Chapter 5
He watched Rebel tear out of the parking lot. Jack took off his hat, brushed his hair back from his face before putting it back on and turned to the spot where the van had been. There was mud splattered on the broken asphalt. The oozing mess had fallen off the van when it had been assaulted. The red and clear glass from the broken lights was in their respective spots where the van had been parked. He bent to inspect these first. There were tiny splinters of wood embedded on the edges of some of the shards. As he squatted there he saw a partial footprint in one of the mud clumps and he took his phone from his pocket and snapped a few shots of it. He went to the back of the cruiser and got out an evidence baggie and put a few of the glass pieces with the splinters inside.
Instead of going after Rebel, he decided to let the man cool down some. However, he didn’t head to the station either. He took a detour. The road leading to his deputy’s house was nearly impassable again. The county scraper trucks got up as far as they could but Dennis had his house far back on his property. Once upon a time he could be seen smoothing out all the roads in his area with the blade attached to the front of his big truck.
Now that his arthritis had gotten so bad Dennis was lucky to scrape his own drive. Jack made a note to himself to get there in the next couple of days to fix it for his friend. Of all the men Jack respected there was none as much as Dennis Lane. He should have been the sheriff but had never wanted the top job instead enjoying the behind the scenes position. Now that he hurt all of the time he especially appreciated it. His title now was more honorary than anything, the town council voted to keep him on the last year until his retirement. That way he could keep his health insurance.
Jack pulled into the yard, got out and like he had expected Dennis was at the door. He was so much thinner than he had been in the first years of Jack’s career but he never lost the long black hair that was now dappled in gray and his black eyes still shined like he was in on a joke that no one else was.
“Jack, buddy, what are you doing up here visiting an old Cheyenne dog soldier?”
Jack laughed while he tenderly shook the man’s gnarled hand, and followed him into the house that was full of pictures of his family and of the old west Native American tribes. He had two beat up chairs in front of a big screen television. Jack sat in the right one, as always and Dennis took the other before Jack pulled the evidence bag out and tossed it over to Dennis. “What do the spirits think about the wood on those?”
Dennis chuckled and reached into the bag to pull one of the bigger shards out then held it to the light of the lamp beside him. “Oh, the spirits are sure this is oak…unvarnished. This was no branch that did this, no car accident.”
Jack sat back in the chair and waved for him to continue after he raised his eyebrows. “Go ahead, you’re warm.”
Dennis smiled then looked again. “Well I’d say baseball bat. Someone broke out some lights on purpose. Whose lights?”
“Candace Perry’s.”
After putting the shard back into the bag he handed it to Jack and asked, “The late Candace Perry?”
Chuckling Jack nodded. “Her nephew. He’s in town and he had a run-in with a couple of our rougher townsfolk…-“
“Travis and Gerry,” Dennis interrupted.
“Yes, Travis and his idiot sidekick and he held his own just fine but when I took him to his van we found it had been trashed.”
Dennis nodded then shrugged one shoulder, wincing at the formally casual act then hurried to ask, “Is this all the evidence you found?”
He took his phone out and opened the pictures. He showed the shoe print to Dennis and the deputy immediately shook his head. “This wasn’t either of those boys. Travis’ shoes are wider Gerry’s…his feet are too small.”
“How the hell can you remember what someone’s feet looks like?”
Dennis winked at him. “I’m good. This is a tall fellow, thin and meaner than a snake,” he commented then he studied Jack’s face for a minute and said, “You seeing someone?”
Jack’s eyes snapped into Dennis’. “What? I mean no…well…I…no!”
Dennis laughed heartily and took one of the cigars from his custom box on the table between them. “The nephew?”
Smiling, he finally nodded. “Well thought so but he’s a fucking handful that one. Has a chip on his shoulder about five hundred pounds heavy and I crave the fucker like a pregnant lady craves ice cream.”
Dennis handed him one of the cigars and they both lit up and sat back, the lights of the muted TV playing over their faces.
“It’s about time,” Dennis said puffing out a cloud of smoke.
“Yeah.”
Once he was finished there he went back to the station. Patsy was reading a romance novel at her desk and looked over the top of it as he walked in. “No calls Sheriff.”
As he passed he asked, “Can’t you even pretend you have work you have to do?”
She shrugged and said, “If I had some I would do it.”
He went into his office and shut the door, taking out the evidence bag and setting it on his desk as he sat in his tall leather chair. He looked at the bag and then smiled. Rebel fucking Marino was a wild buck needing tamed. His blood caught fire at the thought of being the one to do it. Tamed but not broken, oh hell no. That fire, that intensity was enough to light him up in every way possible. His imagination, his cock, his mind, and his fight. He would have to fight every step of the way to get that man and fight even harder if he even considered keeping him. It was a great challenge and he wanted it, needed it and he would be up to it. At least he hoped he was up for it.
He made a few calls and got some business in order. There was a string of bad assaults in St. Martin that looked to be the same person or persons. The St. Martin police and State cops had set out a statewide alert. Jack read over the reports and did some of his own paperwork until his head hurt. He got up to stretch and there was a knock on his office door. “It’s open.”
In walked Travis Walton and his father Conway. “Sheriff,” Conway said because Travis couldn’t talk with his jaw sewn shut. Travis didn’t look like he wanted to be there anyway and Jack knew why. He was pleading with Jack with his eyes and the first thing Jack found himself doing was looking at Travis’ feet. Sure enough he was wearing cowboy boots and they were a lot wider than the sneakers in the print were.
Looking back up he offered the men seats and sat in his own. “What can I do you for Conway?”
Conway was a big man like his son and just as bald but not from a razor like Travis. He also had a permanent scowl on his ruddy face. “I want to know why that little fag…I mean why that guy who jumped my kid isn’t in jail.”
Jack ignored the fag comment only because he felt like it and said, “Sounds like you heard wrong. Travis and Gerry Stuart jumped Mr. Marino and he fought back. He could have filed charges but declined to do so. Travis and Gerry may have got the worst of it but they started it and their injuries were obtained when Mr. Marino defended himself.”
“That’s bullshit!” His father said as Travis seemed to sink lower in the chair. Jack guessed if he could sink straight through the floor he would. Conway continued to rant, “That’s not what I was told! That homo jumped my boy and Gerry jumped in after Travis was already down! That’s the fact of it Sheriff.”
Again Jack nodded amicably, folding his hands over his chest. “Well I will say I wasn’t there as a witness but then again neither were you Conway.”
“I believe my boy and Gerry, two good boys, not some drifter coming here and trying to make passes at men who don’t do that sort of thing.”
As huffed up as Conway was Travis was trying to make himself invisible. Jack glanced at him with the slightest smirk and Travis quickly looked away. “Well I appreciate your input Conway but if I need help with any investigation I will call you. Until then let me handle this and maybe talk to your boy when he can talk. He may remember it a little differently like maybe he and the Marino gentleman had a misunderstanding and it ended there with no need of anyone in jail. Unless of course your boy here knows something about Marino’s vehicle getting vandalized?”
It was obvious from the way that Travis stared at Jack then his eyes got wider as he understood the implications that he could get blamed for it. He shook his head first at Jack then at his father who was looking at him skeptically. Before Travis could bust his jaw open Jack raised his hands, “I don’t have a sure suspect at this time but if I hear there is any retaliation whatsoever there is going to be hell to pay.”
They left after Conway hemmed and hawed a little more and Jack took out his phone to look at the shoe print once again.
When he left the office that late afternoon he had only one destination in mind and he drove there smiling. The memory of the kiss lingered in his mind and on his lips throughout the day and the only time he lost his smile at all was when Travis and his father had come in to the office. Just knowing that Travis’ dick had been inside of Rebel’s beautiful mouth brought feelings of pure fury through him. He felt so possessive of the man already he didn’t know what to do with the feelings except to actually possess him.
When he pulled up Rebel was in the yard with his bike out. The bike was different though, not the rusted out shit bucket it had been. The tank was dent free, sanded and shining, ready for painting, the tires had new rims, new tailpipes and the engine looked clean and practically new. He got out of the car and walked over after Rebel barely gave him a glance.
“It looks great. You’ve been working hard and not just on the house.”
Rebel squatted at the bike, picked up a pink handled wrench, obviously Candace’s, and didn’t look back up at him. “I like to keep busy.”
Jack bit the side of his bottom lip then said, “That’s good. A man should always have something to do.”
Finally Rebel looked up at him, a sight that stirred all of Jack’s desires once again. “What do you want? I thought I made it clear our fucking date was off.”
Instead of acknowledging the brush off he took two steps to Rebel, grabbed his arm to lift him to his feet before he pulled Rebel over to his car and threw him down on the hood. In quick sure movements he took out his handcuffs and had both wrists bound in seconds. The shock had taken Rebel’s voice but once he was bent over the hood he found it and started screaming at Jack.
“What the fuck are you doing? I don’t want a date so you fucking arrest me?!”
Jack was against Rebels legs holding him down with one hand. To answer Rebel’s questions he bent over him and whispered, “I’m not arresting you. I’m restraining you until you settle down and listen to me.”
Bucking harder Jack had to lean on him more and the bucking caused Rebel’s ass to rub hard on his already straining cock. He had to bite his tongue to keep the groans in. “Are you crazy? You are putting me in fucking handcuffs just so you can talk to me?”
“Yes.” That firm ass against his cock was making him dizzy and he spoke louder to him, “Listen I’ll let you go if you want me to but first I want you to understand that I’m not them.”
The struggling stopped and Rebel closed his eyes. “Who?”
“Whoever hurt you and made you unable to trust anyone.”
Jack watched Rebel’s face contort and then straighten out. He was tough, this one, and he had a stubbornness that refused to admit defeat. “Stop playing detective and fuck off. No one hurts me.”
Jack pulled him up and wrapped his arms around him tight, “The only way I want to hurt you will make you fly. It’ll set you free. Trust me and let me in. I swear to you right now I trust you and I will be there every step of the way.”
A little more struggle but Jack held him easily being stronger than he even looked and Rebel gave up after only a few moments, going almost limp in Jack’s arms. “I don’t know you. How the fuck can you expect me to trust you?”
Turning Rebel around to make Rebel face him he hugged him close and said, “I don’t expect it to be easy but you like working hard right? I will make you work hard. I’ll make you suffer and I’ll make you hurt but I will also work hard and I will suffer with you. I’ll hurt right alongside of you and when you finally let go and fly I’ll be there to catch you.”
Rebel nuzzled his face in Jack’s neck and whimpered out, “You freak me out.”
“You freak me out too.”