Page 19 of I Stop Somewhere Waiting For You

I’m perched up on the kitchen counter eating a bowl of Lucky Charms when my mom enters the room. I instantly perk up. She and Mitch have been gone a lot lately since they’ve decided to franchise the store, and it’s so nice to have them home for a few days.

“There’s my girl!” My mom smiles, making a beeline for me. She pulls me in for a hug, almost spilling my cereal.

“Hey, Mama.” I giggle, readjusting the bowl in my grasp while throwing my other arm around her. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, sweetheart. How’s everything been while we’ve been gone?”

Images of Maverick licking Trent Dixon’s blood off my face just days prior flicker briefly through my mind as I shovel a spoonful of sugary goodness into my mouth. “Eh, you know.” I shrug. “It’s been pretty quiet.”

“Good.” She smiles as she shuffles through some mail. “Where’s your brother?”

“Yoooo,” Nicky drawls as he enters the kitchen in a pair of sweats, having just rolled out of bed. He makes his way over to my mom, dipping down to plant a kiss on her cheek. “Hey, Ma.”

“Hey, baby.” She fusses his hair before returning her attention to the stack of mail. “You get in late?”

“Yeah.” Nicky lets out a yawn while he rubs the sleep from his eyes. He makes his way over, resting against the counter next to me, leaning in and opening his mouth. I shove a spoonful of my cereal at him, snorting when half of it dribbles down his chin. “Where’s Pops?” he asks.

“He went to the store to show his face and check in. He’s really impressed with how you’ve handled everything while we’ve been gone, Nick.”

“Thanks, Ma. Anything you guys need.”

She tosses the remaining envelopes down on the marble island, smiling warmly at us. “How did we get so lucky with you two?” She stares at us for a moment before opening the fridge, where she begins scanning the contents. “Let me know now if you want anything specific from the grocery store. We’re back until Joanna’s birthday. Figured we’d do family brunch the day of and head back out around supper.”

She shuts the refrigerator door before scribbling additions to her shopping list. “I wanted to push the Monday morning meetings and stay the extra day, but Mitch reminded me you probably have plans to celebrate and that we’d only be in the way. I trust you’ll both be responsible.”

“Yes, ma’am,” we say in unison.

“Dinner tonight. Okay?” She offers up a parting smile and an ‘I love you’ before heading off to the store. Nicky and I are self-sufficient, but once the food runs out, we tend to live off takeout. Mom always makes sure to restock us before they leave again.

I glance over at the clock on the wall. Six-thirty.

“Shit,” I hiss, jumping down from the counter and shoving my bowl into Nicky’s chest. He happily takes it from me and begins sifting through the remnants for the marshmallows. “I’m gonna be late!”

“Jones!” Nicky calls out, halting my retreat. “You plan on driving yourself today?”

“Yeah, why?” Nicky sometimes drives me to school, but it’s not an everyday thing.

“Just making sure. Me and the boys have a Parley today in Queen City with Mav’s crew, and if it runs late, I can’t guarantee we’d be back in time to pick you up.”

My body goes rigid at the mention of his name. There are a million and one reasons why what happened in the woods on Saturday was a terrible idea. Maverick and I do not, nor would we ever, work. The main one being this right here. It will always be him versus Nicky. They will always be rivals who hate each other. And when push comes to shove, I will always pick Nick. However, that doesn’t mean I want anything to happen to Mav.

“Why?” I ask. “Who called the Parley?”

“I did.” He tips the cereal bowl up to his mouth, draining the milk. “That bonfire you were at this weekend? Kid disappeared afterward. Trent Dixon?”

My blood runs cold as my heart plummets into my fucking stomach.

“You know him?” Nicky asks, placing the bowl in the sink.

“Yeah,” I respond, swallowing down the bile in my throat. “Yeah, he’s an asshole. Tried to get Daphne to give him a lap dance while she was drunk. JP had to knock him down a peg or two because he got pissy when we tried to leave with her.”

“That was this kid?” Nicky asks, brows scrunched up in confusion as he stares at me. It doesn’t shock me he’s aware of the situation. I figured JP give him a full report.

I nod. “What’s this got to do with the Rebels?”

Nicky looks lost in thought for a moment, his mouth forming a tight-lipped line, staring off before his eyes snap back to mine. His hard edge remains for a split second longer, then he shakes his head, his features softening. “Nothing. Or at least, we’re not sure. Someone reported seeing an SUV in the area the night he went missing. The description resembles Bishop’s Tahoe. We just have to do our due diligence. Can’t have rivals running up on our turf snatching residents.”

“That’s not like Bishop, though, right?” I cross my arms over my chest, my weight shuffling uneasily beneath me. “He never starts shit on our turf.”

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