Flame (Steel Brothers Saga 20)

“I do. They come highly recommended.”

“By whom?”

“Not Uncle Joe or Uncle Ry. Don’t worry. I called in a favor and had them vetted.”

“And the suits?”

“Our faces will be completely obscured. No one will know it’s us.”

“You sure?”

“For God’s sake, Donny. Of course I’m sure.”

“Okay, okay. Sorry. My nerves are totally on edge. I wish we could just do this at night.”

“No one in town will believe government workers are working at night.”

“I know, I know. I’m not sure how I’m going to leave the office with Mom in Grand Junction.”

“You’ll come up with something.”

“I’ve cleared the calendar for the next couple of days, and I’ve got Callie working on an assignment that will take quite a while. That plus what Alyssa and Troy give her will keep her busy while we’re doing our thing. I just need an excuse to be out of the office.”

“How about a city attorney seminar in Grand Junction?”

“Where Mom is? I don’t think so.”

“You’ll come up with something.”

“Maybe…”

“Yeah…?”

“If I bring Callie in on—”

“No. No one else gets in on this.”

“Hear me out, Dale.” Somehow I’ve got to tell him that I’ve already brought Callie in. “I’ll be in the office. That’ll be the party line, but I can’t be disturbed because of a daylong phone conference. Callie will watch the office and make sure no one goes in. I’ll keep it locked.”

“Just keep it locked, then. There’s no need to bring Callie in.”

“Yeah. Maybe. It’d be good, though, to have someone who can—”

“No, Donny. We already decided to keep this between us.”

“Right.”

“So we begin,” he says. “On Friday. Day after tomorrow. That’s when the guys are set. We’ll work through the weekend during the day. If it’s a gas leak, that’ll fly.”

And sometime between this evening and then, I have to break it to Dale that I’ve already told Callie some of this stuff.

“In the meantime,” I say, “we owe Uncle Joe a visit.”

“We do?”

“Yeah. He’s the only person who seems to know about that half brother of our grandfather’s. I want to know why.”

“All right. You want to go over there tonight?”

I sigh. “Yeah. I guess so.”

“What about Aunt Mel?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure I want to call first, because he may not want to discuss any of this with us.”

“Right.” He sighs. “How do we handle it, then?”

“I don’t know. Let’s figure this out. Tonight. Can you come over here? To the house? It’s empty except for Darla, and she’s off duty.”

“Don…”

“I know you’re a newlywed and all, but Willow’s there to keep Ashley company.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. I’ll be over in thirty.”

Chapter Twelve

Callie

My older sister’s eyes are heavy-lidded. She’s…sad? Frightened? I can’t get a read on her.

“Ror?”

“I’m okay. I just… All afternoon I’ve been replaying those past events in my mind. It sucks. It sucked then, and it sucks even more now. We should have—”

“Don’t go there. Don’t play the what-if game, Rory. We felt we didn’t have a choice at the time, and we did what we did. There’s no going back. Only forward.”

“Right.” She sighs. “You want to drive, or should I?”

“I’ll drive.” I eye the Snow Creek Inn down the street. “You think he’s working tonight?”

“I don’t know,” she says. “Don’t care. I don’t want to see him.”

“Neither do I. Let’s go.”

My car is parked in back of the courthouse. We walk to the space and get in. I turn on the ignition.

Then I sit there.

“Cal?”

“Right.” I throw the car into reverse and pull out.

We buried the key right outside town limits. We considered burying it on our own property but ultimately decided against it. We didn’t want the rest of our family to ever be implicated.

A little over an hour later, after we drive home, change clothes, and sneak supplies into the trunk, we reach the ending of the dirt road that leads to our destination. I stop the car.

“Here goes nothing,” Rory says.

“A half mile down the path, if I recall.”

“Six-tenths, to be exact.” Rory pulls a pedometer out of her purse.

“Does that thing still work?”

“Hell if I know.”

“Maybe we should have gotten a new one.”

“I’ll know the spot. Trust me.” Rory opens the passenger door and exits the car.

I follow, clicking the doors locked and opening the trunk at the same time. Two shovels. Two pairs of leather work gloves. Kneepads. Yeah, we came prepared.

Rory says nothing, just dons a pair of gloves and kneepads, picks up a shovel, and starts down the path, watching her pedometer.

Finally, she speaks. “Looks like it’s working.”

“Good.”

Silence then, for a half mile. I couldn’t speak if I wanted to. My entire throat has constricted to the point I’m not sure I’m getting enough oxygen. But of course I am. I’m breathing, not even close to losing air.

Still, it’s like a noose is tightening around me. I touch my neck, feel the rapid cadence of my pulse.