A Powerless World | Book 4 | Outlive The Darkness Hunt, Jack (feel good novels .txt) 📖

help, rarely helped. If they thought it could have helped, they would have already done it. Using guilt for those they would leave behind sometimes worked but not always. Minimizing their situation was a huge no. Trying to make light of it only pushed them further out. There were endless things not to say or do but when it came down to it, if someone really wanted to end it, they would. There would be no hesitation, and they rarely would tell anyone.

“Nina wouldn’t want this,” Kenzo said.

“Don’t you tell me what she would or wouldn’t have wanted!”

“Kenzo, would you get the hell out of here!” Zeke bellowed. “You’re not helping.”

“Look at me, Jessie,” Colby said, pointing two fingers at his own eyes then back at him.

“I don’t want to. I’m just so tired, Colby.”

In his mind, he willed his brother to put the bottle down but he knew that was just a fantasy. “Jessie. This is not the way forward.”

“How is the way, brother? Huh? So, what, I don’t do it today, but then what happens tomorrow when you die, or Dylan does? He was shot today. They could have killed him.”

Colby nodded.

“You’re right, they could have killed us all. But you’re still alive. There’s a reason why.”

“If there is, it’s not worth knowing without her.”

“So letting him get away with this is?” Colby asked.

It took a lot to get Jessie to break. He was hardened by mountain living. He always kept his cards close to his chest. He was never one to show much emotion. He was a man that wasn’t given to tears very often, and he was more prone to start a fight than walk away from one. Colby knew that was it. That was his way forward. The way in was through the very thing that made him who he was. Violence. “Don’t do this. Turn all that pain out toward John Boone and make him pay.”

Jessie met his gaze and Colby stepped forward, closing the gap between them. He slowly lifted a hand to the bottle and took hold of the neck then lowered it. At first there was some resistance, some final indecision and then Jessie released it. It smashed on the floor and Colby pulled his brother in for a hug.

Tears flowed hard.

“I got you, brother. I’ve got you,” Colby said.

Jessie sobbed into his shoulder.

Behind them there was movement and Colby looked to see Alicia. She tugged at Kenzo’s sleeve and motioned to the staircase. He followed her. For a brief second, Alicia looked back at Colby.

Half an hour later, under the warmth of the afternoon sunshine, Colby, Zeke and Jessie sat out on the roof looking over the city, talking about anything but Nina. Zeke passed a joint between them and they took hits on it while drinking beer. They were doing anything to keep Jessie calm. No therapy could unravel the childhood trauma that all of them had endured. They handled it in their own way. This was no different.

“So he expects everyone to just up and leave the city? There are hundreds of us here. Far more than them. The guy is out of his mind,” Zeke said.

“They usually are. Look, I don’t think it’s the city they want. If they had wanted to bring down the community they had the opportunity the other night. While we were attending to ward one they could have set ablaze other areas of the community. Instead, they bolted. It’s almost like they wanted a face to face, and were expecting us to come. Makes me wonder if the Arcata ambush wasn’t arranged,” Colby said.

“I’d like to know the scout that saw them,” Zeke added. He took a hard hit on the joint and the end went orange.

“One thing is for sure, I want to speak to Johnson. Alone,” Colby replied.

Jessie remained quiet.

“You think Asher had something to do with it?” Zeke asked.

“I don’t know,” Colby said, handing off the joint to him. “I just know Wilder trusts Johnson. He stuck by him, didn’t buy into Evans’ bullcrap when he was around. The more people we discuss this with, the greater the chance that whoever is behind it will hear it.”

“Why not speak with Wilder? If it comes from us, Johnson might think we are trying to cause trouble.”

“We are,” Colby said before chuckling.

Time past. Minutes turned to hours.

“What’s the deal with Alicia, Colby?” Jessie asked without looking at him.

“She wants me to leave Humboldt.”

Jessie nodded. “Then you should do it. You should go. If it was me…” He dipped his head again and his eyes welled up. Colby placed a hand on his back.

“My family is here. You’re here,” Colby said.

Jessie snorted. “Then I guess it’s true what they say about us Rikers… We really are fools. Man I feel stupid.”

“Why?”

“The whole bottle thing.”

“You have every right to want to check out, Jessie. The emotions are raw right now. You know, for the first year after losing Skye, I put a gun to my head at least twice a week.”

“What prevented you from doing it?”

“Seeing your ugly mug again.” He smiled and Jessie nudged him in the ribs.

Chapter Sixteen

Would it be a conversation or a confrontation? The troubling thought persisted as Colby waited several hours for Jessie to sleep off the booze before going to see Johnson. Showing up at the sheriff’s office stinking of alcohol and weed wasn’t ideal, let alone letting his brother tag along, but Jessie was insistent.

He’d promised he wouldn’t lose his cool.

Unfortunately Asher had beaten them to the punch.

From the moment they stepped inside, they could hear his angry voice.

“Have it your way. But let’s not forget, Johnson. You don’t get the final say in these matters, the council does.”

As they made their way down to Johnson’s office, Asher burst out, red faced and snarling. His nostrils flared at the sight of Jessie but he lowered his head. They stepped out of the way as he charged past them and entered the stairwell.