Devil's Gambit

Chapter 34

The night of Axel's death was strangely uneventful, which worried both Lucas and Daniel. It was expected that Harley and Jackie would be just as distraught in the evening as they were earlier on in the day, but exhaustion must have taken over by nightfall, because the two were out cold before the sun had even set. Lucas was grateful for that in the end, because it allowed him and Daniel to take a trip to the hardware store to pick up a piece of plywood that could block the entrance of the house. They would have to leave through the backyard for a few days, or at least until Lucas managed to figure out how to install a new door.

In the quiet hours of the evening, Lucas and Daniel set to work nailing the wood to the door frame, Daniel holding the sheet up as Lucas grabbed nails from where they were pinched in between his lips, before hammering them into the threshold.

"Elijah called a few hours ago, while you were getting Harley to bed," Daniel began solemnly.

Lucas furrowed his eyebrows, plucking the last nail from his mouth so that he could respond. "How is he?"

Daniel looked forward again, the bruises on his face casting dark shadows that made his cheeks look gaunt. "He's okay, staying with Nana because she's nervous not having someone there who could defend her and Elijah's father if it came down to it."

"Understandable," Lucas replied, grunting as he hammered in the final nail.

"I told him. . . what happened. He sends his condolences," Daniel smiled tensely, and Lucas stepped back, sighing as he leaned back against the wood they had just put up.

"I appreciate that," Lucas replied, a genuineness to his tone. "I'm glad he's safe."

"And. . . how are you holding up?" Daniel asked, slightly fearful of Lucas' possible reaction, but Lucas just looked tired and defeated, his normally sharp features relaxing into something somber.

"Honestly? I'm not really sure. It'll probably hit me when I'm alone, and then I'll be okay again. Making sure Harley and Jackie are alright is helping me through it, it's something productive for me to do."

"Ah, eres el padre de la casa ahora," Daniel joked, grinning playfully.

Lucas snorted, shoving Daniel's shoulder playfully.

"Hey, there was something else I wanted to bring up. I've been talking with my folks in Mexico about this for years, before any of this had happened, but it didn't seem like the right time. Now I think it is," Daniel started, and Lucas lifted an eyebrow. It was rare for Daniel to talk about his family, and even Lucas was missing a lot of the pieces to his background. "You know my mom moved down there with my dad when his work visa expired, and she didn't want my younger siblings to grow up missing their dad, so I stayed behind to take care of her mother, which was the only thing keeping her back, really. And when abuela passed, that's how I got the house, as you know. Anyway, they want me to be with them in Mexico, to live with the family."

"Your abuela has been gone for a few years now, you stayed here just for us?" Lucas questioned in surprise. Daniel shrugged.

"It was good times, I wanted to. Like I mentioned, the timing wasn't right, and that way José had somewhere to stay when he came up here. He loves visiting The States. But things are different now, and that's okay, I'm taking it as the universe sending me a sign that it's time to go. Eli had already decided to move out soon because Nana is getting older, and Jackie needs a place to raise her kid. You and Harley need somewhere to live."

Lucas was speechless, turning towards Daniel. "Are you leaving us the house?" He breathed.

"Look, I don't want to get rid of this house, especially not to some asshole contractor who will just turn it into a kombucha bar or some shit. I want to keep it in the family, so I want you to keep living here. Call it your home. I want to come back someday, and I'll need somewhere to stay," Daniel beamed, stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets. Lucas' breath caught in his throat, shaking his head slightly in disbelief.