Page 100 of Love at First Ride
‘Saint Luke is here.’
‘What’s that piece of shit want now?’ Echo says.
‘’Nother eviction notice, looks like.’
Echo gets to his feet. ‘Jesus Christ.’
I get up when Echo does, following him to the outside porch. I think I might have broken a rib too. The air is thick like soup, the cicadas so loud it’s almost deafening. Sure enough, there’re three black and white patrol cars outside, all from the county sheriff’s office. Three uniformed men stand at the bottom of the steps, holding up flashlights, sweat dripping down their temples.
‘Mr Salinger,’ Luke Saint greets Echo when he sees him. He’s wearing black body armor with the wordSheriffprinted on it in big, white letters, the sheriff’s star pinned to his front.
‘Do I need to call my lawyer, Sheriff?’ Echo shoots back, remaining on the porch.
I squint into the beam of light. I see the sheriff holding up a piece of paper. On it reads the words:TEXAS EVICTION NOTICE. NOTICE TO QUIT.In smaller letters reads the wordsLegal document, together with the image of the Lone Star State flag, like the real life one hanging above our heads. ‘Latest Forcible Entry and Detainer for you,’ the sheriff says. ‘This time it’s serious, Mr Salinger.’
‘You’re starting to sound like a broken record, Sheriff. I believe you said that to me last time you were here, few months back, and look at us now.’
‘Judge signed it off today, Echo. We’ve been granted permission to clear the land if you refuse to leave. Game’s up. You are on this land illegally. You will be forcibly removed. You, and anybody else left in Rapture, have fourteen days to get off this property before my officers move in and remove you, with or without your consent.’
I look toward Echo. Nobody ever talked about us being moved without our consent before.
‘Guess I’ll be calling my lawyer then,’ Echo says.
‘It’s done, Echo. I’m sorry. The decision is final. You lost.’
The sheriff hands the paper to one of his men, who climbs the steps, walks up to Echo and holds out the notice. Echo snatches it from his hands.
The flashlight is shined in my face as Saint Luke studies my bruised face and bloody knuckles with undisguised contempt.
‘Gentleman, please do not ignore this notice,’ the sheriff says plainly. ‘If you do, you will regret it. Accept your fate, and we can all move on.’
A few moments later, they leave.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Hollie
There were storms in the night, with wild, flashing lightning and thunder that crackled, then rolled across the sky. I watched a wall of rain fall from my bedroom window.
This morning, at Sunset Pines, Mrs Huxley is in her chair, a blanket over her knees. Outside, the sun is shining again, though the heatwave has cooled off. I keep losing my place in the book that I’m reading to her, because no matter how hard I try not to be, I’m distracted.
‘Sorry,’ I say again, my eyes scanning the black and white text, trying to work out if I’ve read the paragraph or not. ‘Where was I?’
‘Something on your mind, sweetie?’ Mrs Huxley asks.
I sigh and lower the paperback into my lap. I stare at the wall. I’ve never told her about AJ.
‘You can tell me,’ she offers gently, as though reading my thoughts.
I put down the novel. ‘When you were younger, did you and Robert ever argue?’ I ask.
A beaming smile appears on her lips. ‘Oh, sure, honey, we’d fight all the time.’
‘What sorts of things did you fight about?’
‘Oh, I don’t remember now. Little things. If he stayed out drinking. If he didn’t wash the dishes. Some nights we’d be straight up hollerin’ at one another, and I’d tell him he’d have to sleep downstairs on the couch.’
‘But you stayed together?’
