A Beautiful Funeral: A Novel (Maddox Brothers Book 5) (27 page)

The front door swung open, and Taylor walked through, holding one of his kids in each arm. Falyn was behind him, carrying the luggage.

“Hey!” Shepley, Jim, and Jack said in unison. Shepley helped Jim to stand, and they bear hugged Taylor and the kids, then Falyn, with Tyler, Ellie, and Gavin not far behind.

“Oh, my God!” Taylor yelled. “It smells amazing in here!”

I turned the stove fire to low and wiped my hand on my apron, leaving the kitchen to hug the family. After everyone had said their hellos, Jim glanced around the room. “Where’s Trenton?”

Tyler shrugged. “He hasn’t been by today? I thought he’d be here. That’s what he said earlier.”

“I’ll text him,” Taylor said, pulling his phone from his back pocket.

I smirked at Shepley, gesturing to Taylor, and he rolled his eyes.

“I’m not married to Taylor, am I?” he said.

Everyone turned to my husband, and I snorted.

Taylor raised an eyebrow. “Eh?”

“Nothing,” Shepley grumbled.

Falyn glanced around the room. “Is Olive not coming for dinner?”

“They’re on vacation this week,” Jim said.

Falyn’s face fell. “Oh.”

Jim looked at his watch. “They should be getting home later this evening.”

Falyn’s eyes brightened. “Oh! Well, that’s … I’m really glad. I’ve missed her.”

Jim nodded in understanding. We all knew Falyn looked forward to seeing Olive when she was in town, even if Olive had no idea she was actually part of the family instead of just Trenton’s best friend.

We chatted about their flight from Colorado and Taylor and Tyler’s new jobs at State Farm Insurance. Shepley couldn’t resist making a joke about the State Farm khakis commercial. Ellie reminisced about working for the
MountainEar
magazine in Estes, and Falyn and the kids had just unpacked the last box back at home with Taylor.

The oven door creaked as Shepley opened it to pull out the meatloaf pan, I mashed the potatoes, and Ellie and Falyn set up the card table for the kids. Dining chairs scraped against the tile as the adults sat down at the dining table to eat.

Jim looked around. “Hasn’t Trenton gotten home yet? Is Travis still out of town?”

I touched his arm. “We texted Trent. I’m pretty sure Travis is flying home today.”

Jim shifted in his seat, uncomfortable.

Jack patted his brother’s back. “They’re fine, Jim.”

I tried not to grimace. Thomas’s death had taken a toll on Jim. His clothes were hanging off him, purple half-moons hung under his tired eyes, and he looked more frail than ever. He was constantly asking about the boys, calling each one every day to check on them if they didn’t call him first. Most of them already knew to call during their lunch break to set his mind at ease.

Taylor checked his phone, chewing. “He texted back. He’s at home. He can’t make dinner tonight.”

“Really?” I said, surprised. That wasn’t like Trenton. He was at Jim’s for dinner every night, even before the funeral.

Agent Wren approached the table.

“Wren,” Tyler said between bites. “Have a seat. Have some meatloaf; it’s my mom’s recipe. Best damn meatloaf you’ve ever had, I promise you that.”

“I don’t know why we’re cooking,” Falyn said. “There are still stacks of casseroles in the freezer.”

“Because your dad wanted Diane’s meatloaf,” Shepley said. “And what Jim wants, Jim gets.”

Jim managed a smile, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Camille had bought him suspenders a few days before, and although Jim wasn’t a fan, I thought he looked adorable.

Agent Wren touched his earpiece. “Yes.”

“Yes, what?” I asked. “Who is that?”

Agent Wren ignored me, returning to his post in the living room. I glared at him, far beyond irritated with the secrecy.
What else didn’t we know?
I glanced at my husband. “Why is he still here?”

“Who? Wren?” Shepley asked.

“What was that about? Are we”—I glanced back at the kids and then leaned in—“still in danger? Have we heard an update on where Travis is with the Carlisi case?”

Jim shook his head, picking at his plate.

“Not hungry?” Deana asked.

“It’s very good,” Jim said, looking apologetic. “I feel full pretty fast these days. No appetite, I suppose.”

“Just try,” Deana said. “It’s Diane’s,” she lilted. “God, I miss her. I think she could’ve cheered you up.”

“She could’ve,” Jim said with a short chuckle. His smile faded. “She’s with Tommy, now.”

We finished dinner, and I served dessert—just a simple yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting. The kids made the few pieces that were left disappear.

The front door swung open. “Hi, Maddoxes!” Olive said, appearing at the mouth of the hallway with her bright smile. She had a new bronze tan from her trip, making her teeth appear whiter and her freckles blend in. Her hair was even blonder than before, and Falyn beamed the moment she set eyes on her.

“Olive!” Falyn said, rushing over to hug her tight. She held her out at arm’s length. “Holy crap, you look amazing. How was vacation?”

“It was good. Sort of sad. Mom acts like it’s our last one. I keep telling her we’ll have plenty, but she’s a wreck.” Olive pulled at the frayed edges of her shorts. She was wearing a white tank top and a flowing, short-sleeved kimono-esque top. We marveled at what a beautiful young woman she’d grown into. Woe to boys at Eastern who paid any attention to her—the Maddoxes would eat them for lunch. She’d already given up bringing home any boys to Trenton in high school. He was just too scary for any teenage boy to handle.

The twins and their wives had just finished cleaning off the table, and Jessica, James, and Ezra were nearly finished loading the dishwasher when everyone grew silent. The younger kids were just bugging us to play outside in the sprinkler when Wren began looking out the window and speaking in hushed tones into his earpiece.

“Keep the kids inside for now,” Wren said to Shepley.

I helped him herd the kids into the kitchen, away from any window facing the street.

“Has Trenton changed his mind?” Taylor asked, frowning. He checked his phone again, and then set it on the counter.

A car engine grew louder outside, and I pulled Eli and Emerson closer.

“I’ve been instructed to ask you all to remain calm,” Wren said. He glanced at Jessica and James. “We’ve got incoming.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Shepley asked.

“Travis and Liis are in the drive,” Wren said, irritated that he’d had to explain that much.

We all relaxed, waiting for a signal from Wren. None of us knew what was going on, but we were so used to being kept in the dark, it didn’t seem so abnormal anymore to wait for something to happen.

The front door opened, and Travis, Abby, and Liis walked in, followed by Agent Hyde and Val. The door closed, and the moment Travis stepped into the kitchen, he was apologizing.

“Just, please hear me out. This is going to be difficult, and at first, you won’t understand, but you will.”

“What’s going on, Trav—” Shepley began, and then Thomas stepped out from behind Agent Hyde.

A collective gasp filled the room.

Jim immediately began to whimper, and then he hobbled to his son, falling into Thomas’s arms. The kids began to wail, and Hollis ran over, hugging his Papa and Uncle Thomas. Ellie and Falyn both covered their mouths, their cheeks wet with tears.

“You lied?” Shepley cried, consoling his parents.

“Why?” Tyler choked out.

“I don’t care why,” Taylor said, rushing to hug his brother. Tyler did the same, and then we all crowded around Thomas, hugging him and sobbing.

The living room was quiet except for the hushed humming of the ceiling fan and the hiss of the sprinkler outside. We comforted the kids and promised to explain later, sending them upstairs to play. They were hesitant but knew the grown-ups needed to sort it all out.

Olive remained downstairs, standing in the corner bouncing a fussy Stella and patting her back. Falyn stood next to her, trying to help. The rest of us were either on the couch or in dining chairs pulled from the table. Everyone’s eyes were red and puffy from sobbing; Deana was still sniffing and pulling tissues from the box.

Thomas sat in a chair next to his dad, holding his hand. Jim was smiling; his relief permeated the room. The shock and relief from the others had faded, leaving the brothers confused and angry. Thomas looked prepared for anything, and I could tell he was sorry for the pain he’d caused before he’d ever said a word.

“You knew about this?” Shepley asked Travis.

“Yes,” Travis said.

“Who else?” Taylor asked.

“I knew,” Liis said.

The brothers’ faces contorted in anger.

Tyler’s face flashed red, one eye squinting. “You looked my dad straight in the eye, knowing his health, and told him his son had died?”

Liis nodded.

“She didn’t want to,” Travis said. “We didn’t have a choice. There were too many people who could possibly make a mistake, and we were being watched. Closely.”

“There had to be another way,” Ellie said.

“There wasn’t,” Thomas answered. He squeezed Jim’s hand. “I wish there was. I wish I didn’t have to miss the first month of Stella’s life, but we knew if we staged my death and Liis announced she wasn’t going to pursue the case, that coupled with Mick’s disappearance might cause them to back off.”

“You did all of this for a
might
?” Tyler fumed.

“We had to act quickly. Hitmen were on their way to my house. They had already run Travis off the road thinking it was Abby. We needed to buy time. Maybe if we had more time to form a better plan, we could have thought of something better. Maybe moved you all to a safe house, but we didn’t. They were in position to hit every one of you. Once they caught wind of my death, they backed off.”

“Why didn’t you fake Travis’s death?” I asked.

Abby shot me a look. “Because he killed the men that came after him and walked away in front of a crowd of people.”

“You knew about this, too, didn’t you?” I said, seething. I’d never been so angry at Abby before.

“Yes,” Thomas said. “And the agents we’ve been using for security and the director. That’s it. No one else.”

We all looked at one another, shaking our heads in disbelief. No one seemed sure how to feel—whether to be happy Thomas was alive or angry that they had put us through so much hell.

Wren touched his earpiece and looked out the window. “Sir,” he began. Thomas stood and smiled. “It’s Trent and Cami.” He helped Jim up, and they walked outside to greet them. The rest of us followed.

Cami was standing outside the passenger side of her Toyota Tacoma, holding the door open and leaning in, trying to coax Trenton out. She paused, turning to see us all staring at them. She walked up to Thomas and then hugged him, closing her eyes. I glanced at Liis. Olive was standing behind her, still holding Stella. It wasn’t hard to understand their strange predicament, but for fuck’s sake, I’d expect Camille to show some restraint.

“Okay,” I said, approaching them. I pushed Thomas back, and he looked relieved. “You owe us a better explanation. You owe us an apology. All of you,” I said, pointing at Travis, Abby, Liis, and the agents.

Thomas gestured to his colleagues. “Could you give us a minute?”

“Sir,” Wren began.

“Please,” Thomas said. It wasn’t a request, and the agents understood and obeyed.

Camille tucked her silver hair behind her ear. “He’s … It took me a long time to talk him into coming here. The only reason he agreed was so that we could check on Dad.”

Thomas nodded, and Travis brought Jim forward. Trenton stepped out of the truck and walked over, trying his best not to look at anyone else but his father.

“You okay?” Trenton said.

Jim reached out to Trenton. Once he got a good grip on his shirt, he yanked him in for a hug. “You stop this. He’s your brother. You may not understand why he did what he did, but you don’t have to. That’s not what’s important.” He released Trenton and looked around at his family. “What’s important is that you have each other. I’ve said it a hundred damn times. Together, you boys are capable of anything. But you can’t let those bastards tear us apart. That’s what they tried to do with guns. Don’t let ‘em do it with lies.”

Trenton couldn’t bring his gaze up from the ground. Jim hooked his arm around Trenton’s neck. “I’m okay, now that I know he’s okay. Now, I need to know you’re all okay. Hug your brother. Tell him you love him.”

Trenton didn’t move.

“Now, goddamnit,” Jim commanded.

Trenton blinked, and then his eyes trailed up from the ground to Thomas.

“I’m truly sorry,” Thomas said, his eyes glossing over. “You have to know I would never purposely hurt any of you. I had to take a bullet and leave my newborn daughter for five weeks to keep everyone safe, and by God, I did it. Because I love you. I’m sorry I got into this. If I could go back and change it, I would.”

Trenton stared at his brother for a while and then looked at Travis.

“Trent,” Travis said, shaking his head. He held out his hands. “I’m sorry, man. If we had another choice, I woulda taken it.”

Trenton stumbled a few steps and then hugged his brothers. The twins joined in, too. A tear toppled over Jim’s cheek, and the wives were a blubbering mess. An arm shot out from the huddle and grabbed Shepley, pulling him in, too. I covered my mouth, half crying and half laughing.