Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 118965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
I bought the small plot of land and got a permit from the municipality to have a grave dug. A funeral service company took care of the rest. I don’t want to give my grandfather more of my time than necessary, but I want the kids to get their closure. I’m not rushing them to say goodbye. Like I promised myself, once we leave here, I’m never coming back.
I lead the two youngest kids to Johan, leaving Étienne to study the beetle. “Shall we head back?”
Johan throws another stone, staring at the ripples in the water with a sullen expression.
I’m not good with words, but I try to remember what the psychiatrist said, that I should encourage them to talk about their feelings. “Do you miss him?”
He swings back his arm and launches a pebble through the air. His tone is curt. “No.”
“Then why the long face?”
He jumps to his feet. “I never want to see this fucking place again.”
“Language, Johan,” I say, making my voice stern, but he’s already charging down the hill toward the stream.
I let Sophie and Guillaume go with a pat on their backs. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
I go after Johan who’s facing the mountain with his arms pinned at his sides. His narrow back tenses as my footsteps crunch on the soil behind him.
“The money I got for selling the goats and the chickens will be divided between you and your brothers and sister. I already put it in the bank.”
He kicks at a rock. “I don’t care about the fucking money.”
“Watch your language,” I say again.
He spins around. “I know what you are.”
“Yeah?” I cross my arms and say with a chuckle, “Human?”
My attempted humor is lost on him. He sneers. “I know you’re in the business.”
I raise a brow. “Is that so?”
“Everyone in town knows.”
“Good. Then they’ll know to mind their own damn business.”
He pulls himself to his full height. “I want to work with you.”
I smile. “You want to work with me?”
“Yes.” He holds my gaze squarely. “I know how to handle a gun.”
That makes me grin. “I’ll give you this, kid. You’ve got balls.”
He clenches his hands. “Then give me a gun.”
“How about this? You finish school and get a proper education, and then we can talk about you joining any business.”
“Why?” His cheeks grow red. “Is it because of this? Because of where I come from? Is that why you don’t want me to be a part of the business?”
“No.” I shove my hands in my pockets, considering him with an unwavering smile.
“Why then?”
“It’s what my father would’ve done.”
He eyes me, squinting into the sun. “He made you study?”
“Yep. Until he got sick. I dropped out of school to take over the business.”
“Then you’ll let me?”
“You’re still a kid. You’re going to grow up way too fast. Believe me. I know. Just focus on being a kid for now, and when you’re an adult, we’ll do what needs to be done.”
“You mean that?”
“I never go back on my word.”
He nods solemnly. “’Kay.” His expression hardens, his jaw setting in a determined line. “I’m not going to end up here.”
“No.” I place a hand on his shoulder. “You won’t. Of that, I’ll make sure.”
The tension flows from his body as he relaxes in my grip.
He throws a thumb over his shoulder toward the cross on the hill. “I’m gonna go over there. I’ve got some shit to say.”
“Go ahead. Take your time.”
I watch him clamber up the hill, recalling the boy with the dirty face I first saw, the one who tried to sell me weed and stole my wheel caps. Little shit. He’s got more of my own blood flowing in his veins than any of my cousins. Even at ten, he’s already more of a man than Toma and Gianni put together. I guess we got that from my mother.
A small hand wraps around mine. I look down. Sophie smiles at me. Her hair grew a little longer, making wisps around her face. With her big, brown eyes and her delicate features, she’s going to be looker. I’ll have to keep a shotgun on site when she turns of age.
She hasn’t brought Beatrice, which is a leap in progress. Her scarf has come loose, hanging in a big loop around her neck.
I adjust the scarf to make sure she’s covered. “Are you cold? You can wait in the car.”
She pulls on my hand. “I want to show you something.”
She leads me over the barren earth and across the stream, using a few big rocks as steppingstones. On the other side, we climb up a hill and down a slope. A small gorge lies at the foot of the mountain. We follow the dry riverbed until it disappears in a thicket of thorny bushes. On the bend, she stops.