Page 141 of Saving the Halfback

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Bailey

As soon as I told the others Ethan would be coming home soon, we all raced back to the farm, putting the ATVs away.

We went inside and turned on the TV while we waited for Ethan. Still, I jumped to my feet when he and my dad walked through the door. The others followed me, and even Mom walked out of the kitchen. “Well?” she asked.

“Family meeting, everyone at the dining table,” Dad said.

I followed Ethan but froze when Dad stepped in front of Lachlan, Nolan, and Chase, stopping them from leaving the house. “You all know?” he asked. They didn’t have to answer. “Well, you’re in on this now. To the table.”

I sat next to Ethan, and Lachlan took up my other side, with Nolan beside him. Chase pulled a chair around to Ethan’s other side, even though there was no spot at the table there. Dad took one look at us and shook his head.

“Ethan has been cleared of any involvement right now. As have Bailey and Chase. He has been living with us, due to drug use at home. Last night, the three of you went to get more clothes for him when you saw the shop. After checking in there, he went home to get clothes andonlyto get clothes. Ethan didn’texpect his father to be home, figuring he would be lying low after robbing the shop. When he walked in, he saw his father in the state he was in. You guys called me, and I informed the police. That is what happened, that is all.”

“There were people there.”

“That is what happened, Bailey,” my father snapped. Ethan shifted his body, so I was tucked just behind him. My father smirked, finding it amusing, but when he spoke next, his tone was a bit gentler. “They were high, they didn't remember anything. One even corroborated what Ethan stated. This is what happened, do you understand?”

I lowered my head. “Yes, sir.” My heart was hammering. Lachlan took my hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Listen to me, all five of you, because this is serious. This is murder.” He tapped the table, as if to make his point. “What Ethan did, I don’t hold it against him one bit. It had to be done. If any of you find yourself continuing to work on this farm, you will learn that some animals just need to be put down.”

I winced inwardly. I understood what my father was saying, but from the outside looking in, he may come across as insensitive.

“Now, we have family business.” He took my mom’s hand, sharing a look with her before continuing. “This is not how we wanted to handle the family business. There were decisions my father had to make for the better of the family that I'm not proud of. But when you get to a certain point, you begin to understand. So, I’m going to have the same conversation with you that he had with me and my siblings.” He eyed each of us, ensuring we were paying attention. “You have trust”—he held up one finger—“and communication. You trust us, right here at this table. And that’s it. No one. Not a single living being more. So, whatever relationships, girlfriends, wives, husbands you have inthe future, can we trust that everything to do with this family, with us here right now, stays here with us?”

“Yes, sir.” We all spoke in unison.

Dad nodded. “Mistrust is given to everyone else.” I almost expected him to saymistrust is not tolerated. His eyes met mine and he nodded, as if he knew what I was thinking. “You give mistrust to everyone else, I mean it. If anyone, anyone at anytime, asks about last night, asks about Ethan, his father, or anything to do with this family, you will shut your mouth. Seal your lips. You don’t even have to say you know nothing. I want absolute silence, got it? Not only would you be risking his life”—Dad pointed to Ethan—“but you will put Chase and my daughter in the same fate as accomplices. You. Say. Nothing. Last night is wiped from your memory.” He stared back and forth between Chase and Nolan, both of whom nodded their understanding.

“Communication. If you have an issue with things, you bring it to the family. You hold nothing back. If you hear anything, you bring it back to the family. We stay together for the good of the family.”

Another round of, “Yes, sir.”

My dad nodded, then looked to my mother, who nodded at him. “Anyone have anything else to add?”

Silence. I looked up from my spot at the table and realized all the guys were staring at me. “Me? What? No. I have nothing to say.” A few chuckles sounded around me, and Dad cracked a smile, the tension leaving the room.

After supper,we found ourselves around the firepit. As I walked around the circle to an empty chair, Nolan reached out and pulled me into his lap. I leaned back, making myself comfortable. “Why do I feel like that was some sort of gang initiation,” he whispered in my ear.

I shrugged. “It was a side of my dad I’ve never seen before. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I mean, I wouldn’t agree to anything that didn’t feel right. But what he said made sense. I would’ve done it, anyway, without him saying anything.” I nodded and relaxed.

“How are you?” Lachlan asked Ethan. “That must’ve been fucked up.”

Ethan leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he picked up a stick, poking at the fire. “It was.” He paused, continuing to stab at the fire. “Honestly? Outside looking in, it was pretty sketchy shit. John talked to the cops, and then the lawyer showed up and talked to them. Off the books, off the camera, and then…I was interrogated, but I wasn’t. They asked questions that painted Art in a bad light. They coaxed me to say certain things. I caught on and went with it, but…” He shook his head. “It was all for the camera.”

Nolan started moving his hand, drawing little circles along my thigh. Slowly, conversation shifted away from the events of the night before. There was a bit of conspiracy talk about my dad being part of some underground mob, which was laughable. The only people that came on and off this farm were farm hands, and most were random workers. No mob here.

“Who is Ed?” Lachlan asked, completely derailing where the actual conversation was going.

“Ed?” Ethan asked. “He’s the farm hand in rehab.”

“Oh, the one they said got slammed into by Bruce?” Chase asked. “Yeah, the other workers have talked about him… Wait, is he—” Chase jumped to his feet. “Did he—you and him—is he your—”

“My ex,” I whispered. I was watching Lachlan, who had grown incredibly still.

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