Chapter 49

She kissed him at the door when he left in the morning. Leaning into him, she didn’t want him to go, and he didn’t want to.

It was so damn domestic it was sickening. Except he loved it.

Loved every damn thing about it.

And yeah. Disgusting, times about 500 billion. And he planned to live in that disgusting world as long as he could. Forever.

Ryker ran to the car, jumped in. He’d been responding well to the new food, and even his disposition had cleared up. Though Nathan remembered with a burst of joy in his gut, his disposition had changed before the new food had started.

He’d never forget the night it had changed, the night of all the licks.

“In you go, little fella!” He tied Ryker’s lead to the seat belt, grinned at his bright eyes, the excited glances thrown everywhere. “We’re off.”

He looked back at Amy, clad only in one of his shirts, standing at the door, all long legs, tussled russet hair, waiting until he left. Prince was nosing around the front yard, generally ignoring them. Yeah. Just like a family, he thought. And smiled inside. He waved. “Tonight?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you at HQ,” she yelled.

She blew him a kiss and he saw it hurtling toward him, nabbed it out of the air with a decisive snatch, tucked it in his jacket pocket. Patted it safe, grinned at her.

“Oh, go on with you!” she yelled back. But was charmed, he knew.

He grinned. Got in the car, drove off, waving to his girl.

And as he drove, he remembered that shutter that needed fixing. He felt so damn good, why not?

Take a burden off the old man. Not that he’d appreciate it, but hell. Family. You did what you could, didn’t you?

Things were going so well for him, he might as well spread it around a bit.

So he rolled into the driveway. “You wait here for a sec, pup. Going to check on a few things.” He approached the cabin, gazed up at the shutter. He’d need to get his tools, then…

“Just like a varmint.”

His uncle’s high-pitched voice came to him from around the side. He whirled, and there the man was, standing with a rifle in one arm, pointed to the earth. “Uncle.”

“Returning to his own vomit. Proverbs 26:11.”

Unpleasantness swirled in his belly. But he’d made a decision to try and get along. “I thought I’d come fix the shutter.”

“Seeing as you’ve been shacked up at the St. James place.”

He shrugged. “Well, yeah. I tried to get in touch with you but you were away.”

“You think it’s really acceptable you’re living there?”

“You let me know you weren’t impressed with me, and my situation. Well, I’ve got a cheaper place to live now. Not as nice as this,” he almost gagged on the words, “but it’s functional. And I’ve got a job. I’m working for her, and the renovations will last longer than we’d thought. So until something permanent comes along—I’m sorting my life out. It’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“What I wanted,” the man said with narrowed eyes, “was money for the chimney I told you about. Money for rent. And you not wasting your life on the sides. Find a girl, do what you need to, keep everything running the way it needs to be.” He glared at him, spat on the ground. “But don’t get entangled with those that’ll suck you into their schemes.” He pointed his rifle at the car, at Ryker, whose head was bobbing out the rolled-out window. Danced the point of it along the top of the window and that little furry head. “Get rid of that dog.”

“The dog stays. But I’ll get you the money. I said I would, and I will. I’ll fix that shutter too. I can take a day this week, a day next, for any repairs that need doing. And after that, let me know what needs doing and I’ll work it out.”

His uncle gave him a long, piercing look.

“Right. Well, come into the house then. I’ve got a few matters to attend to with you.” He glared at him. “It won’t keep.”

He turned toward the cabin.

Fine. He’d give him an audience. Wasn’t going to change a damn thing.

He went to the car, let the excited puppy out, but kept him on his lead, and entered the cabin.

His uncle was already installed on a kitchen chair, a half-drunk coffee on the table.

“One sec.” Nathan poked his head in the bedroom, noticed it was as he’d left it. Some of Ryker’s early play toys were there too, one of his socks balled up that he’d used in the corner. A smile lit in him. He’d grab those before he left.

“In here, boy.” He pulled Ryker into the room, and closed the door.

Out of sight, out of mind. The dude might be a crazy old mad hatter, but there was no sense antagonizing him.

He plunked himself into a chair on the other side of the table. “What’s on your mind?”

“There’s family business that needs attending to.” And a tiny light blazed in his eyes. But, Nathan noticed, even a light looked dark in the man. Vulgar.

Something wrong about that. About him. The whole situation.

“You know the documents I left with you earlier?”

“Yeah.”

“I see you’ve made your peace with it. Good. Just so you know, the fact you’re hiding those papers for me, caretaking them, means we’re in this together. As we should be. Family together, for family gain. She couldn’t help how she was, boy. I know you were attached to her, all of you kids were, but you were just little. But men grow out of such nonsense. She had her place. And we Heroes need to take our rightful one.” He coughed, hacked. His eyes watered, an unpleasant red.

“But it’s taken care of. Had to be done. She was in the way, and…” His voice lowered, intensified. “No opposition brooked for long. Right boy?” He pounded the table with the palm of one hand. “No opposition. Fact.”

She was in the way? Was he talking about…? His stomach whirled, didn’t land.

The whole flavor of this monologue was starting to be that of one who’d had a few too many. But he hadn’t. The man was dry.

Shifting to surveillance mode, he listened carefully.

“Make sure you’re back here tonight, you hear? I’ve got more details to share with you, and it’s got to be tonight. But for now, you know I’ve been trying to get in on various town committees. Well, it’s finally happened, boy. Thanks to you.”

He smiled. “I was a pariah before, couldn’t budge that, no matter what I did. Now suddenly, you’re gold, and Jack’s Bay is warming to me. I’m on the appropriate committees. And you did it all, boy. Carrying that damn dog for its daily walks, three times a day. They love you.”

Uncle’s laughter echoed, gruff and harsh. There was no music in that laugh. Nathan’s throat went dry.

The old man looped his arm across the back of the chair. “Not much longer now. That nasty business of your father’s fucked everything up. But you’ve cleaned all that up now. I’m on the main committee. Stupid bitch, that Beatrice Warner, she’s even invited me to tea! Thinks she’s in charge. Well, I can say is that she’d better watch her step or things might not go so well for her. You know?”

And then his Uncle delivered the coup de gras. “We always come out on top, whether these fools know it or not, and the stage is set now, and I’m so glad you’re on board.” He thumped the table with his hand. “I’m proud to be a Hero.”