Hot, Sexy & Bad

by Angelo, Judy, et al.

  I look around the diner at yet another dismal attempt at puking the holiday spirit on its customers. The windows are painted with winter scenes and each table has ornaments hanging over it. Why do people insist on covering every available surface with something sparkly or festive just because Christmas is a couple days away? It’s nauseating.

  When the waitress returns with my coffee, she’s so distracted she nearly spills it on my lap.

  “Oh shit,” she hollers, shaking her head as she stares out the diner window. “Doug,” she yells back to someone in the kitchen. “Collin is out there giving Rebecca hell again. You want me to call the cops on him?”

  “Why bother? They won’t help her,” the booming voice from the kitchen replies.

  The waitress mumbles under her breath. “That boy is gonna kill her one of these days.”

  “Rebecca Farrus?” I ask, craning my neck to see what’s going on.

  “Yep, you know the girl? I’ve been working with her for six years, and that girl can’t catch a break. She works two jobs and that jackass, Collin, steals her money every chance he gets. Every time she fights back, life knocks her down.”

  I stand and move toward the door, driven more by the primal desire to protect than by rational thinking. I push it open and stand with my arms across my chest, watching, listening.

  “I don’t give a shit if it’s all the money you have. I need it.” Collin’s voice is shrill and frantic. He jitters like an antsy child.

  “Collin, I have to buy food and pay rent. Adeline and I are about to get evicted. Don’t you care about that more than the drugs you’re about to put in your arm?”

  His hand rises and he swiftly slaps her face. She braces herself on the car behind her. I feel a rage building inside me, but Rebecca doesn’t skip a beat.

  “I’m already late for my shift,” she says defiantly. “If you want money, then let me go make some.”

  I take two steps forward and ball my hands into fists, anger boiling through me. I watch and realize Rebecca looks like a beaten-down dog, but she has a few growls and nips left in her. It’s time for a bigger dog to even up the fight.

  Collin continues to speak, not yet noticing me. “I’m going sit in there and watch how many tips you get. Don’t try to stiff me.” He points his long dirty finger in her face. She straightens herself, her eyes meeting mine. There is something different about the blue that was once as bright as the sky. I take note how the years of hard living have changed her. She lifts her chin boldly and tries to move past Collin who grabs her arm and snaps her back, pinning her against the car. He presses his body to hers and I realize it is not unlike how I handled her outside the bar last night. I didn’t mean my movements to be aggressive in the way Collin does. But this seems like a situation where motivation doesn’t matter. I can see why she recoiled from me. Rebecca doesn’t need a firm-handed man to direct and control her. She clearly has enough of that in her life.

  As I watch Collin lower his mouth to Rebecca’s unwilling and retreating neck, I can restrain myself no longer. I cross the parking lot with purpose. I’m behind Collin in a flash. I clear my throat and watch as the scrawny man jumps with fear.

  “How about you take those dirty hands off her before I break both of them?” I’m ready to brawl, bracing myself for Collin to lunge, my muscles twitching in anticipation. Once you know how to fight, once you’re good at it, you actually look forward to the opportunity to do it occasionally.

  “Mind your own business,” Collin growls, as he spins to look at me full on. I’m standing about five inches taller than him and I have at least forty pounds on him. He doesn’t say much as Rebecca slides out from behind him and steps out of arm’s reach. She doesn’t tuck herself behind my body. I expected to feel her small arms pressed against me, finding shelter beside me, but instead she brushes by.

  “Don’t bother, Devin. This isn’t your fight,” she says flatly. As I follow her toward the diner door, Collin regains the courage to mouth off. “Oh, so you two know each other? That’s no surprise. There ain’t many men in this town who ain’t intimately acquainted with you, huh Beck?”

  I spin back on my heels and charge toward the man, who quickly throws his arms up to cover his face.

  “Devin!” Rebecca shouts, catching my attention before I can take a swing. She points to a police car lying in wait just around the corner of the building.

  I abandon my plan to pound into Collin, and reluctantly follow Rebecca into the diner. Anger still swells deep within me. I’m itching to release it, but can see there would be no point.

  Rebecca is dressed in a pink smock and holding a white paper hat that means she really does work here, too. I expect her to be shaking, maybe her eyes wet with tears. Instead, she slips out of her winter coat and hangs it on a hook by the door. She places the paper hat on her head and grabs her apron from behind the counter. “Did you already eat, Devin?” she asks me, as she pours coffee into the mug of a man sitting at the counter.

  “That’s it? That’s all you have to say? Have I eaten?” I ask, as I slide back into my booth. “That didn’t shake you up?”

  “Just a day in my life, Devin. Now, you want eggs or something? And just so you know, regardless of what Collin was flapping his gums about, I don’t make it a habit to lie on my back for every man in town.” She lifts an aluminum napkin dispenser and holds it up to her face, checking to see if Collin’s slap has left a mark. She rubs it lightly, sighs at the tender redness, and moves on to one of her other duties.

  I can’t take it. I stand and walk behind the counter to get between her and whatever menial task she’s going to do next. How can this be her life? How can she not take my money and go start over somewhere?

  “I understand I insulted you by offering you money the way I did. I can see how you would feel that way.”

  “Is that your idea of an apology?”

  “I have two rules in life. I never apologize and I never promise. That philosophy has earned me plenty of success and made me a lot of money.”

  “And how many friends has it made you?” She raises an eyebrow at me, and I huff at her attitude.

  “Why won’t you take my money and get out of here with your daughter? I’m offering you a way out; don’t be so stubborn.”

  She perches her hands on her hips. “I am not some problem you can solve with money. The rumors are flying like crazy this morning about why you’re here. Everyone is talking about your meeting with the mayor. I have you figured out.”

  “Oh you do?” I know this small town well enough to realize people are talking. Rumors are always flying. The fact that I have a meeting with the mayor just stirs shit up more. “And what exactly did you hear?”

  “You’re turning this place into a dump. You’re going to buy a bunch of land and have the garbage from all the rich towns around us shipped in. Probably poison our water, make the place smell to high heaven. And don’t act for a second like you’re doing it for any other reason than revenge. You may think everyone in town is as dumb as a bag of hammers, but people can figure this out.”

  “Why do you care what happens to Clover? This town has done nothing but treat you like shit. That cop sitting out in the parking lot doesn’t seem to care that you are getting slapped around.”

  “They don’t care. But there are people in this town who do. My whole life has happened here, Devin. It’s where Adeline was born, it’s where my mother is buried.” She hesitates as her eyes storm over. “It’s where I met you.”

  “Yet every word you wrote me was about a life somewhere else. Escaping. Now you have your chance and you’re too scared.”

  She points her finger up at me as she blazes with anger. “I am a lot of things, Devin, but scared isn’t one of them. I am loyal. There are people I still care about here. The town is made up of some good folks, and run by some bad ones. If you plan to come in here and destroy it all with your money, you can stay the hell away from me while you do it. I don’t need you to fight my batt
les. You used to be different, now you’re no better than the rest of them.”

  I should be furiously insulted but all I can think of is kissing her again. This time I won’t be overbearing and rough. I’ll kiss her like I did when we were kids. But her face is like stone and I know a kiss won’t fix anything right now.

  “We are very different people now, Devin. You’re driven by anger and revenge. You’re not the man I was hoping you still were. You’re coming here right before Christmas preparing to cripple the town. What kind of man does that?” She brushes past me and I feel the knot in my gut tighten.

  “You are infuriatingly stubborn,” I call to her as she walks away to the kitchen. I move back to my booth and grab my briefcase. I have a meeting with the mayor to get to. I have a plan to execute and she is not a part of that.

  Chapter Five

  The letters are all lies, but I still can’t stop myself from looking down into my briefcase and staring at the few I brought with me to Clover. I imagine the tears she cried while writing, the life she was trying to build in her dreams.

  I close my briefcase and extend my hand to the pudgy, bald-headed man who is calling my name.

  “Mr. Sutton, I’m Mayor Kilroy Trenton. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m looking forward to going over your proposal. It’s mighty interesting.” The mayor hooks his two thumbs behind his suspenders and speaks with such a drawl it’s almost hard to decipher his words.

  “Thank you, Mayor Trenton. I appreciate your time. I’m anxious to get this deal moving. I have an important meeting pending in New York, and I’d like to finalize this first.”

  “Please, call me Kilroy.” He gestures for me to take a seat in the dusty upholstered chair across from his desk. “I’m going to cut right through the bullshit here, Devin, if you don’t mind.” I nod my head, indicating that is appreciated. “I know your history with this town and the unfortunate circumstances of your incarceration. On behalf of Clover, please accept my apology. However, I’m leery about making a deal with a man whose sole purpose is to fulfill a vendetta. My job is to make decisions in the best interest of this town and its people. Now, if I have your word that you don’t intend harm for the town and its law-abiding residents, I’ll feel much better. Do you see what I’m saying, son?”

  I can tell he’s emphasizing the word law-abiding for a reason. That term excludes Sherriff Hoyle. He’s giving me an out to still seek some retribution and offer my word at the same time. But I don’t bite.

  “I don’t make promises, Kilroy. It’s bad business in my opinion. I proposed a deal and you had a chance to review it. Now, whatever my motivation may be or what I’m trying to accomplish does not change the numbers in the paperwork. Clover is nearly bankrupt. I see this as a pretty straightforward deal. I’m going to buy plots of land in Clover for a very fair price that folks will be crazy to refuse. Then I’m going to build a facility that will employ many people here, pumping life into your economy. Because my company has concerns about the current law enforcement here, and we want to protect our business interests, along with this deal comes a private security company that will be funded by me. It will supersede the current sheriff’s office and report directly to the U.S. Marshals. More and more towns are doing this with their municipalities and showing very positive results.

  “Yes they are, but not necessarily with their police force, more like their water and highway departments. I don’t know of any precedent for replacing a whole police force.”

  “You’d be surprised what companies are doing today to protect their investments. Coal companies, worried about protestors and sabotage, have been doing this for a few years. As long as security rolls to the marshals to keep things on the up and up, it works perfectly. Frankly, Kilroy, considering how Clover is crumbling so quickly, this deal is your only option for keeping this place from going belly up.”

  I have more to say, but I’m interrupted by the mayor’s door banging open. In walks Sheriff Hoyle—older, but still looking as arrogant as ever. He moves with a swagger that grates on me. It’s the kind of stride that makes me want to kick his legs out from under him as he passes by, just to show him he isn’t quite as untouchable as he thinks.

  Kilroy stands, his hand moving to his waist as though he’s ready to draw a weapon. “Harold, what in the hell are you doing bursting into my office? You know damn well I have this meeting today, and you aren’t welcome.”

  Sheriff Hoyle flops himself down onto the chair next to me, grinning condescendingly. I want to hurt him, physically destroy him, but I compose myself and listen to his gravelly voice as he starts to speak. His words are slow and drawn out as if he has nowhere to be other than right here, all day.

  “Oh come on, Kilroy, you know this meeting has everything to do with me. This boy here is trying to teach me a lesson.”

  I fix my gaze on the mayor, not sparing an ounce of my attention on the sheriff. “First, I’m not a boy anymore. Second, if I were going to dole out lessons here I’d start with oral hygiene; I can smell the sheriff’s onion breath from here. Now, Mayor, if you want to continue this meeting I suggest you get your subordinates under control. Otherwise, I’ll be on my way.” I lean back and cross my legs casually. This man doesn’t know who he’s dealing with, what I’m capable of.

  “You can’t honestly be entertaining this deal, Kilroy?” The sheriff swallows hard and bangs his fist on the desk. “You’re considering letting him buy up all the houses in the Chesnutt neighborhood just to tear ’em down and build a landfill? People here are so desperate they’ll do it, they’ll sell.”

  “I don’t intend to buy all the houses,” I say, finally turning my head slightly in the sheriff’s direction. “There’s one house on Merrymount Lane I have no interest in. I’ll build around it.”

  The sheriff lets out a carnal growl as he jumps to his feet. “You son of a bitch, you plan to leave my house in the middle of a dump?”

  “Gentlemen,” the mayor cuts in, “this is what I intended to avoid. I’ll not have it. Mr. Sutton’s proposal will put this town back to work again. You and your cronies ran out most of the businesses, and I won’t allow you to ruin this deal. He plans to pay people handsomely for their homes and employ a private security department to oversee the operation, as well as offer protection to our residents, all on his dime. Clover is nearly bankrupt; this will save the town.”

  “This dump will implode the value of my home, the only one left standing in the area. The private security will eliminate my job. My father was the mayor here before you, and his father was the sheriff. The Hoyle family led Clover for decades.” The sheriff’s voice is booming now as spit sprays from his mouth.

  I watch the mayor fighting to keep his cool. “Well, luckily, this ain’t no dynasty. And I can’t recall you ever having anyone’s best interest in mind but your own. So, don’t come banging around my office expecting me to scrap an entire deal because it doesn’t favor you. That ain’t how it works.” The mayor narrows his eyes, flashing all the authority he has.

  The sheriff’s face turns from animated to eerily placid. Any emotion he is wrestling is beaten back, and is replaced with an unnerving look. “The funny thing is, Kilroy, that is exactly how it works. You’re sitting in that seat because you are meant to toe the line— my line.” He bangs his hand into his own chest. “If you’re telling me that ain’t the case anymore, then you can get ready to lose your job.” He stands and taps the front of his tan cowboy hat as he moves toward the door. “You’ll be lucky if that is all you lose. And you,” he glares over in my direction, “it’ll be a shame for anything to happen to that sweet Rebecca. Rumor has it you’re playing hero for her again.”

  My hands tighten around the arms of the chair at the sound of Rebecca’s name. Of course he threatens to hurt her. He is above nothing.

  The mayor remains quiet for a minute after the sheriff shuts the door. I pull some documents out of my briefcase. “Things in this town need to change. This deal is your best chance.” I s
lide the papers across the desk.

  “We’re on the brink here, Devin. People are starving, there are no jobs, they’re scared of the sheriff’s department. Something is going to combust soon. I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity, and I think this could be it.” He lifts the papers and straightens them, as he looks the stack over.

  “I’ll give you the same candidness you’ve given me. I could give a shit about Clover. If the whole place falls off the map tomorrow I won’t lose a night’s sleep over it. But I’m a businessman, a wealthy one. What I’m proposing will financially help Clover. If I can crush a man who robbed me of almost a decade of my life in the process, it’s a win-win.”

  “Some folks here are concerned this will be a landfill. A lot of our neighboring towns are devastated environmentally by fracking and other mining issues. Some are worried about you coming in and wrecking things. What do you say about that?”

  “I don’t say much. Trash needs to go somewhere and none of the more affluent towns want it in their backyard. A town like Clover is the only place that will take it most times. There’s risk in that. I won’t try to sugarcoat it.” I don’t say it, but I know full-well what bringing a landfill to a town can do. Maybe that’s why I picked it. The environmental repercussions can be significant, but that worry is far secondary to my desire to hurt the sheriff.

  “Frankly, I don’t have other options, Devin. I’m going to have the lawyers go over this paperwork, and I’ve almost got enough votes on the town board. I’ve been looking at this deal for a week, since the minute you sent it to me, and I may not love it, but it’ll work. People understand the urgency on your end and they want change. I do worry about the threats on these people and their families. Normally I’d put all this aside until after Christmas, but I feel like the sooner we can get the vote and you can get your security people down here, the better. Is it a problem for you to be contacted around the holiday?”

  “I don’t celebrate it. I was convicted of murder on Christmas Eve—that’s enough to ruin holiday cheer for the rest of my life.” I stand and extend my hand, gripping the mayor’s tightly. “I’m going back to New York soon. You need to act on this quickly.”