Ocean's Surrender (9 page)

“Ooo, I can read about selkies?” Jason interrupted. Then he added, just for good measure, “Since I’m friends with one, and all.”

Leo gave Jason a strange look, and then burst out laughing.

“You crack me up, Jase. Seriously. That was a good one. Now who wants pizza?”

That was another rhetorical question, the response to which was guaranteed to be Jason once again jumping up and down, waving his arms, shouting, “Me! Me! Me!”

River not only used to love Jason’s adorably over-excited response, but also how everyone else in the bowling alley would smile at her brother’s antics. He’d been known as a gentle giant, and had become sort of a mascot for the town. But now of the faces watching Jason, some were dark with suspicion, some with fear and some with sadness. Instead of a gentle giant, he was now just as often considered a threat to be watched.

Leo went to buy the pizza as River and Jason changed into their street shoes and cleaned up their garbage before gathering their things and Leo’s. The routine was bowling, then pizza, then home.

Rick, Trevor’s brother, was not part of the routine.

Rick came out of nowhere, knocking the empty Styrofoam cups out of River’s hand before she could even react. Like Trevor had been, Rick wasn’t very tall. At just around five foot six, he probably weighed about what River did. But he was all lean muscle, just like his brother, and River had learned the hard way just how strong the Walton boys could be.

Luckily, Jason was already far ahead, near the trashcans, and he was moving towards where Leo stood at the food counter. Hopefully River could take care of this situation without either man even noticing.

“Enjoying your fucking night out, bitch? My brother’s in the god damned ground because of you, and you’re fucking bowling.”

Rick advanced on her menacingly. He was so angry as to be physically trembling, his face beet-red with fury. Silence arced out around her, as a few people moved forward to help but paused, unsure what to do unless Rick actually attacked.

“I don’t want any trouble, Rick,” River said, trying to control the emotion in her voice. Rick didn’t look at all like Trevor, who had taken after their father’s dark, patrician good looks. Instead, Rick favored his mother’s pale, milksop features. But angry as Rick was, River could suddenly see the family resemblance.

Rick made a low, howling noise halfway between contempt and utter despair.

“You don’t fucking want trouble?” he asked. “Really? You don’t fucking want trouble?”

Rick took a menacing step forward, causing River to step back. She cursed herself, wishing she’d stood her ground.

“He was my brother, you fucking whore, and now he’s gone. He’s gone, and here you are, with that murdering fucking brother, bowling.” And then Rick spit at River, full in the face. The hot liquid hit River’s cheek, and she gagged, remembering other spit landing on her body, other fluids and being bound and helpless.

Her eyes were wide, her mind trapped back in time, back in history, as Rick recognized his victim’s paralysis and took a step forward, ready to strike.

“Get away from River!” came a thundering voice as Jason’s huge bulk muscled between Rick and his sister. At the same time, Leo was there, holding a struggling Rick from behind and dragging River’s assailant safely away.

And then the cavalry arrived.

Luckily, the bowling alley was across the street from the police station, so it had only taken a minute for Sherriff White to walk over after the first concerned call from another bowler. And she was almost as pissed as Jason. At just under six foot and built like a buff, red-headed amazon, Sherriff Amanda White watched over Eastport like she was part mother-hen and part avenging fury.

As usual, Officer Tyrone Harris, her short but powerfully built deputy, followed Sherriff White closely. Tyrone had perfected the policeman’s talent of being absolutely inscrutable, and yet somehow obviously always unimpressed. Right now Tyrone was looking at Rick with a face both devoid of expression and completely condescending, all at the same time.

“Rick Walton. What have I told you about harassing the innocent citizens of this town?” Sherriff White asked, irritation coating every word.

“Get this asshole off me, Sherriff, I haven’t done anything. He attacked me. He and that psycho bitch.”

Sherriff White tutted. “I think you’ll find that Leo here is a paramedic for this county, and therefore has responsibilities to keep the peace.”

River knew that bit about paramedics was bullshit, but appreciated Sheriff White’s take on things.

“What’s going to happen now, Rick, is that Leo here is going to hand you over to Officer Harris. Office Harris is going to take you to my office, where we’re going to have a chat. Another chat,” Sheriff White said, sarcastically emphasizing “another”.

She also handed River a clean, white handkerchief, which River accepted gratefully, scrubbing it against her cheek.

White nodded at her deputy, who smoothly manhandled Rick into a firm hold before frog marching the young man towards the bowling alley doors. Rick didn’t struggle, although he did shoot River a look of such murderous fury her stomach clenched.

But the look was also laced with despair, which was why–no matter what he did–River couldn’t hate Rick. At the end of the day, of every day, Rick’s brother was dead. She thought about what she would have done if Jason were killed, and she couldn’t help but sympathize.

“What went wrong in that family?” Sheriff White murmured, once Rick was outside and the curious bystanders had cleared away. “Trevor was a monster. Rick’s only eighteen, and he’s well on his way to being even worse.”

“That much money makes people weird,” Leo said. “Especially when it’s money they didn’t actually earn.”

Now that Rick was gone and the situation was over, River felt a shudder wrack her body. She felt like a dog shaking off a sheen of dirty water. Leo saw River shake and took a step towards her, raising his hand as if to touch her.

Leo’s hand dropped when River stepped quickly away, moving closer to Jason and putting a safe distance between them and the rest of the crowd.

The paramedic tamped down on his disappointment.

She still needs time
, he told himself, as he had hundreds of times before.

But even Leo was starting to wonder if River would ever break out of the shell she’d erected around herself after Trevor’s attack.

Meanwhile, Sheriff White wasn’t done with River.

“Will you please press charges this time?” the sheriff asked.

River looked down at her feet, but her demeanor wasn’t one of submission. Rather, River looked like she was preparing to charge into battle, and one she’d fought a hundred times before, at that.

“No,” River said, firmly if quietly. “He has a right to be angry.”

Sheriff White’s face went blank and she didn’t respond immediately. Leo was pretty sure she was counting to ten, because that’s what Leo was doing himself.

“River,” the sheriff said, eventually, in a carefully schooled voice, “that’s ridiculous. Trevor got what was coming to him. You were the victim in that situation, and now Rick is taking up where his brother left off. He does not have a right to be angry, at least not with you. And he certainly does not have the right to harass you. Don’t think I don’t know about the mail. And what was it the week before? Wasn’t it your water? And the week before, when we had all those storms. Didn’t all your gutters at the shop suddenly get stopped up with bricks?”

River remained quiet, studying her shoes. Jason shuffled uncomfortably before patting his sister on the back like she was an unsettled horse.

Leo ached to go to her, but he knew she’d reject his help. And it was becoming increasingly more difficult not to believe she was rejecting him, as a man.

When River didn’t respond to her, Sheriff White shook her head.

“How long are you going to live like this, River?” was all she asked. River still didn’t respond.

“Fine,” the sheriff said, her voice gone brusque and businesslike. “Suit yourself. But I am keeping Rick overnight, until he cools down. I’ll let you know when he’s back out. Jason, take care, buddy. Leo, thanks for your help. River, take care of yourself.” With that, the Sheriff walked away.

Sheriff White’s parting words to River were normal, but her inflection spoke volumes. River felt her face grow red with shame.

Because I can’t take care of myself
, River realized, growing numb with the thought.

Suddenly unable to breathe, and desperate to get away from the prying eyes of all the people in the bowling alley, River headed towards the doors, stopping only to drop off her bowling shoes. Jason called out to her about the pizza, but his sister ignored him.

“Go sit in our normal booth, Jase, and get the pizza when they call my name. I’ll be back in a sec,” Leo said, before heading out after River.

He found her standing right outside the light cast from the building’s interior lights, as if she’d sought out the shadows. Her fists were clenched, and she was staring into the darkness, looking like a lost lamb.

“River,” Leo asked, gently. “Are you okay?”

River didn’t respond, although another long shudder wracked her body.

“River? Honey?”

“Don’t call me that,” she said, her voice distant. “He called me that.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Silence.

“River? What’s going on? You’re worrying me.”

That got to her. She turned on her heel, staring him full in the face.

“Well, you shouldn’t be worried about me, Leo. I’m not yours to worry about, and I didn’t ask for your help.”

Leo looked like he’d been slapped, and River’s heart dropped. But whatever bile had built up inside her could no longer be contained, and it just kept pouring forth.

“So why don’t you end this charade, huh? You can stop hanging around, stop acting like you’re taking care of me and Jason. I take care of me, and I take care of Jason, and we don’t need anybody else. Got it?”

A dozen possible reactions coursed through Leo, but he didn’t let any of those responses through. Instead, he turned to his training.

She’s like a wounded thing
, his training recognized, even if his heart felt bruised.
She’s snapping at anyone trying to help.

So instead of losing his temper with River, or trying to hurt her back, or complaining of his own abused feelings, Leo’s voice was firm but compassionate.

“We all need other people, River. And I’m not going to let you push me away like that. But I also know you need some time to think about what happened tonight. So I’ll finish dinner with Jason, and take him over to my place to watch a movie. I’ll drop him off after that, unless he falls asleep on the couch. Then I’ll drop him off in the morning.”

River stared at Leo as if he were speaking Portuguese.

“You go home, pour yourself a drink and relax. Rick’s safe in jail, and I think you should use that time to really think about what you’re going to do. Because you can’t go on like this.”

With that, Leo walked back into the bowling alley.

River was left standing, stunned.

For a second, she didn’t know what to do. Part of her wanted to run after Leo and apologize. Another part wanted to run after him and tell him to fuck off, then take Jason home with her, where he belonged. But there was a final voice that spoke in her mind, suggesting something that she found both completely crazy but utterly tempting.

She wanted to talk to Fen.

That third voice won, and off she headed towards her beach.

Chapter Ten

Fen could feel River coming a mile away. The woman’s emotional distress was so acute that Fen didn’t bother with a clothing glamour, let alone human features. Instead he shifted shape, striding from the ocean as quickly as his long legs would carry him.

When River saw Fen coming towards her, his naked flesh golden in the moonlight, she considered heading the other way.

What am I doing, running to this man?

But by then she was close enough to see his face, etched with pure concern that she knew was for her. At the same time, his inhuman features actually calmed her.

He’s not a man, she reminded herself, something which she found oddly comforting.

Then Fen was directly in front of her, holding out his arms. With a strangled sob, River launched herself toward him.

Embraced by his strong arms, River felt Fen’s calm, steady energy. He asked nothing from her, only held her, as she struggled to get her defenses back up.

And when she failed, and began sobbing in his arms, Fen’s response was to pick her up and take her back to her house. He knew she needed the comfort of her own things, her own smells and her own rituals. He could also sense that Jason wasn’t home.

River shook in Fen’s arms as he carried her, not ceasing her shivering even when he set her down on her sofa and wrapped her up in the afghan she kept folded on the chair in the corner.

He left her only to pour them both a dram from the bottle of Laphroig he’d spotted on the island, using small plastic cups left drying on the draining board.