Page 9 of THE EX-Con

“Home.”

He nods once and takes out the emergency lighting to set on the car’s roof. He doesn’t turn on the siren, which is good because the last thing I want is for the fucker to know I’m coming with company.

I’m running high on adrenaline and anger, and I know I have to tamp it down. I can’t risk Jenny, so I need to calm the fuck down.

With my fists clenching and unclenching on my lap, I break the silence first. “A police officer, huh?”

“Who would have thought, right? Even my mom wasn’t sure until I got the badge.”

“Damn.”

Adam clears his throat. “I heard you got out. I thought for sure you were gonna drop by to see me.”

“I didn’t want to stay. I only came to visit Mom.”

“I understand.”

“So, he’s been here the whole time?”

“Your stepdad? Nah. Saw him a couple of times, but I heard he’s living in the next county, stirring trouble as always.”

We’re quiet once again, and when the car stops in front of my childhood home, I begin to stew. That bastard has no right to sully my memories of this place. He’s done it once already. I won’t let him do it a second time.

I spent the first two decades of my life living in a farmhouse, sitting on a massive plot of land. It’s a few miles to the next neighbor, and I’ve always liked the privacy. It was just Mom and me and a few of our farm animals. We were happy here … until my stepdad arrived and threw our lives into chaos.

I don’t know what I expected to find, but seeing the house stand almost like a skeleton of its former self unsettles me.

We repainted it every few years, but now the peeling paint clings to the warped wood, the porch sagging. The old barn’s roof has caved in, and everything looks decrepit.

I stand outside the car, listening to sounds, especially Jenny’s voice. I don’t have a plan of attack because I don’t know what I’ll find. He was never the most mentally stable person, and he often did things impulsively without regard to the consequences. Maybe I can work that to my advantage.

Adam gets out and looks at me. “Is he there?”

“Yes, with my girl.”

Apparently, this small town still works like every other typical small town. News travels fast.

Adam nods. “Jenny.” I can’t stop myself from glaring, and he smirks and shakes his head. “You forget that everyone knows everyone here.”

“I need a weapon, Adam.”

“I can’t give you my gun, man.”

“Anything else, then.”

“I have a bat in the trunk, confiscated from one of the high school kids. Let me get it for you.” My eyes don’t leave the house even as Adam hands me the bat, big and heavy enough to do damage if I swing it correctly. He takes out his gun. “Whatever happens in there, you won’t be locked up again. I’ll make sure of that.”

I nod, and we stalk toward the door. There won’t be any element of surprise because I’m sure he heard us arrive. Here’s hoping he doesn’t know I’m with a cop.

I kick the door open, and I’m greeted by the smell of something so pungent and slightly sweet, so strong I can feel it at the back of my throat. Then my gaze falls on Jenny, tied to a chair in the middle of the family room.

Her hair sticks to her forehead and face, while her shirt clings to her body. She sees me, and the relief on her face hits me square in the chest.

“You brought a friend.” My stepdad, Trip, stands behind Jenny and points a gun at her temple. His perpetually hoarse voice, thanks to daily alcohol consumption, grates on my nerves, but it’s the way he’s so close to Jenny that makes me see red.

Trip is only fifteen years older than me, but he looks like he’s pushing sixty. The years haven’t been kind to him. He’s gaunt, and his skin is pale and drawn. His hair is sparse and gray, and his eyes are sunken and shadowed.

Good. I can take him on. I just need to make sure Jenny doesn’t get caught in the middle of our fight.

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