Chapter 29
Twenty-Nine
Don’t follow in my footsteps. Sometimes I run into walls.
—Sage to Gentry
Gentry
Today had been…cathartic.
I pressed on my jaw where Van’s fist had met it earlier and said, “You got that out of your system?”
Van angrily started to march across the yard, every once in a while looking at me over his shoulder as he did.
Neo, however, didn’t like Van and his punches, and came to stand by my side.
Every time Van got close to me, Neo would growl, warning him off.
I dropped my hand down to Neo’s head and prayed he didn’t leave.
He didn’t and leaned into my touch.
I smiled.
“Don’t fucking smile. There’s nothing to smile about.”
I continued to smile. “A few months ago, Neo was stolen from Sage’s RV,” I jerked my head in the RV’s direction. “And forced into dog fighting. We didn’t think that he’d ever be back to this point again.”
Van stopped. “Is there anything else that happened? You’re married. That I knew. You’re alive when you were supposed to have died. You knew I had a kid. You knew that kid died. You knew that the kid wasn’t actually dead.”
I held up my hand. “Until a few days ago, I thought that Dean was dead. I also thought that Dean was mine.”
His shoulders slumped. “Fuck.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and glared. “And from the text messages that I read, Nadine told you that she was going to come after me.”
Van pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. “She threatened that all the fucking time.”
I frowned. “What?”
“Her and Brooke? It was good for a minute. Fun. They were great, easy, and supportive of me being gone a fucking lot. When I came home from leave, they were there to offer their bodies and a good time. They knew who you were because I had photos of you at my place. They always commented that you were hot, and we should make it a foursome. I always rolled my eyes and thought they were kidding.” He blew out a breath and leveled his eyes on me.
“But then I told them it wasn’t working for me anymore, because I met someone in my unit that I really fucking loved.
They got pissed. Nadine told me she was pregnant, and I thought she was full of shit.
I hadn’t been with her in a month and a half.
Not to mention, made up several other scenarios about you and them.
I don’t know. I probably should’ve paid more attention to it, but I was in love with this girl from my unit, and I didn’t want to deal with their shit. ”
I frowned. “Are you still in love with her?”
“No,” he sighed. “She found someone new. Then I was deployed again and I forgot about everyone.”
I nodded.
“How does this work?” he asked me. “How are you here? Alive?”
I told him everything, not leaving a single thing out.
“Does Mom and Dad know?”
I shook my head.
“Good.” He gritted his teeth, making his jaw muscles work. “They don’t need to know.”
I agreed.
Black came out of the door, a cup of coffee in one hand and two beer bottles in the other.
He handed them to us and said, “Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about what we’re going to do about Nadine and Brooke.”
Van listened to Black as he explained the next steps.
“Permanent custody will be awarded to you,” he said. “You’re going to need to get out of the military, man. Kid’s not going to Germany for a while yet. Not until all this shit is over.”
“I was getting out anyway,” he said. “Already put in my discharge. Twenty years is in two weeks.”
“Nice,” I said.
“I just need to file an emergency order to stay,” he said. “Might fuck with my twenty years, though.”
“Just let us keep him,” I suggested. “Get your shit in order. Then head back over here.”
Van’s eyes met mine. “Are you okay with all of this?”
I thought about his question before saying, “I’m glad that he’s alive. I’m sad that he’s not mine. He’s a good kid, brother.”
Van softened. “I never meant to hurt you.”
I grinned. “So you’ll forgive me for not telling you that I was alive?”
His eyes went hard. “Were you ever?”
I shrugged. “Probably not.”
Van sighed. “I guess I don’t blame you, all things considered.” He leveled a look at me. “Is me being here going to fuck with you?”
I gestured toward my arms and my face. “I don’t think so.”
“Apollo can always get you a new identity, too.”
Van thought about it. “Mom and Dad won’t really care. They’re used to us not being around.”
“What about your twenty years?” I asked. “You’ll want those benefits.”
He grinned. “I hear my brother’s loaded.”
I chuckled out a laugh. “I am.”
He sobered. “I gotta get my life figured out outside of this. It’ll take me two weeks to do. If your friend can swing a new identity in that time…”
“Then you’re more than welcome,” Black said. “How do you feel about a sheriff’s deputy job?”
Van grimaced. “No offense but…no. I’m tired of taking orders from people. Y’all got an auto mechanic’s shop here?”
“We do,” Black said. “A buddy, Courtland, owns it. I’m sure he’d appreciate some help.”
He nodded. “I’ll look into everything when I get back. I’ll leave tomorrow morning. Will my being gone affect the situation with Brooke and Nadine any?”
Black shook his head. “They don’t even know you’re here.”
“Then let me get my shit straightened out. Y’all figure out how to nail them to the wall.”