1.

D UB

I felt someone staring at me and looked up to find my mother in the doorway. I sighed when I saw what she was wearing and just shook my head rather than remind her that she really needed to tone down her appearance if she didn’t want to stick out at her new job (the fifth or sixth she’d had since moving in with me). We’d had that argument too many times to count already, and I knew from a lifetime of experience that I’d never be able to change her mind anyway.

“What’s up, Aleta?” I asked. Her eyes narrowed like they always did when I called her by her given name - something she absolutely hated for any of her children to do, which made all of us forget how to pronounce the word “mom.”

“I’m due at work in thirty minutes, William. I’m ready to leave now.”

I took a deep breath and let it out as I leaned back in my chair. “And why can’t you drive yourself? I found you a car and . . .”

“I’d feel better if you drove me since I won’t get off until after dark.”

“You know it came with headlights for that exact reason, right?”

“I’ll walk,” Aleta said angrily as she turned to leave the room. Her long skirt flew around her and I shook my head at the sight before I leaned back over my work and picked up the piece I’d been filing. A few minutes later, I heard the front door slam.

“Is she gone?” my sister asked from behind me. I let out a shout, and the tool in my hand went flying when I jumped out of the chair. “You’re gonna get blood on the . . . Yep, there it goes.”

Suddenly, the pain registered, and I opened my hand to find a piece of glass embedded at the base of my thumb and a trail of blood dripping onto the floor.

“Why the fuck do you do that?” I snapped.

“Because it’s hilarious.” Mary looked to the side and said, “Boost me up.”

“Use the door,” I grumbled as I snatched a tissue from the box on my work table.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Mary asked as she reached out to help our youngest sister crawl through the window. I was happy to see that she was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, which meant Aleta hadn’t encountered her today and guilted her into changing clothes. “Laura, go get the first aid kit from beneath the kitchen sink before William turns this place into a horror movie set.”

I watched Mary brush the grass off her knees and asked, “How long have you been sitting out there waiting for Aleta to leave?”

“For a while now. You know, for a guy who spent so much time in prison, you’d think your sense of situational awareness would be more keen.” Mary leaned over my work table and gasped. “Dub, this is beautiful!”

“It’s not finished,” I said as I nudged her out of the way. “What do you know about situational awareness anyway?”

“YouTube. I’ve gotta learn to defend myself.”

“For what? A zombie apocalypse?”

“Just in case I ever have to go back,” Mary mumbled as she tried to look around me at the glass on the table. Before I had a chance to reassure her, she said, “I heard from Monty this morning.”

I sighed. “I am not sending him another dime.”

“He’s in jail.”

I let my chin drop to my chest and asked, “What for?”

“Stealing.”

“What did he steal?”

“A car.”

“They’re going to send that boy to prison.”

“Can’t win ‘em all, big brother,” Mary said sadly. “Are you going to . . .”

“I’m not getting him a lawyer either.”

“Do you think Porter or Ammon might be able to help?”

“No. I wouldn’t ask them to anyway. Monty has had his fair share of chances, and he just won’t stop fucking up.”

“Don’t you have any sympathy for him?”

“No. I did the first time and then the second. I was even pretty understanding the third time. That’s all the chances he gets. The boy can rot for all I care.”

“That’s rude,” Laura said as she walked in with the first aid kit in hand. It amazed me how much she’d changed in the short time she’d lived with me, but children were resilient. It helped that she had us as a buffer to help keep our mother off her back. Of course, that didn’t mean the girls didn’t have rules to follow.

“Does Charlotte know you two are out gallivanting around instead of doing your studies?”

Mary rolled her eyes and said, “Boring.”

Laura mimicked her and had the good grace to look ashamed when I scowled. I took the first aid kit from her and set it on my work table before I used my uninjured hand to open it up.

“Shit. I’m going to need stitches,” I grumbled as I opened my hand and studied the wound. “Where’s Charlotte?”

“One of the mares is foaling, so she’s been at the barn since before we woke up.”

“That explains why you are over here bothering me instead of at home where you’re supposed to be. Is Si home?”

Mary ripped open a package of gauze pads and handed them to me as she said, “He’s at LNM.”

I sighed before I said, “Grab my phone and call Charlotte to tell her you’re going into town with me. I’ll drop you off with Si on my way to the clinic.”

“We can stay here by ourselves.”

“Not a chance. I see what happens when you’re left to your own devices.”

“If Father were still alive, we’d be married with kids of our own by now, so I think we’ll be fine for a day,” Mary said with disgust.

“Mother said we’re going to get married next summer, so I better enjoy all this free time while I can.”

Mary looked at Laura in horror before her eyes met mine.

I tried not to sound angry when I said, “You’re ten fucking years old, Laura, and Mary is only thirteen. Neither of you are marrying anyone for a very long time.”

“But Mother said that the three of us are promised to . . .” She stopped short and then grimaced. “I wasn’t supposed to say anything.”

“When did Aleta say that?”

“Yesterday.”

“Get in the truck. We’re going to see Si.”

“Am I in trouble?” Laura asked meekly.

“No. You’re not in trouble. And I don’t want you to think that just because I get this look on my face when you talk to me about shit like this that you can’t keep doing it. I don’t want either of you to go back, Laura. I’m not going to let it happen. You deserve to be normal fucking kids who eavesdrop on grown-up conversations and climb through windows instead of using the front door, not married to some son of a bitch and having babies before you’re even old enough to know how they’re made.”

◆◆◆

“What the fuck do you mean there’s nothing we can do if she takes them back?” I yelled.

“Don’t shoot the messenger, my friend. Aleta is their mother. If she wants to pack up Mary and Laura, we can’t stop her. Now, if a marriage does happen, we’ll have some ground to stand on, but you know how this goes. They’ll never admit to it, and the girls will be hidden away where we can’t find them, so our hands will be tied.”

“I couldn’t save Charlotte from those monsters, but I’ll damn sure save the other two.”

“I don’t know how you’re going to do that,” Si said with a tortured sigh. “Sometimes, I feel like we’re fighting a losing battle.”

“I’m always available if you need to get shit done that you don’t want any part of.”

“I know you are, but right now, you need to focus on making sure your mother doesn’t take those girls back to the compound. If anything major comes up, I’ll let you know, but we’ll try to take care of things ourselves if we can.”

“I’ve got to go get this taken care of and then drop a few new items off for sale,” I said as I held up my bandaged hand. “Thanks for putting me in touch with your brother-in-law. Having my pieces displayed in his gallery has made a world of difference for my finances.”

“My sister-in-law has one of your pieces hanging in her front window. She absolutely loves it.”

“Which one?”

“The one with the two ravens.”

“I didn’t realize Cas took that home. He gave me full price for it.”

“As much as she loves it, he’d have paid you ten times whatever you were charging.”

“It’s almost shameful how much money I’m getting for some of my art - not just at the gallery, but online too.”

“I know you’re already in Cas’s gallery, but did you ever get in touch with my friend Lexi?”

“The day I took her some samples, she put in an order that almost cleared out my stock.”

“You drove them down there yourself?”

“I went to visit an old friend of mine and stopped to have a meeting with Lexi on the way.”

“It’s good to see you thriving. You deserve it after all those years away.”

I burst out laughing. “You make it sound like I was touring Europe or something and not wasting away in federal prison.”

“Where you probably shouldn’t have been sent in the first place. Speaking of, Monty is in jail again.”

“And he can stay there. He’s had too many chances already and hasn’t learned a damn thing. He’s a lot like my mother in that regard.”

“Don’t even get me started on Aleta,” Si grumbled. “I was sure that having her get a job out in the real world would help her learn to adjust, or at least start to open her mind to new things, but she’s got that life so ingrained in her . . .”

“Stubbornness is her biggest hurdle. She wanted to be top dog and didn’t get the position, so she ran, but now we know she’s been putting out feelers to go back to the fold which means she’s got something up her sleeve.”

“Most people think that the women are meek and mild because of how they present themselves and even how they talk, but they’ve got no idea what they’re really like.”

“I couldn’t have said it better, my friend.”

◆◆◆

ELIZABETH

“You’re such a dear for driving me to work today.”

I looked over at the woman I’d found crying on the side of the road and grimaced when I saw her splotchy red cheeks and disheveled braided hair. She’d been a sweaty, sobbing mess when I’d pulled over to check on her and asked if she needed help. I thought she was going to faint as I helped her to my car to sit in the air conditioning. Then she said she didn’t have a cell phone or know any of her family's numbers by heart and that even if she did, it wouldn’t matter since they refused to give her a ride anyway. I got so angry that I had to take a few seconds to compose myself as I walked around the car to get in the driver's seat.

“Are you sure you should go in today? You’ve very upset, and I hate to think that you’ve got to work an entire shift in this condition.”

“I can’t lose this job, or my son will be angry with me, and I . . . I just . . . Oh, goodness,” the woman said before she started sobbing again.

I wasn’t sure how to word my question delicately, so I just blurted it out. “Are you in danger at home? Is your family . . . abusive?”

“William hasn’t hit me, but I know that if I lose this job, he’ll be angry. I’m afraid of how he’ll react. When I was late too many times for my last job and they let me go, he didn't let me have any groceries for a week.”

“You’re kidding,” I whispered in shock. I reached out to touch her hand, but the woman grasped my hand and held it tightly in hers as if she were desperate for a lifeline. “There are people we can call to help you . . . I’m sorry, but what’s your name?”

“My name is Aleta.”

“Surely there’s a place you can stay instead of living with your son. Do you have any other family in the area, Aleta?”

“My daughter lives nearby, but she’s got her own family, and she’s not any better than her brother. My youngest daughters depend on me, so I have no choice but to go to work just to keep the peace at home.”

I let go of Aleta’s hand and opened the glovebox to get one of the napkins I kept stashed there for emergencies and then handed it to her. As she dried her face, I looked over my shoulder at Charlie, who had been acting oddly since Aleta got into the car. His narrowed eyes and concentrated stare along with his flattened ears told me that he was unsure of Aleta and on the verge of becoming aggressive. I knew that I needed to calm him somehow, which was going to prove difficult with the sobbing woman in the seat next to me.

I made a tsk noise to get his attention and then gave him the signal to lay down. My usually well-behaved boy wasn’t having it, and for the first time in ages, ignored my command and looked back at Aleta instead. I did it again and watched him sigh before he grudgingly followed my order and laid down.

I pulled up in front of Harold’s, a small corner market known for their fresh produce, and stopped in front of the door.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” Aleta said weakly.

“What time do you get off?”

“The store closes at nine.”

“Will someone be here to pick you up?”

“I’ll walk.”

“It’s at least three miles!”

“I’ve suffered more than just an uncomfortable trek in the dark, dear.” She drew in a shuddering breath and assured me, “I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll be here to pick you up,” I said firmly.

“I wouldn’t want to put you out. I’m sure you have other things to tend to and . . .”

“I’ll see you at nine, Aleta.”

Aleta reached out and rested her hand on my forearm before she gave me a watery smile and said, “Bless you, sweetheart. You’re such a dear.”

“Have a good shift. I’ll see you later.”

I watched Aleta get out of the car and square her shoulders as she walked up to the door and wondered what kind of monsters she had for children that they’d let their own mother walk three miles in the heat of the day and then home alone in the dark after working for eight hours. It was ridiculous and shameful, and I had a good mind to find her son and give him a good kick in the ass.

I thought about how the men I knew back home treated their mothers and knew they’d be just as pissed off as I was right now and would probably take matters into their own hands and do the ass kicking for me just to teach her worthless kids a lesson.

Even though my parents loved me in their own way, it wasn’t enough to keep them around. Some people just didn’t appreciate what they had, and that was a damn shame.

Assholes.