Silent Heart (The Vlasov Bratva #5)

Chapter 28 – Harley

“ C an you believe my Henry is old enough to get married,” Aunt Janice tittered. The fruity wine in her plastic cup sloshed over the rim, splashing on the dirt. “I remember when you used to babysit him for us, Harley!”

I wished I didn’t remember. Janice and Marty liked to go to the bar, which meant most Friday or Saturday nights I slept on their lumpy, threadbare couch after putting their cranky toddler to bed.

Now that cranky toddler was a diesel mechanic and getting drunk with his bank teller wife.

“It’s a lovely reception,” I said, taking a swig of my beer to prevent another lie slipping from my lips.

“I see the rumor’s not true?” Kayla minced, coming up behind me and poking my belly. “Unless that’s 3.2 beer, but you know that can still give the baby fetal alcohol poisoning.”

I glared at my cousin. I was skinnier than ever thanks to the grueling workload I recently finished. There was no physical indication that I was expecting. And the second period I’d had since Kole left confirmed that our haphazard birth control routines worked.

Thank heavens.

Having a kid with a man who disappeared into thin air would be hard, and while a child was always a blessing, it would screw up my own plans. But I didn’t have to worry about that. Kole was gone, and that was that.

Thankfully, my grandparents hadn’t said much on the topic of my sudden split with the neighbor. My cousins and other relatives were far from that kind. I was the talk of the town.

“It’s regular beer because I’m not pregnant,” I said tightly. “Whoever is saying I am needs to stop it right fucking now, Kayla.”

She only laughed, swaying precariously in her cheap heels.

I took a step back, waiting for her to fall, having no intention of catching her.

“Well, it’s a pity none of the local boys ever caught your fancy,” Aunt Janice sighed. “You wouldn’t be running off to the big city, chasing that university nonsense.”

“You know how dangerous it is there?” Kayla hiccupped. “So many gangs shooting each other in the streets!”

I closed my eyes. I’d been going to Chicago every so often for the last fifteen years of my life. While I was definitely a country girl, because I couldn’t ride Lilac along the Dan Ryan Expressway, I didn’t mind the scenery, the availability of different foods, or the interesting individuals waiting around every turn! There were so many cultures represented, diverse languages, different backgrounds and ways of life. I loved soaking it in, and the variety of food was like having the four corners of the world come to one place to cook for me.

Letting out a dismissive noise, I untangled myself from my relatives’ toxic company and stalked to where my grandparents sat at the plastic folding table covered with decorative paper.

“Do you guys have a ride back?” I asked, setting my half-drunk bottle of beer on the table.

“Oh, you’re not leaving already! They just cut the cake!” Grandma protested.

But it was the narrowed look my grandfather gave me that set my teeth on edge. “I’ve had a cake from the Piggly Wiggly before, Grandma,” I teased. “I’m going to look in on the horses one more time before I hit the road. I want to be at my dorm before dark.”

“It’s not natural to live in a commune at your age,” my grandfather muttered.

While a dorm was far from ideal, it was cheap. I had my own bedroom with only a bathroom that I could share with a suitemate, so it wasn’t like it was a true dorm experience where I would shower with every girl on the floor.

“It’s going to be a grand adventure,” I smiled.

Grandpa studied me. “I suppose it is. Can’t say I understand, but you’re driven and you’re smart, Harley. Keep your eyes open, stay out of trouble, and study hard.”

My chest tightened. These last few days, as I’d packed, there had been no disapproving comments from my grandparents. They were resigned about my choice, and while they didn’t agree, they were happy for me on some level.

That was the only thing that made this goodbye possible.

“And go to church!” Grandma added, giving me a tight hug.

“I will,” I promised, voice choking with a sudden rush of emotion. “I’ll call when I get settled.”

Untangling from Grandma’s embrace, I flung myself around my grandpa.

“I checked the oil in your car this morning. Your gas tank’s full—did you notice? And the tire pressure is good,” he muttered against my head.

I swallowed hard. “Thank you, Grandpa.”

Did he lose weight? I pulled back, sending a cursory glance over my grandfather’s arms. The skin was paper thin and the muscle tone more frail than I remembered.

For the thousandth time, I questioned if I was doing the right thing. They’d scraped the money for taxes, but that meant pinching every penny. I’d been a helpless bystander, watching them struggle through the end of summer, while knowing that my savings could have temporarily patched the problem.

But what then?

Sighing, I turned away. As I wandered to my Passat, I was pulled from the tangle of thoughts by a prickle at the base of my neck. I looked around but didn’t see anyone in the trees. The undergrowth was lush and green, like the crops standing tall in the field. We’d had good weather this summer. The harvest would be bountiful, a small blessing in the mess.

“I can’t ask them for money,” Ottis hissed.

I sank into my driver’s seat, tucking my dress into the vehicle. My cousin was arguing with his wife on the other side of their Lexus.

“No, I don’t know how much they left us in the will, and even if they did want to give me the inheritance, they don’t have the liquid assets.” That voice belonged to Duke.

It took every drop of my strength not to launch at him. The rat bastards! Just that small snippet of conversation was enough to know what they were talking about. My grandparents had a tidy portfolio of investments that sat untouched, collecting decent interest, and of course the farm increased in value every year—thus the higher taxes this spring. They didn’t plan to touch their investments, saying those were for us when they passed.

“Well, maybe you should sell some of your fancy-ass shit, and then you could pay your high credit cards,” Duke snapped, in response to whatever Ottis said.

“So long as we agree, the farm gets sold,” Ottis’s wife sneered. “Everyone else is on board.”

“Harley’s not,” Duke interrupted.

Ottis’s wife scoffed. “She hardly matters. She’s going to make more than us with that fancy doctor job someday. Her livelihood won’t depend on the farm.”

“I’m not signing or agreeing to anything. It could be years before Gran dies,” Duke asserted. “Until then, I’ll work the farm like I was raised to.”

“Goodie-goodie,” Ottis sneered.

“Watch your fucking mouth.” Duke stomped away. As he rounded the luxury vehicle he stopped short, gaze fixing on mine.

We exchanged a silent communication. I now knew where he stood. Someday, the farm would be gone, our family’s legacy finished.

Unless I buy him out.

I gave him a nod, pushed in the brake, and started the engine. Could I do that? Could I save enough once I was a veterinarian to buy my cousins out of their shares?

Not if I wanted to work at the Moosehorn Veterinary Clinic with Dr. Hoffner. I would have to sell out and take a job at a prestigious place. Probably one in Chicago, where the salary would be mid-six figures. If I lived as cheaply as possible, saving every penny, I could just do it.

Filled with hope, I pulled sharply out of the parking spot. Gravel kicked up from my wheels. But it was the shift in foliage that caught my attention. I could have sworn I saw I pair of blue eyes set on a black canvas, draped in greens. When I looked harder, all I saw was forest.

I shook my head. Great, now I was seeing camouflaged men in the trees!

***

It took all afternoon, but the work was well worth it.

My dorm felt like a small home away from home. Stomach rumbling, I decided to try the cafeteria, where I could dine for a mere six bucks. It would add up, but if I dropped fruit or boxed cereal in my tote, and kept snacks in my dorm, I could make it on one meal a day.

I’m finally living the dream .

My blue jeans and fitted tee were at odds with the amount of thigh, ass, and belly on display around me. Showing off tummy with a crop top was for a twenty-something student. I didn’t look that out of place. Still, I kept my head high and sauntered down the path to the cafeteria. Soon, the trees would change color and rain leaves over the sidewalk.

After my dining card was scanned, I loaded a plate and found a seat. I was one of the only diners not on my phone. I had a book, a cozy mystery I’d been dying to read all summer, but I didn’t need to hide behind something. I was capable of sitting alone, eating alone.

Like someone else I knew.

I immediately slammed down on the thoughts of Kole.

The buzz of conversation swirled around me.

It was the group of girls who seemed like freshmen that I could hear the best. A guy whose facial hair was dark with age leaned against their table.

“So if you need anything, just give me a call,” he insisted.

Something knotted in my stomach at the offer.

It was only confirmed when he turned, gave me a once over, visibly shuddered, and walked away. He wasn’t interested in a thirty-four-year-old, even I would put money on it that we were close in age.

I wanted very much to say something to the girls. But if they were anything like the stereotypical late teens they seemed, they wouldn’t want a lecture on guys preying on their youth and naivety.

I just hope nothing happens to them .

“Aahhh! Sorry guys, I have to take this. My cousin is such a mother hen!” One of the girls, with dark chocolate hair, stood up and answered her phone. “Dani, hi! I’m eating, can this wait?”

There was a pause.

“Sure, I’ll tell her goodnight, but Zoey is going to have to learn to go to sleep by herself—” She paused to listen to whatever the other person said. “Yes, I’m eating with my suitemates. Everything is fine, Dani!”

Unable to resist the urge, I pulled out my phone. My grandma had received and read my text message saying I’d arrived, but she hadn’t opened the second saying I was settled. The pork chop felt heavy in my stomach.

A string of foreign language sang out. I flicked another glance, and saw the pretty girl cradling the phone to her ear and singing a lullaby in…Spanish? It didn’t sound right, but it was close? Maybe? Damn the rural education and the lack of pushing extra languages on students. Whatever the language, it was beautiful. And I wasn’t the only one pausing to listen.

The chocolate-haired girl finished, said buona notte , and hung up. Her gaze pinned mine.

I lifted my bread roll in salute. She smiled but quickly returned to her group of friends. I finished my food, determined to sneak more rolls and some cookies for my dorm. This was the start of the new life I fought so hard to have.

A shiver rattled over my skin, and I rubbed my shoulders. I did not feel lonely. Not here, not now. A second shiver begged to differ.