The past few days have been a flurry of activity. Things at the Stella are calmer, Hoyt has been mostly absent or his temper reduced to a quiet simmer. There's no word on Cori. The girls at work have learned not to mention her name.
Any time I catch a glimpse of Tex, he's pacing the front porch of the safehouse. No one offers me any updates and I'm too nervous to ask. I'm especially hesitant to talk to Cash, not that I even could.
Cash was gone when my fever broke, and he's returned to the familiar pattern of avoiding me unless absolutely necessary. I've dedicated myself to not thinking about the time he spent sitting on my bed, speaking to me in a way that was gentle. I am especially not thinking about the soothing way his hands tugged on my hair, or the rumble of his laughter, the ghost of his breath on my forehead.
"Cowboy to Space Cadet, come in." Tex's voice draws me back to reality with a jolt. The small deck at the back of the house is a recent discovery, and my new favourite place to sit and think. It's only a few feet wide, but there's enough room for an old folding chair and a table. I sit in the early afternoon and drink my coffee facing the treeline. It's here that Tex has found me, the cup in my hand grown cold.
"Did you need something?"
"You gave me a right good scare." He sighs, leaning against the deck's wooden railing. "Couldn't find you for a moment and you weren't answering when I called you."
I offer a reassuring smile. "Sorry. Guess I was lost in thought."
"You've been coming out here a lot."
"I like it."
He eyes the ancient plastic folding table, stained greyish brown from years outside. "Really?"
"I like the trees." I say, suddenly defensive of my new habitat.
"Sure." He sounds skeptical, but there's a teasing tone in his voice. "You're definitely not avoiding a certain someone?"
"I think he's avoiding me, Tex, not the other way around."
He flashes me a knowing smile. "I was talking about me, Janey."
"Oh." I turn my immediate embarrassment into irritation. "Well that doesn't make sense. Why would I be avoiding you?"
"Why would you be avoiding Cash?"
"Don't change the subject now that you've brought it up." I huff. Tex nods, his smile dissipating.
"I thought you might be avoiding me because of Cori. Cash said you thought she looked scared of me, and I wanted to make sure you weren't thinking I was a danger to you or Blister."
A knot of shame boils in my stomach. Tex has been good to me in the time I've been here. Of anyone, I should have trusted him the most.
"I didn't mean to accuse you of anything"-
"You didn't. It's just complicated between me and Cori." My pulse quickens, thinking he's going to reveal something, but then his expression turns playful again. "But you'd know all about complicated, what with you and Cash"-
"Tex!" I stand up so abruptly I bump the little folding table, jostling my cup of cold coffee all over my jeans. I just miss grabbing the Home Sweet Home mug and it shatters on the wooden floor of the deck.
The brief silence that follows is broken by Tex's poor attempts to stifle his laughter.
"Now look what you made me do." I giggle, bending down to pick up shards of broken cup.
"Me? That was all you, Clumsy." He kneels next to me to help, still snickering. "Now I understand how you managed to slice your leg up climbing a fence. You'd better change before the big gathering."
"What gathering?" I nearly drop the pieces of mug again when it dawns on me. "Is it Sunday already?"
"Yes ma'am. I am to escort you, if you're feeling up to it." He must sense that I'm considering playing hooky, because he adds: "I'm told Pearl will be dropping Blister in an hour or so."
Rats. I can't leave Blister alone.
"Okay. Let me clean this up and change." I sigh. "What the hell do I even wear to something like this? Leather pants? Will you be whipping out the assless chaps?"
"In your dreams."
~~~
Tex drives us out to a roadhouse on a country highway. I didn't even know one existed, but then the majority of my life has been restricted to the trailer park or downtown Throckmorton. At one time, it looks like it might have been an Old West-themed restaurant. The parking lot is packed with motorcycles. After spending a few agonizing minutes fretting with my hair in the passenger side, I climb out of the Chevy and head for the front door of the roadhouse, but Tex whistles and nods his head around back.
"Yard party until it gets dark."
I smooth my hands against my denim cutoffs and follow his lead with trepidation. "Shouldn't we wait for Blister to get here?"
He shrugs. "If you want. Figured you'd want to scope it out for yourself first, being so overprotective and all."
"That's a good point." I mutter. I can hear voices, the steady rhythm of rock.
Tex can tell I'm stalling. He slings an arm conspiratorially around my shoulder. "Come on, Janey. We aren't so bad." With that, he hauls me around back.
The 'yard' is mostly parched earth scattered with lawn chairs and picnic tables. It looks like there's a firepit towards the back, where the ground becomes dense dry shrubs. The number of bikers is intense. I don't know what I was expecting. The yard is filled with probably twenty or thirty people. Men and women alike with tattoos and leather leather vests. I'm standing on the outskirts in jean shorts and a giant t-shirt feeling out of place.
Tex bumps my shoulder. "Drink?"
"No. I'm good."
"Suit yourself." He heads towards one of many large plastic tubs full of ice to keep the booze cold.
I find my eyes scanning the group of people, looking for Cash.
Someone collides into the back of me, wrapping me in a fierce but tiny hug.
"Janey!" I pull Blister even tighter against me. When I glance down and she's looking at everyone nervously. "Who are all these people?"
"It's fine, Bliss. They're friends of Pearl and Tex."
I'm surprised to see couple kids are running around, giggling. They peer at Blister curiously, either intrigued by an older kid or surprised to see two strangers at the party.
"Well hey! If it isn't Georgie!" Tex strolls back over with a beer in one large hand and two cans of coke in the other. He hands us each a soda and twists the top off his bottle, chugging it unceremoniously. "You should go meet some of the kids."
Blister glances over at the group of children. "Maybe in a bit."
She needs to work up the nerve first. I understand the feeling. "Tex, how about you introduce us to," my eyes land on Doc talking to a few people at one of the picnic tables, "those people over there?"
He nods, and offers his arm faux-gentlemanly to my sister. She giggles and accepts.
"Got room at this little party?" Tex hollers as we approach. Doc immediately grins and gets up to give me a hug.
"Jane! How's the leg?"
"Way better, thank you." I return her embrace warmly.
"And this must be your sister! Gosh, you two look so alike."
Blister grins at that. "I'm Bliss."
"She goes by Georgie." Tex soberly informs the group. She giggles and protests, I watch all the unfamiliar faces in front of me soften with instant affection for my sister, and I feel myself relax a little.
They're good people with a bad reputation.
Doc introduces us to the bikers at the table. Daggers looks slightly older than me, maybe in his thirties, with jet black hair and grizzled features. A redheaded woman named Vick hangs on his arm. A younger guy with sandy hair and huge spectacles informs me that he's called X-Ray.
"I'm the one that cleaned your blood off the garage floor." X-Ray grins toothily. "Man you really gave Cash a run for his money, huh? I heard you shot at him."
All eyes are on me, Blister's head whips in my direction. "It was just a warning shot! The gun wasn't loaded."
Blister's jaw dropped. "You shot at somebody?"
"It was a misunderstanding"-
"She sure did." Tex leans down towards her. "Your sister busted into our garage looking for a gun. Cash caught her and she fought him like a tiger. He was so impressed he asked her to join the Spades on the spot."
It's a poor version of what actually happened. "Now you're making things up, Cowboy."
"At least he's telling me something." Bliss sulks. She appeals to the table of Spades. "Jane never tells me anything."
"God you two are so similar." Doc is beaming. "Do you get the attitude from your Mom or your Dad?"
I wince at the question. "I don't really know. My Dad skipped town after I was born, and Blister's didn't stick around either." I often wonder if that is the curse of women in our family, if we are destined to only have each other. It seems we are breaking it slowly, surrounded by new friends.
"You two have different fathers?" Vick asks. "But you could be twins."
I shrug. "Genetics are funny that way. We both take after Mom."
Blister glances up at me, eyebrows twitching with uncertainty. I plaster an easy grin on my face and bump against her shoulder. Doc is watching us carefully all of a sudden, her face deep in thought.
"Blister got all the brains though. Straight As. Always have your nose in a book, don't you?" I gush, wrapping my arm around her slim frame.
She blushes prettily. "I don't know."
"Yes you do. Don't be modest. You're going to do great things once you get out of here."
"You always say that." Blister pulls a face. "What if I want to stay with you?"
"You think I'm letting you rot here like I did?" This isn't the first time that Blister has brought up the idea of staying put instead of going off to college. She flip-flops between wanting to study at Dallas U and wanting to stay in Throckmorton so quickly that the pace of her indecision frequently gives me whiplash. "You're getting out of here, that's final."
Before she can argue, I slip away to grab another can of soda from one of the coolers.
"You speak real highly of Blister." Cash's low rumble sounds behind me, making me jump. I hadn't seen him join the group. I wonder when he started listening in on the conversation.
"'Course I do. She's my sister."
"She got straight As and the teachers love her and she's so different from you."
"Yeah, what's your point?"
"So I take it you were bad news as a kid?" He sounds skeptical, which is shocking given the amount of trouble I've gotten myself into as of late.
"I guess. I had no respect for authority." That much is true. I was a decent student - not up to par with Blister - but I had a penchant for backtalk that frequently landed me in the principal's office.
"Hm. Then I suppose you haven't changed much." I can smell the leather of his jacket, feel his breath on the back of my neck.
I whirl to face him, nearly colliding with his shoulder.
Jesus he's close. "Maybe I just don't like taking orders from you."
His eyes flick to my mouth. My stomach drops. He smells minty and dangerous. His leather jacket is worn over a white t-shirt today, and I can see a hint of tattoo reaching up from the collar. Before I can help myself, my eyes trail over the stubble of his jawline, the smirk on his full lips.
"A shame. I only have your best interests at heart."
"Really? I thought you just liked bossing me around."
He breaks into a smile.
"What?" I ask.
"You're not so skittish for once. It's nice."
A little flicker of heat licks at my features, burning my cheeks. His eyes are sparkling with genuine warmth and he looks - as he so often does - traitorously handsome.
"Well I"- I swallow thickly, "I guess I'm getting comfortable here. With you - and your people."
"They're your people now too." He takes a long swig of his beer. "The Spades are a family."
My instinct is to snap at him, to say that I already have a family, to push at him with my words until there is enough space between us again to satisfy me; to feel safe. I don't do any of those things. I turn to look at Blister, she's walked off to play with the younger kids. She's smiling like I've never seen her.
"Let yourself off the hook, Dallas." His fingertips close gently around my elbow, his touch hot against my skin. "You protected her alone up until now, and you did a damn good job of it. You've got us now. You can relax."
"I'm working on it, Old Man."
I'm aware that several heads have swiveled to face us. Cash looks momentarily startled, but he laughs. His hand lingers on my arm for a beat longer than it should.
~~~
After a few hours, Tex offers to take Bliss back to Pearl's before the party gets too rowdy. It's only once she's hugged me goodbye and I've watched the green Chevy disappear into the night that I reach into one of the tubs for a beer.
"Ahh so it's party party party when the little sister's gone, huh?" Daggers grins at me.
"Yeah, something like that."
He clinks his drink against mine before getting up, giving Vick a long lingering kiss before him and X-Ray saunter over to another group of guys cracking open a scotch bottle. She watches him go, a little dreamy look to her pale blue eyes. A surprising bolt of jealousy hits me as I look at her.
"How long have you two been together?" I ask.
"We got together before we joined the Spades, so almost a decade ago." Vick whistles. "We were kids."
"They just got married." Doc explains. "I'm expecting a pregnancy announcement any day now."
"No way." Vick shudders. "It's way too soon to be thinking about that. Plus with this takeover"- she trails off after Doc gives her a firm look.
"Takeover? What takeover?"
"With Hoyt." Doc explains gently. "Cash warned you it could be dangerous, right?"
"Yeah."
"Too dangerous to bring a kid into things right now." Vick hesitates in saying it, and I know why. It's a sensitive subject because I already brought a kid into it. I endangered Blister by agreeing to help the Spades.
"Hey." Doc places her hand over mine. "You did the right thing."
I think it's the first time anyone has said that to me. My eyes begin to water. "The things he was threatening to do to her"-
Her hand squeezes mine. "He's going to pay, you know that, right? Blister will be safer with us, and so will you."
I nod, not daring to blink and let the tears spill over. "Thank you."
"See? Look at the stress you're under. No kids for me." Vick announces, folding her arms firmly across her chest. I know she's said it to alleviate the tension, and I'm instantly grateful. All that gratitude flies out the window when Vick turns to me, blue eyes sparkling. "Okay, spill. What's going on over at that safehouse?"
"What do you mean?"
"Pffft. You're kidding, right? Tex told me you and Cash bicker like you're one drink away from screwing." She clocks the beer in my hands and breaks into a wide grin.
"What?" I splutter.
Doc giggles, throwing an affectionate arm around the redhead. "She's a little straightforward, our Vick."
As if to prove this, Vick adds: "About time he got some. He's been getting grouchy."
"Nothing's going on with Cash and I."
"You keep telling yourself that." Vick smiles into her drink. "The rest of us have a pool going."
Aghast, I appeal to Doc, who only laughs. "Don't look at me, I put a little money in myself."
"No way. Not happening."
"Oh honey," Vick cackles, "count yourself lucky. What the rest of us wouldn't give to have ridden that machine of a man." She glances over to where Cash is standing chatting with X-Ray.
"Okay ew." Doc shudders. "Breezing past that. Jane, there's nothing going on? Nothing at all?"
"No, why?"
Vick giggles. "If you want people to stop thinking you're together, you should probably stop calling him Old Man."
"What?" I flush. "Why?"
Doc winces. "It's sort of a term of endearment around here. Old Lady and Old Man kind of mean"-
"Husband and wife." Vick finishes.
"What?" I shriek. "Why didn't he tell me that?"
He had warned me against it to be fair, but he hadn't even blinked when I called him that in front of people at the party. I hide my burning face in my palms. "That's so embarrassing."
"I'm surprised he let you do that." Doc murmurs before cracking a grin. "Well, almost surprised."
"Right?" Vick whispers. "It's pretty clear from the way he looks at her that he wants to"-
"I need something stronger than beer." I stand abruptly. The girls laugh at me as I go stomping towards X-Ray and repeat my request.
"Done deal, Jane. Will whiskey do the trick?"
"Yes." Against my will, my eyes slide across the yard and find that Cash's gaze is already locked on me. "Lots of whiskey."
///