When You Were Mine (Stone Lake 2)

At least I hope I can.

Gavin

“Why doesn’t it surprise me that you’re the reason I’m out here?”

“Kingston, I’m really not in the mood for your crap,” I mutter, hating to see the bastard here, even if I knew he would get the call. I’m really starting to hate that son of a bitch.

“Boy is that a feeling I understand. I almost sent my deputies alone when I heard who made the call.”

“I wouldn’t have cried,” I tell him with a shrug.

“I thought about it but figured if I didn’t rein you in something would be fucked up.”

“Are you going to give me shit all day, or do you want to know what’s going on.”

“Dispatch said there was a busted window and a trespasser?”

“Yeah, everything is the same. We’ve not touched anything.”

“You didn’t see who it was? Aren’t you supposed to be some great agent?”

“I did get a license plate on the son of a bitch shit that done it. I had my tech department run it,” I tell him, ignoring his sarcasm. I keep reminding myself he’s being an asshole because Luna is pulling away from him. I can put up with his shit, if that means Luna is at least thinking about letting me into her life.

“Roy, good to see you again. I do hate this is the reason, however,” Kingston says.

“Hey, Ben. Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on around here anymore. We never used to have any trouble here in Stone Lake.”

“Unless you count beating the shit out of your kids,” I mumble under my breath.

“Gavin,” Roy says, but he doesn’t say anything else. There’s not much he can say.

“Actually, Roy, ever since your son came back to town the place has gone to hell. Seems trouble follows you around, doesn’t it, Lodge?”

“Aren’t you going to ask me who the license plate traces back to? Or, am I going to just do all of the police work myself?”

“Who does the license plate trace back to?” Ben’s face pulls tight.

I’ve had enough of his smart-ass comments, but I figure I’d be that way too if I was losing Luna.

“Would you believe our old friend Darren Oakes? Well, his parents anyway?”

“Son of a bitch,” Ben grumbles.

“Yeah, and I’d lay odds that’s the same one who threw the rock through Luna’s window.”

“I’ll let the deputies finish this up, and I’ll head out that way,” Ben responds, barely sparing me a glance.

“If you’re heading out that way, I’m going with you.”

“I’m not sure I can take your company all day, Lodge.”

“Ask me if I give a fuck,” I tell him with a smirk. If the bastard thinks I give a rat’s ass about what he feels or thinks, he’s wrong. “Roy, I’ll be back to help you get the window boarded up.”

“You don’t have to worry about it, Gavin. I can handle it.”

Something about the way Roy says that almost makes me feel guilty. It’s not a feeling that I’m familiar with, at least when it comes to Roy.

“I’ll be back, I just want to be there when he interrogates this guy.”

Roy kind of nods at me, looking lost. Again, that feeling of guilt hits me, but I ignore it. Roy has done nothing to warrant a relationship with me. He’s no longer a part of my life, and I haven’t regretted that fact once. This is not my fault, that’s his, and where he’s concerned, at least, I refuse to forget the past.

“I take it there’s no love lost between you and your father,” Kingston says when we reach his truck. I grunt in reply. I’m not talking about this with him. I’d prefer not talking to him at all.

Gavin

“You’re a hard man to find, Mr. Oakes,” I tell him.

“That’s not exactly true. I’m the one that came here the minute my parents told me you showed up at the house looking for me.”

I frown. He’s telling the truth, I guess. When Kingston and I went out to the home Darren was nowhere to be found. Yet, he was at the police station an hour after we got back in town.

“That’s true, you got here in Stone Lake rather quick too. A jaded man would think you were already in the area.”

“I don’t remember reading anything about my parole that said I couldn’t travel to Stone Lake. Did I miss that somewhere?”

“There’s no law against you traveling in Stone Lake, unless you’re here to cause problems.”

“I was visiting an old friend, last time I checked that wasn’t against the law either.”

“You actually have friends here, Mr. Oakes?” I ask, watching him closely.

“A few people didn’t turn their backs on me when I was wrongfully arrested. Isn’t Mr. Oakes kind of formal, after all, we did go to school together.”

“We weren’t ever friends.”

“I don’t remember you having friends except for Luna. How is she by the way? I’m wondering how she likes you being back in town considering she has a new boyfriend now. She’s dating the sheriff, right? It must be hard working together?” he taunts.