Page 69 of His Old Lady

Chapter 24

Curley

Closing the side gateto the back yard, Curley walked into the front yard, peering out at the street. Before he went to sleep, he wanted to make sure Faye's house was safe.

After two o'clock in the morning, he hadn't expected to see anything unusual. It was a safe neighborhood. Most everyone knew each other.

It was hard for him to believe, because of the cozy area, that someone hadn't recognized someone or something out of the ordinary. Or spotted the first plume of smoke when the fire started.

Stepping onto the porch, he pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lit one. Elliot swore there was nobody around when the fire department arrived. He found that odd on a Friday night. Almost too quiet for a small town. Where were the kids racing up and down the road in their ratty ol' cages? The middle-aged folks going to the bar? Someone had to be around and see something.

He suspected, because no one noticed anything until the fire was engulfed, the person who started the fire was from the area. Her enemy or Tarkio's? That's what he needed to figure out.

The door opened. Sensing Faye before she stepped out onto the porch, he stubbed out his smoke and pocketed the filter.

"I thought you'd left." She wrapped her arms around her middle, hugging her robe tighter.

"I haven't changed my mind. I’m still spending the night."

She stepped forward and sat on the steps of the porch, swiveling halfway to look at him. Content to be with her, he saw no reason to start a conversation. It was better when they shared silence.

When he tried to explain himself or come up with excuses to spend time with her, he only complicated things. She always wanted to know why he couldn't treat her like an old lady, and he had no answers he could give her.

She looked out at the street. With her attention drawn away, he took the time to watch her. If she only knew how much he wanted to take all the rights he was owed by claiming her, she'd run straight out into the road, screaming for help.

She deserved someone better.

Some women were only out to enjoy life, finding pleasure from anyone or anything that would give them a little attention. Some women strived for something deeper and would cling to a man until her last breath.

Loyal with every fiber in her body, Faye had so much to give him. Desperate to love and be loved...Jesus, she had so much love that spilled out of her at every turn.

Faye was the kind of woman a man held on to for a lifetime.

He loved that about her, and he selfishly knew he was the lucky one. She was the one bright spot in his life. She was his everything.

And yet, he sat on her porch, three yards away from her, and couldn't spare her the pain of seeing her dreams go up in smoke tonight.

Instead, he'd rented a warehouse and put her and her friends to work, thinking that was the answer to her problems. When creating a job for her was a way for him to keep her in his life.

Fuck. He was an asshole.

He stood. She deserved better.

Picking up her hand, he led her into the house. She came willingly, not even a tug of resistance. She clung to his hand. Squeezing her fingers, he gave her the comfort she needed.

Inside the bedroom, he took off his boots and jeans, putting his pistol on the nightstand. He hadn't bothered with a shirt or his vest after his shower because he knew he was coming back inside to spend the night with her.

Fully naked, he took in Faye. She hadn't removed her robe or moved from the spot beside the bed. His gaze connected with hers.

She looked to him with unspoken questions he couldn't answer. His chest pounded, hating the pain and heartbreak she was going through. He wished she'd yell, scream, and beat her fists against him the way she had when she was little, and the world had become too scary for her. At least then, he'd know what was going on in her head.

He was supposed to take care of her, protect her, and shit was happening that he had no clue how it had started or who was responsible.

Her old boss was harassing her. Enough that she and her friends had quit their job. He should've known about the problem the first time the guy stepped out of line.

Now her greenhouse burned to the ground. What would've happened if it was her house and she had been home and sleeping? She could've died, and he wouldn't have been here to save her.

He stepped closer to her. She never looked away from him.

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