I watch as my dad makes a deal with the devil. He shakes hands with the sheriff, gives him a pat on the back, and a murder is covered up in a good “ole boy” fashioned kind of way.
I knew Daddy hated Carl LeCroy, but I never thought he would kill him. Call me naïve, but I never thought he would kill anyone. The building inspector was always in his way. I’d heard him rant and rave more times than I could count about the stops he put on the construction of multiple projects for him.
And then I listen to him give me away. He talks about it lightly, like it won’t make a difference that he’s going to make me marry someone I don’t love. I’m going to marry the Sheriff’s son, Jefferson, in a month. I hate Jeff, to put it mildly. He slicks back his dark hair and walks with a swagger like he’s God’s gift to women. He isn’t. He’s a dick. And heprobably has a tiny one. I hate the way he treats me like I have no brain, like I’m just there to be patted on the head occasionally like a good little pet. If I marry him…I shudder. If I marry him, I’ll never have freedom. Never have a taste of it.
Just like that, my fate is decided. The two men shake hands on it like I have no say in the decision. They even discuss the plans for the wedding.
I feel sick to my stomach. So fuckin’ sick that I do my best not to throw up in that office closet where I hide. I can just see them through the small slit of the barely open door. I shrink back into the corner when I see them about to walk my way.
I heave a sigh of relief when the office door closes behind them.
I sit there for a long time, panic making my stomach roll repeatedly. I take deep breaths, hoping to quash this overwhelming feeling of anxiety.
“You’ve got this, Cat,” I say to myself. “They can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. They can’t.”
Oh, but they can. I know they can.I’ve seen the things that my dad can make people do with just a smirk upon his lips and a few words. He’s got power. More power than the law, obviously, and definitely more power than a Southern debutante with no college education.
I can see it all now. My Mama, in a fancy gown, oohing and aahing over me in some princess wedding gown I would never in my right mind pick. Me crying on the inside but trying to smile on the outside. Me trying to appease the two people who are supposed to love me more than anyone else in the world but have never loved me at all.
One tear streaks down my cheek.Only one person ever loved me. At least I thought he did.
Memories of Tor flit across my mind.God, I loved that boy. Loved him so damn much. And he…well, he just disappeared.
I’ve never known why he didn’t show up to my room that night, why the next day his dad was so tight-lipped about wherehe had gone, and why he never, ever came back to see me. But I do know where he is now. I begged his father until he finally gave up the information. My tears were what finally did him in.
I know Tor is a member of some club called the Silver Snakes. And I know he’s only four hours away.
I straighten my shoulders and hastily wipe the tear away. Tor may not love me the way I love him, but he could never turn me away. He will protect me.He has to.
That night, on a Friday night in July, I decide to run. I decide to leave everything that I know behind and take a chance that my childhood friend will want to see me again. No matter how much he hurt my heart, I have to take the chance.
Because the alternative…I take a look towards the closed door where my Daddy left with the Sheriff,the alternative is hell on Earth.
Chapter Two
Tornado
I don’t know why I ever thought I could forget her. -Tornado
“Whatcha’ up to tonight? Takin’ home Britt and bangin’ your troubles away? She’s lookin’ at you like she’s more than willin’.” Lucky’s teasing voice cuts through the fog of alcohol I’ve imbibed in over the last two hours. Nothing will chase away the memories that threaten to haunt me. It’s been a rough day, and all the conflict has brought nothing up but bad memories.
Apparently, love and desire don’t just go away because you tell them to. The itch beneath my skin for her will always be there, and that’s apparent at this very moment. It’s been four years.Four, long, fuckin’ years. And I still yearn for her.
“No, I’ll probably go home early and get some shut eye. I got to get up early to work on Silver’s bike. He’s the Prez, so his bike comes first.” I try to make it sound like it’s really important work, but the truth is, I’m pretty much finished and I’ll be giving it back to Silver first thing tomorrow.
Lucky’s eyes narrow. He obviously doesn’t believe me.
He slaps me on the shoulder. “Man, you gotta get out some. It’s not good for a man to, you know…” he trails off and raises his eyebrows like I’ll obviously get the gist of what the hell he’s talkin’ about.
“It’s not good for a man to what, genius?” I ask sarcastically. Lucky is my best friend, but he can also be annoying as fuck when he wants his way.
He lowers his voice. “It’s not good for a man to go without, you know, some ass, for too long. If a man gets too backed up…” he lowers the octave of his voice again, and I can barely hear over the excited buzz of the busy bar, “if a man gets too backed up, he could explode.”
I hit him hard in the arm. “That’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever said and that’s saying a lot.”
Lucky rubs his arm. “Oww. I’m just sayin…I don’t like seein’ you like this. Pining after some pussy that got away like a thousand years ago.”
I can feel rage build within me. I turn to face my goofy friend. “She was not just “some pussy”, Lucky. I could try to explain it to you a thousand times, but you’ll never get it.”
