Lachlan
I tried to wake up early the next morning and get out of Wesley's house before everyone else woke up, so that I could start getting my life back together.
I arrived the night before right on time for dinner and had the misfortune to sit through a meal with Glenda.
She has never even tried to disguise her absolute distaste for me since the day that I met her. She took one look at my tattoos, piercing, rings, and clothes and sorted me into the trash bin in her mental social status file.
I've had less hostility been thrown at me in prison than I did at that dinner last night.
The only silver lining was my catching up with Wesley and my niece Olivia. Shes 14 now, and I spent most of dinner trying to catch up on all of the school drama I missed from her when I was away. She definitely thinks I'm much cooler than her mom does.
I put on my boots at the front door, and head out into the cold March air. I really can't wait to get into my storage unit and get my clothes and all of my other things that my friend Jax stored away for me while I was gone. I'm wearing an old worn out leather jacket, a shirt, and the same ripped up jeans I had on yesterday when I left Redland Penitentiary.
I spot Jax sitting in his blacked out Range Rover, idling at the end of Wes's driveway. I open the passenger side door and climb inside.
"Lachlan McHale! The king has returned," Jax exclaims slapping hands with me. He pulls off from the curb and I settle back in my seat. "Damn man, feels like old times already," I say letting out a breath.
Jax and I have been best friends since we were teenagers. We grew up in the same neighborhood right outside of Redland, and his family life was only slightly better than mine. Wesley and I spent most evenings at his house because his Grandma at least made dinner every night, unlike our family.
After we graduated high school we both skipped the college route and started getting into things that led us down a dangerous road. I thought I had it all, independence, and most importantly money. And after growing up like how we did was everything.
Or so I thought.
The crazy thing is I had just started to clean up my act and Jax and I had gotten legitimate businesses up and running.
Then one night changed everything.
"Glad to have you back brother. First stop you're new place right? I've got the moving company already set up over at the storage unit," he says turning onto the freeway. "Yeah. Nothing else is open yet. I need to get a new phone when we're done at my new place. Probably swing by Braxton's too. He's still holding my car. Then you won't have to drive me around," I say.
"You got it man," he says. "How was it sleeping over at Casa Taylor-McHale? Surprised Glenda didn't kill you in your sleep," he chuckles.
"You and and I both," I mutter. "It was tolerable. I'm used to her hostility."
We pull into downtown and he parks on the street in front of a nice brick building, and I get out looking around. He hands me a card and a set of keys. "All yours boss," he says.
We walk to the front doors and I notice there's no doorman or concierge desk when we go inside. Definitely different from my old place, but that was the point.
