Page 13 of Wrangler

When his parents were brought in, Wills didn’t know who they were at first. His father, usually a chubby man, was pencil-thin, and his hair was a mess. Even with it combed back from his forehead like it was made him look older than he thought that he was. It was then that he realized that he might have been coloring his hair while he was out of jail.

His mother didn’t look any better. The orange jumpsuit that she had on was making her look washed out. He had never understood that saying until just now. She, too, looked older, and like his father, she had lost some weight as well. It might have looked good on them if not for the fact that he was sure they were going to go back to their old ways as soon as—and he hoped that this didn’t happen, they were let go because of something they were going to lie about.

His father stood up after he was locked to the chair that he was sitting in. Once he was acknowledged that he could speak, he turned and glared at the people that he was with. He didn’tthink that he knew where he was and he turned back to the judge and asked him where he was.

“Your son? I don’t know where he might be if you don’t. I would think that you’d have—you there. Little boy there by Sheppard. Are you this man’s son?” Wills stood up and looked at Wrangler before speaking. But the judge cut him off again. “Do you belong to this man and his wife or not? It’s a simple question.”

“No, sir. I was adopted by my sister and her husband. My father, William, was going to sell me off to someone to pop my cherry, whatever that means.” The judge told him to watch his language. “I am, sir. I promise. His words were a lot meaner than what I said. My sister and I have been hiding out from them since they tried to have her raped. She was…Mr. Judge, I don’t want to get myself in trouble here but they were going to sell her off to anyone that wanted her for the money.”

“See here now. I won’t have you lying in my courtroom, young man. Your parents are still alive. What right does anyone have to adopt you?” He told him that she loved him and wanted to protect him. “From your parents? I find that hard to believe.”

“I don’t lie, Mr. Judge. My mother used to fix her, and that man there big dinners and me and my sister had to have scrapes of food that was left over. We’ve been on the run for over two years now and have done all right for ourselves. Then Wrangler came along and married my sister, and now I have a bed of my own with my own things. I can have three meals a day or even a snack—so long as they’re healthy ones, too.” He stood up on his chair and pulled his shirt up. “See this right here? I got this scar when they tried to take my kidney to sell off when I was still using it. That’s not good parenting if you ask me.”

“No one did.” As soon as he sat back down, knowing somehow he’d messed up. The judge looked at the papers on his desk and asked the man behind him what was going on. “I have it here that they were committing fraud, using credit cards that didn’t belong to them. Why isn’t there a file for this so-called child neglect?”

The two men spoke to one another until his Uncle Jameson, his attorney, and the man sitting with his parents was called up to the desk the judge was seated behind. While they spoke, the other man getting louder and louder all the time, saying something about time to investigate, and the judge told him to shut up and sit down.

After they were both seated, he felt Wrangler stiffen. Then, his sister. Whatever was going on, no one seemed to be too happy with the conversation. It was then that the judge asked for a few minutes, no more than ten, to do some research on things. Wrangler looked at Amber and then at him.

“I want you both to go home and don’t open the door for anyone.” He nodded, ready to go right then. “It’s not going to end well for our side, so I want you two to go there and have the faeries around you at all times. They can’t get into the house. Remember that.”

“They’re going to be set free, aren’t they?” Wrangler told Amber that it was looking like that. “I’ll go, but you promise me that you’ll be safe.”

“As safe as you will be when you get home. Go now.” As soon as they were at the back of the room, it didn’t look like they were going to be able to leave. But all Wrangler did was stand up and the door was opened for them. He was never so happy for Wrangler being a cat as he was at that very moment.

The ride back to the house with Aunt Sunny driving was fast. He didn’t think she even hesitated once when the lights were red. They just seemed to turn to green as they were approaching them. Once they were home and in the house, she didn’t leave them but took Amber and himself to the kitchen and started to make some tea. She also seemed to be talking a mile a minute.

“My mom is coming too. You’ve not met her yet, but she knows all about you. She’s going to come and bring some of her famous scones with her.” Amber asked Sunny to calm down. “Oh, I’m calm. If I wasn’t, that couple would be dead right now. They still might be if I have anything to say about it.”

Amber laughed. It was sort of strange to hear her laughing after everything that had happened this morning, but she was happy about something. Asking her if she’d heard from Wrangler, shenodded her head and smiled at him. Telling him that she’d just now heard from Wrangler, he braced himself for the news.

“I have. However, just knowing that we have so many people on our side makes me feel better. Better than I have about our parents in a very long time.” The hug she gave him felt good, too. Like she was hugging the stuffing out of him. When she sat down with him close to her, she told him that she was going to explain what was going on. “It’s not good. They’re going to be found guilty of the identity thief. The rest, because it wasn’t brought to the judge’s attention before the hearing, is going to be put off for a while. The judge is pissed off that we’d say bad things about our parents. Wrangler found out that the judge had his own wife accuse him of hurting their son, and he lost custody of him. He can’t ever see him again. So he’s jaded about what we’re saying.”

“That means that they’ll let them go.” She said that they were going to have to serve some time, as little as two years, but it could be more with the evidence that Jameson had found. “So what happens to them now?”

“They’ll go back to the jail, and then in a few days, when the other judge comes to town, they’ll have another hearing with them. In the meantime, they’ll only be staying in the jail until they can pay their bond. Wrangler said that they have the money for it and will be free as soon as tomorrow with the promise of them not leaving the area.” He asked what happens to them with them out. “We’ll be protected. I promise you, no one will get to you. Ever again.”

“I’m scared they’ll get by you.” A sparkly woman just appeared in the room with them. While he figured that it was Sunny’s mom, she smiled at him, and it was like a billion bright lights were turned on at one time. He couldn’t help but to smile back at her.

“I’ll protect you with magic. I’m going to make it so that you’ll know where they are at every moment. Your sister, who has a good deal of magic already, is going to be able to hear their every word spoken to them as well as what they say to anyone else. You’ll both be safe even if I have to kill them myself.” Wills believed her, too. She’d kill them if they even got close to them. He didn’t know why he knew that, but he did. “I’m glad that you believe me, young man. I will give you the magic that I promised to you, as well as a little more. You’re very smart. I’m aware of that and know how to keep an eye out for them. They’ll not harm you, sweet boy, or so help me, they’ll pay.”

“You’re kind of scary right now.” She kissed him on the forehead, and he reached up and touched the spot. “That feels really good. Warm all over my body.”

Before he could thank her, however, he felt his body get stronger. The magic that she gave him, he knew just where his parents were. His father was in the bathroom peeing and then left there without washing his hands. Gross. His mom was flirting with one of the officers. He knew, too, that he couldn’t waste the magic given to him, and that made him think of Wrangler.

“I know where he is, Wrangler, I mean. I know that he’s outside the courthouse waiting for his brothers. They’re going to come here so that we can have a good meal.” Amber said that they were going to pick up some chicken and side dishes. “Good. Tell him that I love mashed potatoes. Also, we need to get some napkins ready, too. Uncle Weston said he was going to bury his face in the buckets and eat it all. I don’t think he’ll do that, will he?”

By the time his new dad and uncles showed up, he was about as starved as he’d ever been. Amber and he set up the table, and the faeries made sure that there were plenty of napkins and drinks to go around. The way they flittered around sometimes made him a little ill, but they sure were helpful when they were needed. And they all seemed to want to help the most, too.

The knock at the door startled him while he was filling his plate up. Suddenly he wasn’t so hungry, but it was his uncle Nash who winked at him and told him again that no one could hurt him in the house. Nodding once, wondering how that would work with his parents, he went to the front door when he heard his father yelling for him.

He didn’t get close enough for him to touch but felt himself being pushed closer to the door by Wrangler. Telling him to watch. As soon as his father reached out to touch him, to grab him by his arm, he screamed that they were burning his skin off. No matter how many times he tried, even to comeinto the house, he couldn’t.

His arm was blistering by the heat that he was feeling and when William, he forgot to call him that told Patsy that she needed to get him, the same thing happened to her. Even when she tried to step into the room, she was knocked back off the porch to be a crumbled mess on the ground. Wills looked at Wrangler when he knelt in front of him.

“See? They can’t get you so long as you’re in the house. You remember that, and you’ll be safe. They can’t get to you here.” He nodded and wrapped his arms around his neck. It was the best feeling in the world when he hugged him back. “I love you too, little man and so glad that you and your sister have come into my life.”

“So am I.” When William started to scream at them, he went to the door and looked at the mess the two of them were. How they got the money to get out was beyond him, but he didn’t care. Looking around, he stared at his father until he shut up and looked at him. Knowing that he might well be doing something wrong, he decided that he’d had enough of being afraid all the time.

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