(Do Not Read Back Up Copy)

Chapter VIII

Caleb

Through the sliver of a swollen eye, I caught a smile slip between Hailey’s lips from across the room. I lit up like a Christmas tree, and as weird as that was, hopefully she’d mistake my buzz for 1st degree burns.

Strangely enough, Hailey looked relieved to see that I was still in one piece; her eyes were calm, enough to let me know nothing happened to her. I stared at her for a little while without saying much of anything. I didn’t really know what to say to anyone, but I didn’t have to for her to know that I was alright.

Marcus caught on to the moment and gently pushed Hailey aside, breaking my focus away from her. My sweat went cold when I found myself in his sightline. Marcus’ eyes were a mixture of worry and disappointment.

He tried to keep his anxiety-laced anger towards me hidden beneath a straight face. He was so pissed at the situation that he could only stand a couple seconds of eye contact with me. He didn’t need to blink for me know that I was in trouble. I’m always in trouble.

For every fine line that I’d put in his forehead, there were at least three hard knock lectures I had coming to me as soon as he had the chance to stand and deliver. Marcus had a tendency of running his mouth before he knew the full extent of a situation.

I already knew he thought he had the right to be angry, but he didn’t know the half of it. Arrogant prick. He hadn't been in the field. He hadn't seen anything more this morning then the end of his nose, and I wasn't in the mood for his bullshit.

I looked over at Cillian, hoping to find some understanding in his eyes, but he stared at the floor the second I turned in his direction. I guess the two of them had come to a consensus about me, without hearing a word of my side. Typical Evans family politics.

I caught Liam out of the corner of my eye and my blood pressure spiked. Him just being in the room wore down my composure to the point where I didn’t know if I could take it for too long.

Every now and again,I'd catch him grinning to himself, like he found something funny about the fact that I'd managed to survive as long as I had.I guess I hadn't spent enough time on the wrong end of attempted murder to even begin to understand why he'd leave me to suffocate like he did.

Earlier, I really thought he'd kill me over fighting him for Hailey. I still did. Life was a matter of black and white loyalty with Liam, and the second I turned Dad’s truck over into the dirt I'd chosen the wrong side. Like my father, I knew the kinds of things Liam was capable of given enough motivation. The blood between us was running thinner than thread, and he'd cut me loose the second he got the chance.

My legs numbed up when Liam’s focus shifted away from the grooves he'd carved in the kitchen table and over to me. He knew I was terrified of him. He sensed it like a butcher does when he leads an animal out onto the killing floor.

The officer standing next to me was the only buffer left between Liam, Hailey, and myself.I’d led the pigs right to the slaughterhouse and was ready to expose everything we’d done if it meant getting rid of Liam.

Though I’d been picked up by a cop it wasn’t the kind we were running from. My luck that morning wasn’t tarnished, just rusty.

“Would any of you boys mind explainin’ to me why in the hell I found Caleb half-barbequed and stranded out in the fields this mornin’?”

I smiled at Rusty’s sense of humor. After five years of familiarity between us I’d dropped the “sheriff” and called him by his nickname. The minute Marcus realized that Rusty was handcuff-free and unsuspecting of the federal mess we’d made for ourselves, the stiffness slipped right out of his spine.