Chapter Twenty-Two
For a moment, Kelley sat dazed. When Mason had said they were going home, he'd meant it in a literal way. He was inviting Kelley to stay with them. He blinked his emotions away, not wanting to get emotional in front of Mason. He'd never hear the end of it, he was sure of that fact. It still warmed him inside that Carey and Mason would just take him in, no questions asked.
“I …”
Carey stood up from the kitchen table and walked closer to Kelley. “I won’t have you staying at that place. It’s no place for a boy, alone. You have a room here and you’re welcome in our home. If you want to talk I’ll listen, if you don’t then that’s okay too. Mason speaks highly of you and two boys in the house are no more trouble than one.”
“I don’t know what to say … nobody’s ever been that kind to me before … I mean, thank you, Carey.”
Kelley could see the sadness in Carey's eyes but she blinked it away and rewarded him with a smile. She was a good woman and Mason was lucky to have a mother that cared that much about him.
Mason took Kelley upstairs and opened the first door on the landing. “This is my room, the bathroom’s there across the hall.” Mason kept walking and opened the second door. “This is your room. The last door at the end of the hall is Mom’s room, lucky for her as she says, she has her own bathroom.”
Kelley smiled as Mason chuckled low in his throat. “Does this mean we’re friends now?”
“No, Kelley, we’re brothers now.”
Mason left Kelley in his room to settle in and five minutes later brought him a bottle of water to take his painkillers and rest. Carey cleaned the kitchen downstairs and her heart broke for the boy in her guest room.
What kind of people left their child to fend for himself? She couldn’t ever imagine kicking Mason out of her house, no matter what he did. Kelley seemed like a well-mannered young man. He was respectful and polite and she could see that he had a good heart. Mason wouldn't have brougth him home otherwise.
“He’s out like a light, Mom, I just checked on him.”
“You’re a good young man, Mason. I’m very proud of what you’re doing for that boy.” Carey hugged Mason tightly.
“I get the feeling he doesn’t have anyone besides Jesse and now us. I couldn’t just leave him, Mom. It was his own friends that beat him up like that, but now he has me and the whole Public team behind him.”
“Have you asked Jesse?”
Mason shook his head. “He said it’s not his story to tell.”
“If your intentions are honourable then Kelley will tell you in his own time. Until then, just be his friend.”
The day passed swiftly and when Kelley woke up just before lunch he found Mason working in the garden. Sweat ran down his back and his shirt lay discarded on the paved walkway. Kelley picked Mason’s shirt up and hung it over the back of a chair that stood on the porch.
“Hey, you’re up.” Mason wiped the sweat off his brow.
“What can I do to help?”
“You have a broken wrist, you can’t do much.”
Kelley smiled and looked at the trash bag Mason was tying together. “I can carry a trash bag at least.”
Kelley spent the next hour helping Mason as best as he could until Carey called them in for lunch. Kelley went upstairs first and washed his hands the best he could before grabbing the thick envelope and headed back to the kitchen.
“What’s with the envelope?” Mason chewed while speaking and Carey glared at him. Mason's mouth closed and he lowered his gaze and chewed slower.
“Is everything okay, Kelley?” Carey looked worried as Kelley sat down trying to keep the emotion from his eyes.
“The night everything happened I found my mom crying in the kitchen. My dad came home and he hit her, that’s when I charged him. He showed me a video of my girlfriend, Norah, she was in a hotel room with a bunch of men … they were …”
“Kelley, you don’t have to continue.” Carey’s eyes looked worriedly at him.
“She was enjoying it. My mother was on her hands and knees, crawling at his feet, begging for his forgiveness and he told her she could be replaced by my sister. That’s when I hit him. He fought back and he hit me with knuckle dusters, hence the scar around my eye. He disowned me that night and kicked me out.”
“Kelley …” It was Mason speaking now but Kelley couldn’t stop. He had to tell them now or he never would.
“Anyway, when I came to, my mom had already packed my stuff, she’d hidden money in my bag too and I left.”
“Your dad has a video of your girlfriend with other men?” Mason looked at Kelley in disbelief.
“Jesse told me that good plans take time because they need to be perfect. I’m going to take him down, all of them, they’re all in on it. They have this club with young girls and they pay them for sex and who knows what else. It’s sick.”
“Why are you telling us this?”
“You took me in, Mason. You came to my rescue that night, took me to the hospital and everything you’ve done after that … you deserve to know the truth and decide for yourself if you really want me to keep staying here after knowing all that.”
“Why wouldn’t we want you to keep staying here?” Carey’s hand was holding Kelley’s now and she squeezed it tightly.
“Because my dad’s sick … what if … what if I’m like him?”
“You are nothing like him! You’re a good person, Kelley … don’t ever think you’re like that.”
“And if you step out of line I’ll break your other wrist.” Kelley laughed at Mason’s words and nodded his head.
“I have some cash and I want you to have it if I’m going to stay here.”
Carey shook her head. “No, Kelley …”
“Yes. Everything costs money. I was paying my own way at the motel, so let me do this, please.”
Kelley handed over the envelope of cash and Carey opened it and gasped. “This is too much, Kelley.”
“It’s what I would’ve paid at the motel plus food.”
“See, that right there … that tells me you’re nothing like your old man.” Mason’s hand landed on his shoulder and he was rewarded with a rare smile from Mason.
