The Long Road Home [The Final McCassey Brothers Book] (20 page)

"I'll think about it, bro,” he said seriously, his eyes never leaving his wife.

"...to do Georgia?"

Georgia had been so distracted that she'd zoned out, hearing only the last part of Rebel's question. She turned toward him and raised a brow. “What?"

"I asked what you're going to do about your GED?"

"Oh, right. I'll take the test.” She shrugged. “If I don't pass, I can always take it again, right?"

Rebel nodded his approval, then drew his arms back and simultaneously slapped both his brothers in the back of their heads. “You two idiots could learn something from her."

"She can teach me all she wants to when she's done studyin',” Blackie said, attempting to retaliate against Rebel. “But I ain't crackin’ open a book, and I sure as hell ain't takin’ no damn test."

Georgia had known from the time Rebel mentioned it that Blackie wasn't going to have anything to do with schooling. So she decided to have a little fun with him. “That's okay, Rebel, I don't need any help studying. It'd probably be too distracting, anyway. I think all the testosterone those two,” she motioned toward Blackie and Judd, “put out, would be a little overbearing, and much too distracting, for me to be able to concentrate."

That did it.

As Rebel broke into hysterical laughter, Blackie and Judd went after Georgia. The instant she saw them coming, she jumped up onto the sofa cushion and attempted to take a flying leap off; which would've given her a good head start toward the hallway. But Blackie caught her in mid-air and slung her over his shoulder for the second time in as many hours.

"Put me down!” she tried to yell, but was laughing too hard.

Blackie reached down and tickled her feet as he carried her through the hall. “Hell no, I ain't puttin’ you down. Not after a comment like that. Say you're sorry, and maybe I'll think about it."

"No way!” she said, continuing to tease him. Laughing and squirming as he tickled her, she reached up and used her index finger to started poking at his biceps. “Damn, Blackie, even your muscles have muscles."

"Yeah, and don't you forget it."

Georgia continued to laugh as Blackie carried her through the kitchen and back down the hall into the living room, finally not-so-gently depositing her on the sofa

The seven of them sat around for a long time after that, talking and laughing as Georgia answered the questions her brothers asked.

And there was a tender moment, when Georgia asked Dusty if she wanted to be her study partner. “Please?” she asked. “I hate studying alone, and I really don't think I'd get much done hanging out with any of them.” She motioned toward her brothers.

"Sure,” Dusty told her, “we'll do it together."

They finally called it a night when Frank and Rose, who'd been babysitting all evening, showed up with the kids.

Soon after, Judd and Dusty went down to the basement with Jay. When Rebel and Gypsy had tucked in their kids, Raider, Chase, and Jade, Georgia said her goodbyes and followed Blackie and Angel outside.

"You ready to go home, little girl?” Blackie asked his sister.

Home.

Georgia thought nothing had ever sounded so good.

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Georgia shivered against the cold, early-March wind, loving the way it whipped against her skin, prickling and stinging almost as if it were burning her. The sensation made her feel free and alive; something she hadn't experienced in a long, long time.

She'd come far in the two months since she'd moved in with Blackie and Angel, and was proud that every Wednesday she walked the two miles into town for her appointment to see Wade at the counseling center.

Not surprisingly, she'd had to fight her brothers to win the right to do something for herself on her own, but the important part was that after a hard-fought battle, she'd finally convinced them it was something she needed to do.

"I can't even imagine the looks on their faces when you brought that up,” Wade had said when she'd told him. “I wish I could've been there to see it."

Georgia had laughed at his comment, because sure enough, Blackie, Judd, and Rebel had been shocked when she told them she wanted to walk four miles once a week in the bitter cold all by herself. “It was priceless,” she'd told him, “trust me."

Since her meetings with Wade were at ten-thirty in the morning, Georgia always walked to the garage afterward and hung out with the guys during their lunch break. Sitting around with her brothers and cousins, whom she'd met the same week she moved in with Blackie, was one of her favorite things to do.

Her cousins, Brady and Kane, were a lot of fun to be around. They joked with her and taught her things that she knew made her brothers cringe. The only time she'd seen them be serious was the first time she'd met them. They'd each said, “No worries,” and told her that day that any sister of Blackie, Judd, and Rebel's was a sister of theirs—which promptly won them dirty looks from all three of her brothers.

After that day, the two of them goofed off and were as obnoxious around her as they were around everyone else. Rebel usually yelled and screamed and fired them at least twice each time she was at the garage, but in the end, it was all in good fun.

She liked her cousin, Flynn, a lot, too. The closest to her in age, he was only six years older. An extremely quiet man, Georgia had caught him watching her from afar quite a few times. The way he kept his eyes on her wasn't creepy, but more like he was watching her back, like he was protecting her.

When she walked into the garage this particular day, her attention was immediately drawn to Rose's office. The door was closed and the shade was drawn, but she could hear Blackie's voice, clear as day, yelling at someone on the phone.

"What's with him?” she asked when Judd walked over and kissed her cheek, greeting her.

"He needs a part for his Thompson."

She squinted and leaned in toward him. “His what?"

"Get your mind out of the damn gutter, Georgia.” Judd gave her a slight shove when she giggled. “A Thompson is a sub-machine gun that was used during prohibition,” he explained. “The one Blackie has used to belong to Granddaddy. Those guns are extremely rare now-a-days. The drum, which is the part he needs, is almost impossible to find."

"Can't he just use the gun without the drum?"

Judd shook his head. “That's the part that holds the ammunition. No drum. No working gun."

Georgia had long since learned that although her brothers and cousins no longer got into trouble with the law, much, they were all men who loved their firearms.

The fact that most of them, with the exception of Rebel, Frank, Jimmy, and Flynn, were all either on parole or probation and not supposed to touch a gun, let alone own one, didn't seem to bother any of them.

"So what's he going to do if he can't find one?"

Judd pulled on a lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail. “I don't know, kiddo, but I'm sure as hell glad I'm not the person on the other end of that phone."

Georgia stared at the office door and wished there was something she could do to help Blackie. All three of her brothers had done so much for her, and she hadn't had the opportunity to do anything to pay them back, although it wasn't for lack of trying. She'd offered to babysit, houseclean, cook, grocery shop, and even work at the garage to help earn her keep, but the guys wouldn't let her do anything.

"You just concentrate on getting your life back together,” Judd had told her. “If and when one of us needs you to do something, we'll let you know."

"But I can't just sit around doing nothing!” she'd argued.

"You're not doing ‘nothing', Georgia. You're seeing Wade every Wednesday for your counseling appointments and studying to get your GED. The test is in June. Once you pass, we'll talk about your options."

Her other brothers had said the same thing. So, knowing hell would freeze over before she ever won that argument, she agreed to concentrate on nothing but getting herself back together, until June.
Once I pass that test, though, they can no longer tell me what to do. I'm going to get a job, a place of my own, and start paying them back for everything they've done for me.

Until then, she'd—wait a minute!
Why didn't I think of that before?
She had the perfect way to help Blackie get his drum. Georgia grinned widely, almost unable to contain her excitement.

"Why are you so smiley all of a sudden?” Judd wanted to know.

"No reason,” she lied, knowing that she had to keep her idea a secret. If any of the guys knew what she was planning to do, they'd lock her in her bedroom and throw away the key.

She didn't care that her idea was risky and would undoubtedly get her in a lot of trouble with her brothers. The end result was going to get Blackie something he needed, something that was going to make him happy, and that's all that mattered to her.

Judd frowned. “How come I don't believe you?"

"Because I'm just as bad of a liar when it comes to certain things as you are when it comes to women."

"What?” he said in genuine surprise. “Who told you that?"

Georgia couldn't help herself, and laughed at the expression on his face. “Dusty."

Judd threw his arms in the air and sighed. “Christ, what the hell have you two been talking about during those little study sessions of yours? Did she tell you what size my underwear is, too?"

"Thirty-eight,” she drawled, matter-of-factly. “But you can't blame Dusty for that one, big brother; I've been helping Gypsy wash laundry the past few weeks and know all your dirty little secrets."

He rolled his eyes. “Terrific."

Since Judd wasn't the brother usually throwing sarcasm at her, it struck her funny and she couldn't help giggling.

Thankfully, their playful banter had effectively distracted Judd, making him temporarily forget that she had plans she wasn't willing to reveal.

Taking it one step further, Georgia sat down at the card table and completely changed the subject. “So what's for lunch today?” she asked, knowing it was Rebel's turn to buy, which was why he was the only McCassey not at the garage.

"Reb ordered pizza,” he told her. “He's out picking it up now and should be back in a few minutes."

"Good, I'm starving."

"Well you should be, you—” He stopped short. “Hold on ... when Rebel goes out to pick up lunch on Wednesdays, he usually beats you back by at least ten minutes. How come you're here so early?” he demanded. “You didn't skip your session with Wade, did you?"

She did her best to look insulted. “Of course not! Instead of walking here today, I ran."

Georgia sat still as Judd studied her. “You ran,” he repeated, “as in,
jogged
?"

"Yes, as in jogged."

Wearing a who-would-want-to-do-such-a-thing look, he looked as though he didn't believe her. “Why?"

She shrugged. “Why not, Judd? Running is good for you. It helps you get into shape."

"And why would you want to do that?"

"Because I'm sick of looking frail and weighing no more than a feather,” she answered. “I'm an athlete; at least, I used to be. I like to play sports, and that's something I can't do if there's a chance I could blow away in a good, stiff breeze."

"Well, there's plenty of ways to exercise. I don't see why you have to run."

"What's your problem, Judd?” Georgia asked angrily. “I just told you why. And maybe,” she said, using her index finger to poke him in the stomach, “running is something you should consider trying. I'd bet my life that those thirty-eights are a little snug."

Judd's expression turned dark, and Georgia could tell he was about to let her have it. She was prepared to be yelled at, but lucky for her, just as Judd was about to say something, Rebel walked into the garage carrying five extra large pizzas.

"Hey man, is that all you got?” Kane called from across the garage. “That ain't enough for all of us."

"There's five more out in the truck, asshole,” Rebel called back as he set the boxes on the card table. “Go get them or you're fired."

Georgia laughed at the string of curses Kane let fly in Rebel's direction as he left the garage, obviously on his way to do what Rebel had told him.

"Aren't you a little early?” Rebel asked when he noticed her.

"What do you guys do, watch the clock on Wednesdays so you can form a search party if I'm one minute late?"

It was a rhetorical question. Georgia hadn't needed—or even expected—an answer, because she knew that's exactly what they did.

"She ran here,” Judd answered. “That's why she's early."

Rebel squinted and then made a funny face. “What'd you do that for?"

"Exercise,” Judd answered again, “she wants to get into shape."

"Hey!” Georgia yelled at Judd, finally able to get a word in. “I can speak for myself! I—"

The sudden slamming of the office door cut her off.

Red-faced and obviously mad as hell, Blackie strode to the table, gave Georgia a funny look, and grabbed the chair next to her. He turned it around backwards then straddled it. “What are you doin’ here so early?"

That did it.

"I skipped my appointment with Wade today,” she spat sarcastically. “Instead, I went down to Franklin Street and whored myself out to make a little extra money. After rolling around in a filthy bed with God-only-knows-what-his-name was, I scored a couple bags of heroin, got high, hid the evidence, and came straight here."

By the end of her little speech, the inside of the garage was deathly quiet. Everyone was staring at her. Everyone except for Blackie, who'd already almost finished his first slice of pizza.

"If you didn't want to tell me, smart ass,” he said with his mouth full, “all you had to do was say so."

To keep from screaming in frustration, Georgia reached over, plucked a piece of pepperoni off Blackie's pizza, and stuffed it into her mouth.

Twenty minutes later, most of the guys were finished and getting ready to return to work, and Georgia was stuffed. She set down her half-eaten second slice of pizza, and slid the plate a few inches in front of her.

Blackie reached out and slid it back. “Keep eatin', little girl,” Blackie encouraged as he bit into yet another slice. “You're finally startin’ to look a little less scrawny.” Then he smirked and added, “But you still talk funny."