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With that he stormed on past me into the house and up the stairs to his room.
I glared at his back for a moment, the rebellious streak in me flarin’ up. There was no way I was stayin’ away and leavin’ him alone, but I put it aside, ‘cause I didn’t wanna fight.
I instead went upstairs, gatherin’ ma’s things.
By the time I was takin’ ma out to the truck, I saw him headin’ out to the tractor shed. Dressed in his leather and jeans again, he looked like a thug who belonged with those men after him. Handsomer than they were by far, sure, but like one of ‘em.
It put a painful contention in my belly.
What’ve you gotten yourself into, Shelby? I thought to myself before quickly pushing it aside. I didn’t have time to question myself. The man I was so attracted to. He had secrets, dark ones. Dangerous men after him.
But I still couldn’t do anything but hope that what I saw in him was who he was.
I pulled out of the driveway, my eyes alert, terrified I’d see one of those bikers headed towards our place.
* * *
It didn’t take me long to drive ma over to Marcus’ place, what took the longest was explainin’ the situation enough so that I could leave her there and get goin’ again. I didn’t want to leave Asher on my own farm alone for what was to come, though I had no idea what I’d have to offer to the situation.
By the time I managed to get back in the truck to drive home, it was late. Marcus came up to me, one last time to try and stop me.
“Don’t go back there, Shelby. This is nuts! Don’t you see?” he pleaded.
“I see a man in trouble, Marcus, and I ain’t about to leave him to those brutes. I know you don’t think much of him, but he ain’t been nothin’ but a gentleman, and deserves better than what you did.”
Marcus clung to my door, tryin’ to keep me a moment longer.
“Just ‘cause a fella can put on a smile for a few days don’t make him a gentleman. You don’t know what a savage like him had to do to get tangled up with these sorts. But I can guarantee it weren’t pretty!”
“It weren’t pretty what type of petty thing you did to his bike neither, Marcus,” I said with more of a glare than I intended. “But you did it, and I know you’re not all bad.”
Marcus looked a lil’ stunned, and his grasp loosened, which I took as my sign to pull out and drive on back over to the farm. I came in time to find Asher barrin’ off one of the entrances to the farm house by parkin’ a tractor in front of it.
“What are you doing back here? It’s not safe,” he protested, climbin’ down from the towerin’ tractor.
“I’m not gonna let you take’em all on by your lonesome. We should just take off. Tonight. Just drive ‘til we’re free of them,” I said, though I knew he’d never go for that idea. He’d already been trying to run, and he knew I couldn’t leave ma the way she was.
“You know that’s not really an option,” he said to me so seriously, standin’ before me. “They’re gonna come, no matter what we do. So I either finish ‘em or get killed. Those are the only two options if you’re to get out of this with your life back in your hands, Shelby. I won’t leave you worse off than I found you.”
I couldn’t believe it could have gotten so bad. So serious.
My life a couple weeks ago consisted of working on the farm and carin’ for my ma, and now...
Now I was faced with the possibility of someone — or many someones — being killed? I leapt from the truck, towards Asher, my eyes burning with tears as I flung my arms around him.
“I can’t lose you,” I protested. He was the brightness in my life, the little bit of happiness that I clung to, despite whatever darkness lingered over his past.
He was hesitant at first, I could feel it. The decent fella that he was didn’t want to encourage me to fall for him when he was ready to leave. But in the end his big strong arms went about me, held me to him.
“You’re gonna lose me, there’s nothin’ to be done about it,” he said, disappointment ripe in his voice. “It’s too soon for us. Remind yourself of that, because once this here is done I gotta go again. For your good.”
It felt like a fist hitting me in the stomach and I felt just as ready to double over. The only thing holding me up was him, that strong body wrapped around me just when I felt my weakest.
“There’s gotta be another way,” I pleaded.
“I wish I knew,” he said, his large hand reached up, to brush those long hard fingers along my cheek. He brushed my hair back as he stared down at me, but the moment only lasted that: a moment.
“If you’re gonna stay,” he said, breaking our hold on one another, “you need to get to safety. I can’t handle these guys if they can just grab you and threaten you. It’ll all be over then anyhow. Do you know how to shoot a gun? As a last resort now. I don’t want you to do it unless they come for you in the house and leave you no choice.”
