Page 89 of 2204 Hunter Lane
Tears pilled in my waterline as I spun back around and unlocked the door to my Malibu.
Josh’s shadow caught up to me as he placed his hand on the hood of my car and eyed me solemnly.
“I can’t get inside with you standing there, Josh.”
He inhaled a breath and hung his head low. “Marley, Hunter’s been through it. You know it, I know it, he fuckin’ knows it. I rarely ever saw that kid smile, y’know? A handful of times in the past four years, I saw him smile. You were here, not even a year, and he smiled when he was angry at ya, laughin’ at ya, and fuckin’ happy with ya.”
I stood paralyzed, watching him as he dragged two hands down his face.
“Look, my point is he smiled. Andyoubrought that outta him. That means a hell of a lot more than ya think.”
At this point, my waterworks were on full display, staining my shirt with wet dribbles.
“God,” I choked out a laugh, sniffling. “He’s such an asshole. But I cared… Icare, a lot about him and I don’t know why.”
He leaned forward and brushed a tear from my cheek. “You wanna fix him, babe. Lotta people do. That’s why I get why you did what ya did, callin’ the cops and that.”
“You do?”
He nodded. “Are ya kiddin’ me? You did what we’ve all wanted to do for years, but shame on us. We were too scared to let him slip, y’know, finish the job he wanted to do every time he got behind that damn wheel.”
My arms cradled me in place, running over the goosebumps surfacing on my skin. “I know that a drunk driver killed his mom… so why does he do exactly that? Why would he do that, Josh?”
“I don’t know.” His lips pressed into a firm line as he ran stressed fingers through his hair. “I don’t think he thinks ‘bout anyone else when he’s drivin’.”
“That’s stupid. And reckless.”
“That’s Hunter.”
Not an excuse. Fuck that.Before I let any more tears fall, I opened my car door and settled in the drivers seat.
Rolling down the window, I held out my hand for Josh to take. “Please watch him from now on. And please remember, Josh, better him safe behind bars than a handful of casualties.”
The engine roared to life as I made my way out of the parking lot, staring at Josh’s still form in the rear-view mirror.
Don’t cry, Marley, don’t cry. You’ve cried enough…
Damnit.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Hunter
Istepped onto my driveway after a three-day bender with Tabitha and Zetty.
Tabitha was a college student in Omaha, visiting home for the Summer while Zetty, her roommate, was an exchange student from Japan. Wildcats they were…fuckin’ wildcats.
The sun pissed on my face as I approached the farmhouse, spotting my dad and Payton out in front shovelling some shit looking dirt into a hole they dug up.
“I’m sober, cross my heart.” I joked, but I was entirely serious.
Ever since Marley put me on the feds’ radar, I’d kept the drunk driving to a minimum. I’m sure there’d be other ways to kill me softly, but my truck was taking a back seat in the bliss from now on.
No one reacted to my remark, completely ignoring my presence like usual. But I was in the mood for a little confrontation, now that I had my baby back and could escape the scene if I wanted to.
“Buryin’ a dead body or somethin’?”
Again, no response.
