Page 39 of Operation: Chosen

“I didn’t use it. But you’ll find one in my bag. I didn’t want to say no when Big E gave it to me. I wanted him to treat me like one of the guys.” He hung his head. “I should’ve thrown it away, but I was worried you’d find it and ask me about it, so I just left it in my bag.”

“Just a pipe, or meth too?” Sam asked.

Terrell crossed his arms and didn’t answer.

Eric could confirm that Terrell hadn’t done anything in the day it had been since he’d moved in with Eric. But he couldn’t swear that Terrell hadn’t before that. No one could. “We’ll examine what we find. This one has obviously been used.” He handed it to Sam, then reached for the other bag on the floor.

It didn’t take him long to find a similar device in Jayzon’s bag. “If you want to stay here, you’ll have to be honest with us. How did you get it?”

Connor texted the group, asking where everyone was and if they were all right. Eric let Sam continue questioning the boys while he answered that they were all in the boys’ cabin and what they were dealing with. Connor replied that he’d be there shortly.

Eric directed everyone out into the living room area and had them all take a seat. “Connor is going to be here in a few minutes, meaning the police are almost finished taking your friends into custody. This won’t be a secret for long.” Eric indicated the pipes laying on the counter. “This is your last chance to tell us honestly what happened.”

Eric hoped Terrell would come clean and tell the whole story. He wanted to believe that Terrell wanted to do what was right and would want to lessen the damage by coming forward with what had happened.

Terrell shifted in his seat and made a noise in his throat, then cleared it.

“Don’t you dare.” Jayzon stood. “My brother will hunt you down.Iwill hunt you down if he doesn’t.”

Terrell raised his chin slightly in a show of defiance. “I’m not living scared anymore. If I die tomorrow or not, I’m not going to live for what other people think of me anymore.” He swiped at his nose. “They were in Big E’s bag when we left. He had a pouch sewn in the side that was hidden. Jayzon made us all late that morning by being a jerk to the guy who was supposed to take us to the bus. Since we were so late, they didn’t check the bags carefully like they usually would’ve.”

“And what was the goal with them?” There was no one to sell drugs to around here, but they probably hadn’t known that when they’d left.

“Recreationis the word you’d probably use.” Terrell took a deep breath. “I know all this makes it look like I’ve done everything they have, that I’m still trying to be like them. I’m not.”

Someone knocked on the front door, then opened it. Connor came inside, his face a hard mask. “Those boys are off to jail. They won’t be coming around here anymore. I have Junior riding through the pasture with Edwyn to make sure none of the horses got shot.”

Terrell seemed to go slightly pale. “They shot at the horses?”

Connor gave a quick nod. “I don’t know what to do at this point. I feel like we’ve given all of you chances to do what’s right and none of you seem to want it.”

“I do.” Terrell looked at Connor, his eye steady.

Big E and Jayzon both shook their heads and made exasperated noises.

“We should get Brendon in on this conversation.” Eric wanted to prevent a strictly emotional response. Emotions were great, but if he’d learned anything from the last week with Ali, it was that an emotional response wasn’t always the best one.

Connor nodded. “Take those up to the house.” He pointed at the bowls. “You two will be moving in with Sam in his spare room. I probably should’ve done that from the start whether Micha wanted it that way or not. If you give Sam so much as a hint of trouble, I’ll further split you up. Understood?”

Both boys mumbled agreement.

“Good. Get what you need for the night. We are not coming back to this cabin or cleaning anything until one of us can be here and inspect what you’re doing. But youwillbe cleaning it.” He turned on his heel and headed for the door. “Don’t make me regret giving you one more chance.”

* * *

Brendon lookedtired the next morning when everyone filed into his office. With the addition of the boys, they all barely fit, though the room was large. Eric had talked to Terrell the evening before and was fairly confident the boy was telling the truth. He still wanted Terrell to get the chance the others didn’t seem to care about.

Anxious noise filled the room as Brendon tapped his pen on his huge desk calendar, then glanced over at Connor. A look passed between them that made Eric tense for a moment. Something was wrong between Connor and Brendon, but Eric hadn’t seen any other visible issues.

“This morning, I spoke to the warden at the juvenile detention center where the boys originally came from,” Brendon began. He took a deep breath, then opened a file. Brendon always used paper files instead of computer ones. “All three of these boys would be consideredat risk. There are no fathers in any of their homes. They have direct family ties to known criminals. They’ve struggled with school, both academically and with truancy.”

Connor stood and strode to the window. “What are you getting at, Brendon?”

“That we aren’t looking at this situation from their eyes. They may never have had the exact thought, but the gang offers them structure and hierarchy and rules, things young people hate but actually need and crave.”

Connor tipped his head slightly, hiding his face. “So, we shouldn’t call the police? I have never, ever, allowed drugs on the premises. I don’t plan to start now.” Connor’s spine was stiff and unyielding. “I feel like we keep giving one more last chance and the last chances are being ignored.”

Eric had heard Lacy had not wanted the boys to come to Wayside. She’d wanted to continue working as they always had, but increase their connection with the local police to help keep their guests safe. He wondered if Connor now agreed with her.

---