Page 14 of Nauti Boy (Nauti 1)

They nodded in reply.

“We get her over the attack first, take care of the attacker, then see where we go from there,” Rowdy said. “She’s not ignorant of the rumors, she suspects what’s coming. But”—he swallowed tightly—“she’s going to be scared now. And for that alone, I’ll kill the bastard. ”

FIVE

Ray stepped into the bar the next evening, several hours after Rowdy called to say he wouldn’t be home for dinner after all, with the excuse that he had to take care of business. Ray feared that somehow Rowdy felt he couldn’t come home. And he wasn’t having that. That was Rowdy’s home, no matter what was going on, and he needed the boy to know that.

Ray hadn’t been in a bar in over ten years. Not since he started dating Maria. He had known her forever. She and her husband had been regulars at the marina, their boat docked close to the office. Hell, during their younger days, when pleasure had been all that mattered, he and James, Maria’s husband, had shared Maria at one time. Once, long ago, Maria should have belonged to him, but his own ignorance had been Ray’s downfall.

That was how Ray knew his son had come by his darker passions naturally, how he knew what awaited Kelly if she became his son’s lover. And yeah, he knew Rowdy would never hurt her, but he also had seen the horror the girl had been through. Kelly was a warm, vibrant girl, just as her mother was, with a capacity to love that would humble any man. The thought of Rowdy tarnishing that love with his games, as Ray had once tarnished Maria’s love for him, scared the hell out of him.

Ray’s first wife, Layne, had been an aloof woman. He’d cared for her though, loved her in a lot of ways, and the child they had together was a fine man. Ray knew that. But he was a man, in every sense of the word.

Ray stared around the smoky establishment, looking for the boy. Rowdy was sitting alone at a far corner, a beer bottle between his hands, his head lowered. The weight of the world was settled on his son’s shoulders, and Ray understood why. Rowdy came home expecting open arms and found a mess instead.

Ray stopped by the bar and purchased a bottle of Jack Daniels, snagged two glasses, and made his way across the room. It was time to talk man-to-man, with no shame. That called for an iron backbone. Or plenty of whisky.

He slammed the bottle on the table as Rowdy lifted his gaze. Deep green eyes spat with fury, blazing from a sun-darkened, roughly hewn face. Yep, the boy was pissed off, clear down to his bones, and Ray didn’t blame him.

He pulled out a chair and sat down.

“Some things just call for a good drunk,” he said heavily, uncapping the whisky and pouring two small glasses full. “Childbirth. Your son’s first date. Your daughter’s near rape. ” His throat tightened with the pain as he tossed back the dark liquid and poured another shot of courage. “And when a man screws up because he feels helpless, and hurts the people he loves the most. ”

He stared straight into Rowdy’s dark eyes, feeling his son’s pain as though it were his own.

Ray sighed. “I swore to her I wouldn’t tell you. And it’s weighed bad on me ever since. While she was all doped up on the pain medication, and hysterical, she told her mom about what happened at the airport with you before you left that last year. She loves you. Always has. We’ve known that. ” He swallowed tightly. “And I knew how bad you wanted her. ” He paused, glancing away for a long second before pulling his gaze back to his son’s. “I never told you how much pride I had in you when you walked away, did I?”

He saw his son’s surprise.

“I didn’t figure you knew why I’d left. ” Rowdy leaned back in his chair before picking up the whisky and throwing it back. He grimaced but held the burn of it.

“I knew. ” Ray sighed heavily. “I knew when you were twenty-two and as though overnight, she turned from a clumsy little urchin into a woman-child. I saw your face the day you realized it. ”

He watched the flush that rose over Rowdy’s face, the discomfort.

“She was a kid. ” He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “She’s not a kid anymore, Dad. She’s twenty-four, and a grown woman. ”

“And you were and still are a man. ” Ray shook his head wearily before sipping at the whisky. “A good man. One any father could be proud of. You didn’t touch her, you did what you had to do and didn’t make any excuses or cast any blame. Though you could have. You left your home because of the girl—many men would have resented her. You would have been well within your rights to have protested how much Maria and I spoiled her. ”

“You should have told me that then,” Rowdy grunted. “She kept stealing my damned shirts. She still does it. I should have made you throw both Kelly and Maria out. ”

A grin tugged at his son’s lips. Ray shook his head. Rowdy was willing to forgive, no questions asked. And Ray didn’t know if he could have been as gracious if someone had hid something so important from him.

Ray cleared his throat again.

“I should have told you. ” He rolled the glass between his fingers, staring at it rather than his son. “But I knew you’d get home one way or the other and I wasn’t sure Kelly could face that. She needed time to put the attack into perspective before she faced what was between the two of you. ” Damn, he needed another drink.

He poured another, aware of the way his son watched him, his eyes narrowed, his expression thoughtful.

“Hunger like that goes beyond lust, Dad,” Rowdy finally sighed. “I’ve fought it for too long. I don’t know what it is yet. I don’t know how deep it goes. I know I came back for her. ” He shook his head when Ray started to speak. “Hear me out. I had no intentions of living in that house, of breaking so much as one of your rules, but that bastard’s still out there. ” Ray’s gut clenched. “I’ll camp outside her bedroom window if I have to, but you won’t keep me away from her. ”

Rowdy leaned forward, his arms braced on the table, his fists clenched. Ray looked away from his son for long moments, wondering what he was supposed to say. Hell, he felt tired and helpless and not sure how to defend those he loved.

“You’ve been checking into it?” Ray knew he had. Rowdy had spent the afternoon at the police department before he met up with his cousins.

“I’ve been checking into it. ” Rowdy poured himself another shot. “I talked Betty Cline into letting me see the hospital records, and the sheriff gave me everything they had on the other girls. He’s calling them. He doesn’t call Kelly. He’s local, Dad. ”

For a second, fear sliced through Ray. If the bastard was local, then he wouldn’t have to call Kelly. He could watch her. Anytime, anywhere.

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