Dream Keeper (Dream Team 4)

A trendy ’hood.

A tony ’hood.

This guy’s pad probably cost millions.

Her pad, nothing close.

Cisco kept at it.

“She managed to get out of some significant mindfuck and dysfunction with her family and in with a man who could offer her a very stable life, at least financially. And she was all in, making babies and working for play money.”

“So Hattie talks a lot when she’s got a few in her,” Aug muttered.

“She does,” Cisco agreed. “But are you hearing me?”

Aug looked him right in the eye.

“She had a dad who put her in a shit situation while she was growing up that might have been and still might be dangerous, and she had to escape it. And she went right from him to a man who broke her trust in a way no man should and it’s hard as hell to bounce back from. Yeah, I’m hearing you. But now put yourself in my shoes, where does that leave me?”

“Nowhere good, if you’re calling her a cocktease.”

Auggie opened his mouth but Cisco lifted his hand.

“I get it. Mixed signals suck. But, brother, what were you thinking?”

I was thinking I didn’t want to be judged by her ex’s deeds, and I didn’t even know what they were then, I just didn’t want his dark pushed on me.

I was thinking I’m not her ex, I didn’t dick her over, and I shouldn’t be treated like that.

I was thinking I’m not my dad, and I shouldn’t be treated like him either.

And I was thinking that she’s acting like my mom.

“Auggie?” Cisco prompted.

“She’s not the only one with a complicated past, man.”

Cisco studied him.

Auggie allowed himself to be studied.

Cisco ended it with, “I’ll ask again, do you want a drink?”

Aug drew in a breath.

Then he inquired, “You got any beer?”

Cisco didn’t smile. He didn’t gloat. He didn’t act like a dick at all.

He queried, “Do you like Fat Tire?”

* * *

Auggie waited until he was home from Cisco’s before he made the call.

Boone answered.

“Brother, what in the fuck?”

There it was.

Pepper had called Ryn.

“We can talk later, but for now, I need you to find time tomorrow to tell Pepper that Lee contacted us to take care of finding her brother, and we’re on it. And by that I mean I’ll be on it, but you don’t have to tell her that.”

“What?” Boone asked.

“She’s looking for her brother and I fucked things up seriously today so she’s not coming to me, and because of that, us. She’s trying to hire an outside PI. I can dig around on him tomorrow, give you what I got, you can give it to her, and she doesn’t have to lay out that cash.”

“So you know, I heard you. And I’ll connect with Pepper. But gotta share, the shit you pulled today, man, has made the rounds. Everyone is pissed as fuck,” Boone told him. “Gotta admit, including me.”

“I’ll get on that too,” Auggie promised.

“How did it get that dark?”

“If it was just me and some woman that is not a part of our crowd, I’d tell you. But for Pepper, I’m gonna keep the road to what happened to myself.”

“What’s that mean?”

“That means I fucked up, but there was reason. No excuse. But reason.”

Boone didn’t say anything.

Auggie did and it was to give him a reminder so Aug didn’t get pissed at one of his boys.

“You know me better than that, brother. I’m not going to claim what I did was right. I’m just going to say it didn’t happen out of the blue.”

There was a pause before Boone replied, “Yeah, I said something like that to Ryn, that there’s two sides to a story. I’ll be keeping that thought to myself in the future.”

Ryn was a strong woman.

Ryn was also a loyal friend.

“I’m gonna get on it and I’m not gonna waste time and let her sit on what I did today for too long,” Auggie told him. “Considering how things have gone, I wouldn’t expect miracles. But give me time. I’ll sort it, one way or the other.”

“All right, Aug. And I’ll get the message to her that we’re taking care of the brother thing. Does it have to do with her mom being sick?”

Yeah, word had gotten around.

“My guess, yes. But I don’t know yet.”

“If you need help with that, let me know.”

“Will do. Thanks, bud.”

“Anytime, Aug. Hang in there.”

“Right. Later.”

They disconnected and Aug went right into his contacts to find the number.

It rang twice before Shirleen answered with, “Shit, boy, I thought you’d never call.”

That almost made him smile.

“I need to know everything Pepper said to you, Shirleen.”

“Well, normally, I would not do this because it’s clear you are not her favorite person. However, I got curious and started looking into things myself, and I gotta tell you, Augustus, I didn’t find much, but I didn’t like anything I found.”