Page 82 of One Last Rainy Day
“Dom,” Sean snaps my name again to jar me into talking as he has since I pulled up. The noise roaring in my head keeps me mute as I watch the fire rage inside the Buick. The plastic steering wheel melts like puddling clay as I toss in the ball cap, fueling the flames while stripping down. Tossing in my T-shirt, Nikes, jeans, and boxers into the mix, I grab the running hose as the morning sun beats down on the two of us.
Mere feet away, Sean chain smokes, his anxiety building as I rinse myself with the bar of soap before using a cuticle brush, scrubbing to ensure there’s no residual spray on me before I towel off. Reaching into my packed duffle, I pull my boxers on as I glance around the junkyard. Denny observes the fire, extinguisher in hand, the only bird here aside from the two of us. He hasn’t so much as looked our way, wordlessly keeping his distance while diligently ensuring the Buick I arrived in never existed. After fastening my jeans, I toss the towel into the mix along with the duffle itself and dip my chin to Denny. A few more silent minutes tick by before Denny fires off the extinguisher, dousing the flames as Sean and I step back.
It’s times like this that I’m thankful I bought the junkyard with my money rather than expensive clothes. An acquisition that, to outsiders, makes perfect sense in conjunction withowning an auto shop. I credit the inkling that I had to move in on this property for needs like this.
Once Sean’s taken the hint that conversation isn’t happening, we both watch on as Denny mounts the forklift and, seconds later, drives twin prongs through the body of the smoking Buick. It’s when Tyler’s engine sounds before his C20 flies into view that I ready myself, the truck skidding to a halt feet away.
“I didn’t say a fucking word, Dom,” he assures me, his eyes volleying between Tyler’s truck and me.
“I know,” I clip out.
Sean’s still on my side for the moment, my most trusted, my brother by choice, and my best friend for the same reason. That truth resounds deep as he rattles next to me in fear. His concern—even after I’ve done my worst—eliminates some of the space between us. “The fuck did you do, Dom?”
“You’re about to find out,” I relay, getting a good look at him for the first time since I got here, the haze starting to disperse before I issue my warning. “Don’t step in for me.”
“What?” Sean’s brows draw together a second before Tyler flies out of the cab of his truck and charges me, his right hook landing squarely, making my teeth rattle. Unable to withstand the force of it, I stumble back but lift my chin, readying myself for more. We’ve been at the junkyard for a little over two hours, which means the news has already broken with enough details to have Tyler drawing the right conclusions and steering him to my whereabouts.
Still clueless as to what just went down, Sean ignores my order and steps between us, trying to get Tyler under control. Truth is, if Tyler wanted to have another crack at me, he’dhave already put Sean down and delivered it tenfold. Tyler has yet to showanyonein the club what he’s truly capable of. Something I admire about him, even as my mouth stings like a bitch.
“What the fuck!” he roars, attempting to push past Sean, who divides us now after ignoring my request.
“Let him through, Sean,” I snap.
Sean sighs and reluctantly lets Tyler by.
“You fucking know why,” I relay, trying to keep my tone level.
“We had a goddamn plan!” he rages, and I can tell he’s doing everything he can to keep from striking me.
“You made a plan that includes utilizing abroken systemto doourjob. That’s not who we are. We don’t make citizen’s fucking arrests, Tyler. Maybe you spent one too many years following rules.”
“So instead of raising those points, you go and fuck it all up?” he fires, his head swiveling toward Sean.
“Don’t look at him,” I bark, drawing the heat away from Sean, “I acted alone by baiting one of the hooks you were planning on casting a little early in a way that can’t be ignored. But this can still play out to plan.” I step forward, meeting his accusing eyes. “I just sped the process up a little.”
“What the fuck is happening right now?” Sean demands between us.
Tyler shakes his head, his livid stare fixed on me as he speaks. “What’s happening is our unhinged brother went rogue, endangering his fucking life and future while simultaneously trying to take care of our crate problem.”
“I altered it,” I insist in a shit excuse. “Kicked it into motion early out of necessity because my fucking hands were tied!”
“Yeah, and where are our hands now?” he snaps, before opening his truck door as the Buick is crushed to dust behind him. Reaching into the cab, I know exactly what his plan is, and a second later, the news fills the yard.
“—gunman found dead outside the North Carolina stadium has been identified as twenty-year-old Joshua Brown. Authorities have issued a state-wide search for a suspected second gunman, who investigators think might have had a last-minute change of heart. Firework shows have been canceled across the following counties, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, and Mecklenburg. Please be advised a second suspected gunman remains at large and should be considered armed and extremely dangerous—”
Sean’s eyes fly to mine. “Jesus Christ, Dom!”
“Don’t look at me like I had a choice,” I snap at both of them. They stare at me like I’m a different person than the one who rode bikes with them well after the streetlights came on, snapped cards in our rooms until the late hours, and explored every inch of the surrounding woods while sharing stories of the first time we got our dicks wet.
Maybe I’m not the kid they grew up with anymore.
Maybe I haven’t been in a long time.
Maybe the look in their collective eyes is justified, and I focus on Tyler as I relay as much. “Neither of you wanted to see that I’m as capable as you are,” I say, knowing he’s well aware theotherI’m referring to isn’t Sean. “You can relay that to France when you update him to earn your brownie points.”
Tyler’s eyes flare in final warning, and I take it for what it is, along with the struggle inside him—knowing he’s now crystal clear on the nature of mine. While they might stillbe straddling the line from the reality that exists—and the world we have plans to change—in my mind, I’ve been living full-time on the other side.
“We can’t stand idly by, not when it comes to stakes this high,” I declare. “You can look at me all you want like that, but you would have done the same thing because all three of us know when we wait forsomeone to do somethingno one ever fucking shows up.”
