Justice "I think we've got everything we need to take the kids with us," I grin as I look over my shoulder at Caelin."You keep saying that and someone is going to think we're actually having children.""They are ours," I argue. He rolls his eyes, leaning down to make sure everyone is comfy in the box we're taking the puppies in. The clubhouse is in for a dose of cuteness they haven't seen in years."Is there anything else we need?" I go through the bag we've packed for Joanie and the puppies, prepared to take whatever we may need with us. It's almost like having a child, or at least what I would imagine having a child with Caelin would be like."No, I think we got it all."I watch his retreating back, thankful he loves them just as much as I do. "You're gonna have so much fun," I coo to Joanie and the babies. "Everybody wants to meet all of you because they've heard so much about you. Our family is loud, but they love hard, and they're going to love you so much."She wags her tail,
Caelin "How's it going?"I'd know that voice anywhere. It's the one that's constantly made sure I'm okay, and has always been who I've looked for in a crowd if I'm ever worried. Rolling out from under the car I'm working on, I glance up, seeing my dad. "Not bad, how are you? What are you doing here?""Can't I swing by and see what's going on?""Yeah, but it's not an everyday occurrence. Is everything okay?""I'm good, I promise. Wanna ride down to the store and grab some lunch?"I can't remember the last time he came and asked me to come to lunch with him. It all but guarantees I'll be there with fucking bells on. "Sounds great, let me go clean up and I'll meet you down there. Will you go ahead and get me a sub ordered?""Will do."I watch as he turns from me and strolls away. He still walks around like he owns this place. To be fair though, he does that any place he is. Tyler Blackfoot makes no bones about being very comfortable in his own skin.One thing I do know is not to keep my
JusticeI'm walking to Harper's, when I notice a truck pulling up alongside of me. For a moment I panic, but then I see the man behind the wheel. He's my first hero and the man who made all the monsters go away when I was a kid. Dad stops, rolling down the passenger side window. "Where are you going?" he asks, pushing his sunglasses up on his head."I was going to Harper's to get a lemonade. Where are you going?""To get some spare parts. Was wondering if you might want to ride with me."This is something we did a lot of when I was little. Even though I've always been closer to my mom, I was his sidekick in all the running around he did. I coulda given two shits about motorcycles, but I loved to go on parts runs with him. They typically ended up with ice cream, and a promise we wouldn't tell Mom about it. It's a split-second decision, and one I'll make the same every single time. Stepping off the curb, I go for the door, opening it quickly and scooting into the passenger seat.He does
CaelinEntering CRISIS is almost like going home. It holds a special place in my heart. I spent a lot of time here as a kid, not knowing I was learning the harder side of life. I can remember playing with kids, and trying to figure out why they were crying, or sad.As a child, I never had to worry about any of the things they had to. Back then I didn't realize how lucky I was, but now I do. We always had a roof over our head, food in our stomachs, and money in the bank to do what we not only needed, but wanted to do. Even now if I needed help, I could run to either one of my parents and they would give me the last five bucks they had.Standing in the entryway, I look for Mom. Her SUV was outside, and I haven't seen her in a while. It still unnerves me that she's here at all hours. "Momma!" I yell, trying to get her attention, wherever she is.Just as I'm about to try again, she comes out of the communal kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. "Caelin!" Her face lights up in a way that a
JusticeAs I turn onto the Square and head toward Mom's office, I notice the bunch of police cars that were there the other day are back. And there appears to be even more than before. My pulse races as I do my best to drive through the maze of vehicles that seem to be anticipating some sort of cohesive movement any time now. Pulling my phone from where it sits in the side of my door, I scroll quickly to see if I can find any news about what's happening.No breaking news alerts have come through from our local TV station, so I turn on the radio, putting it to a local Bowling Green station and listen intently to see if they have some sort of idea.SAM 100.7 – We have breaking news this morning about a murder occurring in the fifteen hundred block of Adams and Clay Street in the early morning or late evening hours of yesterday. Authorities say Alec Tinsdale is wanted for questioning in the death investigation of Pearl Van Hampton. He is considered armed and dangerous. If you know where h
Caelin"I got a text from Charity." I let the guys know as we sit in one of the bays at the garage. All of us have heard the news about Alec, and none of us think it's good. "What's my wife doing texting you?" Drew shoots me a look that makes me all kind of uncomfortable. "She wants to know how Pearl died, and what the cops found.""Aww hell, that means her and the girls are talking. Which is the last thing we need. I'm already nervous for them because of him being here a little while ago. Who's to say he won't decide to fuck with one of them?"That thought hadn't even crossed my mind. Sure he's an asshole, but he typically stays in his own section of town. Which doesn't include anything having to do with Heaven Hill. "Nah, I mean why?""Easy." Dalton gets up from where he sits. "He knows we'll pay attention. The cops, they want his head on a platter. If he needs to get out of town or has what he thinks is a way to get what he needs, he'll use whatever leverage he can. And I mean, we
Justice"I swear to God, I will be fine. If we don't get these filed, we're in contempt," I remind my mom as I pack up the bag of shit I need to go file at the courthouse. Again their portal is down."Right now I'm willing to be in contempt, Justice. I think it's dangerous."I don't know what comes over me, but for the first time in my life, I explode. All the questions I've always had about why my parents and everyone else treat me and Harley differently comes rising to the surface and I can't push them back down. "Oh, screw you, would you be telling Harley you think it's dangerous?"She looks at me, her mouth agape. "No," I answer. "You'd send her on her way without even a 'Be careful'.""That's not true," she argues."Isn't it? Since the night of what happened with Travis, I've lived with all of you telling me to be careful all the time. Not to let myself get into a situation I can't get out of, and to take extra precautions. Recently, I started asking Harley if you said the same
JusticeJust as I'm closing out of the system, a loud buzzing signals over the intercom, and there's a commotion of people running. "What the hell's going on?" I ask, grabbing my documents up, trying to save them from whatever's happening.Judy yells from where she sits. "You have to get out of here! We can't let you back here with us."What does she mean she can't let me back there with them? It's then that gates start closing around the area they're in, leaving me out in the hallway. I run to the elevator, but it doesn't work. Has there been a fire? But then I start thinking, why would they be closed in if there were a fire. They would want to be kept out, instead of in. Which means there must be something happening inside the courthouse. My bag on my shoulder, I look around for a place to take refuge, but everything here is locked down tighter than the clubhouse.To the left I see the stairwell, and I decide it's probably better to move down, closer to the street-level, than it is