Message In a Bottle // The Police

I wake up with a start, sit straight up in my bed and look around. Same familiar bedroom I grew up in. Last night after seeing a movie with Pete, Hannah and Kyra, I hitched a ride home with my sister, making up some story about not wanting to lose my parking spot so I couldn't take my car. I don't bother mentioning my car had been impounded by a dumbass football player and his junkie friend. I haven't told my family anything about any of this. Not even about Alison.

I think I was dreaming about Alison. I rub my head and my eyes from sleep and try to remember what happened in my mind while unconscious. I can't grasp much of it, but I remember fear. I know I saw her, but I couldn't get to her. I think there was danger heading for us.

Yeah, I wish that was just a bad dream. Unfortunately, my reality is almost as bad. Worse because in reality, she hates me.

I can't get the image of her glaring at Coach and I out of my head. My heart was pounding the entire time she ranted at us. And she was right. Every single thing she said was dead on. I'm an asshole for keeping her in the dark, for pushing her away. The guy I never thought I'd be. The one with all the secrets. Fuck.

It's only 6:30 in the morning but there's no way I'm going to sleep after where my mind has taken me. I get out of bed and throw on some shorts before going out to the kitchen to find some food. Of course, I find my mom already up and making breakfast.

"I thought I heard you come in with Kyra last night." She puts her spatula down before stepping closer and kissing my cheek. "How are you doing? You look," she steps back and makes a visual assessment, "tired."

I nod. "It's early." Thank goodness it's a bye week, no game. I'm able to relax a little today until someone takes me back to campus. I feel like a shit having to bum rides, but it is what it is.

"Hmm, it is." Mom doesn't sound convinced. She shouldn't be. I'm lying my ass off to her.

Why did I think it was a good idea to come back home? I can't remember now.

"Look who's here?" My dad enters the kitchen from our side door covered in sweat. He's already gone for a run this morning.

"Hey." I nod, a sick feeling taking over my stomach. They're both here. Kyra's still asleep and if she's on the same weekend schedule that she was last year, she'll be sleeping until noon.

This is my opening. I might be too chicken shit to take it.

"What brings you home other than a weekend off the field?" My dad doesn't give me a hard time about the way I've sucked lately. He would never. My parents have been nothing but encouraging and understanding, never putting too much pressure on me or being overly critical. I'm a lucky guy and I know it.

It's that realization that makes me spill my guts.

"I need to talk to you about something. I've been dealing with it on my own, but I think I might need help." That's putting it lightly.

"Sounds serious," Dad says as he takes a seat at the table, glass of water in hand.

My mom shuts off the oven, already preheated for the cinnamon rolls she's been making, and joins him.

Fuck. Shit just got real. I don't sit down at the table, needing to stand while I tell them.

"I got caught up in something before I realized what was going on, and now I might end up in trouble. Legal trouble."

Dad leans forward. "Tell me, son."

I explain how Reign took an interest in me, wanted me to hang out with him. How I figured it would be good to have an upperclassman as a friend on the team, so I went with it, even though my gut told me differently.

Then I tell them about that day. About Declan's bloody knuckles. About them forcing me to leave my car at their flat. About my suspicions that Declan committed a felony that I want nothing to do with.

I tell them what Coach told me about their use of steroids and how he suspected all of this had something to do with that as well.

When I finish, my parents look at each other. Then they look at me with pain in their eyes. I can see it. And it crushes me.

Fuck.

"I need to call Curt." My dad gets up to leave the room and call his lawyer.

"Wait. That's exactly what a guilty, rich, privileged asshole would do." I try to stop my dad.

"Legal advice is available to us, so why wouldn't I take it? Listen, Jeff. I'm aware that we have advantages. But it you weren't an active participant, why is it a bad thing to get help?" My dad gives me his stern face, the one that tells me I'm being unreasonable.

I shove my hands in my shorts pockets and look at the ground. I can't live like this anymore. I miss Alison. I miss my fucking life.

"Fine."

"I'll give him some hypotheticals, off the record questions. I do this all the time." My dad tries to reassure me, but it doesn't help.

"You ask questions about potential jail time for your son on a regular basis?"

He comes over to stand next to me. "No." He puts his hand on my shoulder. "But I do ask advice about our finances, my business and my family. Its why I pay him the big bucks, to be at my beck and call for hypothetical lawsuits and random questions."

My dad squeezes my shoulder before heading to his office with assurances that he'll talk to me about my options. My mom grabs his hand and shoots me a look.

"I have another idea," she says. My dad stays put. "My friend Julia might also be able to help us."

"Julia, the lady you went to collage with?" I ask.

Mom nods. "Her husband has experience with these types of things."

Oh shit, that's right. He'd been in a motorcycle club, practically a biker gang, before opening a tattoo parlor and settling down. They got married a couple of years ago. We were at the wedding.

"That's been years, though."

"Not exactly. His nephew had some problems a few years back, right when Julia met him. Rob is a good guy. He'll help if he can."

My dad rubs his jaw, glancing between my mom and me. His mind is turning over the possibility just as I am.

"His advice might be the most knowledgeable." Dad agrees.

"Yeah. Yeah that might be better than calling a lawyer." Something about that leaves me with a sick feeling, talking to a high powered, expensive lawyer. But talking to a former gang member sounds surprisingly sane.

"Can you call her?"

"I'm on it."

***

It only takes twenty minutes for hope to return to my circumstances.

Julia and Rob, a guy who's covered in ink and towers over us, weren't busy with her kids so they came right over. He goes by the name Grinder in his motorcycle circle, but we've always known him as Rob.

"Tell me everything that went down that day," he says. Rob took a seat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee my mom handed him like we do this all the time.

I bring him up to speed on all of my interactions with Reign and Declan, including the most recent while we were in Reign's hotel room.

"Hang on, go back to that first part. What did he say about the day everything went down?"

"He said the guy had it coming to him."

"No, no. You mentioned a name. Your contact named the guy directly." Rob leans forward.

"I think he called him Jez."

"You think, or you know. This is important."

I close my eyes and replay the entire conversation. At the time, I had been mentally recording every word Reign said, as I did any time we spoke since talking to Coach. I figured at some point Reign would let something big slip. Was this it?

"Yeah, yeah I'm sure. He said Jez."

Rob smacks his thigh. "I can't believe that fucking guy."

"Rob," Julia says, chiding her husband.

"Sorry, baby. But a f bomb is absolutely appropriate under the circumstances." He turns back to me, to all of us, and levels a serious look.

"Jez is the key. He's part of Little Menace, a street gang from the city. He's been in jail for the last several years. I had no idea he was out."

"You know him?" My jaw drops.

"Not directly. But I know someone who does." He stands and pulls his phone out of his back pocket as he walks out the sliding door to the back patio. "I gotta call Brax."

My mom grabs my hand. My dad drums his fingers. I just watch as Rob paces on our patio, phone to his ear and mouth rattling off everything I just told him. I hope this wasn't a worse idea than calling Dad's lawyer. I don't want some kind of crime boss after me, now.

Rob ends the call and returns to the kitchen. I hold my breath.

"He had no idea."

Shit. I shove my hands in my pockets and turn away from everyone.

"But that's definitely his uncle. Brax was notified that Jez was on parole sometime last month. He can't have been out much longer. I don't think he's the one in charge, but he could be the key."

"Key to what?" I hadn't planned on saying anything else, but I couldn't stop myself from asking.

"The key to your case. Declan messed someone up. Sounds like it was Jez. And it sounds like Jez was dealing, although I have no idea how he went from street crime to dealing performance enhancing drugs." Rob runs his hand down his beard. "Unless..."

He's got a faraway look in his eyes, not focusing on anyone in the room. Then he looks at Julia. She smiles at him.

"Unless what?" My dad is the one to ask this time.

"Unless he started with someone on the inside and tried to translate it to the streets." Rob looks back at us. "Thing is, we won't know unless we investigate. You've been waiting for your guy to slip up and this is all he's given you. We need someone else on the inside."

I shake my head. "I want out. I can't do this anymore."

Rob nods. "I get that. This isn't your world. But it used to be mine. And it used to be Brax's. Let me talk to him and see what we can come up with. We still have a couple of contacts. On both sides of the law." Rob gets up from the table bringing Julia with him. "I'll be in touch."

My parents say their goodbyes, walking our guests out while I stand shell shocked in the kitchen.

I'm not sure if we just made things better...or worse. But I'm done doing things Coach's way. I wonder if I should bring him up to date on this new development but decide not to. He wasn't there that day. He's not paying the price I'm paying. He doesn't get to make the decisions anymore.

I'm taking my life back.

Made it! Okay, at some point I realized that Grinder and Brax would be getting involved in Jeff's dilemma. Julia's connection to Jeff's mom was my in. And did you recognize Jez's name being tossed out in the last two chapters? If you read Inevitable, you'll remember that Brax has 3 uncles involved in criminal gang activity. We met Lalo and heard about Ramon and Jez a little. The former left town with Brax's mom to go into hiding. The latter two were both imprisoned.

Well, surprise, Jez got out. That's its own backstory that will unfold before this story is over.

Also, I had written a scene at the beginning of this chapter that was a cross over from All There Is where Hannah goes to the movies with Kyra, Jeff and Pete. I wanted to have a scene with Pete in this one, and felt like this would be a good time to add it in...but it really fell flat. The energy wasn't in it so I chopped it and picked up the next morning. I'll get Pete over here eventually.

Anyway, Jeff wishes he could send a message to Alison but she's pissed.

https://youtu.be/MbXWrmQW-OE

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!!