Martin received a call from the department that a convict had escaped, it didn't sound like good news to the residents because a crazed man charged for 2nd-degree murder was on the loose.
Jean dashed into the living room and looked around, empty. Aunt Etta entered and grimaced when Martin emerged with a serious look.
"Hello, sweetheart, you're here just in time for your punishment"
Jean gulped and his expression changed with his arms open and she giggled going in for a hug.
He swung her a little and let her down.
They had been gone for weeks, seeing him was a treat, she looked around with a quizzical stare.
"Where's mom?"
He patted her back "Gigi's not ready to end the vacation"
With all the trouble they've been putting her through, of course, she wouldn't return home.
"You mean you were going to stay longer? Then why are you home?"
She asked and he kissed her forehead
"Work, the phone doesn't stop ringing every forty-five minutes and they need me to be here"
He was captain of the precinct and the stand-in couldn't bear the pressure. The whole department was going haywire.
With the way his shirt was open to reveal a sweaty vest, she knew he just arrived, possibly by a cab.
"I'm surprised that I didn't find your car in the garage. Scott"
He said firmly when Scott walked in nervous. He was a cop and he could see the telltale signs on him, he was harsher on Scott than he was on Jean.
Scott murmured the details about what happened while he strained his ears.
"I hope you plan on working all summer to replace the money you borrowed because I'm not giving you a dime"
"But dad_"
"I will get you a dorm to stay in till the end of your fourth year and don't even think about coming home for a break"
Jean tugged at his arm, even that sounded extreme.
"Marty_"
He cut Etta off and looked behind him at the boy with a belt on his neck in disapproval then softened.
"Do I know you?"
Dylan paled and stepped off the porch
"Excuse me" He left rather quickly.
He went back to his son who was even paler.
"Lucky for you, you get to keep your car and skid addle outta here by tomorrow" He waved his hand.
"No" Jean whined, he might be a pain but it got lonely.
Without uttering another word, Scott pounded to his room.
"Thanks for keeping an eye on these two Etta" He thanked and she gave him a crooked smile patting his hand.
"Go to your room, Jean, I'll meet up with you to catch on about our stay"
Jean moved with a reluctant glance at Scott's room.
"Anytime, Marty," Etta replied plopping a pillow, he exhaled and sat back groaning, he had to report to work by tomorrow morning.
"They're great kids Marty, you should cut them some slack"
"Remember that time with Scott at the park and I said he could have anything he wanted and he licked ice cream right off the table then he_"
"Alright alright, alright, I get it but..."
"I think you've made your point" He put out a hand.
She tossed up a plastic jackfruit from the fruit bowl.
"I made your favorite dinner" She teased "What a coincidence that you're home"
"No." He said firmly and she groaned.
...
Dylan hurried down the freeway and wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead with a shaky hand. He recognized him, she was the captain's daughter.
He grunted when someone shoved him, catching a glance of short stack blondie with feral eyes.
"You stay away from my girl" He huffed and swiped a fist at Dylan which he dodged easily.
"Listen punk, now's not the time for your sick games"
George laughed "Sick? You're the one stalking my girlfriend"
Dylan stood up straight "You can try to hit me but do not call me a stalker"
George rammed him to the ground and Dylan rolled over and punched him so hard that he bled. George grunted touching his mouth, too stunned to stand up.
"Come back, you hypocrite!" George yelled
Dylan turned "I said you can try and don't think about standing up or I'll stuff my boot up your nose"
He inhaled and exhaled, this time the captain stimulated a fear that he'd been keeping deep down, he walked faster taking a new route to his sister's home.
Erin folded her arms, upset that he was home so late. His older sister, twelve solid years separating them, had straight black hair and pale skin. She left a weird picture of Tuesday Badhams in his mind.
"Hey sis," He said confidently and she folded her arms.
She was back from court in good shape described in relation to her physical state in the last year where she caught the flu during the epidemic and a fever from all the stress a year after.
He dropped his bag where he usually was told to, other than the coat rack to save her minutes of giving a lecture about organization.
There was a cup of herbal tea on the glass coffee table where a stash of documents was kept, the rest were some magazines of hot rods from last year, he planned on burning those.
"What's your excuse now_is that blood on your knuckle?" She queried raising his hand, recalling the last fight, he wiped it off with the towel he had in his back pocket.
"It's just a graze, no biggie"
"Right, what happened to your apartment, I thought you wanted to live on your own"
He crossed his legs on the glass table, mindful of the documents. Erin rounded the couch to gather them.
"Careful, these are vital and could win me a ton of money."
He quirked an eyebrow at her "Really?"
"Yes, I just spent days trying to make a policy plan for a firm in Durham."
"And if you fail?" He asked and she laughed then groaned.
"Don't ruin this for me"
Dylan smiled when she drank the last of the tea.
"Didn't know you were coming" She stretched her legs too with the documents in a safer place.
"Didn't plan on it"
She glanced at him then shook her head flicking through the channels for fresh content, she turned serious when there was a picture of a man plastered on the screen with the news correspondent speaking.
As if the nightmare didn't end, they sat up and Erin's phone buzzed, she picked it up moving away from the TV to answer it while Dylan watched intently.
"Erin Bradshaw, who's speaking?"
...