Dray (5 page)

Chapter 7

Dray

A California rainstorm was about as rare as people saying nice things about my dad, but both happened on the same August day. Dark, ominous clouds, heavy with warm summer rain, hung low over the gravesite. And even though there was no sunlight beaming down, the world seemed to brighten some as they lowered my dad into his eternal resting spot. There were no tears or squares of tissue being passed around, but people, casual acquaintances and two of my dad’s brothers, stood around bracing themselves against the occasional gust of wind and digging deep to come up with fond memories. Mom stood under her umbrella looking almost ashamed that she’d had nothing to say. I was sure I’d heard her breathe a sigh of relief as they lowered the coffin into the ground.

My friends, my only real family, stood huddled together under two big umbrellas. Scotlyn held Nix’s arm tightly, and Clutch had his massive arm draped around Taylor’s shoulder. Barrett stood nearby, away from the shelter of the umbrella. Raindrops rolled down his coat.

A yellow taxi pulled up to the curb several hundred feet from where we stood, and a blue and white umbrella popped open in front of the tiny person who held it. Cassie trudged up the hill to the gravesite trying hard not to slip on the wet grass and trying even harder not to be lifted away by the wind under her umbrella.

She pushed her bangs out of her eyes as she looked over at me and lifted her hand in greeting.

The moment the last prayer had been read, the handful of attendees dispersed. My uncles walked my mom down to the car, and I walked over to Cassie and ducked beneath her umbrella. Water dripped down from my hair and my coat was soaked.

“You came without an umbrella?” she asked with that light tone that had always sounded like a smile to me.

“Umbrellas are for sissies.” I inclined my head toward my friends behind me. “Like those guys.”

She stared down at my wrapped hand. “Did you get hurt in a fight?”

“Something like that.”

She reached up with her gloved finger and wiped a long drip of rain from the side of my face. The unexpected gesture caught me off guard, and it took me a second to recover. I’d never really shown Cassie my other side, the vulnerable side that would prove I was human somewhere under the hard ass attitude. I’d never wanted her to see that side of me and now it seemed that had been a mistake.

“I’m truly sorry, Dray. I know he wasn’t a good father, still—”

“Nana always said it best— he was a monster. It’s weird knowing he’s no longer here, and it seemed that as each year passed, he’d gained a bit of decency. But I always figured at the rate he was trying to improve, he would have to hit the age of one hundred to wipe out all the bad. I won’t miss him, Cass.” Before I knew I was doing it, I reached over and trailed my fingers down her cheek. “Not like I’m going to miss you.”

She pressed her hand against her mouth but I hadn’t meant to make her cry. A million times I’d told myself that I needed to beg. I needed to get down on my knees and tell her not to go. I wanted to tell her that a piece of my soul was leaving with her, but I couldn’t be the one to stand in the way of her dream. She wanted this career and she deserved it.

A gust of wind shot across the cemetery, and I reached for the handle of her umbrella. “You’re about to float away with that thing, Mary Poppins.”

A short laugh burst from her lips and her smile returned.

“You know, Cass, I’ve always been one of those guys who no one expects much from.” She opened her mouth to protest, but I shook my head. “I’m not under any illusion about it. My high school named me most likely to have a police record, and for awhile I was living up to that prediction. The man that they just lowered into that grave made me feel worthless, and my mom wasn’t much help either. If it weren’t for Nix and Clutch, I would have ended up in jail for sure. But they weren’t the only ones who kept me from going over the edge.”

She bit her bottom lip, a habit I knew too well and seeing it now under the secluded shade of the umbrella made my chest tighten.

“I always thought that if someone as unfuckingbelieveable as Cassie could care for me then maybe I wasn’t such a loser after all.”

Her shoulders jerked with a sob.

“I’m not saying this to get sympathy or make you feel bad for leaving, Cass. I’m happy for you. I just wanted to let you know that it mattered to me that you cared for me. And I always cared for you. I just had an asinine way of showing it.”

She sniffled and tightened her coat around her. “There isn’t one worthless hair on your head, Dray. And the sooner you believe that the better. You are a fighter in every sense of the word. You grew up in a cold, brutal house, but it didn’t strip away your heart. I know no matter where I end up, I’ll never feel as safe and as loved as I did with you.” She leaned forward and kissed my cheek, and I closed my eyes with the feel of her lips on my skin.

She blotted away her tears with her gloved fingers. “The taxi is taking me to the airport. It’s a really great opportunity for me, Dray.”

“I know, and you’ll be great at it because you’re awesome at everything you do.” I shoved my hands deep into my coat pocket to resist the urge to touch her. The cold, damp air made my broken hand ache, but the pain in my chest was worse. She walked over and hugged everyone goodbye and then glanced back at me once more before heading back to the cab. I climbed back up to the grave site and watched as the small tractor shoveled up the dirt and tossed it into the grave. I stood there and waited until the coffin disappeared completely.

Nix’s hand landed on my shoulder and I looked back at him. “We were all thinking about heading down to the Lucy. Clutch and Barrett are going to stop and get pizza and beer. You up for our company?”

“Always.”

Chapter 8

Dray

The rain had stopped but it had left behind an ugly gray sky and a small storm surge. The boats along the marina rocked from bow to stern and back again. Water lapped up over the edge of the dock and across my shoes as I walked back toward the Lucy.

I’d had just enough time to wash a few dishes and pick up my dirty socks before Nix arrived with Scotlyn and Taylor.

Nix followed the girls inside. “I hadn’t thought about the deck being too wet to use.”

Scotlyn stripped off her gloves but seemed to think better about taking off her coat. After two weeks of triple digit temperatures, the cabin actually felt cold and damp. “It’ll be cozy, but I think we can all fit. Even Clutch.” She looked around. “Maybe.”

“I miss living on the water, but I don’t miss this tiny space,” Nix said.

The storm surge wasn’t really a surge but more of swell. Still, the cabin rocked enough to move the kitchen chairs back and forth. Taylor stretched her long legs out in front of her as she plopped onto the couch with her arm pressed against her stomach. “Not completely sure how long I’m going to be able to stay here. I’m already feeling yucky.”

“You are definitely starting to take on that familiar green pallor,” Scotlyn said.

The Lucy dipped down on its side. “I think the human anchor has arrived with the pizza.” Nix opened the door. Clutch had to bend over to fit through. He had the beer, and Barrett came in behind with the pizzas. I’d hardly eaten since my last day at the beach when Cassie had told me she was leaving. So much shit had happened since then I hadn’t really had time to think about my stomach, unusual for me.

Barrett lowered the boxes of pizza onto the table, and Clutch and I pulled out chairs and sat. I was a third his weight but I could definitely keep up with Clutch in an eating match, and, at this point, I was ready to devour the cardboard box.

Clutch picked up the biggest piece. “I noticed you were looking kind of runty. If you lose any more weight, Tank is going to start a new miniature division just for you.”

I smacked Barrett’s hand away from the slice with the most sausage and grabbed it for myself. “Don’t ever call me mini. That’s what an asshole down at the docks calls me, and he made me lose my hours this week.” I lifted my wrapped hand. “And he started what turned out to be a very long day for me and my poor hand.”

With Clutch and Barrett in the kitchen, Nix had to slide along the wall to get to the sink for some glasses. “What happened out there?” Nix asked. “You never said.”

“There is this dickwad named Bill, calls himself Blackbeard, who carries a casual card and thinks he’s a big shot because of it. Careless sonavabitch nearly pitched headlong over the side of a container and we were a good thirty feet up. But I grabbed him. Next time I think my reflexes might be a little slower. My lashing bar flew over the side, and I ended up losing my hours.”

“Calls himself Blackbeard?” Barrett asked.

“Really?” Clutch asked. “That’s what you got out of it, Rett?” Clutch turned back to me. “So you save the guy’s life and because of his union status, you have to take the blame for his stupidity?”

“Yeah, it sucks.” I dove in for another slice.

“Wow, that seems terribly unfair.” Scotlyn peered longingly over Barrett’s shoulder at the pizza that Clutch and I were vacuuming up at lightning speed.

“Don’t be shy,” Clutch said over a mouthful. “Just reach in and grab a slice, Scottie.”

She lifted her hand cautiously. “To be honest, I’m sort of afraid to put my hand in there.”

I nearly spit out my pizza with laughter. It felt so good to be around everyone again. It was definitely what I needed.

Nix reached in, picked up a piece, and handed it to her. Then he held up his hand and made a show of counting his fingers.

Scotlyn smiled. “My hero. The brave things you do for me. Hey, isn’t the street fair happening along the marina this Saturday? We should all go.”

Clutch and I exchanged glances assuring me that he felt the same way about a street fair.

Scotlyn caught the looks. “Oh, come on, it’s the last one of summer. There will be lots of cool stuff and music.” She looked at Clutch and then at me. “And the flyer said there would be twelve food trucks.”

Clutch twisted his mouth in consideration. “You know, maybe we rushed to judgment, Dray.” He leaned back in his chair and looked toward the living room. “Hey, Taylor, aren’t you going to have some pizza?”

“Not unless it’s covered in Tums,” Taylor called back weakly.

“Poor baby,” Clutch muttered to himself and then leaned back again, “in that case, can I have your piece?”

There was no answer, so, naturally, he took it as a yes.

Nix popped open a beer. “I heard that that new pie truck was going to be down there. Nothing but personal pies.”

“I think we could probably endure the street fair if pie eating was a possibility,” I said.

“Dude, that reminds me,” Barrett looked my direction, “some friends of mine are going down to Mexico to surf next month.” He leaned forward with enthusiasm, and the wobbly table tilted onto two legs for a second. “We should go. After the week at the beach, I’m really into surfing again.”

Clutch pointed to his chin to let Barrett know there was a long string of cheese hanging from his. “First of all, little brother, you don’t have a dime to your name so you can’t afford it. Second of all, you hardly had time to surf last week because you were so damn busy fu—” Clutch paused, looked up at Scotlyn and obviously decided to change his phrasing, “with other activities. And third, and most importantly, I’m not flying down to Mexico to get your sorry ass out of jail after you get caught doing one of the many stupid things I know you’ll do.”

Barrett continued to chew as he stared at Clutch with a bored look. “Are you done? Cause I was talking to Dray. And I will be making money soon enough.”

“Great and then you can get a place of your own,” Clutch said tersely.

“I will.” Barrett looked over at me. “So, what do you say, Dray?”

I shrugged. “I’ll have to rob a bank but we’ll see.”

Taylor’s weak groan sailed in from the couch. She crossed the small living room in three long strides and burst out onto deck. We all turned our attention to Clutch who was searching for his next slice, seemingly more aware of his stomach then of the fact that his girlfriend was hanging over the railing tossing her breakfast into the churning Pacific.

It took him a second to notice that all eyes were on him. He dropped the slice of pizza with a sad sigh. “I guess I should get her off the boat.” He stood and his head just grazed the ceiling. I should get back to work anyhow. He eyed the slice again.

“There is no way Taylor is going want to see you eating a slice of pizza,” Scotlyn said.

“Yeah, I guess not.” Clutch looked down at me. He’d hardly said a word to me about losing my dad because he knew there’d been no strong connection between Dad and me. Clutch’s dad was not abusive but there had never been much connection for them either. He’d sort of taken over with Barrett where his parents had been lacking. Barrett was like me. Trouble attracted him too easily, and while Nix and Clutch had been in their share of trouble growing up, they’d always made sure Barrett and I never stepped too far over the line. “Later, Bro. If you need anything—”

I nodded.

Clutch walked over to the couch and picked up Taylor’s coat. He looked back into the kitchen. “Hey, Rett, you walking home or what?”

Barrett stood and snatched up two more slices. He pointed at me. “Call me. Tully’s is having ladies night next Thursday, and we don’t want to disappoint the
ladies
by not showing up.”

Nix laughed.

Barrett grabbed a beer. “What, do you see a problem with my thinking?”

Nix shook his head. “Not at all. I think you two are a perfect match for
ladies
night.”

We watched through the small galley window as Clutch walked out on deck and swept Taylor up into his arms. She rested her head against him, and he carried her up to the dock. Barrett followed with pizza in one hand and beer in the other.

One strong ray of sunlight had found its way through the cloud cover and it heated the small kitchen. “There’s that August sun,” Nix said as he and Scotlyn joined me at the table.

“How long is your mom going to be in town?” Nix asked.

“I think she’s leaving in a few days.” I ran my finger along the condensation on the beer can. “We’ve hardly spoken ten words since she got here. She wants to the sell the house right away. She said she was going to give me some money, but I’ll believe that when it happens. At first I was thinking I should move in there, but it’s not really a place I want to hang out. Just like my mom said this morning— ‘no good memories’.” I stared down at my fingers. They were wrapped around a can of beer just like my dad’s had been. I was never going to make the mistakes he had made. He’d learned from his dad, and I planned to do everything the opposite. No matter what my future held, it was destined to be better than the pathetic, grim life my dad had led.

“When are you going to get that hand checked?” Scotlyn asked.

I shook my head. “I know there are a couple of broken bones in there, but they weren’t wrenched out of place too badly so I’m just going to let it heal on its own. Too expensive to fix. Doesn’t hurt too much anymore. I’m not an artist like Nix. A few slightly crooked bones aren’t a big deal when you’re working on the docks or fighting. By the way,” I looked over at Nix, “I think that wolverine will work out fine. As soon as I have some money, let’s do it.”

“I know you’re good for it. We can do it next week— if you want.”

I pulled in a long, sad breath. “Cassie is really something, isn’t she?”

Scotlyn reached over and placed her hand on my wrist. “She is.” She leaned over and kissed my cheek. “And so are you.” She leaned back against the chair. “In fact, we’re all pretty fucking amazing.”

Nix and I looked at her with open mouths. “Did you just say—” Nix leaned forward and lowered his voice to a whisper, “—the f-word?”

She blushed. “Just because I don’t use it as a verb, adjective and every other form of speech like you guys do, doesn’t mean I can’t say it once in awhile. And when I use it, it has much more impact because it’s rare. Your faces a few seconds ago proved my point perfectly.”

“O.K. now I’m going to have to take you home because I’m completely turned on,” Nix said.

I laughed. “Please, you’re turned on when she sneezes.”

“Uh, can we drop this topic?” Scotlyn pleaded.

“Sorry, Sweetie.” Nix stood. “I’ve got to get back to the shop. Some guy is coming in to get his girlfriend’s name tattooed on his arm.”

I smiled. “Cassie was sure right about that.” And then a depressing thought occurred to me. Nix seemed to know what I was thinking.

“It wasn’t because she was planning to leave you,” Nix said abruptly before the full idea could take shape in my head. “I don’t think she had ever planned to leave you. Cassie was always superstitious about stuff. She was always knocking three times on the counter, and she’d freak out if I tossed salt onto my fries without throwing some over my shoulder. She just thought it would be bad luck.”

I gulped back the rest of my beer. The can smacked the table as I plunked it down. “Turns out she was right, at least for me. Maybe we
should
do the tattoo this week. I can’t seem to turn off the flow of bad luck.”

“Just let me know,” Nix said.

I got up and walked them to the door. Scotlyn hugged me tightly for a long time. No one knew hardship and heartbreak more than her, and you could feel it in every hug, every touch. “And I expect you to come with us to the street fair on Saturday. So be ready.”

“Yeah? I don’t know. Maybe.”

Nix gave me a quick hug. “Take it easy on that hand.”

They stepped up onto the dock and I shut the door. A dense silence snaked around the cabin, and being alone brought back some of the darkness that had filled my head the last few days.

Outside the sun had made a couple of good attempts to break through, but it seemed the gloomy sky was here to stay and it fit my mood. The deck of the boat lifted up and down with the storm rattled tide. I walked out to the bow and leaned against the railing. The chill in the air was a nice change from the blistering heat of the last few weeks. The water beneath the bow was black and frothy. Small waves curled up over the dock and washed across the worn wood planks.

Piranha Pete’s curly little tail flicked in the air as the dog trotted along the dock patrolling for any unsuspecting ankles. A noise pulled my attention to the stern. A fat, gray seagull had landed with his catch, and the bird quickly sucked in the tiny fish before any other birds came to steal it.

Someone yelled and I turned back around. The dog was no longer on the dock, and Charlie had dropped to his knees. He was hanging over the edge of the pier reaching desperately toward the water. Pete’s thin paws paddled frantically trying to get hold of something solid. His little round head disappeared beneath the water and then surfaced again.

“Oh my God, Pete, no!” Charlie cried.

I yanked off my shirt and shoes. The water looked cold, dark and completely uninviting. Not wanting to land on the dog, I jumped in close to the boat. My head popped up above the surface. “Fuck that’s cold.” I reached for Pete, and his two front paws finally found something solid to grab hold of, my forearm. His claws dug deep into my skin. They were as sharp as a cat’s, and I held my breath against the pain. If I panicked it would only make his claws go deeper.

“Over here,” an anxious voice cried down to me from the dock. Cassie knelt down and reached for the dog.

Waves slapped my face and salt water stung my eyes as I lifted the terrified dog up to her. My broken hand ached as I reached over and pulled his claws out of my skin as if I was pulling out a series of thick, curved splinters.

Cassie’s face was pale and worried as she grabbed the dog and handed him to Charlie. Then she reached back down to me. “Give me your hand, Dray.”

The wild motion of the waves made it hard to tread water, and my broken hand proved useless. I reached for the edge of the dock with my good hand. Rivers of blood flowed from the series of holes left behind by Pete’s claws. Just as I took a deep breath to haul myself up with one arm, a powerful wave rolled out from under the dock. I lost my grip, and the water threw me violently up against the hull of the Lucy. My head shot backward and I felt the vibration in my skull. The world went hazy. I felt my body being sucked below the surface just before everything went black.

I was lying face down on the mat in the octagon, but I couldn’t get up. My limbs wouldn’t move. Then two hands grabbed me, but they weren’t my opponent’s.. The hands were soft and gentle, and they held me tightly and pulled me along. When my head broke the surface, the cold air startled me into consciousness. I coughed and spit out the burning salt water in my throat. Cassie struggled to get me to the dock, and I tried hard to shake off the dizziness. I’d had plenty of concussions, too many as the doctors had told me, but that thwack to the head coupled with the relentless icy tide had zapped me of my usual strength.

Cassie had jumped in to save me, but now she was the one struggling to stay above the surface. I pulled her small, shivering body against me. Her arms wrapped around my neck. Her chin trembled uncontrollably. Charlie had recuperated from the terror of seeing his little dog getting sucked under the waves. He was leaning down holding out an unsteady hand.

The wrap the nurse had given me was now sinking to the bottom of the marina. I reached up to the dock with my good hand. “Charlie, I’m worried we’ll pull you in. We can pull ourselves up. Cass, grab hold and I’ll push you up.”