A Midsummer Storm

Chapter 4

Adam remained silent as he followed the others back into the house. He sat in the middle of the couch while Tim and Rob sat on either side of him. Chance grabbed himself, Tim, and the happy couple beers then walked into the living room. He popped his beer open then propped his feet up on the coffee table.

"Alright. Y'all know the drill by now. Tomorrow morning, y'all split what's left and head to separate pawn shops. If you have to go to the next town over, do so. Keep in contact so you don't hit the same shops." Tim stated.

"You got it, boss." Chance smiled.

Rob headed into his room and brought out a laptop, plugged in the power source, then sat back down. He began researching schools for Adam to attend now that he had agreed. They all rode Harley-Davidson's and he hoped the blond would be able to specialize in them. Austin and Chance were talking about other jobs. Red was sharpening her knives and spoons. Rob was busy looking up schools. Tim and Adam just sat there quietly.

Orlando, Florida seemed to be the best location for Adam to do his schooling. The school Rob seemed the most sure about had two campuses. He knew which one Tim would want Adam to attend. Orlando, Florida. To be honest, Rob didn't mind spending a year or two in Florida. The weather was perfect, the beaches were right there. They could drive down to Miami and feast on authentic Cuban food.

He showed Tim and Adam what he'd found for schools and advocated for MMI. Adam just nodded silently while Tim asked a few questions which Rob answered as best as he could. They talked about the two campuses that had the program Adam would be in and Tim decided they'd be making their temporary home in Orlando. The brunette looked over at Adam and felt bad for just making decisions without talking to the blond.

"Hey, boss? (Tim turned his attention to Chance) When are we packing up and moving on?" Chance inquired.

"We still have what....a week...for this place? We can get a few more jobs in before we have to leave. Y'all still need to pawn the loot we have already, though." Tim stated, "We'll call Nate back up when we're done with the jobs here."

"We'll go scouting again while we're out tomorrow, then." Chance stated.

Around dinner time, Adam got up to begin preparations for the evening meal. Tim sat there watching their hostage. Could he still be called a hostage if he was going to school to help them out? Tim scratched his beard as he pondered the blond. He'd had a rough life. Is that why he didn't fight when they took him from his home? Why he didn't seem to react to his family beaten so badly? Tim sighed as he let his eyes wander down the too-slim body of the blond.

"Hey boss, how are we going to pay for his schooling? They typically prefer taking their money directly out of an account." Rob asked as he started Adam's admission application.

"We're criminals, Tim. That's a bad idea." Chance stated.

"Well hmm." Tim thought about the situation, "Could we open an account for Adam? Since it will be him going to school? He's not a criminal."

"But his whole family was murdered and he's no where to be seen. That might be a bad idea too." Red piped up.

"I know my parent's accounts. If I had access to a computer, I could transfer money into their checking from savings and pay for my schooling outright." Adam shrugged from the kitchen.

Every single person turned to look at the blond. 'He's full of surprises!' Tim thought to himself.

"Well, after dinner, let's sit down and go over that." Rob smiled at the blond who merely nodded.

Later that evening, Rob and Adam were sitting on the couch in their normal places. The blond was giving Rob all the correct information to the bearded teddy bear's astonishment. He got the payment set up and finished Adam's enrollment.