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Chapter 156
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The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 157
Menace"What's that thing on the side of your neck?" Renegade asks as I duck into the squad car he and I are riding in today."What?" I pull the sun visor down and push back the plastic piece to look in the mirror. Son of a bitch, I got a hickey last night when Karina attacked my neck. "Must have cut myself shaving," I lie, knowing damn good and well I have a beard right now."Riiiigghhhtttt." He starts the car. As we pull out of the parking lot, I can feel his eyes on me."What, kid?""Don't give me that kid bullshit." He laughs as we drive up Main Street. "I have a wife, I have plenty of sex, and I know exactly what a hickey looks like. I've just never seen you with one before, so it's kind of weirding me out.""Weirding you out?"Renegade sighs. "I've always kind of seen you as a dad, but I also always thought of you as way older than the rest of us. Even though you and Whitney are close to the same age. I don't know, you've just been the one who had his shit together,
The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 158
Karina"Thanks for coming with me." Violet grins over at me as we sit in the only nail salon that Laurel Springs has to offer. "Whitney gave me this gift certificate for my birthday, and I haven't had time to come and use it yet.""No problem." I watch as the nail technician cuts back my nails and starts painting the shellac I prefer on them. "I haven't had a manicure in a long time."Vi looks at me, an inquisitive look on her face."What?""What's going on with that single dad? Did you get things straightened out? Decide to see him again?""Yeah, actually I'm seeing him tomorrow. I'm heading to the fishing and hunting show in Birmingham with him and his son tomorrow." I play it coy, while still giving her some of the details."Oh my God, Mason is taking Caleb, and they asked Anthony to go, but he's working, and I've never seen him so bummed. They have new boats there," she frowns. "But at least Caleb and Mason get to spend some time together.""I know Caleb and Mason a
The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 159
KarinaK: How'd you sleep last night with two teenagers under your roof?I can't help but give Mason a hard time. Caleb's a good kid, I know that from having him in my class, but he's also a teenage boy, almost a man, with teenage hormones. M: Slept like a baby, Rina. Told you I trust Caleb. Now had it been me and you'd been here? No doubt about it, there's no way I would have kept my hands off you last night.I'm trying to think of what my reply will be when another message comes through; a picture of Mason's head against what I assume is his pillow. His eyes are heavy with sleep, his smile lazy, and his stubble is grown in more, adding to the beard on his face. Looking farther down, I can see his chest on full display. Immediately I wonder what he sleeps in.K: You look cozy and fine as hell. What do you sleep in, Mase?M: Last night? I slept in these. The next thing I know, I get a picture angled a little further down, showing a flat stomach with light hair, leading
The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 160
MenaceAs we've driven across town to Rina's house, I've been lost in thought, not paying attention to what's going on in the backseat of the Jeep. Feeling a little weird and guilty that my son and his girlfriend are sitting where Rina and I had sex, but there's nothing I can do about it now. I'm anxious to see her as evidenced by the way my fingers tap along to the radio on the steering wheel. Will this feeling of being excited to see her go away? God I hope not.We pull up to Karina's house, and I can't get over how hard my heart is tripping at the thought of being around her. "You two sit tight, I'll be right back."Slipping out of the driver's seat, I go up the porch steps two at a time, because I'm so excited to see her. Before I can knock on the door, she's opening it. "Hey." My voice is breathless because I'm so excited to see her.She smiles up at me, leaning in to give me a kiss.So badly I want to reach in, wrap my arms around her waist, and give in to the overwh
The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 161
KarinaSince Sunday, I've been anxiously awaiting Wednesday. The week so far has been the slowest week of my life, but as the bell rings, I'm not hanging around; making sure no one needs me. No, I'm packing up my stuff and getting the fuck out of dodge.Caleb gives me a little grin and wink as he leaves. I do have the decency to be a little embarrassed, but at the same time, I'm beyond ready to see Mason. As I shut down my computer and lock my classroom, I'm pulling my phone out of my purse and pausing to shoot off a quick message to him.K: Leaving school right now. You're off shift in an hour, right?M: Yeah, so expect to be at the house in about two hours. I want to take a shower. Caleb's working tonight, so we should have plenty of time to ourselves.Given the way the two of us seem to behave with one another, I'm not sure if any amount of time will ever truly be enough. K: See you there, big guy!As I round the corner, heading toward the teacher's lot, I crash into
The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 162
KarinaFebruaryI'm watching the kids that just filed into my classroom. On Friday afternoons, typically everyone is hyped up, not paying attention and ready to go. This afternoon, I notice one person in particular, is pretty far off that game. Caleb has a seat at the desk he normally occupies and puts his head down, burrowing deeply into the hoodie he wears, pulling it up over his head. I try to catch his eye, but he keeps his head down, eyes closed."How's it going today?" I ask the class as a whole."Long day, Ms. H," one of the guys sighs as he shakes his head. "Really long day. I can't speak for the rest of the class, but I had a freakin' pop quiz in Calculus that I'm ninety-nine percent sure I bombed. Happy Friday to me."Reaching into my desk, I grab a chocolate bar. "Here ya go, Maddox. Bury your sorrows in chocolate, works for me."He gives me a smile before he rips it open and eats half of it in one bite. "Anybody having a good day?" I prompt them.There's a
The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 163
MenaceWhen I pull into my driveway, the pit of my stomach warms, and my heart beats a little faster. Having another car parked next to where mine normally is, having someone inside, waiting on me? I never imagined there would be a time in my life that I could count on any of it. No one is more surprised than me, that I can now. The house is quiet when I enter through the side door, but when I listen closely, I can hear the TV playing softly in the living room. It's seven at night when I check the clock, but obviously these two had a rough day. Taking off all my gear and slipping out of my boots, I make my way into the living room, and what greets me puts the biggest smile on my face.Karina lies on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket, wearing one of my shirts, sleeping so soundly she hasn't noticed me come in. As quiet as I can, I walk over to where she lays, gently putting my hand on her shoulder."Rina, wake up, I'm home," I whisper. She stirs slightly and then sits up wh
The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 164
MenaceHavoc yawns loudly from where he sits beside me in the driver's seat. "Tired?" I rub my own eyes, having had a few late nights myself the past week."Exhausted man, I don't know how you did this as a teenager, going to school." He takes a drink of his coffee.Even though it's almost four in the afternoon, he's still drinking java."Didn't have a choice." I shrug, nothing about what I did back then was special. No matter how many times people tell me it was amazing, I've never felt that way."No." He shakes his head, a firm tone to his voice. "You say that shit all the time. That you didn't have a choice. You had a choice, as evidenced by Caleb's mom. When are you going to stop acting like you've been a martyr and just admit you're a good man?"Sighing, I push my head back against the leather seat. "I hate acting like what I did was some sort of sacrifice.""It was a sacrifice. Fuck, you've been responsible since you were sixteen years old.""Because I made a dumb
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The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 214
CruiseFive Years Later"Molly's asleep." I press my wife up against the door to our bedroom, spreading open-mouth kisses along her neck as we grind against one another. Pulling back, I push my hands up her tank top, palming her breasts, moaning as I feel her nipples peak against her bra. "I paid Kelsea her stupid-ass babysitting fee, she's gone. We're alone." I can hear the annoyance in my voice. It's been an on-going argument between the two of us, how I'd watched her for free as a kid, and now she charges us.We've been out with friends and family, had a DD, and both of us have had a little too much to drink. Her with the margaritas she likes to indulge in with the ladies, and me with the whiskey Morgan and I were shooting straight with my dad."God, I want you." She rakes her nails across my neck, down my back, and fists my shirt in her hands.I want her too. Molly is three now, born within the first two years of us getting married, and we've finally got this parenting th
The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 213
Ruby"Where are you taking me?" I watch as Caleb drives through the streets of downtown. This fall night is cool as rain falls from the sky. It's not sheets like the day he shot the armed man, but a steady drumming against the roof of the Jeep."You'll see." His deep voice has a secretive lilt to it, one that I've come to know well in the year we've been together. He's not great at keeping secrets, but when he does, they're the best kind.As he turns in front of The Café, I grin. No matter what's happened inside the building or in front of it, this is still one of our favorite places to go, to be. On any given night, we can walk inside and find any number of friends or family inside. It's darkish in there tonight, but I figure maybe the electricity is flickering because of the rain storm we're in. Earlier in the day, the school had lost power.He snags a parking spot near the door. "Don't touch the door, I'll come around for you. I don't want you get wet."Since the first nig
The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 212
RubySeptemberBack when I bought this dress so many months ago, I had assumed I would wear it for Valentine's Day, but because of Caleb's schedule we were never able to make a special date work. He never did take me to that dinner, but we've had so many other special moments that I truly can't complain. Tonight, however, I'm thrilled to be wearing this dress to watch him get an award for bravery."You look absolutely gorgeous." He comes up behind me in the mirror as I'm applying a layer of lipstick."You don't look so bad yourself." I turn around in his arms, helping to straighten his dress uniform.I don't think Caleb has ever looked as hot as he does right now. There's something about him being so buttoned-up that I'm loving. "It's cutting off my circulation." He pulls at the fabric around his neck."You're fine." I slap his hands away. "Are you nervous?""Not really," he says with a shake of his head. "Nerves was playing for the college football championship. This is
The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 211
RubyI'm lying on my couch, re-watching some TV show I've seen a million times, trying to figure out how to get through to Caleb when the doorbell rings. At first I ignore it, not wanting to disturb my brooding, but then I hear his voice."Red?" It's unsure and soft as he knocks on the door this time. "I know I don't deserve for you to let me in, but I'm asking you to. Please?"For a moment I think about ignoring him, I think about letting him sit out there and sweat. Give him the same type of reaction he's given me, but I realize quickly one of us has to be the bigger person. That person is me, because I know he's hurting and I know he's dealt with the situation he's been thrust into the best way he knows how.Opening the door, I stand there with my arms crossed. Until I see what he's carrying in his hands.The ugliest looking cupcakes I've ever seen in my life."I finally realized why he made them, even though they looked like shit," he gives me a slight smile. "It's the
The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 210
Cruise"How'd you get in here?"My dad is waiting on me, probably ready to rip me a new one, just like Ruby did. I'm so not in the mood for it tonight."You don't need to know how I got in here." He gets up from where he's sitting on my couch. "Instead, what we need to do is talk about how we're going to get you to where you need to be.""What the fuck is that supposed to mean? This is me.""This isn't you, we both know that. I didn't raise you to be a fuck face. You haven't been answering my calls, your mom's, Kelsea's, or come to find out Ruby's, so let's talk about this Caleb. What the fuck is going on?""Nothing." I grind my teeth together, not wanting to do this with him."We've done this once before son, and we won't do it again. Do you remember when your friend died? Remember when you pushed everyone away? How'd that work out for you?""How does having a murderer for a son work out for you?" I fire back at him. "Because I'm on administrative leave for committing
The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 209
RubyI'm sitting in my car watching Morgan and Caleb eat through The Café window. This is what I've been reduced to. It's been a week since the shooting, and so far, Caleb's refused to see me. I went to see him the other night, and it was a bad scene."What are you doing here?" Caleb opens his door, arms crossed over his chest. "I figured me not answering any of your calls let you know I'm not up to talking to anyone right now. Including you."Not gonna lie, this hurts. Seeing him like this hurts, hearing him talk to me the way he is hurts. But I won't give up on him. I promised Kelsea months ago that I would be here if he needed me, that I could handle whatever was thrown at me."You need me," I talk against the tightness in my throat."I need to be left the fuck alone. You. Mom. Dad. You all need to leave me the fuck alone.""We won't," I shake my head standing my ground. "We won't leave you alone to deal with this by yourself.""Fine, then if you won't leave, I will."
The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 208
CruiseThe July sun is beating down on the pavement as I make my drive around the streets that make up Laurel Springs. It's been a boring day, for the most part, but I'm not stupid enough to think it'll last. Lately it's been slow and I've been feeling a lot like the other shoe might drop. This nagging feeling hasn't let go for the last week, but I know eventually either that shoe will drop or I'll get over it.Rain came through over an hour ago, but it did nothing to cool the day down. It's now a sauna outside. In certain parts there's actually steam coming up off the road. Behind the sun that's moved in, you can see more clouds behind. A dark hazy threat looming in the background, more storms are moving in. The stillness of the day threatens to break wide open when they do.Because of the heat that's been baking the ground and asphalt for days, most people are inside this afternoon, enjoying the air conditioning and not wanting to have heatstroke. Probably one of the reasons th
The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 207
CruiseI love the smile on Kelsea's face, love even more that I'm the one who put it there. "You excited Kels?" I grin into the rearview as we make the drive to Birmingham."So excited, like I knew you knew him." She bounces in her seat. "But I didn't really know!"Him references my college roommate Slater Harlow, known by everyone who watches professional baseball as Savage. He's a formidable force on the baseball diamond, having the best season of his career. We're not as close as we once were, because life took us two totally different directions, but we still hang out every once in a while. Typically I like to keep the fact I know him from just about everyone, because I know he values his privacy. Now though? Kels is old enough to go to a major league game, and I'm doing my best to impress Ruby."I've known him a long time." I think back to our college days, how both of us had been so damn homesick. Him more than me, since I could at least head home on the weekend. Slater w
The Moonshine Task Force Series Chapter 206
RubyIt's a hot summer day, as I walk onto the practice field. Since school let out in early June, I've been catching up on sleep, taking a summer class, and spending as much time with the man in my life as I can. Neither Mason nor Caleb are here today. Both are on duty, so another parent has offered to help the girls practice. Karina is sick with a summer cold and me? I'm here, not sure what the hell I've gotten myself into. Kelsea and I are spending the afternoon together, beginning with me picking her up. So we'll see how this goes."Ruby!" I hear as I shield my eyes and look out along the field. Kelsea is running toward me, her backpack bouncing as she runs."Hey Kels," I greet her, a real smile on my face. She and I haven't had a ton of time with one another, but as Caleb and I have gotten closer, the same has been true for the two of us. "You ready?" I wave to today's coach as she walks beside me."I am, it's hot out here." She pushes her hair back from her forehead.Ta
