“You’ve got Miriam,” Jessie said, arm slung around Nina.
“Don’t be stupid.”
She looked to Colby.
“Tell him to leave,” Colby added.
“Don’t you think I already have?” That’s when she shifted gears and went for emotional manipulation. “Why did you tell him?”
Colby shrugged. “He deserved to know. You can’t keep hiding behind lies, Mother.”
“But he could have killed me.”
“What? Hold on. Did he lay a hand on you?” Jessie asked, removing his arm from Nina.
“Yes. No. I mean, not exactly but I don’t feel comfortable with him at the house. I hardly got any sleep last night. I woke up at two to find him sitting on a chair near the edge of my bed.”
“Well what was he doing?”
“Nothing. Just staring. It was creepy and unsettling.”
“Maybe he was sleepwalking,” Jessie suggested.
“He wasn’t!” she said firmly.
Jessie brushed it off as nothing. “Alby won’t hurt you. He’s family.”
“That might be but it doesn’t mean that he hasn’t contemplated killing me. He blames me for your father’s death.”
“I wonder why,” Colby said.
She glared at him. “Well, perhaps because YOU told him.”
“Oh, that’s fresh. Blame me. When are you going to start taking responsibility for your actions? It’s always someone else. Never you.”
“I won’t have you speak to me like that.”
“He’s right,” Jessie added.
“You as well. Huh. I never thought I’d see the day when my two sons gang up on me.”
“I never imagined I’d bury my father because of your actions,” Jessie retorted.
She pursed her lips, folded her arms and looked like she was about to blow a gasket. “Look. Come home or don’t, I really don’t care, but if you find me dead, it’s on your heads. Your heads, you hear me!” she bellowed, turning and charging off. That was always her way. Guilt. Manipulation. Colby could see it taking hold of Jessie. He grimaced as he watched her get on the horse and ride away.
Jessie groaned. “Maybe, we should go back.”
“No. This is exactly what she wants,” Nina said. “We’re trying to make a life for ourselves. For our next kid. I don’t want you running off at the drop of the hat just because she’s nervous. Besides, you said it yourself. Both of you did. If it wasn’t for her actions, your father would still be alive. And so would my uncle, and my cousins.” Nina turned and walked away.
“Nina. Come on, Nina!” Jessie said. “Oh great. Every time that woman shows up, she screws things up. Now she’s got Nina against me.” He sighed. “Look, I better go otherwise I’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight. Catch up with you later.” He patted Colby on the shoulder and jogged off, trying to convince Nina to listen to him. Colby watched until they were out of sight.
The family dynamics had changed. That was clear.
His mother wanted to hold on to the past but for her own reasons. Jessie wanted to have a life, the one that Colby nearly had with Skye.
Colby was proud of his brother.
Zeke and Dylan, well, they always had one foot out the door and his other brothers and sisters had already created a life for themselves by getting married. They didn’t have time for the drama. It had made him think a lot about whether to stay or leave Humboldt.
As he walked home, a fine rain fell, dampening the ground. He thought back to the conversation he’d had with Alicia. Even she was feeling the strain. She’d pressed him on whether or not he wanted to leave. It wasn’t just the danger of living in Humboldt County, it was his family, the Stricklands, and everything about his past that bothered her. She’d been polite in the first few months, careful of what she said around them, but it was clear the more she learned the more she had begun to show an interest in leaving.
He knew if he didn’t make a decision soon, there was a chance she would go without him. One thing was for sure, he didn’t want to start arguing or defending his family, but he would if pushed into a corner. Blood was blood at the end of the day. Ten years apart or not, he’d always have his family’s back.
Colby passed a home where two kids were playing outside with a ball. A mother came out and scooped them up, glaring before hurrying inside.
Neither the Rikers nor Stricklands had harmed children, they never would, but that didn’t stop people from thinking they weren’t safe. He’d never be able to change that stigma associated with his name. That’s why it made sense to leave. It’s why it had been easy to leave when he was younger. In some ways he was naïve enough to believe that maybe ten years would have changed his kin for the better, it hadn’t. They were still the same because it wasn’t them making decisions, it was his mother. As long as she was around, any hope of the next generation avoiding further bloodshed was impossible.
Was it worth staying?
Within the confines of Eureka, safety for anyone was questionable.
A part of him wanted to see the county flourish, to see it stand on its own two feet and ride out the disaster that had befallen the nation, but that relied on more than just him. Some things were out of his control as a regular civilian. The thought of taking Johnson up on his offer remained at the forefront of his mind. In a place of recognized position he might have more sway, he might get some respect from the council.
Colby pushed it all from his mind as he walked into the house.
“Alicia?”
There was no answer. He went out back and checked the solar shower bags. They were warm. He
