Ties That Bind

by Neeny Boucher

  Riley shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve got a few ideas, but nothing concrete. Why?”

  “Well,” Christina said. “Jed gave me an idea-”

  Riley’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Jed?”

  “Mmhmm,” Christina nodded, biting her bottom lip. “We were talking and he has relatives that are veterans. Did you know that?”

  When Riley nodded, Christina continued. “So, he was telling me that when some of them return they find themselves in dire straits. I mean there is some assistance for vets, but you could extend it. I was wondering if you’d consider turning Lift into a veterans’ home?”

  She sat forward, making the truck jerk, and Riley inwardly groan. “There’ll be a lot of work in this area once the factory gets going,” Christina enthused. “Lift is quiet, but not totally isolated. They could get back on their feet… If you’re looking for a charity to champion I think this is it. I’ve done a bit of research and need to do more, but I think this could work.”

  He was impressed and he liked that idea. He liked it a lot. She trailed off unsure and he waited for her to continue, but she didn’t. “I like it,” Riley nodded, touching her leg. “I really do. We’ll have to run it by Mason, but it has a lot of promise.”

  At the mention of Mason’s name, Christina scowled, making Riley laugh. “Come on, babe,” he started, but Christina glared at him.

  “Don’t you ‘come on, babe,’ me,” she seethed.

  Riley burst out laughing, but he had to defend his friend. They argued and laughed about Mason Glenn the rest of the way to Shanwick. Time flew by and although he would never repeat this experience if he could help it, he had semi-enjoyed it.

  **********

  Pulling up outside her office, Riley tried to disguise his relief as he watched Christina put the truck in park. He was about to snatch the keys off her when she pointed toward the Hub & Spoke bar. The place was a hive of activity and had been transformed in their absence.

  Christina murmured. “It’s for the party tomorrow night. Hottest ticket in town.”

  He grinned, turning toward her and then noticed she’d gone pensive. He didn’t feel guilty for forcing her back here because he had his reasons, but he hated the way it made her miserable. Their time away had been special and she’d been so happy.

  Riley didn’t want it to end and if he could take that look away he would. Grabbing her hand, he urged. “Dina, let’s just run away. You, me, Cartman-”

  “And Riot,” she grinned.

  He sighed. “Okay, you, me, Cartman, and the damned cat, let’s just go. We can go anywhere you want. We don’t have to be here, Dina.”

  Christina’s face lit up and then she hesitated. It was like watching the sparkle disappear. “I’d love to, but duty calls. This is important, right? It’s the reason why you brought me back.”

  Riley nodded and he was unsurprised at her response even though it made him sad. Out of the two of them she was more responsible, putting her own happiness second to what she thought she should do, as opposed to what she wanted. In this regard, they were polar opposites.

  Christina got out of the truck and he moved into the driver’s seat. Closing the door and looking in the window, she grinned at him. “When we’re done, I’d like to run away with you.

  Riley grinned back. “Where do you want to go? Europe or we could chase the sun? Thailand? Australia? New Zealand? South Africa? Brazil?”

  “Anywhere, but here,” she smiled sadly, leaning in and giving him a long kiss.

  Riley kept the smile on his face until she was out of sight and then his demeanor changed. He was used to interpreting what Christina didn’t say as much as what she blurted. Her refusal to discuss the attack in town told him he all he needed to know.

  Over the last few days, he’d returned to the subject again and again, but she always deflected. Whatever had happened was bad. Riley clenched his jaw and threw the truck in reverse. He had questions and he was going to get the answers one way or the other. There was about to be a reckoning.

  **********

  It was around 5:00 p.m., when Riley arrived at the Martin household. He estimated he had a two-hour window before Christina was due back and he didn’t want her present for this. His first port of call was to Jack Martin in the hope he could get some context and information on Christina’s attack.

  Riley was preparing himself for a half hour of frustration because Jack had a tendency to ramble. He hoped, however, that he might find some treasure amongst the verbal diarrhea. Walking inside the Martin home, he found Jed and Gabby in an argument.

  Five foot one versus six foot three? No contest: Riley’s money was on Gabby Martin any day of the week.

  “It’s just some boxes, Jed,” Gabby smirked.

  “Boxes of women’s clothing,” Jed retorted. “I’m not doing it. I’m paid to look after you, not cart women’s garments all over town.”

  “I didn’t realize you were such a sexist pig,” Gabby protested. “Would it make a difference if it was men’s clothing?”

  “I’m not a sexist pig,” Jed seethed. “And no, it wouldn’t make a difference if it was men or women’s clothing. I’m not your man servant.”

  “Then, why say it?” Gabby retorted. “Why make the distinction of it being ‘women’s’ clothing? As if it’s somehow worse for a man to transport women’s clothing.”

  Jed scowled at Gabby, but she met his glare with steely determination. “Besides,” Gabby smiled like a Cheshire cat, “it’s for a good cause. It’s Mandy’s old rock chick clothes. Dina and I don’t want them, but the biker chicks? They’ll love them. Think about it… How often would they get clothes like this? Never.”

  And the trap snaps shut. Riley tried to warn Jed to be on guard, but the Irishman was too stubborn for that. Gabby had the ability to present outlandish ideas as reasonable, charitable even, and roping seemingly normal people into committing acts of lunacy.

  If that didn’t work, she’d bait them until they felt they had something to prove. Unfortunately, Jed fell into the latter category and on occasion, so did Riley and Johnny. “Does Mandy know about this?” Jed frowned.

  “Yes,” Gabby grinned, her eyes sparkling. “She does, but Dave doesn’t and that’s the beauty of it. It’s going to be our little surprise for the biker women and Dave.”

  Riley shook his head, trying not to laugh. Mandy wouldn’t mind, but Dave would. He was a pathological snob and he’d go ballistic. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Dave’s face either when the women of the motorcycle club paraded around in Mandy’s old clothing.

  He knew this was a bad idea, but he couldn’t help himself. Meeting Gabby’s glinting eyes, Riley winked at her. “I’ll take them over because this I’ve got to see.”

  Gabby giggled and then her eyes narrowed. She looked Riley up and down exaggeratedly, saying with a leer, “Wow. You look… well.”

  “I feel… well,” Riley shot back and he did. If ‘well’ was code for being in love and having freaky sex, Riley felt very ‘well’ indeed. “Where’s your Dad?” He deflected. “I need to speak to him about something.”

  “He’s in the garage with Johnny,” Jed answered. “I’ll come with you.”

  Jed shot Gabby a dirty look, but she stared impassively back at him. The two men walked outside and as soon as they were out of earshot, Jed swore like a sailor. “I swear to fecking God, Riley, that evil little bint is driving me mad.”

  Riley shook his head. “Jed, that’s a fight you’re never going to win. You’re completely outmatched by her.”

  “It’s the principle of the thing,” Jed huffed. “The Princess of the Underworld sits there like a spider. A big one, like that big man eating thing in Lord of the Rings, just waiting for people to fall into her trap, and tormenting them for enjoyment. Sitting at home with nothing to do is the worst thing for her. Did you know she bought porn on Johnny’s credit card?”

  He did know that, but didn’t react, so Jed could get it all off his chest. �
�It was mainly man-love stuff,” Jed seethed. “Not because she was interested, but because she wanted to embarrass Johnny. That is twisted. She uses her big brain for evil, instead of good.”

  Riley pulled a face. He agreed with that assessment, but Gabby had always been too clever for her own good and she did derive pleasure out of other people’s discomfort. For some reason, the only person Gabby took any direction from was Dina, so Riley resolved to talk to her about it.

  He looked up at Jed, who was eyeing him with a smirk. “You do look well,” Jed said, “but you also look, sort of… ill.”

  “I, agh, let Christina drive the truck back into town,” Riley mock shuddered. “Two hours of hell and I think I’ve aged ten years.”

  “Jaysus, Mary, and Joseph,” Jed whispered, touching Riley’s forehead to see if he had a fever. Riley pushed Jed’s hand away with a laugh, but Jed clapped him on the shoulder, shaking his head. “No one lets her drive. No one. It’s the only time I’ve seen the Martins well organized and working as a unit: stopping that girl from driving. I tell you brother, it must be love or she has a magic-”

  Riley pushed Jed hard to shut him up and Jed shoved him back. “At least I’m not scared of a pixie,” Riley jeered.

  “Queen of the Trolls more like,” Jed retorted. “But you haven’t answered the question. Does she?” The two men wrestled for a bit with Jed asking the same question over and over in a loop, and Riley refusing to answer. Both men were still laughing by the time they found the Martin men in the garage.

  **********

  “Hey, hey,” Johnny called out in greeting, smiling the lopsided grin he shared with his father. Jack and Johnny were moving large boxes of fireworks, so Jed and Riley gave them a hand. “Where’s Dina?” Jack asked, looking around for his daughter.

  “I dropped her off at work,” Riley answered. “She has some things she wants to do, but she’ll be back later.”

  “He let her drive into town,” Jed blurted. “All the way from Lift.”

  “Are you serious?” Johnny muttered, his eyes wide in horror. The looks that passed between the men were telling and under normal circumstances, Riley would agree with them, but right now his focus was elsewhere.

  Staring at Jack, Riley nodded. “I need to ask you some questions. Do you remember when Christina got attacked in town? Years ago-”

  “Do I remember?” Jack scowled. “Of course, I remember.” To everyone’s surprise, Jack became agitated and started pacing the floor.

  “It was terrible,” Jack scowled, shaking his head for emphasis. “Bloody awful. They hit my Dina in town. I wanted to buy a gun, but Eddie Robinson wouldn’t let me. He was worried I’d shoot my own foot off.”

  Riley saw Jed put his hand to his mouth and tried to look away. It wouldn’t do to laugh, but Jack had a habit of phrasing things in an unintentionally funny way. Eddie Robinson was a smart man. A gun in Jack’s hand would be dangerous, mainly for Jack.

  “They wrote filthy, foul, and loathsome things on our car… and on our house… and on our shop too. We got hate mail. Hate mail! Sick people accusing Christina of being a witch, involved with aliens and human sacrifice. Some weirdo proposed marriage to her and offered to be her next victim. Can you believe it?”

  Jed made noises in the back of his throat and Riley didn’t dare look at him. The last time he’d seen Jack anywhere near this angry was when Riley kicked in the front door of the house. Actually, that wasn’t strictly true. Jack was pretty steamed when he found him naked with Christina in her bed and when they returned from Seattle married.

  Even that paled in comparison to how angry and indignant Jack was now. “They smashed in the windows of our house,” Jack ranted. “Ella had not long passed away. What type of people would do that? And we were due for rain.”

  Jed closed his eyes, but Riley could see his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. Looking away hurriedly, Riley stared intently at Jack in order to keep focus on what Jack was saying and not Jed’s reactions. Riley rubbed his temples in the hope it would help him concentrate, but it wasn’t helping.

  “But the worst,” Jack shook his head sadly and grimaced. “Some sick freak killed Mrs. Gustafson’s cat. That’s right, killed her cat. They must have thought it was ours. Mrs. Gustafson was distraught. She’d had that cat for years and the poor thing didn’t stand a chance. It was obese.”

  “Oh man,” Johnny breathed. “That’s not cool. The poor kitty.”

  Riley pinched the bridge of his nose. It wasn’t funny, but why did Jack have to say things like that? He kept chanting in his head, don’t laugh, but it was too late.

  He heard Jed laugh and try to disguise it as coughing. He made the mistake of looking at Jed and the two men locked eyes. Riley put a fist to his mouth to try and stop the inevitable, but it was hopeless. Loud guffaws erupted and neither Jed nor Riley could stop them.

  “Are you laughing? About… about… Mrs. Gustafson’s cat?” Jack asked in horror.

  He tried to wave Jack’s disgust away, but Jack’s mouth tightened and he stuck out his chin in determination. Jack looked so much like Christina did when she was angry that it made Riley laugh harder. “We’re not laughing about the cat, Jack,” Riley chuckled.

  “Then what are you laughing at?” Johnny glared and then glanced at his father. Both Martin men were in solidarity, bonded in their mutual disgust.

  “No one could laugh at the pain and suffering of one of God’s creatures, Jack,” Jed rasped. “Believe me-”

  “But you are,” Johnny countered.

  “We’re not. It’s just the way Jack said it. It was kind of funny. I… We apologize,” Riley said, rubbing his hand over his face.

  Jack gave Riley and Jed a look of abject revulsion. In a voice laced with disgust, Jack growled. “You’re sick… the both of you. What the hell is wrong with you?”

  The two Martin men stared at Riley and Jed with their mouths turned down. “Come on, Dad,” Johnny said. “Let’s go.”

  The two Martins walked away before Jed and Riley said another word. “Jaysus,” Jed snorted. “That man should have his own stand-up routine.”

  “Yeah. He should,” Riley agreed. “Except Jack would never understand why people were laughing.”

  Although the conversation with Jack had been ‘interesting’, Riley hadn’t found out any useful information. He was going to have to visit Eddie Robinson, Mandy’s father, and he didn’t find the thought very appealing. Christina might think that he got the town in the divorce, but he didn’t get the Robinsons.

  Riley would have to tread carefully because where Christina was concerned, Eddie was as loyal to Christina as Mandy and less polite. Eddie might be sick, but he was still a 6’4, former marine, Muhammad Ali fanatic, with hands the size of ham hocks. The crew always joked that only someone like Dave, who went where angels feared to tread, would survive Eddie as a father-in-law.

  “You okay, mate?” Riley turned to Jed and saw the concern in his friend’s eyes. He shrugged, explaining his reservations about approaching Eddie, but also his determination to get even with the guys who’d hit Christina.

  “So what’s your plan?” Jed asked. “We find these guys and then what? You knock on the door and punch them in the face?”

  Riled pulled a face and nodded. “Yeah. Pretty much.”

  “Okay. Count me in,” Jed grinned. Riley squeezed him on the shoulder. He could always count on Jed to be there for him.

  “I think I’ll come with you,” Jed winked. “I don’t think I’m welcome inside at the moment and I need some space from the Bride of Satan.”

  **********

  Riley and Jed arrived at the Robinson’s house by way of the motorcycle club. Standing in front of the Robinson household, a blue and white monstrosity that was nicknamed ‘Casa Ferris Bueller’, Riley felt a pang of nostalgia. The last time he’d felt truly welcome here was when Dave and Mandy got married.

  They were greeted by the beautiful, but intimidating Asha Robinson. She and Mand
y could pass for sisters, but Asha was shorter with lighter colored hair. As kids, they’d nicknamed Asha ‘the iron mouse’ because her charm and beauty masked the very real steel underneath.

  “Riley, Jed,” Asha smiled politely in greeting, but without much enthusiasm. Putting on his most charming smile, Riley was out-dazzled by Asha. Her return smile was so blinding that it made him blink.

  When his tongue finally untied, he asked if it was possible to speak to Eddie, but Asha’s face turned stern. “I’ll see if he’s up for a visit, Riley,” Asha said firmly. “Today’s been a good day, but I don’t want him tired out.”

  As Asha left the room, Jed whispered. “What’s wrong with Eddie?”

  “Bad heart,” Riley whispered back. “He needs a transplant.”

  Jed raised his eyebrows, but Dave and the kids interrupted any further conversation. Aria clung to Riley’s legs, so he picked her up tickling her under the chin. Dave stared at them quizzically. “What are you guys doing here?”

  “We’re here to see Grandpa,” Riley answered, grinning at the kids.

  “LOOK!” bellowed Connor, thrusting a piece of paper at Riley with a drawing on it that he found difficult to identify. Riley put Aria down, staring at Connor’s artwork in confusion. At first it looked like some kind of mechanical device, and then his eyes opened wide.

  “Isn’t that a-” Jed started.

  “IT’S A-” Connor bellowed.

  “Rocket ship,” Asha interrupted with a look of determination on her face. She held eyes with the men and then glared at her grandson. “It’s a rocket ship.” It didn’t look like a skyrocket to Riley, but he held his tongue.

  “Eddie will see you now, Riley,” Asha said firmly. “But only you. Please don’t upset him and keep it short.”

  As Asha walked away, Jed tapped Riley on the arm, whispering. “That picture… I’m no art expert, but that was definitely a cock and balls, right?”

  Nodding ‘yep’, Riley left, following Asha down the hallway and into the den. He found Eddie Robinson sitting up in a chair waiting for him and while illness had diminished Eddie physically, strength remained in his eyes: eyes that were trained on Riley in an unwavering stare.