Tino wandered in. "Or I can run him over to the site when he finally rolls out of the sack. Better yet, I'll come with you. It's been awhile since I gave Dad a hand on the job, but I haven't forgotten how. Okay?"
Working with his brother would feel like old times. "Yeah, I could use the help. Besides, you'll be a lot more fun to boss around than Ricky. I already made enough lunch for two, so we should be good to go."
Tino headed for the back door. "I'll run over to the annex and change into my old jeans and dig my work boots out of the closet."
Jack grabbed the cooler and carried it outside to stow in the back of the truck. As he waited for his brother, he stared up at the second floor of the house. Should he go back upstairs and pound on the kid's door one more time? Ricky didn't go with him every day, but he did show up when he said he would.
Of course, they'd talked about him tagging along today while they'd been working on the truck yesterday. They'd all enjoyed the time they'd spent with their heads under the hood, or at least he and Tino had. Right up until those last few minutes, Jack would've sworn that Ricky was having fun, too. There'd been something off about him when he'd abruptly taken off, leaving them staring at his back.
"Something wrong?"
Jack glanced over at Tino. "I'm not sure. I'm thinking Ricky and I will be having a talk when I get back home. One that's long overdue."
Tino held off responding until they both were inside the truck. "You're worried because the cast is off his arm."
"Yeah, I am."
"Has he said anything about leaving? Because, from what I can see, the kid is pretty happy right where he is."
When Jack stopped for a red light, he glanced toward Tino. "Yesterday, he was doing fine helping us on the truck, and then it was like a switch got flipped right before he walked away. Granted, he is a teenager, so his mood can change in an instant. I'm not so old that I don't remember what it was like to ride that particular roller coaster."
"But?"
When the light changed, Jack gunned the engine harder than he should have. Tino snapped a hand out to brace himself as they shot across the intersection. "Oops, sorry about that."
As usual, Tino never missed a chance to give him grief. "Not a problem. You always were a crappy driver."
Jack shot his brother a wry look and patted the dashboard. "I was apologizing to the truck, asshole. This old girl deserves to be treated better than that. You, not so much."
Tino laughed, but then his smile faded. "So back to Ricky."
"God knows I'm playing all of this by ear, but I've had this feeling all along that he was hiding out with us until his arm healed. I shouldn't freak out just because the kid decided to sleep in."
His brother finished the thought for him. "But you would've felt better if he'd told you he'd changed his mind about coming today."
"Yeah, I would." He paused to double-check the address he was looking for. "The other thing is that my friend Gabe might have another job coming up for me. Not sure how long I'd have to be gone, but it's usually bodyguard duty while babysitting American businesspeople on overseas trips. I like the work, because it lets me use my military training. However, I'm not sure I should take the assignment this time."
"Can't Mom keep an eye on Ricky for you?"
"She did the last time I left on a job, and it went okay. However, she made it clear when I asked her to let Ricky come live with us that he was my responsibility. I'd feel better about leaving if I knew for sure what was going on in that thick skull of his."
They'd reached the site. As they unloaded the equipment they needed to build the toolshed in the backyard, Tino asked, "It's not like I know any more about how to handle a teenager than you do, but have you tried asking the kid what he wants? If he's happy living there with you and Mom?"
"Not in so many words. We've both made a point of telling him that he has a home with us as long as he wants one." He headed around to the backyard carrying the portable workbench and his toolbox. "I guess that's not the same as asking if he's satisfied with how things are going."
Tino patted him on the shoulder. "I'd ask him and see where it gets you."
"I will."
And just in case, he'd be telling Gabe that he'd have to find someone else to take that job.
-
Ricky sat in the park hoping the sun would make up its mind to come out. The day might clear up and be warm later; right now it was cloudy, damp, and chilly. He pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up closer to his face and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
Other than him, the park was empty. It was disappointing that Shelley and the others weren't anywhere around. He sipped his coffee and finished off the blueberry muffin he'd bought at the corner coffee shop, an extravagance he might not be able to enjoy again for a while. If the morning turned out the way he expected it to, he would have to be more careful with his money to make sure it would last as long as possible. He'd considered raiding Marlene's refrigerator and pantry before sneaking out of the house, but he already felt bad enough about leaving without a word.
Besides, he wasn't a thief. Yet. Well, maybe, because he still had the phone Jack had bought for him to use, although he'd turned it off when he'd slipped out the front door before sunrise. The last thing he wanted to do was get a call from Jack or Marlene.
During the long hours of the mostly sleepless night, he thought about writing a note to leave behind. Something that would let Marlene and Jack know that he did appreciate everything they'd done for him. He'd stared up at the ceiling as he tried to string together the right words. But everything he felt about them, not to mention Caitlyn and even Tino, got all jumbled up inside him. Besides, there was nothing he could say that would change things.
It was time to get moving, so he tossed the cup and paper bag in the trash. He still had a long walk ahead of him to reach his mom's house. He'd already stashed his backpack and the bag of stuff he'd brought to share with his friends behind some bushes next to the bus station. When he went inside to check the schedule, it had been tempting while he was there to buy a ticket on the first bus heading south. In the end, he hadn't been quite ready to take that step.
Still no sign of his friends, so he gave up and started walking. When he spotted Toby heading straight toward him, he didn't bother to duck out of sight. Instead, he stopped walking and let Toby come to him. The other teenager wasn't as jittery as he was the last time the two of them had talked, which meant Toby must have scraped together enough money for an early-morning fix.
"Hey, Ricky, you got your cast off."
"Yeah, a few days ago."
"That's good." He raked his eyes over Ricky, top to bottom, before once again scanning their surroundings. "More new clothes, too. Man, I don't know where you've been hanging out since you fell and broke your arm, but it can't be all bad. You should tell that guy who's been looking for you. He's worried about you."
Ricky backed up a step. "I didn't fall and break my arm, Toby. Like I told you before, that guy kicked the shit out of me."
Toby sneered at Ricky, his smile nasty. "Yeah, he told me you were spreading lies about him. I believed you at first, but Lawrence isn't a bad guy. He's treated me decent enough."
What a load of crap. "So, I'm guessing he's the one who paid for your morning fix."
The teenager didn't bother to deny it. After wiping his nose on his sleeve, he nodded. "Yeah, he's helped me out a few times. It's no big deal."
"But what do you have to do in return, Toby? Now that you've seen me, are you going to go running to Lawrence?"
Toby started rocking from side to side, his usual jitters already coming back. "Won't have to. He comes to me."
Fear shot right up Ricky's spine. "When?"
"Around lunchtime most days. Sometimes earlier."
Was that why Toby's head seemed to be mounted on a swivel right now? Was he really expecting Lawrence to come driving up at any second? Rather than ask any more questions, Ricky took off running, heading back toward the park where he stood a better chance of losing Toby on one of the several paths that wound through the trees.
A glance over his shoulder before he reached the first bend in the trail showed that Toby was following, but at a slower pace. Ricky kicked it into a higher gear and then cut across the grass to a path that led back toward the street. He needed to lose the other teenager as soon as possible and then hightail it for his mom's place before Toby succeeded in alerting Lawrence that Ricky was in the area.