Page 86 of On the Land, We Shoot Straight
“You get near that boy again, and I swear I’ll fuckin’ kill you. You hear me?”
Willy looked like he was about to say something else but then decided against it.
“I wanna hear an answer.”
Willy nodded, like it pained him.
“Say it.”
Willy inhaled and looked again like he was about to say something else. Grady brought his hand up. Willy cowered and spat out, “I ain’t gonna go near him!”
Grady stood. He looked down at Willy cowering below him and had to hold himself back from kicking the living shit out of him. Instead, he thought of Cole scared and alone in Grady’s truck on this fucking asshole’s land and turned and walked out.
Grady got in the driver’s seat, and an unexpected rush of relief at seeing Cole sitting there, waiting for him, went through him. He turned the key, let it idle and looked at Cole.
Cole was hunched in on himself like he was scared. Grady reached out and gripped his shoulder.
“Are you all right?”
Cole stiffened, but then nodded, and Grady couldn’t see his face, but he could feel him shaking under his hand.
Grady wanted to push it, but he wanted to get out of this godforsaken place more. So he gave Cole a reassuring squeeze, took his hand back, put it in gear and drove.
The drive back towards town was punctured with Cole’s labored breathing, the quiet sounds of bitten-off sobs he seemed determined to hold in. Grady wanted to say something, anything, but he wasn’t sure what, and he reckoned he just wanted to get him home first anyway.
Grady slowed as they made their way through town, the bar still alight, Cole silent and still as the grave beside him. As Grady accelerated out of town, Cole sat up and said, “You can drop me anywhere, I can find my way.”
Grady hit the brakes and pulled off the road. He let the truck idle, flicked the cabin light on and turned to face Cole. Cole flinched back, and Grady’s heart clenched painfully in his chest.
“I ain’t—” Grady blew out a breath and tried to get the words out. “I ain’t gonna leave you out in the night.”
Cole nodded, but his head was down and his face was covered by his hair. “I don’t wanna make trouble for you.”
“Jesus, Cole. You ain’t no trouble,” Grady said.
Cole flinched again, and Grady tried to rein it in and say the right thing. “Look, I ain’t leavin’ you out here where any one of them pricks might try somethin’, all right? I want you to come home, but I ain’t gonna make you if you don’t want. Hell, I’ll drive you to the city right now if you preferin’ it.”
Cole shook his head and glanced at Grady. “Your missus don’t want me there. I don’t wanna be more trouble.”
“She’s gone,” Grady said like he’d forgotten all about it, which he had.
Cole looked surprised and then guilt flashed over his face so fast, Grady had to reach out and grip his shoulder and shake him. “Not on account of you, not in the way you thinkin’.”
Cole nodded, but not like he believed him.
“She ain’t comin’ back.”
Cole rubbed his eyes and relaxed a fraction into Grady’s touch.
Grady tried again. “Let me take you home. I know Chloe’s wonderin’ where you at.”
Cole snorted and met his eyes, a hint of a smile in his own. “That’s dirty pool.”
“I know it,” Grady said, grave. But, “I ain’t above playin’ dirty here.”
Cole blew out a breath. “You sure?”
“I’m goddamned surer than I’ll ever be about anything.”
