CHAPTER TWELVE
(JPOV)
Brenner slept through most of our conversation with Charlie, only waking periodically some here and there whenever one of our voices would reach a louder octave. Bella did her best to remind us all to lower our tones when some of the chiefs questions got to be more extensive. We tried our best, but it was proving to be a challenge at times.
"Do you think it's possible that Rachel is running from something, Billy? A relationship that's put her in harms way or-"
"Why would she stay in a situation like that? I know our relationship may have been distant in the past, but I would hope she still knows she can always come back home. That we love her and that our door is always open to her." Billy tersely clarified.
"That very well may be the case, but nevertheless, sending a five year old child alone on a trip like she did borders on negligent and to be completely honest, I'm almost certain that some of my fellow deputies would feel the exact same way. The world isn't what it used to be and it was dangerous for him to be alone like he was. Anything could have happened on his journey here. He's very lucky that it didn't."
"What if she didn't have any other choice, Charlie?" Billy haughtily defended, his baritone stern when he spoke this. "Rachel wouldn't abandon him for no reason. She sounded terrified in her message."
"Has she been seeing someone? Recently? A new love interest?"
"I wouldn't have any way of knowing. We don't even have the slightest clue who Brenner's father is. She wasn't in any kind of a serious or committed relationship when she left here years ago if that's what you're asking."
Charlie huffed and massaged his temples in frustration, as he looked again toward Brenner and I, his tiredness now showing in his face while he studied the way the small boy was still curled into my side.
"Well...-he seems to have taken to you, Jacob. That's something – at least. Maybe you can get some more info out of him once he's had a solid nights sleep? I think it's the only way to know what kind of situation we're truly dealing with here. Sure, I can investigate Rachel's last known whereabouts, track her travel and find out if she's in some kind of unknown legal trouble, but I'm afraid my hands are tied apart from that. The rest is up to her. Do you think she'll call here again like she said she would?"
"I hope so." I replied, glancing down at Clarissa who was asleep on my shoulder. "I guess all we can do right now is wait."
"Afraid so." Charlie readily agreed, his gaze falling to Bella as she yawned and settled in on the other side of the sofa.
"You know you're all more than welcome to stay here for the night. We can sort things out better in the morning."
The front door suddenly swung open then as Gentry casually strolled in through it, the sharp gust of wind that followed in behind it, causing it to bang loudly against the house with his arrival. Brenner shot up from the couch in a flash, his movements so sudden that he tripped over the coffee table, and almost collided with an unsuspecting Charlie as he wildly scurried to get away from us. Before any of us could react, he was running past a stunned Gentry and out of the house.
"Brenner! Stop!" Billy frantically called out after him, but he only ran that much faster.
I handed Clarissa over to Bella and grabbed hold of Gentry as I tore off after him. He disappeared into the darkened woods in a few fleeting seconds, and I hauled Gentry behind me as we followed fast behind him.
"Let's go. Help me."
"Wait- what- what the hell is going on? Who is that kid!? What's he doing here?"
"He's my sisters son – my nephew... and yours, too."
Gentry halted his running steps and looked my way with wide eyes of alarm at this.
"Rebecca's son?"
"No- Rachels. His name is Brenner and we have to find him. I need your help, Gentry. Come on."
He nodded in reply and followed quickly behind me, the two of us looking in every which direction and yelling his name. I had to hand it to him, for a little guy, he was fast. An hour of searching swiftly turned into two and the longer we went without finding him, the more my worry grew. After we'd scoured the dense forest and still turned up with nothing, we phased and tracked his scent. The trail he ended up on was familiar enough for me to follow from memory alone as we closed in on his whereabouts. It wasn't long before I caught sight of him, and phased back to human form before he could spot either one of us. I knew that would only scare him more and that was the last thing I wanted.
I slid on my cut offs, and gestured for Gentry to stay hidden while I headed for the tree he was curled up against, my steps slow and cautious in the sincere hopes I wouldn't scare him off again.
"Hey bud, we've been looking all over for you. Are you alright?"
His head whipped in my direction at the sound of my voice and he jumped to his feet ready to run, his eyes wide and panicked when they held mine.
"Leave me alone. You told the bad man I was here and now he's come looking! You were supposed to be safe- mom said-..." He tearfully accused, his face scrunched with fear as he turned to bolt in the other direction.
"What bad man...-Brenner- listen to me...-you are safe." I hedged, as he paused and turned back my way, his eyes glancing around at the darkened woods like he was expecting someone other than me to show up out here. I took another few steps his way as he shivered from the chill in the night air.
"No, no I'm not. Not anymore. He's coming." He fretfully replied, his small frame now shaking like a leaf.
"Who's coming?"
"We were supposed to run away from him together but mom sent me first. I wanna go home." He cried out.
I did my best to ignore the heat that made my tremors return, as I drew in a steadying breath and closed the gap of distance between us. He backed away from me and I froze when he stumbled over a few of the low laying branches around us.
He stared at me with evident confliction, like he was silently debating on whether to run to me or run from me.
"You said your mom has pictures of me in your house, right?" I asked, seeing him timidly nod when I stilled there by the nearest tree. "-...did she ever tell you about me and your grandpa Billy? What did she say, Brenner?"
He paused briefly for a moment and nervously began to ring his little hands together before he answered.
"Sh- she said y-you were a protector. Th-That you w-wouldn't let anything happen to me."
"I am and I won't. What else did she tell you?" I hedged.
"That you were safe."
"Do you believe her? Do you believe what she told you?"
He grew quiet at this and peered up at the moon, his tears still present when he nodded and slowly headed my way.
I held out my hand for him and he took hold of it with a nervous look at the barely lit trail just ahead of us.
"I don't like the bad man. He could follow us. He likes the dark. That's when he found us last time." He admitted, while his small hand tightly gripped my own.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Gentry's departure then as he waved my way and disappeared silently into the trees. I knew we needed more information, but the more Brenner talked, the less I liked what I heard.
I crouched down in front of him and motioned that he jump on for a piggyback ride the rest of the way back to Billy's.
"Hop up, little man. We got a ways back. I'll give you a lift."
He hesitated at first but soon jumped on, and wrapped his arms securely around my neck while we headed back down the trail.
"How did you find me, uncle Jake? I'm usually good at hiding. I've done it a lot."
"I guess I got lucky. How many times have you hidden with your mom? Do you guys play hide and seek?" I nonchalantly asked him, keeping my tone light, and hoping he would tell me more, as I thought back to Rachels favorite childhood game she used to play with me before mom passed.
"I can't count them all, but that's our favorite game to play. I always win." Brenner admitted to me.
"I used to play that with your mom all the time when I was little just like you."
"Did you win?"
"Sometimes - actually- most of the time, but I think she let me win."
"My mom said I used to have a grandma? Is that true?"
My steps faltered some when he innocently asked me this and I tried to recover the best I could.
"Yeah, it is true. Her name was Sarah."
"I saw her picture, too. She's on our fridge at home. Grandpa Billy's with her in the picture. We always take it with us when we have to leave again."
"Where do you go when you leave?"
"Lots of places."
"Tell me about some of them, bud. Is it like vacation or a trip you and mom take?"
There was a long silence from him before he answered again, and I worried that he would stop talking, but thankfully, he kept going with some of his memories.
"Um-... well- sometimes we stay in a new place to sleep. With a TV and a pool, and a big bed mom lets me jump on!"
"A hotel?" I countered in question to him.
"Yep - that's it. A hotel."
"How long do you stay there? Do you have fun?"
"A few days or a week. It's lots of fun! Until it gets dark outside. That's when the fun stops."
"What happens then?" I hedged, catching the way his breathing changed when he reflected on this. I readjusted his weight and slowed my pace, listening more closely to his words hen he spoke this time. His voice was smaller and he tightened his arms around my neck.
Billy's house came into view and I nodded up ahead while waiting for his answer.
"I can't tell you." He nervously replied, as I crossed the back yard and knelt down for him to climb off my back. I expected him to go running straight for the house, but instead he hugged me and wouldn't let go.
"Did your mom ask you not to tell me about the bad man? Is that why you can't?"
Brenner slowly released his grip on me then, and I met his scared gaze as he nodded once before we heard Billy's voice calling out for him.
"Brenner! Are you okay?"
"I am now." He softly replied, reaching out for my hand once more. "Right, uncle Jake? Will everything be okay?"
"Yeah bud, you're gonna be okay." I hedged in return, giving his hand another squeeze while he peered up at me with hope clear in his glossy brown eyes.
"Promise?" He timidly asked, before he headed for Billy there on the porch.
"I promise. We'll figure this all out. Go get some sleep."
"Are you coming in soon?"
"I'll be right behind you." I encouraged him.
Bella emerged with Clarissa just then and Charlie wasn't far behind, their looks of relief that he was no longer lost, easy to see even from this considerable distance. Brenner paused when he got to the steps, and peered over his petite shoulder at me as I nodded and gave him half a smile. It was forced but I hoped he wouldn't notice and to my luck, he didn't. He smiled back at me and approached Bella first, his simple question to her making my heart warm when he asked it.
"Do you have any stories you could read me? Sometimes that helps me sleep."
Bella grinned down at him and gingerly took his hand as he followed her back inside the house with Clarissa still in her arms.
"You know what, Brenner? I love to read, too. When I have trouble sleeping, it's my favorite thing to do, and it just so happens that I have a few of Clarissa's favorite books here. They might be a little young for you, but I'd be happy to read them to you."
"Thank you, I love any kind of story." He sighed in response as the house door closed behind them.
I waited there for a few more seconds until I was sure he was settled in, before I turned on my heel and headed back for the woods, my tremors causing a renewed rush of heat to spread through me. Gentry was there waiting close by, his cell phone in hand when I cut through the well known path and met him there.
"Figured you'd be needing this. Wanna try that number again?" He firmly hedged.
I snatched it from him with a thankful nod of gratitude, and hurriedly dialed the now memorized number that we'd been trying to reach Rachel at all damn night.
One ring... Two ring...-
"Hello?" A male voice gruffly answered, his slurred and irritated tone telling me he was far from sober this evening.
"Who is this?" I angrily countered.
"Well, you tell me. You're the one who dialed the number. Who are you looking for?"
"Rachel Black."
"That makes two of us. When you find her, you tell her she still owes me for last months half of the rent! Her and that loser boyfriend of hers!"
I bit back a snarl and tried to keep my head about me, as Gentry drew closer and listened in to the conversation.
"When did you see her last?"
"What is it to you, anyway? You know the chick?"
"That chick is my sister and I need to get ahold of her." I ground out to him.
"Jacob, right? Yeah, she mentioned you a time or two during her stay here." He replied, his words hard to understand from his intoxicated haze.
"That's me. Where is here exactly and who am I speaking to?"
"I'm Scott. Don't need to know the last name and what will you give me for telling you my location? How about you pay the rent that she stiffed me on and maybe I'll tell you?"
Gentry reached for the phone, his eyes now narrowing in the same menacing fashion that matched my own gaze. I held onto the cell and decided I'd play along for now.
"Sure, sure. That sounds like a deal to me. You give me your physical address and I'll mail you a check for the exact amount of the overdue rent."
"...you better keep your word."
"Address?" I pushed, knowing that by the sounds of things, Scott was just drunk enough to take the bait, and just as I suspected, that's exactly what he did.
"230 Saxon Street Wilmington, California 90744."
"That's all I needed from you, Scott. Happy drinking."
"Hey-wait a min-"
I ended the call then, cutting him off, and logged the given address into the cell before handing it back to Gentry, the two of us sharing a loaded look that said it all.
"When are we leaving?"
"Dawn." I replied, as we started back for Billy's.
"Is this a secret mission or are we telling our significant others about this?"
"I'm telling Bella... everything- and yeah- if you're smart, you'll tell Leah." I informed him with a heavy sigh.
"What do you think this is, Jake? Brenner seems to be a kid whose seen a lot in his young life. He just showed up on Billy's doorstep?"
"Yeah, and I'm sure he's seen far more than any kid his age ever should. This doesn't add up. Rachel isn't reckless like this, but it's been so long since I last saw her - I don't know what kind of mess she's gotten herself into."
"Maybe Rebecca would know something? Would they have been in touch?" Gentry asked.
"No...- after mom died, a lot changed in our family. Wasn't supposed to be like that - like this. Mom would hate the way things are now if she were here to see it. She was always the glue that held us together, when she passed, nothing was the same."
"Hey - I know what that's like - sort of - but whatever this is and whatever's going on with Rachel, she reached out to you and Billy for a reason. That's not nothing, bro. You guys are still her soft place to land. She wouldn't have sent Brenner here for safe keeping if you weren't. So, maybe things aren't as fractured with all of you as you think they are. Look at us, right? If we can heal that damage and mend some of the hurt like we have been, trust me, there's definitely hope for all of you to do the same."
"Thanks, Gentry. I'm really glad you're here with us now. I mean that."
He smirked at this and shrugged in return, as we trudged up the rickety steps and joined everyone inside.
Charlie was seated at the kitchen table with Billy, the two of them filling out some paperwork that the chief had brought along with him over a cup of coffee, as they both tried to keep sleep at bay despite the late hour.
Clarissa was sound asleep and resting comfortably in Bella's arms, as she read aloud a few of the bedtime stories for Brenner. I stilled there at the sight of her, the look of complete contentment she wore making the swirling chaos that was unfolding in my mind right now come to a stop, and suddenly, it was just us. Just Jake and Bells. She lifted her head and caught my stare with a slight blushing grin and it captivated me, in a way that didn't make sense. In a way that would probably never make sense and that was okay with me. It was more than just okay, because against all odds and against imperfect timing and grief, we'd found each other again. We'd been given a second chance at this thing called life, and when it became messy, when it became more challenging than we'd foreseen, much like it was right now, it took only one look at her beautiful face, and I knew we would be okay.
We would always be okay.
I held her gaze and mouthed the words 'I love you,' as she turned the story page of Cinderella and continued to read. Brenner leaned into her with a faint and tired smile playing on his lips, and she reached for him like the two of them were the best of friends instead of mere strangers up until a few hours ago.
He nestled in snug beside her, his head soon coming to rest comfortably on her other shoulder, and just as she finished reading the last page of the familiar fairy tale, his eyes closed and he fell fast asleep with her.
"And we, Princess, are supposed to live happily ever after."
She placed a kiss to Clarissa's cheek and then one to Brenner's forehead, as I approached her and leaned down with my whispered words.
"You are my happily ever after, Bells."
A/N: I hope you all enjoy this chapter update! With things being so heavy in the world right now, I truly hope that some of you get a place to escape for little while with reading! Please review with your thoughts and look for a new chapter by Friday! :-)