Page 56 of Nixon’s Promise

“Come again?”

Jonny Spencer a deputy sheriff? Back in the day, if there was trouble to be had, Jonny found it. Nix bet his mama fell to her knees and thanked the Sweet Lord above when he chose law enforcement instead of a life of crime. He was the go-to man when you wanted a bottle of booze, a pack of smokes, or anything else a teenager might like to partake in.

“Took most of us two-point-five seconds to put two and two together when Dillinger came in with a broken nose, black eyes, and a busted mouth, to know you caught wind he’d been fucking around with Amanda Wilson,” Jonny started. “The only people who didn’t put it together were the ones that weren’t around for his monthly beat-downs when we were in high school.”

“If you knew he was fuckin’ with an underage girl, mind telling me why you didn’t beat his ass? You got a baby sister, and as I remember it, you weren’t real fond if anyone cut their eyes in her direction. So, I figure that courtesy might carry over to all females.”

“I’d only heard the rumors. And unlike you, I have to work with him and his father is my boss. I need actual proof before I confront him. Seeing as you kicked his ass, I figure you found all the proof you needed.”

“About that, I figure everyone knows I did it. Why didn’t he jam me up over it? I was ready to be hauled off in cuffs, but other than Sheriff Dickhead following me, I haven’t heard anything.”

“What’s Rich gonna do? File a complaint? He’d have to explain why you had the motive to assault him. His daddy can get him out of just about anything he gets himself into, but a complaint would be punted to the state police. He has no pull there. Most troopers hate his ass.”

Nixon had thought it was something along those lines, but it was nice to get confirmation.

“Why’d you come out here?”

“Wanted to warn you.”

It had taken Nixon a split-second to move, every muscle coiled and ready to strike.

“Whoa, Nix.” Both Jonny’s hands came up to protect himself. Not that Nix had planned to put his hands on his old friend, but he had meant to make a statement. “Damn, brother, not that kind of warning.”

“Everything cool?” Zack called, getting out of Nixon’s truck.

“What kind of warning?” Nix asked, ignoring Zack.

“The sheriff’s got a hard-on for you. He has a few deputies that kiss his ass and are willing to do his dirty work. But you have to know, the whole department isn’t bad.”

“That’s not new. He’s been fuckin’ with me since I started fuckin’ with his son,” Nix reminded Jonny.

“Right. But in high school, you didn’t have anything you cared about.”

Nixon had to force himself to remember Zack was watching, and while Jonny may’ve been his friend he was still an officer of the law, and leveling threats against his boss wouldn’t be wise. He also needed to take into consideration what this would mean for his friend, Jonny.

“You comin’ out here gonna put you in a bad spot? The sheriff’s watching. He was at the end of my lane this afternoon waiting for me. He followed me to my woman’s house and sped past when I turned into her drive.”

Jonny glanced to Zack before he spoke. “Nothing wrong with me coming out and welcoming an old friend home. Besides, he wants to give me trouble—by the look of this place you look like you could use a farm hand.”

Before Nixon could comment on Jonny’s smartass comeback, Zack beat him to it.

“He has one.” Zack strolled over to Nixon and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Zack, this is Jonny Spencer, a friend of mine from back in the day. He’s also a deputy and wanted to pass along some information.” Nixon clapped the kid on the shoulder, trying to lessen the tension. “Jonny, this is Zack Wilson, McKenna and Amanda’s brother.”

“Nice to meet you, Zack.” Jonny offered his hand to Zack and after a moment of hesitation Zack took it in a shake.

“Can you explain why my sister was pulled over today for doing nothing?” Zack ignored Jonny’s greeting and angrily asked.

Nixon felt bad for his friend. As pissed as he was that Amanda had been stopped and the sheriff was fucking with him, it wasn’t Jonny’s fault. Nix appreciated the heads up, but he didn’t want Jonny to catch shit for it either.

“Zack—”

“No, it’s all right,” Jonny cut Nix off. “You seem like a good kid so I probably don’t need to remind you of this, but not all of us are assholes. Unfortunately, there are a few deputies in the department that are good ole boys who kiss Sheriff Dillinger’s ass.” Zack didn’t seem real thrilled to be called a kid, but he held his tongue. “What happened today was bullshit.”

“The cop, Clifford, the one that pulled us over. Is he one of the assholes?” Zack asked.

“Yes,” Jonny answered.