19 - All Hell Breaking Loose

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John B pulls up to the house and I get out

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John B pulls up to the house and I get out. I stand there for a second, staring up at it, taking a deep breath before finally walking inside, some old, wary instinct settling heavy over my shoulders the second I cross the threshold.

"Hello?" I call out.

"Hey. Thank you for showing up. Good work," Rafe says, clapping slowly.

"Please stop," I tell him flatly.

"Thank you," he says anyway.

"I don't wanna argue. We already have enough people against us. Kiera mentioned...that you might be able to help." He said

"Uh no. No not with the land stuff. You guys are on your own with that. Sorry. But there's... there's something else I wanted to talk to you about." He added

I sit down, bracing myself without quite knowing what for.
"So when... Dad died. The first time," Rafe says carefully.

I just nodded.

"Um— he said I got a quarter of what he had." Rafe said

"Yeah he said I got a quarter too." I nodded

"But you didn't get it, did you?" He asked

"No," I answer, realizing I never actually had, the small, quiet unfairness of it landing harder now that it's spoken aloud.

"Yeah well good luck trying to get that from Rose's greedy paw. She's got that money locked down tight." He said

"I keep trying to call. She won't even let me talk to Wheezie," I said, the old ache of that flaring fresh in my chest.

"Yes yes that's what I'm saying. I mean we're a family and I'm not— I'm not even allowed to talk to my own sister? And then Rose she just gets to keep all that gold for herself. I mean, what gives her the right? I mean that's not what Dad intended. That's not what Dad wanted. And it pisses me off," his voice keeps rising until he slams his hand down on the table.

I flinch before I can stop myself, the sudden violence of the sound jolting straight through me.

"That's our money okay?" he said, lowering his voice.

I let out a slow breath, trying to steady myself.

"I don't know about you but I really need that money." He said

"And what about the gold cross you stole?" I ask.

"It was gold-plated. It was a good score. It's not endless. It's not like the merchant gold, so—" he started

"So sorry to hear that," I mumble.

"I don't know I was just thinking um, you know you, Sarah, and me, we try to get Wheezie back," he says, standing.

"How?" I ask.

"I don't know how. And then we get the money back," he says, sitting on the table across from me.

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