Page 77 of Besties
Dennis still hadn’t looked directly at Richie. “I only have one, sir. When they arrest me, could you please make sure someone checks in on Jeff?” Now his gaze snapped up, and there was such determination there. “I know I don’t have any right to ask, but when I’m gone, he’ll only have Nico to watch out for him and—”
“Arrest you? For what?”
His eyes widened. “I’m so very sorry, Mr. Ryland. I’ll confess, do whatever it takes to put Teaching Time in the clear.”
“Yes, you will,” Richie insisted. “Starting Monday, you’ll be here apologizing to everyone you hurt with your ugly, hateful words. I know you were forced to do it, and I get that you didn’t think you could come to me because of fear for your son, but undoing this will be hard, and getting back into the good graces of people will be a rough road. If you think you still want to work here.”
Dennis’s mouth dropped open slightly. “But what about prison?”
“I’m not pursuing things in regards to you. I’ve already spoken to the DA and explained the situation. They’re going to waive the charges since you helped us out. In fact, you technically broke no laws, so it’ll all be taken care of.”
Tears formed in Dennis’s eyes. “Seriously?”
Richie wrapped his hand around the back of Dennis’s neck and pulled him closer until their foreheads touched. “If it had been Max, I would have given them everything to keep him safe. There are few things we won’t do for the ones we love.”
Dennis sagged against Richie, who held him in his arms. “I swear I’ll make this right,” he vowed. “And I’ll never disappoint you again.”
Richie and I had discussed it. What wouldn’t you do for someone who meant everything to you? Jeff had already had a horrible time of life after losing his mother. What would happen if Dennis was taken away as well? Neither of us could bear the thought, so we decided to let him make up for the problems. In order to grease the wheels, so to speak, I’d contacted the schools who had been impacted and explained the situation to them. All of them, even Jerome Waterson, had been silent while I relayed the story. Though they still seemed hesitant, they recalled how Dennis had been with them when they first met him. How he’d made grand promises and never failed to deliver on them. They all said they’d listen with an open mind, which was the best we could hope for.
Of course, there was a surprise coming I hadn’t expected.
Josh and Dixon approached us and stepped over to Dennis.
“Dennis? This is Josh Malone. He’s the one who worked with Richie to get the software you provided to James, which led to Teaching Time being cleared.”
He nodded at Josh. “I heard what you did, Mr. Malone. I appreciate it very much.”
Josh smiled. “It was my pleasure, sir. I think what they did was disgusting, and they needed to be brought down.” He snickered. “Plus, I got to hack something, so that’s a win for me.”
Dixon nudged Josh’s shoulder. “Doc, remember what we talked about? You don’t mention the H-word to other people.” Dixon held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Dixon Meeks, operations manager at CrossBow.”
In turn he shook with Dennis, Jeff, and finally, Nico.
“Good to meet you, sir,” Jeff said, his voice soft, almost broken. Nico wrapped an arm around him and pulled Jeff in, where he buried his face in Nico’s chest.
“Sorry. We’re not all that good with meeting new people. We wanted to thank you for the people you had watching us in Milwaukee. They were amazing. We... We’ll pay you back for it, but it might take some time.”
“No, that’s already been taken care of. It isn’t for you to concern yourself over. And I understand how it is meeting new people. There’s a reason I’m here, though. I wanted to talk to Nico for a moment.” He turned and smiled at Nico. “So, listen. Here’s the deal. I spoke with the guys we had watching you while you were in Milwaukee, and they told me how you never left Jeff’s side. How you kept watch on him constantly, always scanning for threats. You wouldn’t even let them near him. I’ve spoken with my bosses, and we believe that you would be a great fit for a position at CrossBow. If that’s something you and Jeff are interested in.”
“I.... I don’t know what to say,” Jeff said, reaching for Nico’s hand.
“No, thank you,” Nico replied. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want to move. It would mean disrupting Jeff’s life, and Dennis needs—”
“Don’t,” Dennis croaked out. “Listen to them. This is an opportunity for you both.” He smiled at Jeff as he reached for his hand, connecting the three of them. “You’ve been here, worrying about me for years. It’s time you think about yourself. You and Nico could really do with a change of scenery.”
Jeff’s face fell. “But, Dad, I—”
“Nico, tell me the truth. Does this feel like something you’d like to do? Could you see yourself being a bodyguard?”
He shook his head. “Jeff is my priority.”
“As it should be,” Dixon said. “But think of it this way. You’d both be living at CrossBow—if you wanted—and there’d always be people around to help you out. We have amazing insurance, so Jeff could find a doctor there who’d be willing to help him out. And I gotta say, after seeing how protective you are, I think this job was tailor-made for you.”
There was silence for a minute, and then Nico said, “Still no. Jeff needs me.”
“There’d be a job for him too. We always have space for good, dependable people. He could work and live in-house, so he’d always be watched over.”
There was a look on Nico’s face, and I could tell this was something he’d like to think about. Still, there’d have to be conversations between him and Jeff, plus Dennis would need to weigh in, but unless I was misreading the situation, it seemed as though Nico and Jeff would be headed to New Mexico.
