I left the house and locked the door behind me with the new deadbolt Range had installed. Trusting hundreds of drunk couples not to enter the house for a quickie was wishful thinking. I could only imagine the things I would find inside once the party was over; cleaning up used condoms was not at the top of my bucket list, not to mention that was just…nasty. They would just have to follow Marci’s lead and find an empty car, or tree, or wherever she dragged Snatch off to so they could get it on. I didn’t get very far when I spotted a woman standing next to a parked car in the driveway, staring over toward the main house. She was probably here for the party but took a wrong turn onto the private road instead of heading straight toward the actual junkyard. I’d just point her in the right direction on my way back, so she could join in on the fun before it was too late.
“Hello,” I greeted her politely with a smile. “The party is actually at the junkyard. You took a wrong turn back there on Main. I can point you in the right direction if you’d like?” I thought I spoke loud enough, but perhaps she didn’t hear me. She didn’t acknowledge my presence whatsoever and was still staring at the house. She looked harmless enough, a beautiful older woman with long, blond hair that was tied back in a braid that hung down her back. Her outfit was very well put together, a red sweater with matching leather boots that stopped just below her knees. There was something about the way she was looking, not like she was lost, but as if she was reminiscing. It was familiar, like she had been here before, but it had been a long time and she couldn’t remember where she was. I stepped a bit closer and spoke to her again, this time much louder just in case she was hearing impaired.
“The party is actually at the junkyard. You must have taken a wrong turn.” She snapped her head toward me suddenly as if I had startled her.
“Oh…my goodness. I’m sorry, I didn’t see you standing there.” She placed a shaky hand over her chest to steady her breathing. I had startled her. Strange. I was right in front of her.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you. You looked sort of lost.” I chuckled lightly, attempting to calm both of our nerves and this awkward situation.
“I read on the Internet that there was a wedding party happening today, and I…I was hoping to meet the bride and groom. I follow the junkyard’s Facebook page, and the message was posted that everyone was welcome,” she answered politely.
“I knew that Facebook page would be a hit! Well, you’re in luck. I happen to be the bride.” I held out my hand, offering a shake, and she took it sweetly, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“That’s wonderful. Congratulations. I’m so very happy for you.” A tear ran down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away with her free hand. Definitely bizarre behavior from a complete stranger, but some people were just emotional when it came to weddings.
“I’m Clover, by the way, and you are?”
“Oh, sorry…I’m Elle…um…Elle Calhoun.” Fuck me running, it couldn’t be, could it? Maybe I heard her wrong.
“Did you say Calhoun, as in Buck Calhoun?” Elle took a deep breath and looked toward the sky. I could tell just hearing Buck’s name out loud was difficult for her.
“Yes…Buck was my husband.”
“Oh, I see.” I was dumfounded and had no idea how to respond to this woman.
She spoke so softly and with so much emotion she reminded me of my own mother, and I wanted to wrap my arms around her and give her a big, giant hug. It must have taken a lot of courage for her to return here after so much time away, but why had she come back? Perhaps she heard about Buck’s death and wanted her house back. Maybe she was angry because Buck left everything to the boys and didn’t leave her a dime. She didn’t look like a gold-digging bitch, sporting horns and a pitch fork like the devil himself, but anyone who would leave their husband when he needed her the most was capable of anything. I just didn’t get the evil vibes from Elle Calhoun, and I was usually pretty good at that. There was only one way for me to find out for sure.
“Why are you here, Elle? I don’t think my husband would be too happy to see you right now. Buck was like a father to him, and he is still taking his death very hard. Considering what you did, we should probably get you out of here as fast as possible before he finds out you were here.”
“What I did? I don’t understand what you mean by that, Clover. What exactly do Range and the others think I did to Buck?” She looked genially confused.
“Wait. How did you…?”
“Know that Range is your husband?” she interrupted. “He’s the one with the hair, right?” She laughed to herself. “How did I know that Buck raised a household of unruly boys until he died last year? That he loved them more than anything else in this world?” Elle challenged. “Why, Buck told me, of course. He told me about all of them.”
“He told you? I’m afraid I don’t understand, Elle. How…why…when did he tell you about the boys? You left this place years before they each arrived.” Especially since you up and left.
Now it was my turn to blanch and take a few deep breaths with this new revelation. This was all wrong on so many levels. How dare she come here and lie right to my face about what she did to Buck when their son died? Did she think I was stupid or just naïve? Her very presence was getting me upset. Whatever sympathy I had for her a few minutes ago was lost the minute she opened her mouth to lie to me. A lie that could potentially hurt the man I loved.
“I can see you don’t believe me, Clover. That’s ok, I understand your loyalty to Range and the rest of the boys. The relationship Buck and I had was not an easy one to understand, and I certainly don’t expect you to in the five minutes since we started this conversation. It’s been over twenty years for me, and I still have more questions than answers. I only came here to congratulate you on your wedding and to give you a small gift, something I hope will make your life here with Range better than it was for Buck and me.”
She reached inside her car and pulled out a small box that was wrapped in wedding foil with a giant bow on the top of it. It was a nice gesture, but I didn’t need or want anything from this woman. I just couldn’t sit back and let her leave without giving her a piece of my mind, for the boys’ sake and for Buck’s.
“How could you just up and leave him, Elle? He was your husband, till death do us part, remember that? You have the nerve to come here after all this time, bringing gifts to ease your guilt now that Buck’s dead. How could you just abandon your husband and never look back?” I expected her to get angry with me and tell me to mind my own business, but she didn’t. She was silent once again as she stared off toward the house as if she was saying good-bye one last time to it. Preparing herself.
“I never left him, Clover…and I never will.” She handed me the box, gave me a sad smile, walked toward her parked car, and stepped inside. She took one more deep breath and left me with one last request, something so profound I could hardly believe my ears.
“Fill this place with babies, Clover. Buck would have liked that.” Then she drove away.
I was frozen in place, crying big crocodile tears that I couldn’t make stop, no matter how hard I tried. Elle wasn’t the cold-hearted woman who left her man at the first sign of trouble, but a loyal and loving wife to this very day after years of being apart. Did he know? Did Buck have any idea that his wife loved him dearly and never gave up on him? Why did he make everyone believe that she just up and left him after their son died and never looked back? So many unanswered questions, and the more I thought about it, the harder the tears came.
“Baby? What’s wrong? Did someone hurt you? I’ll kill the motherfucker when I find them. Where are they?” Range grabbed me and held me tightly. Just when I needed him the most, my husband showed up to comfort me. I didn’t need him to kill anyone, just to hold me close until I could get my shit together. It didn’t take long in his strong arms. The warmth of his masculine body had me feeling more in control within minutes. I didn’t want to ruin his day by telling him about Elle and her unexpected visit, so I sucke
d it up for the home team and put my game face back on.
“No, it was no one, Range…just an unlikely visitor. Come on. Let’s go back to the party.” I removed myself from his hold and pulled him by the hand toward the junkyard.
“You got a gift. Who from?” He pointed down to the gift-wrapped box I was holding.
“No one important. We’ll open it later, okay? I promise. Let’s go”
Chapter 18
Range
It was getting late, so with help from Mem, Sebastian, and Fox, I tossed the last of these die-hard party goers out on their asses. Drunk motherfuckers staggering around trying to kiss my wife good-bye had us all ready to break some heads. I was all for having a good time, but the fucking party was over. Time for these assholes to hit the bricks. We called the only two yellow cab companies in town and told them to send as many cars as they could to pick these fools up. Last thing I needed on my conscience was one of them running into an innocent bystander on their way out. The women were worse than the men, tripping over their own feet while trying to walk in too tall heels. I didn’t see how they wore that shit every day; fuck that, give me a pair of work boots and I’m golden. One of Clover’s aunts, who was about eighty years old, tried to grab my cock as she slowly walked to her car, said she thought it was her walking stick as she pretended she needed help. Yeah, I call bullshit on that. Thank fuck, this shit was over and I could have my wife to myself for the rest of the night.
Clover was standing next to me, where I could keep an eye on her at the same time pointing out the exit to the stragglers. She still had a beautiful smile on her face and didn’t seem the least bit tired from the day’s activities. It was going to take a dump truck and a shit load of trash bags to clean this place up. I’d have to put in a call and hire a crew on my way out of town tomorrow. No way would I have time to do it myself. This trip couldn’t have come at a worse time; not only was I forced to leave my new bride alone, but we had no plan, no idea what the fuck we were getting ourselves into. According to Mem, time was definitely not on our side and we had to make a move if we had any chance of bringing Max back home where he belonged.
Just when I though all the riff raff was gone, Clover’s Uncle Joe stumbled over to say his good-byes, followed closely by his extremely pissed off wife carrying a walker and a cane. Did she really need both?
“Hell of a party, niece. Next time, I’ll bring my own grill and show these young thunder cats how it’s really done,” he said with pride, completely oblivious to the grill block that took place earlier.
“Nobody wants to eat your shit-tasting food, you old fool. Carry your old ass to your car and get home before I do, or you’ll be sleeping on the porch.” His wife just barely missed his head when she swung her cane in his direction. This old broad could play for the damn Yankees any day of the week with that stroke. Clover took it all in stride and kissed her uncle good-bye before the next swing laid his ass out for good. I could hear them cussing all the way to their cars, “bitch” this, “old motherfucker” that, “kiss my wrinkled ass;” you name it, and they said it, and with each insult, the swings got closer and closer. Those two were not the example of wedded bliss Clover and I would follow. No fucking way in hell would I ever talk to my wife that way.
“Are those two always like that or were we treated to something special today as a wedding gift?” I cringed at the thought.
“Let’s just say on a scale of one to ten, that was about a four. Hey, Ashley, come ‘ere.” Ashley reluctantly removed her lips from Sebastian and walked over to her sister.
“What’s up, Clove?”
“Remember that time Uncle Joe threatened to leave Aunt Gwen and move to Alaska? She took to her bed and refused to eat for three days until he promised not to leave her.”
“I remember that. Turns out she faked the whole thing, had food hidden under the bed and was eating her fill the entire time. Three square meals a day without fail. Uncle Joe said he hoped the bitch would starve to death so he could collect on the life insurance.” The girls were laughing hysterically by this time. Call me stupid, but I didn’t find anything remotely funny about plotting to kill off your wife. Guess you had to be a part of the Benjamin clan to appreciate the joke. Then I took a closer look at my new wife and wondered what other sort of underhanded ideas she picked up from her family over the years. The Benjamins obviously had it in them to exact revenge when needed, but my sweet little Clover? I better sleep with one eye open when I piss her off, or my ass could wake up with my dick in my mouth. The very idea was ridiculous, but then again, I wasn’t taking any chances. I liked my dick exactly where it was, lying on top of my balls.
The sound of roaring motorcycle pipes had me stepping just a bit closer to my woman. There were three, which meant the biker boys were finally taking their asses home and away from my yard. Motherfuckers pranced around with their bullshit jackets on like they owned the fucking world. They didn’t own me, or my brothers, and I’d be damned if I allowed them to own my wife. Buck tried his hardest to get me to understand the lifestyle, but to me it all sounded like a bunch of horny men sitting around and fucking anything with a skirt on. Sure, they had rules similar to the ones that Buck raised us by—loyalty, friendship, live or die by the code of honor—but all the rest of it? Bullshit. Running drugs, women, guns, and the rest of that illegal bullshit could just eat a dick. You can maintain the brotherhood legitimately and enjoy riding and fucking just as much. I didn’t want my kid to end up like Buck’s son, snuffed out before his life even began.
My brothers felt my unease and moved closer to the group, Mem stroking his nines and Sebastian shielding Ashley behind him. They came to a stop in front of us. The little fucker was carrying a passenger on the back of his ride. Marci hopped off, showing us all her naked cunt as she lifted her leg to do so. She wasn’t wearing panties and clearly wanted everyone to know it. She hadn’t changed a bit during her time away, still an easy lay for anyone to take. She leaned over the handlebars and made a show of locking lips with the little gangster before making her way down the line to… Gan? What the fuck? She grabbed him by the shoulders and made a spectacle of kissing him next. All tongue and slob without a hint of embarrassment or modesty.
“Shelly, where have you been? I’ve been looking all over the place for you?” Ashley gave her a quick hug as she noticed her sister standing there looking worse for the wear. Her dress was inside out and her hair was sticking up every which way, all signs that she had either been in a fight or got massively fucked.
“I’ve been around. Great party, Ash, you did a great job. I’m a little tired, so I think I’m gonna call it a night.” She was fidgeting and wouldn’t make eye contact with her sisters or the spectacle that was Marci and Gan. The last time I saw her, she was the one being thrown over his back and carted away, now this shit? Clover was giving her the “what the fuck” look, but Shelly didn’t say anything else in return. She just looked sad and disappointed. In what, I had no idea, but from the guilty look on Gan’s face I’d say he was the reason.
“Shoulda’ stuck around, Stacy. We had a real good time… without you.” Marci was running her fingers through his long, blond hair while he just sat there looking guilty as fuck but still trying to gain Shelly’s attention. Marci was almost purring like a damn cat she was so fucking proud of herself. The girls moved in place to protect their sister as I knew they would. They didn’t know what was happening, but I was sure they could feel the hurt coming from Shelly as she stood there completely quiet, contrary to her very nature.
“You know…when I grow up, I want to be just like you. A skanky cunt that smells bad. What do you think, Clove, can I do it?” Ashley looked over at Clover as if this was really a question.
“I don’t think so, Ash. Remember there are pollution laws in this state,” Clover chimed in right on time, never skipping a beat. God, I love that woman.
“Well….is that the gratitude I get for saving your life? Next time I’ll just let you die at t
he hands of a madman.” She waived her hand around in the air like it was a magic wand or something. Oh, Marci, when are you going to learn?
“Oh, I’m grateful, believe me, I am. It’s that gratitude that’s stopping me from wringing your skinny-ass neck right now. Fuck with my sister again, and I’ll forget all about how you helped save my life and decide to take yours.” Ashley took a step toward Marci until Sebastian pulled her back behind him. Marci stomped off as usual in her hooker shoes and sour attitude as Clover and Ashley laughed and high fived her departure. Shelly didn’t join in; instead, she kissed her sisters on their cheeks and walked away toward her car. The only thing that stopped me from ripping this asshole Gan a new spine was the fact that she didn’t seem physically hurt, just mentally beaten to a pulp. Whatever happened between them was Shelly’s story to tell, but once she did, if that fucker did anything to hurt her and cause my woman to cry, nothing in this world would stop me from bashing his brains in.
“We’re taking off, too, sugar. Call me when you need me.” Craze smiled at my woman and kicked his bike into gear. It was too fucking familiar, too telling, like he expected her to call him every day of the week. Not while I had breath in my body.
“Then she’ll never call, Craze, because she’ll never need you.” It was a promise and he knew it.
Refuse: A Junkyard Wedding Page 10