thought we were going to be okay. Until today.
Chapter One
“Jacob, I need to talk to you, man,” Tim said as he nervously finished his cigarette. Tim brushed back his light brown hair where it had fallen into his face. It reached his shoulders and was almost long enough for a ponytail. His fingers were stained with tobacco. He was our roommate and had actually saved our butts by giving us a place to hide out for the last five months. We had become good friends with just about everyone in the neighborhood since moving here from Georgia. Luke and Risa had been our ambassadors, making friends with everyone, first the kids, and then their parents. We had been out with some of our neighbors that day, a rare picnic that had ended with bad weather.
We all hurried through the front door, out of the driving rain that had overtaken us during a day of hiking. At least we had gotten to eat our picnic before the clouds had decided to dump their water on us. I looked in Tim’s face and then turned to the kids.
“Risa, take Luke upstairs and get him in the bath. You can use the cherry bubble bath,” I said as an incentive, and then watched Luke let out a “Whoop!” of happiness and run up the stairs, sounding like a small herd of baby buffalo. I called after them, “Hey, Risa, go ahead and take a shower, Sweetie.” I turned to Jacob and Tim talking quietly in the kitchen.
“Jake, man. You know I love having you here, and appreciate the help on the rent. But dude, these guys were asking around the neighborhood for you this morning, about an hour after you left. Freaked Paul and Jim out. They came and told me,” Tim was saying. Paul and Jim lived two doors down. They were a couple and attended the local university. They had big dreams, despite the epidemic that was slowly overwhelming our country.
“What? What kind of guys?” Jacob asked. I was instantly on alert. DeAndre and Caitlyn both drew near as well, apparently sensing my anxiety. I leaned in further behind Jacob in the small kitchen, trying not to disturb the conversation but needing to hear what was said.
“Man, some kind of Feds. Looked like undercover cops or something. They were questioning people in the apartment house at the end of the block, where Nick and Shady Al hang out,” said Tim. Nick and Shady Al were the local tough guys. They were our neighborhood’s version of a gang I suppose, except with just the two of them, it wasn’t much of a gang. Nick fancied himself a wannabe gangsta and had an affinity for the latest rap fashions.
Nick was okay, only 19, but Shady Al was bad news. He dealt some, and we tried to avoid him.
“Did they come down this way? Did Al tell them anything?” Jacob asked.
“Nah, man. He was just glad they didn’t take him in. He’s got two on the books ya know,” Tim crushed out his cigarette in the sink and lit another one. His hand was shaking. “Man, I don’t know. They were asking about three guys with two girls, and with two kids. One younger. Man, they sounded like they were describing you guys.”
Jacob turned to look at me. Wordless, I turned and started for the stairs. Jacob went and checked both front and back locks.
“What are you guys gonna do, man? You gonna split, like before?” Tim asked.
I ignored him and took the stairs two at a time, Caitlyn right behind me. In the front room, Jacob and DeAndre were conferring. Then DeAndre went to check the windows and Jacob shrugged into his raincoat and came upstairs.
“I’m going to go talk with Cathy next door, okay?” Jacob said, then left. Cathy was our neighbor, she had a daughter Risa’s age, and they had gotten close in the last four months since we’d moved in. Cathy had become a good friend.
I nodded and then turned into the upstairs bathroom where Luke was playing with an action figure in the bathtub. Risa was in the shower down the hall. I grabbed up another action figure and knelt down to the edge of the tub with
Chapter One
“Jacob, I need to talk to you, man,” Tim said as he nervously finished his cigarette. Tim brushed back his light brown hair where it had fallen into his face. It reached his shoulders and was almost long enough for a ponytail. His fingers were stained with tobacco. He was our roommate and had actually saved our butts by giving us a place to hide out for the last five months. We had become good friends with just about everyone in the neighborhood since moving here from Georgia. Luke and Risa had been our ambassadors, making friends with everyone, first the kids, and then their parents. We had been out with some of our neighbors that day, a rare picnic that had ended with bad weather.
We all hurried through the front door, out of the driving rain that had overtaken us during a day of hiking. At least we had gotten to eat our picnic before the clouds had decided to dump their water on us. I looked in Tim’s face and then turned to the kids.
“Risa, take Luke upstairs and get him in the bath. You can use the cherry bubble bath,” I said as an incentive, and then watched Luke let out a “Whoop!” of happiness and run up the stairs, sounding like a small herd of baby buffalo. I called after them, “Hey, Risa, go ahead and take a shower, Sweetie.” I turned to Jacob and Tim talking quietly in the kitchen.
“Jake, man. You know I love having you here, and appreciate the help on the rent. But dude, these guys were asking around the neighborhood for you this morning, about an hour after you left. Freaked Paul and Jim out. They came and told me,” Tim was saying. Paul and Jim lived two doors down. They were a couple and attended the local university. They had big dreams, despite the epidemic that was slowly overwhelming our country.
“What? What kind of guys?” Jacob asked. I was instantly on alert. DeAndre and Caitlyn both drew near as well, apparently sensing my anxiety. I leaned in further behind Jacob in the small kitchen, trying not to disturb the conversation but needing to hear what was said.
“Man, some kind of Feds. Looked like undercover cops or something. They were questioning people in the apartment house at the end of the block, where Nick and Shady Al hang out,” said Tim. Nick and Shady Al were the local tough guys. They were our neighborhood’s version of a gang I suppose, except with just the two of them, it wasn’t much of a gang. Nick fancied himself a wannabe gangsta and had an affinity for the latest rap fashions.
Nick was okay, only 19, but Shady Al was bad news. He dealt some, and we tried to avoid him.
“Did they come down this way? Did Al tell them anything?” Jacob asked.
“Nah, man. He was just glad they didn’t take him in. He’s got two on the books ya know,” Tim crushed out his cigarette in the sink and lit another one. His hand was shaking. “Man, I don’t know. They were asking about three guys with two girls, and with two kids. One younger. Man, they sounded like they were describing you guys.”
Jacob turned to look at me. Wordless, I turned and started for the stairs. Jacob went and checked both front and back locks.
“What are you guys gonna do, man? You gonna split, like before?” Tim asked.
I ignored him and took the stairs two at a time, Caitlyn right behind me. In the front room, Jacob and DeAndre were conferring. Then DeAndre went to check the windows and Jacob shrugged into his raincoat and came upstairs.
“I’m going to go talk with Cathy next door, okay?” Jacob said, then left. Cathy was our neighbor, she had a daughter Risa’s age, and they had gotten close in the last four months since we’d moved in. Cathy had become a good friend.
I nodded and then turned into the upstairs bathroom where Luke was playing with an action figure in the bathtub. Risa was in the shower down the hall. I grabbed up another action figure and knelt down to the edge of the tub with
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