“Do they know?” Owen asked quietly.
“No. They’re too young,” he said defensively.
“They know something’s wrong. It’s not fair to make them think she went out for milk and never returned,” he said, glancing at his nephews, who sat in the corner, playing with their trucks.
Mason peered at Owen. “I know. It hits too close to home, ya know? Every time I get the strength to say it, I recall you telling us about Mom.”
“Whether you know it or not, we need each other. I’m not lying to you. They’re doing an autopsy on Dad. Leslie doesn’t think he died from natural causes. The sheriff doesn’t seem too concerned about it. It’ll be another week before we can bury him. I stopped by the lawyer’s office, and he won’t read the will until we’re all present. Cade has a stick up his butt. Wyatt’s sitting in the back of the van wearing nothing but a pair of underwear with a hole in the a--. You get the meaning,” he said, nodding toward the boys.
Mason chuckled. “It’s like old times. How did you get him to cooperate? What will you do if Cade doesn’t show?”
“I gave Wyatt a bath in the creek, and he didn’t have any clean clothes. It kind of reminds me of yourhouse,” he said, scanning the floor full of clutter. “Do you have anything he can wear until I get him home?” Owen paused. “I need your help, Mason, even if it’s for one last time.”
Mason sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Maybe I can come in a couple of days. I don’t have anything packed. I’ll have to call Lucy and cancel her.”
“We have everything we need on the mountain. Grab clothes for the boys, you, and the dumb ass in the van. You can text Lucy on the drive to pick up Dillon. I didn’t drive all this way to listen to Elias tell me about the inner workings of the dark web. I don’t know what happened to him. He’s turned into a huge ninny.”
A minute later, they heard Elias shouting. They rose and gazed out the window to see Wyatt running down the street in his holey underwear. The streetlights provided a spotlight for the show as they watched Elias try to catch Wyatt, falling into the bushes.
“Owen, help, he got loose,” Elias yelled as he gazed at Mason’s house.
Taking a deep breath, Owen sighed heavily. “You have thirty minutes to get packed while I handle the two jackasses. We’ll stop and pick up dinner, but give them a snack while you gather everything. I don’t know what I’ll do about Cade.”
They watched as Elias grabbed Wyatt’s hand.Trying to get away, their younger brother possessed enough strength to pull their nerdy one and run him into a light pole.
Rubbing his forehead, Owen started for the door. “Bring a first-aid kit and a bottle of acetaminophen. I’m getting a headache,” he said, slamming the door to get his brothers. It felt like old times.
Thirty minutes later, Owen pulled into Mason’s driveway.
“Do you think you can manage him now?” he asked Elias as his brother held a rag to his face.
“He busted my nose,” Elias complained. “We have to go to the hospital.”
“For what?” he exclaimed. “They’ll stick a piece of gauze up it. Geez, what happened to you? It’s a nosebleed.”
“Damn it, he broke it. The bone’s throbbing,” Elias whined.
“Mason’s bringing a first-aid kit. I’ll getcha patched up when I get everyone settled,” he assured him. “Stop bellyaching about it.”
“Then you sit with him next time. He literally gnawed through the plastic,” he exclaimed. “Something tells me he’s used to running from the police. You didn’t see how he evaded me.”
“I witnessed enough to know you’re both idiots,” he said, slamming the van door and heading to help Mason with the bags. Surprisingly, his brother didn’t put up much of a fight.
“My truck. Gimme,” Noah screamed as Nathan yanked the toy away.
“Mine.”
“No, mine,” Noah wailed. Tears ran down his cheeks as if the world ended.
“Hey, little man,” Owen said, scooping him up in his arms. “Do you want to go on an adventure with your uncles? I’ll let you ride in the special seat I got for you.”
“Me too?” Nathan asked, staring up at him and tugging on his jeans. “Wanna go.”
“Sorry, I don’t let truck stealers ride with me,” he said grimly. “Maybe if you gave him back his toy, I might have another seat with your name on it.”
Nathan thrust the toy near his brother, and Owen heard the kid’s stomach growl. Mason turned the corner of the stairway, his arms loaded down with bags, toys, and books.
“Did you feed them?” he asked angrily
