s p i t f i r e

“Since you’re offering then you might as well...”

“I was just confused about part of the paperwork, but I think I might just stick it on my partners desk and let her figure it out.” Cee sighed, setting the sheet down and leaning across the oak finish. “Really, go home. I’ve got it covered. I imagine you’ve got holiday plans so I can finish up here.”

“That sounds like an amazing plan. Every man for themselves except for me, right? I should really start doing the same before I give myself a stress heart attack.” She sighed, rubbing her forehead.  “Just dealing with work and Shiloh and Deacon and everything has got me losing my mind. I tried to call Aunt Delilah and you can imagine how that went over.” 

“Please tell me you still have your sanity. I don’t think I could take another one of our family members yelling at me.”

“I can’t speak for the rest of the female population, but I know that a ‘few inches’ definitely isn’t enough for me. Grow about nine or ten more and we’ll talk.”

Cecille nodded grimly, knowing full well how Shiloh got when it came to tragedy. Their family hadn’t experienced much of it, but the few times they had, Shiloh hadn’t delt with it very well. None of them really had, but her cousin had the tendency to bottle it all up, letting it build to a point where it brakes him in the worst way. “That sounds like Shiloh. He’s always been really bad with this stuff.” She scratched the back of her neck, sniffling softly. “I’m scared for him. He’s never had to deal with something on this large of a scale and I’m afraid he won’t come back this time.” 

“I just had a few questions about some paperwork, but I really don’t want to keep you. I’m sure that I can figure it out. You go home. You work too much anyway.”

Cecille returned her hug reluctantly, knowing full well that no amount of affection from another person could make her feel better. She hadn’t know her Uncle that well, the only memories she could retain being the ones that she had before his stint in prison began. He had always given the impression that he was a kind-hearted human being - someone who always lit up the room when he entered it. Until the truth about his ways of making means came out, she could tell that the man meant a lot to everyone around him, her included. “Thanks for coming.” She said in a rasp voice, pulling away from the woman’s embrace. “How is Shiloh? Is he okay?”

Cecille had spent most of her afternoon crying, her usually perfectly lined eyes puffed up and red while tears still stained her cheeks. Her family was going through so much already and having her Uncle die in the midst of it was too much, her heart breaking not only for her family, but mostly for Shiloh. The blonde didn’t know much about Harley, but she’d heard enough from her cousin to know the woman was a good person and fun to be around, or at least he thought she was. “Uh yeah, sure. It’s kind of a mess in here. I haven’t gotten around to doing much cleaning.” She responded in her own apologetic tone, letting Harley into her small apartment. “Is there something wrong?”

“It’s definitely cute. Little showy, but cute.”

Cecille: Bien sûr, cam. Should I ask what happened or should I just come over and you can tell me then?

Cecille: PLEASE tell me you are alive and well after all that Halloween nonsense?

“My career is the reason you’re not letting me help, is it not? You’re worried about me pitching in because I’m a cop and you don’t want your ass to land in jail.” Cecille scoffed, shaking her head at the man. Her patient with him was already wearing thin and it wouldn’t be long before she’d start getting more angry. “I’m just asking you to let me help. I can be more resourceful than you’d think.” She sighed heavily, shaking her head in frustration. “This isn’t just about my sister. It’s about Rafe, too. Believe it or not, I love him as if he were my own brother and I’m scared for him. I know that you have this handled, I just need to know that he’ll be okay after all this over. If this comes back to bite everyone in the ass and we lose Rafe, or even you, it won’t be good.”

“Doesn’t really matter what I know. I know enough. I understand what you guys are going through, I do and I’m asking you to not keep me out of it, Deacon. I don’t care if you don’t think I can handle it or if it’s none of my business, but my sister is the most important thing in this world to me and I will stop at nothing to make sure she is safe. Rafe is my family too and I’m just as worried about this as you.”