by Bella Rose
He knew immediately that he had been right about Lena reading the journal. Her eyes widened when she saw what Stone carried. She obviously knew what was inside. Then her gaze locked with Rocko’s, and he had an image of everything that could have been. The compassion and fear for him on her face rocked him to his core. She bit her lip and then waved at the back door with her spatula.
“Stone, would you like some pancakes?” Lena gave the Judas of the Road Rashers a bright smile. “I’ve got plenty.”
Stone stared at her as though she’d grown another head. “Seriously?”
“Sure!” Lena shoveled pancakes onto a plate and put them down beside Officer Barker. “You go ahead and eat while Officer Barker reads that thing you’ve brought him.”
Both the policemen and Stone were now engrossed in food and the dirt contained in the notebook. Rocko couldn’t look away as Officer Barker began to thumb through the journal. Finally Rocko turned back to Lena.
Just. Go. She mouthed the words and pointed to the door.
He didn’t have to be told twice. If Barker had been looking for the answer to how Rocko’s mother had disappeared, he had just found it in Rocko’s own confession. There was no doubt in Rocko’s mind that the policeman would use everything in that book to send Rocko and his father to jail.
***
There were so many things that Lena needed to say to Rocko in that moment. Unfortunately, she couldn’t say anything at all. She could only make an attempt to pack as much of what she was feeling into one single glance.
He got it. Or he got some of it. She was almost sure, because of the look she got in return. Or perhaps that was his apprehension. She had no idea. She only knew that her heart hammered fiercely against her ribs when Rocko strode toward the back door of the trailer and simply walked out.
“Hey.” Officer Barker glanced up from his reading. “Where is he going?”
“Probably to check on the dog,” Lena said airily. “You know how it is. We need to make sure that silly critter isn’t trying to eat the neighborhood children.”
“There’s no neighborhood children here, you stupid twit,” Stone spat at her. His eyebrows were drawn together in anger. “Where is he going?”
Lena raised her eyebrows and tried not to look scared out of her mind. Surely Stone wouldn’t attack her with a cop sitting right at the counter? “I don’t know where he’s going. I assume he’ll be back shortly. It’s not like the two of you were including him in whatever you’re doing.”
“Have you ever seen this before?” Officer Barker waved the notebook in her face.
“No,” she lied. “Why? What’s inside it?”
“Rocko is confessing to his mother’s murder!” Barker howled the words in obvious triumph. “I knew it!”
“How do you know that’s even his?” She kept her tone conversational. “I mean, Stone brought it in here. What if it’s his?”
Barker’s eyebrows drew together. “Good point.”
“It’s got Rocko’s name in it!” Stone snatched the notebook away and flipped to the end. “He signed the damn thing. See?”
“Have you compared that to his actual handwriting?” Lena wondered. “It could still be a fake. That happens on TV all the time!”
“Arrest him!” Stone howled. “Then ask the bastard. Put some pressure on him.” He pointed at Lena. “Threaten that bitch, and he’ll sing like a fucking canary!”
Officer Barker’s eyebrows drew down into a frown. “You need to change your tone, boy.”
“Boy?” Stone swung around and stopped glaring at Lena long enough to stare daggers at Officer Barker. “You better watch your damn mouth. You’re in Rasher territory out here! We can kill you dead and bury you in the desert and nobody will ever know you’re gone!”
“I’m a lawman!” Barker shouted. “You can’t threaten me like that and get away with it!” Barker grabbed the radio pinned to his shoulder and started yammering about perpetrators, suspects, and something about negligent homicide.
Lena’s gut twisted in horror. “Sir, what are you going to do?”
“For starters, I’m going to arrest this one.” Barker snatched at Stone’s shoulder and spun the man around. He had Stone in handcuffs before the man could even protest. “Then I’m putting out an APB for Rocko Trapp. Looks like that man is as much of a criminal as I always suspected. Don’t worry. We’ll get him and make sure he and his father pay the price for his mother’s death.”
Lena had to bite her tongue. She could not let on that she had read that journal. She didn’t have time or energy for some bullshit investigation that should never happen. Rocko had been a kid back then! His father was the responsible one. His father should have protected Rocko. Instead the man had put his son in harm’s way and then forced him to help when things went south.
Not unlike what Chester does to me.
She froze at the counter in that little trailer and realized the point that Rocko had been trying to make since that first day back at Chester’s shop. Not that she hadn’t already had a sinking feeling that Rocko had been right all along. It had just never seemed so stark before now.
She was never going to go anywhere in life. Not with her father hanging around her neck like a weight. She had been carrying Chester for so long now that she had forgotten what it was like not to. Rocko’s situation was so much worse than hers. He had worked hard to put it behind him. Why would she not do the same?
“Girl,” the officer barked at Lena. “You’re coming with me. I’ll take you home. You don’t need to be out here with these hooligans! This asshole here is going to make bail in no time, and you don’t need to be here when he does.”
If the look on Stone’s face was anything to go on, Officer Barker was right. Lena gave the policeman a nod and then shuffled into the bedroom to pack her things. It didn’t take long. She spent more time staring at that bed where she and Rocko had recently enjoyed each other for so many hours. It seemed impossible that it had only been a few days. She had aged a century or more since then.
“Come on!” Officer Barker was sounding just a little nervous. “We need to get out of here before the Rashers decide to come and make trouble. My backup’s on its way, but it might take awhile.” He murmured the last part as if afraid someone outside the paper thin trailer walls might overhear.
Lena hustled out of the trailer on Barker’s heels. He was pushing Stone along in front of him. It felt like a scene from a movie. There were no other people present, but Lena could feel every single eye on them. The little group of trailers was like a powder keg. One word from Stone and the whole thing might go off.
“You wait,” Stone told Barker. “I’ll be out of there in no time and then this place and the Rashers are mine! Rocko Trapp was a weak fuck that lost his head over a woman. The Rashers will never follow him again. But when I come back, all hell is going to break loose. You just wait and see!”
Chapter Fifteen
Lena paced back and forth behind the cash register counter in Chester’s shop. She hadn’t been able to sit still since Officer Barker had dropped her off nearly thirty minutes before. Her mind kept playing back the last time she had seen Rocko. His expression had held such regret.
“What are you upset about?” Chester demanded. “You should be thrilled! You got off with three days instead of thirty. Plus, you said you got the debt forgiven. Right? It’s a win-win situation here!”
She shut her eyes and squeezed them tightly. To say that her father had not been glad to see her was a massive understatement. He had been more worried about that debt than why she was back after only a few days.
Had it been only a few days? It felt like a lifetime. Lena stared out the window at the gravel parking lot and the cracked two lane highway beyond. How many times had she stood here and worried about the shop, or about her father, or about how they were going to make the bills? No matter how much drama and upheaval Rocko had caused by taking her up on her stupid deal, he had shown her that there was another
way to live.
“Lena?” Chester shoved at her shoulder. “Lena. I’m hungry. You think we could go celebrate at the diner in town?”
She turned and stared at him. Cocking her head to one side, she eyed his hopeful expression. Who was the freaking parent here anyway?
“Do you have any money?” she asked her father.
Chester actually looked pouty. “I was thinking that Rocko might have given you some.”
“Oh.” Lena nodded. “And if I have money, then I should be willing to take you out to eat to celebrate the fact that I got your debt wiped away by giving myself to your landlord?”
His mouth popped open then closed soundlessly like a fish. His eyebrows drew together, and she could see that he was gearing up for a tantrum. “Where do you get off disrespecting me like that? I’m your father!”
“Really?” Lena asked sweetly. “Then why don’t you act like it? I’m your daughter, so you should be buying me clothes, paying me a salary, and helping me go to school so I can better myself. You ready for that, Chester?”
Her father sputtered, looking both shocked and maybe a little horrified. “That’s not how that works, young lady! You’re my daughter. I put a roof over your head.”
“No. I do that.” She narrowed her gaze at him. “I pay the rent. You gamble it away. I love you, Dad. I really do. But I don’t want to be here standing behind this counter for the rest of my life just praying to God that you haven’t gambled away the last of our food money for the month.”
His mouth popped open. “I... You...”
“I’m sorry Dad. I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m just trying to make you see that you’ve been hurting me.”
Oh God. Chester was crying. Lena didn’t know what to do. The stooped old man grabbed her in a huge hug and started blubbering about changing and going to Gamblers’ Anonymous meetings. Lena realized she had a hard time believing any of it. Gambling was a serious disease. But she huddled in her father’s embrace and wished like hell that what he was saying was true.
“Lena?”
She looked up. She hadn’t even heard the door. Rocko Trapp was standing in their shop with a strange expression on his face.
Chester whirled around and swiped at his eyes. Then he spotted Rocko and got an ugly look on his face. “You get out! Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”
Rocko raised his dark brows in surprise, but said nothing in return.
Lena didn’t have to think twice about her reaction to this surprise visit. She ran right to Rocko. He opened his arms, and she eagerly embraced him. She wound her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his muscular chest. He smelled so good. She’d worried that she would never see him again. And now she was still worried about why he had come back.
“Rocko?” She gazed up at him. “You can’t be here!”
“I came for you.” He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Will you come with me? I want to share my life with you. I have no idea what that will mean. But I know that I want you with me. I’ve got some money stashed away. We’ll get by.”
Funny, but she didn’t even have to think twice. “Yes.”
“No!” Chester shouted. He sounded panicky. “You can’t take my daughter again.”
Rocko eyed him. “I’m going to give you one last chance to clean yourself up, Chester. This building is mine, not the Rashers’. You can have your shop here and not pay any rent. See if you can clean yourself up. If you can, I’ll make sure that Lena and I come back to visit. If you screw this up, your daughter is going to be lost to you. I’m done letting you take advantage of her giving nature. Got it?”
Lena saw her father’s gaping look of shock and wasn’t surprised when he immediately bobbed his head in agreement. It hurt a little that he would so eagerly accept a deal that separated them, and yet she knew in her heart that this was the right choice.
The little bell over the front door jangled. “Well, isn’t this the sweetest family reunion ever?” Stone cackled as he strode inside the shop. “I hope you all don’t mind if I crash, but I need to finish off what Rocko here couldn’t.”
***
Rocko felt a shot of relief when he realized that Stone was alone. That meant he hadn’t been back out to the property to try and assume control of the Rashers. Rocko didn’t begrudge Stone this position. He just didn’t want the other gang members getting caught in the middle.
“Stone,” Rocko spoke quietly. He raised his hands and carefully put his body between Lena and Stone. “If you want to lead the Rashers, I’m not going to stop you. I’m leaving. That’s what you wanted. Right?”
“You got no idea what I want!” Stone fumed. He pulled a gun and waved it at Chester. “You let this old man get away with stealing six thousand bucks from us! That’s Rasher money! You can’t do that and think you’re going to get away with it.”
“Stone, this place isn’t Rasher property.” Rocko had a feeling that Stone was way beyond listening to sense. “This building is mine. It was mine before I was a Rasher, and it will still be mine when I leave town. It belonged to my mother’s family.”
“A mother you murdered!” Stone’s laugh was grating. “Is that why you murdered her, Rocko? You wanted the money from this place? I say this place belongs to the Rashers.”
“You have the casino and the bar.” Rocko started inching closer to the deranged man. “Are you doing meth again? You know that stuff will kill you.”
Stone’s expression turned deadly. “Don’t you tell me what I can do and what I can’t. You’re just afraid of me because you’re a damn coward!”
Rocko knew that Stone was unpredictable when he was using, but he was still completely unprepared for the charging bull that knocked him off his feet and threw him into a shelving unit full of oil filters. The contents of the shelf crashed to the floor along with Stone and Rocko.
They grappled on the floor like animals. Rocko shoved with all of his strength, but Stone was deadly strong—chemically strong. He grabbed Rocko by the neck and started pounding on his face. Rocko planted the soles of his boots flat on the ground. He bridged up and wrenched his body out from underneath Stone’s.
Rocko rolled to the side. He struck out with his foot, catching Stone in the face. The man’s head rocked back on his neck, but still he kept coming like some psychotic cyborg. Blood poured from Stone’s mouth. Rocko could feel blood on his own face as well.
Then Stone scrabbled to find the gun that he had dropped. He gained his feet and aimed the weapon at Rocko. Rocko lunged at him, trying to knock it away. The first shot went wild. It pinged against a support pole before going through the ceiling. Lena’s agonized scream gave Rocko new strength. He grabbed Stone’s hand and tried to force him to drop the gun.
Then the sound of a pump action shotgun made both Rocko and Stone freeze.
“Drop the gun, Stone!” Chester shouted.
Stone’s face twisted into an ugly expression of hate. “You don’t have the balls, old man.”
“You don’t know shit.” Chester squeezed the trigger, and the big twelve gauge boomed.
Rocko dove sideways but still got peppered in the side with birdshot. What he got was nothing compared to Stone, though. The man’s high-pitched squeals of pain nearly shattered Rocko’s ear drums. Then he heard the pump action once again. Rocko lay on the ground and covered his head as Chester emptied the second shot into Stone.
“Rocko!” Lena cried out.
Seconds later she was on her knees beside Rocko. He levered himself off the ground and gathered her into his arms. It felt all kinds of good to hold her close. The two of them gazed down at the bloody mess that had once been Stone. Then Rocko looked at Chester. He certainly hadn’t expected help to come from that quarter.
“You two go,” Chester told them tersely. “Hear them sirens? The cops will be here soon!”
Lena bit her lip. “What will you tell them?”
“I’ll tell them I blew this bastard away because he was threatening me with
a gun.” Chester waved his hand. “Barker won’t touch me. He knows I’m an old gambling drunk. These Rashers have been bothering me for a good long while. Stone just let it get out of hand.”
Rocko inhaled a deep breath. “And when they ask about me?”
“I’ll tell ‘em you and my daughter run off before Stone even got here.” Chester assured them. “Now go!”
Lena was crying. Rocko realized that her father had finally done something to protect her. It meant a lot even if the old man was determined to make light of it. Rocko put out a hand, and Chester took it.
“Thank you,” Rocko told him. “I’ll take good care of her.”
“I know that,” Chester snorted. “Lena will make you.”
Lena wrapped her arms around her father. “I love you, Dad.”
“Go on. You wanted another future, right?” Chester made a vague gesture at Rocko. “There it is.”
Rocko grabbed Lena’s hand and headed for the back door with her hustling along behind. “Do you need anything?” he asked once they were outside.
“No.” She smiled at him. “The only thing I want is right here. Everything else is replaceable.”
“Are you sure?” Rocko threw a leg over his bike. “I have a little money, and I have an old friend near Lake Tahoe. He’ll give me a job, but it’s not going to be the lap of luxury.”
“I don’t want luxury.” She settled on his bike behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle. “I just want you. It’s all I will ever need. I want your love, and I want to love you back.”
He gently pressed his hand over hers where they rested on his belly. “You’ve got all of me, Lena. You’re the only one who ever has.”
He started his bike and pulled out onto the dirt road that went around the backside of town. They would take the highway a few miles down from all of the drama going on out in front of Chester’s shop. He’d given them the gift of a diversion. It was time that they used it to start the next chapter in their lives.
