Double the Fun

Of course Rys and William didn’t like her working so hard, but she refused the help they were so willing to give her. She would make it on her own. She had relied on them for so long, and she refused to let them pay her and her mother’s way. They might have demanded to help her, which made her laugh, but she just couldn’t. She didn’t doubt they could afford it.

They were the best at what they did, and the homes and buildings around town proved it, but she was an adult and could do this on her own. Had to do this on her own.

“Here, honey.” Her mom turned around and grabbed a little brown paper bag. She handed it to Jane with a smile on her face.

“Really, Mom?” Although Jane sounded exasperated, she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. Jane knew there would be several goodies inside. “Thanks.” Her mother made her way around the table and wrapped her arms around her. Jane might be a grown adult, but she could appreciate her mom taking care of her.

She said goodbye, leaving the car with her mother at the church, and made her way down Main Street toward Slick’s. It wasn’t even eight yet and already the sun was blazing. She stopped at the corner of Main and Edgewater. Staring at the little man that forbids people to walk, she smoothed her hands down the required cheesy uniform. Old and rusty pickups passed, and the occasional Cadillac the older residents of Ecstasy owned drove through town.

Given that it was early on Saturday morning, the streets weren’t busy yet, but soon that would change as businesses opened up. The little man finally gave her permission to cross, and she made her way across the crosswalk, her attention diverted to her purse. The sound of rubber squealing got her attention. The first thing she saw was Trevor’s red car rounding the corner at a ridiculous speed. The second thing was that, if she didn’t get the fuck out of the way, he was going to run her over. Dropping her purse and jumping back, she felt the whoosh of wind whip by her and the heat of car exhaust skim her legs.

Her pulse pounded in her head as she realized she had barely missed being hit. He skidded to a stop, the smell of burning rubber causing her to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

He stuck his head out the window, a scowl on his face as he glared at her. “Watch the fuck where you’re going, bitch.” The sound of Missy’s shrill laughter came from the passenger side right before he sped off again.

She stood there, watching his muscle car speed off, not knowing what in the hell just happened.

“Jane?”

The sound of someone calling her name had Jane turning to see Brody Jacobs, Ecstasy’s sheriff. He was in his cruiser at the stop sign, and when she didn’t respond, a strange look crossed his face.

“Hey, you okay?” He turned the car off and got out. In the next instant, his big, warm hand was on her shoulder. “Well shit, Jane. You’re white as hell. What’s wrong?” Brody was one of the people in town who didn’t discriminate against her for her background. She snapped out of her stunned haze and looked around. Brody standing beside her drew a few curious onlookers.

“I’m fine. I just—” Trevor’s car was long gone, and she wondered if he had seen her in the street. What if she hadn’t jumped out of the way? Remembering the disgusted look he gave her and the still present bruises Rys and William had given him made Jane shiver. He had looked like he wanted her dead. She looked into Brody’s deep-green eyes and saw honest concern in them. Maybe if she just told him what happened, that Trevor nearly ran her over, something could be done. She immediately disregarded that thought, seeing as none of the other pedestrians had admitted they saw Trevor break any laws.

Besides, she certainly didn’t want things to escalate between her and Trevor. He was livid about getting his ass kicked by the twins. If she instigated anything else, who knew what the hell he’d do?

“It’s fine. Everything is fine.” She didn’t wait for his reply, just looked both ways before sprinting across the street to Slick’s.

Chapter 17

Rys sat at the bar in Rowdy’s, his third beer almost finished. The big screen above the bar showed an MMA fight, the speakers blasting rock music, and the crowd was starting to pour in. He looked at his watch, saw he still had another hour to kill before Jane got off work, and motioned for another beer. He hated that she worked so much, busting her ass when they could easily help her. He and William might not like it, but they understood her need to do shit on her own. He respected the hell out of her for it, but it still pissed him off. They could easily help her and her mama out, and he still wasn’t against the idea. Rys just needed to figure out a way to do it without her knowing they had a hand in it.