Cruise Read online

“Girls are so different than boys.”

  “Oh my God, I know. There are things that are completely different for her and Caleb. Even though Caleb was older, there are still some parallels for the two of them, and the way she handles it is like night and day. He’s really good with her, though.”

  “I noticed that last night. There’s nothing hotter than a guy who’s good with his little sister and even has a bedroom for her at his apartment.”

  She flashes me a grin. “If he gets wind you said that he’ll totally use it to his advantage.”

  “Trust me when I say, he doesn’t have to do much.”

  She giggles as we take the exit to the mall and begin the search for parking.

  Cruise

  I’m sitting in the MTF headquarters doing some paperwork I’m behind on when my phone vibrates next to where it’s sitting on the desk. When I see a picture of Kelsea, Ruby, and Karina, I can’t help but smile.

  R: Wish me luck! I’m going shopping with them and with the MTF wife crew.

  C: You’re gonna need it! Stay strong, don’t let them pull you into discussing shit you don’t wanna discuss. Those ladies and even the kids are sneaky. Before you know it, you’ve agreed to host a sleepover at your apartment for Stella and Kels, along with feeding them, and letting them watch scary movies they have zero business watching.

  R: You’re a good brother.

  C: I’m a sucker….don’t make my mistakes, Red. Learn to say no!

  R: LOL!

  I glance up, when the main door opens and in walk my dad and Renegade.

  “What’s up?” I yell at them from where I’m seated.

  We’ve been so busy, I’m behind by at least a few weeks, so much that I’m not out patrolling today. After last night though, I can’t say that I’m completely sad to not be on the streets.

  “We got back the sample from the creek bed,” Renegade says as the two of them have a seat in front of my desk.

  “Oh yeah, and what was it?”

  “Really old ’shine,” Dad supplies the answer. “Like probably from back when Jefferson was hiding it. There are some markers in it that can date it, and it’s not new product. Which is a relief.”

  We’ve basically eradicated most of the big operations that have come and gone since Jefferson and the Strathers were making big money selling their supply. A few suppliers have come and gone, but for the most part, we dismantle any of the operations before they can get too big. It’s why they keep us together, and it’s why we all still have jobs. Nine times out of ten anyone we catch with moonshine now is from out of state, moving it in, or they’re working on their own. It doesn’t mean we don’t still have some sometimes, and it doesn’t mean that it still isn’t dangerous. People can still die, and dealers can still kill. We’re proud of what we’re doing here.

  “Anyway, we don’t want to interrupt you, just wanted to come by and let you know.” Renegade gets up from where he’s had a seat. “I’m gonna hit the head and then we can be back out.” He lifts a chin to my dad.

  I wait until he’s gone before I turn my gaze onto the man who’s raised me my entire life. “You good after last night?”

  His answer is slow, and I can tell he thinks about it for a few minutes. “I’m good. I’m glad you and Ruby were there last night, it helped with Kelsea. Really sorry I didn’t get more of a chance to talk to her.”

  “Nah, it’s okay, she gets it.”

  “She’s pretty,” he needles at me. “I’ve see her around school before.”

  “Dad…”

  “What? I’m just saying.”

  “It’s new,” I warn him. “It’s new and I don’t know where it’s going.”

  “Yeah well, at one point Rina and I were new too, and you see how that ended up.”

  Before I can say anything else, Renegade comes out, and the two of them head out. Leaving me alone with thoughts of a blonde haired, blue-eyed vixen that, after last night, has me all tied in knots.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Ruby

  “Get it!”

  I’m not sure who’s talking to me. I’m surrounded by a group of women, all telling me I need to get this dress I just impulsively grabbed and tried on.

  “Whitney, don’t pressure her if she doesn’t want to,” the red-head who we met at the mall, I think they called her Blaze, tells her friend.

  “No, someone needs to pressure her, because if Caleb saw her in that? Oh my God, he’d be all over her. It’d be great for Valentine’s Day. I mean he could take the skirt off and still keep the top on. Ya know, some men like that!”

  “Hello! I’m his mother!”

  There’s too much noise around me, but I do like the way this dress I picked up looks. It’s on clearance for much less than its original price tag, and the deep pink color shows off the little bit of a tan I keep year-round. What’s throwing me is the fact that it’s a two-piece and where they meet in the middle, you can see a good portion of my stomach.

  As I listen to everyone voice their opinions behind me, I quickly take a picture and send it to Caleb, wanting his opinion to what he thinks I should do.

  R: Toss or buy? What do you think? As you can see by the peanut gallery’s faces behind me, there’s a heated debate going on.

  I hope he’s not busy, and it doesn’t take him too long to get back to me. I’m pretty sure Whitney will throw down in a minute, just to prove a point. She’s very, very loud in her belief I should buy this dress.

  C: Fuck, Ruby! Get it! I love everything about it. Especially the little strip of skin you see between the two pieces. Please, get it.

  R: Will do! Thank you, hot stuff.

  C: Wear it for me? Soon.

  I would probably wear it for him tonight, but I do like Whitney’s idea of wearing it on Valentine’s Day. So instead of just telling him that, I decide to play a little coy.

  R: Ehhh, we’ll see. Thanks for telling me to get it!

  “Alright.” I turn around, facing what has almost become a firing squad. “I’m getting it. You can all stop pleading your cases.”

  A cheer goes up, and people in the store look at us. I’m not used to being the center of attention, but I’ve had a good time with these ladies today.

  “I love it,” Kelsea tells me as I come out of the dressing room, after putting my own clothes back on.

  “Thanks, Kels! I love it too.”

  As we’re standing in line to pay for it, she puts her head on my thigh and wraps her arms around my waist. It’s a show of trust I’m not exactly prepared for, but as my eyes meet the group of women who are waiting for me to check out, I can almost hear them welcoming me to the group.

  * * *

  “Let me ask her,” Karina is saying into her cell phone as we’re walking out of the mall. She got a phone call from Mason, and she’s been talking to him the last few minutes.

  “Mase wants to know if you want to have dinner with us. He and Caleb are prepared to make some spaghetti, if you do. Caleb’s over at the house with him. After last night, I think we’d all like a little bit of a do-over.”

  “I’d love to,” I answer immediately. One, because that means I get to see Caleb. Two, because I really would like to get to know Mason. He’s a huge part of Caleb’s life, and I’d never dream of holding what happened last night against him, but I’d like to see him on a normal day.

  “We’ll be there in the next hour or two, depending on traffic. I’ll let you know when we get closer.” She finishes up the phone call, and we all head out to the parking lot to make the trek home.

  Cruise

  C: Thanks for agreeing to dinner tonight. I can’t wait to see you.

  Does that make me whipped? I saw her last night, but now I’m dying to see her again. More than anything, I want to see her relaxed and in the home I shared with my dad for so long. It’s important to me that they like each other. More important than I ever thought it would be.

  R: I’m excited to hang out with you all again tonight. Plus, I’m rea
lly excited to see you, and see what you can cook.

  C: Hey, Dad and I are capable of cooking a few meals. We may not be gourmet chefs, but we’re passable.

  R: That remains to be seen, hot stuff.

  She sends a little winky emoticon, and again she’s surprised me. There are certain things she does, almost two months into this relationship, that surprise me.

  “Rina just texted that they should be here in about thirty minutes.” Dad comes into the kitchen, fresh from the shower. I took one before I came over, and it’s obvious he wants to get dinner started.

  “What do you want me to do?” I go over to the sink and wash my hands.

  “Start the salad and garlic bread while I get the other stuff going?”

  “Can do.”

  For a few minutes the two of us work in silence, both concentrating on the tasks at hand, until Dad breaks the silence. “So you like this girl?”

  Like is too weak of a word, but I don’t think I’ve fully admitted it to myself yet. I’ve never been much a liar to my dad, and I don’t want to start now. “You remember you telling me you were insanely hot for Mom? Well that’s how I am with her.”

  “I remember those days.” Dad gives me a grin. “Happy you’re having them.”

  “Kinda never thought it would happen,” I confide in him. “Just wasn’t sure.”

  “Caleb, it hadn’t happened because you weren’t ready for it. Cassie,” he mentions the last relationship I had, “would have probably given you whatever you wanted, but you weren’t ready for it.”

  “I don’t think she could have handled it,” I admit. “Like what happened to you last night, she would have crumbled. There would have been no helping Kelsea get over it, none of that. But Ruby, she’s got what it takes, she gets every party of me.”

  “Every part?” Dad asks, the eyes so much like mine looking at me.

  After last night, I can definitely say an affirmative. “Yeah, every part. I’m a lucky man to have found her.”

  “Hold on tight to her, woman like her don’t come along every day.”

  “I know. I got it, and I don’t plan on letting her go.”

  * * *

  “What are you doin’ here?” Kelsea asks as she walks in through the garage, looking at me with a smile on her face.

  “We’re makin’ dinner. What are you doing here?”

  “I live here…duh!”

  “Well I lived here before you,” I argue with her. “Sometimes I like to come back and have dinner, ya know?”

  “Just didn’t expect to see you tonight.”

  I crouch down to her. “Just couldn’t wait to see you again.” I grip her nose between my pointer finger and middle finger, pulling on it.

  “Stop!” She giggles as she runs down the hallway with her bags in her hand.

  When I stand up, I’m face-to-face with Ruby. “Hey.” I reach out, pulling her into my arms, hugging her around the neck.

  Her hey is muffled by the cotton of my t-shirt. When I release her, she sniffs. “Something smells really good in here.”

  Kari laughs from where she’s standing next to Dad. “That’s because Mase can cook like five things well, and one of them is spaghetti. He’s passed that on to Caleb, and I daresay, it’s some of the best spaghetti you’ll ever eat.”

  “C’mon, Rina, give credit where credit is due. We even make our own sauce from scratch,” He slings an arm around her neck, pulling her close, almost the same way I did to Ruby. The similarities are sometimes fucking scary.

  She rolls her eyes. “You make it using a can of tomato paste.”

  “We mix multiple ingredients together to make a sauce that’s not readily available in a jar. Hence, we make our sauce from scratch. I challenge you to tell me that’s not the definition, Mrs. Harrison.”

  I glance over at Ruby who’s grinning at the two of them.

  Dad makes a production of looking at his watch. “Still waiting, babe.”

  “Oh shut the fuck up, Mason, and just get the stuff on the table.”

  He chuckles as she turns her back to him and smacks her on the ass.

  “Ouch!” She turns giving him a glare.

  He tilts his head to the side. “Don’t even, Rina.”

  I put my mouth next to Ruby’s ear. “Welcome to a real dinner at my house.”

  “I think I’m gonna like it here.”

  * * *

  Later on, Kelsea’s gone to bed, while the four of us adults sit on the back porch, each enjoying a beer. It’s cold, but a few years ago, they put in a firepit, so it’s warm enough.

  “Do we have to tell Ruby about all the stupid shit I’ve done?” I groan as we sit snuggled together in one of the chairs. She’s on my lap, curled into my chest, and I’m burying my face in her hair.

  “You’ve done plenty,” Dad busts my balls as he takes a drink of his beer.

  “Getting my squad car stuck on the railroad tracks was probably the most embarrassing,” I admit.

  Dad laughs loudly. “They had to call the train company, because one was headed that way. It stopped a good twenty feet from Caleb’s car. I mean we all stood there watching. Me, him, and Havoc. We were screaming and waving our arms, hoping like hell this guy wouldn’t hit this car and it would blow up. When he put the brakes on, the train smoked. We thought we were all fucked.”

  “And they never let me live it down.”

  “Oh hell no.” Dad shakes his head. “You will never, ever live that down, just like Havoc will never live down when Dale asked to speak to a supervisor, knowing damn good and well Havoc is the supervisor.”

  “I bet you get some really belligerent people,” I make an observation.

  “We do,” we both say.

  “There was a guy not long ago, who was threatening to kill Renegade’s whole family.”

  “Oh my God,” Mom inhales deeply. “Why?”

  “Because–” Dad’s gaze settles on the two women with us “–Renegade told him to drop his weapon. It turned out the weapon was a small flashlight, that in the dark, looked like a gun. The guy didn’t take too kindly to being arrested for resisting and started spewing a shit ton of threats. Said he’d kill all our entire families and he’d do it with a smile on his face, anyone we cared about would be dead.”

  “What did they do with him?” Ruby asks softly.

  “He’s in the psych ward of the prison right now. Luckily the judge agreed with the doctor who gave the evaluation. That’s not always the case.” My voice is somber as I again remind her of what she’s signed up for. “None of what we do is easy.”

  “It’s just like being a teacher, hot stuff. It’s not glamorous and you don’t make a lot of money doing it, but without any of us, the future of this nation wouldn’t have a future.”

  I tighten my grip around her, because she does get it. Out of anyone, she gets it, and it’s nice to know the person I want to share my time with, doesn’t begrudge the civic duty I owe to this community.

  I just have to prove that when the time comes, I can love them both equally.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Ruby

  Late November

  “I’m warning you, my house isn’t like yours.” I fidget with my fingers as I hold my hands in my lap.

  Caleb’s driving us to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving dinner. Because of my extended family, we’re actually having it on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Which is good, since he wasn’t scheduled to work today.

  “I know, in the years I’ve been hanging out with friends and stuff, I’ve come to realize my family situation is way different than most. I’ll be able to handle it, Red, it’s okay.”

  My parents are so much less laid back than Mason and Karina, they take things way too seriously when it comes to me, and let Lance run around like he has no responsibilities, or any kind of care in the world. It isn’t fair, but it’s what I live with. “I just hope you won’t want to say fuck it with me after this.”

  He reaches over, grabbing my
hand. “I’ll always want to fuck you, Red; you’re hot as hell.”

  My face flames. I’m still not used to the way he talks, even a few months into this relationship. I think Caleb will always heat me up, and even I know that’s something most people never get. “Ditto.” I grip his fingers in mine now.

  I direct him down a tree-lined road on the opposite side of town from where his parents’ house is. My parent’s own a farm, and even though there isn’t much money in it anymore, they still work the land like it’s the best gift they’ve ever been given. As the white house I grew up in comes into view, I try to look at it from Caleb’s eyes. It’s old, been in my family for generations, and while there have been a few upgrades, most of what’s there has been there since the early 1900s. It used to embarrass me, but I learned it’s a part of our heritage.

  “Wow,” he breathes deeply as he gets a good look at the wrap around porch.

  “It’s mostly the original design.” I give him a brief history. “Of course they’ve had to replace the wood over the years, but mostly, this is the house my great-great-grandfather built for his family.”

  “Do you know what I would give to have that kind of history for my family?” he whispers.

  And in this moment, I realize that maybe the two of us are fulfilling roles in our lives that both of us needed filled. He makes me not take myself so seriously, makes me push at the boundaries both myself and my parents have set for me my whole life, and I give him the history, the sense of belonging he’s always needed.

  “I never thought about how truly important that is, but you can bet I am now. C’mon, Caleb.” I hitch my head toward the front door as we park. “Be your normal charming self and my mom will love you. Don’t worry about my dad and brother; once they find out you played for Alabama, you’re golden.”

  * * *

  “He’s really cute,” Mom whispers to me as we finish up the last of the side dishes.

  Caleb had offered to help, but the men in the family had commandeered him and not let go.

  “He is.” I look back at the living room, hearing his deep voice explain why the team on the television had run a play opposite of what the consensus had been they would run.