Chapter Eight
Jo
L ochlan’s house feels different now that I live next door.
It’s always been an extension of him, but only during work hours.
I don’t know how he fills his time on the weekends, or even during the evenings, other than sitting on the porch with a glass of whiskey.
Now that I have more of an opportunity to catch him in his natural habitat, I feel tempted to snoop.
The itch to go upstairs nags at me every time I walk through the front door, even though it’s strictly off limits.
What doesn’t he want me to see?
The possibilities are endless when you come from a family like mine with a million skeletons in their closets, but even though Lochlan is the one with a notorious reputation, his moral code is titanium.
I tear myself away from the enticing pull of his home and make two loops around the wrap-around porch before I see Curtis off in the distance, pruning some sort of tree.
“Hi, Curtis.” I wave across the yard, and he glances around before throwing his hand up in response.
I take that as my invitation .
“What are you doing?” I ask as I tiptoe across the grass towards him.
He looks visibly put off by my approach.
“Um, I’m getting the trees ready so they produce more when the fruit is ready.”
“What kind of fruit?” He clearly knows he isn’t supposed to be talking to me, but I’ve backed him into a corner, and it’d be rude to ignore me at this point.
“Persimmons.”
“Oh, I’m not familiar.”
“It’s for the bears. They go crazy for it, but the tree won’t produce for another couple of months.” He glances past me, busying himself again.
“What are you doing?” Lochlan barks from behind me.
“Nothing,” I say at the same time Curtis says, “Almost done, boss.”
Lochlan crosses his arms and looks at me, but doesn’t scold me like I know that he wants to.
“I can’t sit inside all day,” I argue, even though he didn’t say anything yet.
“It’s beautiful out. Even prisoners get yard time.”
Curtis gasps from behind me and grabs his tools before rushing away from the ticking time bomb.
“Prisoners do what they’re told or they’re thrown in solitary confinement,” he counters, stepping close enough to block the sun from my face.
“Speaking from experience?” I clap a hand over my mouth as soon as the words come out.
Why did I say that?
“You can hang out in the yard or on the porch,” he growls.
“Don’t go down by the barns. That’s final.” He stalks off, and I’m still standing there with my hand over my mouth when Jordy runs past me.
“JO! We got a new drop off at the gates, come look! ”
Lochlan only made it a few steps away from me, and I’m close enough to hear him sigh, but I’m too excited to be included in something, so I take off across the dirt lot with the other guys before he can tell me not to.
“It’s a donkey!” The guy named Arizona yells to everyone as we make it to the entrance.
“No, it’s a mule,” Rain corrects.
He’s the first one that I realized uses a nickname instead of his real name.
Trying to keep them all straight has been a challenge.
“Does this mean we’re cowboys, now?” Curtis asks.
Lochlan and Hayes respond, “No,” in tandem.
Its brown fur twitches as it stands as far from the gate as it can with a rope tied taut around its neck.
“Seiver, take it down to the barn with the rest of the strays. Everyone else, get back to work.”
“It’s Sunday…” I utter out of pure boredom.
“Animals don’t give a shit if it’s the weekend, they still need cared for. Fences need checked, bears need fed, and vehicles need repaired. You’re the only one not working today, darlin’.”
“Fine, give me a job.” I chase after him, somehow managing to keep up with his long strides.
“No.”
“I have to earn my keep, boss.”
He whips around.
“You don’t call me, boss. They call me, boss.”
I don’t know why that matters, but it’s not the point of this conversation.
“Give me something to do and I’ll do it.”
“Fine. Go clean the work truck.”
Wash a truck?
That seems easy enough.
I jog straight over to where they keep the trucks parked and skid to a stop.
The only truck parked in its spot is a flat-bed rust bucket and the shiny green Bronco.
The Bronco is in pristine condition.
The flat bed is caked in dried mud.
* * *
My waterlogged fingers are burning from scrubbing so hard.
My back is so stiff that a sharp biting pain radiates through me if I move too hard, but I did it.
I cleaned the truck until it was spotless and the sun disappeared from the sky.
I’m proud of myself despite the menial job Lochlan gave me.
He was testing me, and I definitely passed.
“Where have you been?” He asks me as I approach the house.
“I cleaned the work truck?” Can’t he see the dirt crusted up my arms and legs?
“It’s dark, you shouldn’t be out here alone.”
“Of course, I’m doing something wrong. My mistake,” I snap, stomping past him.
“You are so frustrating, you know that?” I yell over my shoulder when I realize that he’s following me.
“You told me to do a job and I did it. I just about killed myself to do it perfectly, too. But you’re still mad.”
“Dammit, Jo. I’m not mad. I’m trying to keep tabs on you so I don’t have to worry about your well-being!”
“Stop worrying! No one wants to talk to me, they’ll hardly look at me because they’re so damn scared!”
“You chose this, I’m not forcing you to be here.”
“I know!” I slump onto the porch steps.
“I just don’t want to be trapped in the guesthouse by myself,” I add pitifully, hanging my head in my hands.
I don’t need friends, I’ve gone long enough without them, but it’d be nice if anyone would socialize with me besides the grumpy man in front of me.
A rugged growl erupts from him, forcing my head up.
“Go take a shower and get dressed, meet me right here in 30 minutes. Go!” He demands, stomping inside his own house.
I don’t give myself even a minute to question it before I take the fastest shower I’ve ever taken and pull on the most casual sun dress I own.
I’m ready and waiting before my half hour is up when Lochlan walks out of his house.
He must’ve just showered, too.
I’m drawn to the scent of his soap as he comes near me.
He starts walking across the dirt lot towards the bunkhouse without instruction, expecting me to follow, and I do, skipping merrily behind him.
I don’t know what we’re doing, but I’m happy to be included.
“Behave,” he warns gruffly before holding the door open to the bunkhouse.
Everyone’s voices fall silent as I enter.
It’s a wide-open barndominium with a living area in the middle.
Two large sectionals square off in front of a massive flat screen TV.
Behind that is a pool table and a large table that resembles something from a school cafeteria.
One side of the barn has a spacious kitchen, and the other side looks like dormitory showers, or something you’d see in a locker room.
Stairs lead up to a second level that contains the bunks.
They’re private but open at the same time.
“You need something, boss?” Ryker asks.
He’s another parolee that I don’t know very well.
He asks the question as if it’s unusual that he’s here.
“Jo’s bored, someone entertain her.”
I gape at him, throwing me under the bus.
Hayes cackles from the other side of the room.
“We were just about to run a table tournament, you in Loch?” He eyes his friend knowingly, and I can’t help but watch the interaction.
Hayes is so friendly, it’s hard to believe he beat someone badly enough to go to prison.
Lochlan seems more susceptible to committing a crime like that with his glowing personality.
“Sure,” Lochlan grunts, planting himself on the sofa.
“Jo’s on my team,” Hayes adds, and Lochlan’s eyes narrow.
“I’m sorry, team for what?”
“Billiards, single elimination, winner stays on,” Curtis enlightens me while Hayes and Lochlan continue their stare off.
“I’ve got the boss, then,” Seiver yells from somewhere in the kitchen, and before I know it, everyone’s standing around the pool table laughing and shouting as the teams take turns.
Someone hands me a beer at some point, but I only let it get warm in my hand, pretending to sip on it occasionally so no one notices.
I watch Lochlan run the table once it’s his and Seiver’s turn.
Sinking most of their colors with ease.
They win twice before it’s mine and Hayes’ turn to play and determine the winner.
The pool stick looks too big in my hand compared to how Lochlan holds his.
Each shot is solid and precise, he never slips up.
“Alright, listen. I’ll break, rack up as many as I can to give us a head start. Then you can show me what you got,” Hayes whispers.
My eyes are stuck over his shoulder on Lochlan and the way he’s watching us.
The scar on his cheek is much more visible under the fluorescent lights in here, making him look as scary as he acts.
“Wait!” Seiver shouts before Hayes breaks.
“There’s always a wager. What’s the bet?”
Hayes looks up at Lochlan from his shooting stance, a silent conversation happening between them.
“No, bet,” Lochlan answers.
The entire room erupts in complaint.
Apparently, this is an important topic.
“Fine. Jo, what do you want to bet?” Hayes asks.
“Umm. I don’t know, what’s normal?”
“Last time I lost, Lochlan made me run through the bear enclosure naked,” Arizona admits.
“No, I made you run through the enclosure. You were drunk and took your clothes off on your own,” Lochlan argues, and a couple of people start cracking up.
It’s so odd to see this side of him.
There is still a line between him and the men who work for him, but there’s also camaraderie that I’ve never witnessed.
“I don’t think I want to do that,” I admit.
Lochlan looks at me flatly.
“You’re not going near the fences, Jo. I don’t care if these morons get hurt.” More people laugh.
Must be a guy thing.
“What do you want from Lochlan, Jo?” Hayes asks more specifically.
A mischievous grin graces my lips.
“I want you to agree to come to the events with me this summer to raise money for the sanctuary.”
The room goes silent as Lochlan’s glare turns deadly.
“And, if I win?”
“Then I’ll stop bending the rules and listen like a good little girl.”
I wasn’t expecting such a reaction, but you could hear a pin drop with everyone holding their breath, waiting for Lochlan’s response.
His stare burns straight through me as if he can see my heart thundering in my chest.
“Deal.” His voice raises the little hairs on the back of my neck.
Hayes breaks, and all the balls go rolling in different directions.
“We’re stripes,” he announces, and the game begins.