by J Haney
“You let me worry about that. I’m just gonna need a picture of you both, which I can get before you depart. Then just go back to the hotel, get your things, and take twenty-four toward Kentucky. I’ll send further instructions when you’re en route. Take this; it will keep us in touch.” He slides an old school blackberry toward me.
“We have everything we need in the car. Nora said we couldn’t go back.” Finn’s barely spoken since we left the house. He hardly talks to anyone period. He’s shy in that way, never fit in with the family.
Rónán runs a hand down his face with a hard exhale, and with a shake of his head, he adjusts his hat. “I got someplace I can stick ya while I do what needs being done. Tell me the Ford? You pay cash?”
“Yeah, once we get where we’re going, I plan to empty it, clean it down and drop it on the side of the road.”
“Firebomb would be smarter. If they can’t recognize the car from anywhere, they can’t trace it back. Scrape down the VIN and boom.” I swear his eyes light up at the idea.
“Wrong family for that. I wasn’t raised with the need to start fires. I have a better sense of money.”
“Time to see how the other side lives.” He wipes his mouth, downs his tea, and stands. “I’m goin’ to the toilet. If you’re fixin’ to run now would be a good time as any. If not I’ll meet you out front after I settle the check.” He ruffles Finn’s hair as he walks by, I don’t see any weapon signs. At least I know I have the upper hand if need be.
“Nora, he’s nice you should listen to him.”
“You don’t know that, Finn. People can sound nice but are someone completely different when you get them alone.”
“You want to run?”
“I want to do what’s best for us.”
“I trust him, and I think you should too.”
“Okay, bud. Let’s go out and wait then.”
4 Rónán
I watch, and I wait. They have a short conversation about me but ultimately decide I’m to be trusted. For now, anyway. I square up the bill and head outside where they are sitting in the car. It’s then I notice the Illinois plates.
“Get out of the car.” I say tapping the glass.
The girl gets out letting the boy know to stay and play his game. Shutting the door, she looks at me. “What did I do now?”
“The Illinois plate, it’s a no go. I’m gonna grab my truck; we’ll pack you up here. Just leave the thing. It’s a truck stop if they ever manage to put it together they will think you hitched it from here.”
“My prints are all over it at the moment. We can't do that.”
“Just get it unpacked I’ll take care of the rest.” I walk away, headed for my twenty fourteen Toyota Highlander. It’s nearly three times the size of her dinky Ford and will undoubtedly keep them more comfortably. I have to be out of my mind to do this, but I’m doing it, or so it would seem. I can’t just leave these kids out in the cold. She may think she can do this alone, but she doesn’t really know who or what is going to come for her. I can at least find out.
While we were having our food, I noticed a wrecker and its driver came into the diner. Lucky for us the guy is still here. I catch him as he’s coming out the front.
“Oy! Sir?” I holler, and he looks around before deciding I want him. He walks over.
“What can I do you for?” Spit, throat clear, tummy rub. I love these guys; they don’t give a shit about nothin’.
“My girl an me was fixin’ to get gone. How much for ya to make that Ford disappear into scrap?”
He eyes the girl and her brother, as she wipes sweat from her brow. Her tight little jeans are huggin’ all the right curves as her tank top holds on to her rack for dear life. “Pretty woman. Take it daddy don’t like you?”
“I’ve been good to them, but not much. We just got hitched.” I wave at her with a huge smile hoping she will reciprocate. She just holds on to the boy.
“Five should do it.” Max, the jumper he’s wearing tells me.
I pay the man, and he heads for his truck as I do mine. He even helps us load the truck.
“Thank you,” Max says, hooking up the Ford.
“Don’t mention it.” I put my arm around her, and she stiffens as Max chuckles. I hold on to her until he’s a glimmer down the road. “Well, that takes care of that.”
“So, now what? Because we're obviously at your mercy.”
“Nora, are we going home?”
“We’re getting a home bud, I promise.”
“Now we get in the car, and you tell me your names, so I can erase them.”
They hesitate but get in, both as I expected, into the back seat. She wants to be able to keep that gun of hers trained on me without him seeing.
I know what I’m gonna do next isn’t my smartest move, but it’s what I’ve got with no notice. This isn’t my game. Rory was the one who made people disappear, had the connections to do it. With his death went most of the business. I’m mostly legit. I mean I make ID’s for the kids and the occasional border jumper, if I’m sure they’re worth it, but mostly no one knows my name. I like it that way. It’s peaceful, quiet, and safe. Rory played himself as neutral ground; I suppose that’s what I am. I’m not taking sides here, just good money from a client.
By the time we get to Benton, Kentucky, where I hang my business hat, I’ve found out their names are Onóra and Finnigan Russo. As Finn fell asleep along the way, she also let slip that her old man is the Consigliere to Venanzio Di Chiaro. I’ve met the man a couple of times, which is to say he was in Rory’s while I was too. I was just a kid, so I was to be seen and not heard. I remember her old man. He was a lousy fisherman, but he tried.
Comp and Pay comes into view, and I sigh. It’s my business, one part computer repair, and pawn, one part payday loans. It’s not original, but it keeps the legit money flowing well enough to let me keep the house. We’re in a place that’s a little more city, with Walmart and other shops in the vicinity. “You can wake him. We’re here.”
“Where is here exactly?” She asks ruffling the boys head.
“My shop, come on. Unless you plan to be swelterin’ in the car while I work, you can always go over to one of the shops and kill time. But he looks tired. I have a cot downstairs and a clean bathroom.”
“He's a growing boy, and a lot has gone on in the last sixteen hours.”
I put out my hand for them to follow as I get my bag off the seat and make a cursory glance around. Everything looks normal. Time to get inside, get to work, and listen to the chatter.
***
Fuck me. I’m not looking to get this involved. Michael Russo is dead. The chatter isn’t exact, police reports say unidentified man, but the location is on point with where Russo lived. According to Rory’s papers. See he kept tabs on both families, tabs I have now. I know who everyone is from top to bottom. It’s all coded and encrypted, but it’s an insurance policy. Keeps us alive. Or did. Most think the list died with Rory. For the most part, it has, though it didn’t stop me from memorizing it as a kid. Every name. Every face. Now I’ve got to tell two scared kids their only lifeline is gone, and both families are vying to find them. There’s a reward for information. I could cash in, buy my own island. Retire totally. I could, but I’d never be able to live with m’self.
I head to the back room where I have a cot and small kitchenette. Incidentally, it’s where I left Onóra and Finnigan. Such good Irish names, such a shame to erase them. It’s quiet as I approach, I don’t want to spook her, so I gently nudge the cot where she’s wrapped around Finn protectively.
“Onóra? We need to talk.”
She unwraps herself, kissing the top of Finn’s head before standing. “Maybe we should go somewhere else?”
I nod, leading her out back. There are picnic tables, and I could use a smoke anyhow. “I made you an ID, but birth certificates and Socials will have to wait till tomorrow when I can get over to my girl at the county clerks. That’s pretty simple, but there's something you
need to know.” I light up my cigarette and take a hard drag. “Sit down.”
She takes a seat watching me carefully. “Did they finish the job?” She asks quietly as if she already knows what I'm going to say.
I take another hard drag, as I nod my head. “Look, I’m sorry- it sucks. Nobody’s claiming him, either. You just gotta focus on you and that brother of yours. Who you are going to be calling son from now on.” I hand her two IDs one for a juvenile that reads Nolan Packer age nine and another that reads Noel Packer age twenty-three. Both issued by the state of Kentucky. “You’re gonna start wearing contacts. Seeing as descriptions are for a brown hair brown-eyed girl and boy. You and he are now blonde, and you will become green-eyed. Do you think he can deal with wearing glasses so long as they are clear?”
I watch as she takes a deep breath before running her hands through her hair then down over her face. She’s trying to hide the tears in her eyes. She’s strong, but you have to be being raised as she was.
“My son? Never would have ever guessed I’d be a mom at seventeen. He wears sunglasses so I’d assume he can wear normal glasses. I’ve got money and jewelry. Any idea on how much this is all going to be? We’re going to need a place to live. I can’t keep bouncing him from place to place. I wouldn’t go toward Canada, but Mexico is down.”
“I can make arrangements for Mexico, but passports are gonna take time. They’re harder to reproduce. Best to get all the other papers looking legit then get passports the legal way. As for a place to crash, I can make an arrangement, but not until morning.” I flick my butt. “Guess you’ll have to crash with me tonight.”
“Thank you.” She stands, stretching revealing her midriff, showing off that she’s pierced. It’s actual diamonds along with all the rings on her fingers in her ears and the necklace around her neck. She straightens, pulling down her shirt. “Are we staying here or somewhere else? I’ll need to feed Finn again soon.”
“I live about eighteen minutes up the road, to be honest. we can hit the Waffle House then go there.”
“He needs something other than breakfast food.”
I scratch my head. “I got some fresh perch in the fridge and potatoes; I can make fish and chips?”
“That’s better for him than all the syrup he’d be eating.”
“Well then let’s scoop him up and get going. Stomachs are growling all around.”
5 Onóra
The curse of memory. I wish I could say I don't remember every turn and road we went down, but I do. I also know that Rónán chews on the inside of his cheek when he thinks nobody is paying attention. I'm still not exactly sure I can trust him, but I have to try. He's easier to read than one would expect, but that could be because I was raised to read people. I knew he was going to tell me; my dad was gone just from the look on his face.
Rónán’s place is vast and beautiful. The house is not as extravagant as I’m used to, but it’s more than enough for one person. What it lacks in structure it more than makes up for with greenery and land. Rónán made sure Finn and I had rooms across the hall from one another. I helped Finn get everything he needed to take a shower and get a bit more comfortable. I’m glad he can get comfortable because I sure can’t.
I’ve just taken a shower to wash the sweat off of me and am in the bedroom applying lotion when a knock comes to the door.
“Come in.” I say instantly; sure it’s just Finn.
“Ay, I was- Oh, sorry.” Rónán turns fast back toward the door as soon as he realizes I‘m in just a towel.
“It’s my fault; I assumed you were Finn.” I stand up, making sure I’m covered. “I’m covered; you can turn around sorry for flashing you.”
He turns back but doesn’t lift his gaze. “You gotta start callin’ him Nolan, and he’s gonna have to call ya mom or something’ like it. You can’t drop the pretense ever. You never know who’s in earshot. Today I don't have my cleaning people around, but if you were here and they were, it would get awful confusin’ fast.”
“I know I haven't explained it all to him yet.”
“He’s in the kitchen breaking lettuce, now may be a good time to start. Come out when you’re ready.” He nods at me and is out the door.
I fall back on the bed. Well if that wasn't embarrassing, I don't know what is. I finish getting dressed and make my way to the kitchen. Finn and Rónán are chattering back and forth.
“Hey, bud, feel better?”
“Yes, this shower is clean.”
I can't help but laugh. “That's why I told you to wear the flops I got you.” Rónán is watching us. “Can I help with anything?”
“How are your knife skills? I got beets, eggs and red onions need slicing for the pub salad while I watch the fish.” He shakes up a dressing bottle. “Do you like tarragon?”
“Nora is almost as good as dad. They say I’m getting there, but I'm not quite ready for my own knife. Nora has a nice one; you should see it. She’s always carrying it. Do you have it on you now?”
Rónán’s lip curls up on the end as he nods shortly. “I hope it’s nondescript.” He whispers, reminding me with a simple sentence just how much we are going to be giving up.
“About all that, we need to talk. Remember how dad told you we might have to take on a new life, and our names and stuff would change?” I ask as I start cutting the stuff that needs it without paying it much mind. Finn nods at me. “Well, Rónán is helping us with that, but we're going to be mother and son instead of brother and sister. Your new name will be Nolan. Are you understanding what I’m saying so far?”
“Is dad coming to stay with us? Does that make him my Nonno?” I look from Finn to Rónán just as he grabs my hand to keep me from cutting my fingers.
“It’s just gonna be you two, for now. It’s safer. Now how would you like to learn the secret to great fried fish?” Rónán motions to the plate of perch next to the gas stove.
“Can I play on my Switch or watch TV?” He asks Rónán instead of me, which he was taught to as we’re in Rónán’s house.
“So long as it can be played without signing into it.” He states. “Downloaded content only. Okay?”
With a quick nod, Finn is up and out of the room. “I’m not sure if he’s really understanding or not.” I run my hands over my face sitting down. All of a sudden, I feel like I may be sick.
“Whoa, easy there, wee bird.” Rónán is at my side faster than I can settle in the chair. “Hey- it’s gonna be okay. I’m gonna make sure you two are taken care of, that’s a promise. I give my word.” He pushes my hair out of my face. “Just breathe.”
I pull back from his touch, only one guy has ever pushed my hair out of my face, and then he -kissed me. Thinking of that, I never saw him again. Dad caught us and went crazy. I should mention I was like thirteen and he was seventeen.
“I-I-I’m just not sure. I’ve got a little boy in there that is depending on me, and I may have shadowed our workers, but I can’t cook- hell I never even had to clean the house. How am I going to keep us alive?” I may be starting to freak out some.
“Shh, wee bird. Life? It ain‘t so hard. If it’s dirty, you wash it. If it’s on the floor, you pick it up. As for food, you order out at first or do the food meal prep until you learn. There are videos, and I can help. I’m not gonna just throw you like sheep to the wolves. You’re right; you have no skills. I can help. I have a place lined up for ya that’s only a stone throw from my shop. The real question is, what can you do for work?”
Rónán is still in my space as I look into his blue-green eyes. “I have skills just none that are appropriate for this new life.”
“Then I guess you have to start at the bottom.” He smirks. “Walmart greeter it is. you just have to smile and wave.”
“That can’t be hard. Wait, did you say Walmart? As in that chain that sells cheap products? Please tell me you’re joking.”
He puts his arm around my shoulders. “Oh wee bird, how much you have to learn about a world without Neiman Ma
rcus.”
6 Rónán
I didn’t much sleep. Couldn’t with all the preparations I was havin’ to do. The wee bird and her brother crashed soon after eating. Or at least the brother did. I could hear her fidget, get up and down. Pace. I think she even took a bath to try and relax. I called in a few favors and got half a house opened up. It’s mostly furnished, new appliances and such. I took care of what they needed to look like a family unit. The papers required will be overlooked for the time being as I know the owner rather intimately.
Back to Benton, we head. Past the shop and up the freeway a tick. The side by side duplex is at the end of a cul de sac with a nice little yard and roundabout. One would be hard-pressed to sneak up on the property, that’s for sure, especially with the cat next door that likes to watch everything. Fred is a grey basketball with legs and has lived in the house for more than six years. He was my cat when I lived here before Rory left me the house. He loves the place, so I left him with Jaynet and Aileen, the current occupants.
“So what do you think?” I ask Noel and Nolan. I am making a point of using their new names to make the habit stronger. She looks good with green eyes, but something has to be said for the original amber color.
“It’s... quaint.” Noel says looking the place over.
“Now, I know it’s not much, but let’s be realistic, you can’t afford much. Even this is outside your range for the neighborhood. But I wasn’t droppin’ you in a more… urban area.”
“Do you mean mulignans?” Nolan asks.
