IVY
I felt so strange driving past the gas station where Clint and I met. I knew Uncle Dwight had died on a nearby road. This place held both positive and negative vibes for me, so I was relieved when we didn’t stop there on our way to visit Boone.
Before the trip, Goldie warned me that her brother could seem gruff, especially now that he was locked up.
“No one likes to be in a cage,” I replied, and she smiled at how I didn’t judge Boone.
Clint radiated a weird calm as we arrived in the Missouri town where Boone was held.
“I hate this place,” he admitted after we checked into the hotel. “They railroaded Boone because the local sheriff was having an election and wanted to look tough on crime. Now, that same sheriff is terrified of Lula, but it’s too late. Boone is stuck doing time.”
“I always thought people went to prison after they were sentenced.”
“Lula thought Boone would be safer in the local jail, where she could apply more pressure. These smaller towns can’t afford endless lawsuits like the state can. Boone has been as protected as possible.”
Hugging Clint, I murmured, “Boone knows you tried your best.”
“Did Goldie tell you that?”
“No, but I see how your people trust you. And he’s your close friend. Boone knows you didn’t toss him to the wolves and walk away.”
Though Clint nodded, I felt the burden he carried for the safety and comfort of his people. That was why I wanted to come along to this visit. Not only to meet Boone, but to prove to Clint how I wasn’t a pretty princess needing to be protected from his life. I wanted to help him create a bubble around those who mattered.
The next day, a scowling Boone entered the visitation room. His dark brown hair skimmed his shoulders. His beard was bushy. His golden-brown eyes held contempt for everyone around him. He was built like Clint, tall and tightly muscular. If I didn’t recognize him from pictures, I’d have been intimidated by the angry beast of a man.
His gaze remained hard when he spotted Clint, but went soft at the sight of me. The scowl on his handsome face cracked and was quickly replaced by a crooked grin.
“Little Ivy,” he said and sat across from us. “Goldie told me all about you.”
“She told me about you, too.”
“Well, then, let’s behave as if we’re old friends and skip the awkward shit, okay?”
Sharing his smile, I instantly felt protective of this man. He deserved to be home. I’d helped Clint more than once at Boone’s condo, located on the fourth floor next to Clint’s. We watered his plants and went through his mail. His parents in Rawlins were watching his Chihuahua, Beef Jerky.
“Being here pisses me off,” Boone said when Clint and I prepared to leave after the visit. “This bullshit doesn’t feel so bad when I know it led to you two meeting.”
“It won’t be long,” Clint said, and his tone held promises of better times in our future. “No one will breathe right until you’re free.”
Boone smiled at Clint and then glanced at me. “Don’t get jealous. The bromance between Clint and me won’t step on your little toes.”
As we left, I imagined the day when we’d drive to this shitty little town to take Boone home. I already felt an intense attachment to him. I saw how much Clint missed his friend. Goldie said her parents couldn’t relax with their boy locked up. No one in the Crimson Guard would truly be okay until Boone was back home.
We returned to the hotel room with plans to visit Boone again the next day. Weeks ago, Clint sat in this same hotel and nursed the same grudges over Boone’s situation. He’d been here alone, and I suspected he was happy about that fact. Clint hadn’t believed he was missing out on anything.
I couldn’t imagine how different my life would have turned out if Clint hadn’t chosen to visit Boone that particular weekend. Trapped with Uncle Dwight, I hadn’t known how to stand on my own. I was a sitting duck for any user or abuser.
Rather than getting swept up by a monster, I met the sexiest, sweetest badass. He was better than any man I could have imagined, and I couldn’t believe he was mine.
As I held Clint and distracted him from his worries about Boone, I pushed aside the what-ifs and fears of untaken paths.
I trusted fate had brought Clint and me together when it did, and only death could pry us apart.