Lettie adds her two cents. “It means small and dainty, Mabel, and some are quite pretty.”
Mabel huffs. “Blake is beautiful, but she’s a foot taller than all of us. There’s nothin’ small or dainty about her.”
Alma snickers. “That’s because we’ve shrunk over the years, otherwise we’d be lookin’ her in the eye. But ‘button’ refers to a button quail—a tiny little bird that tastes like chicken.”
“Everything tastes like chicken,” Mabel retorts.
This devolves into an argument about buttons and birds that I can no longer follow or wrap my head around. I place my hand at the small of Blake’s back. “We should get out of here while we can. They’re liable to start throwing barbs, and we don’t want to be in the line of fire.”
I calm the escalating argument by saying our goodbyes, but before we get more than a few feet, Mabel asks if we still plan on stopping by for dinner on Tuesday and visiting with her and her husband, Wendall. I let her know that we’ll be there and that we’re looking forward to it.
After hurrying us inside, I blow out a sigh of relief the moment the doors close behind us. “Those ladies have been the best of friends since they were children, but they bicker like toddlers.”
As Blake and I hand over our identification and empty our pockets, she smiles warmly at me. “I think they’re great, and they seem like a lot of fun. They remind me of Milo.”
Once we’re on the other side of the scanner and our belongings locked away, I bend down to sign us into the visitor log. “Who’s Milo again?”
“He’s the director of Play It Forward. He’s… Well… Let’s just say he’s an odd but interesting fellow. You can’t help but love him despite his eccentricity. I’d try to describe him, but he’s the kind of guy you have to meet for yourself. Nothing I say will do him justice.”
“Maybe I’ll get to meet him soon. Are you ready to meet my father?” I ask as the guard leads us to the table where we sit and wait for the guest of honor. I’m a confident guy, but right now I’m quaking inside.
Blake wraps her fingers around mine to quell the rising nervousness and kisses my cheek to put me at ease. “The better question is whetheryou’reready to see him.”
The doors to the visiting area open up, and another guard escorts my father inside. Ready or not, it’s happening.
Simon Stone stands tall and proud in front of me, his 6'4" frame making me feel like a child in comparison. “Hello, Son. It’s been a long time.”
Part of me longs to embrace the man who raised me, while the other part wants to run and hide. The only thought running through my mind is:Has it been long enough?
Blake
Ryder’sgriponmyhand tightens when his father greets us. Part of me expected the grin on Simon’s face to be malevolent; instead, it’s warm and friendly. “How long has it been, Ryder?”
The self-assured driver I’m accustomed to bows his head like a scolded child. “Nine years.”
Simon takes the seat across from us, and I introduce myself. “I’m Blake.”
“I know who you are, Ms. Morrison. My son may not have come to visit me over the years, but I’ve been keeping tabs on him. I know all about the Morrison family since your brother, Teague, is his best friend. I made it my business to know who my son was associating with. I didn’t want him to end up like me and get mixed up with the wrong people. I followed in my father’s footsteps, but I didn’t want Ryder to follow in mine.”
That comment catches Ryder’s attention. “What are you talking about? You’re the one who forced me to steal cars in the first place.”
Simon’s expression dims as he absentmindedly rubs a spot on the table. “I didn’t want to, but as the leader of the Savage Scorpions, it was expected of me. Boosting cars was the least of the horrible atrocities that would have been done if I wasn’t the leader. I couldn’t afford to lose control of the gang, but I couldn’t exactly walk away either. Didn’t you ever ask yourself why I never had issues with you playing basketball or staying at the library until closing because it kept you safe? I only assigned you tasks when other members were in our midst. Whenever it was just the two of us and no one was looking, I kept you at home and did my best to shield you.”
I lean back in my seat, studying both Ryder and Simon. This conversation has already stunned me, and it’s just beginning. Simon’s next comment floors me.
Simon says, “You testifying against me was the best thing that could have happened to me, Son.”
Rubbing his temples in confusion, Ryder asks, “How so? Because it was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do. Do you have any idea of the agony it caused me to watch you be taken away in handcuffs? For years, I looked over my shoulder, wondering if the Savage Scorpions would come after me.”
“You don’t ever have to worry about that. If a single SS member touches a hair on your head or anyone you love, they know that I’ll give the Feds everything I have on the club. My silence has bought you freedom.”
I lean forward and interject into the conversation. “Couldn’t they just silence you, Simon?”
He shakes his head. “They’ve tried a few times, and yet, the moment someone came after me, another person in the club got arrested. It didn’t take them long to figure out I wasn’t bluffing, which is why I’m still here and why Ryder has been safe. I’ve now given all the information I have to someone I trust. If anything happens to me, they’ll turn it over to the FBI.”
Simon stares at Ryder with soft, kind eyes. “Son, escaping that life was nearly impossible. Like you, my father brought me up to be a thief and a thug. Unlike you, he never gave me the opportunity to become more. I protected you as best as I could under the circumstances, even though I know it was never enough. When you testified against me and I ended up here, I was grateful for the reprieve. You gave me the escape I had longed for. Ten years in prison or a lifetime with the Savage Scorpions. They have a new leader now, and when I get out of here in a few more months, I don’t plan on sticking around.”
“You gave the information to Mabel, didn’t you?” Ryder asks.
