Read Online Renegade (2013) by Mel Odom - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mel Odom
Tags: Military/Fiction
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around here.”
Pike was lost. The conversation hadn’t gone at all the way he thought it was going to go. “Changes?”
“Yeah, I’m gonna plow some of those profits we’ve been making into putting up a security system. Maybe a closed-circuit TV system. Thought maybe I’d up the security at my house, too. You know, in case somebody wants to try something there.”
“I’m sorry, Monty.” Pike felt bad at having forced his friend into a bunker mentality. That was the problem with being close to anybody outside his own skin. They paid a price too. He hadn’t even thought about that when he’d gone into that crack house.
“Don’t be, brother. I’ve been wanting to upgrade the security around the house anyway.” Monty grinned. “With all the extra work you pull in, I bought a big-screen TV, some new game consoles for the kids, and I gave a few hundred dollars for a couple of really sweet big-barrel bats for the team. I got stuff I want to protect anyway. I just wanted you to know I’d be asking for help with the installs, if that’s okay.”
Pike didn’t really know how to feel. On the one hand, he was glad he wasn’t moving. On the other, Monty being this open with himmade him nervous and uncomfortable. It reminded Pike of all the times in foster homes when other kids had wanted to be his friends. He’d learned the hard way that those kids belonged to the foster parents, and there was a big difference between a biological kid and a foster kid. At the end of his time there, they’d pack Pike’s stuff in a little backpack and send him back into the system.
That had been when he was young enough to still be looking for a family. By the time he was ten, he’d quit looking and had known he was just a meal ticket for foster parents to occasionally punch. Till he got to be too uncontrollable. Then he’d stayed at the orphanage. At least that way he had consistency in his life that he hadn’t had up till then.
Having Monty accept him in spite of the potential trouble he was bringing down on them was troublesome. Pike felt like he owed the man something, and he didn’t like owing anyone anything.
“Yeah, I’ll help.”
Monty smiled. “I hope you’re willing to work for beer and tamales, ’cause I can’t pay you for your time.”
“Then it’s a good thing your wife makes good tamales.”
“Don’t forget the fried ice cream. She makes good fried ice cream too.”
Pike saluted Monty with the beer can. “She does.”
Monty nodded toward the Silverado. “You got that tranny ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
“Want a hand with it?”
“Sure.” Pike lobbed the empty beer can into a nearby trash bin, lay back on the creeper, and slid under the truck.
“Hey, looks like it’s schooltime.”
Looking up from under Mrs. Garcia’s hood, Pike peered towardthe front of the garage and saw Hector walking toward him and Monty. The boy had a troubled expression on his face.
“Now that’s true unhappiness if I ever saw it.” Monty wrapped more black electrician’s tape on the piece of wiring they’d spliced into Mrs. Garcia’s vehicle.
Pike grimaced. “It’s that new math.”
“Math.” Monty shook his head and kept taping. “Better you than me, man. I’m good with history and geography, but I suck at math.”
“I can tell from the way you tote up those accounts sometimes.”
“I got a good wife. She can cook, wrangle kids, and keep my bookkeeping straight. She’s a multitasker, is what she is.”
Pike straightened up so Hector could see him. Immediately the boy changed directions and headed for him.
“Hector’s good at figuring problems out and getting the answers, but he doesn’t show all his work.” Pike dipped out a handful of grease cleaner from a bucket on the worktable at the back of the garage and cleaned his hands. “Got an aptitude for it and the teacher doesn’t have time to help him.”
“Go on. I can finish up here. Then I gotta make some calls. Get some of
Pike was lost. The conversation hadn’t gone at all the way he thought it was going to go. “Changes?”
“Yeah, I’m gonna plow some of those profits we’ve been making into putting up a security system. Maybe a closed-circuit TV system. Thought maybe I’d up the security at my house, too. You know, in case somebody wants to try something there.”
“I’m sorry, Monty.” Pike felt bad at having forced his friend into a bunker mentality. That was the problem with being close to anybody outside his own skin. They paid a price too. He hadn’t even thought about that when he’d gone into that crack house.
“Don’t be, brother. I’ve been wanting to upgrade the security around the house anyway.” Monty grinned. “With all the extra work you pull in, I bought a big-screen TV, some new game consoles for the kids, and I gave a few hundred dollars for a couple of really sweet big-barrel bats for the team. I got stuff I want to protect anyway. I just wanted you to know I’d be asking for help with the installs, if that’s okay.”
Pike didn’t really know how to feel. On the one hand, he was glad he wasn’t moving. On the other, Monty being this open with himmade him nervous and uncomfortable. It reminded Pike of all the times in foster homes when other kids had wanted to be his friends. He’d learned the hard way that those kids belonged to the foster parents, and there was a big difference between a biological kid and a foster kid. At the end of his time there, they’d pack Pike’s stuff in a little backpack and send him back into the system.
That had been when he was young enough to still be looking for a family. By the time he was ten, he’d quit looking and had known he was just a meal ticket for foster parents to occasionally punch. Till he got to be too uncontrollable. Then he’d stayed at the orphanage. At least that way he had consistency in his life that he hadn’t had up till then.
Having Monty accept him in spite of the potential trouble he was bringing down on them was troublesome. Pike felt like he owed the man something, and he didn’t like owing anyone anything.
“Yeah, I’ll help.”
Monty smiled. “I hope you’re willing to work for beer and tamales, ’cause I can’t pay you for your time.”
“Then it’s a good thing your wife makes good tamales.”
“Don’t forget the fried ice cream. She makes good fried ice cream too.”
Pike saluted Monty with the beer can. “She does.”
Monty nodded toward the Silverado. “You got that tranny ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
“Want a hand with it?”
“Sure.” Pike lobbed the empty beer can into a nearby trash bin, lay back on the creeper, and slid under the truck.
“Hey, looks like it’s schooltime.”
Looking up from under Mrs. Garcia’s hood, Pike peered towardthe front of the garage and saw Hector walking toward him and Monty. The boy had a troubled expression on his face.
“Now that’s true unhappiness if I ever saw it.” Monty wrapped more black electrician’s tape on the piece of wiring they’d spliced into Mrs. Garcia’s vehicle.
Pike grimaced. “It’s that new math.”
“Math.” Monty shook his head and kept taping. “Better you than me, man. I’m good with history and geography, but I suck at math.”
“I can tell from the way you tote up those accounts sometimes.”
“I got a good wife. She can cook, wrangle kids, and keep my bookkeeping straight. She’s a multitasker, is what she is.”
Pike straightened up so Hector could see him. Immediately the boy changed directions and headed for him.
“Hector’s good at figuring problems out and getting the answers, but he doesn’t show all his work.” Pike dipped out a handful of grease cleaner from a bucket on the worktable at the back of the garage and cleaned his hands. “Got an aptitude for it and the teacher doesn’t have time to help him.”
“Go on. I can finish up here. Then I gotta make some calls. Get some of
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