by Connor Mccoy
“That’s good.” Boss sank back into the candlelit den. “That’s good.”
Jacob stepped into his bedroom. Domino was out of sight, in the small bathroom adjoining their personal abode. With the sun down, candles on the dresser supplied the room with light.
“Jay?” Domino called.
“It’s me.” Jacob walked toward the open window to enjoy the soft breeze.
“I was just checking around. I thought I heard something. It turned out Arnie wanted to sleep closer to Sheryl. She didn’t mind. The two of them were out like a light.”
“Did you look at the kids?” Domino asked.
“All of them. Brandon was still a little active. I had to chat with him for a few minutes. He felt a little weird knowing Arnie was sleeping in his bed.”
Domino stepped out of the bathroom, showing she was dressed in a nightgown. “Is he okay with Arnie living with us for a while?”
“Sure. The two of them got along well,” Jacob said.
Domino sighed. “Thank God.” Sauntering over to the bed, she said, “I wonder if I’ll still feel okay to sleep with Terri and Guy still in the house.”
“They seemed fine with being locked in the den. I think they know they got into a pretty good situation. They could have ended up dead, and tomorrow they’ll be leaving here altogether. They won’t have to worry about Sykes.”
Domino lay on her chest on the bed. “That just leaves us to deal with him.”
Jacob felt a sudden weight push down on him. “God, I don’t want to think about that. I just got home.” He sat down on the bed close to Domino. “I want to reconnect with this place.”
Domino sat up. “I know how you feel.” She nuzzled the back of his neck. “You of all people deserve to rest. You did it. You got us all home safe and sound. We even got Sheryl back.”
Jacob turned to Domino. “With some help from my lady.”
The pair shared a kiss. Jacob flung a little sweat off his forehead. “I guess the lack of AC still is going to take some getting used to.”
“You think it’s too hot in here?” Domino giggled. “Isn’t a sweaty husband in bed a good thing?” She leaned a little closer and spoke coquettishly. “You do know how to work up a sweat in bed, don’t you?”
Jacob was puzzled for a moment, but only a moment. He realized he had not possessed the time to consider such pursuits in days.
“I think we should close the door first,” he said slowly. “And then I’m going to take my very best guess.”
Chapter Sixteen
Jacob glanced over at Wickers and Boss, who were standing with him in the woods beyond the Avery fence line. The pair wore backpacks stuffed with the supplies that Jacob had promised. The pair appeared tired, no doubt because Jacob had insisted that they wake up before dawn to get ready to set off. Even now the sun had not risen fully beyond the horizon.
“If you stick the woods and follow the marked route, it’ll take you to the state line without putting you in view of any roads,” Jacob said. “The chances that Sykes or his men ever will run into you are probably one in a zillion.”
Wickers fingered the strap of his pack. “You really put in a lot for us. Thanks.” Boss nodded once in agreement.
“Don’t mention it,” Jacob said.
Wickers looked off to the woods beyond. “I tell you, I never would have dreamed my life would come to this. I was a car guy, a mechanic. Now I’m hiking the woods like Daniel Boone. I guess I should feel grateful that I’m alive at all.”
Looking at Jacob, he said, “I’m sorry for what we put you through. If I had known you were alive and coming home…”
“Forget it,” Jacob said. “In any case, it’s better you thought the house was permanently deserted. Sykes, if he knew, might have put some of his men with you. My homecoming would have been a lot more difficult.”
“Are you really going to stand up to him?” Boss asked.
Jacob let his fingers dance along the chain link fence. “When I first drove up to that house, it was beat, worn down, and a little smaller than it is today. I put my heart and soul into making it a home for me and my family. There’s no way I can give it up to Sykes.”
Wickers approached Jacob. “Well, for what it’s worth, I hope you and your family pull through this.”
Jacob turned to Wickers. “I hope you and Terri find a place you can call your own. Just make sure that it’s truly on the market.”
Jacob offered his hand. Wickers shook it.
A few minutes later, Jacob joined Domino, who had watched the conversation and parting from a short distance away in the fields. She previously had bid Boss and Wickers farewell and had allowed Jacob to walk them to the property line. As of now, the couple who once occupied the Avery homestead was disappearing from sight into the woods.
“That’s one fire put out,” Domino said. “I know we didn’t have the happiest meeting with those two, but I hope nothing bad happens to them.”
Jacob averted his gaze from the woods beyond his property back to his home. With Wickers and Boss departed, there was no distracting from the hard work ahead to figure out how to keep that house in their hands.
Sheryl looked wryly at Jacob. “Why does it feel like every time we turn around, we’re planning to go to war with somebody?”
The Avery family was strewn around the living room, seated on the sofa or the loveseat. Lerner was occupied coloring in an old coloring book that the Averys had bought for Brandon but that he never had used. Courtney sat with the Averys as well, huddled up on the edge of the sofa.
Jacob, the only one not seated, strolled past Brandon and Jubilee before halting near his wife, who sat on the end of the sofa opposite Courtney.
“It’s one hell of a family meeting, isn’t it?” he asked Sheryl as he cast a glance at her.
Panning to speak to the others, he said, “I wish we all had time to settle in and get on with our lives, but we’re racing against the clock. If Sykes isn’t going to play nice and leave us alone, we’re going to have to fight him, and we’re going to have to play for keeps. Either he must recognize that the Avery farm isn’t his for the taking, or we’re going to have to make sure he doesn’t leave at all.”
“Suits me,” Domino said. Sheryl still seemed uncomfortable, but kept silent.
“So, how are we going to stop him?” Jubilee asked.
“It’s simple.” Brandon jumped off the seat.
“He’s coming in a truck, right? So, we dig a bunch of holes in the road leading up to the house and fill them with mines. He drives over one of them…boom!” Brandon spread his hands. “Pieces of Sykes blown everywhere!”
“That’s nice, Sweetie, but I don’t think we have the tools to dig up the road,” Domino said.
“No, but that doesn’t mean we can’t block the road.” Jacob smiled. “What good is his truck if he can’t reach our house? There are plenty of trees around here. A few solid trunks across the road will stop him dead in his tracks.”
Courtney piped up. “Okay, so what if they get out and walk to the house?” She wiggled her fingers like walking legs. “They can do that. You’re just going to piss them off by making them walk a little farther.”
“That’s a good point,” Jacob said. “But blocking the road gives us a tactical advantage. They can’t just drive up to our front door and unload a raiding party. If they have to stop, we can see them come out, see how they’re going to approach our land. It gives us time to stop them before they can reach the house.”
“But what if they leave and go around the other way?” Jubilee asked.
Domino turned to her daughter. “What do you mean?”
“Well, when I got hurt, you all drove me out to the back road, remember? Does Sykes know where that is? Wouldn’t he just go around the trees?” Jubilee replied.
It seemed possible. After Jubilee was hit with the arrow, Jacob was prepared to take her to Sheryl’s hospital, but that was when Alex Cowell made his appearance. Jacob did not want to run into the social worke
r given his daughter’s injury, so he drove the truck through a gate in his back fence onto a dirt road that led to the state road.
“There are some trees around there we could fell, probably block the gate, but Sykes still could crash through the fence somewhere if he really wanted,” Jacob said. “There’s no way I can surround my whole fence with tree limbs in time.”
Brandon’s smile grew. “Hey! I’ve got an idea!”
Jacob leaned closer to listen.
Once the meeting broke up, Jacob turned his attention to Sheryl, who was walking toward Arnie, who continued happily coloring in his coloring book. His sister seemed like she had a lot on her mind. Jacob couldn’t blame her.
“War’s not exactly the happiest subject on the planet,” Jacob said.
Sheryl sighed. “No kidding.” She leaned against the wall, still watching Arnie coloring.
“I didn’t want to say it out there. You probably are going to be pissed at me. But I don’t think this place is worth dying for.”
Tilting a tad to Jacob, she added, “All we have left is each other. If this Jimmy Sykes is so crazy that he’d shoot you to get this house, why not just run? I know you put a lot into this place, but God.” She shook her head. “We’ve lost so much already. Are we going to lose each other, too?”
Jacob hovered over Sheryl. “Tell you the truth, I thought a little about running away, taking the family to Skylar. Maybe I should think about it a little more. I just realized how crazy this is.” He chuckled a little before going on.
“I guess it just boils down to what I want to fight for. This is my home. It’s been a haven for my family. It’s strong enough that it can support you and anyone else I want to take on board until the end of our lives.”
After a brief pause, Jacob continued. “But that doesn’t mean you have to be in the middle of this. In fact, I think you should leave until this fight with Sykes is over. I want you to take Courtney and Arnie to Skylar. I’d really like you to take Jubilee and Brandon, but I get the feeling making them leave isn’t going to be easy.”
Sheryl didn’t seem enthusiastic about the suggestion. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like the idea of getting into a gun fight, but I can’t leave you to face that madman. Is it going to be just you and Domino and maybe even the kids against Sykes and his gang?”
She shook her head. “No. No, there’s no way I can just go up and leave.”
“Sheryl, I wouldn’t ask you to do this,” Jacob said gently.
“I know. But if you die…” Sheryl winced. “At this point, I don’t think I can survive without, without you. I can’t make it alone. I don’t know this world. I don’t know how anything works.”
Jacob reached out to embrace her. Sheryl sank into his arms. “It’s going to be tough,” Jacob said, “but we can get through this. You made it so far without me being by your side. I think you’re a little tougher than you might think you are.”
Sheryl giggled. “Thank you.”
Jacob looked past Sheryl to Arnie. “But we do have to do something with Arnie and Courtney. Arnie, particularly. There’s no way we can have him fight with us.”
Putting the mentally challenged man into the middle of a gun fight would be an act of sheer cruelty. They somehow had to take Arnie out of the fight.
“Can we put him somewhere safe? I mean, is there going to be any place safe when the fight starts?” Sheryl asked.
Jacob gave it some thought. Where could they put him? In fact, what were they going to do with Courtney as well? Courtney could leave if she wanted, but where would she go? She was just an ordinary girl with no outdoor training. They would have to accompany her somewhere if she was to seek safe haven, and Jacob didn’t think they could do that before Sykes returned to the farm.
He pondered that problem as he looked up to his ceiling. Then an idea hit him.
Jacob lowered the attic door and the accompanying wooden steps. He was greeted with a huff of hot air, though not as much as he expected. He had made sure the attic was well ventilated to reduce the risk of papers bursting into flames during hot weather.
Sheryl and Courtney backed up to avoid the steps. Jacob waved a hand in front of his face to blow away some of the hot air. “Here we go.”
Turning to Courtney, he said, “A little place to put you and Arnie up when the you-know-what hits the fan. Hopefully, you two won’t have to stay up here for too long.”
Jacob climbed up into the attic. “Just as I left her.”
To his relief, it was much more spacious than he remembered. The add-ons he had built onto his house, including the den, allowed him to space out his belongings. As a result, the attic floor was clear enough that someone could sleep up here if that person wished. It easily could hold Courtney and Arnie for a while.
Courtney and Sheryl accompanied Jacob into the attic. Courtney promptly sneezed. “Bless you,” Sheryl said.
After wiping her nose, Courtney said, “I hate to bring this up, but if Sykes’s squad of psychos breaks into the house, they can come up here, too.”
“It won’t be so easy once I stick a lock on that door,” Jacob said. “They can pull on the drawstring, but it won’t come down.”
“But they can shoot their way in,” Courtney added.
Jacob sighed. “Believe me, I’m not saying this is foolproof. I just have to keep you and Arnie out of the fighting until we take them all down.” He looked at Courtney and saw the doubt in her eyes.
“I’m not saying you have to do this. I just don’t think we can escort you to another town before Sykes shows up.” Scratching his face, Jacob said, “There might be another choice. I could station you and Arnie off my land, somewhere in the woods. You could wait there instead until we come and get you. Hiding up here could be risky. There’s no way to escape if Sykes and his men should take the house.”
Courtney fished her hands into her pant pockets. “Cheery.”
“It’s up to you. If I put you and Arnie out in the woods, Sykes and his men might spot you, but you also could run away if necessary,” Jacob said.
Courtney walked up to one of the ceiling beams. Jacob tried to guess what she might be thinking. She seemed torn between the choices. Jacob wished he knew the correct approach to keep this girl and Arnie Lerner safe from harm.
“It feels nicer, safer in here.” Courtney orbited the beam. “The woods? I don’t know.” She turned to Jacob. “Can I, I don’t know, try it out first?”
Jacob watched Courtney spin around in a circle. He and the teen, plus Sheryl, hiked out to the thicket of trees just beyond the Avery property line. Jacob got an idea when Courtney asked to “try it out.” She immediately backtracked, thinking she had said something stupid, but Jacob figured putting Courtney out here to experience the scenery would help her out.
“What do you think?” Jacob asked. “It certainly smells better out here.”
Courtney backed up against a tree. “I don’t know. You guys are still with me. Can you walk behind that tree for a moment?”
Jacob understood. She wanted to simulate how it would feel to be alone. He and Sheryl slipped behind the tree.
Sheryl opened her mouth to speak, but Jacob put a finger to his lips. Speaking would give away their presence. Jacob wanted Courtney to feel totally alone.
The two siblings waited for a few minutes. Finally, Courtney piped up. “Okay Mister and Miss Avery! Please come out!”
Jacob and Sheryl revealed themselves. Courtney was holding her arms, swaying her legs back and forth. “I think I’m done. The woods are nice but it’s really, really creepy without anyone to talk to out here. I mean, I know Arnie would be with me, but he’s, you know.”
“Right.” Jacob approached Courtney. “It’s fine. The attic it is?”
Courtney nodded. “Yeah.”
As the trio started back toward the house, Sheryl whispered, “Are you just going to keep those two in the attic alone? What if they need help?”
Jacob had considered that problem. He did
n’t want to spare Domino or Sheryl, though. Who could he station with them?
Brandon, seated on his bed, eyed his father. “You want me to stay up in the attic with Courtney?”
“Courtney and Arnie,” Jacob said.
“Yeah, yeah, right. But I don’t get to help fight Sykes. I just have to hang around Courtney until it’s all over,” Brandon said.
Jacob worried that Brandon might not go along with this. Still, he seemed like the right choice. It also gave Jacob a way to keep one of his kids out of the fighting. He would have liked to put Jubilee up there as well, but her shooting skills were too valuable to pass up.
But instead of arguing, Brandon leaped from his bed. “I’ll do it!”
He’ll do it? Well, this was easy, Jacob thought. But why…
Jacob suddenly understood why Brandon was so eager to go along with it.
Chapter Seventeen
Sheryl rubbed her eyes. She had been keeping a lookout through the eyepiece for the past half hour, or so it seemed. Without the use of watches, keeping time was almost purely a matter of guessing. If it wasn’t for Brandon and Jubilee teaching Sheryl about keeping track of time through the positions of the sun, Sheryl felt she would be totally lost until the sun started to set.
She and Brandon had taken up a position on a hill in the forest. It was a short hike northwest of the Avery homestead. Jacob had performed some geographical scouting of the area some years before and even had a topographical map on hand. He figured this would be the best place to scout the road for signs of Sykes’s approach.
The setup was ingenious. Coming into the immediate vicinity of the Avery house, the road slightly swerved, like a snake, so at one point it actually would bend in the opposite direction before looping around to run by the Avery farm. From this high point in the woods, it was possible to keep watch on that opposite direction the road took.
