Bound by an Echo Page 5
Chapter Eight
Rory
Lucky for him, Missy showed up for her shift today. Just before he was going to open the bar, Dale called and said he needed help with something. He tried to tell him no, but Dale quickly spit out that he had come in the middle of the night to pick him up. He didn’t have the chance to remind him of how long it took him to actually get there, before he hung up. He went outside once he had gone over everything with Missy, and smoked while he waited. Dale sped into the parking lot, coming close to the guard rail meant as a safety precaution. He jumped in the truck and headed over to the only group of storage units in town.
“What are we doing that couldn’t wait, Dale?” Rory wanted to be able to think, and working was the best time for it.
“We need to move so boxes to the bar. I can’t have them here anymore.” Dale was gruff and to the point.
“What is in them that would be safer at the bar than locked up here?” His curiosity was peaked.
“Just trust me, ok? We need to hurry up, and I can explain once we get back.” Dales hands gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white.
Dale looked back and forth as they pulled in. He was looking for something, or someone, and Rory couldn’t figure out what would have him this nervous. Dale jumped out of the truck without turning it off, and practically ran to the storage locker. Rory jumped out and followed him. Dale pulled up the storage door, revealing five large boxes.
“This is it, let’s get them in the truck and get out of here.” Dale wouldn’t even look at him when he talked.
They worked in silence until the truck was loaded. He shut the tail gate, got back in, and went back the way they came. Dale was sweating, and still looking all around him as if someone was behind him. They skidded to a halt in front of The Cliff. This time, he turned the truck off and got out. Rory continued to follow his friends lead, the questions were there, but he would trust his friend for now and not ask until the boxes filled with the unknown were safely inside. Rory grabbed the first box as Dale’s phone rang. When he looked at the phone his eyes got wide at the caller on the other end.
Rory wait a few minutes as Dale paced back and forth while he talked on the phone. Tired of standing there waiting, he grabbed a box and headed to the door. Just before he got to the door, he tripped and the box almost flew from his hands. Steadying himself, he stood on the outside of the door debating on the best way to actually get it open. Dale slid in and grabbed the door for him with his phone still in hand. Rory was starting to get pissed off, as he lugged the box back to his office. Lucky for him, he knew the bar like the back of his hand, because he couldn’t see over the top of the box. Making it to his office, he dropped the box to the floor. He debated on just opening it, or waiting for an explanation. He eased into the hall and listened. There was no sign of Dale, so he decided to take a peak. He shut the door behind him and stood over top of the box. Rather than rip it open, he searched through the papers on his desk to find his letter opener. Locating it, he slides the sharp metal across the tape on top of the box and under each side, before placing it back on his desk. This was it. Pulling the flaps back, he gasped at what he found. The box was full of bricks of cocaine. What the hell Dale was doing with this was
beyond him. He quickly closed the box and stepped away. Dale would be in a lot of shit. No wonder he was so jittery and nervous. Well, one thing was for sure, this shit couldn’t stay here. He stormed out of the office and back to the bar area. He scanned the bar quickly and found Dale. He was sitting at the bar with a blonde practically in his lap. He didn’t care who he was talking to or about what, they were going to talk about this now.
“Dale!” Rory practically yelled, but it got his attention.
The woman next to him slowly turned around and their eyes met. There was no mistaking those deep blue eyes. These were the eyes that he had dreamed of for the last twenty years. These were the eyes that use to hold so much pain in them.
“Ror-” she cleared her throat, “Rory? Is that really you?”
He was speechless. This was the moment that he had been waiting for so long, and now he stood here like an adolescent child going in for his first kiss.
“Rory? Earth to Rory?” Dale waved his hand in front of Rory’s face before giving him a quick slap across the face to bring him back to the here and now.
“There’s no way, Laurel, is that you?” She nodded in response, and he couldn’t help himself.
He went to her, practically knocking Dale down and throwing his arms around her. He squeezed her tightly, and Laurel giggled in his arm. He had imagined that laugh and now here it was right in front of him, actually in his arms.
“Rory,” she laughed, “Rory, you have to let me go so I can breathe.”
He pulled back and took her in. She was so beautiful. She was older of course, but her skin was soft and her blonde hair was long and silky. She was trim but fit, she was the all-American-girl next door. They stood there and stared at each other. There was so much to say, and neither of them knew how to start.
“Uh hum, sorry to interrupt, but I take it you two know each other?” Dale looked pissed, and his voice couldn’t hide his annoyance.
Rory didn’t care. “This is Laurel. We grew up together until, well, until she moved away. We haven’t seen each other in twenty years.”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t you two already know each other. You know Rory, just forget it. I’ll come back later and grab that box. I will find somewhere else to store them.” He pushed the bar stool back and ignored Rory’s calls to come back.
Realizing his attempts were useless, he turned back to Laurel, “Now, not that I am not extremely happy to see you,” he had to take a step back so his happiness didn’t press into her leg, “but why the fuck are you here? You got out, and that’s where you should have stayed, especially now with the twenty-year reunion of the carnival massacre.”
Chapter Nine
Laurel
There was nothing she could say. Everything that she thought of would sound wrong in comparison. She wanted to see him, but never expected to find him. She said the only thing that made sense, “I don’t know.”
He almost smiled at her, “What do you mean, ‘I don’t know’, Laurel? You are here.” He almost sounded irritated that she had arrived. She has wanted to see him every day for twenty years, and now that he is standing right in front of her, she is questioning whether he wanted to see her or not.
She was in her element at this point, “You’re right, Rory. I shouldn’t be here. I was just passing through and thought I would take a little detour to see how much has changed.” She turned to her stool and pulled her purse from the counter, tossing a fifty-dollar bill on to the counter, she looked to Missy this time, “That should cover it, keep the change.”
Her body was now in control, just like every scene she has had to act out, “Rory, it was nice to see you again. You look good.” She looked him up and down again, committing every muscle to memory. She needed to get out of the bar. There was no hesitation in her step as her heels hit the floor. She waited for the call from him to stop her, but it didn’t come. She pushed open the heavy wood and padded her way back to the car. She couldn’t even see it, mashed between the two pick-ups. Rounding the first truck, she heard the door to the bar open. Rory stood in the doorway; so much on his mind that there was nothing to say. She stared for what felt like hours before he finally moved towards her.
Her brain finally kicked in and the façade was over. She was subconsciously begging him to come to her, but he never did. He fell short a few feet and only had one thing to say, “How do you know Dale?”
She lifted her eyebrows, “I just met him. Really, it isn’t a big deal.” She pulled open the door and looked back at a very confused man, “Bye, Rory.” She crawled into her car as quickly as she could without making it look like she was running away. She knew she was definitely running away, but she needed space, and she needed it now. The car started
on the first turn. She backed up and drove past Rory, knowing his eyes never left her.
The whole way back to the B&B she tried to control herself, but a lone tear made its way down her cheek. She didn’t want to brush it away. It was a reminder of the conflict on Rory’s face and the choice he didn’t make. He could’ve stopped her. He could’ve followed her. He didn’t.
On instinct, she made her was back to the corner of town that she was staying in. Every option available flashed through her head. She wanted to stay, see the carnival, ensure there was no more reason to worry, but she knew there was nothing left keeping her there. The carnival would bring new life to the town and renew the memories of Crater City. A flight to Milan was next on her agenda. She rationalized that she was only twenty-four hours behind everyone else. There was no reason why she couldn’t make it back to the airport by dinner and be on her way cross the Atlantic by breakfast.
With her mind made up, she made her last turn towards the B&B. With her foot on the gas pedal the car slowed to a stop. “What the fuck?” she yelled at the car as it sputtered and killed. She turned the key once, twice; the car wouldn’t even turn over. Defeated and discouraged, she slammed her palms down on to the steering wheel with an exasperated sigh.
She was only a block from the B&B and she needed to figure out what to do next, she decided a walk would be good for her. Pulling her purse and cell phone from the front seat, she locked the doors and walked off any bit of frustration she thought she had. She was wrong. Nothing could relieve the feeling that she was fighting. What did she expect? Rory had a life here in Crater City and she had a life, a good life, in LA. Now, when faced with the truth of his feelings for her, she was left with nothing. Hope was the one thing that kept her moving forward over the last twenty years. Hope that she would one day find him, or he would one day find her. She found him, and he didn’t want her here.
The B&B was a beautiful Victorian home, remodeled to its original décor. The gingerbread colors were exquisite during the day. She wasn’t able to see the true charm of the building in the dark. Seeing the lady in the bay window, she was ready to answer the questions that were apparent on her face.
“Now, Miss Laurel. Why are you walking up my sidewalk?” She pushed open the screen door and came out to the porch to meet her.
She was ready with her answer, “I just had a little car trouble. Nothing that the rental company can’t fix. I have to give them a call to get me back on the road.”
She smiled, “Why don’t you just have a seat here and I will bring you some tea.”
Laurel was resigned to giving this nice lady a few minutes of her time since Milan isn’t going anywhere. “Okay, ma’am. I didn’t get your name earlier, and I apologize for that.”
“Don’t you worry yourself with that, you can call me Terri, everyone else does.” She disappeared through the front door, leaving Laurel to her own thoughts. She started digging through her purse for the number to the car rental place. She came up with nothing. She sighed as she remembered tossing it in the glovebox. She had to walk back to the car, but didn’t want Terri to think that she had left her. Leaning back in the wooden rocker on the porch, she waited for her tea time. She closed her eyes and began rocking as the events of the last hour threatened another breakdown.
Terri made her way to the porch balancing a tray carrying everything needed to make tea, crackers and cookies. She didn’t get a chance to finish her burger because Dale surprised her by walking through the bar, “Thank you for this. I really do appreciate it, but I need to get my car fixed so I can be on my way.”
“Oh, Miss Laurel, you have nothing to worry about with that car you’ve been driving. It will be just fine. It always is.” She poured the iced tea into the glasses and offered Laurel hers. Laurel greedily drank all of it. She needed to get back to the car and make that phone call before she was suckered into staying. She could hear it in Terri’s voice that she wasn’t going to let her leave without a fight.
“Thank you for the tea, but I must get back to the car. I left something in there, and I need to make sure that nobody takes it.” Laurel moved to get up when Terri placed her fragile hand on her forearm, “Please honey, sit and talk with an old lady for a few minutes. I have visitors come and go, but no one to talk to. Why don’t you tell me about your morning?” She sat back in her chair and waited expectantly for Laurel to begin.
“Well, I suppose I have a few minutes,” she said as she contemplated telling an old woman to fuck off. That wasn’t like her, so she gave her a quick rundown, “I made it through town, things have really changed since I was here last. Everything is newer and more elaborate than I remember, and I made it as far as The Cliff. Dale was there and I had the chance to thank him for the hospitality that you have all shown me.”
Terri just nodded with a grin and continued sipping her tea. “That’s all, dear?”
Laurel didn’t want to talk about Rory. She wanted to forget all about it and go back to the life she had escaped to once before. He gave her that life, and she came running back to the one he saved her from. No wonder he was pissed off when he saw her.
“Well, I did see an old friend and then came back here. The car is destined to cause me more grief than anything this town has to offer,” they both laughed at her vehicle misfortune. Terri, rocking back and forth, was encouraging more from her. “It was nice to see Crater City again.”
Terri leaned forward, “Honey, you keep saying ‘again’. Have you been here before?”
Laurel had been here before, but who would know that? “Yes ma’am. I grew up over on Hunting Drive. We left a long time ago.”
“I’ve been around a long time, but I haven’t seen you in these parts.” Terri may have just been keeping up conversation, but it was feeling more like an interrogation only because she didn’t want to talk about it.
“I haven’t been here in twenty years. My mom and I left for LA when I was only eleven, so I don’t remember much or many people. I am sor…”
“You didn’t live at the old Blackwell place, did you?” Terri’s glass was frozen to her lips while the condensation rolled off the glass on to her lap.
Laurel had to admit it now, “Yes. My name is Laurel Blackwell. My parents were Linda and Brian Blackwell.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. Honey, I knew you were Laurel Blackwell, but I had no idea you were one of the local Blackwell’s. She slammed her glass down on the table and began laughing, “Oh, Laurel. I have seen every one of your movies, but if we had thought that you were ‘THE’ Laurel Blackwell, this town would be in a frenzy for more than just the carnival. You’d be a legend around here!”
Laurel didn’t understand, but smiled anyways. She needed to get the fuck out of here, and soon. Now that people were going to figure out who she was, she didn’t want the skeletons to surface with the lies and deception, “Thank you for the tea, but I really must be going.” Laurel didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and was surprised that Terri didn’t try to stop her.
She hurried from the B&B and rounded the corner towards her car. There was no mistaken the sight she saw, beneath the hood of her car was a man. But not just any man, the jeans he was wearing hugged him in all the right places. The grease spread against the sides of his jeans were tell-tale signs of a man that liked to get dirty. She watched him wipe sweat from his brow with his forearm. His tanned skin decorated with a few tattoos kept her vision focused in all the wrong places. Her breathing became shallow, the closer she got. What was wrong with her? This was just a man, one that has done so much for her already. She didn't want to talk to him, but now she was in a position that she had to. She wanted to touch him and truly thank him for everything.
She was standing only a few feet behind him when he stopped. Almost aware of her, he turned around, taking her in. Laurel barely knew what she was doing, but it had been a long day already, leaving her with nothing to do until her car was fixed. Just so happens, there is a really fine looking man under her hood.
“Hey,” he said with a nod.
She replied with a smile, “Hey.”
There was nothing but unasked questions and the answers that never would come.
Laurel had to ask, “What are you doing here, Dale?”
Chapter Ten
Rory
He let her walk away.
Twenty years he had waited. She was right in front of his face, and instead of grabbing her and kissing her like he had imagined so many times, he pushed her away. He yelled at her. The only thing he could think about when he saw her was the job he had just received, the fact that he hadn't seen her since the accident, and now she was back and it could happen all over again.
He wanted to chase her, but honestly, he was stunned. He watched her walk to her car, her heels clicking across the parking lot, and he watched her get in. He itched to stop her, but by the time his feet caught up with his heart, she had already sped away. He needed to find Dale. How the hell did Dale know her, and why didn't he tell him about Laurel?
He walked back in the bar and to his office. He knew Dale was pissed, but he wouldn't have gone far. Sitting behind his desk, Dale was on the phone. When he saw Rory, he hurried to get off the phone. Rory looked around and spotted the box he had left on the floor. For a few minutes, he had forgotten why he went to find Dale in the first place. He didn't know which to start with, the drugs or Laurel. Dale staring at him with that blank expression was only causing him to be more and more pissed off.
"Dale, I am going to ask the easy question first. Why the fuck do I have a box of coke in my fucking office? And why am I assuming the other boxes you were so eager to get today, were filled with the same shit?" Laurel would be a longer discussion.