The Junkyard Boys (21 page)

“What are you talking about? It was a robbery, Range. It had nothing to do with Julian.” I had the strangest urge to laugh when she made that statement. She was so naïve and trusting of everyone, including those who didn’t deserve her trust. Did I really want to be the one to break her heart by confessing to her that if Craze hadn’t come to town we wouldn’t have been looking for his ass and rousted that fucking biker until he told us where to find him? Could I be the one to tell her I kicked his ass while trying to get him to talk, causing him to seek retaliation against us? Was I strong enough to tell her there was no robbery and it was my fault Buck was dead? As I looked into her beautiful eyes that were pleading with me not to blame her friend for what happened, I knew I wasn’t strong enough to be honest. So I took the coward’s way out and vowed she would never find out how I let her down, how we had all let her down.

“You’re right, baby. I’m sorry. It was just a robbery. I guess I’m still just a little salty with him, because he wanted to fuck you, is all.”

“Oh god, Range. He so did not want to do me.” She had a silly smile on her face that I couldn’t help but return.

“Babe, he did. Just admit it.”

“Ok, maybe he did, but we’re just friends and I love you, so you have nothing to worry about.”

“Damn straight you love me…and I love you back, tootsie baby.”

Clover

One week later

Range never left my side the entire time I was stuck in that god-forsaken hospital. He told the nurses and the doctors to bring him a pillow and to leave us the fuck alone; his words, not mine. He slept on that hard-as-hell chair, holding my hand, until I was released four days later. Shelly flat out refused to be in the same room with him, still placing blame where there was none. She said she would never forgive him for not protecting me, but her issues had to be placed on the backburner for now. Other, more pressing things took all of my focus and energy.

The days following my release from the hospital were the hardest days of my life. Range planned a small funeral service for Buck. He was to be buried next to his son at Oak Lawn Cemetery. All the boys agreed he wouldn’t want some over-blown service with a lot of people he didn’t know pretending to be sad he was dead, so only a select few were invited, followed by a small gathering for food and drinks at Range’s home.

My family and I arrived at the church, minus Shelly of course, and were seated in the pew next to the Fosters. Guilt riddled their faces. Mrs. Foster contemplated closing the store following the events of the shooting, saying that if they had been there, none of this would have happened. I assured her that the community would feel a heavier loss with her closing a business that’s been around for more than twenty years and closing it was no way to honor the victims. It took a lot of coaxing, but she finally agreed, even though in my heart I knew I would never be able to continue working there.

I looked around the small church and spotted Sebastian and Max up front, seated directly in front of the black coffin that was Buck’s final resting place. Seated next to them was a man in a military uniform, complete with a beret and various metals adorning his chest. I wondered who he was until a quick glance to my right landed my eyes on that fucking bitch Marci looking like a tramp in her too small, black dress, overdone makeup, and hooker shoes that were way too tall to wear to a funeral. She caught me staring, puckered her lips, and blew me a kiss, instantly making my stomach roll with nausea before she turned back around and waited for the services to begin. One of these days, I was gonna choke that bitch till she begged me to stop. Unfortunately, today was not the day. Fox sat toward the back of the church by himself, completely separated from the rest of the group and noticeably shaken up, judged by the stoic look on his face and the glassy eyes he attempted to cover with sunglasses.

Range entered from the back of the church, followed by the pastor, ready to begin the service. He stepped up to the podium, wearing a customary black suit with matching tie. He had his hair back in a ponytail, revealing his perfect face. He cleared his throat and began:

“I want to thank you all for coming here today to honor the life of Buck Calhoun. Buck was a man of few words. Actions, he said, made the man, not his words. He would often say, “Never trust a man who talks too much; means he is full of shit.” Range turned and looked to the pastor as if to say, ‘Sorry, my bad,’ and continued. “Buck wouldn’t want me to waste a lot of time up here talking about him as if he were a saint. He wasn’t, far from it, but he was a father, a friend, and a confidant. Buck was a man of his word. If he said it, he meant it. His loyalty to his boys was never questioned . He loved us, cared for us, and to his dying breath protected us.” Range was so chocked up by his statement that he had to step away from the podium to gather himself before he could continue. I was so moved by his emotions, I felt as if I had personally known this wonderful man he called friend. I hurt so bad knowing that nothing could take his pain away and only time would heal this wound deep within his heart. I had to remain strong for him as well as the rest of the boys. They would need me before too long, and I would lend them my strength to see them to the other side of sorrow.

“I’ll miss Buck every day of my life, but he lives on in all of us. He taught us to be men. I will honor his memory and be the man he always wanted me to be and live knowing I was his boy.”

He finished with a short nod of his head, signaling the others to rise from their seats and carry Buck’s coffin to the waiting hearse for the final ride to his resting place.

***

The ride back to Range’s house was a silent one, each of us occupied with our own thoughts and reflections. Earlier in the day, people had stopped by to pay their respects and drop off food and drinks, which were all laid out in the kitchen for us to enjoy. Food was the last thing on my mind, though, as I took in the devastated faces of these junkyard boys and my heart broke for each one of them. Ashley sat beside Sebastian on the couch, holding his hand as he laid his head on her shoulder. She was speaking softly, hopefully giving him encouraging words he would need to make it through today. If anyone could, Ashley was the one to do it. Range stood talking with the man in uniform, whom I was introduced to as Memory. That wasn’t his real name, but Range said it was his call sign with the Marines. He lived with the boys when he was home on leave. He was able to leave his mission on special orders to attend Buck’s funeral, but would be leaving the next day, returning to Iraq.

I went to the kitchen to find more plates, stopping dead in my tracks as I walked in on Marci sinking to her knees in front of a dazed-out Max. He wasn’t even trying to stop her, and from the looks of things, he didn’t care what she was doing to him.

“What the fuck are you doing, you skanky whore? Do you really think this is the time and place for that shit?” I whisper-shouted at her as I stood in the doorway with my hands planted firmly on my hips.

“Why don’t you mind your own business, Clair. He needs me right now. Can’t you tell he’s sad?” This bitch wouldn’t know what sadness was if it smacked her on her fake-ass tits. Max just stood there like a zombie, while I squared off with this chick hopefully for the last time.

“What I know is that you better get your ass off the floor and get the fuck outta here before I kill you with my bare hands.”

“I’m not going anywhere, bitch. You don’t own this house.”

“No, but I do. Now get the fuck out.” Range stood witness to her disrespect and had interrupted us just in time. Marci, being the ultimate drama queen she was, stood up from her knees, strengthened her skirt, and marched her ass out the back door to her car, leaving the three of us to clean up her mess. I stood in front of Max and placed a soft hand on his cheek, hoping to get a response out of him, but it was no use. He was lost to us.

“Max, why don’t you eat something? It might make you feel better.”

“Nothing will make me feel better, Clover. Nothing,” he replied.

“Max, please talk to us. What can we do?” He looked to Range and then back to me and swiftly left us both standing in the kitchen.

“Come here, baby. I need to hold you.” I wrapped my arms around Range’s middle as he held me close in his strong arms, breathing me in. I wished I could take away his sadness with my touch, but that was a ridiculous notion from a naïve girl. He would need more than just a hug to help him make it; he would need his brothers and my love as his anchor in this storm.

Range

Two months later

“I’m telling you, man, it’s true…Michael Douglas said it and I believe it. He starred in “Wall Street,” for Christ sakes.” Sebastian was visiting the yard for the third time this week, spouting off some shit he’d heard on TV. Since Buck had died, he seemed to have gotten even more dramatic, if that was even possible.

“What are you talking about, Sebastian?” Clover spoke up from her desk in the office as we entered the door from outside. She never returned to Fosters’ after the shooting, just couldn’t bring herself to work there anymore, so her sister Ashley took her place. It was a win/win for everyone, since I needed an office manager and she needed a job. I loved having her with me all day, every day, and it gave me a good excuse to watch over her and keep her safe.

“Um, it’s nothing, Clove, just something I heard on TV.” Yeah, he didn’t want to tell her more dumb shit, since she had been an eyewitness to his dramatic ass every time he came over.

“Ah, come on, Sebastian. You can tell me. I won’t laugh.” My baby just didn’t know when to give up, and trust me. She needed to on this one.

“Um…” Sebastian was beet red all over, so I decided to put him out of his misery and hopefully get him to see how utterly ridiculous he was being.

“Michael Douglas said he got throat cancer from eating pussy, and this dumb ass believes it. Will you tell him there ain’t nothing wrong with a good ole munchathon, baby?” Clover didn’t make it thirty seconds before she was lying on the floor, laughing so hard she couldn’t catch her breath. She was rolling around, pointing at Sebastian and banging her hands on the floor, all while trying to get her shit together enough to answer. It was so good to see my baby laughing like old times. I couldn’t help but join in. It had been so long since either of us had something to be happy about, and this was just what we needed.

“Whatever, guys. I’m outta here.” We laughed long after Sebastian left the office, finally calming down after twenty minutes or so. Clover had happy tears streaming down her face and her hair was a mess of tangles and fly-aways, but she was the most beautiful girl in the world to me. The sudden change in the atmosphere caused her to gasp as she took in my heated stare and raging hard-on. It wasn’t tough to figure out what my next move would be. I stalked over to her desk with nothing on my mind but the urge to taste her on my tongue. All this talk of eating pussy had me on the brink of exploding in my pants if I didn’t get to her and fast.

“I think we should test this theory of his about eating pussy, tootsie baby. What do ya say?”

“Um…what did you have in mind?” Her face was flushed either from laughing or the sudden heat that was emanating from our bodies. Her shallow breathing was my signal that she knew exactly what I had in mind. I lifted her off her feet, causing her to squeal out in surprise, and laid her out on the desk in from of me like a Chinese buffet. She had on a cute little polka dot thong under her business skirt that only served to piss me off, since it was the obstacle between my feast and I. I reached two fingers under the waistband and yanked off that tiny strip of fabric then chucked it over my shoulder.

“You are so fucking beautiful, baby. I can’t wait to taste you.” Clover lifted her hips from the desk as if to say, ‘Get to it, asshole,’ and I didn’t keep her waiting. I attacked her pussy like I was on death row and this was my last meal. Clover was panting and moaning so loudly, anyone would have thought I was killing her instead of pleasuring her. She grabbed my hair and yanked it so hard I thought my scalp was bleeding. She locked her knees around my ears, and I knew my baby was coming when she squeezed tight and screamed my name. It was the sweetest sound in the world, and I loved making her do it.

“Holy shit, Range. That was incredible.” I kissed her mouth hard, knowing she could still taste herself on my lips, and moaned when she swung herself around and wrapped her legs around my waist. I loved this woman with all my heart and thanked God every day for bringing her into my life. If it weren’t for a little spider, I never would have known happiness like I felt right now.

“Gotta get back to work, baby, but later on tonight, we’ll see if we can make heads or tails of this Michael Douglas bullshit.” I heard her giggle as I headed toward the door when something in my chest made me stop short.

“I love you, tootsie baby.”

“And I love you, Range Reardon.”

Clover

I wish I could say that everything went back to normal with the boys. Sadly, it didn’t, at least not for all of them. Time did little to heal the boys’ sadness of losing Buck. I would often catch Range staring off into space, lost in his thoughts or memories of a happier time at the junkyard. Sebastian continued to visit often, which wasn’t strange, considering he did business with Range. What was strange was that he seemed to do little else. He never dated, at least from what I could tell, although I secretly wished he and Ashley would hook up and become an item. He just never seemed interested in doing anything.

Range worked twice as hard as he ever had before, dividing his time between the yard, the laundromat, and me, of course. I encouraged him to slow down before he burned himself out, but I was met with a resounding, “No fucking way,” every time I mentioned it. He didn’t want to fail, he said; the boys were counting on him to always keep things going so they would have a place to call home. He promised Buck he would protect them and he would never go back on his word.