Page 36 of Tethered
“She doesn’t know you. And even if she did, you’re a pretty intimidating guy with a reputation that precedes you. Too many times, women think it’s easier to stick with the devil they know.”
“You don’t seem intimidated by me.”
“Then you’re not reading me correctly. Besides, my feelings for you are complicated. I was always a little bit in awe of you. I kinda wanted to be as scary as you when I grew up, so that nobody would hurt me or push me around anymore. Then everything happened, and I was hurt that I trusted you and you let me down, because trust is hard for me to give. Then I was just angry. So fucking angry that I almost killed myself trying to get the anger out. It had festered for so long that it was like a wound had burst open, and I was bleeding out.
“Now, well, now I don’t know how to feel. Part of me is still angry. Part of me is sad. But the rest of me is just confused. You’re somewhat of an enigma, Austin, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing yet.”
“For you, good. Maybe not when it comes to others,” he admits.
I don’t know what to say to that, so I say nothing.
“So the packages. What’s inside them? I assume it’s not steak or sausages.”
I chuckle. “No. It’s creams and lotions, elixirs and remedies that I sell via my website. The stuff we have in the truck is the orders that were placed locally, so I didn’t see the point in having them FedExed. Mostly because they go to the depo before they get delivered, and that’s over a hundred miles away, which seems pretty pointless.”
“So you’re just going to mail them out from the post office. Won't that cut into your profit margins?”
“It’s fine. I’m not concerned about that.”
“Still, a new business can go under quickly. Why pay more than you have to when we could ride around and deliver them by hand?”
“You want to drive me all over town so I can hand-deliver items to people? People who may or may not be happy to seeme. See, ordering online gives them a chance to stay anonymous. They can still avoid me in the street and not feel guilty about it.”
“No, fuck that. If people want to buy your shit, they can damn well have the decency to be respectful. And with me beside you, that’s what they’ll fucking be.”
Feeling amused, I shrug. “Alright.” I pull out the list from my pocket and unfold it. “Closest to us are Doyle and Mary over on Levitt’s Ranch.”
“Okay.” He makes a left turn, and we head in that direction. “So circling back. What’s up with you and the sheriff?”
“Nothing.”
“It didn’t look like nothing to me at the hospital.”
“Yeah, well, whatever you saw faded when the man decided I wasn’t worth the hassle and left me there without a backward glance. Okay, so that sounded bitter, and yeah, maybe I am, but hey, at least you have company on the shitlist.”
“Sounds like we both deserved it.”
“Oh, you do. You really do.”
He pulls up at the first address and climbs out before walking around and opening my door. He unlatches my belt before I can do it and then slides his hands around my hips and lifts me out, leaving me stunned once more. What the hell has gotten into this guy?
I close the door behind me and walk around to the truck bed, where Austin is rummaging for the correct package. When he finds it, he hands it to me. I suspect if it were heavy, he’d insist on carrying it.
“Thanks. I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“No, you’ll wait in the car.”
“And what if you’re right and someone doesn’t take too kindly to you turning up here? It was my suggestion, so it should be my risk to take.”
“You know what I can do. I’m not in any real danger, and you’ll be right there.”
“Your powers can’t stop a bullet.”
“Neither can you. So if someone manages to get a shot at you, I’m next anyway. Either I knock, or we go to the post office. But last time I checked, this couple is in their sixties. I’m pretty sure I can handle whatever they throw at me.”
He scowls at me, not happy at all with my decision. But something he should learn about me right now is that I can be a stubborn asshole when the mood arises.
