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
Caelin"Goddammit, Rooster, I want in there, and I want in there now," I tell the older member of our club. It's probably not the best thing for me to be doing, demanding an elder to bow down to me, but Justice is in there with a fucking deranged psycho. He's killed once, and who's to say he won't kill again."Look, I respect your feelings about this. But they're not allowing anyone in, and I don't think it's smart to fuck with the Feds."Glancing over at Drew, my eyes do their best to convey a silent message of let's fuck shit up. Harley comes to stand beside me. Her scared voice is louder than the rest of them. "We gotta figure out how to go in there and save her.""Maybe she doesn't need to be saved," my mom says as she comes to stand with our group. "Justice is strong. She's got a good head on her shoulders and she's been through a lot already. Maybe, just maybe, she can save herself and doesn't need all of you to get in her way."I want badly to believe what my mom is saying, but
DrewThe courthouse door opens and I nearly lose it as I see my daughter come out, flanked by cops and emergency personnel. She's holding the hand of the person who's on the stretcher. Must be the bailiff she's grown to be so fond of.Behind them, there's another stretcher, surrounded with even more police. It's the injured body of Alec Tinsdale.As soon as she comes out, Charity runs for her, wrapping her up in her arms. Then Caelin and Harley volley for their position with her.But when they're done, I step forward, crushing her into my arms, crying softly. This is the second time we've almost lost her, and I'm fucking getting sick of it."I'm okay, Daddy," she whispers, her grip holding me up from collapsing onto the sidewalk. "I'm okay. I made it.""You shoulda never been in that situation to begin with," I mumble."Life doesn't tell us what situations we're going to be given," she reminds me. Those are the words of ana intelligence far beyond her years."I hate to break this up,"
Caelin "So when we leave," I tell Will and Meri, "you two are going to have to let us know which puppies you're taking with you. The rest of them are going to be at the clubhouse, and you can't decide on one now and then after you see them at the clubhouse, decide to get another. This will be your final choice."They both look at me, extremely serious, nodding."So how are you going to do it?" Justice asks. "Play with them for a while? Pick on guy instinct?""How would you do it?" Meri asks her.Since everything that happened at the courthouse, Justice has become Meri's favorite person. She wants to be like her when she grows up, and she's been begging Addie to put her into Justice's class.I, overall, think it's a great idea, but I'm not sure I wanna see my niece hanging out where I came all over my thighs. Clearing my throat, I send a bemused grin over to Justice, who answers it with an inquisitive coming together of her eyebrows.Turning to Meri, she gives her her full attention an