by Jackson Kane
I took in Judy's emerald eyes, letting her soft, genuine gaze wrap around my very soul. The fear and uncertainty that filled me whenever I thought about my daughter’s safety drained away. I didn’t have to worry anymore about who to trust with Jackie. I now had Judy by my side. Things are just the way I want them. Finally.
“Would you mind watching Jackie?” I asked Judy.
“Not at all.” Her eyes flashed in surprise. She knew how big of a deal this was for me to ask. Trust was difficult for me, and faith in someone was nearly impossible. “We're going to kill some monsters together.” She shrugged, then smiled. “Maybe go find the Ender Dragon. No big deal.”
Her breath was the strawberries they had for a snack. I licked the taste of the sweet berries from her lips, and enveloped her in a big hug. Her blonde hair cascaded over my shoulder, allowing me to drink in the scent of her conditioner. Now, I thought. Now my life is perfect.
“Gross!” Jackie called out in disgust. She tugged on Judy's blouse. “The monsters are waiting. Let's go.”
“Be careful of those monsters,” I said, kissing Judy before my excited daughter dragged her away.
I basked in the glow of that moment before I left. I'd always thought it would be father and daughter for the rest of my life, but now with Judy, I realized how much better a full family could be.
It wasn't nearly as bad during the drive as the blizzard that stranded Judy and me at the top of the mountain, but the snow was heavy enough to slow Cole's jet's arrival. I greeted the big linebacker right on the long air strip when he exited the jet. That was a luxury afforded us by using a private airport in the next town over. It's also where I kept my helicopter.
Fuck the TSA.
The first thing I'd done when I became wealthy was ensure I'd never have to walk through another airport security line ever again.
Cole, like my buddy Nate, was the size of a Volkswagen beetle put up on one end. He was amped up and half in the bag from a poker game in Vegas he'd just left. The linebackers were my favorite guys to hang out with when I was on the team. I didn't know if it was because of all the shots to the head each of them took, but they were always a riot.
He was telling me this story about our old quarterback, Willy, when my limo pulled away from the airport on its way back to our hotel.
Back to Judy.
It was impossible to not fall in love with that thought. Judy and Jackie were waiting for me. I couldn't think of a more perfect reason to go home. It was amazing to me that I could consider any hotel room—granted a really nice one—home. I knew it had nothing to do with the building; it was all about the people inside it.
Love. It was a multifaceted emotion. One I never thought I’d ever explore the depth of beyond Jackie. But here was Judy bringing me to an entirely different level.
“I shit you not, man,” said the six-foot-tall, corn-fed Milwaukee giant, pulling me from my daydream. “After he finishes fucking the girl, Willy tells her he's gotta go. The dude then goes right to her husband's barber shop for his haircut appointment.
“While he's getting the fade done in the back—you remember the one he always got, right? Said his initials and shit. So the barber is finishing up when the chick's panties fall out of his pocket.” Cole roared. He was laughing so hard he struggled to get the words out. His laughter and general mirth were more infectious than anyone else’s I’d ever known. He was the kind of guy who always slapped your shoulder when he reached the end of a story. “He knew they were his wife’s because her initials were embroidered on them!”
I smiled, shaking my head. I wish I could say I was surprised. Willy was a gifted QB, but he was dumber than a sack of hammers.
“The old man kicked the shit out of him, then and there.” Cole wore a big dopey grin as another bout of hysterical laughter overtook him. He wiped at the tears in his eyes, “Still... still... he still had the fucking hair gown thing on!”
“The barber’s apron?” I asked and Cole nodded, which made me chuckle even harder. “He was just lucky he didn't ask for a straight razor shave that day. Why the hell did he take the girl's panties?”
Cole started several times but couldn't get the words out. He was cracking himself up too much. “The motherfucker keeps a collection—”
Then the world turned inside out.
Tinted windows at night meant we couldn't see who just crashed into us. Everything happened so fast that I doubted we'd have been able to react even if we could see them. Like a film reel missing frames, my memory of what came next was as jumpy as a bad YouTube clip.
There was an impact about halfway down the limo. The vehicle lurched hard, the driver's side wheels popped up off the ground. The interior of the limo was suddenly a shotgun blast of shrapnel from all the broken glass and everything else that wasn’t strapped down. Neither of us was belted in; Cole and I were thrown like stuffed animals.
I didn't know exactly what finally pushed us off the road: the crash, the snow, the road's sloped median, or maybe it was the combined five hundred pounds of grade-A, NFL beef flying through the inside of the cabin.
It didn't matter. The next thing I knew we were upside down, then the car started to roll sideways. I had no idea if we were careening down the side of a hill, a valley, or if we'd just been pushed off a fucking mountain. I blacked out long before we finally landed.
The last conscious thought I had wasn't about whether I would survive or not, or my goal to be the youngest person to hit thirty billion.
My daughter’s face flashed in my mind, then Judy's sparkling emerald eyes. In another life we'd have gotten one more dance.
Twenty-Nine
Judy
When Garrett pushed open the door that morning, I was finally able to swallow my heart; it had been lodged in my throat all night. I wanted to meet him at the hospital when I found out what happened, but he asked me to stay with Jackie so she wouldn’t wake up afraid.
Michael was in tow with a bag of whatever the doctor had given Garrett. Garrett nodded to him, and Michael immediately started calling people, then disappeared into the office. He probably went off to inform everyone about the car accident.
“You look terrible!” I rushed to him and hugged him as carefully as I could. Garrett’s left arm was in a sling and he was covered in bruises. The crash broke his arm. There was no way he was going to be able to play the game tonight. “Are you all right? You’re obviously not, but are you going to be okay? What did the doctors say?”
Michael forwarded a copy of the police report but, because we weren’t married, I couldn’t get anything out of the doctors. The police report read like a summer movie blockbuster. I actually gasped out loud several times while reading it.
On their way back from the airport, Garrett’s limo was T-boned by another vehicle. The only one that could’ve gotten a good look at the assailant was the limo driver, but he was in a coma.
Somehow, with a broken arm, Garrett pried open the wrecked door and carried the driver up a one-hundred-yard embankment in hip-deep snow. Then went back for his friend Cole and did the same thing.
“The Armani isn’t one of my favorites, but ‘terrible’ is a bit harsh.” As far as changes of clothes from a hospital stay went, most people went with sweats or jeans or something else simple, but not Garrett. Garrett was dressed in a pinstripe suit, white French-cuffed button-down shirt, and a silver vest. No tie though.
“You know what I mean, you jerk.” I punched him in the good arm, then immediately felt bad about it. He didn’t seem to mind; he just hugged me tightly and kissed me.
A night’s worth of pent-up worry and tension suddenly drained out of me. It felt like I’d spent hours standing on my tiptoes, and only now I could finally relax. It was one thing to hear that everything was fine, but another thing entirely to see it with your own eyes.
He was going to be okay.
“It looks worse than it is,” Garrett said. He frowned bitterly and looked away. It was easy to see he was pissed off a
nd upset. “Cole’s down for the count though. His leg is broken in three places.”
“It’s not your fault, you know.” I dipped my head to the side to look into his eyes. “I’m sure Cole knows that, too.”
“Daddy!” a little voice cried out and charged us. We kept the serious details from her, but there was no hiding her concern when she saw her father in the cast and sling. “You’re hurt.”
“It’s just a scratch, coconut. Don’t worry. I’m tough.” Garrett bent down and picked her up easily with his good arm. He kissed her on the forehead and smiled a big, goofy grin, which made her giggle.
I followed him into the large, open living room. The sun was just above the balcony windows which colored the room in a fiery rose hue. Jackie’s toys from the morning were littered all over the place, like a minefield. Given what was happening with her father, I didn’t have the heart to ask her to put anything away.
“Can I draw on your cast?” Jackie’s face lit up.
“Of course you can. Go find your markers.” He set her back down and squeezed her shoulder, before she could run off excitedly.
He was so good with her. I loved seeing those two together.
There was a pounding on the door so loud, I expected it to crash open any second. Michael jogged over and answered it, before it was ripped from the hinges. A massive form pushed past Michael and stormed into the apartment.
Michael threw his hands up in a defeated shrug that made me chuckle. Without an elephant gun, there was literally no way Michael could’ve stopped this man from doing anything.
“Damn, man! What does it take to kill you?” the big man asked. He was a giant in every way. I’d seen a picture of Nate Goodman before, but I could never have imagined he’d be that big. He had to be part rhinoceros.
Were all linebackers this big?
“I’m not all that eager to find out.” Garrett got up and did the thing where they slap shake each other’s hand, and pull into a hug. Nate was careful not to hit Garrett’s wounded arm. Garrett turned back to me and introduced us. “Nate, this is Judy.”
“Hello, miss.” Nate politely shook my hand, then turned to Garrett and gave him the impressed “not bad” frown. I beamed, despite myself. Garrett had been talking about me; that somehow made things between us feel even more official.
I decided to step away and get us all some drinks. I’d read the police report and was pretty caught up to date with everything that happened. Honestly, hearing it once was bad enough to make me a little squeamish.
I just got Garrett back, so the thought of losing him scared the hell out of me.
When I came back, they were still talking about the accident.
“That greasy-ass motherfucker,” Nate growled with balled fists. “You’re sure it’s him?”
“I can’t prove it.” Garrett thanked me for the coffee and continued, “But yeah, I’m pretty sure it was Aaron.”
“Woah, what?” I sat on the couch next to Garrett, searching his and Nate’s faces for answers. “I thought it was just a car accident. Are you talking about attempted murder?”
“I can’t find my markers,” Jackie whined, storming into the room. “I can’t find them!”
Talk about a complete one-eighty. I switched into what Molly called parent mode and buried my fear and anger under a happier façade, so as not to scare Jackie.
“We’ll get you some more later,” I said, pinching at her belly. She protested but smiled, not able to hold onto her anger. Seeing her on the verge of a giggle fit actually made me feel a little better. I was always impressed with Jackie’s timing. No one could diffuse a serious, intimate, or angry situation faster than her.
“Hey there, little Reaper! You remember me?” Nate asked with a big grin.
Jackie shook her head, obviously a little intimidated by seeing such a large man. That was certainly understandable. I could barely get over how big Nate was, let alone a seven-year-old.
“What? Aw, man….” Nate shot Garrett a disappointed glare, shaking his head. “Some friend you are.”
Garrett shrugged.
“Do you want to see my Minecraft house?” Jackie asked innocently. Whatever fear she had about Nate’s size didn’t stand a chance next to a child’s willingness to play. “I built all of it.”
“Hell yeah, I do!” Nate sat cross-legged next to Jackie on the floor by the massive TV as she powered on the Xbox. The controller looked so tiny in his hands. “Hold up a sec. I gotta log in first. Can’t be missing out on any of them achievements, know what I mean?”
The adorable display almost made me forget what we were talking about.
“Can we get back to the attempted murder part, please?” I asked Garrett in whispered tones, as the soothing Minecraft music came on. Hearing myself talk about something so criminal made my chest twist up.
The next town over could be a shitshow from time to time, and occasionally some of it would spill over here, but even then it wasn’t that bad. We had some trouble with tourists being dicks once in a while. Usually it was just drunken idiots doing drunken-idiot things, but it was mostly harmless. Nothing too hardcore ever really happened in Caldwell Hope.
Nothing like attempted murder!
“I can’t prove it was him,” Garrett repeated, placing his hand on my knee to reassure me. It didn’t work.
“What if Aaron wants to… finish the job? What about me and Jackie? Are we in danger?” Worry crept up my spine. All my problems and concerns seemed so petty in the face of actual death.
“I doubt it. I don’t even think he was trying to hurt me. Not really.”
“You’re joking?” I went all wide-eyed, and anger flared within me. I couldn’t stand the idea of a weasel like Aaron doing something like this to the man I loved.
It was also frustrating that Garrett didn’t seem to be taking this seriously. Was I just overreacting? I paused to consider that.
Fuck no!
Aaron was a monster for what he’d done to Garrett, and what he was trying to do to my town. It was unfair, and he had to be punished for it.
“Garrett, he smashed your car—” My voice doubled in volume. Garrett snapped a glance over at Jackie, but fortunately she was too absorbed in her game to hear us. I dropped my voice back into a whisper. I loved kids, but I still had so much to learn now that they were going to be a real part of my life. “Sorry. Sorry.” I took a breath. “He put you into a ravine! He broke your arm. This is crazy. We have to call the cops and have him arrested.”
“Neither Cole nor I actually saw anything. There’s nothing we can do until the driver wakes up.” Garrett leaned back on the couch and stared off into the middle distance. His eyes narrowed as he mulled something over. “There was no way Aaron could’ve known I’d be in that car. He’s trying to weaken my team, put more stress on me and hope I crack.” There was a long pause. “No,” he continued. “He’s not trying to hurt me. He’s trying to beat me. And he can’t do that if I’m too hurt to play.”
“You’re not going to play, right?” I didn’t like where this conversation was headed. “Right? Garrett—”
“I don’t have a choice.” Garrett got up. His blue eyes darkened with deadly seriousness. “I made you a promise.”
“You have a broken arm! We can find another way to kick Aaron out and save the town!” I felt frantic. I couldn’t let him do this. There had to be another way. Even if he was right, this was insane.
“Yeah?” Garrett asked. “I’m all ears.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but my throat went dry. I couldn’t think of any alternatives. Aaron had made sure to keep all the town officials happy. There would be no reason for them to cancel their contract with him. He went to all the meetings, told his smiling lies about helping the town evolve and flourish, and started the funding that would finish the stadium.
What they didn’t see was the way Aaron had already started cannibalizing us to sponsors. Soon Caldwell Hope would be one big gentrified strip mall with all our uniquenes
s torn away. Then the bankruptcies would start.
Still, there had to be another way. Garrett might not have shown it, but he was in an incredible amount of pain. He needed bed rest not touchdowns.
“Nate, help me out here,” I pleaded to the big man on the floor. “He can’t possibly play like this.”
“He’s only a running back. They don’t need both arms.” Nate winked at me, smirking, and handed the controller back to Jackie. “Now a linebacker… that’s a real job. ’Specially being that we’re down two guys.”
I glared at Nate, who playfully recoiled, throwing his hands up in a don’t-hurt-me gesture.
“Aaron is an excellent tactician. He’s covered his tracks.” Garrett guided my face back to his with a finger beneath my chin, then he kissed me. His two days of stubble scratched lightly against my lips. “It’s his scheming against my skill and leadership. I’ll be fine, Judy.”
“I want to believe you. I really do.” My voice tapered off in a breathy whisper that made my heart hurt. It was all I could do not to cry. Images of him getting seriously injured, or killed, out on the field picked away at my brain like desert vultures.
Garrett grabbed my hand and tightly squeezed, then he flashed me a warm, honest, reassuring smile. Don’t worry, it said. Trust me.
I did trust him, of course, but that’s what made me worry.
I watched him and Nate leave for the stadium. Six hours till kickoff; it was a criminally short amount of time to determine the fates of the man I loved and the town I called home.
Were we really doing this? The fate of thousands of people was resting on a single football game.
I sat there lost in thought, the endless tapping of Jackie mining cobblestone in the game was my only company. I felt helpless. Garrett didn’t even live here and he was risking so much. And what was I doing?
If this insanity was actually going to happen, then I couldn’t just stand aside and watch. I had to do something. A new resolve washed over me as I considered my options, eventually something clicked.
