Page 60 of Justified Lies

At Allen’s command, his sister’s head twisted towards the door. Eyes wide with fear locked on his, her cheek beet red. Gabe didn’t think, he reacted.

Hurtling himself towards them, rage fueled him. Gabe grabbed Allen by the shirt, throwing him off Megan. Allen hastily tried to pull up his pants, got them to mid-thigh before Gabe landed his first punch. The sound of bone crunching flooded Gabe’s system with adrenaline. It wasn’t until Allen could no longer stand under his own power, crumbling into the pile of shit that he was on the floor, that Gabe stopped.

Turning back to Megan, he was surprised to see she was only an arm’s distance behind him. And fully dressed.

“He didn’t,” she panted. “I mean, he tried, but he didn’t.”

She was no longer crying, instead staring down at the man with a deep void in her eyes. There was no sadness, no fear, only an alarming indifference. Gabe struggled to catch his breath, only then realizing that the sobs he heard were his own. Wiping his eyes, he flinched at the pain radiating from hisknuckles. Blood dripped from his hands, probably not all from the man on the floor.

“Where’s Mom?” Gabe asked, concerned that the commotion didn’t bring her running.

“How would I know?”

“We gotta get him out of here.”

Gabe bent to try and move Allen but was swatted away. Staggering to his feet, he fell into the wall several times, swearing loudly.

“Whore, like your mom.”

Gabe swung without thinking, again. They left Allen on the floor in Megan’s room until the first rays of sunshine entered the windows. It was about the same time their mom finally woke up. They had found her shortly after the incident passed out, face down on her bed.

As the sun rose the next morning, Allen limped out of the house holding his ribs. He shouted at Beth that Megan had come on to him, that Gabe was going to end up in prison. Their mom sent them to their rooms before locking herself in her own for the rest of the day.

Beth took it upon herself not to press charges on the scumbag. She said it was all a misunderstanding. That Gabe should be grateful that Allen had promised not to pursue charges against him for the broken nose and several cracked ribs he delivered. That Megan was a magnet for trouble and brought this upon herself.

If it had been possible, Gabe would have walked away at that very moment. Unfortunately, his college football scholarship would only be waiting for him when his high school diploma was in hand. So, he finished the remaining months until graduation, then never looked back the day he drove out of town.

After four years in college, degree in hand, Gabe had become a sought-after lineman. He bounced around severaldifferent professional football teams in both the USA and Canada. More times than not, he landed on their practice squad, but it was a good gig. The years of fulfilling his dreams and lining his pockets came to a screeching halt when his little sister called asking for afavor.

The guilt eating at Gabe for running all those years ago, for leaving Megan alone with their mother, ultimately shaped his decision to take Jacob. Moving as far away from his home as possible without leaving the country, he settled in Vancouver. It was his favorite city from his football days. Gabe entered the police academy and moved quickly up the ranks. Fast forward, taking Jacob had turned out to be the best decision he had ever made. It was the one thing he had done right.

“Gabe?”

Lost in the memories, he didn’t hear his sister addressing him.

“What was that?”

“I said, it was only right to bring you here and clear the air. We all needed to hear these things, we need to be free of the past, the guilt.” Megan paused. “And I know what I asked of you was too big for any person to ask another, but I’ve seen the worst in people. I couldn’t imagine offering up my baby to a stranger. Someone who could hurt him the way I’ve been hurt. You were the dependable one. The one truly good soul I trusted.”

Megan looked down. “I understand why you don’t like taking my calls.”

Over the years, Megan would call making veiled threats. Before Jacob, she would drop hints at not wanting to live anymore. Once Gabe took Jacob, she would allude to seeking visitation, even though they had expressly agreed to no contact. The endgame had always been money.

When Gabe would have denied it, she spoke over him. “It’s okay, I did only call when I was in trouble or needed money.I’m trying to stay clean now. I don’t want to go back in there,” referring to prison, “but like I said, every day is a struggle for me. I can’t imagine adding a kid to that.”

“So…” She was nervous, her nail biting a dead giveaway. “I know the agreement says you have full guardianship of Jacob and that I can attempt to reinstate custody upon my release. But I don’t want that. I want to sign over all parental rights to you. You’re giving Jacob the life we never had and that’s more than I could have ever dreamed of.”

Chapter Eighteen

The next morning, Lianna attempted to keep herself busy after dropping the kids at school. She always took vacation days this time of year, as it was busy at home and slow at work. Now she regretted that. Since Annie’s birthday and Halloween were over, there wasn’t nearly enough to distract her wayward thoughts.

That’s what led her to the hot yoga class she had just finished. The other moms raved about it. The goal was to relax and rejuvenate. Awkward and exhausting better described Lianna’s experience. Thanks to the heat, she could also add sweaty and stinky to that description.

Smelling like a ripe peach, she walked on sluggish legs through the parking lot. Approaching her vehicle from behind, she didn’t see what was shoved under her windshield wipers until she was already halfway inside. Backing out, she banged her head on the door frame, before reaching forward and grabbing the object. Instantly she identified Annie’s favorite hair accessory. It was an oversized, blue bow dotted with unicorns and set on a clip.

How did that get on the car? Lianna looked around, but the parking lot was busy with yogis coming and going. No one paid attention to her. Maybe it had fallen out of the car when she went into the studio. She had been running late and rushed into the building. It was the simplest and likeliest explanation. Then why did Lianna have such an uneasy feeling in her stomach?

Placing the bow into the cup holder, she climbed back into the vehicle. She sighed, sinking into the comfort of her electric vehicle’s rich leather seats. The scratches on the passenger side had been fixed and it was her first time driving it since the repairs. It was pure luxury compared to her minivan. Connecting her phone to the Bluetooth, she dialed Isabela. Ithad been a few days since they spoke, and she needed to hear a familiar voice.

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