Favourite Mistake

Chapter 4

Returning

"No matter what gets in my way, as long as there's still life in me." My temper was wearing thin. It was taking everything I had in me not to bellow back at Jeb. I'd made one mistake, I knew that, but Jeb seemed unwilling to accept my apology.

"See now boy," Jeb wasn't bothering to hold his tone back at me, his voice was hardly above his usual decibel but if you were close enough to him to know the difference then you should know you were in for it, "What you did disagrees. 'As long as there's life still in me' my arse. That little stunt you pulled could've had us all caught do you not see that?" Taking a deep sigh Jeb's composure seemed to calm a little before his rational side spoke again. "Look Ian, we're all aware of your past with this girl but you need to put that aside when you're raiding. Your foolish behaviour has you acting more like your fool of a brother."

I was resigned to having to admit that Jeb was right. Explosions like my fight with Grace was something Kyle would've done. If I was honest with myself; it was something that I would've done in my earlier years. Looking up to Kyle like I had done as a teen had had me picking a few bad habits that I shouldn't have learnt. Habits that being with Wanda diminished.

Remembering the little worried look on Wanda's face as I said something she would deem vicious made my heart beat faster. The raid had been cut short at mere days but seconds apart would hurt. At this point I would tell Jeb anything he wanted to hear just so I could get out of this room. I needed to see Wanda, to hold her tightly. Absence makes the heart grow stronger but it also feels like a deep loss.

Right now though, I was surrounded. Aaron was covering my left, Brandt my right with Andy keeping tracks on me from behind. They were there to stop me running, though it more often than not felt like they were there to persuade their one sided, narrow minded opinion upon the man in front of me to get anyone, friend or foe, in a punishment of some sort. Stood in front of me was Jeb with his blazing denim eyes.

"Now tell me son, what was it all about?" His demeanour had softened and he seemed genuinely sorry that we were here in this situation, but I could see his usual deep run curiosity but I was reluctant to tell the cause of the fight. Kyle had happily regaled stories of Grace and my fights over the years in these caves never failing to mention the frequency or the severity of the occasions. Kyle seemed almost proud at times. Grace and my relationship was a strained thing, it took everything we had not to kill each other but for some unfathomable reason it took us two years to end the thing. And it was a messy ending at that.

So drawing upon an old case, I gritted my teeth and lied through them. "She was assuming me an imbecile; telling me how to raid, treating me like a child and her voice itself goes through me."

I knew it wasn't a good reason, or the real reason for our public display of distaste, but it was a reason that covered almost every base that would get me out of here as soon as possible.

"Oh come on boy!" Cutting himself off, Jeb stopped there. He seemed highly disapproving of my excuse as expected. Grunting back any further response he nodded at the boys to release me. I assumed that Jeb had more to say to me but would feel patronising to do so, I was almost sure that I'd pay for this when next raid came around and it was certain that this would not be the last time I heard of this in any case, but Jeb was releasing me now which mean I could go find Wanda. At this time I presumed she was still asleep but as I turned to go, all three men stood squarely in my way. I could feel my eyes narrowing into a thin challenging line. I may not be allowed to pick another fight up there, but down here these guys were fair game; these guys were getting between Wanda and me and that was just unacceptable.

"Move!" The command came from my lips in a snarl. A fierce sound to even my ears but not one man stepped from my view.

Taking a deep breath and unintentionally turning my lips into a sinister grin I composed myself and tried a second approach. "Move," Still a command but adding unnecessary emphasise on the next word in a patronising way I added, "Please."

Unwillingly, and presumably under a threatening glare from Jeb besides me, one by one each man parted allowing me room to pass, Aaron and Brandt particularly reluctant to do so and showing this clearly with a strong set jaw and thunderous eyes.

I let a soft, un-humoured laugh escape my snarling lips as I passed. Neither man scared me in the least, and if they tried to prevent me being with Wanda once more I'd flatten them without a moment's hesitation.