Page 117 of August Lane
“Get your hands off her!” Luke’s back caught fire as Don hit him with his belt buckle. Luke spun around as the man wound up to hit him again. He grabbed Don’s wrist and twisted, then slammed his fist into his face.
Ava screamed. Don stumbled back, arms flailing, and crashed into Ethan. Luke watched helplessly as his little brother fell into the coffee table.
“Call the police,” Don groaned, crouched on the floor. His nose was gushing blood. When Ava didn’t move, he screamed at her. “Call them now!”
She jumped to action, rushing into her bedroom to retrieve the cordless. Luke crouched beside Ethan, checking him for injuries.
“Get out of here,” Ethan said, while staring past him to where Ava crouched next to Don. Don jerked the phone from her hand and jabbed at the numbers, dialing 911. Ava looked at Luke, flicked her eyes at the open front door, and mouthed, “Go.”
Luke kissed Ethan’s forehead and mumbled “I’m sorry” before he ran out the door.
Delta Blue was crowded, so no one noticed when Luke slipped into the studio and started packing. He had to leave town, get far enough away from Arcadia to figure out what to do next. Don wasn’t like Richard, who was too embarrassed about losing a fight to press charges. Ava’s boyfriend was righteous, a terrible trait for a man who viewed the world with the compassion of a debt collector. He only cared about what it owed him.
Someone knocked at the door. Luke remained silent, hoping they’d think the room was empty. But then Silas said “Bill’s here” and Luke’s shoulders collapsed. There was no window to crawl through. Nowhere to hide. He had to open the door.
“I need to call August,” he told Silas, who immediately shook his head.
“No time for that.” Silas grabbed his duffel. “Come on.”
They walked into the club, weaving through oblivious customers to where Bill Parnell stood in full uniform near the entrance. A few people looked their way, but they were used to cops hovering around their good time, so Bill’s presence was met with a collective shrug. Silas locked eyes with Bill, who then gave Luke a stern nod of acknowledgment. “You ready?” Luke shook his head, and Bill sighed. “Yeah. Stupid question. Let’s go.”
Silas clapped a hand on Luke’s shoulder and walked him outside. They stopped in front of the cruiser. Bill stuffed Luke’s bag in the trunk. “Don’t look back,” Silas said. “Eyes forward, you hear me?”
Luke stared at him, realizing that Silas had been here before, on his way to a jail cell. “Is that how you handled it?”
“No. So I know what I’m talking about.” He stood between Luke and the police car. “Some of this is your fault. But most of it isn’t. Try to remember that.”
Silas hugged him. Luke’s throat tightened as they parted. He could feel himself reverting to the guy he was before he met August. The one who could never find the right words. “I’ll call you when I can.”
Luke climbed into the back seat. The door slammed, shrouding him in darkness. It was hard to breathe. “Can you roll the windows down?” Bill glanced over his shoulder through the grid now separating them. Luke added “Please, sir?” because it felt appropriate. They weren’t neighbors anymore. They weren’t friends.
“I can crack it,” Bill said. “Can’t let anyone see you, though.”
The drive was longer than he expected. When Bill finally let him out, Luke was surprised to see they were at a bus stop. “What are we doing here?”
Bill didn’t answer. He moved to the trunk, then pulled out Luke’s bag and his guitar. “Here you go.”
“I thought you were arresting me.”
“So did Don. We went to school together. He’s always been a whiny bitch.” Bill pulled out a bus ticket and an envelope of money. “This’ll get you to Little Rock. Not sure how much money Silas sent, but it’ll pay for a place to stay.”
Luke took the ticket and the money. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because your dad was my best friend. I loved him, which means I love you too.” He tugged his hat down over his ears. “And there’s a right way to do that.”
He climbed into the car and drove away.
The bus was leaving in half an hour. Luke pulled out the cell phone he’d recently purchased. He flipped it open and dialed August’s number. Birdie answered on the second ring.
“Hello?”
Nothing came out when he opened his mouth. She must have heard him breathing.
“Lucas Randall, is that you?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He swallowed hard. “Can I speak to August, please?”
Birdie was quiet for a long time. “What do you think will happen if you do that?”
