Page 63 of Rolling Thunder

She took a deep breath, and the scrappy little survivor deep down inside her evaluated the situation with typical realistic cynicism. He might not be here tomorrow, but he was here now. With a sigh, she glanced around the barn to be sure everything was okay to leave, and then swung onto his bike behind him. She saw him give a slight nod before he kicked it in gear.

After the meeting, they chatted and smoked outside for a few minutes. Her phone rang. It was Evan, looking for Bill. Bill, of course, didn’t own a phone. She handed it to him.

Evan was leaving Fort Myers and wanted to talk to Leanne again and see if things were dying down or if Trent was still planning to come after her.

“We’re just leavin’ a meetin’. I can meet you over at the motel. Maybe Kayla can go get coffee with some women from the meetin’.”

“No. I’m going with you,” she interjected. She was tired of being ordered from one place to another by all these men. If they were going to handle her business, she could at least be there.

Her mother had lived lots of places. Kayla hadn’t seen this weekly motel rental yet, but it wasn’t much different from any of the other places where they’d lived in Fort Myers. Evidently hearing the motorcycles, Leanne opened the door and stood watching them as they rolled up. At least she didn’t look strung out.

“Y’all doing some bonding?” Leanne asked bitterly.

“We went to a meeting. You should give it a try,” Kayla shot back without looking at her mother. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a little smirk in the corner of Canyon Bill’s mouth.

“We need to know what’s going on with Trent,” Evan said, trying to keep the meeting quick and civil.

“What’s going on is he doesn’t think he’s gonna get out and the rats are running to high ground,” Leanne said. She eyed them and lit a cigarette. “I talked to some guys. Nobody’s gunnin’ for Kayla.”

Relief spread through Kayla.

“I made sure,” Leanne added.

Kayla didn’t want to know how. Evan nodded in satisfaction.

“Let’s go,” he said. Kayla took a long look at her mother. She wasn’t aging well, and she didn’t look healthy. Kayla had a sudden fierce wish that things were different, that she could hug her mother.

“C’mon, fire ant,” Bill said. Kayla glanced up at him and nodded. Now that Evan was here, it made more sense for her to ride home with him. As they prepared to go, Leanne called out.

“Why are they so much better than me? You just let him come back like nothing ever happened?”

Kayla looked back, and saw a tense glance between Bill and Evan.

“At least I didn’t abandon you! Like he did, even knowing he might be your daddy.”

Time screeched to a halt.

Kayla stood very still for a long moment, trying to decide if she’d really just heard those words come out of her mother’s mouth. She turned slowly, looking from one face to another. Evan shook his head in disgust.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Kayla gritted out.

The world seemed to tip sideways like it did when she was drunk. But she was too fucking sober now, and this just couldn’t be happening.

“Why don’t you ask him, Kayla?” Leanne said with a mean sneer.

“I’ve had just about enough of this bullshit,” Bill bellowed.

Kayla’s head felt like it was about to explode.

She wanted to scream at them all to tell the fucking truth or leave her alone, or both. Evan didn’t even look surprised. Had he known? Everyone knew Canyon Bill might have slept with her nineteen-year-old mother under his life partner’s nose? They all knew, and no one told her?

“What’s the point, Leanne?” Bill demanded angrily.

Kayla thought it was the first time she’d really seen him boil over since he’d been back. Maybe ever.

“Why do this to her now? Don’t you see she’s got enough to deal with and she’s tryin’ to make an honest life for herself here? You know I can’t prove one way or the other what did or didn’t happen when I was blackout drunk twenty-five years ago. What I do know is that throwing this in her face now ain’t doin’ her a damn bit of good. It’s just what you do, Leanne. You don’t get your way, and you decide to try to take everybody down with you.”

“She deserves to know the truth!” Leanne shrieked.

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