“How’s your shoulder?”

“A little bit sore but since they popped it back in right, it’s fine. Are you going to work tomorrow?” Justin asked as they laid down.

As if the day hadn’t been bad enough with the mistaken identity, they got a call from Reece. He said that he didn’t feel comfortable in Georgia anymore with the boys and wanted to come home. Brian had offered to get them plane tickets for the next day. But Reece asked if Brian could rent them a car and just let him drive back up. Reece wasn’t old enough to take the responsibility but they would let him drive if Brian rented it for him. He had asked why he didn’t want to fly back, all Reece said was he needed some time to speak with his brothers. That worried Justin but Brian calmed him down.

“Yeah, someone needs to work to put up with all the shit you and the brats want.”

“And you love it, admit it. You love providing for them what your family couldn’t for you.”

It was true, he did love it. His father spent most of his money on booze. What he didn’t was barely enough to keep a roof over their heads. He had wanted better for himself. As the years went by, Justin and all the kids were added to that.

“And what do you love?” he asked Justin, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s a hard question.”

“Hard being the keyword,” he said.

Just as things started to turn interesting in their bedroom, a door slammed.

“All the ones here right now are adults,” he told Justin.

He knew that wouldn’t matter. His husband could never let any of his kids suffer. Brian was different. Feelings really weren’t his specialty. Give him something he could fix with money or threatening, whipping tears and noses were Justin’s job. But right now, he had another job for Justin to do. Sadly, looking at him, he knew it was a lost cause. His only shot was to do something he didn’t usually do.

“I’ll go see what’s wrong,” he said, kissing Justin chastely on the lips.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Don’t you dare fall asleep.”

“I promise.”

Brian knew if Justin talked to whatever kid it was, they would be talking into the morning hours. There was only two of the kids home now, it was either Maurice or Kenyon. Both Kenyon and Maurice were very calm and almost never got upset. In fact, the only time he had known Maurice to cry was after Avery’s near drowning.

He wasn’t left guessing long because just as he got near their rooms, Maurice was walked out, carrying a bag behind him.

“It’s a little late to be going out, isn’t it?”

Red puffy eyes looked back at him. Fuck, he should have let Justin take care of it. Too late now.

“Don’t start with me, Pops. I don’t think I can take anymore.”

“Let’s go get a drink. I think we both could use one.”

“I’m underage.”

“I won’t tell Grandma if you don’t. Come on.”

He led his quietly sobbing son to his office. It’s where he kept the good booze. He left the cheap stuff out in the bar where they entertained. Let the kids sneak that swill.

Maurice was the one son he had the hardest relating with, and that was including Reece. He was to blame with the problems with Reece, Maurice on the other hand was just quiet. He kept to himself a lot, he like reading, homework and magic. He loved magic, Justin would get him kits and props every time Maurice asked. Not only that, he would help him make his stage and props that he couldn’t purchase.

Brian pulled out the single malt and hoped it wasn’t too strong for the one child he was sure never snuck into his liquor cabinet.

After pouring him two fingers, he poured himself three. “Too much of anything is bad, but too much of good whiskey is barely enough.”

“Who said that?”

“Mark Twain, the only author the old man read. So, tell me what’s going on?” He sat down in his desk chair.

“I can’t tell you,” Maurice said, looking down into the drink he hadn’t drank yet.

“Drink it.” Maurice took a sip, choked and made a face. “You’ll get used to it. Why can’t you tell me what’s bothering you?”

“You’d never understand.”

“Try me.”

“I lost my virginity tonight.”

It had confirmed his guess that his twenty-year old son had been a virgin. It didn’t explain the tears and just broken look. “What happened?” he said, more softly than he thought he could.

“I’ve been talking to this woman online for over a year. I really liked her, she lives here so I couldn’t see her until this summer. Well, with everything going on, I put it off. Finally, we planned for a date tonight, to meet in real life. She was beautiful, Pop. I had never met anyone so beautiful. And she liked me, even though we had different interests. After dinner, she asked me to take her to a hotel. She said she wanted me. Well, no one’s ever wanted me before. So, I got us a hotel room. It wasn’t like I thought it would be. I thought there would be lots of kissing, she only kissed me once. I didn’t really know what I was doing, so I kept asking her if I was doing it right. She didn’t talk much though. After though she said she enjoyed it. Then she said I should shower, she’d go after me.”

Brian hoped this wasn’t going where he thought it was.

“When I came out of the bathroom, she was gone. Along with my wallet and my car keys.” Fuck! “Don’t worry, I already cancelled my cards and called my car in stolen. I guess I was faster than her with cancelling my cards, no charges since the hotel. Why did she do that? I would have given her money if she needed it.”

How was he supposed to tell his adult son that he had been used from the start? It wasn’t his fault, he was so damn shy around girls. None of his other kids was so introverted. The boy had gone to the prom with one of Anna’s friends. The girl had been perfectly polite but never lead Maurice on that it could be anything more. Brian didn’t understand it, Maurice was a cute kid. His mother had been Puerto Rican, which gave him dark tanned skin. His black hair was shoulder length because he didn’t like to get his hair cut. Brian just didn’t understand why girls didn’t seem to like him.

“I don’t know what to say. This is really your dad’s territory. I will tell you if she’s caught I’ll make sure she’s prosecuted to the fullest extent.”

“I don’t want that. Maybe she really needed to money.”

“Do you really believe that?”

Maurice sighed. “No. I think she was playing me from the start. I think she only had sex with me to rob me. I think no one will ever want me.”

“Stop, you’re only twenty.”

“Dad met you when he was seventeen.”

“Yes, but I was twenty-eight.”

“Twenty-nine.”

“Same difference,” he snapped. “All I’m saying, kid. You’re young.”

“It’s not just her, Pop. I don’t have any friends. I never did. I don’t at school, I don’t here. I just don’t. I feel like I’m the only one that’s different. Everyone else has so many friends that they can’t decide to hang out with. No one wants to hang out with me.”

“Did you ever put yourself out there? I know it’s really hard for you but you like magic. I bet there is some young group at school or here that you can make friends with.”

“I-I couldn’t.”

“Well, I’m not fucking joining a magician’s guild or whatever the fuck. But, I bet I know someone who will go with you the first meeting and talk you up.”

“Thanks, Pop, but I don’t think having Dad around trying to get me friends would be helpful.”

Brian laughed. He could just see Justin going around asking other adults to play with his son. The boy would be laughed out before he said one word. “I was actually thinking Shorty. Matt said he’s trying to make new friends, he’s just not very good at it. Take him with you, as your assistant or whatever. Since you’ll be going back to school at the end of the month, you can add that mysteriousness about you.”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t have to do it, just think about it. As for the other thing. I’m sorry your first time wasn’t everything you imaged it would be. The only comfort I can give you is that it rarely is.”

“It was for Dad.”

“Your dad is a freak.” Justin really needed to stop over-romanticizing that night. Brian sadly barely remembered it. “Now, I hope you gave all the information about her to the cops.”

“I did.”

“That reminds me, how did you get home. And where were you going?”

“Shit!” Maurice jumped up and ran out of the office.

Brian followed him, all the way to the front door. He watched as Maurice leaned over and talked to someone Brian couldn’t see in a dark sports car. Soon it peeled out of his driveway.

“Who was that?”

“Oh, a nice guy that saw I needed help. He said he’s an old friend of yours when I introduced myself.”

“What’s his name?”

“Tim Lochdale.”

Brian cursed to himself. It was just a ride. There was no way Tim was trying to get back into his life. No way. That was over and done with. He just wished he could make himself believe that.

Three days later, he had much bigger fish to fry. “What the fuck?” he snarled.

He had arrived at the car rental agency to pick up his children. Avery and Sean had given him a hug when they saw him. Reece and Caleb were suspiciously keeping their distance. That was until he saw the tattoo on his fifteen-year old’s arm.  

“Tell him,” Reece said, glaring at Caleb.

“No, how about you tell me. They were your responsibility while you were gone.”

“I had nothing to do with this. They worked against me. I had Avery and Sean with me and Georgie. I thought Caleb was inside the small museum because that’s what Georgie told me. It was only after I figured out something was off and found Caleb that I knew what happened.”

“Why weren’t you with him?”

“I couldn’t go into any of the stores, I had Harley. “

“Your brothers are more important than your dumb dog.”

He saw the hurt in his son’s eyes but he was too mad to calm down.

“Pop, it wasn’t his fault. I lied to him,” Caleb said.

“You three get in the car. I need to talk to your brother alone.”

“No, you talk to your own fucking self. I went even though I didn’t really want to. I can’t be the son you want, so how about this. This stick to this, I’m not.”

Brian stood stunned as he watched Reece over to his bag, throw it over his shoulder and walk off down the sidewalk with Harley. Brian so mad he couldn’t see straight. If his son wanted to behave like a toddler, so be it.

“He’s been having nightmares again,” Caleb said quietly as Brian sat in the car.

“Before we left he woke up two nights in a row screaming. The first day he couldn’t even get out of bed. It was only after we lost Avery that he got out of bed.”

“What do you mean lost Avery?” he growled. Reece hadn’t told him that, probably trying to protect himself.

“Reece didn’t feel well, so it was just us and Georgie. We didn’t notice that Avery stopped following us. We didn’t find him until we called Reece. We didn’t know about the GPS in his watch. That was when Reece said that we had to go home. He wanted to drive because he didn’t want to come home. I thought he was overacting. But he wasn’t you lost your mind. Reece had nothing to do with my tattoo, and you just screamed at him like he was a stranger.”

It took a moment before what Caleb said burrowed through his thick skull. He was right, Reece wasn’t at fault. Caleb was old enough to know this wasn’t something he should be doing.

He took off in the direction that Reece went. There was just enough time to see a dark blue sports car speed up and hit them in the driver’s side. His car moved but thankfully didn’t flip. The airbag inflated, hitting him in the face. He could hear the other one doing the same to Caleb.

Everything was quiet. Too quiet. He pushed the airbag away from his face. Distantly he could just make out barking and maybe yelling.

“Boys? Caleb? Sean? Avery?”

There was no answer.

“Answer me NOW!” he said as forcibly as he could muster. His stomach felt on fire, he didn’t have to look down to know something had come off the dash and cut his into his gut.

“I’m-I’m okay,” Sean said weakly.

“Me too,” he heard Caleb say.

“Avery?” he called.

Suddenly he heard Sean cry out. “What? What’s going on? Is it Avery?”

“I want Daddy,” Avery cried. Nothing in on earth sounded better than hearing that.

“Are you okay, buddy?” he asked Avery.

“Yes, but I’m scared of the man.”

“What man?”

“The man with the gun.”

Brian looked over and felt his blood run cold. Tim was standing by his car window, pointing a gun straight at him. How had he not noticed that? Even more terrifying, it looked like Reece had caught the man’s attention. He couldn’t let the crazed man turn the gun on his son. Tim, a fuck that wouldn’t go away, was pointing a fucking gun at him.