Flagger

by Laramie Briscoe

  “So am I, and I am begging you not to let him in this house. He is not good news. If he stays, then I go.” Harper didn’t know how she would make it work, but she knew she would figure it out. There was no way she would be able to stay with him.

  Cara smiled sadly. “Then I’m sorry.”

  Harper felt like she’d stepped into an alternate universe. The one person who had never let her down before was now letting her drop like a rock. She felt as if the rug had been pulled out from underneath her, and she wanted to scream at Cara, wondering what in the world had happened, and then it started to click. “Oh, I get it.” She shook her head. “He got to you. He told you that I lied, huh? He talked it up really good and turned on the charm.”

  “I never got to talk to him before the trial back then, Harper. You know it was a corrupt judge…”

  “He killed someone, Cara, and then used me as his cover. Had me with him. You don’t even have to explain yourself to me. I see where I rank. I’ll have my stuff moved out by next weekend.” Harper almost choked on the words.

  “Where will you go?”

  “As if you give a shit. I should have known.”

  Harper really hoped those words hit below the belt, right where they were meant to. Right now, her entire life felt like a lie, and she wasn’t sure if she’d ever feel like she could trust anyone ever again. There was only one man to thank for that. The man she’d spent most of her life being absolutely scared of.

  ‡

  Chapter Twelve

  Cash drug ass into his house, noting the late hour of the night. He hadn’t realized he’d spent so much time with Harper. It’d been a long time since he’d spent that much consecutive time with a woman and not wanted to kill her. There was something about the blonde that made life a little more bearable. If anyone asked him what it was, he wouldn’t be able to put his finger on it, or even properly answer the question, but it was there.

  As soon as he walked through the front door, he knew something was off. There was a different feeling in the house, one he hadn’t felt for a long time.

  “Mom? Remy?” he yelled as he threw his keys on the kitchen table.

  The same weird feeling came back again, and he decided maybe he didn’t want to throw his keys down; he might need them again.

  “Remy?” he yelled down the hallway, his heart beating double-time when he saw his little brother’s door shut. Remy never had his door shut.

  His neck itched, and goosebumps appeared on his arms as he made his way down to Remy’s room. He didn’t knock on the door before shoving it open. Cash allowed time for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the space. It took him a few minutes, but he saw Remy curled up in a ball in between his dresser and bed. “Rem, you okay?”

  Hearing his brother’s voice, Remy hopped up and ran towards him, jumping in his arms. “I’m glad you’re back.”

  “What the hell happened? Where’s Mom?”

  Remy began to shake, and his breath came in great gasps.

  “Calm down. You don’t want to throw yourself into an asthma attack,” he cautioned. They’d gone so long without one. If their mom was the cause of this, he’d knock her out himself.

  “She came home with him.”

  “Him” was Remy’s dad. Ex-husband number three. Neither Cash nor Remy liked George Sawyer: he was pure evil, and he also got Janet back on the drugs, no matter how long she’d been clean, no matter how many promises she made to her kids or her NA sponsor. She worked the program for as long as she wanted to, and when the program no longer appealed to her, she was done.

  “Shit, where are they now?”

  Remy shook his head, tears swimming in his eyes. “I don’t know. They got into an argument, I think, because there were raised voices, and then they left together. Once they started yelling, I shut myself into my room. I was hoping they’d forget about me, and they did.”

  He was so sick of this. So sick of the worrying and the believing that things were alright, only to come home and find a shit storm. A moment of clarity hit him in the gut. Was this how his entire life was going to be? He would keep punishing himself with this because he wanted to keep his brother safe? Damnit, he was twenty-one years old, and if worse came to worse, he could fucking figure it out.

  “Go pack up what you need. I’m gonna do the same, and we’re getting the fuck outta here.”

  There was hope in Remy’s eyes for the first time in a long time. Cash had no answers; he had absolutely no idea how he would make it work. All he knew was that he would make it work. He couldn’t keep living like this any longer. His life would move forward and then it would be put on hold while he tried to help people who didn’t want to be helped. He was done.

  Instinctively, he knew he wouldn’t get away with a clean break. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he did something he never did. He contacted the Heaven Hill MC and requested help.

  *

  An hour later, he and Remy had both packed most of the meager belongings they wanted to take with them, and he was stowing the last of those bags in his car. As if right on cue, a 1981 Silverado pickup turned down their street and came to a stop in front of their yard. Cash hoped Liam was on his way.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Janet asked as she stormed out of the passenger side of the truck, slamming the door so loudly Cash knew they’d attract onlookers, even at the late hour.

  “Taking my brother out of here.”

  He knew as soon as she walked towards him that she was high. There was a way Janet carried herself when she smoked or shot up. Gone was the not-so-confident woman who only wanted to do a good job at trying to make her life work. In her place was an in-your-face bitch who looked as if she felt ten feet tall and bulletproof.

  “He’s my son; you’re not taking him.” She pointed towards the house where Remy stood, his face pressed up against the glass of the storm door.

  “You’re not a fit mother, and he sure as fuck isn’t a fit father, especially when the two of you are together,” Cash argued.

  She turned on him. It was as if she put a mask on over her face, and in place of the mother he dutifully helped each month make ends meet was a monster. “You shit; you think you’re so superior, don’t you? Well guess what, Cash…you’re my son. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, boy, and when you’ve fucked yourself up, just like I did, don’t come crawling back to me.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” His anger was getting the better of him. He was allowing her words to hurt him, allowing her insecurities to seep into his subconscious. “I’m not like you.”

  “You are, more than you know.”

  “I’m not a cracked-out whore who spreads my legs for that piece of shit,” he pointed at Remy’s father, “every time he comes around with another hit. I don’t forget about the children I have at home to go out and have a good time, and I sure as fuck don’t forget to pay the necessary bills in order for my family to eat. I’m done with you and your bullshit,” he yelled as he got up in her face.

  “No, you’re not,” she slurred, stepping up into his space. “If you take my son away from me, I’m going to call the cops and have your punk ass arrested.”

  “The hell you are.” The authoritative voice came from the driveway, and Cash glanced over, having not even realized that Liam Walker had made an appearance.

  Janet stumbled back as she saw the president of the Heaven Hill MC. He’d always been polite to her, but now she looked scared.

  “Do you need anything else?” Liam asked Cash quietly, as he took in the situation.

  “Just to get my brother and get the fuck out of here.”

  Liam glanced at Janet and George. Now they were both leaning against each other, not able to stand up straight. His heart ached for these kids. “You get him, get whatever else you need, and head towards the clubhouse. I’ll meet you there later. There’s no reason to be scared, a protection order will be filed.”

  The Cash from a few days ago would have worrie
d about his mom, would have wanted to explain to Liam that she wasn’t like this all the time, but that Cash was gone. In his place was a man who was ready to make his own terms, ready to make his own life. He was tired, and damnit, if he was going to be working as hard as he was, it would be for his own family. It would be for his own roof over his head, his own food in his stomach, and the gas for his own car.

  He was done being used. He was done playing house with a mother who, in the end, didn’t give a shit about anything other than the next high she could get.

  “C’mon,” he told Remy as he opened the door and grabbed his brother’s hand. “We’re outta here.”

  “Remy, I love you,” Janet yelled at him as Cash ushered him to the car.

  “Don’t listen, don’t look back. Just get in the car and stare straight ahead. Our lives are changing,” Cash told his brother as he got into the driver’s side and backed the car out of the driveway.

  It wasn’t until he was down the street that he looked in the rearview mirror. He knew that was the last time he’d ever look at that house, and he could without a doubt say he wouldn’t miss it.

  ‡

  Chapter Thirteen

  The next day, Harper stood in front of the community bulletin board at school, looking for a room to rent. To say she had little money was the biggest understatement in the world, and she hadn’t kidded herself into thinking she’d have enough for a whole apartment. There weren’t many options, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

  “Hey.”

  His deep voice caused awareness to travel up and down her spine. Her body responded to him, even before she turned around to look—she was in such deep shit.

  “Hey,” she answered back, worry gripping her heart as she got a good look at Cash. “What happened?”

  “Rough night.” He ran a hand along the back of his neck, trying to massage some of the tension out.

  “I know what you mean,” she mumbled.

  “Why are you looking at the rooms for rent?” he asked, his eyebrows scrunching together.

  “Why do you think? Why are you over here?”

  He didn’t know; he’d seen her across the commons area of their school and had been drawn to her. He needed to be around her, even if it was for only a few minutes. He found her presence grounding, and if there was something he needed right now, it was to feel normal.

  “I saw you and wanted to come say hi.” He shrugged.

  She grabbed two slips of paper off the board and checked her phone. “I have about forty-five minutes until my next class. Do you wanna grab some coffee and commiserate about our awful nights?”

  Normally, he wasn’t one to be talky-talky about anything, but he wanted to be around her. He needed to talk to someone. “Yes. It turned into a really fucking shitty night, especially after how great our afternoon went.” He reached over and cupped her jaw with the palm of his hand.

  She closed her eyes, and it took her back to the previous afternoon in his bed. She was spoiled for any other man for the rest of her life. Offering him a small smile, they broke apart and walked over to the commons area, ordered their coffee, and then had a seat at a small corner table.

  Harper tried not to notice the stares that were thrown their way, tried not to wonder what people were thinking of her. In reality, she knew she shouldn’t care, but she couldn’t help it. Cash had a reputation, and it appeared now, she would be another notch on his bedpost—at least in the eyes of these people.

  “So what happened?” he asked as he blew a breath on the steaming cup in front of him.

  “The too-long/didn’t-read version? My aunt is moving someone into our apartment whom I don’t feel safe with, and she pretty much told me either I could deal with it or find another place to live. Or at least that’s how I took it. So, I’m finding another place to live.” She sighed. “The only problem is, I have very limited funds, so it looks like it’s going to be renting a room and that’s it.”

  He shook his head, surprised by how similar their situations were. “Yeah, my little brother and I, we left home last night. Long story, but neither one of us felt safe there either, so right now we’re staying at the Heaven Hill clubhouse.”

  Her eyes bugged. “Really?”

  “Yeah, those guys have always been really nice to me, like I told you. And since Remy and I don’t know what the living situation is going to be like, I don’t want to waste my money driving back and forth to Richardsville.” His eyes met hers as he mentioned their rendezvous spot. “My car uses gas like nobody’s business.”

  “What are you going to do?” she asked, concern in her voice.

  “Liam told me not to worry about it, that they would help me, but I can’t help worrying about it. My brother has medical problems, and he needs to be in a stable environment.”

  “I’m really sorry.” She reached over and grabbed his hand, offering a comforting stroke of her fingers against the ridges of his palm.

  “I’m sorry for you too. We’re both in a shitty situation.”

  Truer words had never been spoken.

  *

  “What about giving him our old apartment,” Jagger Stone questioned his president, Liam Walker, as the two of them talked about Cash’s situation. It was the talk of the shop, everyone wanted to find a way to help the young man who had become a friend to them.

  “I don’t know that he could afford rent plus the utilities on that thing. His brother has huge medical issues, and now that he has him, I really don’t know what they’re going to do.” Liam grimaced, wishing there was something he could do to help them.

  “We could give him money.” Jagger shrugged.

  Liam shook his head. “We can help him out, but we can’t support him. He’s an adult, and he needs to figure this out.” He ran his hand over his three-day-old beard. “Tell ya what…when he comes in this afternoon, I’ll ask him how he feels about taking the rent over. You and B still have six months on that lease, and your house is already done. There’s no reason for you to be paying rent and a house payment.”

  “To be honest, we’re kind of worried about it.” Jagger shook his head. “The house got done a lot quicker than either of us imagined it would. We haven’t bitched because we kind of put ourselves in the situation, but if we could sub-let that apartment, it would take a huge financial burden off of us,” Jagger explained, his face burning red. He hated to let anyone know he and B were having any kind of financial issues.

  “It’s settled then.” Liam nodded. “When Cash comes in for his shift tonight, I’ll ask him what he thinks about the apartment. If nothing else, he could get a roommate. There’s all kinds of college kids who want to rent a room.”

  “Yeah.” Jagger laughed. “Except that apartment is minuscule, and the second bedroom would only be good for a baby because it’s so small, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

  Liam shrugged. “Sometimes you’ve gotta do what you gotta do.” Something told him Cash would never shy away from anything he had to do to make this work out. He would man up in every way there was.

  ‡

  Chapter Fourteen

  “How long are we going to stay here?”

  Cash looked over at Remy as he changed clothes to go to the shop. That was a great question; he still had no idea what he was going to do. He didn’t want to cause his brother any more stress than he already had, so he answered the best he could. “Just a little bit, until we can find a place for us to live. Do you not like it here?”

  “I do,” Remy answered. “But having a room isn’t like having a home.”

  This kid was way too observant for his own good.

  “I know. We’re gonna find something, but right now I’ve gotta go to work. You wanna come with me, or will you be okay here?”

  Cash hated to leave him, knew that he wasn’t comfortable around people he didn’t know, but he also knew that many of the Heaven Hill associates had gone out of their way to make the two of them feel comfortable.
/>
  “Bianca is going to help me with some of my school work and told me if I worked really hard, she’d take me out for dinner, her treat.” He beamed.

  It wasn’t often that Remy was treated by anyone other than him, and Cash had to push back an unexpected wave of emotion. “Sounds good.” He hugged his brother. “I’ll be back later.”

  Minutes later, he was in his car, taking the back roads to the shop, but his mind wasn’t on the shop; it was on everything else he had to take care of. He really needed Rodrigo to call a race; he needed money in the worst way. He needed a plan, and he needed divine intervention for once in his life. He’d never been one to pray, but right now, he sent one up. He needed things to go right, at least for a little while, until he could get his feet on solid ground and have a plan. Otherwise, he didn’t know what the fuck he was going to do.

  *

  “Hey, Cash just rolled up.” Jagger peeked his head into the office where Liam and Roni sat talking over some invoices. “You wanna tell him before he starts?”

  “Yeah.” Liam stood up; grabbing the bottle of Sprite he was drinking. “We may as well get it over with. Roni, you mind if we bring him in here?”

  “Nope, and maybe I should stay, because sometimes what others perceive as charity is easier coming from a woman.”

  She had a point. “Sure.” He looked at Jagger. “Go ahead and bring him in.”

  Stupidly, Liam was nervous about this. He hated butting into other people’s lives, but he wanted to do right by Cash. Cash had always worked his ass off, had always done everything they’d asked him to do. He was flat-out just a good young man. He reminded Liam so much of his son Drew, and that made him want to help even more. It also took him back to a time in his life when he could have decided to leave his family or stay. Liam had stayed, and while everything had worked out for the best, he’d always wondered what would have happened if he would have had the guts and opportunity to make that decision.