Chapter Seventeen
When Diablo helpedFallon off the bike, streaks of sand highlighted her tear-stained cheeks. Gently, he brushed his fingers across her face, the grains sticking to his skin. “It’s going to be all right,” he said in a low voice before he kissed her lightly. Her lips tasted of salt, and they were gritty from the blowing sand.
“I don’t want to be around a bunch of people,” she said.
“We’ll go straight to my room. Come on.” He pressed her close and wrapped his arm around her. She burrowed into his side and they walked slowly through the parking lot. Inside, the air was hazy and music filled the room. Women and men hung on to each other, and the tangy and sweet scent of sex, weed, and booze floated in the air. Over the hard beats of the music, the din of indistinct chatter rose.
Cue Ball and Sangre came over to Diablo as he pointed to a bottle of Jack. The prospect grabbed it and put it down in front of him. “Two glasses, a two-liter bottle of Coke, and a few bottled waters.”
“Glad to see you got here okay, dude,” Cue Ball said.
“Yeah. When I left the fuckers hadn’t yet arrived. Paco and the others took care of things?”
Sangre nodded. “Tomorrow we’ll pay a visit to Bud at the junkyard.”
Army, Chains, and Crow came over and Fallon pressed closer to Diablo, her face against his T-shirt. “Good to see you’re back,” Army said while Chains and Crow nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. I’m going to my room now. Later.” He turned to grab the bottle of Jack but it wasn’t there. None of the things he ordered were there. “What the fuck?” he said to the prospect.
Ruger smiled. “I already took them to your room. They’re outside your door.”
Diablo tilted his chin at him and walked out of the room.
In his room, Fallon pulled away from him and went over to the window. “There isn’t a star in the sky. They’re all hiding.”
He yanked off his bloodstained T-shirt, kicked off his boots, and stretched out on the bed. “Get comfortable. We gotta talk.”
Fallon turned away from the window and stared at him for a few seconds; then she took off her jacket, slipped off her shoes, and joined him on the bed. He poured her a glass of whiskey and pointed to the Coke. “You want me to add that?” She nodded and he poured it in her glass, then filled a large glass with Jack for him.
“I can’t believe how things got so out of hand,” she murmured.
“Sometimes life happens like that. That’s why you always have to be ready for it.”
“I don’t think he’s going to die.” Her voice broke.
“The bastard will be fine. Does he always talk to you like that?” She nodded. “Fuck.” He took a big gulp of whiskey, placed the glass on the counter, and grabbed her hands. “What’s the bastard done to you? You can trust me.”
Her eyes widened. “What do you mean? You were there. He just said some mean things to me and slapped me. I’m used to it.”
“Does he always hit you?”
She shook her head. “Not like when I was young. He’s only physical if he’s really angry at me. I knew he’d be mad. I expected it. I mean, I didn’t call him or anything. I just disappeared, and I had a lot of chores to do—”
“Stop.” Diablo put his fingers over her mouth. “Don’t even think this was your fuckin’ fault. You didn’t do shit. Is this the way it’s been for you the whole time?”
Pausing for a few seconds, she stared down at the blanket. “Ever since my mom left. Before she left us, he basically ignored me unless he was really mad at her or drunk. He’d go out of town on sales trips, and when he came home he’d be real nice to my mom, but then Mr. Hyde would take over a few days later, and he’d yell at my mom a lot. Sometimes he’d beat her.”
“Fuck. No wonder she left.”
“But she didn’t want me to tag along with her and Rich. She wanted to start over. My mom didn’t love me. It’s that simple. I need to grow up and accept it.” She wiped at her eyes.
“I’m sure your dad’s told you that a million times.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Yeah. When she first left, he told me she didn’t love me because I was stupid and ugly. He blamed me for making her go away. He really missed her. I’d sometimes hear him crying in their bedroom. I felt awful, and for a long time I wished I were better. I wished I wasn’t ugly. I figured if I were prettier and smarter, then maybe my mom would’ve taken me with her. I know it broke my dad when she left, and it doesn’t help when I do stupid things that make him mad. I should’ve called him and told him I needed a break from Shanna. I know he was worried about me.”
He’s browbeaten her for so long that she believes his shit.Diablo lifted her chin and wiped her damp cheeks. “I’m not gonna pretend like I know what your mom was thinking when she left you behind, but I can bet it wasn’t for the reasons your dad’s been telling you. You’re a beautiful woman with a ton of shit going for you. You aren’t stupid, and you’re not responsible for the way your dad acts. He is. Fuck.”
“I’m a cripple.”
