by Skye Darrel
“You’re getting me wet again!”
“Am I?”
I shove him off with a giggle. “Behave.”
“As you command, Princess.”
After an hour of wrangling, we’re both super late but manage to get dressed and downstairs to the bar where Juno is talking with her cook Rene. The two of them look us over and share a smirk with each other. Rene whispers something in Juno’s ear that makes her laugh as he strolls into the kitchen.
“Real shame you two shacked up,” Juno says to me. “Rene called you cute, hon.”
“He what?” Asher says.
“Relax, big man, he gave our city girl a friendly compliment. Rene only likes men.”
“He’d better.”
“Are you jealous?” I ask Asher in a teasing voice.
“I’m insanely jealous. You have no idea.”
He kisses me right in front of Juno, and even she’s surprised by this sudden display. Then she laughs and tells us to get a room.
Amazing how natural it all feels. Like I’ve been friends with Juno for years, and Asher—well, we’ll work on that. This town feels more and more like home.
While Juno questions me in a motherly tone if he was a gentleman last night, the front doors to Goldilocks open.
Cora strolls in with a grin, chewing gum as usual, with Eli Quinton at her side. My stomach tumbles.
Eli, the son of Titus, still looks as I remember from the ice cream parlor. A skinny boy with moppy hair. His eyes hold none of the cruelty I’d seen in the eyes of Titus.
Judging by the panic on Eli’s face, I guess the boy remembers me too, but I wonder if he knows what his dad did to my hair, the involuntary cut and that nasty knife. I wonder if he knows about the dead fox.
Cora looks alarmed. She wouldn’t have expected to see me since I’m usually out of Goldilocks at this hour. She certainly wasn’t expecting Asher.
“Hi Mom,” she says nervously.
Juno doesn’t seem to recognize Eli.
Asher does. He lunges forward and grabs Eli by his collar, and the boy hangs there limply like a ragdoll without resisting.
“Let him go!” Cora yells, holding her boyfriend by the shoulders.
Juno is bewildered. “What are you doing, Asher?”
“You know who this is?” he says in a deadly voice.
“One of Cora’s friends,” Juno says. “I’ve seen him at Goldilocks before.”
“You know his name?”
Juno shakes her head slowly.
“His name is Eli,” I say in a tiny voice. “He’s Cora’s boyfriend, they’ve been dating for a year. Eli’s dad is Titus Quinton.”
Every eye in the room turns my way. As Cora glares at me, I tell Juno and Asher what happened all those weeks ago at the ice cream parlor. “Sorry,” I finish. “I should’ve told you sooner.”
Juno rubs her eyes.
“Not your fault, Natalie,” Asher says. “You didn’t know what kind of garbage we were dealing with. Now you know.”
Eli’s mouth quivers.
“Let go of him!” Cora shouts.
“I’m protecting you,” Asher tells her in a gentle voice.
“Eli is nothing like his dad!” Cora says. “I love him!”
I put a hand on Asher’s arm. “Put him down please.”
Asher’s fisted hands unwind from Eli’s shirt, and the boy stumbles back with Cora hugging him close.
“He’s only a kid,” I say.
Asher shakes his head. “When I went to Resnik’s casino, I saw that kid talking with Titus by the slot machines. I didn’t know who the hell he was—until now.”
17
Love or Revenge
Asher
That scrawny boy can’t be older than eighteen. He’s still clinging to Cora. It’s him, all right. I remember Eli from my visit to the casino last week. When Titus came toward me, the kid stepped aside to watch. He ran away after the fighting started.
“Are you sure he was at the casino?” Natalie says.
“Positive. I don’t forget faces.”
I’m watching this so-called kid who can’t look me in the eye.
He knows who I am, which means Titus must’ve told him, which means Eli is not some innocent bystander who just happens to be dating Cora. Titus could be using him as a spy for I all know.
I don’t like how lovestruck Cora looks. Her hand is flat on his chest like she wants to shield him from me.
I get in Eli’s face. “Say it. I want to hear you say it.”
“Titus Quinton is my dad,” he mumbles.
Natalie sighs.
Juno’s face goes even paler than the boy’s.
I cannot believe Eli is the son of that sadistic monster who threatened Natalie, but the more I look, the more I notice the resemblance. Junior has the same lanky build as Titus, the same narrow face with the long-ass hair, except no cowboy hat or knife.
But I have to admit, Junior lacks the vicious eyes.
It doesn’t mean he’s not his father’s son.
“Asher what’s your problem?” Cora says. “So what, his dad works at the casino. Eli goes there sometimes, his dad makes him.”
“What do you mean, makes him?”
Eli speaks up. “I don’t have a choice, Mr. Wade. He forces me to go.”
“Your old man grooming you to take over the family business of being a sadistic piece of shit?”
Natalie grabs my arm. “Asher.”
Her voice calms me some, the only thing that can calm my anger right now.
“Leave him alone,” Cora says. She steps between Eli and me. “You don’t know anything about him!”
And Cora doesn’t know Titus cut off a lock of Natalie’s hair.
Cora doesn’t know what happened to Pris.
Juno and I never told her the truth about Resnik or his casino because we wanted to safeguard her childhood, have her feel safe in her hometown. Perhaps we were wrong. Children have to grow up eventually.
Juno pries Cora away by the shoulders. “Get the boy out of here,” she tells me. “I’ll explain to my daughter.”
I nod, and Juno practically drags Cora into her office behind the bar. I don’t fault Cora. She’s only sixteen, but no way will I let the spawn of Titus Quinton anywhere near her.
“I don’t have anything to do with the casino, sir,” Eli says sheepishly. “I’d never hurt Cora, I’m not like my father.”
“It’s in your best interest to shut up.”
Natalie touches my elbow. “Take it easy,” she whispers.
“His old man put a dead fox in your car, Natalie. He ran you down on the road and damn near killed you.” I touch the ends of her hair, which she wears loose now. “Remember this?”
“Titus did that, not him.”
“Eli knows, don’t you?” I say to him.
“Dad told me,” he stammers. “But I’ve never done any work for the casino, Mr. Wade. I swear.” He looks ready to faint. “I’m sorry, Ms. Whipple.”
Natalie nods like she believes him.
I’m frustrated, but a nagging voice in my head says she also took a chance on me when we met. What if she’s right about Eli too? Perhaps she is right, but I can’t risk it.
“How old are you?” I ask Eli.
“Seventeen. I’ll be a senior at Salma High in the fall.”
Un-fucking-believable. “You know you have to be eighteen to step inside a casino?”
“My dad doesn’t care about laws. Neither does Mr. Resnik, but you probably knew that already.”
“Don’t try to cozy up to me.” I point at the door. “Get out. Stay away from Cora.”
“But—”
“Leave. Now. Before I change my mind and call Chief Dunkel.”
Head down, Eli turns around and walks out. Good fucking riddance. If the son of my enemy won’t stand up for himself, I sure the hell won’t spare him any benefit of the doubt.
“You didn’t have to be that harsh,” Natalie says quietly. “He’s just a
boy—”
“I’ve seen what boys can do in Afghanistan. A bullet from a boy is no different than a bullet from a man.”
“We’re not in Afghanistan!”
I hold her hand, trying to make her see how dangerous the situation is. “Eli’s father is Resnik’s top enforcer. Titus most likely had a hand in my sister’s death. Titus is demented. Remember my contact in the casino, Leon Costello? He told me all kinds of stories about how Titus treats the dancers there. Titus is a sick fuck, Natalie. Trust me.”
“None of that has anything to do with Eli.” She takes her hand away. “Eli could’ve helped you, Asher. You heard him, his dad tells him stuff.”
“I can’t trust a Quinton.”
Natalie shakes her head. “We should talk to Cora.”
I agree.
We walk into Juno’s office, where mother and daughter are arguing. Cora’s cheeks are wet with tears. I inform them that Eli has left and won’t be returning.
“Thank you,” Juno says. “I told Cora what Eli’s father did to Natalie.”
“His father,” Cora says, her voice breaking. “My boyfriend didn’t do anything wrong. You don’t know him like I do, okay? He’s the sweetest guy you could ever meet, he wouldn’t harm a bug. He hates his father! He tells me all the time how he’ll move out the day he graduates and I’m going with him!”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Juno says sternly.
“Watch me!” Cora yells. She swings her eyes to Natalie. “Nat, please, can you talk to my mom? Why was Titus trying to scare you off anyway?”
Natalie gives me a helpless look.
I walk over to the sixteen-year-old bawling her eyes out and put my hands on her trembling shoulders. “Do you remember what happened to Aunt Pris?”
Cora falls silent for a while. I hand her a tissue.
“Pris drowned in the river,” she whispers. “Killed herself.”
I glance at Juno, who nods with permission.
It’s time we told this girl the truth. “Verne Resnik murdered Pris,” I say. “It was no suicide, no accident. He murdered Priscilla and covered it up.”
Cora shakes her head furiously. “That’s not what you told me before, that’s not what Mom—”
“We were trying to protect you. We didn’t want you to live in fear.” I pause, and it takes everything I have to continue. “Verne Resnik’s casino is more than a casino. There are drugs there. Prostitution too. My sister found out and that’s why she ended her engagement with Resnik. Verne needed to silence her, so he killed her. Titus works for Resnik. They’re together, Cora. Bad men. I’ve been investigating them in secret ever since I came home. They were starting to suspect. When Natalie came to town, they thought she was helping me and wanted to scare her off. They are dangerous men, Cora. Murderers. Rapists. Do you understand now?”
I’m sick to my stomach telling her this, but there’s no other way. Cora’s a spirited girl, and if she’s not convinced, really convinced, then she’ll go back to Eli. Even if that kid isn’t involved with anything, it would only be a matter of time before she ran afoul of Titus or Resnik.
Cora sniffles, biting back more tears, but she seems to accept the truth.
Juno gives me a thankful smile. She hugs her daughter as I leave the office, followed by Natalie.
We return to the bar and I’ve never felt more weary. Minutes later, Juno joins us.
“How is she?” Natalie says.
Juno pours herself a shot of Jack. “Heartbroken.”
“Better a broken heart that still beats,” I say.
Natalie looks at me sideways.
Juno Newlin seems uneasy. She’s always had a big heart, generous with her trust and giving out second chances. “Are you sure Eli is dangerous?”
“No,” I say. “He could very well be a nice kid. But are you willing to bet your daughter’s life on that?” I can’t keep the anger out of my voice.
Juno downs another shot before putting the bottle away. “You’re right.”
“What about Cora?” Natalie blurts out. “What about what she wants? She was crying in there.”
Nothing I can say to that.
I take her hand. “We’d better get back to my place. You have a house to sell.”
She nods glumly.
“I’ll keep an eye on Cora,” Juno says.
Natalie parks her Beetle in the driveway while I park my Mustang at the curb and climb out. She walks over to me, that messenger bag slung across her shoulder.
My girl looks upset and I put my hands on her waist.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
“It’s the way you acted at Goldilocks.”
“How I acted?”
“I don’t know, Asher. Do you believe in love? The kind of love you’d be willing to give up everything for?”
“Yes,” I say after a moment.
“Maybe Eli does too. I know Cora. She’s a smart girl, she wouldn’t fall for a bad boy.”
“Doll face, haven’t you heard about the appeal of bad boys?”
She frowns. “Talking about yourself or Eli?”
I touch her chin, forcing myself to smile. “You’re an artist, a romantic, that’s one of the things I love about you, but I can’t afford to think the way you do. Not with Cora. I can’t take the risk.”
“I’m not a romantic.”
I smile, genuinely this time. “You took a chance on me, didn’t you? What normal woman would do that? Remember how my lawn looked before you fixed it? I was a goddamn lunatic.”
“You were pretending to be a goddamn lunatic.”
I kiss her with hunger, sucking her tongue into my mouth. I get hard with her taste before I lean back. “Yes. I was pretending. You were lucky and so was I, because you’re the best thing that ever happened to me all my life. But that doesn’t mean Cora will get lucky. My sister wasn’t so lucky.”
Natalie presses her lips together, and I kiss her again.
“You’re good at sweet talking,” she whispers.
“Go sell Gatsby’s house. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Where are you going?”
“Talk with Leon Costello, find out what Resnik is up to.”
“Be careful.”
“I will. If you see Resnik’s people coming up the road, hide. Call me. I’ll have Chief Dunkel keep an eye on this road.”
She rolls her eyes. “I can take care of myself.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I say.
“Can I borrow the tools from your shed? Gatsby’s hedges could use a trim.”
“I gave you the key to my house, what’s mine is yours. But keep an eye on Hansel. He chases after everything under the sun when he’s outside.”
“I’m not your dog sitter, Asher.”
“Hansel loves you too.”
“Because he’s a good dog,” she says with a pout.
I chuckle. “Yeah he is.”
Her small hands are warm in mine. Her eyes pour into me. “What do you plan to do with Resnik when you find your evidence?”
“Justice,” I say.
“Don’t give me that,” she says sharply. “What do you really plan to do? Tell me the truth.”
I squeeze her fingers. “You don’t want to know.”
“Yes. I do. Don’t keep secrets from me. Ever.”
Natalie’s fragile tone makes my chest ache.
I’ll never lie to her. “Once I have my evidence, once I know beyond any doubt Resnik murdered Pris, I will kill him. I will kill anyone who helped him, and that includes Titus.”
She flinches. “That’s not justice.”
“What do you call it then?”
“Revenge.”
“Same thing.”
“No,” she says. “It’s not.”
“Natalie, the law is enforced by violence. Why do you think police carry guns? Why do we have an army? Violence is the oldest law. That’s the only law guys like Resnik understand.”
“The only law you understand?”
“Baby girl, don’t fight me.”
“I’m not fighting. I’m asking you to reconsider.” Her voice breaks, and she looks away. “How can I spend my life with a killer?”
“I was a soldier, you know that.”
“You’re not a soldier anymore. I’m asking you to reconsider. Do it for me. I gave myself to you, Asher. That should mean something.”
I run my thumbs over her eyebrows. I press my mouth to hers and when I pull back, she’s breathless. “Right now I’m only looking for evidence,” I say. “I love you and I’m asking you to trust me. This is for you as much as my sister. Don’t forget Resnik and Titus consider you fair game now, and I’ll be goddamned before I let them touch another hair on your head.”
She nods with a sigh. “Okay.”
“Be back soon,” I promise.
Natalie looks on as I get into my Mustang. I slam the gas before I lose control and spend the whole day kissing her sweet mouth. The sight of her receding in the rearview mirror, holding that pink bag, makes my heart heavy, but I force myself to look ahead.
18
Lucky Cherries
Asher
I stop my Mustang at the outlook outside town. By day, the view is breathtaking, wooded hills as far as the eye can see, flowing away into a hazy horizon under a hot July sky. But I didn’t come here for the view.
Leon Costello doesn’t answer his phone after my second try. Understandable. I’ve only asked to meet at night. Then I send him a text, which he’s always answered. Still no answer.
I call him a third time.
“Good afternoon, Asher. I missed you.”
Not Leon’s voice.
My blood goes cold. “Resnik.”
“I’ll be brief,” he says. “Mr. Costello is no longer with us. My security staff interviewed each of my employees after your little incursion. They learned he’s been passing you confidential information concerning Lucky Cherries LLC, therefore breaching his nondisclosure agreement, a document every employee signs at Lucky Cherries.”
“NDAs don’t cover illegal shit, Verne.”
“I have no idea what you mean, Asher. If you are referring to what Costello told you, he’s no more than a disgruntled employee attempting to slander me.”
