The Bros

The Bros - Chapter 14 (Close the book)

We pulled out of the parking lot after watching those cars speed down the road. It was a celebration in the car with us getting my son back and everybody getting back to the car without a scratch.

I was checking out Junior's body, looking all over for any scratches or bruises. I was glad to have him back in my arms safe and sound, but I was still worried that he may have been hurt in some way while he was taken. I looked all over but didn't see any signs of harm.

I asked him if he had been hit or if anything had happened to him. He was a happy-go-lucky kid and you could not even tell he had been through the things he had over the last few days. Again, that made me a proud dad, and a grateful one to have him.

As we were driving, I Facetimed my wife so she could see our son and talk to him. She answered the phone on the first ring. I imagine she had just been sitting by the phone anxiously awaiting a call from us the whole time.

As she answered the phone and saw his face, before she could say a word, she broke down in tears. She was just so happy to see him alive and with me.

He said to her, "What's wrong mommy, why are you crying?" Such a brave little kid, and she just told him she was crying because she was happy. In true kid fashion without a care in the world, Junior said "Can we go to McDonald's?"

I interrupted him and told him, "Son you can have whatever you want to eat tonight, your choice." He beamed, "Ice cream too?" I tell him "Yes son, ice cream too!" We were all listening to this conversation with this kid as we drove home, just happy this part was over.

We arrived at the house to see my wife sprinting out the door. Once we tumbled out the car, she immediately picked up my son and hugged and kissed him all over. She was crying and kissing him and telling him she loves him, walking off with him in her arms.

Being who I am, I couldn't let the chance go by without lightening the mood.

"Well, hello Nate, baby I am so glad you made it back safely too. I don't know what I would do without you," I mockingly called in her direction. She turned around as she was walking away, looked me up and down and said, "You look like you are fine!" and turned again, continuing towards the house, her attention solely focused on Junior.

"Well, I am glad I know she loves me too," I joked with the Bros. "I am not so sure about that," Al laughed. "I think she didn't even realize you were here," he continued. I was like, "You are probably right. She didn't even keep the door open for us." She had closed the door behind her.

As we all walked towards the door, I was thinking to myself this isn't it. I am not done yet. They messed with my family and I want everybody involved to pay dearly for it. I could have just stopped there and been done, but the 16-year-old me wanted vengeance for the things everybody had done.

I turned to Al as we were walking in, "We are not done yet. You know what the next step is and I am not going to be happy until we close that book too." Rickie responded, "Are you sure you want to keep going? We got him back and now there is nothing else for them to do or any reason for anybody to try and do anything to you."

I paused and then said, "As long as he is there, I am always going to be a threat. As long as I am a threat to him, my family and I are never going to be completely safe. So, yes, I have to finish this. This is actually the easy part. Dealing with stone-cold killers was what was scary and unpredictable."

Trey nodded, saying, "Actually, a person with everything to lose is more dangerous. They're going to fight harder and be more desperate than a person with nothing to lose." I responded to him with a simple quip, "Well it's time for him to lose it all."