Rogue Cowboy (9 page)

It’s funny, the kinds of things that run through your mind when you’re down on your knees, with blood trickling from a cut above your eyebrow, certain you’re about to die. 

Instead of thinking about my life, the people in it and all the things I’ll miss if I die, I’m thinking about song lyrics.  The different meanings of songs, the way they impact people’s lives, the way you can relate to a song in a way you feel it was written just for you.

Do you ever think about what the songwriters were thinking when they wrote the words that would mean so much to you?  I wonder if they know when they’re writing it how much impact the song will have.

When I was growing up, Mariah Carey’s ‘Hero’ was
my
song.  I felt it, deep in my soul.  Every time I heard it, it was like she was singing it
just
for me.  The words of that song got me through some pretty rough times with my parents when I went through a rebellious stage – mainly because my dad was so strict.  I felt like I was the only one in the audience and Mariah was sitting on the edge of the stage singing her heart out to
me
and only me.

When I was fifteen and got my first boyfriend, Savage Garden’s ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’, was ‘our’ song.  Probably not for anything other than it was a popular song at the time, but the words still rang true for us in the moment.  Even though our relationship only lasted six months, I thought I loved him at the time. 
Puppy love
.

My head is bowed, my tears mixing with the blood and sweat on my face.  My hands sit clasped together in my lap and my shoulders are sagged in defeat, positive I won’t be getting out of this alive. 

That’s when I begin to pray.  Then, softly in my mind, I begin to sing ‘Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace’, by Big & Rich.  The words make me sob harder, but they also give me a little bit of hope.  Hope that maybe, just maybe, the Lord will answer my prayers, and I’ll live to see another day.

Please, Zeke, find me.  Save me.  Please.
 

“This is all your fault, Sienna.  You ruined everything.  You’re to blame for
everything
.”  Jake snarls, pacing back and forth in front of me, tearing at his hair, panic gripping his eyes and making them dart in all different directions.

I say nothing.  What is there to say?  It will only make it worse.

Last night, after The Notebook had finished and Zeke had wiped away my tears, he carried me into his bed, curled up behind me and pulled the covers over us.  I fell right to sleep and only woke up when he came in with a cup of coffee and waved it under my nose.

He dropped me off back at my cabin and I quickly showered and changed before work.  I was walking on cloud nine, deliriously happy with the way our date had gone.

Something had felt off as soon as I walked inside the pub.  I didn’t think anything of it, just brushed it off, and went into the bar to get set up for the day.  That’s when I saw Genevieve, lying on the ground, her body twisted at an odd angle, her eyes closed and a trickle of blood coming from her head.

I screamed, jumping back in shock before racing toward her.  That’s when Jake had stepped out from behind a wall.  I froze, my heart seizing in fear.

I thought he was in jail.  Ohgodohgodohgod
.

“Surprised?” His voice sounded evil.

“Jake,” I whispered, my voice escaping me. “What are you doing here?”

“Visiting,” he snarled, sarcasm dripping from the single word.

“But…I…you…”

“Bbb, but you were in prison, right?” he mocked me, in an annoying little girl’s voice.   “I was.  You should know me by now, Sienna.  I’m too smart for them.”

“You escaped?” I guessed.

He made a noise and shrugged. “Escaped…discharged myself without them knowing…same difference.”

“Oh my god,” I breathed.  I looked away from him and back down to Genevieve, who was lying at Jake’s feet.  “Please, let me get Genevieve some help.”

“She’s way past needing help, Sienna.”  He shook his head, a small smile on his face.

She’s dead.
  A sob escaped my throat, and then another, and another as I mourned for a woman I didn’t know very well, but who I liked, and who I enjoyed spending time with in the mornings.

“Shut the fuck up,” he shouted, coming toward me.  I freaked out, spinning around and running down the hall toward my office.  Maybe if could get in there, I could lock him out while I tried to climb out the windows.  I was too slow, he was too fast.  Either way you looked at it, he caught me, and knocked me to the ground with a sharp punch between my shoulder blades.  The air left my lungs in a
whoosh
and I wheezed, trying to refill them, while he stood over me laughing in evil victory.

When he reached down to grab me under my arm, I kicked out, knocking him off balance.  I scrambled up and tried to run, but he grabbed my ankle and I hit the ground again, landing heavily on my elbows.  I cried out in pain and did my best to fight him off, only getting in one solid punch that missed my target of his face, and hit his neck instead.

That’s when his cool, calm façade slipped and his true rage shone through.  He reefed me up off the floor and threw me into the wall, before slamming his fist into my face, splitting my eyebrow.

Then, he dragged me by the hair into my office, dumped me on the floor and kicked me in the ribs.

“Stay fucking down,” he snarled.

So here I am, on my knees, with blood trickling down my face, thinking about song lyrics, praying the Lord lets me see another day, and hoping Zeke comes to save me.

Not even Bella giving me shit this morning could wipe the smile off my face.

“Dude, what’s with all the happiness?” Luke asks as I walk through the studio with a shit-eating grin on my face.

I shrug and keep walking down the hall.  Luke doesn’t let me go, he comes jogging up beside me, throws his arms around my shoulder and speaks quietly, no doubt so Bella can’t eavesdrop.  “This wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain pub owner, would it?”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, bro.”  I give him a wink and shrug off his arm before darting into the break room.

Again, he follows me.  I grab a can of Coke out of the fridge and crack it before taking a mouthful.

“She’s a hot piece,” he comments innocently, though I know he’s goading me, so I show no reaction.

“Got a fine arse,” he continues.  My blood starts to heat and I clench my jaw to rein in my temper.

“Nice set of t—” He doesn’t get to finish.  I launch myself at him, sending an empty coffee cup smashing to the floor.  I grab him in a headlock and squeeze.

The prick is pissing himself laughing, which pisses me off even more.  “Don’t fucking
look
at my woman,” I growl.

He twists his body around and jabs me lightly in the ribs.  I let him go, but not without a shove.

“Fuck! Settle down, bro.  I’m only teasing ya.  I’ve got my piece of paradise at home.  Haven’t even looked at Sienna that way.”

“Good.  Fuckin’ keep it that way.”

“Oh my god! I knew it!”  Bella screeches, racing in from where she’s been hiding outside the door.

“Fucking Christ,” I mutter.

“Sienna’s awesome! And she’s related to Dory, who’s
extra
awesome, so that makes her even more
awesome.
  Oh, Zekey-boy, I’m
so
happy for you.”

She shocks me as she plows into my body, throwing her arms around me.  I give an awkward hug back and chuckle.  “Thanks for the approval, Bella.  I’ll be sure to let Sienna know how
awesome
she is.”

“Oh, shut up.”  She slaps me across the chest.  “She’d have to be awesome to put up with your broody arse.  Just sayin’,” she mutters.

Luke starts laughing and after shooting him a glare, I can’t help but have a laugh along with them.  Bloody loons, the pair of them!

***

“Zeke, your next client just arrived,” Bella says, poking her head around the door.

“Send him in.”  I finish wiping off the bed from the previous customer and put a fresh needle in my gun.

“G’day, mate,” Brent says, coming in.

“Hey, bud.  How’s things?”

“Going great guns.  Yourself?”

“Yeah, good thanks.  What can I do for ya today?’

He extends his arm and points to a tattoo of an eagle. 

“Just wondering if you’d be able to fix this up for me?”

I glance at it closer and see it will only be a small job.  By the looks of things, the ink has just fallen out, most likely because it wasn’t done properly in the first place.

“No worries, man.  Take a seat.”

Twenty minutes later, Brent leaves a happy customer.  I quickly disinfect the supplies and then head over to the Coffee House to grab some lunch.  While I’m there, I decide to grab Sienna something and drop it off at The Cow and Calf on my way back to Premier Ink.

“I don’t fucking care what you have to do, just make it fucking happen,” Jake says into his phone, his urgent words full of panic.

He’s been pacing and making phone calls for so long I’ve lost track of time.  All I know is, it’s been hours.  My legs have gone past the pins and needles stage and are now completely numb because I’ve been in the same position the entire time we’ve been holed up in my office.

My head is pounding and my heart won’t calm to a regular rhythm, instead pounding erratically from fear.

“Fine.  Call me when you know more,” he snaps, angrily shoving his phone into his pocket.

“What are you going to do, Jake?” I ask, braving his wrath to speak.

“Shut your fucking mouth, Sienna, or I’ll shove my dick in it.”

I clamp my mouth shut immediately.

“Yeah, you’d like that wouldn’t you?  You always loved sucking my cock.  You were pretty good at it, too.”  He palms his crotch as he speaks.

Oh god, please don’t let this happen.

His phone rings again, blessedly altering his attention.  I breathe a silent sigh of relief.  Jake turns his attention to the window, looking out the small louvers, glancing up and down the street.

When he ends the call, he moves to sit across from me, on the edge of my desk.

“Won’t be long now.”  I’m not sure if he’s talking to me or himself, so I remain quiet.  Something catches my eye at the door.  A shadow.  My heart sinks, thinking it’s the person Jake has been on the phone with.

The shadow becomes bigger as the person slowly, cautiously, pokes their head around the corner of the door.  I almost cry out with a mixture of relief and fear as Skip’s head comes into view.  Thankfully, I swallow it down before it can escape my lips.  Jake is lost in his thoughts, his gaze trained out the window. 

Skip sneaks in.

NO!  No!
I scream at him in my mind.  It’s too dangerous.  Jake will kill him.  Oh god, Skip.  NO!  A sob threatens to rip from my throat as I imagine Skip dying in front of me.  My chest constricts and tears fill my eyes.

Skip glances down at me and gives me a small wink, his silent way of telling me it will all be okay.

I don’t believe him, though.  I can’t.  Jake killed Genevieve.  He’ll kill Skip, too.

Skip brings his handgun up and trains it on Jake as he edges closer and closer with every precise step he takes.

Then, a floorboard creaks.

Jake spins around.  His eyes widen in surprise and then he charges at Skip.

I scream, my body paralysed in fear or shock, I don’t know. Probably a mixture of the two.

The two men hit the ground with a sickening thud, Skip bearing the brunt of the fall because he’s on the bottom.

They struggle and I manage to pull myself up using my office chair for support.  My legs feel like jelly, but I ignore it and hobble towards them.  I don’t know what I’m going to do when I reach them, but I have to do something.  I
have
to.

I’m three steps away from them when a loud gunshot fills the room.  I scream.  I scream so loudly everything else fades away.

My legs give out and I fall to the floor in a distraught heap.  I’m gutted. 
Poor Skip
.

My tears flow freely, my sobs echoing around the room.

“No!
  Skip, no,” I repeat over and over, rocking back and forth.

I hear grunting and then movement, but I don’t stop crying. 
Jake will be even angrier now
.  I can’t even find it in me to give a shit. I’m hollow.

I just hope, when he kills me, it’s quick.

I’m so lost in my grief I don’t notice when someone sits down beside me.  But, I flinch when a pair of strong arms wrap around my shoulders. 

“Come on now, love.  Don’t cry.”

Slowly, as if I can’t believe my ears, I open my eyes and look at the person beside me.

“Skip?” I sob.

“Of course it’s me.  You didn’t think I’d let that arsehole take me out, did you?”

“Oh god, Skip, I thought you were dead.”

“Now, now.  Enough of that.  I’m alright.”

“Is Jake dead?” I ask hesitantly.

“If he ain’t dead, then he ain’t happy,” he jokes.  “You reckon you’ll give me a lifetime of free beer after that?”

“I love you, Skip.  Thank you so much for saving me,” I choke out.

He tenderly kisses my temple before he replies.  “Love you, too, Sienna.”

“What do we do now?”

“I say we load him up and go give the crocs at Bushman’s Billabong a feed.”

“Skip!”

He laughs.  “Nah, they probably wouldn’t like the taste of his city arse, anyways.”

For a moment, Skip’s jokes lighten my sorrow.  Then, I remember Genevieve, and I plummet again.

“Genevieve,” I whisper.

“What about her?” Skip asks.

“She’s in the bar.  She’s…dead.  Jake killed her,” I manage to say.

“Righto, love.  Let’s call the police.”

Ten minutes later, the police arrive on scene, with the ambulance following shortly after.  The paramedics immediately go to Genevieve, while the police start asking Skip and I questions.

I glance over and see the paramedics loading Genevieve onto a gurney.  I wait for them to pull the blanket up over her head, but instead, they connect a drip to her arm and inject something into it.  Then, they check her blood pressure.  My brows knit in confusion.

She is dead.

I saw the blood coming from her head. 

She wasn’t moving.

In a daze, I walk closer to them and watch for a moment, as they appear to be checking her vitals.

One of the ambulance officers sees me and he walks over to me.  “We’ll be taking her to Darwin hospital now, ma’am.  You’ve got a gash on your eye.  Would you mind if I take a closer look.”

“Sure.  I don’t think it’s anything serious, though.”

“Better safe than sorry.”  He inspects the wound and then cleans it up.  “No need for stitches.  Do you have any other injuries?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” I reply distractedly, my attention still on Genevieve.  My ribs are tender, and I have a headache, but that’s about it.

“She’s dead,” I blurt.

“No, ma’am, I can assure you she’s not.  There isn’t much I can tell you right now, but I’m sure if you visit the hospital you’ll be able to get an update.”

“Let’s move,” I hear one of them call.

“I have to go.  But rest assured, your employee is definitely alive.”

“Thank you,” I say softly.

***

I’ve just recounted my story and the officer is asking some final questions, when Zeke bursts through the door.  His wild eyes find me and he rushes toward me.

“What the fuck is going on?”  He looks down at my shirt and sees blood – not mine, but Jake’s, from when Skip was hugging me.  “Holy shit, Sienna, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I say, my emotions clogging my throat.

He steps past the police officer, ignoring him when he asks him to stand back, and shrugging off his grip when the copper grabs him on the shoulder.  He reaches me and his hands cup my jaw while his eyes intently roam my face, searching for injuries.

“Baby, shit.  Scared the fuckin’ shit out of me, seeing that police tape…the cop wagons…the ambulance.  Jesus.”  His breath comes out in a relieved
whoosh
, then he shakes his head lightly, as if to rid himself of his worry.  Then he tenderly brings his mouth down on mine for a loving, gentle kiss.  Pulling back all too soon, he tugs me into his chest and holds me close.

“Sir, step back, please,” I hear the officer say.

Zeke turns around, keeping one arm around my shoulders, and throws the officer a murderous glare.  “I was worried about my woman.  I’m sure you can appreciate the fact that I need to see she’s okay, and I don’t give a fuck who’s standing in my way, I’m going to make that happen.”

“And I’m sure
you
can appreciate, I’m just trying to do my job.”

“Well, we’re all fuckin’ appreciative. We get it.  Now, if we could move this along, I need a fuckin’ beer.”

I stifle my laughter at Skip’s outburst, but once again, he manages to lighten the dark mood.

“Very well,” the officer concedes.  “Sienna, could you just give me your phone number, please?  Then, we’ll leave you to it.”  He gives Zeke a sideways glance when he says the last part.  Zeke scowls back, but I ignore them both and rattle off my number.

“Thank you.  We’ll be in touch.”

“Thank you.”

Showing what a man he is, Zeke extends his hand to the officer.  Surprised by the gesture, the officer’s eyes widen slightly, but he takes Zeke’s hand and they shake.  “Thank you,” Zeke says, his words heavy, full of meaning.

The officer leaves and I turn to give Skip another grateful smile.  “How about that beer,” I whisper.  “On the house.”

“Sounds good,” he replies, his tone gentle.  He’s such a beautiful man.  One of the best.

Zeke lets me go and I return moments later with Skip’s beer in hand, as well as a soft drink for both Zeke and myself.  Skip’s recounting his side of the story to Zeke, so I silently hand them their drinks and cuddle into Zeke’s side, desperately craving the safety net he provides.

“I came to the front door and noticed it was locked.  Since there wasn’t a sign out, and Sienna hadn’t mentioned it being shut for the day, I thought she might have been ill.  I knocked on her cabin, and checked inside, since it was unlocked, and when she wasn’t in there, I started to get a bit worried.  I came through the back door and straight away I heard an angry male voice.  I raced out to the ute, grabbed me gun and came back in.”

“Jesus, Skip.  You could have gotten yourself killed.”

“Don’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same thing, son.”

“Fuckin’ oath I would have.”

“Cops reckon I should have called them first.” Skip shrugs.  “Bastards probably would have took forever.  Didn’t have time to fuck around.”

“I don’t know how I’ll ever thank you,” I tell him.

“You’re safe.  That’s enough for me.  Any word on Genevieve?”

“No.  I’m going to head into Darwin now and visit the hospital.”

“I’ll take you,” Zeke offers.

“What about work?”

“It’s fine, babe.”

The police let me know they’ll be at the pub for a while do their police work stuff, and since I won’t be able to open for a few days anyways, I quickly make up a sign and stick it to the front door, letting everyone know the pub will be shut for the remainder of the week.  Then, Zeke and I climb into his ute and make the two hour drive to Darwin to see Genevieve.