This Family of Ours (Raine #6)

by Amanda Bennett

  A slight chill skimmed the surface of my skin and I instantly tugged on my sweater, crossing my arms tightly across my chest as to not let myself get too cold. Dozens of people stood staring out across the water in the direction of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz itself, snapping photos and enjoying each other’s company. My eyes fluttered shut and my head gently fell back against the rocklike headrest as I let my delicate skin soak up the midday sun. The voices around me faded into a quiet humming, practically lulling me into a light slumber, until I was startled awake by the captain’s booming voice echoing throughout.

  “We will be arriving shortly. Please remember to watch your step and be mindful of others, especially small children. Make sure you take all belongings with you as it will be a different ferry picking you up. If you didn’t grab a pamphlet before boarding, have no fear, there will be plenty on the island. Thank you for riding with us today, and I hope you enjoy your time on Alcatraz.”

  Before the captain was finished speaking I was on my feet, making my way to the front of the ferry, yet again. My eyes went wide with wonder as I took in the astonishing sight in front of me. For an old dilapidated prison that the salt water licked one too many times, causing it to come apart at the seams, it was beautiful. The rich history of this place had me intrigued, and I found myself wanting to soak up every ounce of knowledge this place had to offer.

  I turned around, opening the camera on my phone to take a selfie to send to Joey. I clicked the picture, making sure to get Alcatraz in the background of the shot before opening up a new text to send him. I typed out a quick text to accompany the picture, and then stowed my phone back away in the safe confines of my handbag.

  The cool wind whipped across my face as I stood back in amazement at all that stood before me. The sun hit the Golden Gate Bridge in all the right places, making it appear more beautiful than I had ever realized. And I couldn’t help but feel blessed for the life I was leading. Sure there were things I wish were different, but no one ever became a well rounded individual without going through trials and tribulations.

  A few minutes later, we were docking, and like a herd of cattle, every person began pushing their way through the crowds to try and be the first off the boat. I honestly didn’t care how long it took me to get off this bloody ferry, so I hung back and let everyone else go ahead of me. As my foot hit the dock leading up to the prison, I stood back in awe. The sheer massiveness of the prison was enough to feel overwhelmed. They were handing out recorders for all of us to listen to as we walked the grounds, spouting the history of the people who were imprisoned here and the structure itself. It was beyond interesting and piqued my interest immediately. I was walking up one of the many daunting hills that led to another part of the structure, when I felt a hand clasped down on my shoulder. I spun around as fast as possible, flinging off my headset at the same time, ready to attack whomever was trying to accost me.

  “What the-“ I stopped short, mid-sentence, as I took in the sight of an older woman, fear and shock plastered across her weathered face. “I..I’m so sorry.” I apologized profusely.

  “No, I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just noticed you were all alone and was wondering if you’d like to walk together?”

  Now I just felt like a down right wanker. “Oh.” I stood back, looking over her appearance. She was small in stature, a petite little thing with chestnut brown hair with slivers of grey running sporadically throughout her high tight bun that sat atop her head. She looked to be in her early sixties, and completely harmless. “I would love that.” I smiled as I wrapped her delicate hand through the crook of my elbow.

  “Where about in England are you from?” I glanced over at her with a quizzical look. She must’ve read the hesitation in my expression, because she let out a delightful laugh as she patted my hand that sat on top of hers, “Your accent, dear.”

  “Oh...right.” I laughed along with her. “London.” I smiled.

  “You seem to be a bit jumpy. Everything ok?”

  I was completely caught off guard by her questions, but I understood how my behavior must look to someone else. “I’m fine.” I responded before focusing on the trek ahead of us again.

  We walked in silence for quite a bit, this precious woman glancing over at me every so often. I could only imagine how I looked in her eyes. My haggard appearance due to the lack of time for a proper shower this morning must’ve had me looking quite distraught and downright off-putting, guessing by the expression on her face.

  “I hate to pry, dear, but you seem as though you need to get something off of your chest.”

  My feet came to an abrupt halt, tugging her small frame back a bit. Paranoia was taking over my every move and thought, but how could anyone involve such a sweet old dear? I took in a deep breath, letting my eyes flutter shut as I exhaled. “Are you sure you want to hear about my troubles?”

  Her hand gave mine a gentle squeeze, “I wouldn't have asked otherwise.” She smiled. “You seem to have the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

  I nodded in agreement, “Sure feels like it these days.”

  “Well, I’m all ears. Unload your burdens onto me.” Her genuine smile had my heart melting into tiny pieces.

  This complete stranger had shown me more compassion in the twenty minutes I’d known her than even some of the people closest to me. She was a rare breed of human, and I found it refreshing to know that not everybody in this world was as evil as I’d thought. Now to decide just how much to tell her.

  Chapter 46

  Joey

  I knew what I was gettin’ into when I signed up for the NFL, but it was days like today that had me questionin’’ my entire future. All I wanted to do was be with Diem, to comfort her, and make her feel safe, because obviously I’d been doin’ a pisspoor job of it lately. I just wish I could grab her and runaway, far far away. I was startin’ to believe that we’re all cursed. It’s god damn ridiculous how much shit happens to all of us. But I guess the silver linin’ of it all, is that we always make it out alive, and we make it out together as a seriously dysfunctional family.

  “Green, get your head in the game.” Rhodes ran past me, slappin’ my ass as hard as possible.

  “Got it.” I shouted back as I ran and took my position on the field. Only two more hours to go.

  “Alright, looks like my girls need a break. Go get yourselves some water and find your manhood. I don’t want any of you back on the field until you’re ready to play some damn football the way it’s meant to be played.”

  Well that’s fun, I thought to myself as I went runnin’ over to my bag that was on the ground by the bleachers. I rummaged through it for a good few minutes before finally retrievin’ my phone. My heart constricted and my breathing became rapid as I saw Diem’s name flashed across my phone. I quickly opened the text, holdin’ my breath as I expected the worst. When I saw the picture of her with Alcatraz in the background, I let out a strangled sigh. I continued on readin’ the text so I could understand the picture, and was only somewhat relieved when I read why she was goin’ to Alcatraz in the first place. I sent a quick text back to her, and then immediately called Glenn.

  “Hey man, what’s goin’ on?”

  “Not much. I’m at practice so I only have a few minutes. What have you found out about this dude?” My mind was racin’ about a million miles a minute as I waited for Glenn’s response.

  “Honestly, he checks out as far as bein’ who he said he is. He’s from a small town in the UK. Started out as a serious journalist, and then became one of the most sought after paparazzi. Apparently he gets the shot that most people can’t. But Jo, I’ve been lookin’ through his pictures and he stops at nothin’ to get the shot he wants. There’ve been times that things have taken a bad turn, if you know what I mean. Of course they’ve never been able to prove that it was his fault, and he’s never been found guilty due to lack of evidence, but man, he’s a shark.”

  “Fuck!” I half shouted as
I tossed my helmet against the bleachers in front of me. “She’s all alone right now, bro. He was following her at school, I mean, she lost him, but what am I supposed to do when she gets back and he’s just there waitin’ for her?”

  “Where is she right now?”

  “She’s on Alcatraz. She had to take a ferry to an island to get the fuck away from this asshole.” I punched the water table in front of me, causin’ water to go everywhere.

  “GREEN, GET OUT ON THE FIELD...NOW!” My shoulders tensed as coach’s words splintered my every thought.

  “Damn it, I gotta get back to practice.”

  “Stay calm, Jo. When you’re done, go meet up with her and drive her home...to your place, not hers, and take her roommate with you. From everything I’ve read, nobody is off limits to this guy.”

  “I will. Thanks, Glenn. I’ll call you later.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I hung up the phone, throwin’ it back into my bag before haulin’ ass back out onto the field. I tugged my helmet on and went to work. I’m not sure if it was the worry or the rage that fueled my performance today, but by the end of practice I could practically taste a Super Bowl win. But with the extreme high came the extreme low. Because although I was stoked on how well I knew our team was going to do this season, I also knew that my girl was still in trouble and I needed to get to her as soon as possible.

  I threw my gear in the back of my truck and turned the ignition over. From what I could calculate off the top of my head, I would make it downtown in about two hours as long as traffic cooperated with me. And lord help whoever got in my damn way in the meantime. Of course the minute I merged onto the freeway, I hit traffic. I tried to stay calm, but my nerves were so tightly wound that I was about to go ballistic on every single person. I slammed my fists down onto the steering wheel, accidentally hittin’ the horn at the same time. This caused the driver in front of me to flip me off, along with the driver to the side of me. I silently apologized, and then reached over to turn up the radio.

  The deafening volume of my workout playlist was doing absolutely nothing to drown out the overwhelming fear I was feelin’. I honestly didn’t know what I would be capable of if I found my girl in a dire situation. Traffic came to an abrupt halt thirty minutes into my drive, and I swear if I was able to get away with it, I would barrel through traffic, taking out everyone in my way. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.

  My head slammed down onto the top of the steering wheel as I white knuckled it. I was five seconds away from losin’ my shit, when my phone began to ring. I didn’t have to look at the screen to know who it was that was callin’ me.

  “Hey Glenn, what’s goin’ on?”

  “Just checkin’ in on ya.” Glenn’s voice echoed throughout the cab of the truck as my irritation grew to exponential amounts.

  “I appreciate it, man. I literally just got out of practice and I’m on my way downtown now. Should be there in about an hour if all these ASSHOLES knew how to FUCKIN’ drive.”

  “Geez man. I get you’re on edge, but holy hell, Jo. Settle the fuck down.”

  “Whatever.” I huffed. “Tell me what’s goin’ on out there. How’s the preggo bunch doin’? I tell ya, I don’t know how you and Madison are doin’ it. It’s not even the fact that it’s two pregnant women, it’s the fact that it’s pregnant KJ and Cam.” I laughed.

  “It’s definitely been somethin’. I swear some days I’m losin’ my mind. Or maybe she’s losin’ hers, and mine is already lost. No, but honestly, we’re doin’ a lot better than we were. I thought for sure that she would be pissed at me for quite some time for the dumbass stunt I pulled with the adoption, but this pregnancy has done somethin’ to her. She’s far more forgiving than I’d ever be.”

  “I’m amazed that’s the case. I would’ve kicked your ass out of the house, that’s for damn sure. It’s not like you lied about goin’ to the grocery store or somethin’ like that.”

  Glenn let out an aggravated sigh, “I know I fucked up, Jo. I don’t need you, on top off everyone else, gettin’ on my case. I’ve got Cami for that.” A strangled laugh escaped him, and I was happy that my brother was finally realizin’ that he couldn’t bullshit his way around life.

  “How’s KJ?” I knew exactly what Glenn was about to say to me, and I instantly regretted askin’ the question in the first place.

  “Don’t you think maybe you should ask her?”

  “Yeah, and I will. Shit has been difficult to say the least. I just haven’t had the time.” This was a lie. I did have the time, but with everything goin’ on with her and her life, and everything goin’ on in mine, it felt as though I needed to put Diem first.

  “Jo, you need to make the time. Kayla has been there for you more than anyone else, and it’s not fair to her, the way you’ve been treatin’ her.”

  I nodded in agreement, even though he couldn’t see me. “I’ll give her a call later today.”

  “You get to Diem yet?”

  I let out a huff, “I’m on my way to her now. I’m hopin’ I’ll get there before nightfall.”

  “Well, call me if you need anything.”

  “Will do.”

  As I hung up with Glenn I realized that I needed to get my priorities straight. Regardless of what’s goin’ on with work, Diem, and every other fucked up thing in my life, I needed to make time for my best friend. I pride myself on being the one that can fix everything, make everyone’s problems my own, but it was a way of life that wasn’t sustainable anymore. I needed to take care of myself, and then everyone else, because if I didn’t, I wasn’t goin’ to be around long enough to help everyone else.

  The sun was setting as I was finally coming up on the exit for downtown, when my phone alerted me to a text. My heart started beating erratically as I clutched my phone tightly in my hand as I opened the message.

  On the ferry headed back.

  Text me when you get this.

  Love, D

  My tensed muscles relaxed a little as relief washed over me. At least I knew she was safe, for now. I drove through multiple parking lots tryin’ to find her car, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I checked my phone for the time, and then pulled into one of the first available spaces I could find. She would be docking soon, and I didn't want to miss her. I threw my truck into park, and hightailed it over to where the Alcatraz ferry docked, and then I stood waiting...and waiting...and waiting.

  Chapter 47

  Diem

  “Well, Diem it was an absolute pleasure spending the day with you. Thanks for letting this little old woman tag along and interrupt your difficult day.” Her weathered face looked up at me with true and genuine concern.

  “No, thank you, Theresa, for taking pity on a basket case like myself. I feel a million times lighter getting everything off of my chest. Thank you for being the sounding board I’ve needed.” I leaned in to give this amazing woman a huge hug, but something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I hated to cut our goodbye short, but I needed to. “Thank you, Theresa. You’ve helped me more than you could ever know.” I gave her a tight squeeze, and then began to briskly walk away.

  “You’re welcome, dear. I hope you have a fantastic life.”

  I slightly turned back, giving her a heartfelt wave. “You as well.”

  I could hear his heavy footsteps behind me as I half ran to my car. I clicked the unlock button as though my life depended on it, and then slid inside, locking the doors behind me. A few seconds later I was throwing my car in reverse and making my way towards home.

  I could see his car in the rear view mirror as I turned towards the direction of the east tunnel where I was hopefully going to be able to lose him. His headlights were blinding me as he inched closer to the backend of my car. My heart rate spiked with every mile that I drove. As I chanced a glance in the rear view mirror again, his headlights disappeared because of how close he was. I put more pressure behind my foot as my car went lurching forward. The speedometer read 95 just a
s I felt my car jerk forward with force.

  Did he seriously just ram into the back of my car? I was beginning to think this guy was nuts, and not just a little bit. For a paparazzo, he was straddling the line of what was moral, and someone’s safety.

  I sped up a bit more, now reaching 100 miles an hour, when I felt my body jerking against the steering wheel again.

  “SERIOUSLY, ASSHOLE.” I shouted as I flipped him off through the back window.

  My trembling hands frantically searched for my cell phone in my bag that sat on the passenger seat, causing my foot to press down even harder on the gas pedal. “Son of a bitch.” Because of how fast I was driving, I opted to forget about the phone for now.

  Suddenly his headlights disappeared, and I glanced around out every window, looking to see where he went. A bright flash went off next to my window, and I was temporarily blinded. I could feel my car jerk beneath me as I tried to stay in control. I finally got the car righted, when there was another flash of light that went off even closer this time. This time my car went swerving across traffic, barely missing the cement median. I quickly regained control of my car and pushed the gas pedal all the way down to the floor. My Audi went flying through traffic as I weaved in and out of the lanes. I was almost to the entrance of the tunnel, and I knew once I reached it, I would be able to slow down and blend in with the traffic on the far side where he hopefully wouldn’t notice me.

  I was so close, I could practically taste my freedom. Just a few more feet. I was at the entrance ready to make a quick break to the right, when I went blind. All I saw were bright stars in my otherwise white vision. I tried to stay in control of my car, but it was nearly impossible. I tugged at the steering wheel, hoping I was tugging in the correct direction, but then I suddenly felt myself flying forward, my seatbelt ripping through my shoulder as the airbag deployed right into my face. Glass shattered all around me, cutting and slicing my face. Metal crushed around me rendering me immobile. As I gasped for air, I could feel bits of metal sliding into my skin, puncturing what I could only imagine to be my lung.