Scum (Wrong Side of the Tracks 1)

Jessica stalled and gave a shy laugh as she met Rosen’s gaze and adjusted perfect locks of brown hair. “Well, skin conditions can be very dangerous, so I wouldn’t say I’ll get to avoid all of it.”

“So I’ve got this rash…” Dad made a move as if to open his shirt, and Ros could’ve just about died of embarrassment.

“Oh, Ed! Stop it!” Lisa laughed and grabbed his hand.

Ros gave Jessica an apologetic smile, and she winked at him as if they were sharing a moment of rapport, but the sudden silence lured his gaze to the floor where, between his dad and Lisa’s feet lay a little plastic bag filled with some kind of powder and marked with a pink sticker.

His throat pulsed, and a deep heat shot to his face as Lisa bent over, without a care for how much her dress revealed. She snatched the packet at the speed of a cheetah chasing prey. “Ah… silly me. New clothes. I’ve forgotten to remove the silica beads out of the pocket,” she said even though the dress didn’t have any pockets, so she must have been hiding the drugs in her underwear.

Lisa had only been back five months after a discreet rehab program in Wyoming, but old habits died hard. Ros stepped back and glanced at Jessica, who stared at Lisa’s manicured hand, which clutched the plastic pouch. Because of course she hadn’t believed the pale powder to be silica.

Father squeezed Lisa’s arm as he spoke with lips pressed tightly to his teeth. “Honey, I need to ask you something about the photos. Ros, maybe you could show Jessica around the garden?”

“Oh, I think I need to freshen up a bit before dinner,” Jessica said in a high-pitched voice, her smile clearly forced.

Ros knew how she felt. He didn’t want to be here either nor endure the tense atmosphere that would surely settle over the dinner table. Especially not when Shane was out there, upset about their last interaction. When he looked at the turkey sizzling in the oven and imagined spending endless hours with their guest, addict stepmother, and a father on a constant quest to keep up appearances, he made his decision. If Shane refused to answer his messages, it was time to take matters into his own hands.

He would go to the junkyard and surprise him. Apologize and switch off his phone so they could spend Thanksgiving together, unbothered by Dad’s calls and threats.

His behavior must have seemed so cold to a guy who’d spent ten years behind bars and now formed an attachment to someone who didn’t want him around for the first holiday since he’d gotten out. Of course he was upset.

They would have to discuss Shane’s violent reaction to the push, and his requests for a sexy video, but those could surely be explained by lack of social skills.

Ros flinched when Dad clicked his fingers in front of his face, already pulling Lisa toward the hallway. “In that case, could you bring the pumpkin puree from the basement?”

Could he ever. The excuse to disappear fell right into his lap, and he nodded with a smile. He was so eager to leave he had to force himself to not dash outside. But as soon as he turned the corner, he was off.

He ran to his room, grabbed the backpack he hadn’t even opened, and raced against time to the garage as soon as he heard the guest room door shut behind Jessica. Fortunately, his old car, which still hadn’t been sold wasn’t blocked by any of Dad’s five prized BMWs, so he sped out, not even bothering to lock the garage behind him.

Was it crazy? Yes. But he’d deal with the fallout later. What mattered now was getting to the man who’d become much more important to Ros than Dad’s approval had ever been.

Ros was about to buckle the seatbelt for the road ahead when his cell phone buzzed. It was surely just another Facebook notification, a reminder from Duolingo, or wishes from a friend, but despite the pressure to disappear before Dad noticed what he was up to, Ros grabbed the cell phone and stalled with confetti falling in his skull.

Shane had decided to respond at last. The message was short, and gruff, and said that if Ros wanted to talk then he should come to the junkyard tonight. An ultimatum to choose between family and his lover of only a few weeks should have been shot down if Rosen had any sense left, but he’d already made up his mind.

Chapter 12 – Shane

Shane couldn’t settle. His mind had been racing since he’d parted from Ros yesterday, but the speed of his thoughts couldn’t disperse the storm brewing inside his skull. Even his blood ran cold, as if the anticipation of the inevitable filled him equally with anger and dread.