Chapter 14
J osie drove into town, dust flying up behind her, on her way to visit Jesse.
Brock was quiet in the passenger seat, thumbing through his phone where he kept notes for refurbishing his cars.
The weather was dreary like her emotions.
Overcast and gray, the clouds didn’t seem to know when they wanted to unleash their massive amounts of moisture.
How long would she lose her brother for? She’d lost him months ago, but being in jail in Moore made it easier to connect with him than perhaps anywhere else.
She approached the highway into town and glanced to her right where a row of trees blocked the fields from the wind. She looked back to the road, then back to the trees. Was that a vehicle or just a piece of farm equipment?
Squinting, she tried to make out some definition. It wasn’t a tractor, or a sprayer like she’d seen Dillon hooking up. A pickup. The green color made her think of the old beater like the one Gage drove when he wasn’t using his classic Chevelle.
She passed it and discreetly used her rearview mirrors to get a better look. No luck.
An ominous feeling ate a pit in her stomach. Coming back from Detroit Lakes with the Shelby, she’d seen another pickup that’d made her think of Gage’s truck.
Coincidence? Or was her gut churning because she feared seeing Jesse marched away from her again? Her chest tightened. What if Gage had creeped on the Shelby and discovered that she’d had a role in Brock buying the car?
Nausea rippled through her. Bill’s side business had never involved him actually stealing a car. Just taking money to work on a known stolen car. But a hundred thousand was a lot of money to people like them.
What if Bill and Gage were scoping out the Shelby?
What if Brock ran to town one afternoon and came back to find an empty spot where the Shelby had been?
What if the locked rooms in the old house that served as Bill’s business served to paint the once-black Shelby Mr. Blackwell had cruised through town in with the love of his life to an unidentifiable electric blue?
It might take some of the value off, but Bill could still turn a significant profit on it, especially in the special sales circles he ran in. No auto trader ads for her dad.
A chill swept through her veins. If she stayed with Brock, eventually, he’d come to her home and meet her family. He wasn’t stupid. Would she have to hide Bill’s illegal activity forever and worry that Brock would call the cops if he found out?
Brock would most definitely call Deputy Max if Gage or Bill messed with the Shelby.
Her hands clenched on the wheel. She’d help Brock dial the phone.
Josie parked outside of the courthouse and rubbed her stomach. Do not throw up. She was so sick of that giant mason stone building. All thoughts of Gage and Bill drained as Jesse’s penalty loomed.
She got out and headed toward the courthouse while keeping her gaze on the concrete sidewalk.
Brock’s hand landed on the small of her back.
He probably didn’t mean the gesture for comfort, but that’s what she took from it.
Last night, while they lay in bed after lovemaking, she’d asked if he would sit with her.
His cousins might take offense, but he hadn’t seemed bothered by the possibility.
They entered the building. The air conditioning was so strong, her skin immediately broke out in goose-bumps. She crowded next to Brock and the heat of his powerful body. He’d dressed up in the one white button-up shirt she’d seen him in before and his black Ford hat was on its hook at his house.
His cousins waited outside the courtroom. Brock greeted them but steered her inside to sit on the side her brother would be sitting. She detested staring at the back of Jesse’s head during these times. How much support could she offer beyond a hopeful look at his hair?
Dillon and Elle led the pack of Walkers that followed. Josie couldn’t face them, but she studied them out of the corner of her eye. They nodded toward Brock but didn’t say anything.
Aaron, Travis, and Cash filed in. Josie wanted to bolt. Instead, she scooted closer to Brock.
Cash gripped either side of the benches and leaned in to breathe, “Are you sure about this, Brock?”
Josie met the man’s intense blue eyes. Cash’s expression was one of genuine concern mixed with irritation.
Would Brock know how to answer? Josie spoke before he could. “I asked him to sit next to me. It doesn’t change his support for his family.”
Cash cocked an arrogant brow at her and turned his attention back to Brock. A clear message that his cousin was his main concern. She half admired his protectiveness, but she still wanted to tell him to back off.
“I’m sure about Josie.” Brock answered.
Travis touched Cash on the arm and gestured to where the rest were sitting. Cash’s gaze danced back and forth between the two of them. He shook his head and went to sit.
As personal as Josie wanted to take Cash’s reaction, she knew he truly cared about Brock. But after Gage, Josie couldn’t abide another alpha male. Brock’s quiet strength and confidence attracted her like no other quality—unless she counted his body, which was exceptional.
Despite her affection for him, she was driving home the next morning. She’d meet with Jesse and let the Walkers have their celebration. She wasn’t going to dwell on the situation. They could handle the outcome their way, but she didn’t have to witness the jubilance.
Plus, she had to find out what Gage and Bill were up to.
Jesse was led in and Josie numbly listened to everything going on. The judge outlined the charges and the sentences that went with them before he related his decision.
The gavel struck and Jesse was sentenced to five years with four suspended for good behavior. He didn’t get credit for time served, but if things went smoothly for him, he’d get out in a year and she’d hang onto that.
Tears burned the back of her eyes, but she refused to cry in front of the Walkers.
Jesse stood and gave her the most apologetic expression she’d ever seen.
Tears brimmed and she rapidly blinked them back.
He gave Dillon an assessing gaze and when he looked at Elle, his gaze was close to apologetic.
Josie clung to the small smile he gave like it was a parting gift.
He disappeared with the bailiff and lawyer. Her knuckles were white clutching Brock’s hand and his fingers had lost their color from her hold on them. Forcing her grip to loosen, she inhaled a shaky breath.
“I just want to get out of here without talking to anyone,” she told him.
She moved on autopilot while Brock guided her. They were about to burst through the front doors when Brock stopped.
“It’s pouring out.”
Numbly, she looked outside. Rain fell fast and heavy. She’d been so wrapped up in her brother’s fate that she’d dismissed the noise as the air handling system for the building.
“We can wait a few minutes and see if the worst of it passes,” he said.
“Okay. It’ll give me a chance to find out if I can speak with Jesse before he’s…” She didn’t know where her brother was going to be incarcerated, but she needed the details.
“I’ll wait here.”
Josie found someone to ask, who pointed her to another person, and finally she tracked down Jesse’s lawyer. Her brother wasn’t able to visit; she’d have to come back. By the time she was done, Brock waited by himself at the entrance. His cousins had all left.
Each step she took was as heavy as if she towed an engine. “Take me home, Brock.”
Josie was antsy to leave the next morning. Brock’s parents had made themselves scarce, as if they sensed her need for space from the Walker crowd.
Brock made her breakfast. Eggs every morning for breakfast wasn’t ideal for her, even if a hot guy was cooking them for her. But she was glad he went through the effort; she didn’t have it in her today.
She studied him again. His muscles flexed under his shirt as he finished dishing himself some food.
Eggs for a while longer might be all right.
She ate her first bite, but they could’ve been wood chips. Her taste buds were as depressed as she was. She set her fork down and sighed. Brock dug into his plate.
“Do you want mine?” She pushed her plate toward him. “I’m not hungry.”
“No, thanks.”
His response was mechanical. Simple yeses and nos, and when he declined something, always “no, thanks.” His routines were becoming her own comfort zone, her safe space.
“I don’t want to leave,” she finally admitted. “But I really don’t want to stay.”
Between bites, he offered, “I can skip the barbeque and stay with you.”
She interrupted his breakfast to kiss his cheek. His mouth slanted in a smile.
“Your parents are in town for a couple of hours. Can we have a quickie before I leave? We don’t have to be quiet this time.”
He shoveled the last few bites in and sped through washing dishes. She raced into the bedroom and had the condom open and ready before he descended on her.
Their coupling was fast and furious. He tasted of eggs and salsa and her hunger roared back to life. She couldn’t get enough of him as he stroked her body to a peak.
She cried out, her words weren’t coherent. Her volume rose until she vented all her frustration and resentment with her release.
He pumped harder, finding his own end. Ecstasy raced through her.
Opening her eyes, letting her awareness center, her gaze stuck on the two of them. She dissolved into giggles. He stiffened.
Between laughs, she explained. “I’m buck naked and you’re barely free from you pants.” She gasped and more laughter poured forth. “Your zipper is going up my ass and even your hat is still on.”
A lazy smile crossed his face. He removed himself from her and rolled them onto their sides. She finished her fit while he held her. Her only sobering thought was, Damn, I really don’t want to go back home.