Chapter 16
SARGE
“I can’t believe he’s still here,” Duke said as we watched Lurk walk into the house. “But then again, he’s getting pampered like never before. If I were him, I’d drag this out as long as possible too.”
“He’s getting antsy.”
“I’m surprised he’s still here–though not as surprised as I was when he called Sandi and told her not to bother picking him up because he didn’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.”
“Is she still coming to visit?”
“She and Ajax will be here in a week or so,” I answered. “Since Lurk didn’t want her to come when he first got here, she requested time off at the end of the month to visit–either here or at his place–just so she could check on him.”
“As hard as it is to believe, he might still be here when they arrive. I’m not sure he’s ever stayed this long in one place before,” Frog mused, closing his saddlebag. “I couldn’t resist coming back to check on him, and now I’ve been pampered so much I don’t want to leave.”
“You know you’re always welcome here,” I reminded them.
“Boys! I need a ride, and I want you to get me there fast!” Ma shouted, rushing out of the house and down the steps. “Let’s go!”
“Where are you going in such a rush?” I asked. After a moment, I added, “And since when are you willing to get on the back of a motorcycle?”
“James is working on my truck, so he’s not available to take me anywhere.” She motioned toward Duke and barked, “Let’s go, son!”
“What’s wrong, Ma?”
“Your ex-wife is causing problems for Starla down at the market, and I need to tear Johnny Carter a new one before I tattle to his mama about what a little prick he is.”
“No sense in making his life miserable, Ma. Rumor has it he’s one of Fabiella’s side pieces,” I explained.
“If that’s the case, then he deserves everything I dish out. Let’s go!”
“I’ll get my truck,” I called over my shoulder as I took off around the house. I hated that Fabiella was becoming a problem, though I was surprised it had taken her this long. I knew Starla could take care of herself, but I loved that Ma was more than willing to swoop in to rescue her.
By the time I reached my truck, I heard motorcycles starting up. When I drove around the house, I found the driveway already empty. I hauled ass down the lane and turned onto the road leading into town, finally catching up with Frog and Duke. Ma sat behind Duke on his bike.
Ma’s short silver hair whipped wildly in the wind, and she was squeezing Duke so tightly that I wondered how he was still conscious. But the most shocking part of it all was the huge smile on her face.
Ma was rarely ever still. She was always working on one thing or another and had instilled those same qualities in all of us.
However, we’d learned other things from her as well, and one of the most important was that we should find joy in whatever we were doing.
Even if we were shelling peas on the porch, there was always laughter and joking.
Over the years, Ma had given us millions of reasons to smile like she was smiling now.
She was serious and driven most of the time, but on plenty of occasions, she let loose and wore a grin just like this one.
When we were younger, she’d find us somewhere on the farm and join whatever game we were playing–climbing the old oak tree to swing from the rope and splash into the lake or gathering up the fishing poles and challenging us to see who could catch the biggest fish.
Now she was surprising me again, clinging to my friend while he raced her into town to rescue Starla, who could probably handle anything the world threw at her. She was a lot like Ma that way.
The drive into town usually took almost half an hour, but we made it in less than twenty, pulling into the grocery store parking lot just in time to see Johnny Carter speeding away in his beat up minivan–the same one I’d seen at Fabiella’s place quite a few times.
Johnny had known Ma his entire life, so he had to know he could run, but he couldn’t hide.
If Ma had promised to rip him a new one, she’d get it done somehow, even if it wasn’t today.
I turned down the main aisle of the lot and laughed out loud when I saw Starla sitting on the tailgate of the farm truck she’d been using for errands.
She looked like she didn’t have a care in the world, swinging her feet back and forth as she enjoyed a snow cone from the vendor in the corner of the lot.
She looked just as shocked as I’d been seeing Ma on the back of Duke’s bike.
Whatever Ma said as she slowly climbed off the motorcycle made Starla throw her head back and laugh hysterically.
I parked my truck a few spaces down from Starla’s. Her laughter echoed the moment I opened my door. She was still laughing when I walked over, reaching out to take my hand as soon as I was close enough.
“Ma doesn’t seem to believe I can handle myself with the likes of Fabiella and her crew,” Starla explained as I leaned over and gave her a kiss in greeting. “Those women are small fries compared to some of the ones I’ve known in my life.”
“The woman is certifiable,” I reminded Starla with a frown. “She won’t come at you from the front. She’ll figure out how to get your attention and then sneak up on you from behind.”
“Let her try,” Starla said with a shrug, handing me the cup in her hand. “I tried a new flavor–it’s delicious.”
“What’s the deal with your ex anyway, Sarge?” Duke asked, snatching the cup before I had a chance to. As he spooned up a bite of the iced drink, he asked, “Haven’t you two been divorced for ages?”
“They have,” Ma answered. “She only wants him because he doesn’t want her.”
“Really, Ma? You wound me. I thought she wanted me because I was one hell of a catch,” I said, feigning sadness.
Frog, who had slowly circled the parking lot, pulled up and shut off his motorcycle.
“The wicked witch is over there in a beat-up red car,” he said.
“The longer all of you stand here laughing like you don’t give a single shit, the higher her blood pressure gets.
Stick around, and she’s liable to explode. ”
Starla hopped off the tailgate, looked around, and asked, “Where is she?”
“Down, girl! There will be no fighting in the parking lot!” Frog exclaimed through his laughter.
“That’s right. You take that somewhere there aren’t any cameras,” Ma agreed. Frog and Duke both stared at her in shock. She shrugged and added, “I’d suggest the middle of a freshly tilled field. Easier for disposal.”
“I don’t want a lot of things in this world, Sarge, so when I tell you that I want to sweep your mother away and make her the queen of my double-wide, just know I mean that with my whole heart,” Frog said dreamily.
“Back off, asshole. She’s all mine,” Duke growled, pulling Ma into his arms. He smiled down at her. “Run away with me, sweetheart. I’ll make all your dreams come true.”
Ma rolled her eyes and pushed his shoulder. “Both of you at the same time couldn’t make me happy, so why in the world should I have to choose?”
“That wasn’t a no,” Frog said hopefully.
“I know which fields have been tilled recently, and I’m not above burying both of you,” I threatened.
I was in the middle of bickering with my friends when Ma interrupted, “You boys get distracted way too easily.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Where is your girlfriend, Graham?”
I looked around, shocked to find Starla nowhere in sight. “Oh, shit! Where did she go?”
“I’ll give you two guesses, but you’ll only need one.”
◆◆◆
STARLA
I yanked open the passenger door of the beat-up car and flopped onto the seat. Adjusting the air-conditioning vent to blow directly on my sweaty face, I said, “Your situational awareness is shit. You might think you’re a badass, but you wouldn’t last ten minutes in prison.”
“Get the fuck out of my car!”
“Is that what this thing is? It looks like a rusty skate some kid left behind the garage all winter.” I peeked into the back seat with a grimace. “There are probably still mice in here from when you pulled it out of that pile of leaves and trash.”
“I told you to get out . . .”
“I know what you told me, bitch, but I’m obviously not listening.
” When Fabiella reached for the driver’s side door handle, I grabbed her right wrist and squeezed, yanking her toward me.
“It’s your turn to listen. Neither of us is leaving until you do, or until one of us is unconscious. Wanna guess which one that’ll be?”
“Let go of me!”
“Make me.” I glared at her as she tried valiantly to yank her wrist away, even using her other hand to pry my fingers loose, until she finally looked up and realized she was well and truly stuck. “Now, let’s talk.”
Movement caught my eye, and I realized Sarge noticed I was gone.
He was weaving around parked cars to get to us, undoubtedly sure I was about to get hurt.
I was almost sad he had so little faith in me, but I could address that later.
Right now, I needed answers. “Why are you so obsessed with a man who so obviously hates your guts? And what makes you think it’s okay to start fucking with me in the process? ”
“He’s my husband.”
“Yeah, he was–twenty-something years ago. Now he’s just a man who would rather see you dead, though he’s resisted the urge to make that happen because you’re the mother of his children.”
“That’s my house you’re living in.”
“Bullshit. That’s Ma’s house, and she’d burn it to the ground before she let you get a foot in the door.”
“I moved to this shithole with the promise of a good life, and look what it got me. Not a goddamn thing. Now let go of my arm!”
“Make me,” I invited again, hoping she might try.
A loud thud made Fabiella jump. I slowly turned my head to frown at Sarge, who stood in front of the car with both hands braced on the hood like he was about to rip it off.
I reached over and clicked the lock button before looking back at Fabiella. “What’s it going to take to get you to leave the poor man alone? He’s served enough time, and I’m not sure which is worse–prison or putting up with your bitch ass.”
“You might be tougher than me . . .”
I squeezed harder, feeling the bones in her wrist grind together. She whimpered as I said, “Obviously. And?”
“He brought me here, and now all I have is that shitty piece of land Ma gave me . . .”
“In exchange for your children,” I interrupted.
“And what little money I get every season . . .”
“Which you don’t deserve a dime of.”
“And no respect from anyone.”
“Which you also don’t deserve,” I scoffed.
“Get a fucking job, earn your own money, move away, and start fresh in a town where people don’t hate your guts.
Those are all feasible ideas. My guess is if you give Ma a number, she’ll buy that property back just so she can do a happy dance when you and your piece-of-shit car cross the county line. ”
Fabiella grinned evilly, yanking her arm again. “It’s much more fun to make their lives miserable.”
“But now I’m here, and I’ve become very protective of the Brick family–your ex-husband and sons included. I’m not going to let that play out for long. My suggestion is you bug out while your legs still work.”
“There’s more to come, Starla. I’m not going anywhere until I watch that son of a bitch go down in flames right along with his mother.”
“The only person who’s gonna end up on fire is your ugly ass, right before I bury you in a field and piss on your grave.”
So far, I had ignored the persistent knocking on my window, but after that promise, I turned to look at Sarge, who seemed almost frantic now.
I struggled not to laugh when I spotted Ma a few feet behind him with a big grin on her face.
Duke and Frog didn’t even try to suppress their laughter.
They were laughing so hard they drew a crowd, leaning against someone’s car to catch their breath.
I rolled the window down a few inches. “Will you give me a few minutes, please? We’re getting to know each other.”
“Get out of the fucking car, Starla.”
This time, my smile was teasing instead of challenging. “Make me.”