Page 35 of Them Bones

He stepped back a little and cleared his throat. “Laney, I… I’m going to go stay at Jerry’s. Just for a few days. And I didn’t… I didn’t want you to be worried. That I’m not at the house.”

She gaped at him. “You can’t be serious!”

He ran his hand over the back of his head. “It’s just a few days. I’ll be back in –”

“I don’t givetwo shitswhen you think you’ll be back.You’re. Not. Going.”

“Laney,” he said, an edge of desperation in his voice, “I’m not… I’m not leaving you.”I could never leave you.

“Sounds like that’s exactly what you’re doing.”

“I’mnot,” he said firmly. “Jerry thinks – ”

“Fuck Jerry,” she spat. “You’re not going.”

Shane reached for her, but she batted his hand away. “It’s just a few days, Laney. It’s just a few days and then I’ll be back and –”

Her eyes welled with tears. “Take me with you,” she begged.

He started to panic, his brain spiraling as she stared at him, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “Please,” she whispered.

It was a testament to how bad it was for her that she didn’t say “Take meand Dustin”. A fissure worked its way across his heart, snapping it cleanly in two.

“It’ll just be a few days,” he repeated.

But she wiped her tears with the back of her hand, wearing the most devastating look he’d ever seen, and then she turned around and ran.

You worth staying for?

Like a bitch in heat.

This thing with us won’t happen.

There’s things you don’t understand.

Bile was rising in the back of his throat.

Don’t touch my girls and we won’t have a problem.

Just tell yourself ‘not yet’.

Take me with you.

Shane turned to the mesh-enforced, shatterproof glass office window. And with a roar, he put his fist right through it.

DUSTIN

Dustin knew something was wrong, but he didn’t know what.

“You don’t look so hot,” Cary said with a frown. Laney had just gotten home from school. She was pale, the circles under her eyes more noticeable, and her nose was running. “You sick?” Cary reached out with the back of his hand to touch her forehead, but she flinched, ducking out of the way.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Cramps. I need to go lie down.”

Cary scowled, and she disappeared to her room.

Shane didn’t come home that night.

By the next morning, Dustin was straight-up worried and didn’t know what to do. Laney still hadn’t emerged from her room, not for food or even to pee as far as he could tell, and there was no sign of Shane. Cary was in an unusually good mood, but whether it was due to Shane’s absence or the petite blonde girl that had joined him and Sarita in their room for most of the night, Dustin wasn’t sure.

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