Filed to story: Reclaimed Book by Roxie Ray
But I wasn’t that sad little girl anymore. I didn’t have to let myself be treated like this.
I sat down on the other end of the couch and turned toward her. She scowled at me before staring down into her wineglass. I didn’t need to be embarrassed by her anymore. She was embarrassed of her own behavior. She knew she was digging herself deeper into a hole, and she didn’t know how to get out.
I couldn’t save her, but I wasn’t going to roll over, either.
“Mom, I’d never leave you to rot. You know that.”
“Do I?” she huffed.
“And I’m not embarrassed by you. Right now, I’m just frustrated, because you’re lashing out at me.”
Mom didn’t look up. She was still frowning like a petulant child.
“You were sober for a week, Mom. That shows me you want to stop. You don’t have to let the alcohol control you anymore. But you can’t do it alone.”
“Well, I don’t have anyone,” Mom snapped. “You’re not helping me!”
“You need professional help,” I said. “I want to us to have a real relationship, Mom. And I want Dylan to have a good relationship with his grandmother. That can’t happen if you’re sick.”
That made her look up, still frowning, but less in anger and more in confusion.
“You’re sick, Mom,” I said. “You don’t need me to help you. You need doctors. This isn’t something you should have to do alone.”
Mom set the wine glass down and stared into it like she was lost in thought. I didn’t dare hope that this impulsive intervention would work, but maybe I’d given her something to think about.
Maybe, finally, we could start moving in the right direction.
“Listen, there’s been some weird stuff going on, and you getting drugged is part of it. So if Sheriff Forrest comes around, don’t talk to him.”
“What?” Mom asked. “But he’s the police.”
“I know, but we can’t trust anyone right now. Just blow him off and call me, okay? Promise me.”
“I will,” Mom grumbled. “I never liked that guy, anyway.”
“Hey!” Rome’s voice shouted outside. “What do you think you’re doing?”
I stood up, immediately on high alert. I left Mom on the couch and hurried to the front door, peeked out the peephole, then swung it open.
Rome was holding one hand out, blocking Forrest from approaching the front porch. The police cruiser was parked right next to Rome’s bike, and the two men were glaring at each other.
“You’re not welcome here,” Rome said coolly.
“Welcome has nothing to do with it,” Forrest snapped back. “I’m doing my job. Lakeview is my town, and I can speak to the citizens as I desire. Get out of my way, or you’ll be in danger of assaulting an officer.”
“You know that’s not how things work within the clan,” Rome snarled. “You can’t push any of us around.”
Forrest looked over Rome’s shoulder and smirked at me. “Well, Harley isn’t a member of your clan. She’s not a dragon.”
“She’s Ace’s,” Rome shot back. “That makes her family.”
“I’m just looking to have a conversation,” Forrest said. “Harley, want to call off your attack dog, here?”
Rome glanced at me. I stepped out onto the front porch and pulled the door closed behind me. Sighing, I crossed my arms over my chest. “What do you want, Forrest?”
“A private conversation,” Forrest said.
“I wasn’t willing to do it before, what do you think has changed now?” How stupid did Forrest think I was? Did he really believe I had no idea he was working with Sean and Blakely both?
“Fine,” Forrest scoffed. “I assume you know Ace and I have some history.”
“Obviously.”
“Ace blames me for sending him to prison. But as I assume you also know, I was just doing my job. It was Ace’s behavior that got him sent to prison.”
He watched me for my reaction, but I remained impassive. Honestly, I didn’t give a damn about Forrest’s interpretation of how things went. That chapter of Ace’s life was closed. I was ready to move on from that, and I knew Ace was, too.
“You can never trust a criminal to truly change their ways,” Forrest continued. “I don’t know what Ace has told you, but you can’t take a man like that at his word. He leads a dangerous life, Harley. He always has. And eventually, there’s going to be consequences. I don’t want to see you, or your son hurt because of Ace’s choices.”
What a crock of shit. He was trying to drive me out of Lakeview, probably because Blakely had asked. He thought getting rid of me was another great way to get under Ace’s skin. If he thought running me out of Lakeview would be that easy, he was dumber than I thought.
“Thanks for your concern, but I’m fine right where I am.”
Forrest’s expression soured. “You’d be a fool to stick around now, Harley. It’s only going to get more dangerous.”
“What exactly does that mean?” I asked.
Rome mirrored my posture, arms crossed over his chest, and glared at Forrest. “Yeah,
Sheriff. Is that a threat?”
“It’s a fact. You know Ace has multiple targets on his back.”
“Oh yeah?” Rome pressed. “What would you know about that?”
“WellWell that’s-” Forrest stammered as his ears flushed red. “That’s police business.”
Yeah, I don’t think so.
“But,” Forrest continued, regaining his composure, “we’re still looking for the culprits of the drive-by shooting. They’re still out there, and we don’t know what they’re planning next. I don’t want you and your son to get involved with this, Harley.”
Don’t believe that, either. I scowled at him. “Well, that doesn’t matter, because it’s my decision.”
“You heard the lady,” Rome said. He stepped in right in front of Forrest, blocking me from his line of sight. “You’ve said your piece. Anything else I can help you with?”
Forrest met his gaze. “That’s all. Just doing my duty to serve and protect.” He took a step back and looked over at me again. “Stay safe out there, Harley.”
“Don’t need your help for that,” I called as he walked back to his cruiser.
“Who was that?” Mom asked as I walked back into the house.
“Forrest,” I said. “I’ve got to get back to Ace’s house, but there will still be some enforcers around keeping you safe, okay?”
“What did Forrest want?” Mom asked.
