Page 92 of Bad Rio

That last day, in the moment he’d walked out of her life, the thing he remembered most was the searing vulnerability in her eyes. She’d been blind-sided, caught unaware that he would be taking off and leaving her behind to return to his old life. He was determined to go, but more than anything, her expression of pain had given him pause.

So, he’d blasted her, torn down her understandable pride in her work and her family company. He’d belittled her hubcaps.

Deep down he knew why he’d done it.

The old green monster. How he envied her place in the world, her deep connection to others. She was the perfect center of her universe, both loved and appreciated by everyone she touched. Out of nowhere he remembered her office and its bulletin board proudly displaying the thank-you notes from her employees’ children. In the vast sea of humanity, she had value.

And Rio? In the galaxy of his existence, he had pretty much spun through space alone. If not for his infrequent visits home to see Jim and Sarah, he was adrift, unimportant to anyone, valuable to no one.

Pausing a moment in the heavy labor of posthole digging, he drew a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away sweat. Kneeling in the dirt at his feet, Big Jim used an old coffee can to scoop loose soil from the hole.

“Fuck is wrong with me?” Rio muttered beneath his breath.

Jim stopped scooping and screwed an eye up at him. “Why don’t you ask Sarah that question?”

“Sarah?” Rio shoved the handkerchief into his pocket. He hadn’t meant to say his comment out loud. “Why would I ask her?”

“She’s a female. Women know these things.”

Rio scoffed. He sure wouldn’t be asking his sister any damn thing like that. With renewed energy, he began thrusting the digger back into the hard earth.

“Son,” Big Jim said, still scooping loose dirt, “those jobs you’ve been taking have been pretty hard on you.”

“I’m all right.” He continued with the posthole digger. Thrust, lift and dig. Thrust.

“One day, a man should decide he’s done enough saving the world, and let others who come after him take it up.”

Rio paused in his digging. “Are you saying I’m getting old?”

“You’re for sure no spring chicken. Not anymore.”

Rio scoffed. “I’m only thirty-five.”

“You’ve gone your own way, and I haven’t tried to run your life or tell you what to do. And you’ve done well. Got a lot of money stashed away, right? I’m real proud of you, son.”

“But?” Rio rested his gloved hands on his hips. May as well have Jim spit it out.

“But you can’t be Jason Bourne forever.”

“Are you saying I should slow down?”

“Not slow down, necessarily, just back out of the line of fire. You have a lot of skills. Use them. But stop sticking your neck out.”

Rio was grateful he’d already come to the same conclusion. “Well, guess what? I’ve already changed things.” He told his dad about taking the position at Ben Paxton’s security firm, and how he’d likely stay there. He was done with the Black Eagle organizations of the world. When he was finished, Jim grunted in approval.

For so long, he’d lived an action-adventure fueled life unrivaled by any character in a movie, like the one Big Jim had named. His life had been more entertaining, more thrilling than any portrayed in film.

Yet, Jim was right. A time came for a man to evolve, to change, to grow.

How he admired Becca, who’d thrown herself into her family company, helped build their brand, made it better for them all. She’d made sure the parents on her staff were able to have their kids under the very same roof. She watched over them well. And the way she cared for her brothers and even her ne’er-do-well father.

He had to hold a mirror up to himself; her life had true meaning. Up until recent weeks, his ... not so much.

At supper, Sarah again shoved his plate at him so hard he figured that at the very next meal, she’d probably throw it straight into his face. “All right,” he said, giving up. “What’s going on? Why are you such a hissing cat?”

She whirled, and her apron fluttered around her slender shape. “Where’s Becca?” she demanded.

“Becca?” He was truly confused. “Well, she’s in San Antonio. Where she lives.”

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