Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Antonia had remained quiet throughout our exchange. “It’ll get easier. It’s just going to take some time,” she softly offered.
“I’m not so sure. This whole thing has been really hard on him, and I don’t know how to fix it.”
“You could talk to Preacher about it and see if he has any thoughts on it.”
“Oh, I hate to bother them.”
“You won’t be a bother. You’re just asking for options.”
“I guess.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s in his office with Memphis and Creed.”
“I’m sure they’re busy.”
“I’m sure they can take five minutes to hear you out,” Antonia pushed.
“Ugh,” I grumbled. “You aren’t going to let this go, are you?”
“No, and neither is Toby. So, you might as well get to it.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll go.” I stood and carried my empty coffee cup over to the sink. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
I started out the door as I grumbled, “Thanks for the help.”
“You’ll do fine!” she shouted back. “Good luck!”
I’d been by Preacher’s office a couple of times over the past couple of weeks, but I’d never actually gone inside. In fact, I’d avoided it altogether. I wasn’t exactly scared of him, but I wasn’t expecting us to be great friends either. From what I could tell, Preacher was a very powerful man, and he was both feared and respected by all who knew him.
Hoping to settle my nerves, I inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. It did little to help my shaky hands as I reached up and knocked on his door. I waited a moment, and my chest tightened when I heard, “Yeah, come in.”
I turned the knob and eased the door open, and when I stepped inside, I found Preacher sitting at his desk. Memphis, Creed, and Seven were sitting across from him, and they all seemed calm and collected like they already knew why I was there. I feigned a smile and said, “Hi, I’m sorry to bother you, but could I have a minute of your time?”
“Of course,” Preacher’s brows furrowed. “Everything okay?”
I swallowed hard, unsure how to start.
“Yes, I just wanted to talk to you about Toby,” I began, my voice smaller than I wanted it to be. “You guys have been so great about letting us stay here and keeping us safe, and I appreciate it more than you could possibly know, but um, I was wondering...”
“You’re making this harder than it’s gotta be,” Preacher interrupted. “Just tell me what’s on your mind.”
“I was wanting your thoughts on Toby and school.”
“School?” His brows furrowed with surprise. “What about it?”
“Well, he was talking with Garrison earlier...”
“Enough said.” Preacher’s eyes never left mine as he leaned back in his chair. “I get the kid’s interest, but it’s not gonna happen.”
“He’s been stuck here for weeks now. Surely, there’s something we can do.”
He looked over to Creed, his VP and right-hand man, as he asked, “What do you think?”
“I think you’re right. It’s a no go.” Creed leaned forward with a grimace. “Here, they’re off the radar. There’s no way that cop fella can find them, but school is a different ball game. The kid will get exposure there that we can’t protect him from.”
“Creed’s right. Even with fake IDs and paperwork, there are school reports to contend with,” Seven added. “Grades and records, and one slip up, and we’ll be done.”
“It’s just too much.”
I glanced between the two of them, feeling the weight of their decision.
The last thing I wanted to do was to put Toby in more danger, but I also couldn’t keep him locked away forever. “Is there anything else we could do?”
Preacher exchanged a glance with Creed and Seven, then sighed and rubbed his hand over his jaw. He thought for a moment, then leaned forward, folding his hands on the desk. “There is one option.”
“Okay?”
“We could bring in a tutor. Keep it private. No records, no names. He’ll still get his education, but there won’t be a paper trail.”
“That could work.” It wasn’t what I’d envisioned, but it was better than nothing. “At least for now.”
“Yeah, this won’t be for the long term—just until we find the best way to keep your son safe.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice breaking just a little. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”
“Glad we could help.”
I didn’t want to take up any more of their time, so I quickly turned and skirted out of the room. I felt a bit discouraged as I made my way down the hall and back to the room. Toby was excited about the thought of going to school with Garrison, and I hated to disappoint him. But I would have to find a way to make him understand that his safety was the most important thing.
Needless to say, the conversation didn’t go well.