“They’regone too. The truck is gone.”
I blink a few times, like it’ll somehow make the picture he’s painting come into focus, but it’s all still blurry. “Did they go to town to pick something up?”
Johnny rolls his eyes. “Pete and Momma wouldn’t leave without saying something, and when have you ever known Little Dick to go anywhere without you? He would’ve left a note or something. He wouldn’t just up and leave. Not with Pete or Momma. He don’t like small-talkin’ with strangers. You know he gets nervous. What if he got hurt and they had to take him to the hospital? Or what if he decided he don’t want this? What if he didn’t want me, so he left?”
I know it’s my turn to roll my eyes, but I don’t, because that’s not what my Johnny Boy needs. Inside, I’m terrified, but Johnny needs me to be the strong one, the way I always am. I wrap my arms around him and pull him in for a hug.
“Oh, Johnny,” I soothe, kissing his forehead. “You must’ve missed the memo. Ezzy’s smitten. He might not have said the words, but I know they’re in there, and they’re just dying to come out. He loves you. He lovesus. Did you ask Austin or Jay if they saw anything?”
Johnny shakes his head, his short beard tickling my chest. “Jay was sleeping, but I woke him up and asked if he saw something. He said once he falls asleep, he’s out like a light, then told me to fuck off.”
“I’ll wear his ass out—”
“I think we’ve got bigger fish to fry.” He holds a small syringe and a bottle of clear liquid he’s been fisting this whole time. “I went to check on Dallas and Austin. This was beside their bed.”
“The fuck is that?”
“Drowsy Dan.”
“Is that the shit your momma gave me last time we visited? The sleep aid she made on the stove?”
Johnny nods. “Yeah. It looks like she dosed both of them. It lasts twelve hours, so there’s no telling how long they’ll be out.”
“The fuck is in that shit? I felt like I had a hangover for two weeks.”
“Some rat poison. A little Benadryl. There’s some herb she crushes and boils the liquid with. She gets them down at the pond. Pete, Barrett, and me used to pick the weeds she uses, and we’d smoke them. It’s like pot, but with a killer hangover.”
I scrub my face. “Jesus, fuck. This is the stupidest real-life plot twist I’ve ever lived through.” I open my mouth to ask if Ezra took his phone, but it’s on the bedside table where it always is. He gets so sad without his phone. There’s a bitter tugging in my heart. “Where do you think they went?”
“I don’t know. They don’t ever go anywhere. This was the first time Pete’s even been out of Dunsberry.” His eyes widen. “They never leave home. Do you think they went back to Arkansas?”
“It’s the only place I could imagine them going.”
“But why would they come all this way just to take him to Dunsberry without saying goodbye?”
“I guess that’s something we’re going to have to ask them when we get there.”
“You mean it?” he asks, his voice low, almost like he’s embarrassed to ask. “You’ll take me home?”
Interesting that he still thinks of it as home, considering he’s almost been out of the town longer than he was in it, but I guess home is where the heart is, and right now, our heart is headed to Arkansas, and we have to get him back.
“Get dressed. Let’s go get our boy.”
I don’t know where the hell they’re taking me, but I’ve been pretending to be asleep for the last three hours, hoping Mommy Dearest in the front seat doesn’t sic her piece of shit son on me again. It hurt like a motherfucker when he stabbed me with his godforsaken syringe, and I don’t want to dealwith that again.
My arms and legs are unbound, surprisingly, and they’ve placed me in the back seat of their pickup truck. My back is to the front of the car, so I’m sure they can’t see my face. That’s why I allow myself this moment. A tear trickles down my cheek, because I miss Bubba, and I miss Johnny. A few weeks ago, if someone told me I’d be lying in the backseat of some hillbilly’s truck, crying over Johnny Boyd and Bubba Jenkins, I probably would have slapped them right in the face. Now, it’s truer than it’s ever been, because I feel all shattered and broken inside.
Not only am I missing my daddies, but Barb hasn’t said a single goddamn word to me since these bastards kidnapped me. She’s been uncharacteristically quiet the entire trip, and that tells me she’s scared. Scared of being called out. Terrified of my wrath.
Her downfall will be spectacular.
I jolt in the seat when a hand gently strokes my shoulder, ruining all chances of remaining hidden.
“Sweetie, we’re going to pull over for gas. Why don’t you get out with me and stretch your legs,” Ladonna says. I look over my shoulder, momentarily forgetting the tears trickling down my cheeks. The moment she spots them, her expression falls, and she gets this distant look in her eyes. Her hand finds my cheek again, and she gives me the most genuine smile I’ve ever seen. “I’m really sorry about the way this happened, but I’m happy to get to spend a little time with the man who stole my boy’s heart.” She chuckles softly. “It’s still strange to think of Johnny with another man, let alone two.”
“It’s not so strange,” Pete says, clearing this throat, eyes locked on the road, hands at ten and two on the steering wheel. His eyes dart up to meet mine in the rearview mirror, and red heat stains his cheeks. “It makes sense. He’s always been different.” Pete swallows. “He’s always thought he was different, somehow. Now, he’s got a name for it. Hedon’t like girls. Or maybe he likes them a little, but it’s not nearly as strong as this new thing. This special thing.” His blush spreads even more. “This precious thing.”
Right. Well, Pete is clearly a raging bisexual, and I’ve got a feeling Jaden Jenkins is his awakening. They’ll probably wind up falling madly in love with some silly, ridiculous kink, weirder than either of Austin and my kinks, but that’s a story for another day. Probably not, actually, but I’ll consider it canon.
