“What do you mean?” Waylon asks. “She’s probably like you, Leland. She probably left that life, and is now living a normal life.”
I run my finger over my gun as my mind rushes around out of control. I would kill anyone for these two. I would do absolutely anything to keep them safe. I would go so far to keep absolutely anyone from ever touching my family who mean the world to me.
A hand rubs my leg, making my mind clear. “It’s okay,” Jackson says gently. “We’re okay.”
“What if you’re not? Everyone who worked for that family wasn’t good. They would kill whoever they were pointed at. Itdidn’t matter to them. She wouldn’t hesitate to kill either of you.”
“She might have changed,” Jackson says. “We don’t know if she has changed, okay?”
I grimace. “Sometimes, I feel like the people I love would be safer if I wasn’t around.”
“I thought you were like semi smart but you’re obviously not,” Waylon says.
I slowly turn to look at him. “What’s that?”
Waylon’s glowering at me. “You think we’d be safer if you weren’t around? Like… did you forget about everything that happened to me? Did you forget all about those two assholes trying to control me and use me to make drugs, and if I didn’t, they’d have probably killed me and left my brother to rot in prison? Definitely sounds like it would’ve been better if you weren’t around to end all of that.”
“Don’t try to be all sassy, you hear me?”
“Not really. I just hear a lot of annoying ‘blah, blahs’ coming out of your mouth.”
“I have to agree with Waylon here. Don’t you remember that I was shot in the parking lot and nearly died because of someone frommypast? And like Waylon said, at this point we don’t even know if she’s active,” Jackson says. “She might be freaking out about the very same thing that you are.”
“Good. I want her to be afraid to even look my way.”
“Some days I am,” Jackson comments.
I gasp as my eyes fixate on my brutal husband while I try my hardest not to laugh. “Howdareyou?”
“Especially on the fence’s birthday,” Waylon says. “Like why is that even a thing?”
“We are celebrating the day that The Fence was christened by Jackson’s ass.”
“I want to say that I regret everything, but it led me to you,” Jackson says, though he sounds none too happy about it.
“I’d still regret it,” Waylon comments. “He is far too proud of anything that has to do with the fence. It’s like you just say the words and he’s already smiling.”
“I can’t stop,” I admit.
“I think you can,” Jackson says. “Think of my mother.”
“Now I’m thinking of your mother defeated by The Fence,” I respond, finding that imagery makes me quite happy indeed.
“Think of Jackson’s mother stuck on the top of the fence withherpants down,” Waylon says, which wipes the smile right off my face.
“You dare make me have ill thoughts of myfence? I will exchange you for a nicer child!”
“You’re stuck with me now,” he threatens.
“Hmm… I suppose I will keep you… for now.”
“For now?”
“Possibly.”
“Jackson, I feel like Leland is picking on me.”
“That’s what he’s best at,” Jackson assures him as we reach our home. I don’t think Sophia followed us, but what would it even matter if she did? Her son knows right where we live; it wouldn’t be hard at all for her to find us.
