Page 11 of Hard as Stone
“Where you going?” Lee calls after me.
“To check on Maria and the kids.” It’s not a lie. I do need to make sure Jack’s widow is doing OK.
The fact that it gets me away from bedazzled underwear and Duck’s ‘artistic vision’ is just a bonus.
Folks living on the east side of town call our neighborhood ‘The Pit.’ They say it like it’s a disease, something that might spread if they get too close. To them, we’re nothing but a blight on their precious town, an eyesore they’d rather pretend doesn’t exist. But on nights like this, when the heat of the sun has died down and the mountain air carries hints of someone’s BBQ dinner, the Paradise Trailer Park really lives up to its name.
I cut my engine near Maria’s single-wide, listening to the cicada singing as I mentally rehearse how I’ll tell our fallen brother’s widow that the club is covering her rent again this month. She’s a proud woman with a boy about to start high school and a little girl who’s growing like a weed. The last thing she wants is our charity, but Jack was our brother—solid backup in a fight and even better at keeping the peace. Losing him in a rather suspicious incident a little before Summit’s goons started rolling in has hit us all hard, but none harder than his old lady andkids. With him gone, it’s now the club’s duty to make sure they’re taken care of.
I rap my knuckles on the metal door, wincing at how loud it sounds in the quiet evening. There’s a scuffling inside, then Maria calls out, “Just a minute!”
The door swings open, and Maria’s standing there, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. Her dark hair is pulled back in a messy bun, and there are smudges of what looks like flour on her cheeks. The smell of baking bread wafts out, making my stomach growl.
“Axel,” she says, surprise coloring her voice. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
I shift my weight, suddenly feeling awkward. “Just wanted to check in, see how you and the kids are doing.”
Maria’s eyes narrow slightly, but she steps back, gesturing for me to come in. “We’re fine. Same as last time you asked.”
The inside of the trailer is small but tidy. Jack’s old leather jacket—with the original, correctly spelled patch on it—still hangs by the door, and photos of happier times line the walls. I spot Jack Jr. sprawled on the couch, engrossed in some video game. He barely looks up as I enter.
“Hey, JJ,” I call out. He grunts in response, eyes never leaving the screen.
Maria sighs. “JJ, say hello to Axel properly.”
The kid pauses his game and finally looks over. “Hey,” he mutters before turning back to his screen.
I suppress a sigh. JJ used to light up when he saw any of us, begging for rides on our bikes or stories about his dad. Now, at fourteen, he’s all sullen teenager. Can’t say I blame him.
“Where’s Rosie?” I ask, noticing the absence of Jack’s little spitfire daughter.
“At a friend’s for a sleepover,” Maria says, leading me to the tiny kitchen. “You want some coffee?”
“Coffee sounds great.” I nod, settling into one of the mismatched chairs at the small kitchen table. The smell of baking bread is even stronger in here.
Maria busies herself with the coffeepot, her back to me. “So, what’s the real reason for this visit, Axel? The club sending you to check up on me again? Making sure I’m not spilling any club secrets now my husband isn’t around to keep tabs on me?”
I wince at her tone. “Nothing like that, Mez. Just making sure you and the kids are doing all right. See if you need anything.”
She turns, fixing me with a look that could strip paint. “We’re managing just fine, Axel. Same as I told you last month, and the month before that.”
I hold up my hands in surrender. “I know, I know. But Jack was family. That makes you and the kids family too. It’s our job to look out for you.”
Maria’s shoulders slump slightly as she turns back to the coffeepot. “I appreciate the thought, Axel. I do. But we don’t need charity.”
“It’s not charity,” I insist, even as I pull an envelope from my cut. “It’s what Jack would have wanted. What he would have earned working for the club.”
Maria eyes the envelope warily as she sets a steaming mug of coffee in front of me. “Axel...”
“Just take it, Mez,” I say softly, pushing the envelope across the table. “For the kids, if nothing else. JJ’s starting high school soon, right? He’ll need new clothes, supplies.”
She sighs, sinking into the chair across from me. “I can’t keep doing this, Axel. Every time one of you shows up, it’s like...” Maria trails off, her eyes drifting to the photos on the wall. Jack’s smiling face beams back at us from a dozen frozen moments—their wedding day, JJ’s birth, Rosie’s first steps.
“It’s like losing him all over again,” she finishes softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
A lump forms in my throat as I follow Maria’s gaze to the photos. Jack’s absence is a constant ache, a phantom limb we’re all still learning to live without.
“I know,” I say quietly. “Believe me, I know. But we made a promise to Jack. To take care of you and the kids if anything ever happened. We’re not about to break that promise now. The club will always be here for you. You’re not alone in this.”
