Page 12 of Sully
“Darby,” I whispered, the name barely audible over the sound of the shower.Then louder as tension built, as release approached.“Darby.”Her name became a mantra, a prayer, a curse.The only word that mattered.
When I came, it was with her name on my lips and her image burned behind my eyelids.For those few seconds of release, she was with me again, real and present and mine.Then reality rushed back in with the water, washing away the evidence of my obsession but leaving the hunger that drove it fully intact.
I leaned against the tile wall, breathing hard, water running in rivulets down my face and chest.This was madness.I knew it.Knight knew it.Yet I couldn’t stop myself from seeking her, couldn’t purge her from my system no matter how many times I tried to exorcise her memory through physical release.
She had burned herself into me during that single night, leaving marks no one could see, but which I felt with every breath.
I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my waist.Water dripped from my hair onto my shoulders as I moved to the window, looking out over the courtyard the guys had made for their women.I wanted Darby here with them.With me.
Chapter Four
Sully
I’d lost count of how many nights I’d sat in this same corner ofThrottle, nursing the same brand of whiskey, waiting for a ghost.Knight was frustrated and getting angrier by the day because he’d found zilch on Darby.Something in me couldn’t let go of the possibility that she might walk through that door again, and it bothered me I couldn’t let her memory go.The rational part of my brain told me I was wasting my time, but rationality had taken a back seat weeks ago when it came to Darby.So I sat, I waited, and I drank just enough to keep the hope from turning bitter.
Also, I was rapidly headed toward shit-faced drunk.
“Why don’t you lay off the Jack for a while, man?”Knight muttered as he continued to stare at his computer screen.I have no idea what he was doing, but the man had become almost as obsessed as I had with finding Darby.He didn’t like to be bested.
“Why don’t you bite me?”
Knight shook his head.“Nah.Might get rabies from your skank hide.”
I shook my head as I downed my last shot.Knight was right.If I quit now, I might be sober enough to not puke when Knight took me home.“I’d argue but I really can’t.”
Mike snorted.He was a good guy.Able to diffuse situations getting out of hand, as well as knowing how and when to take a brother’s keys when he’d had too much.He also didn’t give me shit about why I was here.I kinda got the feeling he was as enamored with Darby as I was, but more for the thrill.I wanted to hate the guy, but I just couldn’t.“Lay off an hour, then I’ll give you a joint.You’ll stay mellow without being shit-faced.”
“Not sure that’s a good idea either.”Knight still didn’t look up from his laptop.Just took another pull of coffee and kept doing whatever he was doing.“Sometimes alcohol and pot don’t fuckin’ mix.”
“I know what I can handle, Knight.”I wanted to be annoyed, but I really couldn’t.Knight loved to argue and have a running commentary of snark.It helped him concentrate or something.
“Uh-huh.”
There were a couple moments of silence while Mike rubbed down the bar.“You know,” Mike said, “I once ate a whole rainbow bar.”
“What’s a rainbow bar?”I knew what a rainbow bar was, but I also knew whatever came out of Mike’s mouth was going to be a hoot and I was willing to look like an idiot to further the cause.
“You know.Like a Rice Crispy bar made of Fruity Pebbles.Infused with pot.”Mike grinned.
“Yeah?How much is in one of those things?”
Mike shrugged.“Enough that, an hour later, I became a born-again Christian.”
I raised my eyebrows.“Well, as long as you didn’t join the Southern Bible Thumpers Church of the Holy Serpent, I’m okay with that.”
Mike tilted his head.“I mean, there might have been a serpent…” He shook his head slightly.“Coulda been a tentacle, though.”
I sat up straighter.“Wait.Lemmie guess.First Self-Righteous Church of Pascagoula?”
Mike nodded, his eyes going wide.“Yep.Goddamned squirrel went berserk.”
“That’s it!Heard everyone learned way more about Sister Bertha’s love life than was decent.”There was a pause.“Heard she actually started namin’ names.”
We were trying to get to Knight, to pull him out of this funk because, honestly, the man truly hated to be gotten the better of.I didn’t think he was going to bite, but then he shrugged.“Ironically, the actual name of that church -- it’s more or less akindatrue story -- was First Baptist Church of Poplarville.”
Mike glanced at me, then back to Knight, who was still busily clicking away on his laptop never even having looked up.When Mike looked back at me, I shook my head at the other man.“I got nothin’, man.”
Mike broke first, but I wasn’t far behind.We both laughed so hard we had to wipe tears from our eyes.Knight merely snorted, giving a little half smile as he continued to work.
