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“Yeah, I guess. Just handle it, Jack.”
“I always do,” Jack said, with a mouthful of bologna and cheese.
A few of the guys were sitting on large stacks of concrete, and Shane perked up when he saw Llew sit down on one of the stacks and open up a brown bag. It looked like everyone was quiet and focused on eating; but something must’ve been said, because Llew’s head snapped up quickly, his hard eyes locked on Shane’s signal operator.
“Great. What now?” Shane groaned.
“What is it?” Jack said, getting up to look out the other window.
They both sighed at the same time when Llew stood to his full height, his fists clenched at his sides. Shane saw his chest deflate and then he picked up his brown bag and stormed off in the direction of the wooded park that ran along the edge of the job site property.
“Damn.” Shane sighed.
“You had to expect this.” Jack clapped him once on the back before going back to his lunch, but Shane’s stomach was in knots. There was no way he could eat right now, when someone he truly believed was a good person was being grossly abused. Yes, he’d expected a little ribbing and hazing of the new guy but not to this level. Llew’s eyes had shown surprise, disgust, and then rage before he’d walked away. Suddenly, Shane feared that Llew might have left for good. He grabbed his jacket, but Jack yanked it out of his hand when he went to move past him.
“Don’t you even think about it, Smith Jr. Let ‘em be for a while. He ain’t going nowhere.”
Shane swung at the air before plopping down, defeated behind his desk.
Fuck!
Chapter Twenty-One
Even though they were on the same site, Llew hadn’t talked to Shane at all that day. He’d seen him reviewing blue prints and working on the cement mixer, but that was it. Most of the time, he was in the trailer. It was probably for the best anyway, because he had a hard time not looking at Shane like he was a dying man’s last meal. It’d also give the crew something else to rag on him about. Trying to advance on the job by get into the boss’ pants.
Llew knew straightaway that most of the crew had heard about the town meeting yesterday. The ones that didn’t know when they got to work that morning knew about him by lunchtime. When he sat with them at lunch, one of the crew leaders hadn’t even let Llew take his first bite before he zeroed in on him.
“So you’re the sex offender, huh? My wife looked up your case. You’re from Emporia, right? Llewellyn Gardner. Top ranked football player.”
Llew didn’t bother responding to these questions, the man wasn’t looking for answers, anyway. He just stared at the lanky man with ears way too big for his abnormally small head. Everyone else listened, but no one chimed in. Only this asshole wanted to test him. Llew felt the vein in his neck throb as anger swirled through him like a tornado. All he had to do was go over there, and take the asshole’s large, metal Thermos and bash it over his head as many times as it took to fracture his skull. Then he could go back to his lunch, daring anyone else to say a word. For the first time since he was released, he missed Ace. Ace would’ve put an end to this shit real quick, and not in as nice a way as Llew was thinking, because a fractured skull wouldn’t have been enough to satisfy Ace’s rage.
“So what’s it like to just take someone against their will, Llewellyn Gardner? Huh? A big guy like you get off on that shit?” The man snarled.
Llew stood up fast, making a few of the guys flinch upon seeing his towering height up close and personal. He stared down the asshole trying to remember anything positive anyone had said to him, and replaying it in his mind to keep him from strangling the guy.
“They gonna test you, son. Be strong. Stronger than them. Show them the strength of being able to walk away. Don’t let ’em take your freedom again.”
Llew exhaled and gradually loosened his fists. How many counseling sessions was he going to have to conjure up? At the rate he was being tested, he was going to run out of words of wisdom. He slowly turned and picked up his bag lunch, deciding he’d find somewhere else to eat.
“Yeah, that’s it. Walk away, because I got your probation officer on speed dial and so does my wife. You best stay away from my neck of the woods, boy.”
Boy. Llew clenched his jaw tight. He chanted internally instead of remembering Doc’s words. Don’t look back. Keep walking. Keep walking.
