Chapter 32
Rock
The drive didn’t start well. Maisy fell asleep in the backseat, I stared out the window, and because there was a storm boiling overhead, Jackson got diarrhea of the mouth.
He delivered all the latest news: Michael and his wife Linda were expecting their third, Justin was engaged, and William had a girl he was serious about, but there was some drinking involved and her parents were pissed. William was acting like a redneck Romeo deprived of his Juliet,blah,blah,blah.
Everyone figures because I got hit by lightning, I should be afraid of storms. I’ve told them a hundred times that isn’t the case. I love watching storms from the safety of a house, a plane, or even a car. And if I’m caught out in one, I don’t break any land speed records getting to safety.
A lot of things could kill me.
I wasn’t putting my money on being hit by lightning a second time.
As the SUV splashed over the miles between the Rocking C and I-35, I tuned Jackson out.
Physically, I was in the car, but my thoughts were still in the empty equipment shed where I’d searched for Sky and come to the awful realization he’d left without waking me.
Now I was leaving too. Without any good-byes between us.
What would Sky make of that?
I’d studied him. He could read people like a carnival psychic. Then he’d play them a little, just to see if he could. I’d watched him work his way into everyone’s good graces, Elena and the boss and the hands alike. I’d seen how much he wanted to be part of things.
Sparrow.
He fit his nickname well.
Sparrows are social creatures. You always see ’em grooming or bathing or singing together, sometimes hundreds of them, one big community.
A guy like Sky needed to belong to something bigger than himself.
My dad’s church was full of guys like him.
Church or a prison gang. The army or a ranch full of cowboys in Texas.
Skyneededto belong.
That didn’t mean he was weak, although I wasn’t sure how he saw himself in that regard. He wasn’t real confident. And now I’d gone and taken away one of the things that made him feel safe.
The hollow ache of grief took root inside me.
This would be bad for Sky, never mind my situation which was... probably not good either.
I sawmysituation clearly. I saw what I had. After all, I’d just packed up everything I owned. I saw what I’d lost, even as I forced myself not to look back.
The future yawned out before me—a future dictated by my parents in one way or another. Like the land on either side of the highway as far as I could see, my future was going to be unforgiving.
The storm moved with us, following our progress for hours. “We’re making good time, Leadfoot.”
Jackson gave one of his rare little laughs. “Speed limit’s 75.”
“But ninety is your sweet spot. Might have been easier to fly.”
“Nothing goes straight through, and I don’t want to have to layover in Goddamn Dallas to get to Oklahoma City from Austin.”
I was glad he drove fast. I couldn’t imagine spending the night at Motel Whatever with Jackson. A retired soldier, he’d worked for my family as both the head of security and a personal bodyguard for ages. I outweighed him, but he looked like a dirty fighter. He was loyal to my dad. Half in love with my mother. Silent and competent.
We stopped at a convenience store just north of Austin. He played a videogame on his phone while I got snacks and something to drink.
