Page 39 of Gideon

“Are you going to visit your family?” I asked Raven.

“Yeah. Do you want to come with me?”

“Hell no. What part of ‘I can’t walk’ don’t you understand?” I snapped. “But I do want you to bring Laney back here with you. Once they figure out she’s the one who shot the gas tanks on that boat, they’ll be after her.”

“I’d think whoever you’re talking about would be happy she did it,” Gage said, grabbing another taco.

“I’m leaving in the morning,” Raven said. “If you change your mind, let me know.”

“Okay, but I’m not going to change my mind.”

Gage gave me a pointed look. “How do you expect the swelling to go down if you don’t relax? I haven’t seen you rest once since you got back.”

“I know,” I admitted. “I’ll start tomorrow. I have to get better. How can I protect Laney if I don’t heal? I can’t have a life with her if I can’t keep her safe.”

“You will get better,” Gage said firmly. “Just do what the doctor told you. Oh, by the way, Kat went to the hospital. The babies are ready to make their debut. You should’ve seen River—he was running around in circles like a headless chicken. I had to slap him on the back and tell him to get it together.”

That made me laugh. Later, as I lay in bed, I watched a new video of Laney with her brothers and Georgia, fishing together on every trip. She was laughing and having so much fun. I couldn’t stop smiling. God, I hoped her troubles with the mob were over.

I decided to call River. “How’s Kat?”

“She’s sleeping,” he said. “And we have two beautiful babies—a boy and a girl.”

“That’s amazing. Congratulations!” I said warmly. “Can you believe you’re a father?”

“No,” River admitted, laughing. “But Kat’s worn out, so I’m on baby duty tonight.”

“You’ll be the best dad. I’m happy for both of you.”

“Thanks, man. Have you heard from Laney?”

“She’s at her dad’s place,” I said. “She’s already making videos for Bass Pro Shop. Check out her channel,Fishing with Laney.”

“I will,” River said. “How’s the swelling?”

“Still there,” I replied.

“Rest, man. You’ll get better. Good night.”

“Good night,” I said, chuckling as I hung up.

18

Laney

We all sataround the table, eating tacos. I had been craving them ever since Raven mentioned he was having tacos for dinner. I loved how a meal could bring everyone together around the table.

My dad smiled at me. “How old were you when you started fishing?”

“When I was ten. I’d walk to the lake but didn’t have a pole. I’d watch this boy fish—his name was Fred. He was a foster kid, too, but only when his mom overdosed. Then the state would take him to the foster care center.”

“I bet he hated that,” Mike said.

“He told me he wished he could stay in foster care because his home was a nightmare. For my birthday, he stole me a fishing pole from Walmart. That pole was the best thing I ever got.”

“How old were you when your mom died?” Ronald asked.

“I was eight. I loved my mom so much—she was a good mom. Then she got a boyfriend, and two months later, she died. He said she took a pill for anxiety, but it had fentanyl in it. I knowmy mom didn’t mean to leave me. She would never want to leave me alone. I just want you all to know that my mom loved me.”

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