Chapter 8 #2
Now, with twilight setting in and without having accomplished anything but putting myself in a shitty ass mood, all I could do was head back to the crappy motel that overlooked a dumpster with dinner for me being a package of crackers.
You bet I felt sorry for myself. Plus, I hadn’t thought through what to do with Sailor inside a motel room for God knew how long. Maybe he’d be just fine, but even with finding a cheap ass location, my funds would run out in only a few days, a week max. Depending on if I ate food or not.
Shit.
What the hell had I been thinking trying to come here with next to no money? The damn attorney had all but wiped me out. That’s what I got for breaking the law. Right?
As I took another gulp of the soda, a single woof coming from the landscaped area off to the side was yet another slap in my face. The pup was digging in the dirt, destroying what appeared to be freshly planted flowers.
I dropped my head, angry but not with him. He was a pup who’d lived through hell. I was to care for him, providing a roof over his head.
Maybe after joining the smokejumpers, I could ask the guys if they knew of a room for rent. Yeah, as long as they took a package of two.
“Hey, buddy.”
He ignored me as he’d been doing. He hadn’t even wanted the treat packaged up by Grace as a going away gift.
She was one of those girls who was all bark and no bite, trying to hate me while hungering. That’s why she’d been so sweet and made a care package before I’d left.
Damn it. Why was I continually thinking about her? Why was it that my mind was frazzled with thoughts of fucking her instead of what was important? Mentally preparing myself for the next day.
“Sailor. Come on, buddy.”
He didn’t react, but at least he stopped digging. Fine. There was nothing else I could do but grab his butt and toss him into the truck.
At least we had a place to lay our heads.
After he was inside, I pitched the trash and climbed in myself, still thinking about her.
As I drove toward the motel, I sensed my sweet companion was still beside himself.
“I know what it’s like, buddy, when you want something, but you realize it’s not good for you.
I mean not really. Or maybe it’s the other way around.
I’m not good for her. I have way too much baggage.
If you think about it, you do too. Ellie May isn’t prepared for your needs.
She’s been pampered her entire life. While you…
I’m sorry, buddy, but you’re a little rough around the edges. ”
Woof.
I threw him a glance and he was giving me the side-eye. I knew it well. “What? You know what I’m telling you is the truth. You tried to hump her last night. I know. You witnessed what I was doing with Grace, but you can’t just go behind a girl and hump her. That’s not polite.”
With a twist of my hand around the steering wheel, I almost laughed.
“What the hell am I doing? I’m talking to you. No offense, but you’re a dog. You can’t understand me or what I’ve been through. What I might go through.”
I’d be damned if Sailor didn’t lie down in the middle of the bench seat, placing one paw on my leg.
I shook my head, trying to keep my eye on the road.
When he whined, I couldn’t stand it any longer, petting his head.
“I know, little buddy. I miss her too. But this is for the best. I can’t even feed you, let alone be the kind of guy she deserves.
So we’re going to go this alone. Just you and me. Okay?”
His sigh was heavier than before. Maybe he did understand. Just like everyone else, I’d disappointed him. Whatever.
As soon as I pulled into the parking lot of the motel, I’d be damned if the creepy-looking guy who’d rented me a room didn’t come scurrying toward my truck. I was shocked the parking lot was almost full. Was there some festival going on I didn’t know about?
Weary of the day and my shit mood, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like what the man had to say. “Stay here, Sailor. I’ll be right back.” As soon as I climbed out, the shitty little man was on me.
“You can’t stay here,” he said with some sense of urgency to his voice.
“And why is that?”
“Because…” His gaze flitted to my face and in the ugly neon lighting someone had forgotten to replace a long time ago, I could see fear.
Not just see fear in his eyes, but I could smell it.
“Yeah, why?” I folded my arms, daring him to say it. I’d been told there was a chance I’d get some feedback I wouldn’t like given the victim in the situation had been such an… important person, but I was now several hundred miles away.
“Just because I said so.”
While I knew it was in my best interest to keep my nose clean for several reasons including for the job I’d yet to start, shitty people like the peon in front of me just pissed me the hell off.
So I responded without thinking, grabbing him around the throat and shoving him against the big black SUV he was standing beside.
“Hey!” His eyes nearly bulged from his head and he started wheezing immediately even though I didn’t have a full grip given the fat on his neck.
But he was ready and eager to act as if I was trying to kill him. “I don’t take kindly to discrimination. Not even a little bit.” I moved closer, towering over him, trying my best not to snap the asshole’s neck, but I was having a difficult time.
“What? I’m not… Just…”
I shook him a little, noticing there were a few people outside. Fuck. This was definitely not on my bingo card for the day. I let go and he slumped against the vehicle, coughing and grabbing his neck.
“The damn… dog. I don’t… allow dogs. The owner. I’ll get… fired.”
Dropping my head, I honestly didn’t know if he was telling me the truth or not, but I could either kill him or move on. “Then I want a refund.”
“I can’t do that. Policies.” He backed away from me.
I realized the sweetest pup in the world was growling, the sound menacing enough I was fearful the man was about to shit in his pants.
“Just go. Or I’ll be forced to…” He didn’t finish his sentence.
He didn’t need to.
If I didn’t oblige like a good boy, he’d call the cops. That couldn’t happen. “Fine. I’ll get my shit.”
It took all of five minutes to load up the truck, glaring at him and all the other guests who were now watching the spectacle closely. When I slipped into the cab of the truck, I hated that my hands were sweating.
“That’s alright, buddy. We’ll find another place. Don’t worry.”
But we didn’t.
It would seem the beautiful mountain town was all the rage for the Fourth of July. There was no place to stay. Not one room left.
Either that or the asshole had called ahead.
I had no idea what to do, rage building deep within. I wasn’t going to give up Sailor. He was all I had. Damn it.
I’d pulled over on the side of the road, fighting the same anger I’d felt years before, the emotion exactly the reason I was in this place.
“Shit. Shit. Shit!” I smashed my hand on the steering wheel until it ached. Then I realized I’d likely terrified Sailor. When I snapped my head toward him, I could see in the light of the convenience store his concern, but there was no fear.
He trusted me.
Why was it that I couldn’t trust myself?
As I leaned over the same steering wheel I’d just tried to crush, Sailor scooted his butt closer, laying his head on my arm. I didn’t need bright sunlight to see how soulful his eyes were. Just hearing the way his tail swished back and forth on the cheap, torn vinyl seat meant the pup trusted me.
To feed him.
To keep him safe and warm.
To love him.
I was an asshole and a dangerous man, but that’s something I would take seriously. “Okay, bud. Let’s go find us a place to park so we can get some sleep. Maybe tomorrow I can figure something out.”
However, I wasn’t a betting man. My odds weren’t looking too good and I honestly knew in my heart being tossed from the motel had nothing to do with having a dog in the room. And why?
Because when I’d been checking in, I’d seen the sign saying pets were allowed.
Twenty minutes later, I found the entrance to a park and pulled in. Damn, it was dark outside, my headlights creating eerie shadows in a dense path of woods. For a couple of minutes, I was dragged back to a time that I shouldn’t even think about.
Same kind of forest.
Same ugly trees.
Same dark night.
Fuck.
The gravel parking lot was empty, so I had my choice of spaces. Once settled in, I grabbed the blanket from the tiny backseat. “Let’s try and get some sleep, Sailor.” As soon as I turned off the headlights and the darkness settled in, I took a deep breath.
Not that it made me feel any better.
My life was shit and that wasn’t going to change because I’d been graced with the presence of an angel.
With the windows cracked and a light breeze, maybe the pup wouldn’t get too hot. As I settled in, another vision of Grace’s face when she was chastising me popped into my mind. She was one formidable woman with a mind I wouldn’t mind continuing to explore.
Her body as well.
At least after I closed my eyes, a sultry vision of her face crowded out the images that I’d tried for two years to forget.
After Sailor offered a heavy sigh, he rested his head on my leg. At least I had him with me. Maybe tomorrow would be better after all.
“Aimee!” I shouted, my voice hoarse from calling her name for hours.
Crack.
What the hell was that? I stopped trudging through the woods, taking several deep breaths as I wiped sweat from my face. I’d heard a fucking sound. I knew it.
A muffled cry shot through the dense air and I took off running, jumping over limbs and scrubby trees, the rush of adrenaline keeping me going. Nothing was going to stop me from finding her. Nothing.
“Aimee!”
I swung the flashlight from one side to the other, refusing to stop. I had to find her. Movement.
There. Right the fuck there.
Where the hell were the cops? Where?
A moan. A thud.
With my rage increasing, I rushed through the trees, shoving limbs out of my way, darting under others. My flashlight caught sight of something. What the hell was that? Almost out of breath, I slowed my pace, swinging the flashlight. Then… Then…
“No!
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Gasping, I jerked up, trying to focus. A bright white beam of light blinded me. What the fuck was going on?
Sailor was barking, trying to jump over me to get to the driver’s window.
“It’s okay.” Shielding my eyes, I wrenched my body backward as much as the seat would allow to try to see who was holding the flashlight. Fuck me. I didn’t have any concept of a weapon. That needed to change.
“Son. Can you open the window?” The man’s voice was gruff, commanding.
And I was instantly on edge.
However, there was authority to the tone, so I complied, slowly rolling down the window. Sailor went wild. I’d never seen him so upset.
“Buddy. It’s okay. Calm down.”
“Get your mangy dog under control.” Now the dude who’d interrupted my nightmare was on my shit list. No one called my beautiful boy mangy. No one.
“Sailor. It’s fine. Breathe, buddy. Can you lower your light?” My tone wasn’t any nicer and I didn’t care. I’d learned to be on edge around everyone.
At least the jerk did as I asked, keeping it to the side and allowing me to see his uniform. Great. My sleeping quarters had been discovered by a cop.
“What are you doing out here, son?”
There was nothing worse than an older man calling me ‘son.’ Or boy. Either one yanked at my anger. “Just got into town for a job. All the hotels are booked.” He swung the flashlight all through the cab of the truck. Let me guess. He thought I was some drug dealer.
“Can I see some identification?”
Thank fucking God my driver’s license was still good. “Sure.” Sailor continued to growl while I pulled out my wallet and license, handing it to him. “Is there a problem, Officer?”
“Chief Taylor.”
Fucking fantastic. One of the assholes with attitude. I knew their type far too well. “Is there a problem, Chief Taylor?”
“We’ve had some suspicious fires lately, son. I can’t be too careful.”
Now I could be an arsonist. My night couldn’t get any better.
“I’ll be right back. Just need to check this out.”
I glared into the rearview mirror as he walked away, doing my best to calm Sailor who wouldn’t mind having the man for dinner.
Seconds turned into minutes and I leaned my head back, fighting both rage and laughter. I knew what the hell he was doing. Of course he’d figured out he had a convict in his midst.
Finally, the chief began strolling back as if he had all the time in the world. “Why are you in our town?”
I decided telling him exactly what I thought about his hospitality was a bad idea. “Like I said, a job. Starting tomorrow.”
“As what?”
Wow. He was pushing every button and some I didn’t know I had. Another deep breath didn’t make me much calmer. “I’m going to be a Zullie. Training starts tomorrow.”
Maybe I thought using their nickname would help.
He glared at me as if I’d just stolen the sacred town mascot. “A Zullie, huh?”
“Yes, sir. Mr. Landen Weaver hired me.”
The change in his eyes meant Landen held some weight in town. The man was none too happy, sweeping the flashlight once again. “You can’t sleep here, son. The park closes at dusk.”
“Sorry, Chief. I just had nowhere else to go.”
“Well, you’ll need to find a place. Not here.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Where the hell was I supposed to go? Be nice. Don’t say what you want to say.
“Yes, sir. I’ll find a place.”
He finally handed me back my license, snarling at Sailor.
After he started to walk away, he changed his mind, returning with a cagey smile on his face.
“Let me give you a piece of advice, son. People are friendly in this town. Everyone knows each other. We look out for each other. We don’t want any trouble, which means we don’t like your kind here.
Now, if you’re here to do a job and nothing else, welcome to Missoula.
But if you make any trouble whatsoever, I’ll be all over your ass.
Do you understand what I’m saying? Son?”
Actor wasn’t on my resume, but I knew tonight I needed to develop the skill. So I smiled, nodded, and acted like what he’d just said hadn’t bothered me in the least. “Yes, sir. I’ll make you proud.”
The chief said nothing else before walking away, taking his time to do so. Only after he started backing away did I finally look at Sailor.
“Well, buddy. What now? Do you have any bright ideas?”
Sailor appeared thoughtful, cocking his little head. Then he barked once.
Just once.
That’s all I needed to hear.
At least I knew a place where we’d be safe and maybe welcome.
Maybe.