Rodeo Rancher

by Lauren Wood

“No, he didn’t. I mean, he tried, but I made sure that it didn’t happen. I told you that nothing happened. Why do I get the feeling that you don’t believe me?”

  Because I didn’t. “I want to understand, that’s all. When something happens with my girlfriend, I think I have a right to know.”

  “Nothing happened though.”

  I shook my head. “Uh huh.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  I wanted to tell her that I had seen her. I had seen his hands on her as he pulled her to him and I had watched the way she melted into him for a few seconds before pushing him away. That was not to mention what had happened in her house. I knew how Carol could be if she wanted something and I just had to know if she wanted David.

  “I just can’t see how anyone that wanted you would come over and not try anything. You are beautiful and it would be hard for anyone to not try something.”

  “You didn’t, for months.”

  “I am different. I wanted our first time to be special and I was willing to wait for that. There is nothing wrong with being a little patient.”

  Carol looked like she would not agree with that sentiment. I didn’t like the change between us and in a way I wished that I didn’t know what I knew. I had to take care of it and that was going to be a problem. The main thing to me was that Carol didn’t find out. I didn’t want her to think that I was a violent kind of guy, I was just territorial. She was mine and I would have to make sure that she knew it, as well as the man that was called David.

  Chapter 8

  David

  I went back to Joel’s place that he was letting me stay in. It was one of the unrented apartments in his uncle’s building. It wasn’t much, but it gave me a place to calm down a little bit before I decided what I was going to do next. It was also next door to Carol, even if she wasn’t ready for me yet.

  The offer that Lucas had given me was still on my mind, but the taste that was left on my fingers was the thing that I was having trouble ignoring. Why was I so wrapped up in that woman and why did she turn me away? I could tell as soon as she was in my arms again that nothing had changed. Now I wasn’t so sure and I didn’t like feeling this way. I wanted to know what was going on with her. Women were complicated creatures and she was no different.

  It didn’t take long for me to feel like the small one bedroom was actually a prison and I had to get out for a drink. Joel was already asleep with his lady and I knew it was going to be impossible to get him up and around. A lot had changed with him and marriage was slowing on him. He was never too quick before, but now he was going at a snail’s pace.

  I don’t know what I was feeling, but I wanted to bury it in the bottom of a glass or I was never going to go to bed. When I got there, I counted several women that would have been down for what I wanted, but I didn’t want them. I wanted Carol and the small taste that she had given me earlier wasn’t enough. I needed to be inside of her again.

  After a few drinks, I couldn’t help but give her a call. I wanted to talk about it and I didn’t trust myself to go to her house. I wasn’t in the right state of mind. I just wanted to hear her voice that was all.

  Like before, when I called it just rang. Now I was sure that it was because she didn’t want to talk to me. Carol had come all over my hand and then remembered her boyfriend. The idea made me angry and I wanted to know who it was that she was dating. I wanted a name. It wasn’t like I was going to know who it was, but I still wanted a name.

  I called several more times before I gave up and walked back to the apartments. I wasn’t thinking clearly and I knew that if I didn’t get to bed, I was going to do something stupid. It was Joel’s voice that I heard as I was coming in.

  “Are you just getting in?”

  I shook my head that I was. “Already in bed?”

  Joel smiled and shook his head. He looked too damn happy and I was disgusted with him. Couldn’t he see that love was like a plague and soon it would all be over?

  “Well see you in the morning.”

  “Did you talk to Lucas?”

  How did he know about that? Word must travel fast here.

  “For a little while.”

  “And?”

  “I told him I would think about it.”

  “You should. He is a good guy. I miss Carlos and the old gang, but I have found a new home here. If you are looking for a change, this is the place to be.”

  I could have said many things to him, but I bit my tongue. I didn’t know if I wanted a change. I liked my life the way it was, but something was missing. It didn’t take much for me to guess what it was.

  “Well I am going to go up to bed. I don’t know what I am going to tell Lucas, but I did tell him that I was going to give him an answer in a day or two.”

  “He really likes you. Him and Carlos have talked and I of course gave him a good reference for you.”

  I just kind of nodded my head. I was tired and the last thing I wanted to talk about was Lucas and a life change that I wasn’t sure if I was ready to make or not. I just needed sleep and everything would be clearer in the morning.

  When I got upstairs, I called Carol again. I wanted to talk to her, but she didn’t answer. Instead of cutting off the ringing though, it just rang over and over again until it went to voice mail. Not trusting myself to leave one, I hung up exasperated. Tomorrow it would be better or at least I would have a better plan of how I was going to fix it. Right now I had nothing.

  ***

  After getting a call from Carlos around noon, I had a little work to do. He wanted me to pick something up for him. I knew that he knew about me talking to Lucas, but I still wasn’t sure if I was going to stay south for a while. So until then, I figured I might as well do some leg work and make some money. It was always good to have easy money.

  Getting back from the run, I was just about to the house when Marcus sent me a text that he needed help with something. It was ambiguous, but I figured that what we were going to do was going to be pretty illegal, so there was no sense leaving it in a text that is saved. I didn’t think nothing of it and when I text back that I needed a location, he sent me an address. It took me a minute to look it up and then I was on my way, anything to keep my mind occupied from the fact that Carol still wasn’t answering her phone. It was like she had left it home before she went to work because it kept ringing and ringing.

  Thinking about Carol, I wasn’t really paying attention to anything around me. I would have seen that the neighborhood was not one that I was used to. I had only been there a few days, but there was a clear boundary line and I was no longer in the Devil’s Playground territory anymore. I didn’t know enough about the area to know who was there. I was just there for Marcus and when I arrived at my destination, it was clear that something was not right.

  The address was to an old building and it looked run down. It was the type of place you would meet someone for a crime, if you were twelve. It didn’t seem right and I pulled my phone out to call Marcus. Where the hell was he?

  Turning my back to the building, I propped myself up on the bike and dialed his number.

  “Marcus.”

  “Hey man, what’s up?”

  “I am over here where you sent me and I am trying to figure out where you are.”

  “Where I sent you? What are you talking about David? I just woke up.”

  His voice was sleepy sounding and there was no denying what he said. He wasn’t that good of an actor and there was no reason why he would lie about it. If he hadn’t sent me the text, then who did?

  “I got a text from your phone that said you wanted to meet. I am here now and I don’t see anyone.”

  “You need to get out of there right now David. You are being set up. That is the only thing that makes sense because I didn’t text you anything.”

  I kind of grinned and took another look around me. It was my luck that I was in a city for less than a week and I was already making enemies. It never took me long to do that. It
was one of my talents, but this time I didn’t know who it was or why. That was what bothered me the most. I should at least know why I was getting set up and in what way.

  “Alright, I was just calling to see if you were coming. I am guessing that you are not, so I will see what this is about.”

  “You should get out of there David, I am serious.”

  I shook my head no even though I knew he couldn’t see me. There was no way that I was backing down. I didn’t care what it was.

  Hanging up with Marcus, I lit a cigarette and looked around again. If I was being setup, there were taking their sweet time about it. My mind went through the people that I had been in contact with. Lucas came to mind, but that was quickly pushed to the side. He wouldn’t do something so underhanded. If he had a problem with me, I would know it was him because he would make sure that I did. This was someone that was shifty and another man came to the forefront of my mind. I didn’t know him either, but there was a feeling that I had gotten when I had seen Leo in the bar.

  Getting tired of waiting around, I wanted to see what was going on. I wasn’t the type to wait around for too long. I was better with action. I flicked the cigarette that I had smoked down halfway and walked towards the abandoned building. I didn’t have anything but my knife with me and it was another moment that I wished I was better prepared.

  The feeling that something was wrong made my body tense up. There was a fleeting thought that I was being an idiot for just walking in that place like I was, but I was going to keep on walking regardless. I wanted to face it head on. I wasn’t going to be afraid and cower in fear. One way or another, whatever this was, would end today and I would be able to go on about my business. Or not, it was always a chance in the lifestyle that I lived.

  “Hello?”

  It was corny, something that everyone said in a horror film before they were jumped. I didn’t know why I was thinking something else would happen. As soon as I opened the door and said something, I was hit from behind. The place had been dark and even though I fought the first guy that had made the first hit, he was not alone.

  There was no clue as to who they were and why they were attacking me. I didn’t give anyone a chance to give me answers and I wasn’t given much of a chance to ask any. It happened so fast. I was just overwhelmed and blackness came long before any answers did. I couldn’t help thinking, what was it even about?

  The last thing to go was my hearing and I heard a few muffled words from above. I couldn’t see their faces, just a dim sound that I had to strain to hear.

  “Do you think that is enough?”

  “Look at him? Steve didn’t say to kill him.”

  “Don’t say his name.”

  “That guy isn’t even in with it. He is out cold.”

  “Don’t say his name. You are going to fuck everything up. I want my money.”

  Chapter 9

  Carol

  “What is going on Steve?”

  I woke up from what felt like a dream. I remembered arguing with Steve and him leaving. What I didn’t understand was why I was with him now and why nothing looked familiar. My brain felt foggy and it was hard to think. Had I been drinking last night?

  “You don’t remember?”

  I shook my head that I didn’t. I was still laying down, trying to figure out where I was. The pounding in my head stopped me from sitting up. I had tried that once and the groan that I had let out was what had brought Steve to me in the first place.

  “No, I don’t. I remember that we went for dinner and then for a ride. Then you came over to the house for a bit and then you left.” I didn’t want to mention that it was because he was acting crazy and jealous for no reason. The man had fixated on David for some reason and I had tried to keep it from him so he wouldn’t start something. Now I wasn’t sure what had happened. The only thing I knew was that my mouth was dry and I needed something to drink.

  “Is there anything to drink?”

  He looked surprised, like it was a strange request that he hadn’t thought of. “Yes I will get you something to drink. I didn’t think about you being thirsty. Just give me a moment.”

  I tried to lift my head again while he was gone and I took in the room around me. It was small and it felt like we were kind of moving or swaying in a way. I was no closer to figuring out where I was and after a quick look down my body, it looked like everything was still in order. Then why did I have the throbbing in my head and the stiffness in the rest of my body.

  When I heard Steve coming back downstairs, I don’t know why, but something told me that I was supposed to be in bed. I didn’t have a reason to not trust him or the present situation, but I didn’t. I wondered what it was that we were doing here and where here was.

  “I got some water. There isn’t a lot to drink, though when you are feeling a bit better, I will bring you some soda. I made sure to get some of that kind that you like.”

  “Thank you Steve. Where are we?” It was the second time I had asked, but this time I really needed to know.

  “I thought after the week we have both had that it was time for us to have a little getaway. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

  It sounded about as nice as the face that held no emotions. Something was off and I didn’t like the way he was beating around the bush.

  “I can’t just take off of work. Neither can you.”

  “Well I have a little time that I was able to take off and I already called your work. They understood that it was needed, so they were fine with you taking some time off.”

  “You called my work?”

  I don’t know why out of everything that was going on that’s what really got me thinking. What in the world was he talking about and how could he think that calling my job was going to be a good thing? Didn’t he know that I would be mad? The last thing that I wanted to do was have my boyfriend calling in for me like I couldn’t call in for myself.

  “What do you mean that they understood it was needed?”

  He wasn’t answering my questions and I could feel my heart starting to beat faster in my chest. I could feel every last bit of anger inside of me well up.

  “How dare you call my work and tell them anything! What are we doing here? Answer me Steve!”

  The more my mind started to clear, the easier it was to see that I was not in a situation that I really wanted to be in. I was in a dangerous situation and most likely Steve was a lot more dangerous than I had first thought. The nice guy that I’d thought was like the man I was supposed to be with was smiling and sweet, but the meaning behind the grin was hard to ignore. This was not the man that I was dating anymore.

  “You sure do have a lot of questions Carol. Why don’t you get up and we will talk about it like civilized adults? I don’t want to talk to you like this when you are lying down. It feels weird.”

  “My head hurts and I don’t think that I can get up.”

  “Drink more water and it will help.”

  He seemed to know what was wrong with me, but something told me that I wasn’t supposed to know or bring up that fact that something was off. The way I was feeling I didn’t think that I should bring attention to it. Taking another drink of water, I tried to get up and he helped me with gentle hands. I was full of different emotions and I wasn’t sure what it was I was supposed to feel. Which one was right?

  “I can’t.”

  “Here, let me help you Carol. It’s going to be okay.”

  I didn’t believe that statement, but I did hope that getting up I would be able to see more. I would be able to see where I was or at least get a better idea of it.

  When I did sit up, it didn’t help anything. Wherever I was, there was nothing else around that made much noise, just a soft sound in the background. There were no windows to see out, just a salty smell in the air that threw me off a little. I was no closer to figuring out where I was and it was agitating to say the least.

  “So where are we Steve? I don’t recognize this place and this isn’t you
r apartment. I don’t even know how I got here to begin with. The last thing I remember was you leaving my house and me getting a glass of wine.”

  “Yes, I figured that you would need some wine. It is a bad habit you know.”

  I wasn’t going to agree or disagree. I just wanted to know what it was that I was doing here.

  “It may be, but I only remember having a half of a glass, so I don’t know how that would have made me be here without remembering. How did I get here?”

  My voice was starting to sound desperate and I hated it. I didn’t want to be afraid, but the longer he didn’t tell me what was going on, the worse it was. I could have sworn that he was being obtuse on purpose, like he liked my discomfort.

  “I brought you here. You looked stressed out and seemed like you needed a break.”

  “Where is here?”

  “On a boat.”

  The rocking started to make sense now. Before I had tried to figure out the few weird inconsistencies that didn’t seem to make sense, now there was too many to count. The lack of windows and the movement had given me some crazy ideas, though the fear I had of water made my current location no better. Steve and I had a talk once about fears. He had brought it up and I had mentioned water. I had other fears of course, but it was the only one that I had felt comfortable to share. Now I wished I had kept my mouth shut.

  “You know I can’t swim.”

  “I do, but it isn’t so bad in here, right? Besides it gives us all the time alone that we would ever want. There are no distractions, no friends that pop in at all hours of the night…”

  “Are you still on this?”

  “Yes, but I don’t want to talk about it now. Let’s get you settled in and then I figured that we could get some dinner. You have been sleeping for a while so you must be famished.”

  “How long was I asleep? What time is it?”

  He put his hand up to silence me and told me that I was just going to have to wait for all of the answers. “It has been a long day for both of us, so let’s just have a meal and get you up top. That will have you feeling right as rain in no time.”