“Kill you if you make me sick? Yeah, he probably will.” I shove the almost empty bottle of cough syrup into him before saying, “That’s why you’re going to stay here.”
“Demi…” Caidyn grumbles like he could stop a tornado with an angry tone.
In case you’re wondering, he can’t. I’m not exactly a tornado, but since I’d rather my confrontation with Maddox occur without an audience, I’m willing to pretend as if I am.
“Fine! I’ll pretend I need a bodyguard even with me living in a big-ass protective bubble the past eleven months.” I spin around to face Caidyn before gesturing my head to Max, who is eyeing Caidyn like he’s breakfast. “I’ll take Max with me instead of your germy self.” When Caidyn pulls a face, I add, “Or he could stay here with you if you want? I’m sure he’ll listen to you…eventually.”
We’re thrust into an intense standoff for the next two minutes. Caidyn is as stubborn as hell, but unlike the rest of his brothers, he has no issues backing down when he knows he isn’t going to win.
“Fine…” he grunts out a couple of seconds later. “But you’re not taking your father’s truck. I don’t care what Saint says, that thing is a death trap.” He tosses a set of keys my way. “Take my Jeep. I filled it up last night.”
He only collects half the air kisses I blow his way because he rolls over with a groan, covers his head with a blanket then commences coughing up half a lung. The duration of his coughing fit announces how poorly he is. It has me wishing I could stay and take care of him, but the reminder of how Maddox perceived things the last time we saw each other has me heading for the door before I truly consider it.
After buckling Max into his doggy seat belt, I jog around the hood of Caidyn’s Jeep before slipping behind the steering wheel. Since I’m in Caidyn’s car almost as much as him the past couple of months, my phone automatically syncs with the Bluetooth in his radio.
While pulling my seat belt across, I request Siri to dial a number I only added to my phone two weeks ago.
Justine answers several rings later. “Hello.”
“Hey… umm… it’s Demi.” Don’t ask me why I’m blubbering on like an idiot. I’m in the dark as much as you.
Worry overtakes the confusion in Justine’s tone. “Is Maddox okay?”
Even though she can’t see me, I nod. “Yes. I haven’t seen him yet. I’m just leaving.” I wait for her relieved sigh to give me the same level of comfort it gave her before adding, “I was calling about Caidyn. He’s unwell. I would call your mom, but Caidyn mentioned she was going on a business trip this week.”
Air whooshes down the line before Justine confirms, “Yes, she won’t be back until Friday…” She pauses, then exhales sharply, finally clueing on to the reason for my call. “Do you want me to keep an eye on Caidyn? I could be there in around an hour.”
“No,” I reply a little too sharply. She’s only just returned to her studies, so the last thing I want to do is encourage her to come back to a place full of bad memories. “Maddox told me how you always made him chicken noodle soup when he got the sniffles. I was wondering if you could do the same for Caidyn? I could swing by and pick it up this afternoon after I’ve visited Maddox.” Her school is a couple of hours south of Wallens Ridge. I drive straight past the turn-off but will need to track inland by about thirty miles. It will be worth it if it benefits both Caidyn and Justine.
Some of the butterflies in my stomach stop flapping their wings when Justine replies, “Ah… sure. I’d have to go to the store first.”
“Is that okay?” I ask, wary that venturing out isn’t something she’s comfortable doing right now but willing to push her since I believe it’s for the greater good.
“Umm…” She pauses long enough for my spiking hope to careen toward the negative. “I guess that would be okay.”
I smile like a loon, so very grateful my intuition was wrong this time around. “Great! Text me your details, and I’ll come by after I’ve visited Maddox.”
I tap on the steering wheel like it was announced Maddox would walk free from prison today when Justine replies with a second ‘okay’ before she ends our call with a faint goodbye. I understand today will be hard for her, but I’m so very pleased she’s taking steps in the right direction.
It gives me hope that I’ll be able to do the same.
“Today is going to be a good day, Max. I can feel it.”
When he barks in agreement, I wind down the windows, then crank up the radio, confident a bit of car karaoke will make our four-hour trip fly by.
Three hours and fifty-seven minutes later, I pull into the dusty lot at the front of Wallens Ridge. It’s almost midday, meaning it is far too hot for Max to stay in the car during my visit with Maddox. Our meetups may only be ten minutes long, but the darkness of Caidyn’s Jeep means I could fry an egg on the hood in around eight minutes even with all the windows down. That’s too close for comfort for my liking.
After snatching up Max’s lead from the back seat, a bottle of water, and the water bowl I never travel without, I unbuckle Max from his seat belt. Once I have his leash clipped onto his collar, I walk him to the far back corner of the lot. A large selection of trees hide Wallens Ridge’s ghastly exterior from the motorists on the freeway, and the steel fence required to keep prisoners at bay should be sturdy enough to contain a beasty dog for a couple of minutes.
Once I have Max’s water bowl filled and his leash wrapped around a fence post concreted into the ground, I squat down to his level. “I cross my heart and hope to die if you be a good boy, I will buy you the fattest burger you’ve ever seen.” I hold my hand out palm side up. “Deal.”
The sweaty mess on the back of my neck is forgotten when he places his paw into my hand so we can shake on it.
“I love you, Maxxy,” I whisper into his ear while squeezing his ginormous head. “I’ll be back soon.”
He watches me cross the parking lot before he finds the perfect patch of grass to rest his spit-foamed lips on. He isn’t happy about being left behind, and neither am I, but I’m certain if push comes to shove, he’d pick a greasy burger over protecting me any day of the week. He loves their heart-attack qualities as much as Maddox.
After a final check of Max, who appears to be the size of an ant from this distance, I enter the foyer of Wallens Ridge State Penitentiary. I’ve barely dotted the ‘i’ in Petretti in the visitor log when I’m accosted by the warden. He usually makes his presence known to me at each visit, but this is the first time he’s personally escorted me down the noisy corridors.
