by K. C. Crowne
It was perfect timing for me. “I need to take a step back too. For personal reasons.”
Graham and Sam turned toward me, but unlike Eli, their looks were more curious than angry.
“Oh yeah? What’s going on, Doc?” Graham asked, calling me by the nickname he’d given me after he’d found out I chose the medic path in the military. “I know I’ve been busy, but I really need to catch up with you guys.”
“Stop it,” Eli said, holding his hands up. His voice was thunderously loud and mostly a growl. “I didn’t call this meeting to discuss our personal lives. We really need to focus on work. I understand that Graham and Sam might need to step aside for a bit, but Mason, you don’t have a kid on the way. There’s no excuse.”
I swallowed hard, not wanting to say something I’d regret. I didn’t want to break the news to my brothers like this – in anger and frustration. “I have my own reasons.”
Eli growled and lunged toward where I was sitting. I stood up, topping him by only a couple inches. “Listen, I’m doing everything these days, with little to no help from any of you,” he said. “This was supposed to be our business, but lately I feel like my own family is abandoning me, leaving me out to dry, and it isn’t right.”
“Stand down, Eli,” Graham said, standing up and stepping between the two of us. “I’m sure Mason has legitimate reasons. Don’t you, Doc?”
“I do.”
“What reasons? What could be more important than family?” Eli asked, glowering at me.
“Nothing is more important than family. I just have more going on than this security firm, and you act like this needs to be my entire fucking life.”
“It would be nice if it was even a small part of your life, but you can’t be bothered to come to meetings, help with clients or even work gigs right now. And from where I’m standing, you’re leaving it all up to me since you know our brothers have shit going on.”
“I have shit going on too,” I growled. “Just because I don’t tell you guys everything doesn’t mean I don’t have things other than this business to think about.”
Graham placed a hand on my shoulder, moving me backward. Sam was standing and talking to Eli, trying to calm him down.
“Mason, man,” Graham said. “What’s going on? Talk to me.”
“I will. I’ll tell everyone when I’m ready, and on my own terms.”
Blood was rushing through my veins, and my fists were balled at my sides. I was angry. Not at Eli, but myself. He was right. I was letting everything fall on him. But what choice did I have? My heart wasn’t fully in the business anymore. I wanted something more.
And there was the baby…
My head was spinning as I thought about Danielle and our child.
Suddenly it felt like the large living room was caving in around me. Sam walked over to us, and that made me feel claustrophobic. I took a step back and found myself up against the wall.
“I need some air,” I said. I pushed myself away from them and hurried toward the door.
“Where the fuck is he going now? You know what, I don’t care anymore,” Eli called out after me. “Keep running away from your family if that’s what you want to do.”
I got in my truck and started the engine. I backed out of the driveway and hit the road with no real destination in mind. I just knew that I didn’t want to go home and deal with Eli’s questions. I wasn’t ready to tell them about Danielle and the baby because I was still processing what it meant for us. I knew they’d have questions I didn’t have the answers to just yet.
I drove mindlessly, or so I thought, until I saw the sign for Danielle’s rescue.
Dammit.
She’d said she wanted her space, and I needed to respect that. I couldn’t keep showing up and expecting answers she also didn’t have. It was unfair to her.
I parked on the other side of the road. From where I was sitting, I could see the front of her house in the distance. I had only intended to park for a second before turning around and going God knows where. But a car pulled into the driveway and drove all the way to the front of her house. I sat up in my seat to get a better look. It wasn’t her ex’s vehicle. It could be another customer, but as far as I knew, she wasn’t really open for business. And it was getting late into the evening.
Not that it was any of my business… I should have driven off and left her to her affairs. But something stopped me from leaving.
A man got out of the car, and I knew him from his advertisements around town. My stomach churned.
Jim King. Loan shark.
Sure, he advertised himself as a lender for those with bad credit, but the interest rates written in the small prints should have been illegal. It was like selling your soul to the devil.
I didn’t like what this meant for Danielle. After all, loan sharks didn’t just pop in for friendly visits.
Danielle
“Mr. King? What are you doing here at this time of night?” I asked, my voice low so as to not wake up Skyler. Seeing him at this time of night made me wish the dogs were inside, but they’d all gone out one last time before bed.
The burly man pushed his way into my house, or else I wouldn’t have let him in the door. “I’m here to tell you that you missed your first payment due date, Ms. Baker,” the man said dryly.
“What? No, the first payment is the first of the month,” I stated. “There must be some mistake.”
“No, there’s no mistake. Here, let me show you,” he said. He pulled out the contract I had signed.
My eyes skimmed it and I found where it said that a payment equaling one third of the loan amount would be due on the first of the month and pointed at it. “See? Right here.”
Jim shot me a grin that sent a shiver down my spine, as if he knew something I didn’t. He flipped to the very last page.
“Here, Ms. Baker,” he said, handing it to me.
I took the contract in my hands and frowned. The print was so tiny and contained a lot of legalese that I likely skipped over. I was about to question him on where it said anything about a payment being due within a day of the loan, when I saw it.
A good faith deposit of 1% of the loan value will be paid within 24 hours of the contract to lock in the interest rate of 15%. If this payment is not met, the lender reserves the right to raise the interest rate to 30%
“A deposit? You never mentioned needing to put money down for the loan,” I stammered, dropping the contract on the coffee table. “Hell, I’m pretty sure this isn’t even legal. I’d have to look at usury laws, but—”
“Ms. Baker,” Jim’s voice was deep and loud, so much so it made it feel like the walls were ready to crumble around me. “I gave you this loan because no one else in Liberty would touch you. You have no credit history, no money, nothing. I did you a favor, and this is how you’re going to repay me?”
The voice. The look on his face. The words he chose. It sent me spiraling back in time. I froze, with my mouth open, no sound coming out. Just like I had done when Greg had done this to me.
“I did you a favor,” my ex often shouted. “And this is how you’re going to repay me?”
I was young and naive back then, and I felt like I’d had no options. He’d used that against me. And here I was, even though I had tried my best to not find myself in the same situation again, owing a man who was going to use his “favor” against me.
Jim lowered his voice and kept talking, and I almost missed what he was saying. Finally, I pulled myself together.
“Now, this doesn’t mean much - I’m not going to take your home because you missed this. It just means your interest rates will go up. Pay me back in the time frame we agreed upon, and we’ll be squared away. I highly doubt you have the ability to take me to court, considering your financial situation and all.”
There was nothing I could say to dissuade him on that, because it was true. My options were fairly limited at the moment. And still, I couldn’t find my voice.
Dammit, Danielle - stop
it. Pull yourself together. He isn’t Greg. You can stand up for yourself.
“I—”
Before I could say anything, Jim stepped closer to me, too close. I backed up until I hit the wall, and he kept on coming. I knew I was shaking, but I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t stop my legs from trembling and threatening to give out on me either.
I just stood there as he leered at me. His expression changed when he glanced to the side.
“Oh, hi there, sweetie,” Jim’s tone changed, and he backed away. “What are you doing up so late? Does Mommy not give you a bedtime? I doubt your daddy would be alright with that.” Jim looked at me with a maniacal grin.
“She was in bed, but you must have woken her,” I stated, finally finding my voice. I pushed myself away from the wall. “And what do you know about her father?” My eyes narrowed on the man.
“As I told you, we’re friends. I called him after you took out the loan, just to let him know what’s going on. Can’t say he was too pleased with the news, but I told him I would take good care of his daughter.” His tone was threatening.
I picked up on the message, and it creeped me the hell out. “Please leave,” I said. “Now.”
“Oh Danielle. Is that any way to treat someone who did you a favor?”
“I need to put my daughter back to bed,” I said, my voice raising. “Please leave before I call the police.”
“Is everything okay, Mommy?” Skyler’s little voice cracked.
“Everything’s fine, honey,” Jim answered her before I could, his voice low. “I’ll be leaving so there’s no more trouble.”
I clenched my jaw tightly. I so badly wanted to tell him to never talk to my daughter again, and never to call her honey. Instead, I walked over to Skyler and took her hand, shielding her with my body as if I had to protect her. Because even though Jim said he was leaving, something didn’t sit right with me, and my mother bear instinct kicked into high gear.
But Jim did as he said, turning and walking toward the door. Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, however, he stopped.
“I’m leaving this copy of the contract with you, with the new interest rates highlighted just so we’re clear. I would hate to see you out on the street, Ms. Baker, especially with your adorable little daughter. So please, pay as promised so I don’t have to take your home.”
He stepped through the door, dropping the contract on the end table beside it. I wasn’t ready to breathe yet.
I hurried to the door and locked both the handle and the dead bolt. I stared out the little window in the door, watching as Jim got in his car and left. As he pulled out of the driveway, I saw the shadow of a truck sitting out on the road. It was too dark and too far away to make out the details, but in the pit of my stomach, I knew who it was.
My insides were on fire as rage seethed from every organ in my body.
“Come on, sweetie,” I said, trying to make my tone as cheerful and bright as possible. “Let’s go back to bed.”
Skyler looked up at me with wide, terrified eyes. “Are we going to lose our home, Mommy?”
“No, of course, not, baby,” I said, kneeling in front of her. “We’re going to be just fine. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Inwardly, I was cursing Jim for bringing this stress into my daughter’s life. She was too young to worry about shit like this. When I was a child, my parents would often argue about money, and that feeling of financial instability never left me. I was always anxious, worried we’d be homeless one day, and that was the last thing I wanted for Skyler.
“But—but he said…” Her lips trembled.
“He’s just trying to scare me. But let me tell you something - your mommy doesn’t scare easily,” I promised her, pushing a strand of her blonde hair out of her face. “And no man is going to take our home away from us.”
Skyler nodded slowly, and I prayed she believed me, that she trusted me. Even if I wasn’t sure I deserved that trust.
My eyes fell on the contract he’d left behind, and my blood boiled. I’d meant what I’d said earlier - what he was doing wasn’t legal. But I also knew that legal aide in this part of the state was backed up for months. It was nearly impossible to get any help during the divorce case, and I couldn’t imagine the stress it would cause if I tried to fight now. If we had to wait, then Jim might come after our property, and all the drama that would ensue… No, if I could, it would be wiser to just pay it. Pay it and get on with our lives so Skyler didn’t have to deal with housing insecurity the way I did growing up.
Her little eyes were heavy with sleep, so I led her back to her room after letting the dogs in. Zeus was right on our heels and climbed into bed beside her as I tucked her back in.
“Everything is going to be okay,” I whispered to her, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “I promise.”
I waited until her breathing was even and calm, and then I slipped out of the bedroom. I left the door open a crack but went out onto the porch to make my phone call. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep my voice down, and I didn’t want to risk waking Skyler up again.
He picked up on the first ring. “Hello?”
“How dare you?” I said through gritted teeth. “You think you can scare me by sending Jim over here, huh? Well, let me tell you something, Greg, I don’t scare that easily.”
“What are you talking about?” Greg asked. “I didn’t send him over there. Frankly, I’m not happy you’re doing business with him at all. It was a stupid thing to do, Danielle, and really makes me doubt your ability to raise my child.”
“Our child. She’s mine, too,” I reminded him furiously. “And don’t act like you weren’t involved in this. He’s threatening to take the property, all based around an unethical contract. This has your scent all over it.”
“I didn’t send you to him, Dani. You went on your own, remember?”
“He’s a friend of yours, Greg.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call him a friend, but yes. I know him,” he admitted smugly. “It’s a small town, Danielle. Everyone knows everyone in Liberty, and I’m shocked that you hadn’t already heard of Jim’s shady reputation before signing a contract in the first place.”
I swallowed a lump in my throat. I’d never heard anything about him - not even from Greg himself. He was probably right. He likely wasn’t friends with Jim, at least not close friends, or else I’d have heard something about him over the years.
“He was a friend of my dad’s, mostly,” Greg said. “We keep in touch, but I’d never go into business with him, and signing a contract from him? Shit, Dani, I really thought you were smarter than that.”
He was right. How could I have been so stupid? I pushed that aside, thinking about the truck I’d seen out front. “Well, if you’re not involved with his threats, then why are you sitting outside my property right now?”
He sighed heavily as if bored with my questions. “I’m at home, Danielle. I was just getting ready to head to bed.”
“Liar. I’m staring at you right now,” I growled.
“I don’t know who you’re staring at, but it isn’t me.”
“Bullshit,” I muttered.
Nothing I said or did would get answers from Greg. He would only continue to berate me since he reveled in tearing down my self-esteem every chance he got.
I hung up but didn’t take my eyes off the truck. The truck and its mystery occupant were still sitting across from my property. There was nothing but woods across from me, no reason to stop and sit there.
And I didn’t trust Greg one little bit.
I went back inside, but only temporarily. I went straight for the baseball bat I kept beside my bed. I didn’t want guns in the house with Skyler, so it was the best I could do. I took the bat and walked back outside, ready to fight.
Mason
I squinted, trying to make out the shape moving toward me. It was clearly Danielle. What was she doing outside?
“What is she carrying?” I muttered out loud
.
She walked quickly too, all things considered. She made good time and crossed the road, and that’s when I realized she was carrying a baseball bat. And she was walking directly toward my brand-new truck.
I hopped out of the seat with my hands in the air as if being pulled over by a cop. “It’s me,” I called, making sure to stand back regardless. Just in case it was me she was aiming at.
She halted abruptly. “Mason? What the hell are you doing out here?” The bat was still held high and ready to go. I didn’t dare take a step closer, just to be safe.
“I—well, I don’t really have a good reason for it. I just drove around to clear my thoughts and found myself out here. I didn’t want to disturb you since you’d asked for some space, so I just sat outside.”
Her face softened and she dropped the bat to her side, no longer threatening me with it. In that moment, she looked utterly defeated.
“Jesus, do you have any idea what I thought?” she asked, and there was a cracking in her voice. “I thought you were—” She cut herself off, and instead of words, there were sobs.
I carefully closed the distance between us, and once I was close enough, I took the bat from her. She handed it to me freely. I placed it on the ground before asking, “Do you mind if I hug you? You seem to really need it.”
She nodded her head, and I assumed that meant it was okay. The tears streaming down her cheeks killed me. It was like she’d smacked me in the stomach with that bat. Hell, I would have preferred that over seeing her this unhappy.
I wrapped my arms around her, and she fell into me, her face nuzzled against my chest. Her entire body trembled in my arms.
“Who are you afraid of, Danielle?” I asked her, stroking her hair as I continued holding her.
“No one,” she said between sobs.
“Then why were you coming out here with a baseball bat looking for a fight? Who did you think I was?”
Her body stiffened and she pulled away from me, straightening her posture as she wiped at her eyes. “No one in particular. I just thought you were a creep or something,” she said, and I knew that was a bald-faced lie.
