After what seems like hours of driving, Ty finally eases the car into a small circular driveway; a small white house on the corner of Douglas and Hanna sits in front of them. Like the other neighboring houses, the old firm structure has withstood years of storms.
Timmy studies the house, then scans the street. Timmy knows he's been here several times before but wasn't quite certain as to when. "Where are we? Timmy asks as he continues to glance around.
Ty smiles, turns, and says, "This is Uncle Jimmy's place.
Timmy's grins. "I remember this now...
"You should since he babysat us a lot.
Timmy chuckles, something he hasn't done in days. "He let us do most anything."
His only two rules were, 'don't do something stupid that'll get us hurt' and 'don't drag mud into the house.' "
Timmy snorts. "I'm surprised we didn't get injured doing some of the crazy shit we did."
"We did pull some dangerous shit. But do you know what I remember about that time the most?'
Timmy's eyebrows raise. "What's that?"
"Eating sugary snacks all day long."
Timmy laughs. "He always had a ton of sweets in the house.
"His cabinets had nothing but sweets," Ty corrects.
"So, why are we here?"
"Jimmy's been in the game so long that he'll know how to stop this blitz attack and maybe help us come up with a few surprises of our own."
"Are you sure he won't rat us out to our parents, or worse, the fuzz?"
"Not if it means saving our lives and possibly getting his old pal back." Seeing the hesitation settle in, Ty pats his friend's shoulder, nods, and adds, "Trust me on this."
Timmy nervously glances at the home. A knot tightens in his gut. "I hope he knows what he's doing.
A few minutes later, the two make it to the front door. Ty knocks and then says, "He'll probably be so excited to see us that he'll agree to anything." After a slight pause, he adds, "That's what I'm hoping anyway."
Timmy isn't convinced. With everything he's seen—and everything that's gone wrong—he's learned to expect disappointment before hope. "We'll see," he says quietly, bracing himself for whatever comes next.
"We'll see," he says, bracing himself for more disappointment.
"Coming," Jimmy yells. Sruggling to get out of his worn recliner, he waddles towards the door. Jimmy has undergone several back surgeries to ease the pain after his work-related accident, but they haven't provided much relief so far.
He opens the door to find his two nephews on the porch. A shocked look crosses his face as he stares at the young men in disbelief. "Ty, Timmy, it's so nice to see you again," he says, bringing them in for a massive Jimmy hug. This is the kind of hug that can crack a rib.
Ty nervously shifts, taking a quick glance behind him, and says in a low, urgent tone, "I hate to cut this family reunion short, Uncle Jimmy, but we're in serious trouble, and we need your help."
Jimmy throws the door open and pulls the two inside. Locking the door behind him, he turns and asks, "So what kind of trouble did you two get yourselves into this time?" Being mischievous lads, trouble seemed to follow them. "Boys will be boys," he once told Jen when they were kicked out of school again. Jen made it perfectly clear that she wasn't buying into his worn-out cliché.
"It's Bambini's goons, Uncle Jimmy. They were taking shots at us at the park."
With a shake of his head and a roll of his eyes, Jimmy says, "So you two just had to come back and start stirring up shit again."
"We didn't start it; they did."
Ty's telling the truth, Uncle Jimmy. We were sitting at the park, and the next thing you know, they were taking shots at us."
"Why didn't you go to the police with this?"
"Neither of us is supposed to come back. Besides, they weren't able to stop them nine years ago, so I doubt they could do anything about them now."
"Bambini's goons have taken over this town." Jimmy agrees, recalling how he sometimes feels like they've regressed to the lawless Wild West. "Some believe he's still running things from the inside, which wouldn't surprise me a bit."
Ty pictures the tall barbed-wire fence walls and the burly guards wandering around. cameras everywhere. "How is that possible?" Ty questions.
Jimmy snorts. "They have nearly everyone involved with the judicial system in their back pocket, including several judges, a few dirty cops, and a handful of guards." He shakes his head and adds, "It's the reason the Berryville PD can't seem to make a charge stick, well, besides this last one, of course, but I'm sure he'll be released on a technicality soon."
Color drains from the two lads' already pale faces. "So, what do you suggest we do?" Ty asks, nervously shifting his weight.
"My best advice to you two would be to get out of town as quick as you can and never come back."