Page 31 of Kristoff

We were fortunate to find enough wood. The only thing we have readily available are the pallets dropped off with the freight we’ve ordered. They’re weathered and some of the boards are broken, but we should have enough to create a decent space for her to travel. And it’s still small enough to be thrown into the back of a truck without too much of a hassle.

Harlan hitches a shoulder. “I’m just saying, it’s a long drive to be scrunched up in there.”

She’ll have to be in the crate for roughly three to four hours. Over miles of red dirt compressed by years of heavy trucks driving through. That’s a lot to ask of anyone. But this is a matter of life and death, so she’s going to have to be strong.

“She’s smaller than either of us,” I point out. “She’ll do fine as long as she’s in a fetal position.” I’ll throw some pillows in for her. I can always pick up more on the way back to replace them.

“There’s a lot of gaps between these slats.” Harlan indicates several places. “They’re bound to see her.”

He’s right. Sections of the floor are visible through some of the crevices. “The only thing I can think of is to staple a dark bedsheet around the inside. That’ll keep anybody from being able to see into the crate and still let her breathe.”

“You don’t think they’ll see it?” he asks.

“They shouldn’t notice the sheet in the dark,” I say hopefully. “They’ll think I’m shipping some freight back home.”

We go back to hammering, only this time the silence is palpable. Whatever’s on his mind is more than he can handle. I shouldn’t have long to wait.

“I’m sorry,” Harlan says in a hoarse voice.

I stop hammering and look up at my little brother. He’s tearing himself apart inside, and I don’t even know why. “For?”

“Everything,” he says, as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders. “If it wasn’t for me, we wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with.”

While he may have been a stupid kid, he certainly wasn’t alone. Our entire family, for the past few generations, has been on the wrong side of the law at some point. So I can’t really blame him, when makingstupiddecisions is in our blood. We were lucky we didn’t end up dead and were smart enough to use the car bomb they tried to take us out with as cover.

“We were both headed to the dark side, bro,” I remind him. “I was just the first to course correct.”

“And I fucked you over,” he says exasperated. “You were already set for a bright future. You have a law degree. Hell, you’d already spent years building a presence at your office. Then I came in and fucked it all up.”

My life wasn’t exactly pure and clean. The firm I worked for defended some of the scum of the earth. If Harlan hadn’t been threatened and tried to go straight, something else might have come along. Because God knows one of the firm’s biggest expenses was personal security.

He shakes his head. “I never should’ve got you mixed up in this.”

Considering the people he was running with, they would’ve likely come after me when they couldn’t find him. It’s what they do. Any criminal organization would protect their livelihood when they’re branching out to deadlier pursuits.

“We’re family.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “There’s nothing you can do where I wouldn’t be there for you.”

“Same, brother,” he replies.

“Including nailing a woman into a crate.” I chuckle. “In a crazy attempt to get her to the coast without being seen.”

We both chuckle.

Harlan turns serious. “How are you doing with her taking off?”

I take a deep breath and try to gather my thoughts. We both look like crap. Me from being up half the night having sex. Him from not having any at all.

“I’m okay,” I answer honestly. At least for now. Although she hasn’t been here long, Brianna’s made a huge impact on my life. On our lives. And I’m not exactly sure how things will play out or what it’ll mean after tonight. “How are you and Celia?”

He starts hammering away, and I have to force myself not to stop him. “Nothing new,” he mutters.

I’m not sure how, but having Brianna here caused a problem with Celia. In any other circumstance, I’d wonder if she’s jealous. Things have never been like that between us. I can’t imagine how my sex life would affect her.

Maybe because I’ve always known Harlan has a thing for her. Despite blatant offers from the women around us, he’s never looked at anyone other than Celia.

I don’t think I’ve missed anything when it comes to her. We’ve had an easy friendship. Well, once I got over the initial bit where Harlan dragged her over and announced she’d be working for us.

She’s really only fidgety when he’s around. I think it’s part of whatever’s between them, but she’s not ready to accept him. At least not yet.

---