Heathens & Hold Ups (Book 2 of the Heathens Duet)

Chapter 55- Riggs

Tension carries weight. Pressure. It bears down on the room as my brothers and I share determined looks. Dario is simultaneously shutting his systems down while transferring Calista's tracking data to his phone, muttering under his breath the whole time. Kace paces, the anticipation of seeing his sister after all these years piling on his shoulders as he stands there. It's daunting to go from the idea of reuniting to the reality. As much as his family is like a second one to me, I don't have the same reception waiting for me. At best, it's an empty house. I haven't given myself a chance to thing about how it'll feel to see all of Gran's things covered in dust as if they're just waiting for her to waltz back in the room.

Somewhere in the last few minutes, Jax disappeared and reappeared with our masks in hand. Although when he found the time to replace his ordinary one for the black and silver oni mask he's now sporting, I'll never know.

"No." I tell him firmly. "There's a reason we picked masks that could be found at any Halloween shirt. Custom shit like that can be traced and you know it."

"Bambi liked it well enough," he replies, running his fingers over the- What even are those? Tusks? At least that what they look like. Maybe they're fangs. With him, who knows.

"Whatever freaky shit you and Calista get up to is y'all's business. This is already risky enough. No need to hand over the keys to our identity. That's the whole point of these damn things. Anonymity. Switch back to the old mask Jax."

"I suppose I should also return armed," he sighs. "Perhaps bring the rest of everyone's toys along."

"I'd appreciate it. Five minutes and we meet back up here before we head out," I order.

I'm met with affirmatives as we all split off for our rooms. Dressing in my black shirt and camo pants feels like coming full circle. Deep in my bones, I feel this is the end of things. One way or another. Can't be faceless ghosts when we're right in front of him. Part of me wants to leave my mask behind. Let him look at me and see what he's done. It's only the three men standing with me that stays my hand. I can't bring them down with me, not definitively. I'll throw everything away for them. There're not many people left to miss me anyway.

"Boss?" The cautious question is accompanied by a soft knock on my half-closed door.

"What'dyo need Rossi?" I continue to gather my supplies, strapping myself down with my combat knife and making sure that I have extra ammo. Not that I'm expecting to need it. In fact, I hope I don't need any of this, but I'd rather be overprepared than scrambling when it comes to Damien Hamilton and Calista.

Dario's still hovering in the doorway, hand in his hair. I doubt he's even aware of how often he does it. It's why he's always first out on poker night even with us trying our best to ignore it every few hands. Kid keeps dropping his eyes from me. Makes the hair on the neck stand up. I know the next words out of his mouth are going to change things. It's the same feeling I got when he asked to join me on that supply run. A giant blank page defining the person I was before and after. I ignored it then. Never again.

"Out with it," I snap and watch as he flinches before steeling himself to deliver the news.

His words are like static as I sink into the bed, my body too heavy to hold up and mind floating. Memories, snippets of overheard conversations bash at my consciousness until they start playing like an old home movie.

Football practice had just ended and I sat in my Jeep for far too long trying to get myself over this hurdle as coach had called it, I hardly noticed the other car in the driveway. Hurdle wasn't the right word. I didn't love the game as much as I did playing it with my best friend. One bad tackle from some little freshman with something to prove ruined so many plans. Sure, physical therapy could do a lot, but we both knew the likelihood of us both getting scouted now was slim. My heart was no longer in it. I'd stick out the season because I made a commitment, but this was my last season of football. At least I'd have more time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life as I helped Gran with the farm senior year.

The smell of freshly baked cookies fills the kitchen. Gran's talking low with someone, probably one of her friends. She's never lonely for lack of company. I can hardly think of a time where there isn't a friend, neighbor, or something dropping by. Usually it's Kace. He practically lives here when we're not at his place. With his sisters, it's easier to choose here. It's been better with Kaitlyn off at college, but Monroe follows him around like he hung the moon. There's only so many tea parties we can be suckered into and after the last manicure she gave us left us with pink glitter nails for a week, we needed a break.

In my focus on the cookies and daze from practice, I almost drop my cleats when I notice the little girl curled in on herself in the corner of the breakfast nook, head buried in a book.

"Sorry, didn't see you there," I apologize as I grab two and begin munching on one.

Her wide eyes pop up from behind her book as if she just noticed me as well. I adjust my estimation of her age. Not as little as I previously thought. She's probably a middle schooler, though I'm not sure if she's just starting or on the way up. She's small, her body looking like it could do with a couple of homecooked meals just to function. Her eyes just floating wooden orbs in her head with how blankly they stare back at me. I'm surprised Gran isn't in here as we speak, fussing and fawning over her as she tries to get her to eat. It's her love language and part of the reason I'm glad for the two a day workouts coach likes to drill us through.

"It's okay," she whispers, her voice cracking like she's not used to using it.

I settle down across from her and look between her and the cookies. "They're pretty good if you want one. In fact, she'll probably get her feelings hurt if there are any left by the end of the night. My gran, I mean," I tell her as I start on my second one.

Her eyes dart over to the living room we're hidden from, but if I strain my ears of the sound of Gran's country music station, I can hear her laughing over someone's creative cursing.

"They with you?"

"My aunt," she says softly. "I live with her now," the words even quieter. A quick dart of her hand and she's nibbling on a cookie of her own.

I don't ask more. The sadness clings to her enough that however that came to be is none of my business.

"Dammit, Adelle!" comes from the living room clear as day. "I told her this would happen, but she wouldn't listen. Bull-headed woman was in love." Even walls away I can hear the sneer of the word love. "Wouldn't listen to a damn thing anyone had to say against him. I didn't want to be right," the woman hiccups. "Not like this." The hiccup turns into a sob.

"I bet we could take some of these to go and no one would mind. Want to help me with the animals?"

She turns those big brown eyes on me like I'm the answer to her prayers and takes two cookies off the plate before she stands and goes out the back door ahead of me where I hold it open.

"I'll be right back," I tell her as the door shuts. I forgot to restock the mini fridge out in the barn so there's nothing to wash the cookies down. Not an issue usually, but with the hay and god knows what else filling your nose, it's easy to feel the itch in your throat begging to be soothed with something cool. Half a pack of Gatorade sits in the pantry, so I grab it and head for the door.

Gran and her friend are back to laughing, even if they sound a bit watery. "Fuck 'im," Gran throws out. "Fuck him and his whole rotten family," her friend finishes, followed by a toast if the loud clinking is any indication.

I leave them to it and head outside to the little bird I left outside. "Ready?"

"Boss? Boss," Dario repeats again, a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Doesn't change things," I answer, swallowing over the lump in my throat. "Not for me."

"But-"

"Not for me," I repeat, staring him down until he understands.

"Yes Sir. Everyone's ready to move when you are."

"Let's go get our girl. It's time to finish this."