“Of course, I do. We met last night, but how—”
“We’ve known each other for a lot longer than that, Randall. Much longer.”
He cocked his scruffy head to the side while studying me, making him a dead ringer for a puppy in a pet store window.
“As a matter of fact, the last time I saw you before last night, you’d had some sort of fight with my brothers over a deer.”
I’d give just about anything for a time machine and a camera so I could capture the look on Duke’s face at that very moment.
“You’re sheriff Early’s daughter? Sweet baby Jesus.”
“I told you my daddy is in law enforcement. My brothers too.”
“Of course, those monsters are cops,” he hissed.
“You don’t remember me, but you remember my brothers?” I asked.
“I remember your brothers because they’re assholes, and a wise man taught me to never forget an asshole.”
“I’ll confess I seem to have the opposite problem.”
“How so?”
“I remember you very clearly from when we were kids but would have never picked you out of a police lineup today.”
“You remember me?” Duke asked with a grin that made my insides melt.
“Fondly,” I replied. “I’ll admit I had a bit of a crush on you when we were kids. I’m surprised you don’t recall me following you around like some lovestruck puppy dog.” I giggled nervously.
Duke smiled, took my hands in his and in front of God and everyone, got down on one knee.
“Marry me, Pearl.”
“Get up this very instant!” I whisper shouted in hopes that not too many people had witnessed what had just happened. “What in the world do you think you’re doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious that the universe is bringing us together? I mean, what are the odds of us running into each other like this after all these years? I’m serious, Pearl. I know I don’t look like I have much to offer, but—”
“Stop talking and get inside now,” I said sternly, swinging the bookstore door open and pointing inside. Duke did as he was told, grinning through his mustache the entire time.
“Listen to me very carefully,” I whispered. “I’m only going to ask you this one time. Are you a hippie?”
“A hippie?” He laughed.
“What I mean is, are you on marijuana?” This made him laugh even louder, which garnered a snooty look from the clerk.
“We’re sorry,” I said to the clerk with a wave before turning my attention back to Duke. “I am not going to marry you. I haven’t even agreed to go on a date with you.”
“Let’s start there then,” Duke said matter-of-factly. “Miss Pearl, would you please accompany me on an outing on this fine Sunday afternoon?” Duke bowed like something straight out of a Dickens novel and I couldn’t help but laugh. This boy could charm the pitchfork off the Devil himself, and although I knew it, I wasn’t immune.
“An outing?” I asked, trying to appear disinterested.
“Have you ever seen the Georgia countryside from the back of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle?”
“I think we both know the answer to that question is no. I would also like to add that it’s not going to happen today.”
“Why not?” Duke asked.
I opened my mouth to answer him, but nothing came out. Try as I might to come up with a reason I shouldn’t join him for a ride, I was coming up blank. I heard my father’s voice loud and clear telling me not to go, but it was at odds with my inner voice, which was currently quiet and still. Lately all I’d been doing was fantasizing about busting out of Atlanta and going on some wild adventure, and here I was too scared to go on a measly motorcycle ride.
Before I knew it, I blurted out, “I’d love to join you for a ride.”
Duke shook his head in amazement. “You always change your mind so quickly?”
I thought about it for a moment and answered with a confident, “Yes.”
“I wouldn’t have pegged you as the easily swayed type.”
“I didn’t say I was a pushover. I simply have no qualms about changing my mind when presented with the appropriate argument.”
“Appropriate argument? I thought I was asking you out on a date. I didn’t realize I was building a legal case.”
I sighed. “Duke, do you read the Bible?”
“Forget changing your mind, let’s talk about how fast you change subjects,” Duke said.
“The Bible?” I asked again.
“I’ve been bored enough in a few hotel rooms to thumb through it, but wouldn’t go so far as to say I’ve read it.”
“Well, I have. All of it. And one of the Ten Commandments…” I paused. “You’ve heard of the Ten Commandments, haven’t you?”
“Saw the Chuck Heston movie,” Duke replied with his usual grin.
I ignored his comment but secretly found this playful banter to be utterly delicious. I’d never fought with a man like this before. I’d been at war with my father and my brothers all my life, but this wasn’t fighting like that. I knew that secretly Duke and I were trying to get to the same place, and the tension of getting there without directly saying so was making me ache in ways I’d never felt. I suppose this was flirting, and it had never occurred to me that I’d never done it before.
I did my best to keep a poker face and continued, “One of the Ten Commandments, ‘Thou shalt not lie,’ is one I try very hard to keep. So, I want to be honest with you.”
“Please do.”
“I’m not sure if you’re an answer to prayer or an object of temptation, but something inside of me needs to find out.”
CHAPTER SIX
Duke
We’d been on the road for about three hours when we reached the town of Dublin. For someone who’d never been on the back of a bike before, Pearl was a natural. I checked in with her at very pit stop, but the more road we put between us and Atlanta, the more she wanted to ride on.
“How ’bout we stop here for the night and continue on in the morning?” I asked as I gassed up my bike.”
“I can’t do that, I have to be at work in the morning. Besides, where would we stay?”
“There’s a place we can get a room right there,” I said, motioning to the Peach Tree Motel.
“You expect me to share a motel room with a man I hardly know? Are you trying to ruin my reputation?”
“If you would marry me, there’d be nothing scandalous about it,” I replied.
“Are you actually proposing to me… again? At a gas station?”
“I’m going to keep asking until you say yes.”
“Let’s just stick to the subject at hand, shall we?”
“Fine. I say it’s a night at Dublin’s finest gas station adjacent motel, and then on to Savannah in the morning.”
“Who said anything about going to Savannah?”
“You got your degree in Animal Husbandry, right?” I asked.
“How on Earth did you know that?”
“I told you. The donut shop guy was very friendly, especially after I bought two dozen jelly-filled from him.”
“You ate all of those?”
I laughed. “For the guys at the firehouse next to the Y.”
“You were a busy bee this morning.”
“I was a soldier on a mission, but in the end, the universe delivered you right to me in front of that bookstore.”
“You are a hippie,” Pearl said with a laugh. “Do you honestly believe the universe is trying to bring us together?”
“Absolutely.”
“But why, and what does that even mean?”
“You believe in God, right?” I asked.
“Of course,” she replied.
“And you believe he has a plan for your life?”
“I suppose so, yes.”
“Well, I don’t know what I believe, but I swear to you that the moment I saw you on those steps, I knew we were meant to be together.”
“Even if I believed y
ou, what’s that got to do with Savannah?”
“There’s a place I want to show you. A place, given your degree, I think will interest you quite a bit. Stay with me here tonight, and I’ll take you there tomorrow.”
“But, my father…the station.”
“Play hooky,” I said.
Pearl was drinking a strawberry soda from a glass bottle through a straw and I’ll never forget the look in her eyes as she mulled over my suggestion. Her tongue flicking the end of the straw as she thought.
She finally broke her silence with something I didn’t quite expect. “I won’t have sex with a man before I’m married.”
“What about a woman?” I teased.
“I’m serious, Duke. If I agree to stay with you tonight, you need to know that I’m not agreeing to sleep with you. We’ll be staying in separate rooms and that’s non-negotiable.”
“Shall we shake on it?” I asked, before returning the nozzle to the pump and wiping my hands clean with my bandana.
Pearl extended her hand and I pulled her in for a kiss. She dropped her soda, which shattered on the pavement before throwing her arms around me.
* * *
Pearl
“We’re plum sold out,” the front desk clerk said. “I got one room left with a double bed, but that’s it.”
“How is that possible?” I asked.
“Annual clown convention,” he answered dryly.
“We’ll take it,” Duke said, and handed the man a ten-dollar bill.
I shuddered. “I hate clowns.”
“Then you better stay in your room,” the clerk said, sliding Duke a key.
“Come on, baby,” Duke said, and led me to room nine.
“I can’t do this,” I whispered.
“Shit, you’re that freaked out by clowns?”
“Not that. I mean, yes, I’m terrified by clowns, but I mean, this. Sleeping in your room alone with you.”
He faced me, cupping my face. “No one knows who you are, Pearl. We’re gonna sleep, then head out early, okay? I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do.”
“That’s not entirely the problem,” I admitted as he pushed open the door and waited for me to precede him.
“Then what is?”
I bit my lip and faced him. “I need you to promise me you won’t do anything, even if I beg.”
“Jesus,” he hissed, closing and locking the door and then pulling me into his arms.
I gripped his leather vest and held on as he kissed me, his hands skimming the underside of my breasts and making me shiver. Unable to stop myself, I slid my hands under his shirt and flattened my palms against his back. I could feel his muscles ripple as he lifted me and settled me on the bed.
He pulled off his vest and shirt and I licked my lips at the sight of his muscular chest. He had a little bit of hair between his pecs, but otherwise, he was bare, and he was very tan.
Grinning, he leaned over me and kissed me again, his hand going to my breast and squeezing gently. I whimpered, slipping my hands into his hair.
“Duke,” I panted between kisses. “Please.”
He groaned, breaking our connection and stretching out on the bed, pulling me against him. “If you do that again, I can’t promise I’ll stop next time, so this is your one warning.”
“Okay,” I whispered, and snuggled close to him.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Duke
I pulled Pearl against me and her hand went to the tuft of hair on my otherwise bare chest.
“I thought you’d have more hair on your chest,” she said smiling up at me.
“What? Like that Burt Reynolds guy?” I chuckled.
“How would I know what Burt Reynolds’s chest looks like?” she asked innocently.
“Don’t play the good girl with me,” I replied. “We both know you’ve seen plenty of that guy. He takes his shirt off every chance he gets, and he showed a hell of a lot more in that magazine a few months back.”
“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I know, I know. You’re as wholesome as they come. Well, I’m not sure you’re missing out on much.”
“What, Burt Reynolds isn’t your type?” Pearl teased.
“When I got back from Vietnam, everyone was talking about his latest movie. You know, the one where him and his buddies get roughed up by a bunch of hillbillies.”
Pearl shrugged.
“Anyway. I went to go see this movie because it was about guys in the wilderness, but I ended up walking out.”
“The movie wasn’t any good huh?”
“I dunno. I’m sure it was fine. I’m not really a film critic,” I replied.
“Then why’d you leave the theater?”
I rolled over to face her. The soft light from the lamp on the dresser created a halo effect around her blonde hair and I couldn’t stop myself from running my fingers through it. “I can’t tell if you’re really as innocent as you let on, or if this is all some sort of put on.”
“What?” Pearl asked, with what sounded like a tinge of hurt in her voice.
“You asked about my leg earlier, and about coming home,” I said.
“Yes?”
“Well, I’d like to talk to you about…well, about everything really. But I’m not sure you really want my dirty boots tracking mud and blood all throughout your sparkling clean house.”
“I told you my father is in law enforcement, didn’t I?” Pearl said sternly.
“A detail I’m trying to block out,” I replied.
“I’ve seen and heard some pretty awful things, Duke. You’re safe to share whatever you’d like with me.”
At that moment I could see that Pearl was both sweet and innocent, but tough as she needed to be. With every passing moment of discovery, I was falling deeper and deeper in love with this woman. She should have been barely more than a stranger and yet I felt as if I’d known her all my life.
“I left the movie early because at one point in the film, one of Burt’s buddies is tied up and some good ol’ boys have their way with him. They’re fixin’ to do the same with all of them, but guns are drawn, and… you can imagine the rest.”
“Sounds charming,” Pearl said. “But I’m surprised that type of movie would bother you so much. I’m sure you’ve seen much worse during war.” Pearl’s hand shot to her mouth. “I’m sorry, that sounded horrible. What you must have gone through while in the Army is none of my bus—”
I stopped her from apologizing further. “No, you’re right. Dead right, as a matter-of-fact. The reason I walked out is because I’d seen much worse during the war, I didn’t want to be reminded of it.”
“I’m sorry,” Pearl said softly.
“Don’t you ever apologize for something that someone else did. You hear me?” I leaned in and covered her mouth with mine, wrapping my arm around her and rolling her back onto my chest before continuing, “That movie brought back my most painful memories of Vietnam, and more importantly, reminded me why I’m back home when so many of my buddies are still there.”
“I heard you were wounded and awarded the Purple Heart.”
“Where’d you hear that?”
“Your family is kind of a big deal in Georgia. Just because I’m not in Savannah, doesn’t mean I don’t get my fair share of local news, especially when it comes to war heroes.”
“I’m not a hero,” I said gruffly and felt Pearl’s body stiffen. “I’m sorry, I just don’t like it when people call me that is all.”
“But you were wounded in battle.”
“I was wounded before battle,” I corrected.
“What do you mean?”
“The bullet that tore through my leg wasn’t fired from a VC rifle,” I said.
“Then who shot you?”
“Corporal James Stover.”
“One of ours?” Pearl gasped. “You mean it was friendly fire?”
“Nothin’ friendly about a man pointing a gun at you and firing.”
“He shot you on purpose?”
“I was a specialist and Stover had just been promoted to Corporal, which meant he outranked me. We were both enlisted men and had gone through basic training together, so I knew him pretty well. He was a “go getter” with career military goals and was a great soldier, for the most part, but war had changed him.”
“What do you mean?”
“Sometimes combat can twist a good man up ’til he don’t even know right from wrong anymore. Killing changes people, and some men handle that change better than others. Stover didn’t handle it too well...” My words trailed off and I paused, deciding on whether or not to continue my story.
“What did he do?” Pearl asked.
I suppose I’d always known I’d have to talk about all of this someday, but why here and now was beyond me. Even more so, why with Pearl. A woman I’d known for only a matter of hours.
“Our unit was sent to Loc Ninh, near the Cambodian border, for what was to be a battle of blood and shit. I lost more friends that week than any other and I wasn’t even there to help them fight. Stover’s bullet made sure I was on the first Huey out of there just as the shit started coming down.”
“Why did he shoot you?”
“On the road leading into camp, Stover and two other soldiers found a young Vietnamese girl whose entire village had been wiped out by the VC. She was scared, malnourished and caked in the dried blood of her family.”
“That poor thing,” Pearl said sadly.
“Yeah, well, that was just the start of her troubles, because rather than take her to medical, Stover and his thugs thought it would be a good idea to take her out to the jungle and rape her.”
“Oh, my Lord. No,” Pearl said in a panic, her eyes filling with tears.
“Don’t worry. They never got the chance. I saw the three of them disappear into the thick brush and followed them carefully. By the time I caught up with them, they had gagged the girl, stripped her naked and tied her to a fallen tree.”
“How could they?” Pearl asked through sobs.
“One of the men, Private Adams, had his pants down and Corporal Stover was goading him on to do unspeakable things to this poor girl.” She stiffened beside me, but I continued, “The butt of my M16’s stock to the side of his head convinced him to do otherwise. Mainly lay on the ground and bleed. The second soldier, who I never got a good look at, bolted through the trees. I ran to the girl and Stover pulled his side arm on me.”
Twisted Tales of Mayhem Page 27
