Page 148 of Silent Damage

“YOU BASTARD,” she screams, smashing Doug with her fists, who tries to fight back, but Mom won’t give him the chance.

Jason and I jet forward, tearing Mom off Doug, but not before letting her get a few more slugs in. I manage to pull Mom off, her arms swinging the entire time, and Jason lowers to grab Doug by the collar. “You’re right, old man. I am with the HellCats, and if you don’t get your sorry ass off Linda’s property, I will end you. And I have the connections now to make it happen.”

Jason lifts Doug off the ground by his shirt and shoves him. “Out,” he yells, pointing to the direction of Doug’s trailer.

Doug stands there, bloodied and humiliated. He points his finger at Mom and yells, “I’ll get you, you bitch—”

And that’s when Jason gives him one last blow to the nose. “I said OUT!”

Doug hollers in pain, cursing and whining that his nose is broken, then finally stumbles away. “Don’t even try to call the cops,” Jason yells after him. “You don’t want to experience what I can do to you.”

I look around, and the entire trailer park is watching: kids, families, old men clutching Bud Light, everyone.

“You all good?” One of the older guys asks.

The three of us look at each other. “We are now,” Mom replies. “Thank you.”

I feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience as it all begins to settle. People slowly walk off now that the show is over, and the three of us stand there looking at each other.

“You okay?” Jason asks Mom.

She wraps her arms around herself. “Yeah. I think so.”

Jason smiles. “You beat the fuck out of him.”

Mom’s eyes meet his, and she smirks. “I didn’t survive two years in prison for nothing, kiddo.”

Jason barks out a laugh, and Mom giggles. But I’m not laughing.

Jason stops, and he looks at me. “What did he mean?” he asks. “What did he mean when he said ask—”

“Nothing,” my mom blurts out. Then, she collects herself and gives us both soft smiles. “He’s just babbling nonsense.”

I can tell he’s not convinced, and I don’t know what to do right now, so I just…stay quiet.

“Let’s go inside, boys,” Mom says. “Please tell me there’s beer in the fridge.”

We follow her inside, but then my head starts to spin, and I’m afraid I’ll faint. “I’m gonna lie down for a second,” I whisper to Jason.

“Do you want me to come?” he asks.

I shake my head and hurry away because I can’t look at him.

I grab Smudge from the kitchen table, rush to the bedroom, and close the door behind me.

When my head hits the pillow, I clutch Smudge and let the tears fall—because I know what I have to do.

Jason

Everything is weird. I’m sitting in the trailer with Linda—neither one of us knows what to say, so we just drink beer in silence.

Gabe’s been in his room for over an hour—an excruciatingly long hour. I knocked once, and Gabe asked for a little more time.

So, I’m just…here. Thinking about what Doug said.

My breath hitches when the bedroom door opens, and Gabe walks out.

Linda and I both stand, and she asks, “Can I get you something, baby? You need food?”