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“Tonight, you pulled a weapon on a branded man, you brought a weapon to a branded man's home. So, I’m gonna show you what your worth is.” I look the fucker straight in his eyes as I drag the blade through his skin, not deep enough for him to bleed out, just enough to scar him for fuckin’ life. I spell out the word with jagged, uncrafted letters and take in the agony of his screams as his blood drips over the blade and onto my fingers. When I’m done I step back and admire my handy work.
“Pussy.” I spell it out for him. “Lesson one, done.” I turn my back and stroll over to his friend who is frozen still as he looks at the mess I’ve made of his friend.
“Please, please don’t cut me.” He drops to his knees in front of me like he’s praying, causing the River Boys and Finn to smirk.
“I’m not gonna cut ya.” I shake my head and smile at him, waiting for him to sigh with relief.
“Thank you. I—” I cut him off when I grab his hand and slam it flat against the couch beside him, driving the knife I’m still holding through the center of it to pin him there.
“You ever touch that girl again, I’llcutboth your fuckin’ hands off,” I crouch down and whisper, slamming my knee into his face on my way back up and heading back out the door.
I fuckin’ hate River Boys’ parties.
“So, what ya wantin’ me to do about it, Cole? Tell Noah he can’t have parties anymore?” I hear Garrett and Cole talking in the office as I come down the stairs, cautiously pressing my back against the wall near the door so I don’t get seen.
“No, that ain’t what I’m sayin’. I’m sayin’ we stop all the fuckin’ drugs those kids are doin’. It’s outta control.”
“Cole, it was pot, you smoke that shit yourself. You never gave a fuck about what goes down at a River Boys’ party before. Why don’t ya get real and admit that this is because Savannah—”
“Don’t even fuckin’ go there,” Cole cuts him off, sounding agitated.
“What I’m sayin’ is we got a system and it works. Fork River is a clean, quaint little town, we got no drug problems here, and that’s because if wanna do that shit, you go to a River Boys’ party. It’s the opposite of outta control, Cole. It’sinourcontrol. Noah spoke to me, he told me what happened. Sounds to me that whatever Savannah did, she did of her own free will. It was a bit of pot, no more than what you boys do in the bunkhouse.”
“She could have… What if…” Cole struggles to get his words out and I can imagine the frustration on his face.
“Cole, I’m not gonna pretend I wouldn’t have acted the same way if that was Maisie, but I can tell ya that it’s her you need to speak to about it. She went to that party last night to have a good time. Maybe you should be showing her a good time in a different way. Take a tip from Dalton, ask her on a date.”
“You want me todateher?” Cole laughs sarcastically. “Garrett, have you lost your mind? The girl’s batshit crazy. She’s rude and inappropriate. She… grrrr!” He can’t contain his rage toward me and, although his words cut a little deep, I can’t help like that I have some kind of effect on him.
It sounds like the conversation’s come to an end, so I quickly head back up the stairs when I hear Maisie talking to one of her babies in her bedroom.
“Mornin’.” I peek my head around the door and smile when I see her sitting up in bed feeding one of the boys. Jack is still sound asleep but there's no sign of Breanna.
“You're missing one,” I point out as I lay myself out on the bottom of her bed and prop my head up on my hand. It reminds me of the time we lived together, we always liked to have a morning debrief together.
“Teresa took her out for some fresh air. She’s walking her around the yard in the stroller.”
“Mama Carson is really making the effort, huh?” I roll my eyes. Things have been awkward between Teresa and her sons, I guess twenty years of being absent from their lives will do that to a relationship.
“Come on, don’t be mean. She’s being great.” Maisie stands up for her but I can tell she agrees with me.
“But too much,” I say what she really thinks. Maisie should know she can tell me anything.
“A little. I mean, I don’t want to sound ungrateful. We need all the help we can get right now. But there are times when she can be a little overbearing,” she admits.
“Maybe you should ask Garrett to speak to her,” I suggest.
“No way, things have just started to settle between everyone. There is no way I’m stirring things up. It’s ameproblem, not her. She’s only trying to help and make up for lost time.”
“That doesn’t mean you should sit in silence if you're not happy,” I remind her.
“Savannah, I couldn’t be happier. I have three beautiful, healthy babies and a hot-as-hell husband. My two best friends currently live with me and…”
“And?” I encourage her when she pauses.
“And the fact my mother-in-law is a little too helpful doesn’t seem like much of a problem, does it? Not compared to all the shit Leia’s dealing with right now.” Maisie lowers her tone in case Leia’s awake and can hear. “You saw the way people were looking at her yesterday, it’ll be the same today when we go to church. I hate that she’s having to deal with that.”
“People are assholes.” I get up from the bed and shake my head. It reminds me that I have to pick out something to wear, and after Cole’s actions last night, I think I have just the thing in mind.
