Town Darling (11 page)

Ruger grinned slyly, almost
taunting Wayne, and joined Diesel at the free table.  It would appear as if
Ruger enjoyed his rather large trumping card.  If it hadn’t been for the
impressiveness of his friend, the Harford boys would almost certainly have
mopped the floor with the meek man.  As the men began their pool game, Dina
slipped into the backroom and offered the two newcomers drinks.  She appeared
relieved to have reinforcements as a buffer for the Harford boys.  They weren’t
easily intimidated, but this was one battle they seemed unwilling to fight.

A
little while later, the
sheriff’s blazer drove past the tavern, as was Sheriff Holt’s usual practice on
busy nights.  The blazer suddenly slowed to the point of skidding and sharply
turned into the parking lot at the last second.  Vaughn jumped out of the
blazer with a shocked look on his face and uncertainly approached the hitching
post alongside the building.  Casey’s large, gray horse, in full western tack,
was tied to the rail on the very end.  Vaughn slowly approached the horse, ran
his hands along the horse’s shoulder, and walked to its left hindquarter. 
Vaughn ran his hand along the massive scar on the horse’s hindquarters.  As he
stared at the horse, an image from that night of him attempting to control the
soaking wet and bleeding horse in the arena barn sudden flashed through his
mind.  Vaughn studied the horse then returned to its head.  Storm snickered
softly and pushed his large nose into Vaughn’s chest nearly knocking him off
his feet.  He petted the horse’s nose, appeared curious, and headed toward the
tavern entrance.

Vaughn entered the tavern
and looked around.  There were very few patrons at the bar and only one or two
were women.  He studied each one from his position in the doorway, squinted,
and appeared bewildered.  He uncertainly approached the bar where Dina awaited
her drink order.  She seemed to be in a better mood now than she had been
earlier.

“How’s it going this
evening?” Vaughn asked casually.

Dina looked at him, offered
a tiny smile, and shrugged.  “More of the usual,” she replied.  “Why?”

Vaughn appeared deep in
thought then snapped out of his daze, smiled, and shook his head.  “No
particular reason.”

The bartender, Mack, handed
Dina a scotch on the rocks and a highball.  Vaughn eyed the drinks and
immediately became curious.

“Some hardcore drinkers
tonight?” he asked.

Dina flashed a smile and
freely gossiped.  “Non-locals,” she replied cheerfully.  “I may actually make
descent tips tonight for a change.”

“Are they worth checking
out?”

She eyed him and snorted a
laugh to his casual interrogation.  “No, they’re not biker dudes or gang
bangers,” she replied in a mocking tone.

Vaughn grinned and snorted
a laugh to her comment.  As Dina walked away, he turned to the bored looking
bartender.  “Mack, can I get a coffee to go?”

“Sure thing, Sheriff,” Mack
replied cheerfully.

Vaughn leaned against the
bar and glanced around with more than a passing interest.  He carefully studied
each woman, but they were the usual bar flowers.  Dina’s mother sat at the end
of the bar and flirted with a disinterested local.  The end of the month was
coming fast, and she probably needed rent money.  Vaughn helped himself to some
free pretzels and turned Mack’s newspaper toward him to read the headlines. 
Dina entered the pool area in the back with her tray containing the two
drinks.  She set the drinks on a nearby pub table for Ruger and Diesel.  Ruger
politely smiled and paid her double the tab.  Dina grinned with renewed life
and headed back toward the main bar area.  Ryan was suddenly alongside her, as
if innocently passing.  She saw him too late to avoid him.  His hand groped her
breast through her tank top.  She jumped with surprise then immediately turned
angry.  Ryan laughed at her.  He obviously knew she wasn’t going to do anything
about it.  Dina appeared to consider an appropriate reaction, but she was
reduced to sneering at him instead.  She was about to push past him when a
woman was heard from nearby.

“Some things never
change--”

Dina and the four men
looked toward the opening to the main bar area.  Casey leaned casually against
the doorframe just inside the pool area with her arms folded across her chest
and a strange smile on her face.  Dina stared at Casey and appeared stunned. 
It was like seeing a ghost.

“Casey?” Dina gasped with
surprise.

Dina carelessly shoved Ryan
out of the way, hurried for Casey, and threw her arms around her.  Casey
briefly returned the embrace, although something seemed oddly different about
her.  Dina didn’t appear to notice or simply didn’t care.  She stepped back and
stared at her best friend with tear-filled eyes.

“I can’t believe it’s you. 
You haven’t written or called,” Dina gasped.  “Where have you been?”

“Finding my way,” she
replied with the same, strange smile still on her face.

Dina appeared excited
possibly for the first time in two years and bounced around happily.  “I’ll
tell Mack I’m taking the night off,” she announced.  “We’ll hang out and catch
up.”

“Tonight may not be good,”
Casey’s casually replied.

Dina appeared confused and
almost stunned as she stared at her friend.  Casey grinned slyly while looking
into the pool area, walked past Dina, and approached Ruger at the second pool
table.  Casey smiled and indicated the pool stick.

“May I?” Casey asked.

Ruger smiled charmingly,
apparently taken by the beautiful woman, and handed her the pool stick.  Casey
casually twirled the stick skillfully between her fingers and approached the
Harford boys at the next table.  They were watching her closely as well.  She
was a ghost of the past; they couldn’t help but stare.

“Fifty dollars a game,” she
said firmly while wearing a cheap grin.  “Who am I playing?”

All four boys suddenly
seemed to come to life.  Wayne grinned while looking lustfully over her.  It
didn’t take long for the shock to wear off and their true personalities to
quickly surface.

“The prodigal child
returns,” Wayne said with a chuckle.  “Did you miss me?”

Casey stared at him and
smiled slyly.  “I’ve done nothing but think about you the last two years,
Wayne,” she informed him.  She glanced at Dina and showed little reaction. 
“Scotch on the rocks.”

Dina appeared surprised by
the request or possibly by Casey’s actions.  She uncertainly turned toward the
bar area and nearly ran into Vaughn, who stared at the pool table with the same
look of surprise.

“Is that Casey?” he asked
without taking his eyes off the familiar yet somehow unfamiliar woman.

Dina appeared tense and
uncertainly shook her head.  “I’m not sure.” 

Casey barely resembled the
innocent, young girl either had remembered.  Dina stared a moment longer then
turned toward the bar area.  Grey stood directly in front of her with a strange
smile on his face. 

“Dina--”

Dina appeared surprised to
see him then smiled with delight.  “Oh, my God, Grey!” she cried out excitedly
and threw her arms around him.

Grey tensed as she clung to
him, appeared reluctant to return the embrace, and quickly released her.  Dina
pulled away and stared at him.  Her look conveyed her confusion and possible
concern.  He oddly resembled a human taken over by an alien lifeform.  He
lacked emotion in light of their reunion, much like Casey. 

Grey stared past her at
Vaughn with a strange, tiny smile.  “Deputy Holt--or is it Sheriff?”

Vaughn approached him and
appeared curious while studying him.  He, too, apparently noticed the strange
behavior.  “It’s sheriff,” he replied.  “When did you return?”

Grey turned and headed
toward the bar forcing Vaughn to follow him.  “We’re just visiting,” he
announced casually.  “Buy you a drink?”

Vaughn followed a few feet
behind while studying him and remained suspicious.  Back within the pool area,
Casey shot ball after ball into each pocket while watching Wayne and Ryan
circle her like hungry wolves.  Their eyes remained on her with each shot.  She
showed no reaction to their behavior, although she watched them from the corner
of her eyes.

“Hmm.  I’ve missed that
ass,” Wayne announced with a throaty chuckle.

“Looks even better than I
remember,” Ryan said with a lustful grin.

“And still completely off
limits,” Casey casually informed them with little emotion.

All four boys laughed. 
Ryan rubbed against Casey’s buttocks as he passed her.  Casey rammed the stick
behind her, narrowly missing Ryan’s groin.  He jumped and laughed.

“She’s twice as feisty
too,” Ryan teased.

“Probably not getting it
enough,” Wayne laughed.

Casey lined up her next
shot while ignoring them as Wayne paused behind her.  She watched him out of
the corner of her eye.  Wayne grabbed her hips and grinded against her from
behind.  Casey kicked back and struck him in the shin.  He released her with
surprise.  She spun with the pool stick in both hands and hit him square in the
chest, shoving him back.

“Don’t touch me again,” Casey
growled while glaring into his eyes.  “That’s your only warning.”

Wayne appeared surprised by
her sudden reaction and even more to her tone.  Fred and Blain moved in closer
while Ryan laughed at his brother.

“Yeah, Wayne,” Ryan
announced.  “She only likes it from men in masks.”

All four men snickered. 
Casey’s cold expression didn’t change as she casually took a step closer to
Ryan.

“Is that supposed to be
funny?” Casey growled.

“Nah, just stating a fact.”

Blain suddenly grabbed
Casey from behind and attempted to hold her as Wayne approached with a grin.

“Someone needs to teach you
a little respect,” Wayne said with a lustful look in his eyes.

Wayne moved closer to her
while Blain held her then ran his finger along her neckline and toward her
cleavage.  Ruger and Diesel were now watching from across the room.  Diesel
took a step toward them in an attempt to intervene. 

Ruger stopped him with a
raised hand and casually responded, “That’s not our fight.”

Casey grabbed Blain’s arm
and used him as leverage to kick Wayne with both feet.  Wayne was thrown across
the room.  Ruger watched him fall to the floor near him.  Casey tossed Blain
backwards and onto the pool table while he still clung to her.  Casey rolled
over Blain and stood on the pool table.  Blain sprung to his feet.  Casey
flipped the pool stick with her foot and into her hands.  She twirled the stick
and moved into a fighting stance.  Blain and Wayne lunged for her.  Casey
somersaulted over them and landed on the floor behind them.  She swung the pool
stick and struck Wayne and Blain.  Ryan lunged for her.  She spun into a
backwards roundhouse kick and knocked him backwards.  He crashed into a nearby
table.  The beer pitcher and glasses fell to the floor with a crash.  Vaughn
entered the pool area with Dina behind him.  Casey spun, kicked, and struck
each man with the stick and her feet.  Grey casually entered the pool area with
his drink, took a seat, and watched the fight with little reaction.  As the
last man hit the floor, Casey remained in her attack position with the stick
and watched them.  All four writhed around the floor while clutching various
body parts.  Vaughn and Dina stared at Casey with shocked expressions.  Ruger
and Diesel chuckled.  Casey casually straightened, tossed her stick to Ruger,
and looked at Vaughn with a devious, twisted smile.

“Sheriff--”

Casey casually turned and
placed her hands behind her back.  Vaughn removed his handcuffs, shook his
head, and cuffed her wrists behind her back.  Wayne slowly moved to his knees.

“I’m going to kill that
bitch!” Wayne shouted as blood seeped from his mouth.  “You’d better lock her
up!”

Vaughn led Casey past
Wayne.  Casey kicked behind her, unobserved by Vaughn, and struck Wayne in the
face.  Vaughn looked back.  Wayne lie motionless on the floor.  Vaughn appeared
puzzled.  Casey flashed a smile at Dina as they passed.

“Yeah, I’m kind of busy
tonight.”

Deputy Tucker hurried into
the tavern as Vaughn escorted Casey toward the door.

Vaughn indicated the
Harford boys to Tucker.  “See that those boys go home.”

Tucker looked into the pool
area, where all four Harford boys writhed in pain, and appeared stunned.

C
asey sat quietly in the
backseat with her hands cuffed behind her and appeared peaceful and oddly content. 
Being trapped in the back of Vaughn’s police blazer wasn’t nearly as confining
as she thought it would be.  The cuffs were a bit dramatic though.  Vaughn
glanced at her through the rearview mirror several times.  She caught a glimpse
of his dark eyes staring back at her.  Oddly enough, he wasn’t nearly as
intimidating as she’d remembered.

“Is this new?” she finally
asked, breaking the silence.

Vaughn pulled over to the
side of the road, threw the blazer into park, and stared at her through the
mirror.  His dark eyes were now demanding.

“Why, Casey?” he suddenly
demanded to know.  “You’re back one day and you take on all four of them.”

“One-on-one hardly seemed
fair,” she casually replied.

“You deliberately went out
of your way to piss them off,” he scoffed.

“Yes, I know their father
is tight with the mayor and will be up your ass about it,” she replied.  “I’ve
heard this story before, and I have to say the ending really sucks.”

“We’ll stay here all night
until you answer my question.”

The way he looked at her
through the mirror with those dark eyes conveyed his seriousness.  She could
probably play this game with him for a few more hours, but she really didn’t
feel like wasting the time. 

“Why?” she asked
innocently.  Her eyes suddenly narrowed.  “Because they’re like a pack of wild
dogs and the law won’t do anything because of who they are.”  Her emotions took
over for a moment as her voice lowered considerably.  “They get a free pass to
sexually harass and assault every woman within groping distance.”  Casey took a
deep breath, pulled her anger back inside, and her calmness again returned.  “I
gave them fair warning before defending myself.”

Casey casually relaxed and
stared out the window with little expression.  Vaughn continued to watch her
through the mirror.  She didn’t acknowledge him.

“This is my town now,
Casey,” he informed her firmly.  “If you came back for revenge, I’ll lock you
up.  If they did something to you, you need to press charges.  It’ll look
better in case they press charges against you.”

She finally looked at him
in the front.  His comment humored her.  “Are you kidding?  They don’t want it
getting around that they were beaten up by a girl.”  She took a deep breath and
sighed.  “No, they’ll probably break into my house late one night, kill
everyone I care about, and brutalize me,” Casey announced then considered the
comment.  “Oh, wait.  That already happened.”

There was an odd silence
between them.  Casey now stared back at him through the mirror.  Although not
nearly as intimidating as she remembered, staring into his eyes even through
the mirror wasn’t easy. 

“There’s nothing connecting
them to the murders,” he informed her.  “I’ve been over it a thousand times,
and I’m no closer to a suspect than I was two years ago.”

“Perhaps if you made sure
he was dead--” Casey muttered and stopped herself from saying anything more. 
That subject was a hot button issue and now wasn’t the proper time to get into
that particular debate.

“Don’t start with that,” he
retorted.  “Not a day goes by that I don’t think about that night.”

Vaughn rested his elbow on
the door and held his temple with disgust.  It was obvious he didn’t know what
to do.  He quickly straightened and composed himself.  He once again looked at
her through the mirror.

“If you’re going to stay in
my town, you’re going to play by my rules,” he announced firmly.  “If you have
a problem, you come to me.  You will not take justice into your own hands.  Do
you understand?”

There was a strange
silence.  Casey stared back at him through the mirror.  “Yes, I understand.”

Vaughn put the blazer into
gear and drove back onto the road.  The sheriff’s blazer pulled into the tavern
parking lot and up to Grey, who casually leaned against the hitching post with
a strange smirk on his face.  Vaughn got out, eyed Grey’s smirk, and opened the
back door for Casey.  She casually got out and handed Vaughn the handcuffs.

“I believe these belong to
you.”

Vaughn took the handcuffs
and gave her a look of surprise.  Casey and Grey mounted their horses and rode away. 
Vaughn stared after them with a concerned look.

†

C
ountry General Hospital was
located nearly twenty miles from town.  It was situated in what some might
consider a city, although not much of a city, but it was certainly large in
comparison with Darwood Falls.  For a Thursday night, the hospital appeared
busier than usual but not nearly as busy as late night on weekends.  Country
General Hospital was where Casey and Grey had been airlifted to on the night of
their brutal attack.  The emergency room had few patients waiting to be seen,
but the hospital was loud with commotion.  Fred Harford leaned against a nearby
wall and watched his three brothers writhing in agony within the waiting room. 
The few remaining patients watched them and kept their distance from the
unruly, angry men.

“What the hell is taking
them so long?” Wayne demanded while holding the bloody cloth to his still
bleeding mouth and showed general discomfort to nearly every part of his body.

Blain was unusually silent
as he sat in a chair while holding his jaw and kept his eyes closed.  Ryan
writhed in agony while clutching his foot and ribs.  Ryan glared at Fred, who
watched in silence and appeared mostly unscathed.  Ryan obviously wasn’t
pleased that his youngest brother wasn’t suffering alongside them.

“Go get a doctor, you
idiot!” Ryan shouted at Fred.

“If you actually stopped to
think about it,” Fred began then grinned slightly, “it’s kind of funny.”

All three suddenly glared
at him.  He tensed slightly and tried not to grin.

“I’m going to kick your ass
in three seconds,” Wayne growled lowly.  “Did you even try to stop her?”

“Sure I did,” Fred
protested.  “She punched me in the gut and knocked me on my ass with some sort
of karate leg sweeping thing.  Face it, Wayne; she’s not a girl we want to piss
off.”

“Really?” Wayne scoffed
with the hostility in his eyes as he sprayed blood while he talked.  “Well, I’m
going to bring that bitch to her knees.”

“Before or after she takes
your head off?” he asked with a cocky tilt of his head.

Wayne sneered at Fred.  The
hospital doors were thrown open to reveal Ernest.  He stormed across the
emergency waiting room and approached his sons.  He stopped short of them and
stared with surprise.

“What the hell happened?”
Ernest demanded.  “Were you messing with those biker guys again?”

“No, it was Casey fucking
Remington,” Ryan lashed out and immediately doubled over while clutching his
ribs.

Ernest stared at his
injured sons with his mouth hanging open.  “Casey’s back?”  He suddenly shook
his head in disbelief.  “Wait, are you telling me Casey did this to you?”  He
instantly became enraged.  “One woman beat the crap out of all four of you?” he
suddenly demanded.

“She pulled some martial
arts bullshit on us,” Ryan groaned while attempting to find a comfortable
position.

Ernest stared at the three
writhing in agony then looked at Blain, who barely moved and refused to speak. 
“You’ve got anything to say?” he demanded.

“She broke his jaw,” Fred
said flatly from the wall behind his father.

Ernest spun and looked at
Fred.  He appeared surprised he wasn’t writhing in agony with them.  “Sat this
one out?” he scoffed.  He obviously knew Fred wasn’t much of a fighter.

“I took a few hits,” he
replied while casually straightening.  “I was the only one smart enough to admit
defeat.”  Fred appeared reflective.  “You know, I get the feeling when she said
‘no’ she actually meant it.”

Ernest glared at Fred.  He
stared back at his father and tried hard not to smile.

“I’m going to get some
coffee,” Fred announced casually.  “You want anything?”

“Yeah, a son with a
backbone,” Ernest scoffed.  “You stand up for your brothers.”

“They were wrong,” Fred
simply informed him.

“That doesn’t matter,” he
snapped with hostility.  “Family comes first!  Right or wrong, we take care of
our own.  You remember that.”

Fred frowned and walked
away.  Ernest rolled his eyes and shook his head with disgust.  “He’s getting
to be like his mother,” he scoffed.

“What are we going to do
about Casey Remington?” Wayne gasped and then spit blood onto the floor.

“You leave that to me,”
Ernest informed him.  “The law will protect us.  Remember who you are.”