Page 81 of Stealing Home

The sound of wheels crunching over gravel grows steadily louder right before an old truck comes flying around the corner. Before the truck is in park Charlie jumps out of the passenger side. Griffin follows right after him as soon as the truck stops, and Liam jumps out of the bed of the truck.

They come up and flank me. Rivera, like most domestic abusers, is a coward when faced with someone who can fight back. He starts taking steps back. When he gets close to my truck he points at Harlow, “We’ll talk soon.”

Rivera walks through the parking lot to where he hid his car in a dark corner. We watch him go before the four of us take a look around the building. Not only had Rivera spray painted the lens on several of the cameras, but it looks like he broke the bulbs on a couple of the street lamps.

“How the hell did he manage that?” Liam asks, staring at the broken bulb.

“He must have some skills left from his player days,” I say.

Griffin exhales forcefully. “We’re going to need to have someone out to upgrade the security system. I think we’re going to need to go with one that patrols the area as well. We’ve got too many cars here over night to have someone trespass this easily without someone noticing. It’s going to be a few days before the lights are fixed and the system is upgraded.”

“Maybe instead of my parents coming here, Harlow and I should go to Washington,” I think out loud.

“If you can miss school, why don’t you come back sometime on Monday? We’ll have the security up by then. If that doesn’t work, you can come and stay in our guest room when you get back on Sunday, but I don’t want either of you staying here until we have things set up,” Griffin insists.

“I’m starting to understand why Wren calls you daddy,” I mumble under my breath.

He laughs and slaps me on the shoulder. “Don’t be jealous, kid. I’m sure you can get Harlow to call you god if you try hard enough.”

I go over to my truck and tap on the window. I can tell she’s struggling to hold herself together. “Low, there’s a change in plans. We’re going to go pack a bag for the next couple days and take a little trip.”

“But, your parents are coming,” she protests as I help her down from the truck.

I hold her close, and try and calm myself down while comforting her. “Don’t worry about them. I’ll call them and let them know we’re coming to them instead.”

“Goody. This weekend just keeps getting better and better,” she grumbles.

I move her back so I can look directly in her face. “Do you not want to meet them?”

She takes a deep breath. “It’s not that. If they came here they’d stay in a hotel and we could still—”

It’s hard not to laugh, but I manage. Somehow I don’t think she’d see the humor in how disgruntled she is over being sexually frustrated. “We’ll get a hotel and I’ll take care of you. Maybe we can even figure out how to join the mile high club.”

“They’re going to want you to stay in your room at home,” she complains.

“Only if you can stay with me,” I say against her mouth as I lean down to kiss her.

She pushes me back with a look of horror etched on her face. “No way. Nope. We are not getting busy under the same roof as your parents.”

“Hotel it is then.” I swat her ass playfully. “C’mon woman, let’s get a bag together and hit the road.”

Griffin laughs as Harlow runs up the stairs. “We’ll wait here until you take off. Don’t want you getting any more surprises.”

“Thanks, guys,” I tell them.

He slaps the hood of his truck, and tips his head to me. “That’s what family is for.”

28

Harlow

After drivingto a regional airport an hour from Centralia, flying for a couple of hours, then taking a shuttle from Yakima to Ellensburg, we finally arrive at Scott’s parents around six in the morning. The valley spreads out from the view of his home. The foothills of the Cascade Mountain range loom in the distance, making the entire town feel like it exists in isolation. “It’s beautiful here. Do you miss it?”

He stares out at the rolling green and russet hills, reliving old memories. “Yeah, but I don’t see myself coming back to stay.” He sounds wistful and a little sad.

I can understand the contradictory feelings. He fell in love here, and his heart was broken here. I get why he wouldn’t want to come back here for longer than a visit. Hopefully, the ghosts lingering here don’t come back to haunt us. Somehow, I worry we won’t get that lucky.

We get out of the Uber and climb the porch to the front door. His dad opens the door before Scott can get his keys from his pocket. Aiden Ryan opens the door wider and steps back to let us through. “I’ve got coffee brewing in the kitchen.”

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