“It was just a nightmare,” I tried to assure her.
“I know.” She held her hand up to stop me. “I know, Ethan, just please let me forget it.” We sat in silence. I wanted her to know it was okay but somehow I couldn’t bring myself to speak as she stared down at her fingers absently. The phone rang and I nearly jumped from my seat as the sound bounced off of the walls and broke our silence. Robert patted her knee gently as he stood and quieted its incessant ringing.
“Marcus?” he began. My eyes never left Cordillia as he spoke quietly into the phone, stopping every so often to simply listen. “My son is coming with your truck.” I looked up quickly, confused as Robert stood over me with a smile. I hadn’t heard him hang up the phone let alone walk over to me but I shook it off and nodded at him as he moved to take his seat once again.
“Some of my friends and family will be coming here tonight. Do you remember the way from town?” he asked as he adjusted himself.
“I think so.” I smirked.
“That’s okay, Marcus can show you.” He smiled over at me. “I’ll have him show you where to get cleaned up and rest. Tonight at sunset you will come back here.” He added as though we had no choice. “It’ll be fun, I promise.” It was starting to become unnerving how he seemed to be able to tell just what I was thinking.
“Food?” Cordillia asked with a smile.
“I plan on roasting a deer.” She shot back happily and grinned.
“Never had it.” She shook her head with a smile.
“Then you’re in for a treat young lady.” It wasn’t until I listened to the two of them that I realized just how hungry I was.
We passed the rest of the time getting to know our new friend. Cordillia asked most of the questions and I just listened happily as he spilled the details of his life story at her feet. He told us that he came from a long line of medicine men and that his family had lived on this stretch of land for over a hundred years.
“Have you seen anything like this before?” I asked, motioning toward Cordillia. Solemnly he nodded and leaned back into his chair.
“Once when I was a child.” He began with a deep breath. “A boy named Mason, he was about sixteen and one afternoon he and his father went hunting in the woods when they were attacked by a large creature, at least that’s how he told it.”
“What happened to him?” Cordillia asked quietly.
“He walked back into town and my father found him crawling up the front steps of this cabin.” He motioned toward the door. “My father brought him in and fixed him up with the same salve I used to cure you.” He smiled at Cordillia.
“So he lived.”
“In a way.” Robert nodded. “His body healed but his mind was never the same.”
“What do you mean? He went crazy?”
“Even the strongest of minds can have a hard time accepting dark truths.” He nodded. “He spent the rest of his short life paranoid and almost never left his home. He grew dependent on his sister and his mother to take care of him until one day he put an end to it.”
“He killed himself.” Robert nodded. “But why?” Cordillia sat at the edge of her seat as Robert shrugged slightly.
“He didn’t leave a note or tell anyone why but in a way I think his family was relived. In some small way death was a release for him.” A shared sense of understanding filled the room as the deep rumble of my truck’s engine shook the floor and brought a smile to my lips. We helped Cordillia off of the couch and she leaned against me as we followed Robert outside to greet his son.
It was a short visit as Marcus jotted down some instructions on a piece of paper and handed them to me.
“There is a small casino in the heart of town, they have a hotel so you can clean up and get some rest there if you need to.” I nodded gratefully. “I’d take you there myself but I’m on my lunch break.” He smiled.
“No problem.” I turned toward Robert and offered him my hand as Marcus helped Cordillia into the truck. “Thanks man.” He took my hand in his and smiled sweetly.
“I’m glad I could help, you think about what I told you.”
“I will.” His face darkened and became serious as he pulled me closer to him.
“When the time comes for you to make a choice remember who you are not who they want you to be.” I pulled away and looked up at him in confusion.
“What does that mean?”
“Just the ramblings of an old man.” He smiled as if nothing had happened. I said my goodbyes and climbed into my truck, my thoughts dancing wildly as I started the engine and pulled out of the driveway.
“What did he say to you?” Cordillia asked as I made my way down the narrow dusty road.
“He just told me to look out for you,” I lied. She nodded slightly and rested her head against the window, closing her eyes as we pulled out of the woods and onto the deserted main street of town.
Chapter Eight
As we drove through the nearly deserted main streets of town one thing stood out more than anything else about the tiny reservation. They weren’t used to visitors. People stopped and stared as we drove past the short line of shops and well-kept houses, in a town this small it wasn’t surprising that an outsider would be so easily recognized or something of interest for that matter. At least I hoped that that was all there was to the eyes that followed my truck as we flew by.
Cordillia seemed to love it but the undo attention made me just a little more than nervous. Robert had said that this reserve didn’t get a whole lot of visitors these days, with the Hopi tribe having a bigger casino and a small museum there wasn’t much of a reason to come here anymore. But the way he spoke, I couldn’t help but feel that they liked it that way.
After a short while, we finally came to a large flashy building at the end of a small parking lot. There were a few cars parked outside, nothing to be excited about but somehow the building itself seemed so out of place. A large white structure cast its shadow over us as I pulled into a spot and cut off the engine. Painted with bright reds and gold trimming it did little to blend in with the thick line of woods that surrounded it. As I climbed out of the cab, I noticed something moving out of the corner of my eye, a deer lifted her head from a small patch of grass. Her eyes focused on me as her ears twitched and moved from even the slightest of sounds.
I heard Cordillia faintly, climbing out of the truck and tiptoeing to my side as the creature returned to her meal.
“She’s beautiful,” Cordillia whispered as she came to a stop at my side. The creature perked up once again and shot into the woods as graceful as she was quick. Cordillia groaned as the doe disappeared from our sight and I couldn’t help but smirk as I turned to her.
“Go grab your bag.” I smiled as she pouted. With our bags in tow, I pulled open the glass front doors of the small casino, relishing slightly in the burst off cool air that hit me as I followed my sister inside.
“This place is massive,” she said as she looked around almost in awe. I chuckled lightly as we walked slowly across the red plush carpet into the massive front room. More people than I had expected were grumbling and throwing their money at machines and smiling dealers hoping to walk away rich and for a moment I wondered just how many of them ever actually accomplished there goal.
“Come on, baby, show me some love!” a bald man in a brown tweed suit cried with a smile over a game of craps. I watched for a moment as he tossed the dice. I could hear them clacking loudly as they rolled across the green felt table, bounced off the end and came to a stop. The small crowd groaned and the man’s face changed to despair as a tiny blond woman reached over and grabbed a handful of chips from the table with a sympathetic smile.
My attention changed quickly to a forlorn woman who sat hunched over a large loud slot machine. Religiously, she followed her pattern, her system without fault; slide a coin in, pull the handle, sigh and repeat. I almost felt sorry for her as I watched her failed attempts and it didn’t take long for me to see that she wasn’t the only on
e. Many faces watched in sadness as the pictures on their machines failed to line up and for a moment I was happy that gambling was never my vice.
“Can I help you, sir?” a chipper voice called to me, pulling me from my daze. I turned toward it and saw myself face to face with a young blond girl and her tired smile. Her hair was tied back in a bun and the makeup on her face had begun to smear, leaving her looking tired and worn out as she waited impatiently for me to answer her.
“Oh, yeah I was told there was a hotel here.” She nodded and flashed me a snotty look. “I just need to get a room for the night.”
“Okay.” She sighed as she turned and pointed me toward a large white desk near the bar. “You want to go over there and talk to Jackie, she’ll get you set up.”
“Thank you.” I smiled politely. She smiled back but it was far from sincere as she walked around us and returned to her work.
“She wasn’t very nice.” I turned to my sister, playfully punching her in the arm.
“Hey now be nice.”
“What?” She smirked as we walked slowly toward the bar. “She was a snot.”
“Do you ever not say exactly what you’re thinking?” I asked quietly as we passed by a cheering black jack table. She looked over it curiously before turning back to me.
“No.” She shook her head. “You always told me to be honest.”
“Okay well there is such a thing as too honest.” We stopped at the edge of the desk and I reached over to sound the bell as Cordillia lifted herself to get a better look.
“I know but the way I see it,” She dropped back onto her feet and turned to me. “if you find it acceptable to be a total bitch then don’t feel bad when someone calls you on it.” She looked up at me with a smile. “Just saying.”
“Okay,” I chuckled. “I guess I can see that.”
“Hello, sir, how can I help you?” an excruciatingly chipper voice rang from behind the thick sheet of glass. A dark haired woman stared up at me from her post with a flirtatious grin.
“We just need a room.” I rubbed the back of my neck as she looked to Cordillia and back to me. Her smile turned sour as she twisted her chair toward a small computer and began typing without giving either of us a second glance.
“Single or double?” She sighed heavily.
“Double.” Her grin returned and somehow she seemed brighter as she continued to type. I can’t say that the female attention was unwelcome, for the most part I didn’t really mind. But when you’re tired, hungry and in desperate need of a shower it can be a little tiresome. She continued typing faster than I had thought was humanly possible and looked back up at me.
“That will be eighty dollars up front please.” She smiled as she thrust her hand toward me. I reached for my wallet and pulled out what she wanted, smiling as she flashed Cordillia a nasty look and she stuck out her tongue in response.
“What are we like six?” I smiled as I handed the woman her money not breaking my gaze from my sister.
“She started it.” She smiled as she turned her back toward the glass and crossed her arms at her chest. I felt the attendants hand brush gently over mine as she took my cash, a little more contact than was needed for a simple money exchange and after another moment of her typing madly on her computer she handed me a receipt with a grin and a wink. “Could she be any more obvious?” Cordillia sneered as she looked behind her.
“Okay now stop it.”
“Stop what?” She smiled. “This lady is being weird.”
“Not that I don’t agree,” I smiled as I leaned in close to her. “But be nice.” Cordillia shrugged me off as the attendant’s voice rang over the loud speaker.
“Quinn to the front desk please, Quinn front desk.” She finished as she hung up the phone and looked up at me. “So what’s your name?” She asked as she twirled a lock of hair between her fingers.
“Ethan,” I responded quickly. Maybe if I sounded like I didn’t want to talk she would leave me alone. As per my usual luck it didn’t work.
“Is this your girlfriend?” she asked nodding in Cordillia’s direction. I looked over at Cordy as she eyed a row of slot machine on the other end of the room. I just shook my head and turned my back to the desk, leaning toward Cordillia and nudging her gently in the side.
“We can play before we leave,” I promised her.
“I’ll win,” she spoke absently.
“Is that a bet?” I grinned.
“No,” She smiled. “It’s a fact.” I couldn’t help but laugh as a small thin framed boy walked up to greet us. He shook my hand and without saying a word led us across the expansive room toward a large white staircase that had been painted to look like marble. Silently, I wished for an elevator as we climbed up three flights of stairs to what I assumed was the top floor and followed him down a narrow hallway. After a long bit of silence, he stopped at a large black door and slid a white key card down the lock.
We ducked inside the room and I took the key from his fingers, replacing it with a tip and closing the door as soon as he was out of sight. Sometimes it was nice when they didn’t try to make small talk.
“Wow,” Cordillia smiled as she dropped her bag on the nearest bed and looked around. “This place isn’t half bad.”
“Kind of small.” I winced as I noticed how close the beds were to each other leaving little room to walk in between.
“Yeah but at least it’s not a rat hole,” She turned to me. “And I get my own bed.”
“You look like you’re feeling better.” I smirked as I began rifling through my backpack for a clean shirt. She shrugged and sat down at the foot of her bed.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore but I feel like I went twenty rounds with a bottle of rum.” She smirked before looking up at me quickly. “I mean... I uh, I’ve never drank before I just imagine....”
“Cordillia.” I laughed, putting my hand up to stop her. “It’s alright, it’s not like I don’t remember you sneaking in through the back door at three in the morning from time to time.” Her face went red as she stared down at her feet. I gave up on my quest for a clean shirt and tossed my backpack down on the floor. “Or the sudden “flu” you had after spending the night at Jackie’s.”
“It was the flu,” she muttered with a smile.
“The flu doesn’t disappear after a glass of Gatorade and three aspirin. I’m not stupid.” I chuckled as I threw myself down on the bed. I closed my eyes as I stretched myself as far as I could, I had only wanted to rest my sore back but before I had the chance to realize how tired I was, I somehow fell asleep.
I opened my eyes and looked around me. It wasn’t the hotel room I had fallen asleep in and just as soon as the thought crossed my mind, panic began to rear its ugly head. My heart hammered in my chest and my breath grew short as I took a few tentative steps down the dark and deserted road.
“Hey buddy,” I heard a voice call from behind me. Don’t turn around, I thought to myself. Not that it did any good. As I turned against my better judgment, I saw a large dark skinned man standing behind me. His eyes glowed menacingly as he held out his hand to me and I looked him over before I took it. He was homeless, that I could be sure of. His dark stained jeans and torn green shirt screamed that over the clean shaven face that stared back at me. “Spare some change?” he asked me with a hopeful look in his eyes.
Wolves among men Page 8
