“What do you mean, where am I?” He blinked, confused. “You calledme. I’m in Farthingale Valley, serving my parole.”
“Well, you need to come home.” There was a bit of silence in which, in the background, Blaze was sure he could hear the screams from the Tilt-a-Whirl. “You need to come home now.”
“I can’t come home, Mom. I’m doingparole.” He emphasized the last word, as if he stupidly thought she wouldn’t remember where he’d been for the last two years.
“Well, your brother’s been arrested, and while we’re waiting for him to get released, you can help out. Run the stand. Pick up the slack.”
“I’m not picking up his slack,” he said, making his words as clear as he could manage with the rage tumbling over and over in his chest. “I can’t justleave—”
“You sure can,” she said. In his mind’s eye, he could see her nodding. “I checked it out. You can do parole while living with us. We’ll vouch for you. Make sure you meet with your parole officer each week and whatever. You need to help your brother out, that’s the main thing. If there’s a trial, you can testify on his behalf.”
“You want me to testify on his behalf.” He felt like he’d been hit in the head with the rubber hammer from a high striker game. “Mom, I already served two years protecting him. Twoyears. What was he arrested for this time?”
“Drugs,” she said. “Which I’m sure someone else planted on him. Or maybe the cops did. Someone with a grudge against your dad, who thought to frame Alex.”
There would be plenty of people with a grudge against Blaze’s dad, but if Alex had drugs on him, it was because he’d bought them himself, or had been dealing them. He’d probably been involved with drugs this whole long while.
Day after day, when Blaze had been behind bars, Alex had been out in the free air, doing what he wanted, helping out because it suited him.
Well, right now, it didn’t suit Blaze at all to try to rescue his brother from his own self-built trap. But try to explain that to his mom, and the argument would rage and boil, leaving Blaze confused about what he needed to do. She was just that good at manipulating him. He needed to move away from this conversation, fast.
“I can wire you money for the bus,” she said. “You can be here by morning.”
Here by morningmeant that his family was maybe a ten or twelve hour bus ride away. Mentally, he drew a map in his head, thinking they could be anywhere from New Mexico to Iowa, though at this time of year, Iowa was more likely. And the perfect place for a summer carnival, all those farmer kids with dollar bills folded in their earth-stained hands, ready to hand it over for some fun.Step right up, the carnival’s in town!
Blaze shuddered.
“I can’t leave,” he said, his mouth dry. “And I’m not going to. I saved him once. Gave up two years of my life. I’m not giving any more.”
He hung up before she could say anything, and though she might be able to find him, there was nothing she could do to drag him home. Which sent sad, confusing spirals all the way through him.
When only a short while ago when he’d been in prison, he’d been desperate for a visit from them, or would have liked a phone call or care package. He would have loved a visit from them now, while he was at the ranch, but maybe it was better that never happened, because they would have tracked their poison all over the place.
Still, he was shaking as he stood up because even from miles away it still affected him, that he came from a family of not just carnies, but criminals. Maybe he’d deserved those two years for all the crappy stuff he’d helped his dad do to those old people. For all the cheats and tricks he’d used to swindle people out of their weekend fun money. Promising a good time, an easy win, and just taking that away from them, along with all the money in their pockets.
He ran his fingers through his hair, almost tearing at it.
This was why he was barely going to get a summer with a nice guy like Gabe. Gabe, who probably never even jaywalked or cheated on his taxes or left in the middle of the night without paying rent or the electricity bill. Who even now was probably continuing to overthink the idea of him and Blaze being together.
Nice guys like Gabe never ended up with ex-cons.
Maybe Blaze should cut and run, not to go home, but simply to light out for whatever distant horizon he could point himself at. That way, at least, he wouldn’t have to wait to have his heart torn out. He could have it torn out now, quick as anything, and get it over with. Lick his wounds later. Recover never.
At the very least, he was going to need to learn how to sleep alone.
Chapter26
Gabe
As Gabe sat across from Royce in the dining hall of the main lodge at the guest ranch, he wished he had brought his laptop, or even a notebook, to take down everything Royce had to say, because all of Royce’s ideas were good ones. Like building a series of shelters for the horses in the pastures, rather than one big barn, since the horses would only need to shield from the sun and heavy rain, rather than snowstorms.
Another idea Royce had was to spread pea gravel on the paths, and plant low ground cover pretty much along every inch of those paths, to help with wear and tear. Gabe could see dollar signs piling up around every word Royce said, but then Royce’s family had money, which, again, made Gabe wonder why Royce was even working at a guest ranch in Wyoming.
But Royce had been polite and grateful for the meeting, so Gabe was pleased to describe to Royce a template for how his first week might go, even though it’d taken him away from his own job, his own Sunday at rest. And Blaze.
“If you have any questions once things get underway,” said Gabe as they stood up and shook hands. “Don’t hesitate to reach out. I’ll have my two-way radio strapped to my belt, as will you, so I’ll always be within shouting distance.”
“That’s very kind of you,” said Royce. “I’m looking forward to working with you and the parolees. It’ll be like an adventure.”
