The Rampage MC #4: Max and Briony

Chapter 24 (Max): A Win

Copyright © 2024 by GroveltoHEA

After cleaning up the broken pot and setting the plant aside on the grass, I called a prospect to go to Walmart and bring me a new pot and some soil. Once he brought what I needed back, I repotted the leafy plant and set it back on the table.

Then I went to my bike and watched her house from across the street. The occasional peal of laughter made it past the front door and floated out to me, making me smile. I liked the thought of Briony laughing.

"Hi, Max," a sweet voice said from the street beside me. 

I turned and smiled at the woman. When I'd first started keeping watch, I'd knocked on the surrounding neighbors' doors and explained my presence, something Beard had suggested so there wouldn't be fifty 911 calls to the police. The neighbors had been all for it given that the presence of the Rampage was better than even guard dogs and security systems.

"Hey, Mrs. Wheeler," I said, getting off my bike. "How are you?"

"I'm here, Max, and at my age, that's a win."

I laughed, like she meant me to. She often told me she was older than dirt and Adam and Eve had been her neighbors.

She nodded toward Briony's house. "Any progress with your girl?"

From the start, she'd come out for a few minutes every night and got the story from me about why I was sitting there on my bike, so eventually, I'd shared. Then she shared a little about her life with me. From what I could gather, she was lonely since her husband had died and they'd never had children.

"Well, we're friends now, Mrs. W. Took Bri to a festival yesterday. Have another outing planned for this weekend, if she wants."

"Friends. Hmmppff. If I was her age, I wouldn't want to be friends with you. I mean, friends are nice and all, but I think you have a lot more to offer than friendship."

I smiled. "I'm OK with friends right now because for a long time, I wasn't part of her life at all after I hurt her."

"I know what you did was horrible, but I'm still rooting for you, Max. Now have some cookies so you don't get hungry."

She pressed a sandwich bag of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies into my hand, then patted that same hand and went back inside, waving aside my thanks. I watched her to make sure she got in OK, then tucked the cookies in my cut pocket. I imagined she was what a grandmother was like and enjoyed her nightly visits.

After a couple of hours, Darren came by on his bike and parked next to me. We sat side-by-side for a while, not saying anything.

"You ever sleep?" he asked me. "You're here every night."

"Never really needed much sleep. Grab a couple of hours after I leave here before I go in to work, and then after work I'll grab a few more hours before I come over here."

"What are you trying to prove? That you got nothing better to do than watch her house and protect her?"

"That's part of it," I tried to figure out how to explain it. "I left her, Guard. You know that. But how do I show her that I'll never leave her again? That I'll never leave her vulnerable?"

"Seems like the time to show her that was when she really needed you."

"No doubt. Absolutely right. But I didn't. And now I can't take that back. So I have to show her that I'll be here for her -- except, how the hell do you prove that? It's like how does an addict prove he'll never take another hit? How does a gambler prove he'll never make another bet? How does a cheater prove he'll never betray someone again? You can say shit, talk it to death all you want, but this is something you have to show."