Claws in the Dark | ✔

II

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Saturday

As Miles drove his family to their new home in Grandville, no one spoke. Gina wasn't quite giving him the cold shoulder, but she was upset that he just accepted to do the investigation and the move without even discussing it with her first.

Since Rebecca was still upset about the last move, this one made her more furious, but she kept all her anger bottled up. Her mother told her it wasn't good, and that she should let everything out, no matter how hurtful. But she held back and plugged up her ears to listen to music.

George just sat in the back seat next to his sister, looking out the window at the tall trees of the forest as they passed by. He hugged a small teddy bear under his left arm and rested his head on the window. He soon enough drifted off to sleep.

They were at least two miles away from Grandville when the engine started to sputter, then eventually backfire. George jumped out of his sleep, and Rebecca rolled her eyes as she took her earbuds out.

"Just our luck, huh, Dad?" she asked, looking up at the approaching night sky.

"Becky, not now," Gina sighed. She was fed up with Rebecca constantly pestering Miles.

"I'll call Lou." Miles took out his phone to call the mechanic back in Peskin.

"Really, Dad?" Rebecca scoffed. "Do you really think that Lou's gonna drive all the way out here to fix this car?"

"It's worth a shot," she said.

"Well, I'd rather get shot," she muttered.

"Rebecca!" Gina yelled at her daughter.

Miles' anger boiled in him, and he eventually punched the steering wheel a few times, then stepped out of the vehicle to get some fresh air. He leaned against the hood of the car and wiped his hands over his face, sighing as tears welled in his eyes. The front passenger door opened and Gina stepped out and stood beside him, holding his hand.

"I can't seem to do anything right," he said, looking into her eyes. Her grey eyes seemed to portray dark clouds, but they always made him feel a spark of happiness.

Gina smiled back at him, looking into his hazel eyes. "It's going to be okay," she said, taking her right hand and cupping his face; he leaned into her touch. "I know Becky can be a handful, and I understand why she's furious, but...maybe you can take some time off from work after this investigation. Spend some quality time with the kids."

She looked over her shoulder, into the car, and saw George looking at them. They smiled at each other. "And maybe this time we could settle down, permanently," she finished.

"Peskin was the best place for us to set up permanently," Miles sighed. "The kids were finally adjusting, and I...I ruined it."

"Miles Randall Trenton, you stop that." Gina turned herself so that she was directly in front of him, facing the car. "You didn't ruin anything. This is just a temporary move, so when it's all over we can move back to Peskin and have some quality family time."