Chapter 6: Casa De La Clumsy

Caleb Tucker

Monica Lawley stood at the bar menacingly. Her violet heels lamented over the edge of the stool which was obviously way too tall for her. Caleb watched her movements while she downed her second glass of a dry martini with two olives. Monica’s manicured hands wound between the stem as she sipped in a cool and indifferent patience.

Finally, Caleb heaved his shoulders into the stool beside her.

“Took you long enough,” she snorted while taking another sip of her drink, still not looking at Caleb whatsoever.

“Yeah,” he drawled out. “I had something come up. I'm sorry.”

She craned her head to tell the bartender she'd have another.

“So, my ex-husband is a businessman. Very successful. Anyways, he cheated on me and I got nothing in the divorce…but the walking turd did put me in his will. I think you know what I'm trying to say Tucker…”

Caleb shook his head. He knew she was trouble. Why did he walk through that door?

“I'm out of that business. Been out of it for some time Monica…I'm sorry I can't help you.”

Caleb started to get up, but then Monica's hand clenched his, jarring him from leaving.

“Tucker, you know that anything I would do myself it would implicate me. If I had someone else's DNA it could work. Come on, I'd bail you out, myself,” Monica pleaded desperately.

Caleb's brows furrowed in cold contempt. “I have a kid, Monica.

Monica's steel features ironed on a warning. “You'll regret this, Tucker. Just like you regret what happened to Claire. Does Allie even know?”

Immediately, Caleb's midnight eyes got darker as he put his hand around her neck and applied just enough pressure that it'd be a threat, but not enough to make a mark. “How do you know about them? Who told you? Was it Caden? Did he tell you all this?”

Monica laughed dryly.

“As if I would tell you. Just do what I say, Tucker…and Allie won't be hurt by me or the truth, which is equally as crushing.”

Caleb took his hand off her neck, but still squared her in, boxing her out of an escape.

“Don't you ever talk about my girl like that. I’m not a soldier anymore. No one can order me to take a life anymore. Especially you, you're just some Real Housewives wannabe with a fake prada purse. The only one you could punish is your manicurist for giving you devil claws, but I must say it suits you Satan. Tell me, How's hell looking this time year, you go often, I so thought you'd know.”

Monica took another sip of her drink before throwing it to the ground.

Warning him, her blue grey eyes split in fire and ice as she spat back at him.

“ Blood. Their blood will be on your hands Caleb Tucker.”

She stormed out angrily.

But Caleb smirked yelling out, “You want money so bad, get a job.”

Shaking his head, Caleb texted Glen
.
Caleb: Be there soon. Work wrapped up sooner than I thought.

Glen: Good. That monster has me wearing a princess tiara Caleb! A tiara!

Caleb tilted his head back began to laugh, Glen had a way of lifting his mood.

Caleb: Well if the tiara fits, Princess….I mean Glen…right okay, Princess Glen.

He could hear Glen audibly groaning at Caleb without even seeing him. He was probably mad and that only made it funnier to Caleb. But then Caleb's face fell as he thought of Rylee and Caden. He should have said no. But there he was, the perpetual idiot, always watching others have their happiness while he was off doing his nonsensical job of causing pain.

Monica waded between thoughts but ultimately Caleb thought she was all bark no bite.

Still, he worried for Allie. 

He worried he wasn't being a good enough father. He worried that he wasn't serving Claire’s memory right. Over and over he fought with himself just to accept the truth. He ripped out hearts and sent them on their way. But Rylee was different, and holding Claire's picture he felt guilty.

As Caleb's midnight blue eyes shattered a grey overcast glazed over his eyes.

Monica was right. This was all his fault.

He was trained to be a soldier.

Walking through his kitchen now though, Caleb felt the eerie silence and his body stiffened. “Allie,” he called out to her. His heartstrings yanked his breath away from his lungs as his feet launched forward. The sound of the creaking hardwood didn't help at all.

His jaw clenched as he made his way further and further into his apartment.

“Allie,” he called out once more urgently.

A whimpering sounded from Allie's room. Caleb's super strength kicked in as his fears injected him with some hulk-like serum that told him whatever he'd encounter he'd tear it in half with his bare hands. Finally, he passed into the living room where he saw him.

Laid sprawled against the couch, Glen's scarlet body wrote yet another dead and empty chapter into the hollow cylinders of his heart. A single tear coerced it's way down his cheek as he came closer to check his pulse. But even before laying a hand on him, Caleb knew what he'd feel.

His cold body was shot through the head, creating yet another chasm in Caleb' life that he'd have to spackle together for his daughter. Right after the tear rattled him, Caleb wiped it off and steered his legs at warp speed towards Allie's room.

Slamming open the door, Allie's breath caught in her small lungs.

Sweeping her up in his arms, he held her close. “I heard some things out there, Dad. A lady told me not to fear, but to give you this,” she handed him a red note. “Is Glen okay, Dad? I swear I won't make him play dress up anymore. He sent me to my room because he was mad at me. But he didn't yell, is he still mad at me? And that woman he yelled at, is she my new Mommy?”

Caleb gulped and it actually felt like he was swallowing a bullet.

“No, Peanut,” he said smoothing her hair with his thumbs.

Her doe eyes widened at him trying to understand.

But that note, Monica left—at least he thought it was her—it told him all he needed to know. Inked in neat calligraphy it echoed crimson reminder. “Blood,” it read. Each time he read it, it became more and more surreal. Killing someone like that, while a girl was in the next room, that was some new level of hell that Satan has yet to renovate.

Holding her teddy bear “Sir Ted", Allie’s lips pouted. “This is like Mommy all over again. Something happened didn't it Dad?”

He only nodded. How could he lie to her?

“Allie, grab your things we're staying at a friend’s house tonight alright. Will you do that for me, Peanut?”

She nodded dutifully.

Caleb didn't even pack anything. True Glen was his last friend…but he did have Rylee. He'd just have to lie to her. Yeah, that could work. She's already out of commission because she fell down the stairs. She could still be concussed…he hoped.

Crossing his fingers, Caleb catapulted them forward, even when Allie pointed and gasped at Glen's body, he just pushed her on. Caleb could even see the mechanisms in her head whirring to connect the dots. She reminded him so much of himself sometimes, it made him laugh.

That was how Caleb went through math problems.

Literally it'd be like smoke coming out of his ears trying to figure out who the hell decided to throw shapes, symbols, letters and numbers all in one and call it math. Right now though, Caleb had to focus. He couldn't afford to lose it. Or lose Allie for that matter. He'd die before losing her.

He'd miss Glen of course, but Allie would be different if she was gone.

So would Rylee.

But Caleb had to shake that off, especially if he was asking to stay with her.

Knocking on her door, Allie looked up him nervously with a half sinking smile. She wrapped her worn arms around Sir Ted. The teddy bear itself looked like it should be thrown out, but Claire wasn't here to tell him any different…and he wasn't about to let Allie let go of something that made her happy. He just wanted her happy forever, with him.

Finally, after forty insistent knocks, Rylee's voice echoed coarsely.

“I hope you adjust your pillows but never find the perfect side to sleep on!” she yelled out.

Allie giggled and Caleb's jaw clenched again. Truthfully, he was scared. Scared to need someone. Scared for that person to be Rylee, and most of all, scared that he was already falling way too deep in love with her.

No scratch that, he looked down at Allie again. Friends. They agreed on friends.

Running one of his hands through his hair, he rattled another brittle knock at the fortress of solitude that was Rylee's apartment.

Rylee's voice at least sounded like it was coming closer, if slowly, but still coming.

“I hope you watch Monster's Inc. and skip all the parts where they show the cute baby so it's just a bunch of monsters running around without the cuteness of a baby,” she shouted.

Caleb knocked once more, “Goofy! Get your clumsy butt out here.”

“Caleb?” she opened the door wide eyed but eventually ending up wobbling and almost falling over the threshold of the apartment. Caleb steadied her, urging her with his midnight blue eyes to take mercy on Allie, even if not him.

As he steadied her, Allie laughed and Rylee's eyes did a double take.

“Um, Caleb. There's a child with you…and it hasn't randomly combusted in flames since you've been watching it? Do I need to call someone? I thought we said I'd move on with your brother, not ya know get a kid and move on with the next stage of my life…”

Caleb shuddered a nervous grin.

“This is…um Allie…we need to stay at your place for a couple days.  Something happened at my place and I'm so sorry, but you're the only one I could call.”

Rylee nodded slowly. “Got it…” she said wearily. “So they were fumigating for insensitive jerks in your apartment and you just happen to be the last one's who's seeking refuge at ‘casa de la clumsy'. Just trying to keep it straight here…”

He coughed and finally ceded. “Yeah, that's pretty much it.”

Caleb's eyes darted all around until Rylee spoke again. “Well, this lovely creature next to you can come in. Caleb, you can…uh, sleep on the couch you big oaf. Now, Allie, tell me something, what is the most insensitive jerk in the world doing with a sweet girl like you?”

Allie shrugged and latched onto Caleb's leg, bawling her small fingers over the side of his pants in nervousness too. They both seemed to be anxious about this whole thing, but Caleb could understand completely. With what happened to Glen, it was the first time in a long time that he was scared.

Rylee realized Allie wasn't going to say anything, so she filled the silence. “ Well, are you guys waiting for an invitation? Come on in, I was just playing checkers, but I'm losing against myself…so if you guys want some hot cocoa, I'll make that right now.”

Caleb looked to Allie to see what she'd think.

With one quick motion she ran into Rylee's arms, “Chocolate!” she yelled out.

Rylee just giggled and looked over shoulder at Caleb. Worry dripped from her as guilt crashed through his veins like it was rush hour. He didn't want to involve her in any of this, but he just couldn't seem to help himself.

Limping over to her kitchen, probably still sore, she began to get out the ingredients for the hot chocolate. Caleb, however, called Monica again. He knew she was behind this and hard anger wedged itself between the blade of his heart and shovel that buried his soul in layers of hurt.

“Monica!” he left a harsh message in her voicemail cursing her out.

Rylee tried to not act like she was listening the whole thing.

Cutting her jade eyes back to the hot cocoa, she asked him, “do insensitive jerks like marshmallows?"

Caleb looked at her confused. She repeated her question. “How many marshmallows for the insensitive jerk?”

“Uh, three,” he drawled out.

Rylee proceeded to mount the rest of the bag of marshmallows on her cup. Caleb laughed but then Rylee's phone dinged with a text message. Normally, Caleb wasn’t that noisy…but it was from Caden, his golden halo of a brother. Caden literally volunteered at an orphanage.

With a bullet directly aimed at his heart, he read the text to himself.

Caden: Yeah, I can come over now if you want. I missed you.

But what really killed Caleb was the ping afterwards on Rylee's phone.

It was the lowly urchin that left Rylee in the first place.

Angrily, he picked up the phone and began reading whatever that idiot wanted from Rylee.

Dylan: I'm sorry I haven't talked to you in a few days. I'm coming back over the holidays. I understand if you dont want to see me...but just know I love you. I know. I know, you probably still don't love me...but that's okay. I still love you.

All the color drained from his face as his message led Caleb to believe that Dylan may not be the bad guy he thought that he was. Still, Caleb didn't feel right about it. So, Caleb did something that would even Satan  would not give a thumbs up to. But he didn't care. With a couple taps Dylan's message was no more as he deleted it from their conversation, leaving Dylan likely on read.

A wide smile finally dawned his face as he was happy for the first time today...after Glen.

Only one thought rolled through Caleb's head over and over again to sate his breaking heart.

R.I.P Princess Glen.

-----------End of Chapter 6-------------

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