Running From the Law

by Albright, Jami

  A ticket for a drink order printed from the little machine in front of her. She began mixing a drink for a customer. “Lottie was probably always more mine than Derek’s. I know he resented me for the pregnancy.”

  “That’s bullshit too. He was the one with experience, not you. He didn’t take care of you then, and he’s not taking care of Lottie now.” He wished he’d hit his brother harder the other day.

  His father, Derek, Jett, hell, even his grandfather, none of them stuck. They all ran at the first sign of trouble, usually trouble they started. This was the cloth he was cut from, and it made him sick to his stomach.

  “I don’t need Derek to take care of me. I have Lottie and Roger, and that’s all I need right now.” She sat the drinks she’d mixed at the end of the bar for the waitresses to pick up.

  “How’s that going?” She’d started dating Roger Weston not long after the divorce. Nice enough guy, if a little boring.

  “It’s fine. He travels a lot.”

  “Is it serious?” The guy didn’t seem Hailey’s type at all, but he wasn’t in any position to pass judgment.

  One of her shoulders rose and fell. “Maybe. He checks a lot of boxes.”

  Thomas and Raul stood to leave. He’d wanted to chat with the men before they left, just as a subtle warning that he was here and he was watching them. “Excuse me. There’s someone I need to speak with.”

  She rolled her eyes and waved him on. “Go ahead and make a fool of yourself. See if I care.”

  He chuckled and threw a five on the bar. “Keep the change.”

  The money disappeared into the register, and she gave him a finger wave.

  Trying to look as benign as possible, he ambled up to where Thomas and Perez were standing. “How are you fellas tonight?”

  Thomas never missed a beat but extended his hand to Hank. “Sheriff Odom, how are you?”

  “Mighty fine.” He took the man’s hand. “Who’s your friend?”

  “Raul Perez, Sheriff.” The Hispanic man offered his hand and Hank took it. Not a callus to be found. This man didn’t do manual labor.

  “Are you new to Zachsville, Raul?” It was Hank’s business to know everyone in his town.

  The man leaned his butt against the chair behind him, crossed his arms and legs, and gave Hank the most innocent smile he’d ever seen. “No, I’m only here for the day. I’m driving back to Austin as soon as we leave here.”

  “Raul’s one of our suppliers at the farm.” Thomas took the last pull of his beer and sat the bottle on the table.

  “Really? You got a pretty big operation?” Hank was fishing. He just hoped it wasn’t too obvious.

  The humble shrug Raul gave him didn’t fool Hank for a minute. This man was up to something. “Naw, just a little mom and pop organization, but we do have the best products in the state. It’s something we take a lot of pride in.”

  “Mom and pop? So is it a family business like Golden Leaf Garden?”

  “No, I’m the sole proprietor. Thomas here was one of my first customers in this area a little over a year ago.” He straightened. “I better get going, Thomas. Thanks for the drink.” He turned and once again extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, Sheriff.”

  “I’ll walk you out.” Thomas slapped Hank on the arm. “Good to see you, Sheriff.”

  He watched the two men leave. Then out of the corner of his eye saw Charlie head out the back door with her garbage bags in tow. He had a mess brewing in his little town, and he didn’t like it one bit.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Charlie wondered what it said about her that she’d grown to enjoy the nightly ritual of taking out the garbage. She knew Hailey had given her the job to humiliate her, and in the beginning, it had. But there was something basic and fulfilling about performing a necessary task that required very little thought.

  Besides, it gave her a chance to get out of the loud club. And even though the Zachsville City Council had banned smoking in any establishment a couple of years ago, it seemed the ghosts of every smoker in Blister County lived within the four walls of Boon’s Saloon. The cooler evening air chilled her neck and helped settle her stomach. She couldn’t wait for the whole “you feel great in the second-trimester” thing.

  The sound of moaning caught her attention as she leaned against the wall of the club. Was there a wounded animal somewhere? There it was again, but this time it was accompanied with a long moaning, “Yeees.” Somebody was getting it on in the parking lot. Heat fired her cheeks, and the sense of being an interloper gave her the creeps. Her feet slipped on the gravel as she tried to get to the door and get inside.

  There was another loud cry from the female half of the couple. Something about it made her turn in the direction of the noise. A black SUV was parked just out of the ring of light, about five cars down from where she was standing. The vehicle rocked in time with the grunts and moans of the couple.

  She should go inside, but she couldn’t. The instinct to investigate was so strong that she couldn’t fight the pull. What kind of pervert was she that she was compelled to see the faces of this couple? But she also needed to make sure it was consensual.

  As quietly as she could, she moved along the wall until she could see in the side window. A brunette was straddling a man with inky black hair and a beard. Something about her was familiar, but Charlie couldn’t see her face. The woman moaned for her partner not to stop. Yep, consensual.

  No need to continue to watch this intimate moment. Time to go back inside. As she was about to walk away, the woman turned her head toward the window. And time stopped.

  “Oh, no.” The words slipped out on a whispered prayer that this wasn’t happening. But with every blink of Charlie’s lids, the woman’s face seared into her brain. There was no denying her identity. The former Queen of Zachsville High, Karen Odom, was screwing some man’s brains out in the parking lot of Boon’s.

  Charlie was ashamed at the momentary thrill that all she’d ever wanted could be hers. It was followed closely by a crushing blow to her chest. For that to happen, she’d have to be the one to tell Hank. Would he believe her? She had no idea.

  One thing was for sure—she needed to get out of there.

  Slick-bottomed cowboy boots and gravel were a dangerous combination. In her hasty retreat, she slipped and fell. She got to her feet, and scrambling, uncoordinated steps had her nearly going down again. Didn’t matter. She’d deal with her bloody hands, and the pain shooting up her arms, when she was safely inside the bar with Hailey yelling at her, people staring at her, and her eyeballs not having to see Hank’s wife screwing another man.

  * * *

  What the hell was Charlie doing outside? Hank checked his watch for the third time. She’d been out there longer than she should’ve been. Had Thomas and Raul intercepted her and taken her off?

  Get a hold of yourself, Odom.

  He nursed his second beer that was now room temperature. The singer’s slurred, off-key voice crawled up his spine like a mountain climber with ice picks on his feet. He stretched his neck from side to side to smooth out the kinks. His unease about Charlie’s absence was aggravated by the text he’d received from Agent Sheridan after he told the man about Charlie, Thomas, and Raul Perez. He reread the text, hoping it would say something different this time.

  Don’t say anything to Ms. Klein. This is very sensitive, and we have jurisdiction on this one.

  Translation: They were in charge, and Hank was required by law to do what they said. Damn it.

  This situation had the potential to turn into a giant cluster fuck. He had to protect Charlie from this mess. He had no idea how he’d do that, since she didn’t listen to a damn thing he said.

  It wasn’t turning out to be his week. Finding out about Karen’s job. The fight with Derek. And knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that she’d only come back to him because she wanted to settle some stupid high-school rivalry with Charlie, and not because she wanted him as a husband.

  His mar
riage was over. He hadn’t pulled the trigger yet. What he was waiting for? Maybe a sign from God. It gnawed at his insides that he’d failed. He’d be walking away from a commitment just like all the other men in his family.

  The back door banged open, and Charlie stumbled in with blood dripping from her hands and the glassy gaze of a trauma victim. He was moving before he even registered that he’d put his feet on the floor. “Charlie, what happened?” He took her hands and inspected them. “Did you fall? Are you alright?”

  She shook her head, but said, “Yes.”

  Her white face and red-rimmed eyes told another story, and had the bottom dropping out of his self-control. “Who’s out there? Who did this to you?”

  “Nobody. I slipped and fell.” The words barely gave the air coming from her mouth substance.

  “I don’t believe you.” He grabbed the handle of the back door.

  She clasped her hands around his arm. The blood oozing from her cuts seeped into his sleeve. “Please don’t, Hank. Help me get cleaned up.”

  His instinct to take care of her and the need to find out who’d hurt her beat the shit out of each other. Someone hurting her won. He yanked the door open and barreled outside, ready to take whoever had put their hands on her to the ground. Nobody was there. The parking lot was empty of people.

  “Hank.” She stumbled through the door and took his arm again. “Let’s go back inside.”

  “Charlie, what’s going on? You’re worrying me.” He heard it then. The moans and cries of two people having sex. Was this what she was trying to keep him from seeing? It was most likely teenagers. Did she know them? He glanced around and saw a familiar black SUV swaying back and forth.

  His heart skipped and refused to settle into a normal rhythm. Since his pulse had gone off the rails, his breathing decided to follow suit. The muscles in his jaw locked, but he was grateful for the pain. It added to the bonfire of his fury.

  He moved slowly and quietly. Each step he took toward Karen’s truck was another nail in the coffin of their marriage.

  Like the masochist he was, he stood and watched his wife fucking Matt Allen. It was the last bit of evidence he needed to be released from the joke of a commitment where he’d trapped himself.

  Rage unfurled through his body, burning and blistering everywhere it touched until his insides were nothing but ash.

  He’d seen all he needed to see.

  The scrape of his boots on the rocks as he turned to make his way back inside and quiet sobs were all he heard as numbness took him. Who was crying? He locked eyes with Charlie. The tears sliding down her face were the final straw. He didn’t want her pity. Why did she have to be here to witness the end of his marriage at the expense of his pride? He strode past her and flung the door open.

  Her trembling hand reached for him. “Hank.”

  “Don’t.” He might regret that later, but at the moment he only cared about getting as far away from the woman who owned his heart and the one who’d shredded his soul as fast as he could.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Second Trimester

  Hank grunted and strained, but finally maneuvered his new mattress into place. He’d bought it the day he’d filed for divorce. It was all part of his starting over campaign. Though he couldn’t say he was starting over as much as pivoting away from something destructive, and trying to maintain the status quo in the rest of his life.

  It wasn’t working as well as he’d like. He went to work, followed Thomas Chang, and came home alone. He wasn’t really living. He was existing. Since the day he’d filed for divorce, he’d avoided Hailey, Roxanne, and most especially his mom. Anyone who had the power to make him feel better or worse about this fucked-up situation. He didn’t deserve their comfort and couldn’t handle any disapproval.

  That included Charlie. Most especially, Charlie since she’d stood witness to his greatest humiliation, and his pride couldn’t take one more hit.

  He could accept that what he’d had with Karen hadn’t been healthy, probably from the start, but he couldn’t put that all on her. He’d used her to try and get over Charlie—that was why their marriage had been screwed from the start. He’d just been too stubborn to see it.

  Operation new mattress complete, he went to the kitchen to grab a beer. A knock at the door stopped him in his tracks. If he were very quiet, maybe they’d go away.

  Knock. Knock. Knock.

  “Hank, I know you’re in there. Open this door right this minute.” His mother used her don’t-give-me-any-shit voice. One he was helpless to disobey. The woman was a pussycat, except when she used that tone.

  He opened the front door and stood back to let her pass.

  She carried a cookie sheet with several tin-foil covered bowls on it. He would’ve taken it from her, but she marched past him like a drill sergeant on her way to the front line.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  The cookie sheet hit the table with a clank, and she held onto it for several moments, head down, shoulders stiff, like she was preparing for battle.

  Shit.

  This didn’t bode well for him. He prepared himself for the lecture about commitment and making promises he was sure was coming. She’d pounded those things into his and his brother’s heads their whole lives.

  When her shoulders began to shake his heart crashed into his gut. He’d disappointed her. “Mom, I’m sorry.”

  She spun to glare at him. Anger shot from her watery blue eyes. “What exactly are you sorry for, Hank?”

  He wasn’t sorry he’d kicked Karen out, or about the divorce, but it did hurt him that he hadn’t lived up to her expectations. “That I disappointed you.”

  “I am disappointed in you, Hank. Of all my sons, you’re the last one that I thought would do this to me.”

  If she’d taken a knife and carved the word disappointment in his chest, it would’ve hurt less. “I know, but Mom, I couldn’t stay with Karen. I have my pride. And frankly, I’d swallowed all I could stomach.” He raked his fingers through his hair, surprised he didn’t yank some of it out by the roots. “I was willing to look like a dumbass to everyone I knew if she and I could turn this around. I owed it to myself and the commitment I made to do that, but I won’t be the town pussy who lets his wife screw around with other men.”

  Her eyes went wide, and her hand flew to her chest. “Hank.”

  Never in his life had he said something that vulgar in front of his mother. He shrugged. “I’m sorry to offend you, but you need to understand why I finally kicked Karen out and filed for divorce. But I’m sorry it upsets you that I made that decision.”

  Tears spilled over her lids. “That’s what you think? That I wanted you to stay with that lying, cheating witch?”

  He blinked and cocked his head. “Didn’t you?”

  Fresh sobs rattled her body. He couldn’t stand it. He wrapped his arms around her until she quieted. Once the crying stopped, she stepped out of his arms and wiped her face with her hands.

  “Hank. I’m furious because you cut me out. I haven’t seen or heard from you since you told me what happened with Karen, more than six weeks ago. You’ve dodged my calls and refused to see me. I never thought you’d do that. Though, now that I know you thought I’d be upset because you finally ended things, I guess I can see why you haven’t been around.” Her forehead rested between his pecs.

  He patted her back. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

  “It’s fine. I just…” Her eyes met his. “Why did you think I’d be mad at you?”

  His fingers wrapped around her cold hand, and he led her to the sofa. They sat, but he never let go of her. Somehow, he knew she needed the connection. “Mom, all our lives you’ve preached to us about keeping our commitments, and how important it is to keep a vow, and not too long ago you said that you’d feel like a failure if not for me.” He shrugged. “I just figured you’d be disappointed that I was just like Dad and my brothers.”

  She grabbed a tissue from the dispenser on the coffee table
and blew her nose. “That’s horseshit, Hank.”

  He barked a laugh and fell back on the sofa. His mother never cussed. “Don’t hold back, Ma. Tell me how you really feel.”

  “I will. What I meant when I said that was that you were the only one of my sons who even tried to do the right thing. And that’s all I can ask of you, that you try.” She crumpled the tissue in her hand. “Now I’m the one who needs to apologize. I shouldn’t have put all of that on you.”

  He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead. “Nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who was avoiding you. I needed some time to process everything.” He drew back and looked into her eyes. “You understand, right?”

  Her head shook like she was trying to shake her hair from her face. However, she had it hair sprayed within an inch of its life, and it didn’t move at all. “I don’t like it, but I do understand.” She took his face in between her palms. “I want you to hear me when I say this. You haven’t done anything wrong. You gave one hundred percent to your marriage and Karen didn’t. End of story.”

  He loved this woman. But she didn’t know about Charlie, or how he’d never really gotten over her and married Karen as a poor substitute. He couldn’t tell her. Maybe that made him a bad guy. But he couldn’t bring himself to tell his mother how badly he’d failed. He hugged her tight. “Thanks, Mom.”

  She rose and pointed to the dishes she’d brought. “Heat that on three-fifty for twenty minutes and serve it over the rice. There’s also a peach cobbler.”

  He grinned. “Homemade?”

  Hands on her hips, she gave him a death glare. “Yes, it’s homemade. What kind of Texas woman do you think I am? I wouldn’t bring a store-bought cobbler to make peace with my son.”

  “Of course you wouldn’t.” He rose. “Let me walk you out.”