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Chapter 28: Hard Choices
Craig watched as Jerry and Jack set up the checker board for a game. Jerry had checked all of his lessons, and then had helped him finish several more. With Jerry and Jack's help he had managed to complete fourteen of the assignments, and Bobby said that if he finished at least ten and they were done well that he wouldn't have to study any more after four, so he had closed up his books and was enjoying having some free time to let his brain recover from having to concentrate for so long with no real break. Four o'clock came and went with no word from Bobby or Angel, and Jerry kept looking at his watch. He called Camille at four fifteen to check up on her. She was at her mothers with the girls, and it seemed he planned on her staying there for a while, because he told her he missed her, and he'd keep her informed about what was going on. Craig could tell both of his older brothers were starting to worry about the missing members of their family when four thirty came around and the checker game had barely advanced past six moves. Jack would glance at Jerry, who would look at his watch and mumble the time.
Craig snatched up the remote control and started flicking through the channels, just to keep his mind off of Bobby and Angel's absence. He could feel his brothers' worry, and it was making him worry. He glanced over at the checker game a few times, and the last time he did he caught Jerry and Jack looking at each other. Just moments later the sound of the back door closing brought the attention of all three of them up to the dining room door.
"I don't care; you are never driving me anywhere again!" Bobby's voice filled the house. "You ain't driving me to the fucking store, you ain't driving me to the damn corner up the street; I don't trust you."
"Would you just leave it alone?" Angel walked into view in the dining room first, followed closely by Bobby.
Both men stood in the doorway and looked at the remaining three brothers who were staring at them, Craig was sure Jerry and Jack wanted to ask where they had been, what they had found out, and what the hell the two of them were arguing about this time. He was hoping one or both of them would start asking questions soon, his own curiosity was getting to him, and he was well aware that Bobby wouldn't tell him anything if he asked.
"Well?" Jerry stood quickly and walked over to where Angel and Bobby stood. "What happened? What did you find out?"
"I found out our brother can't drive worth shit." Bobby nodded his head and flicked a quick glance at Craig. "What are you doing in here? I told you the dining room." He looked back at Jerry and then turned his full attention to Craig.
"Jack said…" Craig started to explain why he was in the living room and not where Bobby had wanted him.
Bobby looked at Jack. "I told you the dining room." He spoke a little gruffer than Craig had expected, and apparently more than Jack had expected as well.
"I was getting tired, and I wanted to come in here where it was more comfortable. I didn't think you would mind as long as he did his work." Jack seemed surprised by Bobby's obvious aggravation, but didn't seem worried.
"Get your books together and get them to the kitchen where they belong. You ain't even working on anything and it's not five o'clock yet." He turned back to Craig.
"You said I could stop at four if I finished enough of the lessons, I finished more than you said." Craig found his voice coming out a little weak, not sure why Bobby was so upset. He knew he was probably upset about something they had found out, and not at him, but he still felt the sting of his brother's angry voice.
"I'm glad to hear that, I really am, but I want your ass in the kitchen for now. Just get you shit together and move your ass in there until I come for you." Bobby seemed to be trying to hold in a yell.
Craig felt a little frustration of his own building up. "That's not fair, you said…" He started to argue, but he stopped himself, stood and started gathering up the books and papers that were on his end of the coffee table.
"Bobby, just lay off of him, he did the work you wanted him to." Jack spoke quickly.
"Yeah, man, and he did pretty damn good too." Jerry spoke quietly, keeping his gaze on Bobby. "If you want him out of the room so we can talk, then maybe you should just say that." He kept his voice quiet so Craig couldn't really make out all of the words.
Bobby drew in a deep breath and stepped past Jerry over to the boy. "I'll help you carry these." His voice was quiet.
Craig didn't look up at his brother as he stood with his books loaded in his arms. "I got it." He muttered; feeling irritated at the man.
"Look, I just need to talk to your brothers for a few minutes; that's all." Bobby rested a hand on Craig's shoulder to get his attention.
Craig looked up at Bobby and could see the frustration that had been written on his face a moment before had softened slightly. "Why can't I hear what you have to say?" He wasn't trying to argue with his brother, he just wanted to know what was going on as bad as any of them.
"I'll tell you all about it after we talk for a few. You just go to the kitchen, do one more lesson. That's all I'm asking, okay?" Bobby sounded much calmer. "You gotta give me something to work with here Craig; I haven't had the best afternoon. I had a car nearly run me down and then Angel tried to finish the job. I was shot at and then found out I shared some space with a fucking rat. I'll tell you all about it in just a little bit, okay?"
Craig wanted to tell Bobby no. He wanted to tell him he had a right to know everything that had happened, just as much a right as Jack and Jerry had, but he didn't say it. He felt a little hurt and left out, but he didn't argue with his brother any further on the subject, he stepped past him and walked through the foyer to the kitchen.
He emptied his books onto the table and sat down in the chair Bobby had been so adamant that he sit in earlier that day. He strained his ears and could hear voices, but he couldn't make out the actual words that his brothers were exchanging. It wasn't fair that Bobby wouldn't let him stay in the room to hear what had happened and what they had found out. Obviously there had been plenty that had happened from what Bobby had said to him. The longer he thought about it, the more unfair it seemed to him. His brothers couldn't seem to make up their minds. That morning Bobby had told him everything that Green had found out, and when Angel had gotten home from his scouting around he'd been told what he'd found. They had included him then, why couldn't they include him now? Of course Bobby hadn't let him hear Angel's account of what he'd found, they had waited until lunch, and he had no way of knowing if they had told him everything.
That thought brought on the notion that his brothers probably weren't being totally honest with him, just giving him bits and pieces of what they knew; not including him, not really. They had conveniently left out the name of a man that had bought at least one of Victor Sweet's businesses, Jessup Winston. He hadn't heard about that until he'd listened to Jack telling Jerry. What else hadn't they let him in on? He wanted to feel as if he belonged, but if they weren't going to include him, and tell him everything, then how could he possibly really fit in? They were going to keep treating him like a little kid. A voice in the back of his head that sounded hauntingly like Bobby spoke to him, telling him that they were treating him like a small child because he seemed to be acting like a small child an awful lot lately.
He sighed as he begrudgingly opened his history book to start reading the next chapter. Bobby had asked him to do just one more lesson, and he had a feeling deep in his gut that it really hadn't been a request.
Bobby sat next to Jack on the couch while Jerry returned to his seat in the chair, and Angel pulled the other chair over to the coffee table so that they could talk quietly. "So what the hell happened?" Jerry asked the question after a few moments of silence.
Bobby gave Angel his irritated stare for a second before he looked at Jerry and Jack. He explained calmly about how they had followed the van, and the events that followed that led them to the warehouse.
Jack looked at Angel. "You almost ran him down with the car?" There was slight grin on his lips, "Really?"
"No, I did not almost run him down; I lost control in some ice that was still on the fucking street. I was tryin' to catch up to that van and Bobby got in the way." Angel spoke indignantly.
"I was lying in the fucking street." Bobby looked at the man with no emotion on his face. "I got in the way?"
"You should have kept your ass in the fucking car!" Angel was struggling to keep his voice quiet so that it didn't carry into the kitchen. "Don't be telling Craig I tried to kill you man, that's just wrong."
Bobby shook his head, "I should have been driving to start with."
"Come on, man, stop the bullshit. What did you find out?" Jerry pushed for Bobby and Angel to stop their bickering.
Angel drew in a deep breath and relayed the information young Terry had been so quick to volunteer to them.
"Something big is being planned for tomorrow and the name Mercer was mentioned." Bobby spoke once Angel had finished, hoping to put some emphasis on the meaning of the statement.
Jerry sighed heavily. "That means it's not safe here." He shook his head.
"That means that we need to get Jack and Craig the hell out of this house." Angel nodded his head.
"Wait a minute; I'm old enough to take care of myself." Jack countered quickly. "We need to get Craig out of the house."
"You really think he is gonna want to go anywhere if Bobby ain't there?" Jerry looked pointedly at Bobby. "Man, it's already been tried, he don't do well if you aren't nearby." He shook his head.
"He can't stay here. He's gonna have to spend some time away from the house." Bobby sounded as if saying the words were slicing through his insides. "This isn't like before. When he went to your house from the hospital he was an emotional wreck and we didn't see that. This time, he's okay, he's able to think and use some common sense." It was obvious that he'd been wrestling with the decision before he'd ever gotten to the house.
"We talked about it, and your house probably ain't safe either." Angel looked at Jerry. "Where are Camille and the girls?"
"They are staying at her mothers." Jerry spoke quietly. "I say you all come to my place. No one needs to be in this house for the time being, not until we figure this out."
"Look, your house ain't safe Jerr'." Bobby sat back into the soft cushions of the couch. He motioned at Angel and then back to his self. "We think this about your project. We think that whoever is moving in on Sweet's holdings is gonna try to strong arm you into making the deal with them that you wouldn't make with Sweet. If anything, your place is probably the least safe house for any of us to be in."
"You two have been doing some talking?" Jerry shook his head, "Man, I ain't had no out of the way calls, no one has approached me with any threats or deals. What went down last night went down here, not at my house. I say this is revenge for what we did to Sweet."
"Could be a little of both. Could be you all pissed off someone Sweet worked with." Jack shrugged his shoulders, and then pulled a face at the pain it seemed to have caused in his chest. He rested a hand close to his drainage tube and then adjusted the awkward plastic hose.
"You okay Cracker Jack?" Bobby asked his younger brother quickly, not missing the tension in the younger man's throat.
"I'm fine. It's getting close to my pill time." Jack forced a weak smile and looked at his brothers, all three of them staring back with concern on their faces. "I'm fine, stop looking at me like that, damn. You'd think I'd been shot or something," He laughed at his own joke, breaking some of the tension his brothers seemed to be feeling.
Angel grinned, and Bobby just cursed quietly under his breath. Jerry however kept his gaze fixed on Jack. "And you think you can stay in this house and take care of yourself when shit starts hitting the brick?" He pointed to one of the patched bullet holes. "It ain't happenin'. We're getting your ass out of here along with Craig's."
Jack looked as if he were going to argue at first, but then he nodded his head slowly, "Okay, but where the hell we goin'? You all just pointed out that Jerry's house wasn't safe." He reminded them.
Angel and Bobby exchanged a long, knowing look before turning back to Jack. "Well, Jack, we talked about that too. We already called and talked to someone, and there is a place we can take both of you." Bobby spoke in an overly cheerful tone.
Angel grinned wide, "Yeah, and there's all sorts of good food to eat, and someone will be there to clean that drain shit all up for you." He added.
Craig was startled by the high pitched sound of Jack's voice from the living room. "Hell no, you can't make me go!" The man was nearly screaming the words. "That just ain't right!"
"Jack, there ain't no choice here." Angel's voice rose enough that the boy could hear it loud and clear. The next sound was Jerry's hysterical laughter.
Craig didn't have a chance to ponder on his confusion before Bobby appeared in the doorway. He looked up at the man, hoping his presence meant he was going to tell him what was going on.
Bobby stood in the doorway of the kitchen for a long moment, meeting the boy's gaze before he walked over to the table and sat across from him. "Look, I'm sorry, but I wanted to tell you about this, just you and me." He spoke carefully. "Okay?"
Craig didn't respond to the man. He didn't divert his eyes from Bobby's face as he closed his History book, and he didn't make a sound. He wasn't sure he trusted Bobby to really tell him everything, but he was willing to listen to what he was going to say, for the time being at least.
Bobby drew in a deep breath. "Do you know a kid, a blond boy, named Terry that hangs out with Anthony, a part of the same gang?" He asked the question slowly.
Craig shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know; I didn't really know anyone else in that group." He muttered.
Bobby nodded his head, looking a little relieved for some reason. He went onto tell Craig how he and Angel had followed a van full of punks who seemed to fit the profile teenage gang members. He told how the one kid, Terry, got out of the van, and how they had been spotted then. He told Craig how he'd ran after the boy while Angel took off in the car after the van. He even told how he had nearly been run down by the van just as he was catching up to the kid on foot, and how he'd then had to dodge Angel's driving skills. He was using colorful descriptions, and cussed Angel for his actions, but the man was laughing as he described the saucer sized eyes of Angel as the car grew close to running him over. If Craig hadn't felt angry with his brother at that moment he probably would have been laughing hard, but he didn't find it amusing, not at the moment.
Bobby stopped talking for a moment, and seemed to be waiting for the boy to respond to his description with some kind of remark, or at least a laugh, but once he seemed sure Craig wasn't going to comment in any way he continued to tell the boy about chasing the Terry kid to an abandoned warehouse, which was where the kid had pulled a gun and shot at him. Then Bobby's voice grew very serious as he repeated what Terry had told them.
Craig studied Bobby's face as he spoke. He was looking for any sign that his brother was leaving something out, but he couldn't tell. He wasn't sure if Bobby was that good at lying, or if he just didn't know his brother well enough to tell if he was being completely honest with him. He could easily tell when Bobby was pissed, but when it came to reading whether he was being honest with him, he wasn't sure.
He found his mind hanging on every word Bobby was saying about Anthony, and how he wasn't acting right in school. He was living with some guy who was taking care of him, but was putting him to work doing illegal shit, which seemed to include trying to harm the Mercer family, and that just didn't sound like the Anthony he knew. It didn't sound like his friend at all, and that was more frightening to him than hearing that something big was being planned for the next day, and it seemed it was going to be aimed at the Mercers.
Someone was out to try to harm his brothers, and Anthony was part of it? It just didn't make any sense to him. "Why don't you find Anthony and talk to him?" Craig asked the question while Bobby was in the middle of describing how Angel had shot some stupid rat, and he really didn't care to hear about a dead rat.
Bobby stared at the boy, and nodded his head. "That's exactly what we want to try to do, but he ain't been hanging out in his usual places, and no one seems to know who this ass hole is that's got him all wrapped up in this bullshit or where he's stayin'. No one knows shit." His voice was quiet.
Craig looked down at his book, and started picking at the binding, not sure if Bobby was done talking or not.
"Look, I know you're worried about Anthony right now, but we got bigger things to concentrate on here. Someone out there is planning on bringing more shit down on this family, and it's my job to keep you safe, all of you; you, Jack, Angel and Jerry. So we need to figure out the best way to do that." Bobby leaned forward across the table. "If they bring trouble to this house I don't want you here to be in the line of fire. You get my meaning here?"
Craig slowly raised his gaze to meet Bobby's. "You want me to stay at Jerry's?" He asked, not liking the idea at all.
"I just told you, Jerry's in as much trouble here as the rest of us. He doesn't have his own family in his home; you think that house is gonna be a safe place for any of us?" Bobby was talking slow and calm.
"Then what do you mean?" Craig felt more confused.
"We need to get you and Jack someplace where we don't have to worry about you. We'll stay here and try to draw these roaches out of the woodwork, but you and Jack can't be here if we get the same kind of action we got before." Bobby reached out and grabbed Craig's hands, stopping the boy from tearing the binding on his book any further. "Angel came up with a good place, but I need for you to go there with Jack and keep an eye on him. You know how I feel about other people messing with my little brother, and you know how he can be sometimes." Bobby forced a smile. "It's a hard choice for me to make Craig, but I gotta keep you safe. Believe me; no choice has ever been harder for me than this one."
"Where are we going?" Craig asked quietly, not liking the look on Bobby's face at that moment.
Angel had managed to get Jack calmed down, and Jerry's laughter had died down to occasional chuckles. The three of them were waiting quietly; each seemed to be involved with their own thoughts on what was happening around them, and the plans that needed to be made.
The air of the house filled with Craig's loud voice, shattering the silence, "I'm not staying with Sofi!"
Jerry's laughter filled the room once again, and Angel looked over at him, and then turned to Jack. "What the hell does everyone have against my woman?" He cried out.
