Page 16 of Sinister Hearts
I glanced back to the stallion
“I’m sorry, ma’am, I figured I’d introduce myself.”
Stefani gave me a weary smile. “Come, Faye will be ready soon.” She led me into her small farmhouse. The black salt lining the doorway caught my eye. I chuckled lightly.
“So, you made it through the property gate just fine then?” Stefani sat me down at their white, chipped dining table, and poured me some tea.
I nodded my head to her gracefully. She knew what I was underneath this flesh, and I knew all too well who she was. I was no threat to her or Faye and I needed to make that clear.
I observed the decorated walls full of vintage and historic family photos—generations of the Robles family in Grimstone. It smelled of homemade enchiladas, coffee, and fresh herbs instantly. I used my senses to sniff out any poisonous herbs in the brewed tea, before taking a cautionary sip.
One picture in particular caught my attention, of Stefani and her half-sisters, Catori and Selene, my father and mother as well, in a classic black 1930’s Packard phaeton.
“So, you’re Bjorn Grimwood’s son.” She asked, curiously eyeing me up and down.
I nodded, holding out my hand. “Yes, ma’am, I’m Jaxon Reed Grimwood, Bjorn’s oldest son,” I replied, gently shaking her hand.
She held my hand in the middle of her palms as shock overcame her. I took my hand back and brushed it off.
Grimstone was such a small town, everyone knows everybody. My pop came from a family line of farmers, going back to our roots in our homeland, Norway. We owned the largest farmland in Grimstone, mainly raising cattle, and during certain seasons, we grew alfalfa. The same alfalfa the Robles’ used to feed their horse haven.
That’s when I saw her, Faye Robles, walking out her door, in her black bell bottom jeans, black boots, and Nirvana band tee tied right before her navel. Her belly button piercing shimmered and I gulped. Her hair was long and curled, and she smelt of lavender and something else I couldn’t pinpoint. But it smelled so good.
“Hi,” I said, waving shyly. “You look… beautiful.” And I meant it. The girls I’d taken on dates prior always wore short tight dresses and high heels, which made anything fun impossible. I wasn’t a fancy dinner kind of guy. They were a snoozefest. So this was refreshing.
“Thanks.” She smiled at me and I swear I saw her cheeks flush. Faye never blushed. She always kept it cool and composed. But for a split second the mask fell and I think my heart did too. She grabbed her dark denim coat, and I knew right then there was a feeling I couldn’t bear to explain. She was mine. Warmth filled my chest. It felt like black moths twirled inside my morbid guts as they fluttered, making a mockery of me.
Faye and I had just both turned eighteen and graduated this year, so there was no town curfew. We both went to Grimstone Elementary when we were younger and were childhood friends. But beyond childlike wonder, there was always a strong connection between us; a connection everyone felt including us. We were thick as thieves, spending our school days playing basketball and racing each other in the corn fields. We lost touch after a while, after Faye moved to a different middle school, but we reconnected at Grimstone High. It didn’t matter the time, or the distance, we always found our way back to one another.
Faye had an older boyfriend on and off in high school, some wrestler from another high school on the outskirts of town. A real douche-lord if you asked me. I really should have beat his scrawny ass a long time ago. Especially after I found out he dumped Faye, right before he took off to college.
Most of the fucks around here didn’t even care about her, they just wanted to be in her pants.
But me? Well, it really just depended on who ended up in my bed most nights. Commitment wasn’t exactly a main priority. I was in high school for fucks sake, and a top competing Roper. I didn’t have that kind of time. But being around Faye was like someone had taken the air from my lungs and misplaced it on the damn rodeo arena.
Always friends, and flirtatious. Always out of my reach, but always in my heart. Faye and I denied our connection until the last year of high school, convincing ourselves it was a “friend” connection. A lie not even I could entertain anymore. Not after that night. We both found ourselves at the same senior year bonfire, single, and seeking comfort in one another, like we always did about everything. I never had a diary, but if I ever had one, she would be it.
Our connection was undeniable. We held hands by the fire and didn’t even kiss. But something in her eyes was different that night, and I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.
Stefani made me promise to bring her back home by midnight, and I’d make sure to do just that. Especially because she knew Pop. He would kill me and have me pick up horse shit at three a.m. for a whole month if not—I would rather be working on the farm operating the baler any day. I wasn’t willing to take those chances.
“Have fun, mija.” She hugged Faye, slipping a gold-wrapped crystal surrounded by herbs into her pocket. Slick really, but not slick enough. I’d let her entertain the idea that she was protecting Faye, but the truth was, she wouldn’t need it as long as she was by my side, and rest assured… nobody would be touching my girl.
Faye was oblivious, hugging her mother goodbye.
“Quidado (careful),” she whispered into Faye’s ear.
“Ma, he’s a teenage boy, not a monster.” Faye joked, and grabbed her purse.
Stefani and I exchanged quick glances, smirking and forcing out a laugh, attempting to break the ice.
“She will be safe.That, or my father will have my soul at Odin’s gates.” I declared, trying to calm Stefani’s nerves, I could sense a mile away.
Faye laughed hysterically in awkwardness. Except, I wasn’t kidding. I forced a reassuring smile and nodded to her.
“Bye, Ma.” Faye led me out of the farmhouse. Ma?That’s cute,I thought, before leading her down the steps and into my two-door Chevy. The engine roared to life and I felt something bloom in me, too. It ignited a fire inside of me and it was all Faye Robles’ doing. I had Faye Robles in my V8. Nowthatwas a sight to see.
I took her to Ellm’s Arcade where we laughed, snacked, and played games. It was packed full of people wearing their Halloween costumes. It smelled of candy corn, popcorn, and raging teen hormones, sprayed with an exaggerated amount of Axe. Ellm’s Arcade was decked out with Halloween and fall decorations from top to bottom. Halloween and Fall were taken seriously in Grimstone. It was a yearly tradition here, and the myths surrounding the town made for a small spooky western town full of mystery and superstitions.
