pockets,” Sorren adds.
“You’ve met my wife, right?” Hank grins, his expression wolfish, no doubt thinking about his wife and their three babies at home.
“I can’t?—”
“It’s not a handout,” Sorren barks. “You got some shit odds. We’re going to figure out how to make them better. You came here for a reason. Picked a spot on the map. And lucky fucking you landed in our hometown.”
“Means you’re stuck with us,” Otto tells him.
“Let them help,” I beg because what else can I do?
Bodhi’s head turns slowly toward me, and it’s like a wave of defeat crashes over him, his shoulders slumping and his head bowing slightly forward.
He doesn’t want help.
But he’s out of his mind if he thinks I’m just going to let him disappear. He made a promise to me when I was seven years old that it will always be us—brothers until our last breath.
“Be easy, brother,” I manage, fighting back the emotion as he nods.
“Easy and free.”
Otto, Case, and I watch as he finally gets in the truck with Hank and Sorren, the three of them kicking up a cloud of dust.
“I think that’s enough for today,” Otto says, clapping me on the back. “Go home to your girl. Take tomorrow and we’ll figure it out after that.”
Thank fuck.