Love Of Family (2024 Revision)

The silver Twenty-Twenty Lincoln Navigator turned into the townhouse complex and pulled into the spot next to Brandon’s Hyundai. Linda and her husband, Tom, climbed out of the vehicle, and she locked the doors.

As they walked up the stairs, Tom noticed the vehicle parked next to Greg’s truck. The patriarch whistled as he pointed at it and said, “Babe, look at the CJ7.”

Linda turned her head and nodded. “I’ve never seen another one like it before. It’s definitely unique,” she said.

The family elders climbed the five wooden steps, stood on the porch, and rang the doorbell. As they waited, Linda began to doubt her earlier decision. She couldn’t place the feeling, but something in her gut told her they were about to experience something unexpected.

“Tom!”

“Yeah, babe?”

“Maybe you were right, and we should’ve called before showing up unannounced.”

Tom sighed as he rolled his eyes. “Babe, it’s too late for that thought now,” he said.

The thirty-eight-year-old yelped and jumped to the right when Linda pinched his arm.

“What’d ya do that for?”

Linda smiled as she moved a strand of whitish-blonde hair from her gray eyes. “Do what, dear,” she asked with a tone dripping with sugar.

The couple composed themselves a second before their adopted son’s smiling face appeared behind the screendoor.

“Mama, Papa,” Greg happily exclaimed.

The brunette unlatched the door and stepped aside so his parents could enter. They removed their jackets and placed them on the coat rack.

Linda put her purse in the closet. She tried not to be nosy, but when it came to her children, she was not afraid to do a little snooping, and the unfamiliar lockbox, along with the crossbow and arrows, made her eyebrows arch.

“I’m so happy you guys are here,” Greg stated as he hugged his parents. “Levie’s here, and now you two can finally meet him. Hey, Bran,” he called out, “Mama and Papa are here.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’re so excited,” Tom said with a hearty chuckle. “Who’s Jeep is that?”

“Isn’t it cool? It’s Levie’s. He and his brothers were fans of the “Dukes Of Hazzard,” and instead of loving General Lee, Lev fell in love with Dixie.”

Brandon came rushing in and latched onto his Mom and Dad. “Guys, wait till you meet Lev. He’s gonna be my next best friend, and he’s already my new brother,” he managed to get out in one breath.

Linda and Tom shook their heads and laughed at their excited boys.

“Greg, Bran.”

“Yeah, Dad,” the brothers responded in unison.

“What’s Levie’s last name?”

“It’s Stillman, Papa,” Greg said.

“They own a ranch about fifteen to twenty minutes outside of town,” Brandon stated.

“Boys, what’s up with the lockbox, crossbow, and arrows in the closet?” Linda asked.

Greg and Brandon shared a glance and nervously gulped.

“Well, Mom,” Brandon started.

“They belong to Levie. His Glock, ammo, and knife are in the lockbox,” Greg finished for his brother, who nodded in agreement.

“What’s he into that he has to carry that much weaponry around at one time,” Tom asked as he pulled out his travel tablet and Googled the Stillman family.

Brandon and Greg giggled like little kids.

“I called him Baby Rambo when he showed us his knife, the firearm, and ammo,” Greg stated.

“Levie said he’s gotten used to being prepared for just about anything because he and his brothers are gay ranch owners,” Brandon said.

“That makes sense,” Tom stated, with Linda nodding.

“Bran’s asked Levie to teach us how to use the crossbow and give us a refresher course on firearm safety because he, his brother Jaycen, and Jaycen’s husband Troy are gun safety instructors.”

Greg got up and walked into the kitchen. He returned a couple minutes later with four bottles of Bud Lite. Linda, Tom, and Brandon thanked him when he handed out the beer.

“You two aren’t drinking too much, are you,” Linda asked with a smirk before sipping the beverage and placing the bottle on the coaster. “I will be checking later on.”

“Of course not, Mommy,” Greg and Brandon responded.

The two young men giggled, then sat on either side of their Mom. They moved in sync and kissed her cheeks. Linda and Tom cracked up laughing with their boys over the antics.

“What was his response,” Tom asked as he found the Stillman family.

“Before he even showed us the weaponry, he asked if we were comfortable around firearms. We told him how you two own guns and have permits to carry them on your person. Then, he said he’d be glad to teach us, as long as it was ok with you two, and then asked Greg if that was what he wanted.”

“I told Lev I didn’t think you two would object to him teaching us and that I thought it would be fun.”

Tom and Linda liked the respect Levie showed for them as heads of the household.

“We wouldn’t mind having him teach you boys,” Tom said.

“Your Dad and I might sit in on some of the lessons to see if Levie’s a good instructor and to refresh ourselves on gun safety.”

“I’m gonna go and let Levie know you two are here. He’s upstairs, unpacking.”

Brandon giggled and squirmed when Greg ruffled his hair and tickled the back of his neck as he passed by him.

“His brother, Jaycen, had the idea for him to stay here for a week, then he and Greg staying in Oak Ridge, the family-owned property beside the ranch, for a week,” Brandon offered.

Tom was thoroughly impressed at the numerous glowing reviews the family-owned ranch received. Linda leaned over to read along with her husband. The pair were astounded by the five-star rating the three young men got for their firearm instruction and the articles about Levie being the youngest gun advocate in the county going to high schools in the area, talking about the importance of not just gun safety but also having and showing respect for firearms. What truly floored the husband and wife team were the articles about the family background and that before their teen years, Jaycen and his future husband Troy helped to raise their younger brother and then adopted him at age eighteen.

Linda couldn’t shake the nagging feeling of familiarity she got from the story. However, when she saw the brothers' picture it unlocked her memory, and her face became ashen. Tom and Brandon could feel the sudden change in their wife and mother.

“Babe, what’s wrong,” Tom asked.

Brandon got up, went into the kitchen, and returned with a glass of water for his Mom.

Linda took a sip, thanked her guys for being concerned, and said, “Guys, we may have a problem when Levie comes down.”

“What do you...” Tom’s statement was cut short by the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

“Mr. and Mrs. Wilmont,” Levie said as he reached the last step and crossed the floor to the sofa. “I’m Levie Stillman. It’s so nice to finally meet,” he stopped speaking.

The moment he laid eyes on the lone female in the room, Levie’s eyes darkened, his smile morphed into a frown, and the Wilmont’s shivered because of the sudden change in him. “What the fuck is she doing here,” he growled.

“Have the two of you met before,” Tom hesitantly asked.

Tears welled in the redhead’s eyes and trailed down his cheeks. Without saying another word, Levie grabbed his jacket and his keys, then pocketed his wallet and bolted out the front door, slamming it behind him.

It took a millisecond for Linda to think enough to speak. “Greg, Brandon,” she said, “one of you go after him. Levie shouldn’t be driving, at least not alone in his current condition.”

Brandon was the first to react. He jumped up, hugged his family, and said, “I’m going,” he paused and looked at Greg, “Bro, you see what you can find out about this situation from Mom’s side. I’ll talk to Lev. I love you guys,” then ran after his new prospective brother.

Levie sat in the driver’s seat of the Eagle and was about to start it up when Brandon suddenly appeared beside him.

“Not going without me, Bro,” Brandon said as he put his jacket on and buckled the seatbelt.

Levie nodded and buckled up, then shifted the jeep into reverse and drove out of the parking lot.

**Earlier, At the Ranch***

Bill had Burt Johnson and Maddox working on a stretch of the fence towards the back end of the property that threatened to break. With Barksley at one end and Johnson at the other, it only took the men a few hours to replace the cracking wooden slats. They rested for a few minutes to cool off before Johnson packed up the tools, straddled his three-wheeler, and rode back to the ranch.

Maddox told the other graying-haired man he had to take a leak before going back, and after waving him off, walked further into the woods. However, he only said he had to piss because of his curiosity about the property and wanted to explore the territory for any unpatrolled areas he could make use of.

The deranged man was giggly because of the visions dancing in his head, visions of all the things he would love to do to Jaycen and Troy. He was so happy with the dark intentions that he skipped and clapped his hands like an excited little boy. The happiness was interrupted by the sound of an approaching horse. His beady eyes narrowed as he crept back toward the bushes and stayed out of sight.

A couple minutes later, Barksley saw Troy working on breaking one of the higher-strung, easily spookable mares. He smiled because of the devious idea in his sick, twisted mind and slowly licked his thin, chapped lips. The more he watched, the more he giggled and found it amusing to watch the brunette struggle so hard to keep the steed from bolting and being so close to breaking her.

Time to have a little fun, he thought.

Reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket, he pulled out a Smith & Wesson, snub-nosed revolver. Maddox made sure it was loaded and crept closer to the edge of the greenery. He aimed for a branch above the target, then waited till they were right where he wanted them, and squeezed the trigger.

The second they heard the gunshot, the mare reared up on her hind legs, threw her rider to the ground, and ran back to the ranch.

Troy grunted in pain as he managed to get on his hands and knees just before the branch crashed down on top of his upper back. The blow, in combination with the fall, knocked the wind out of him, and he fell facedown in the dirt. He shook his head, then slowly tried getting to his feet, and while doing so, caught a glimpse of a pair of dusty boots before getting knocked unconscious by another hard blow to the back of his head.

Maddox returned the firearm to his pocket and sneered as the rounded toe of his boot connected with the immobile body.