Page 22 of Wild Return
When Rio gets to the part about prying open the window, Barrels slams a fist on the desk, but before he erupts, I cut in.
“They’re here to repay the brewery, starting today.”
“Those kegs are worth a lot of money,” Barrels counters. “How will they repay when they can’t even afford shoes?”
“They’ll work it off.”
Barrels eyes the kids. “Two kegs. A week of hard labor. Nine to five Monday through Saturday.”
Both boys nod.
“You give me a week of work, we forget about it,” Barrels says. “Disrespect us, and you don’t get a second chance.”
The boys nod again.
“There’s debris from the storm to clean up,” Barrels continues. “You’ll be sweeping and cleaning and scrubbing. Some barrels got knocked about. I want every dent buffed out. Understand?”
“Yes,” they both mutter.
I open the door for them, and they shuffle onto the mezzanine.
“Wait here,” I tell them and duck back into the office, closing the door behind me.
Barrels folds his arms, but there’s an amused look on his face. “It’s a good thing you’re doing, Viking. But they’re your responsibility. If another keg walks out, I’ll hold you accountable.”
“Understood, boss.”
I only hope I’ve made the right call. Everyone deserves a second chance.
A few hours later, I head to the loading dock. Water sloshes across the floor as Rio wrestles with the power washer. Every time he pulls the trigger, the pressure nearly knocks him over.
“Hold it like this.” I demonstrate. “Point it down so it gets the whole floor.”
“Yes, sir.” He adjusts his angle, surprising me with the crisp reply.
“It’s almost one. You guys eaten yet?”
They shake their heads.
“Not hungry,” Marcus mumbles, which I take to mean they don’t have any lunch.
“I’ll be back soon. Then I’ll show you where the staff room is.”
Twenty minutes later, I return with sandwiches Maggie rustled up and two chocolate-chip cookies. The boys’ eyes gowide. These are probably the first cookies they’ve had in a long time.
In the staff room their eyes shift less, and they seem more relaxed than I’ve seen them.
“You guys still in school?”
Rio shakes his head. “Nah, just finished.”
Marcus look sideways, and I wonder what the whole story is here.
“What’ll you do for work?”
They shrug. “Don’t know,” Rio says.
“Ever considered the military?”
