Ten(17)

The crunch echoes in my ear from Keith smashing something against my car. “Looks like your tail light is out.”

“You bastards!”

The cop’s weight is gone from my back in a flash, replaced with Keith’s. His scent clings to me like poison mist; it’s tobacco fused with liquor and it makes me gag. His hand twists in my hair and jerks my head back. His hot breath hits my cheek and with each syllable his spit sprays my skin.

“Bastards? You and your fucking brother are the bastards and it’s about time you paid for your disloyalty. You fuck with a Moore you pay at some point, princess. Now tell me where your fuck up of a brother is living these days.”

“I did nothing to any of you! And I don’t know where Jonah is! Why are you doing this?”

“You. I actually liked you. I thought it was brave to fuck my nephew knowing your Daddy wouldn’t allow you anywhere near him. If only he knew his little princess used to sneak in Dalton’s window and squeal like a whore being fucked in every orifice. I used to lay awake and stroke my cock to your little cries.”

I’m going to throw up in my mouth.

“I’d like to hear that,” the officer says.

I would rather die out here than let them defile me.

The sound of a car makes Keith move away from me. I straighten to look in the direction of the car that’s now stopped.

“Officer.”

“Jimmy.”

Oh, thank God. Don’t leave me with them!

Jimmy’s familiar features come into view and I sigh internally.

“What’s going on?”

“Police work. The young lady is driving with a broken tail light.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t intentional.” Jimmy looks down to the broken glass and back up at the men. “Looks like this just happened and she’s in a hurry to get to her father’s service. Maybe you can show some compassion and let her off with a warning. I’ll take her from here, and Keith, I’m sure you can get a truck out here to pick the car up. If you’re done on your ride along?” Jimmy pushes his jacket open and places his hands on his hips, showing off an impressive firearm and badge.

“We can’t have out-of-towners coming in thinking they can break the law and get away with it.”

“Well, Tim, she’s not an out-of-towner. She was born and raised right here by the man who gave you that badge. The man who was my best friend, and who’s service I’m going to be late for.”

Tim Moore? I haven’t heard of him before but there are so many Moores, it isn’t surprising.

My eyes dart to the police badge on Tim’s chest. My Dad gave him that badge?

I see the hesitation in Keith’s eyes and sigh when he retreats to their vehicle. I stand frozen until the license plate of their patrol car fades into the distance, and then I collapse to the floor and scream. Jimmy’s strong, supportive arms wrap around me and guide me to his car.

“Did they hurt you?” he asks in a husky tone full of … what? Regret?

“I don’t understand any of this. Nothing makes sense. I feel like I’ve walked into the twilight zone. Nothing feels real. I can’t grasp on to anything because I’m in the dark about what happened.”

My eyes are sore from crying and I know I must look horrendous.

“There are some things you should know. I should have told you straight away. I knew the Moore’s might pull some shit.”

Swiping at my eyes I shift in the seat to semi face him and wait for him to talk.

“Do you know why Dalton Moore went to prison all those years ago?”

“He was dealing for his uncle. That’s where Jonah was getting his fix from, but I didn’t know at the time. Dalton never told me he was involved with his uncle’s business.” It was the truth. I had no idea Dalton was involved, and so deep too. He promised me he wasn’t like them and that he was going to play hockey and provide a real life for us.

“Your father hid the truth from you, him, and your mother. He moved you away for your safety and to keep the deceit from you.”

“I don’t understand. Please just tell me what happened.”

He reaches for his badge and swipes his thumb over it. “He was a good man. A fantastic cop. He always stuck by the law and protected our town. Jonah was a troubled kid, always had been, and he tested your father’s patience and abilities to be a good policeman. Your father looked the other way or talked people out of pressing charges against Jonah a lot of times.”

I didn’t realize things had got that bad but I know how far gone Jonah was in the end. He wasn’t the brother I knew. Drugs changed everything about him and it had terrified me.

“Jonah got involved with Keith Moore. He was the one caught dealing.”

My gasp echoes out into the silence of the car. “No. I was there when they raided Dalton’s house. I was there with him.”

“Your brother was working with the federal government to turn in Dalton for a lesser sentence. He asked him to take the drugs. It was a really shitty way of doing things, and not something I condone, but it’s usually used to bring down higher ranking members of operations like Keith’s.”

“Jonah wouldn’t do that to Dalton. He loved him. He loved me.”

Memories of that day flood into me like cement, hardening, and solidifying my blood.

I know you’re with him, Alex.

“Dalton wouldn’t have taken the drugs from him.”

You need to help him. Please, Dalton.

“He set him up to save himself,” I breathe. “And used me to help him.”

“Your father pulled every string he had to help Jonah get out of the shit he brought on to himself. It ruined your father.” He reaches over and grabs my hand. “Keith is all kinds of dangerous, Alex. We aren’t talking about petty criminals here. Your father knew they wouldn’t take this lying down so he had to make a deal with Keith.”

“What kind of deal?”

“You and your brother were to leave here and not come back, and they weren’t allowed to look for you.”

“In return?”

“Keith wanted your Dad to bring on a Moore, recruit him, and push him through the ranks.”

I shake my head in disbelief. I can’t take it all in. It can’t be true.

Opening the car door I all but fall from the car and gasp at the air to fill my lungs. I think I’m having a panic attack. I can’t breathe.

“Alex, calm down. Get back in the car.”

I bat Jimmy’s hands away. I can’t right now.

“What about protective custody? If my Dad was that worried, why not come with us and put us all in protective custody?”

“He would have had to tell you the truth. You were sixteen and pregnant, Alex. He was going to arrest Dalton for having under age sex with you from before you turned sixteen, and the way he saw it, he was saving Jonah by letting him set Dalton up, just for a different crime than the one he was guilty of.”

That isn’t the Dad I knew. He would never have done that… would he?

“The under age excuse wouldn’t have stuck, Dalton didn’t touch me until I was ready, until I was old enough”

Jimmy holds his hands up and shrugs his shoulders. “Your Father was angry and his mind needed to justify what he was going to do to Dalton.”

“What about my Mom?”

“You needed her. He knew that and wanted you to start fresh.”

“Did my Mom know Dalton was innocent?” I choke out.

He looks at me like he pities me. How can I have been so freaking stupid? She watched me cry myself to sleep for months. She told me it was for the best when he wouldn’t return my letters, knowing how much it killed me to have him ignore me and the existence of our child. How could she have held my son knowing what she allowed to happen to his Dad? I can’t forgive her for this.

Dalton. Oh God, Dalton.

“I need you to take me somewhere.” I look up and plead without saying the words.

“Okay, sure, but we should get to the service.”

I hold my hand up to stop him. “I’m not going.”

“Alex.”

“Please, Jimmy. I can’t.”





I toss the shot back and enjoy the delicious burn of bourbon. I can’t get her out of my head. The feel of her body, the scent on her skin, the sounds she makes. It was supposed to make me feel better but it’s just fucking with my head. I hate her but my body can’t understand that. It wants her. Hate-fucking her didn’t do anything but make me crave the feel of her again.

“The contractor is here,” Jude says with a chin lift towards the door.

I stand and make my way across the bar. I had it completely remodeled when I took over, making it more appealing to the younger crowd and not just the barflies that end up owing you more than they spend. It was good for business too. The revenue sky rocketed, and it makes washing illegal funds through the books a lot easier. I hate drugs; I don’t take them and can’t stand that I have a hand in dealing them, but I’d rather be at the top of the castle than the bottom. They wanted me in the family business, well, then I would be, but it wouldn’t have ever been taking orders or being my uncle’s lackey. I think he secretly wishes I did manage to get out of this town and leave them to their shit. He hates that I’m in charge. I could even take away the truck company I gave him to run if I wanted to. Keith is in charge of getting product moved around. He still plays a big role and has the respect from our customers so it makes sense to use him, to let him keep enough power to make him feel important, but often remind him that I’m the one who has overall power. Even with my father behind bars, his reach is frightening, and Keith knows it and is afraid of going against my father’s wishes. When he questioned my friendship with Six, it pissed me off, and I’m going to show him I can do what the hell I like. I’d contacted the contractors as soon as he left the day he bitched me out about Six.