Shine On (23 page)

“Thanks for the help, Sheriff,” she said as they walked past him. She was disgusted that he hadn’t stepped in. Grown men had pulled guns on one another and he’d just stood there with his stupid banjo.

She turned her sights on the exit. Walter was standing there like a guard. His face was set in a grim line. Silas had a hold of her arm and was leading her out. Walter had no intention of letting her pass. Oh God. Walter. If he acted too protective, Silas might figure it out. She didn’t know if Silas knew the moonshiners in this town but it wasn’t worth the risk. What if he pulled that gun on Walter? Would she be able to stop him? Would the Johnsons intervene? She wasn’t sure.

Emmie shook her head no at him. She mouthed, “I’m Fine.” He crossed his arms over his chest. She turned her serious expression to a plea. “Please. Let. Me. Go,” she mouthed. She saw Walter sigh. He didn’t like this. He rubbed his whiskers and then nodded once. He had to trust her. Walter didn’t know what she was playing but she was a smart girl.

“Trick, drive. Emmie, in the back. Now,” Silas commanded as they reached the car. When she got settled into the back, she looked out the window and noticed Walter was making his way to his truck. She was relieved to see he hadn’t chased them down.

Emmie closed her eyes and rested her head against the seat. The moisture gathering behind her eyelids threatened to leak out. She did her best to keep it at bay but that only made her throat swell. She felt something soft and cool against her cheek. It stung a little, she sucked in her breath and popped open her eyes. Silas was leaning over her pressing a handkerchief to her wound.

“I’m sorry you are hurt,” he said. His voice was still gruff and clipped but honest.

Emmie didn’t know what to say to him, so she said nothing. She grabbed the cloth from him, pressed it firmly to her cheek and closed her eyes. Maybe when she opened them again, this would all just be a dream.

Chapter Thirty-four

E
mmie’s body swayed with the rhythm of the car. She opened her eyes and stared up at the roof. No, not a dream. Occasionally the dirt path would thrust her into Silas’s shoulder. He visibly scooted away from her. Good, she didn’t want to touch him anyway.

The car was silent until they reached the road at the end of the farm. “That sure was a fun party. Thanks for bringing us along, Silas,” Trick said. Gabe laughed. Silas said nothing he just pulled a cigarette out of his vest pocket and lit it, hiding a smirk.

This was not funny. How could they joke about this? Emmie swallowed and wet her lips. She found her voice and spoke up, “Actually, it was a fun party. People were eating, dancing, visiting… Then some jerks showed up and caused a big dramatic scene.”

Gabe and Silas stopped laughing and were stone silent. A moment of awkward silence filled the car. Silas nodded and looked down. He clenched and unclenched his jaw a few times and rubbed his forehead before he spoke.

“We all saw you having a good time, Emmie.” His voice was cold. “What were you doing there?” he asked. But he knew and just wanted her to own up to it. He needed to hear the words from her lips. Whoever the bootlegger was that told her about the Harris vs. Johnson trial had invited her to the party.

“What was I doing there?” She avoided his question. “I went to school and church with those people. Those are my people,” she shouted. “What were you doing there besides causing good folks trouble?”

“You want to do this now? You want to shout at me now, in front of my brother and my friend? Is this what you want?” he said coolly.

How dare he turn this to her. She saw red. “Oh, you want to act like I’m the one causing a scene? Honey, you’re the one that just showed your ass in that barn back there.”

Silas laughed and touched his pants. “I showed my ass… in the barn?”

Trick and Gabe lost it in the front seat, making rude comments about her choice of words. She didn’t find any of it funny, in fact, it just made her angrier. “Oh, shut up all of you. You probably weren’t even invited. You all think this town is no fun, so you just aimlessly drive around looking for folks to pick on.”

Silas turned toward her and put a hand on her knee. She tried to move away from him but there was nowhere to go. “Okay, I’m sorry,” he smiled down at her. She could tell he was trying to use his smile to worm his way out of this mess but it wasn’t going to work. Not tonight.

“I was there because I was invited,” Silas answered her earlier question.

“Why would they want a Yank like you at their celebration?” she spit.

“Are we name-calling now?” He arched an eyebrow. “At least you could be original. That redneck boy has already used that one.”

She sighed. He was right. That was the first time in her life she’d ever called anyone that. She never understood why Yankee was a derogatory word in the south. But she couldn’t let it go of her anger. It consumed her.

“Maybe I should have said bastard or S.O.B.—do either of those names work better for ya? If you like, I may be able to think of some more.” She lifted her eyebrow.

Silas rubbed his face and turned to look out the window before speaking again. He was doing his best to stay calm.

“I was his attorney, Emmie. I got him off, scot-free. That damn celebration was because of me. It was because of my hard work.”

Emmie couldn’t believe that she hadn’t already put that together. Of course that’s why he was there. She pinched the bridge of her nose and looked down.

“Now, I’ll ask again and I want the truth,” he said. “Why were you there?”

Because the other night when I was visiting with Bo and Walter in the cave, distilling moonshine by the way, they invited me.
She’d like to see the look on his face if she did tell him the truth. But the consequence of that wouldn’t be worth it. He’d probably have Gabe turn the car around and lord knows what they would do to Walt.

“Bo invited me. I saw him in the store. He said his family hadn’t seen me in a while, they were worried about how I was doing and invited me for dinner. I didn’t know I had to run all social obligations by you,” she said.

“I’ve had about enough of your sass, Emmie,” he said firmly then continued. She rolled her eyes and looked out the window, turning away from him.

He grabbed her chin and pulled her face back toward his. “This Bo, how do you know him?”

She sighed and threw her hands up. “I’m weary of telling you this. I’ve already said school, church. I’ve known him a long time. In case you haven’t noticed this town’s not that big. Folks know each other.”

He leaned into her, needed to see her face as she answered the next question. “You swear to me he’s not the man you gave the moonshine to? The man you’re keeping from me?”

“I swear to God. I didn’t give him the moonshine I found.” It felt good to be honest.

Silas sighed and rubbed his jaw and thought for a second before asking his next question. “Was the man there tonight?”

“Why do you get to ask all of the questions, huh? I’ve got a couple of my own.” She bit her lip. There were a lot of people at that party but she didn’t want to answer that question. It’d be just like Silas to check names off a list. Admitting that the person was at the party was a good as giving him a list to run through.

Silas tilted his head to the side and looked annoyed. Finally he put his hands up and conceded. “Fine. What’s your question Emmie?”

She smiled feeling a brief satisfaction. “When you walked in, I was tasting some of the Johnson’s peach moonshine.”

“From the asshole’s flask,” Silas nodded calmly, “I saw. Go on.”

Emmie pursed her lips and blinked a few times to let him know she was irritated before continuing.

“Jealousy looks good on no one, Silas,” she said then went on. “Bo said his mama made that ’shine.”

“And…” he said, wanting her to get to the question.

“It tasted just like the moonshine I had at the speak in Smith’s Grove. The Johnson family supplies the moonshine for the speakeasy, don’t they?” she asked.

“Yes, they make the ’shine for the speak and the pig, why do you want to know?” he asked.

“The pig?” Her eyes were wide.

Silas rubbed his jaw. Why the hell did he say that? “Yes, the pig. That’s all you need to know about that. Why do you care?”

She shrugged, “Just curious.” For the first time in the whole car ride, she smiled. It made him uneasy.

“You’ve heard what curiosity does to cats, right?” he asked dryly.

“Are you threatening me, Silas?” she asked.

“No, not me.” He squinted his eyes at her as if to say that’s crazy. “Them.” He pointed back in the direction of the Johnson’s house.

“They were pretty nice folks before you pulled out a gun on their grandson,” she said. “I’d have to say you started it.”

Silas thought about that for a moment and shrugged his shoulders. Then he looked at her seriously. “Maybe that’s true. But believe me on this, you don’t want to be sniffing around their secrets. Trust me.”

Emmie frowned. With a knitted brow she asked, “Did they really burn down the barn?”

“I am not talking to you about this,” he answered.

“Your lack of an answer makes me think they did,” she said with wide eyes.

He grinned, “Just like your lack of answer makes me think your bootlegger was at that party tonight.”

Gabe interrupted their conversation, “Any idea why an old man with a white beard would be following us?”

Oh God. She had to come up with something. “That’s my neighbor. He watches out for me sometimes. I could tell he didn’t like me leaving with you guys.” She said the first thing that came to her mind.

Silas turned around and looked at the man through the back window. “For a poor girl living out here all alone, you sure do have a lot of men sniffing around trying to take care of you.”

Emmie frowned, “He and Mae are like my surrogate grandparents. He just wants to be sure you take me home safely.”

Gabe made the turn into her drive. Walter slowed down behind them. Emmie turned and waved for him to go on. She smiled to say, “I’m alright.” He frowned and turned to head back to his house. She appreciated that he cared but she didn’t want them to become curious about him.

Silas seemed to be convinced she was protecting the bootlegger because she loved him. He was right. Only, he wasn’t thinking of the right kind of love. Sometimes, he saw things too black and white and didn’t even realize it. There were all kinds of love. She loved Walter like family. That’s why she couldn’t sell him out. If Silas ever opened his eyes, he might figure it out. So, she had to keep him away from Walter.

Silas helped Emmie step down out of the car. He walked her up to the porch.

“Are you sure you won’t stay at Ava’s? Or I could stay here with you… I mean… it’s been a rough night,” Silas said.

“I’m fine.” She shook her head. “It won’t be me they will come after.” Her face looked concerned for him.

Silas rubbed his jaw. “Don’t worry about that. They won’t come after me; they need us too much. I’ll make it right.”

Emmie nodded. They stood there on the stairs in silence again for a moment.

“When I walked up and saw you there in the barn, you looked so happy. ” His face fell. “I’m sorry I embarrassed you.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek where it was starting to bruise. “I’m sorry you got hurt. But you’re wrong. Those are not your people.” Silas shook his head. “They are not like you.”

Not knowing what to say she left it alone. “I’m sorry I cursed at you.”

He laughed then fell serious again. “Emmie, please let me help you with this problem you’re dealing with. I can see your thinking about things all the time. Asking questions about the pig and the speak… I know it’s got to be connected to that moonshine you found. I just need to you fill in the missing pieces. Tell me who you gave it to.”

“I’m sorry I can’t.” She shrugged. “I wish I’d gone to you first. But now he has it. I can’t ask him for it back. I think it’s part his anyway.” After tonight, I’m even surer that I can’t tell you. If you ever treated him like you did Bo…” The words she wanted to say caught in her throat.

Silas cursed. It was his moonshine, not Ronnie’s, not this bootlegger’s. And attached to it was the money that was standing between him and Chicago. He had to get this fixed. “Damn it, Emmie. Let me help you.”

“I can’t,” she said, feeling like they were repeating the same argument they’d just had days ago.

“Emmie, please. You don’t understand…” He put his hands on each side of her face, begging.

“No, you don’t understand…” she said softly.

He took a step back and ran his hands through his hair in stiff motions. “I can’t do this. I can’t be with you… if you don’t trust me…”

“I just can’t risk it. I’ll work all this out though. Just let it go, please,” she begged.

Silas shrugged and repeated the phrase she’d said to him just second ago, “I can’t.”

He walked away and left her standing on the porch. The boys sat in the car with their headlights shining on the door until she made it in. Gabe shouted, “Lock up,” out the window as the car pulled away.

Chapter Thirty-five