Hollow (Heaven Hill Generations #4) - Laramie Briscoe Page 0,73
when you were a little girl, I saw it.”
“Then why didn’t you help her?” I blurt out before I can stop myself.
This conversation should really be between the two of them, but they’ve involved me by doing it here in the open.
“It wasn’t my place to help her, she had to come to the conclusion on her own and get the help for herself. As evidenced by my eating ice cream today. We all have to make our own decisions and live with the consequences. Forcing someone to do something because it’s good for them doesn’t mean jack shit.”
I guess he’s right, but it still doesn’t make me happy.
“Are y’all gonna come see what I found?” Caelin yells from his office.
“Yeah,” Drew yells back at him, motioning for me to follow. Charity looks like her conversation with him didn’t go well, but at least he doesn’t have a death glare. I’ll take it.
We go into the office Caelin and Justice built when they decided to get rid of Steele’s cave. It’s brighter in here, much more like an office than it ever has been. Sorta weird, but it gives me a good feeling, knowing the person in here is taking it seriously enough not to sit in the dark all the damn time.
“Okay.” He gets up and goes to a monitor on the wall. I saw a doctor use one of these once to show me where I had a broken rib. Except this time, it’s got a map on it. “This is where Owen’s staying. I pulled some records. The past few months he’s had a huge increase in his power bill.”
“You think he’s got a grow operation?” Drew asks. “He doesn’t really strike me as the keep it together type who could.”
“Maybe that’s what he needs the money for. What if he’s not only buying into the trade, but paying people to do his work for him?” I theorize. “There’s plenty of people in this town who need work, but don’t necessarily want others to know they’re making money.”
“The only way we’re gonna find out is if we go take a look.” Drew gives me a shit-eating grin. “You do remember how to pick a lock right?”
“Fucker, I picked the lock to your house so many times.” I hit him in the stomach. “How do you think I got in and out without Liam finding out?”
“You picked my fucking front door lock?” Liam’s mouth hangs wide open. “Y’all are so goddamn lucky I’m finding out about this shit after you’re married with children. Y’all never woulda had kids, if you get what I’m saying, had I known the shit y’all were pulling under my roof.”
I chuckle nervously. “Dumb shit kids do, am I right?”
He eyes me, coming to stand nose to nose. “I curse you with your kid pulling the same shit on you as you pulled on me.”
“Damn, that’s harsh.”
“Not to mention he sounds like Tyler with the bad luck and curses,” Drew mumbles under his breath.
He smiles with his teeth. “Imagine what I could’ve done to you back in my ‘getting even’ days.”
“Point taken. I’m lucky.”
Drew chuckles. “Lucky as fuck.”
Liam looks over at him. “You wanna run your mouth, too?”
“No sir.” He clears his throat. ‘C’mon D, let’s head out.”
Running faster than we have in years, we head to our bikes to go take care of business.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Mandy
The guys told us to stay here, and that’s what we’re doing. In all of my years being a part of this family, I’ve never questioned what I’ve been told to do. But today, I almost didn’t want Dalton to go. Not because I don’t trust he’ll keep himself safe, but I truly felt like a part of my heart was leaving on his bike.
I’ve always loved Dalton, but until I learned to love myself, I never let him in deep.
He’s there now, and I know he’ll never go away.
Just like I’ll never go away again.
I’m pissed at myself for all the time I allowed us to waste. Me being irritated at him for not being what I needed him to be, but then never letting him know what it was I needed.
The two of us, we’re a damn pair.
“Mom?”
I’m so deep in my thoughts, Walker scares me, but I’m happy to see him. “Yeah?”
“Dad’s gonna be okay, isn’t he?”
It’s times like this I wonder what we’ve done to this kid. He seems to go around in a perpetual state of worry, and it’s because of us. One thing