“Where are we going now?” Averi asked, grabbing hold of Colt’s hand.
“It’s a secret. Not too much further.”
“You and your secrets…”
“You love it…” Colt said with a smile.
Colt tucked his hand around Averi’s waist. They walked faster, crossing Devlin Road and stopping outside an old nightclub called the Cortina Debut. Averi had never been to a place like this before.
“Colt, we’re underage,” Averi said, sounding unsure of the situation at hand.
Colt winked at Averi and grabbed her hand.
“Do you trust me?”
“Well yes… but-“
“No buts. C’mon…”
Averi followed him through the double doors of the club and gazed at the beautiful décor. The club was outfitted in elegant early 1900s décor. A crystal chandelier hung from the foyer ceiling catching the light from the hot Texas sun. Another set of double doors opened and the sound of swing music echoed into the room. Colt had an amused look on his face as he led Averi into the ballroom. She watched with amazement as a dozen elderly men swung their partners around the dance floor. Considering their advanced age, they moved gracefully and with more poise than Averi could muster.
“Whoa, look at them go!” Averi exclaimed.
“I know, right?!” Colt said happily with a smile, relishing in Averi’s reaction.
“What is this place?”
“It used to be some fancy nightclub in the 40s. Now it’s a social club for military vets. They have bingo on Fridays, dancing in the afternoon and swap meets on Saturdays. I volunteered here this year, after school. One of the State’s requirements for wards of the State,” Colt explained.
“So this is where you spend your time… Seems like a fun place to work. Better than babysitting bratty Jimmy.”
“It is fun. I’ll be back next year.”
“Not for the summer?”
“I’ll be working at the garage over on Monument Avenue. I need to start saving for my own place because once I turn 18, my foster mother doesn’t need to provide housing for me anymore.”
“Jeez…”
Colt shrugged, “It is what it is.”
“At least you got time…”
“Not that much. Anyway, I just need to get my hour sheet. Then we can go.”
“Go? I kinda like it here.”
Averi had made herself comfortable in a wingback chair. Colt smiled at her warmly. It was nice having someone that appreciated many of the same things he did. Reluctantly, Averi rose from her seat and followed Colt to the stage curtain. She walked to it but didn’t go through, unsure if she was allowed to go in the back.
“Vic usually leaves the sheets back here,” he said as he disappeared behind an old red curtain.
When Averi didn’t follow him, he poked his head out and grabbed her hand, pulling her through. Back stage was a dark and dusty place. Old instruments were piled along the wall. Music stands sat collecting dust. But through the parting curtains of the stage, the music swayed in and Averi could see the dancing shadows upon the wall. Colt folded up his time sheet and slid it in his pocket.
Colt regarded Averi, watching her carefully as her eyes followed the graceful silhouettes of the dancers. There was something electric about that moment – sitting in the dark with her. Stripped down. Black and white. Colt knew he had to play his cards very carefully. Move too fast, and he’ll scare her off. Go too slow, and she’d think he didn’t feel the same way she did. Though he played it cool, he was petrified to lose her. She was the only person alive he trusted – the only person alive that he loved. He wrapped his soul into hers, and weaved his hope into the very fiber of her being.
Grabbing a soft strand of her chestnut hair, Colt gently pulled the curl straight through his fingers. Averi gently turned her head towards him. It was like she was seeing him for the first time. He was beautiful. There was an intensity to his gaze that surprised her. Colt was guarded and strong, but there was something else there that Averi hadn’t seen before – vulnerability. He was baring his heart to her. Averi suddenly realized how seriously Colt was when he said there was never any other girl for him. Colt looked at Averi like she was something to be treasured. Cherished. He was her first kiss, but she wasn’t his. He knew the sensation of flesh upon flesh, lip clinging to lip, but it didn’t matter. They had meant nothing to him. It was something to fill the void he felt. The loneliness of believing that the one girl he loved would never be his. The emptiness of feeling alone in the world. But there was fear. Colt was so afraid that the darkness inside him would devour Averi whole. What he wasn’t expecting was for this sweet and demure girl to have an insatiable appetite for his particular brand of sensuality.
Averi quickly read the look on his face. Intoxicated by the heady scent of his cologne, the beautiful tones of the music and the irresistible weight of his stare, Averi wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her off the stage putting her feet on top of his.
Breathlessly, she said, “You don’t have to be afraid.”
Burying his face in her neck, he replied, “You know… I am, though.”
“You don’t need to be.”
“I’m afraid of making the wrong move. I don’t want to mess this up…”
“The only thing that would mess this up is if you didn’t make a move at all.”
Colt lifted his head and stared into Averi’s eyes. There was a hard-edge to her gaze. A dare. She didn’t need to say anymore. His mouth rushed hers, his tongue gliding along her soft lips. The kiss took Averi’s breath away, but even though she could barely breathe, she wouldn’t let him stop. Grabbing a tuft of his hair, she pulled, only setting his desire even further towards the edge.
“So tell me… Can you dance as well as them?” Averi asked pointing to the shadows that swayed across the wall.
Pulling her in closer to him, Colt said with a laugh, “Hell no.”
“Well we can pretend,” Averi said, reminding him that she had two left feet as well.
They pair swayed along to the music, Colt’s hand traveling along the terrain of Averi’s back, his grip protective and commanding. Averi rested her head on his shoulder. In a moment that showed the hell they had survived and the depth of their love, tears formed in both of their eyes.
As the song came to an end, Averi looked up at Colton and said, “It’s about damn time, Colton McClain.”
Before Colton could reply, Averi had rendered him speechless with a kiss.
***
It’s about time you showed up!” Shelly yelled at Averi as she walked in the screen door. “I thought you were gonna ditch me!” Shelly exclaimed.
Walking through the front door, Colt said with a sneaky smile, “We were gonna… but Averi said that wouldn’t be nice.”
“Shut up, Colt!” Shelly yelled. He loved to tease her. He stuck his tongue out at her so that she knew he was kidding.
“We would not have ditched you,” Averi said with a “get real” tone.
Colt thought, If it meant more time alone with Averi, I’d ditch Shelly in a heartbeat.
Colt watched as Shelly pulled his girlfriend upstairs. Averi gave him an apologetic smile, before they disappeared to the second floor.
Girlfriend. Wow. He never thought he’d get the chance to call Averi his girlfriend. And now that she was his, he wasn’t giving her up.
A balding man with a rounded belly walked in the room with an agitated look on his face.
“You boy… What’s your name?” the man said in a gruff tone.
“Erm… Colt.”
“Colt what?”
“Colt McClain.”
The man regarded him for a moment.
“Are you that boy that was harassing Averi last week?”
“Harassing? Who was harassing her?”
The man looked at Colt for a moment. It appeared he was trying to decide whether to kick Colt out of his house or not.
“A tall guy with dark hair. When the
girls were out the other night, this kid stopped Averi and tried to sell her drugs, and when she didn’t bite, he slammed her against the wall of the drug store. Saw it myself, but the kid ran before I could deal with him.”
Trent. Wait til I get my hands on his filthy neck, Colt thought.
“I know who you’re talking about, and no, definitely not me. I’m one of her oldest friends. We’ve known each other since we were babies.”
“Sorry son… Can never be too careful.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to… We can just go for a drive or something…” Randy suggested with a dark look in his eyes.
Cheyenne sat in continued silence in the dark of Randy’s truck. If anyone was sensitive to Cheyenne’s plight, it was Randy. While both of his parents were ripped from him in the grisliest of ways, he had a good home life when they were alive. Cheyenne, on the other hand, had a mother who still drew breath and a step father who stepped up to raise a child that wasn’t his own. On paper it looked great. In reality, it was a nightmare. Dave would rather use his fists to get a point across and Gina, she was in another solar system. Cheyenne was on her own. She had Randy and Randy had her and that’s all that mattered at the time.
Cheyenne glanced over at Randy and gave his hand a squeeze.
“Since when have you ever been one to skip a party?” Cheyenne asked as a smile began to form on her tear-streaked face.
Randy smirked¸ “Well, never… but if you’re not for it…”
Cheyenne peered out her window, then glanced back at Randy.
“I could use a beer.”
“Then let’s go…” Randy said as he put the truck in first gear.
Cheyenne cranked up the radio as the Drive-By-Truckers wailed out the speakers. Randy hit the gas pedal with his foot, but almost immediately, he had to come to a break neck stop. Trent Myers had jumped right in front of his truck.
“This asshole!” Randy screamed as he laid on the horn. If looks could kill, Trent would be dead on the spot.
Trent laughed at Randy’s reaction but winked at Cheyenne when he saw her. Fortunately for him, Randy missed it.
“Jerk off!” Randy screamed at Trent.
“Yeah… there’s a lot of them ‘round here,” Cheyenne declared as she lit up a cigarette and blew her first puff out the window.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The music was pumping out of the stereo by the time Shelly and Averi had come downstairs. Colt was standing by the front door talking football with Shelly’s dad – they had become fast friends once Steve had ruled out that Colt wasn’t a troublemaker. The house was jam-packed with people and there was hardly room to move. Colt saw Shelly coming down the steps and just behind her was Averi, looking like Colt had never seen her before. Shelly had her wearing a pink halter dress with her hair in a high ponytail. She had make up on and Colt’s jaw hit the floor. She looked stunning. Shelly walked Averi over to Colt with a smug look on her face. “You’re welcome!” Shelly sat patting Colt on the arm. Averi rolled her eyes but gave Colt a warm smile.
“You look – Wow…”
“Um… thanks,” Averi replied, unsure of what to say.
“Wanna dance?” Colt said raising his eyebrows, trying to make her laugh.
“Sure… let’s go make asses of ourselves.”
Colt wasn’t kidding when he said he couldn’t dance. As cute as he was, and as coordinated as he was on the football field, Colt had zero rhythm. Averi was only marginally better. After several fast songs, they had both had enough. With Shelly preoccupied with the other guests, Averi and Colt were able to slip outside undetected. The party had flowed out onto the front lawn and into the cul-de-sac where Shelly and her family lived. A group of rowdy teens had gathered around a pick-up truck while Kid Rock blared out the speakers. Sitting on a bench in the front yard, Colt opened the conversation.
“Did you have a good time today?”
“You know I did…” Averi said, nudging into Colt’s side.
“Good…” Colt said, sounding relieved. Averi could tell how nervous he was.
“Shelly’s dad was telling me about a run-in you had with Trent last week…”
“It was nothing…”
“Why didn’t you tell me…?”
“Didn’t want to worry you…”
“He’s not the kind of guy you want to get mixed in with.”
“Obviously, you don’t have to worry about that. I’m mixed in with you,” Averi said jokingly, but as she looked at Colt’s face, she saw that he wasn’t joking.
“When I heard he put his hands on you, I damn near lost it.”
“I’m okay, though…”
“Just do me a favor… Tell me next time he bothers you. He’s trouble.”
“Okay… You’re not going to go all nuts like my brother, right?”
“Your brother is a special kind of crazy…”
“You can say that again.”
***
Randy and Cheyenne pulled up at half past nine. They bypassed the house completely, not even bothering to say hi to Shelly and just went straight for the keg that was propped up in the flatbed of another pick-up truck. Randy slapped hands with his friends while Cheyenne immediately poured two beers. She passed one off to Randy and chugged one back hoping to drown her worries for just one night.
As Randy slammed back his drink, he put on his party face and he said to his buddy Luke, “Let’s see what kind of mayhem we can stir up tonight!”
***
“Do you want a drink?” Colt asked Averi as he stood up off the bench.
“I guess a soda? Whatever they have.”
“Alright. I’ll be right back…” Colt said leaving Averi on the bench.
Colt weaved through the crowd. He hated parties like this, where people that barely spoke at school acted like best friends at the end of year bash. It was phony, and he would rather be around people that really liked him. These days, that list was rather short, but it didn’t matter. Those people were real. He didn’t like feeling like he had to constantly watch his back, but he knew that he could take care of himself. Knowing that people were messing with Averi set his temper on edge. He grabbed two soda cans, not even bothering to see what he was grabbing and made his way back through the crowd.
Averi wasn’t on the bench when he returned and his stomach twisted into knots. Colt noticed a crowd had gathered in front of the house, and he could hear two people screaming at each other. He figured it was just another public break-up, but when he still couldn’t find Averi he began to worry. Colt fought his way to the center of the circle, and he damn near lost it.
Trent had Averi pinned up against the wall of the house. Running his hands up her dress as she protested against him. He said something that got the crowd riled up, but apparently he had hit a nerve with Averi because she decked him, laying him out on the lawn. Her fist seared with pain, but it was worth it seeing Trent go flying, the bag of cocaine he was trying to sell to her dropping to the grass below.
“What happened?” Colt asked Will, his buddy who had seen the whole thing.
“He tried slipping her a bag of coke and when she resisted he tried to put the moves on her. And now he’s crying on the floor. Girl’s got a mean hook on her!”
Colt laughed as he watched Trent crawl on his knees. He was trying to stand, but he was clearly disoriented.
“Fucking bitch! You’ll pay! You’ll be the next Christine Campbell!”
The smile was quickly wiped off Colt’s face. Christine Campbell was Trent’s ex girlfriend who he had gotten hooked on heroin. Then, when he cut her off cold turkey and refused to answer any of her calls, she hung herself with a belt in her bedroom.
“Move Averi…”
Averi did as she was told. She was frightened by the look in Colt’s eyes. She had only witnessed him this angry once, and that was a night that she didn’t want to think about.
Colt stormed towards Trent who was just
getting to his feet. Barreling him against brick wall he slammed his fist into his chin. Hit after hit, Colt laid Trent out. Trent fought back but he was no match.
“What the fuck did you say to her?!”
“I didn’t say shit!”
But Colt wasn’t taking that for an answer, he had heard him loud and clear, with a final blow under his jaw, Colt sent Trent flying backwards. Colt heard the bone pop when his fist meet with his jaw. Trent screamed and clutched his collarbone as he fell to the ground. Colt wouldn’t get a chance to get another word in because swarming through the crowd was two of Oakeley’s police officers ready to arrest both Colt and Trent.
Broken Road Page 13