Page 34 of The Fence Between Us

Skye opened her mouth, another scream building in her throat. But quick as a snake, Dylan jabbed at her shoulder, plunging a tiny needle beneath her skin, the feeling like a bee sting, and her scream turned into a yelp. Her head swam, her vision went fuzzy, and Skye sank into darkness.

Chapter 21

Rabble

Rabble spent entirely too much time pacing, slowly going out of his mind. He’d practically watched Skye’s heart shatter at what she overheard. Would he have someday told her about the deal he’d made with her father? He liked to think he would have, but not like this. Never like this.

The moment she processed her father’s words, the light in her eyes flicker out as if someone had blown out a candle. He ached to go after her, everything in him straining to take her in his arms and beg for forgiveness. With Max and his shadow there though, Rabble couldn’t do anything that would show weakness, in himself, or Skye.

As her form retreated, running as far away from him as possible, Max and Dylan both wore satisfied smirks on their faces. Rabble didn’t believe in coincidences on a normal day, and that certainly hadn’t changed overnight. If he had the money, Rabble would bet Max or Dylan, maybe both, orchestrated that meeting specifically for Skye to hear. The scumbags left not long after, done with taunting and trying to intimidate him.

He watched as they climbed into one of their expensive cars, waiting until they drove away before pulling out his cell phone. He called, texted, then called Skye again. Stomach twisting, heart racing, Rabble’s body tensed with acidic dread. She had to know how he felt, the truth, not the twisted poison she’d overheard. He needed to show her, she was the very thinghe’d been working to protect, then and now. The only person he couldn’t live without. Always.

He lost his sense of purpose, of direction, and for once had no idea how to proceed. He abandoned his original destination, having no desire to go into the bridal shop and face the questions Elyza and the others would certainly have for him. With no particular destination in mind, he walked alone, his thoughts a swirling pile of useless mush. He returned to the truck as the sun began to fade. He couldn’t think about anything except telling Skye the truth, needing her to understand like he needed air to breathe.

Dusk fell, and the streetlamps came on, dimly lighting his drive back to the bed and breakfast where he slumped onto the back porch swing and rocked throughout the night. He remained in the same spot as the sun rose, his clothes wrinkled and his eyes haunted.

Just after sunrise, the sky still bursting into life, the rear screen door creaked open, ancient hinges groaning with protest. The sound of heavy footsteps and the door slamming shut followed as Declan and Dash sauntered toward him. Rabble couldn’t even bring himself to tense, to prepare for the dressing-down he knew was coming and he didn’t bother trying to defend himself as they settled near him. Dash leaned against the porch railing, crossing one booted foot over the other, and his arms over his chest. Declan sat on the railing, legs dangling while he braced his hands by his hips.

“Go ahead,” Rabble rasped, “Light into me.”

Dash remained silent, watching his friend with hazel eyes that saw too much.

Declan, his brother’s counterpart, let loose, “What possessed you to do something so stupid? I’ve made my share of dumbass mistakes, but … man what the hell were you thinking?

Rabble stared ahead, unable to meet his brothers’ eyes, shame threatening to pull him under.

“Rab,” Dash said, his voice low, reassuring to Declan’s simmering anger and disappointment, “You aren’t infallible. We’ve all done things we regret. But you’re going to need to give us some context here because the Rabble I know wouldn’t even bother associating with those sons’-a-bitches.”

His throat bobbed and he struggled for the words to say what he needed, “I, uh, well. Look, you know I don’t like talking about my family, where I came from, the person I was before I joined up.”

Declan nodded and Dash flexed his arms but neither spoke, giving Rabble the space to fade into memories he’d rather leave buried.

“I’ve told you how wonderful my mom was, I could never be ashamed of her, but the loser she married, he’s a different story. Drunk, abusive, lazy, a slob, I heard it all growing up. I wasn’t Rabble or even Matthew. I was the son of that good for nothing trailer trash who beat his wife and kid and drank until he blacked out every night.”

Declan’s frown darkened his face and Rabble wondered if he could see where this was going.

Self-loathing stirred in his chest, “Anyway. Skye’s father is a real bastard too. A different kind maybe but—.”

“What happened?” Dash asked, “You’ve said before, you and Skye spent years together, meeting at the fence without any fallout. The mayor didn’t make any moves before that to stop you from being around each other. So, what was different?”

A wet track found its way down Rabble’s face as he remembered the night everything changed, “My mom died.”

Declan and Dash shifted in unison, their eyes taking on a type of sympathy that made Rabble’s already shattered heart break apart just a bit more.

“She came to me that night, after I found out Mom was gone. I got home late, I’d been studying at the library, and Dad told me when I walked through the door. No emotion, not a single sign he gave a shit and I raced out of the house, finding my way down to the fence in the dark.”

Rabble could see it happening, as if it played out in front of him.

He’d arrived at the fence, already a mess. A high-pitched ringing static in his mind. Wet splashes landed on his skin, his clothes and he realized he’d been crying. Skye hopped over the fence, her long legs eating up the distance to him and she gathered him to her as his legs gave out and they fell to the ground together. She hushed him gently, holding his head to her chest as he fell apart completely. Devastation poured from him and she absorbed it as it crashed against her. Skye held him, rocked him, comforted him in the only way she knew how.

Eventually, each breath an agony, he managed to ground out the horrifying and heartbreaking truth. Saying it aloud somehow made it permanent where it had only been a horrible nightmare before.

Memories of her soft smiles flashed through his mind, each striking another blow to his pulverized heart. Distantly, the angry voice of a man yelling, screaming for Skye, broke through the haze of his anguish, but she didn’t leave. Skye stayed, holding him through the night while a part of him, the part that felt hopeful and good, died.

“Max never forgave her for disobeying, or me for leading her astray. His daughter was worth more to him unsullied byassociation with someone like me. If he thought I’d touched her that night, if he thought we’d—” Rabble huffed out a breath, “Skye meant more to me than anything in the entire world. But to him, it didn’t matter.

“After that, I stopped going to school regularly. Dad didn’t care where I was during the day, or night for that matter. No one really cared and I was better off alone. I wasn’t exactly pleasant to be around. Mrs. Basket and Mr. Jack are the only ones who saw me for what I was at that point, besides Skye. A shell, a husk carrying around a rotted and dead soul.”

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