Page 73 of Fourth Wall

"He's useless to us," Julian reassured, acknowledging my frustration. I just wanted this ordeal to end, to collect the owed money, and return home. This whole situation felt like a major inconvenience. A deviation from the initial plan could have been avoided if Patrick had followed instructions in the first place and gotten us the money. Then we could have avoided driving out here.

“You have thirty seconds or less, and if you try to run, I will fucking shoot you in the back and kill every damn person in this shop.” I pushed the barrel toward Patrick, and he scurried off to grab what presumably was the suitcase we had come here for.

As we waited, the younger guys became increasingly less patient and started to circle us. I quickly turned around and pointed my gun up toward them, making the other one holstered at my hip visible.

“Back the fuck up,” I seethed at them.

“Whoa, man.” One of them raised his hands in defense and backed away slowly as Patrick came back into view with a suitcase. He opened it for me, and I quickly counted the cash inside. It was all in there, so I nodded to Julian, who grabbed it and headed to the car.

I paused for a minute, looking back at the eerie mechanic shop in the middle of a nowhere desert. Something felt…off, but I couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

“Next time, pay up when it's due because it’s not going to be so pretty having to drive out to god-forsaken nowhere again.” Patrick had the audacity to chuckle, and I gave him one last look before I turned on my heel and jumped into the car, driving back down toward San Diego.

“I gotta wash this cash through my dad’s club, then wire it to Alex ASAP,” Julian told me, and I just nodded. This part of the job wasn’t really what I cared about. I was the muscle of the situation. I knew how to kill, harm, and fuck around with anyone who dared come near us.

Julian started to make a few phone calls. I sped home, realizing this whole thing took longer than I anticipated, and I probably wouldn’t make it home for dinner.

Me:Running late. You ok?

Firecracker:The girls miss you. Everyone here does ;)

Fuckkk. This somehow confirmed what I heard this morning. I knew it was true, but it proved that she probably felt that way even without a dizzy haze. I needed to make just one more phone call because there was just a weird feeling I couldn’t shake. Julian had hung up, so I told him I needed to call someone, and he nodded.

I went through the speaker and called Stephen right away.

“Hey, man.” Stephen picked up on the second ring.

“We are all good, right, brother?” I asked him, trying to stop the nagging feeling I had.

“Yeah. Are you okay?” Stephen asked.

“I’m really good, but I wanted to make sure everything between us was alright?” There was a pause on the other line.

"What is prompting this?" Stephen questioned, sensing an undertone of unease in my voice.

"Nothing, really," I replied, attempting to downplay my concerns. "I just wanted to ensure I wasn't overstepping any boundaries, you know?"

"Never," Stephen reassured, his voice unwavering. "We've always had each other's backs. We made that promise long ago. With no real family to speak of, I consider you a part of mine."

His words struck a chord within me, reminding me of our shared history in the Marine Corps. Stephen's past mirrored mine in many ways, having faced rejection from his family after coming out in high school, leading him to couch-surf until he found solace in the Marine Corps. It was during our time in the military that our bond solidified.

"I agree," I replied, my resolve strengthened. "I just needed to hear that from you." I hung up the phone, feeling quite satisfied with the conversation.

“You still think he’s Tyler's husband?” I sat with Julian's question for a moment before I could respond.

I also believed he could play a crucial role in healing the rift between Tyler and Maeve, and possibly resolving the court case involving Maeve.

"Yeah, I think he's Tyler's husband," I finally answered Julian, "but I sense he might also hold the key to mending Tyler and Maeve's relationship, and help resolve the court case."

Feeling empowered, I knew I had a role to play in facilitating this process. While I could never condone the way Tyler treated Maeve during their marriage, I understood the importance of co-parenting for Maeve's sake.

"I need your help with something," I implored Julian.

"Sure, what is it?" he asked.

"I need you to keep this information between us for now. I must figure out everything for sure before I approach Maeve," I said, urging him to maintain secrecy.

"You've got it," Julian affirmed, nodding in agreement as we sped off. I pushed the speed limit in a race against time to make it home and see Maeve before it grew too late. The anticipation and suspense of uncovering the truth about Stephen and fixing this court case hung in the air, propelling us forward on our mission.

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