Page 3

Emma

B y the time I hear the familiar rumble of motorcycles that herald Jacob’s approach, Max has finally calmed down and is tucking into an ice cream sundae, his mouth ringed with strawberry ice cream like a clown, having already devoured a burger, fries, and milkshake. I dread to think what our final check will be but it’s worth the extra shifts to see him happy.

The bell above the door chimes and I look up to see the comforting shape of my brother striding in. He pulls off his helmet, revealing his trademark long, salt and pepper hair and bushy beard. These days he’s still muscular but he has a rather sizeable beer gut, resulting in Max calling him Santa on more than one occasion. Luckily, he sees the funny side and intends to get dressed up in full Father Christmas regalia this year as a surprise for Max.

Max notices me looking and swivels around in his seat, “Uncle Jacob!” he cries, leaping out and running over to hug his uncle, sticky fingers and all.

Jacob hugs him back tightly, not seeming to care about the residue of ice cream that gets rubbed all over his t-shirt in the process. “Hey, Champ, how are you?”

“I’m okay, some bad guys were chasing us, but we beat them and got to have ice cream and milkshakes and burgers as a reward!” he exclaims, his earlier terror forgotten with the arrival of his uncle and a belly full of treats.

If only I could forget so easily.

Jacob is already aware of the situation, though I only briefly explained what happened, before he insisted he was on his way and hung up. I know he’s going to grill me for more details now. I stand up as he and Max return to our table, allowing myself to be pulled into a bear hug by my big brother. His strong, solid presence makes me feel like a child again and I can’t stop the tears that well up.

“Shh, it’s okay now, J-Bird’s here,” he soothes, referring to himself as the childhood nickname I gave him, that he later adopted as his club name—though I’m sure he doesn’t reveal the true origins behind the name to his buddies.

Once I’ve collected myself, we sit down in the booth. The friendly waitress comes over to take our orders, seemingly on edge around Jacob’s intimidating presence.

“Can I get y’all anything?” she asks, plastering on a smile.

“Two beers , and a chocolate milkshake for the boy,” Jacob replies.

“Coming right up.”

“Jacob, I’m driving…”

He fixes me with a stern look that lets me know he won’t take no for an answer, “Em, after the day you’ve had, trust me, you need a drink.”

The waitress brings our drinks over and I reluctantly take mine. However, after a couple of sips, I realize Jacob was right, it is helping to calm my frazzled nerves.

Jacob encourages Max to watch something on his phone, making sure the earbuds are secure and then patiently waits for me to finish, no doubt noticing how my hands are no longer shaking so much, before he speaks. “I’ve got my men riding around within a few miles of here and your home, if they spot the car waiting for you somewhere, they’ll handle with it. I’ve also sent men ahead to check your home is safe.”

“I’m sure you didn’t need to…” I start but he holds up a hand to silence me.

“Em, I’m not playing around here,” he glances at Max to make sure he’s not listening, “You could have died. Who the fuck are these people, and why do they want Max?”

“I don’t know, but it seems as though this isn’t the first time they’ve come into contact with Max.” I hesitate before adding, “Max seems to think that the man who turned up at the school today is his dad.”

“What the fuck?” he exclaims, and I shoot him a look to tell him off for cursing within earshot of Max. “Why would Max think that?”

“He says the man told him,” I reply helplessly. “The thing is, he’s been talking about seeing his dad for a while now. I even took him to a shrink who agreed it was just an imaginary friend, but now I’m worried that it might have been this stranger all along.” I cry, my voice coming out in a strangled tone.

“Jesus Emma, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I knew you’d overreact and start following us around interrogating any man that so much as looked in our direction!” At his expression, I know he’s thinking that if he had done, things might have been solved by now. “I know, alright I was wrong, okay? But can we focus on who it might be and forget about it?”

“Fine,” he begrudgingly agrees. “Could it be some dude you hooked up with trying to get revenge or some bullshit?” Jacob asks, his tone implying he’d like to beat up any man who might have been involved with me.

“No. It’s impossible,” I insist. Upon noticing the doubt in his expression I add, “Not that it’s any of your business, but I haven’t dated anyone since Adam died.”

“Okay, well then maybe it’s some weirdo who has a thing for you? Have any guys at work or elsewhere shown an unusual interest in you or Max?” he asks, cracking his knuckles.

“No, nothing out of the ordinary, and no one who matches the description the teacher gave. They said he was around six-foot, muscular, with short brown hair and a beard.”

“So nothing like weaselly little Adam,” Jacob mutters.

While I agree with my brother, his dislike of Adam was always a sticking point between us while he was alive. “Jacob, he’s dead. Can you drop it?” I snip.

“Sorry,” he replies, holding up his hands in surrender before he signals to the waitress for two more beers.

“Right, so who else would be interested in taking Max from you? What about Adam’s family?” Jacob asks.

I consider it a moment but shake my head, “I don’t think so, but I suppose it’s possible… Adam wasn’t exactly close with them and aside from the odd phone call, Max has barely any kind of relationship with his grandparents. He’s never even met them. Surely if they wanted him in their life, they could just take the proper channels or ask me to meet him? I wouldn’t deny them access. There would be a whole host of options available to them before resorting to this.”

“True. But we can’t fully discount them. I’ll have someone look into it, just to be sure. Who else? Any enemies?” he probes.

“None. I’m a waitress, not a spy. I barely have any social life to speak of, I’m just a boring mom. I don’t have enemies,” I say, gesticulating frustratedly. Then, a thought occurs to me. “But you do,” I add leaning forward slightly and narrowing my eyes at my brother across the table. “Isn’t it possible that this is someone trying to get at you?”

Jacob clenches his jaw, “It had occurred to me, yes, and I am looking into it. Trust me, if it’s someone fucking with my family, they’ll regret it,” he promises menacingly, and I know he means every word. “I still want us to consider every possible angle though. If this person is claiming to be Adam, perhaps it’s got something to do with him, an enemy from his past.”

“I guess so, but Adam’s dead, why terrorize his family?” I ask, not quite believing it could be that.

“Money is a powerful motivator, Em,” he says, cocking an eyebrow and looking at me like I’m a naive fool. “Adam was a gambler with a shitload of debt.”

“Yes, but I’ve been paying that off on time every month without fail,” I reply, stung that he might be insinuating otherwise.

“I know that. But that’s just the legitimate loans that you’re aware of. What if he got into debt with loan sharks or other unsavory characters?” Jacob points out gently.

I take a deep breath. “The thought had occurred to me, but after four years, I figured that if he had done so, they’d have come knocking before now.”

“Unless it took them this long to find you. Em, you moved out of state and changed your and Max’s surname to your maiden name,” he reasons. “They might think you still have the money and want to use Max as leverage to get it back.”

Bile rises in my throat as I realize that my brother is right.

Fucking Adam. If he wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him for what he’s done to Max and me.

I bury my face in my hands, the horror of the situation I’m in fully dawning on me. Some strangers are after my son, and we have no idea who. And it turns out that there’s a pretty wide net of suspects that want to hurt me.

“Oh god, Jacob, what am I gonna do?” I moan.

“It’s okay, Em, you’ve got me, I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you or Maxi,” he assures me, reaching across the table to place a warm calloused hand on my shoulder.

“How?” I ask despairingly, “You can’t be with us both twenty-four-seven.”

“No, I can’t, but my club brothers can.”

I look up at him, dropping my hands from my face, “I sincerely hope you’re not suggesting a revolving constant bodyguard to sleep on my couch and follow us around,” I ask disbelievingly.

“No, not exactly,” he says carefully before explaining. “I don’t think you and Max should stay at your place at all. If these people know where Max goes to school, it’s likely they know where you live, and work. My suggestion is that you take some time off work and stay in one of our safehouses.”

“Jacob, I can’t just take off work and pull Max out of school, and even if I could, what if these guys find us all alone in some deserted safehouse?” I say exasperatedly.

“You can most certainly take time off, and just say Max is sick or something. He’s only six, what’s he gonna miss out on? Fingerpainting? And you won’t be alone. I’ll have three of my most trusted men staying with you at all times,” he replies, folding his arms triumphantly.

“No. Absolutely not,” I say, slamming my palms down on the table.

“Em, you don’t have much choice, this is serious and the only way to keep you both safe. It will only be for a short while, I promise. You have nothing to worry about with these guys, I trust them, they know better than to try anything funny,” he promises, and I can tell that he’s not going to back down, once Jacob’s mind is set, he’s as stubborn as a mule.

“Fine. But on one condition, Max still gets to go to school. It’s safe and secure there, they only let approved people collect him and I will ensure they keep an extra close eye on him. You can have your men watch the school too if you wish, but I won’t interrupt his learning. Despite what you think, he’s at an important developmental stage.”

Jacob contemplates it for a second, but he knows I’m as stubborn as he is. “Fine, agreed.”

He insists on paying the check and we all leave with Jacob following on his bike behind us. At home, I notice a couple of his men hanging around and they confirm to him that they’ve checked the place and there’s nothing to report before we go up and quickly pack our bags, ready to head to the safehouse.

Part of me regrets asking for Jacob’s help, I don’t exactly relish the idea of being sequestered with a bunch of scary biker dudes, but I know I need him. I can’t pretend this isn’t happening anymore and I’ll do anything to keep Max safe. I just hope this is all over soon, and that these bikers aren’t disgusting brutes. No doubt if my brother chose them to live with me, they’ll have the looks of chimps and the personalities of paint. I’ll just have to ignore them and hide away in my room. I packed plenty of books to pass the time.

I can’t say I’m looking forward to meeting these men. They’re part of my brother’s world, a world of danger and violence, hard men with no feelings beyond anger and lust. It’s a world I’ve been trying to avoid, yet somehow, I’m getting sucked right in.

I just hope they’re not too unbearable.