Page 14 of Marlin's Faith

“Okay,” Hope said quietly but I could see my sister was a touch crestfallen. Damn it. I sighed inwardly. She got up and the three of them moved the bags in front of the closet in a neat row before slipping out of the bedroom and shutting the door firmly behind them. I stood up and toed off the flip flops I’d been wearing, going around to the side of the bed that was toward the windows. I lifted the covers and slipped between the sheets fully dressed, turning my back on the serene, too-pretty-to-be-real view of the white sand, of the vivid blue sky the color of Marlin’s eyes where it met the aquamarine water the color of mine.

I just didn’t want to exist anymore and pretty soon, I didn’t, or the world didn’t. I couldn’t really tell, because I was fast asleep.

9

Marlin…

“Her first appointment is tomorrow,” Hope said, and the Captain pulled her into his side. Her good arm wound around his waist and they looked like they belonged together. Strong, more solid together than they’d ever been apart. It was good to see. The Captain deserved someone like that. We all liked L’il Bit but she was Reaver’s and that had always been plain to see.

“I’ll get her there, just like I swore I would. I don’t go back on my word.”

“No one’s sayin’ you would, or that you ever have, Brother.”

I nodded. The Captain was right, no one ever said that I would, it was just me that knew that I had… I had gone back on my word, on my vow, when it’d come to my brother Danny. I’d lost my patience with my brother after he’d gone back to that shit time and time again. I’d quit on him when once upon a time I’d swore I never would… and now he was dead.

My phone went off in the front pocket of my jeans and I dug it out, one glance at the screen and I was swearing softly. I slid the indicator bar and answered it.

“What’s up?”

“Just wondering, Man. Were you ever planning on bringing your ass back to work?” I gritted my teeth and fought not to snarl back at my surviving brother.

“Yeah, I’m kind of in the middle of something with the club, Johnny.”

He swore softly, or he’d pulled the phone away from his mouth before he’d done it. Either way, didn’t care, but I was gonna in a second.

“Well I booked you a client, they’re at the Scarlett Ann now, it’s only a four hour gig but the bills need to get fuckin’ paid, Bro.”

I was gonna fuckin’ kill him. I ground my teeth together and tilted my head from one side to the other until my neck creaked and finally gave with a loud crack. Once, then twice and in the span it took me to do it, I got a lid on my temper.

“You listen to me you little shit. I say who gets on my boat when. You get me? I live there, you don’t.”

“Whatever, Jim. I got a fuckin’ family to feed, you don’t. Get your fuckin’ ass down here and let’s get some fuckin change in our pockets. My kid wants to eat this week.”

The fucking little cock bite hung up on me. Cutter and Hope both locked me with looks of bemusement and wide eyed empathy.

“I’d throat punch him,” Hope said judiciously. I huffed a small laugh.

“He’s more’n just my business partner, he’s my brother.”

“I’d still punch him,” she said with a blasé, one shouldered shrug.

“Trust me, it doesn’t work.”

She gave a dramatic sigh, “It really doesn’t.”

Cutter’s shoulders shook with silent laughter and he finally shook his head, “You were headed that way anyways, go on. She’s out like a traffic light and probably will be for a minute. Your brother’s half right, it’s been a leaner season than most. Of course it don’t really get started for a while yet. We got this, man. Go do your thing.”

I clasped hands with my P. and we pulled each other in, slapping one another hardily on the back. I gave Hope a nod and she gave me a serious one back.

“See you soon,” she uttered and I made for the door.

It didn’t sit well with me leavin’ like this, but Johnny’d painted me into a corner. I fuckin’ hated that shit and you’d best believe we’d be havin’ words about it.Afterwe’d gotten rid of whoever was on my fuckin’ boat without me. By Christ, Johnny had better be on the Scarlett Ann when I got there, with whoever he’d given the go ahead to board.

You’d like to think he was the older of the two of us, but I out stripped him by a year and more. Danny’d been younger than me by four, mama’s little miracle baby. Spoiled rotten ‘cause of it too. Danny’d gotten away with fuckin’ murder out of the three of us growing up. My parents had started late with me an’ Johnny as it was. Mama had had Danny in her mid-forties. We’d all been named for the bible. God fearing, my folks. I’d gotten stuck with James, Johnny was after John the Baptist and Danny? Well, Mama’d decided that with how high risk the pregnancy had been, our little brother had made it out of the lion’s den and so he’d gotten Daniel.

I made strides out the front door of Cutter’s house and threw a leg over my waiting bike. I checked her over thoroughly. When Hope’s bike had gone into the crash truck I’d bitten the bullet and let the prospect fuckin’ ride her. There wasn’t a scratch on her. I must have inspected her at least a dozen times over the last couple of weeks but she was fine. I still kept expecting to find some kind of flaw in her but the kid had taken good care of her for me. I think he was going to work out.

I pulled my sunglasses down over my eyes and started her up, my lips curving into an appreciative smile. Rides, even short ones, had been few and far between with the situation what it was. I was in some serious need of some wind therapy to blow out some of the cobwebs and ick coating my soul from the epic pile of shit I’d been shoveling. Not that I regretted one minute of it. Championing this particular cause had never felt so right, but that didn’t stop it from taking its toll.

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