Still , she thought, I’ve got nothing else to do. She finally dislocated the arm from the rest of the chair and pounded the nails on the concrete floor.
She reached into the freezer and grabbed the bottle that was tied with a strap. How to do this? She notched two small holes into the topside of the bottle as it rested between her bare feet. She worked the head of a nail into each hole. She placed the bottle in the freezer against the side wall and pushed two other bottles up tightly so the bottle with the nails wouldn’t roll. The nails limped off to the side. Idiot. They need to be in deeper; otherwise, it’ll have no strength . She repositioned the nails and the support bottles.
For the uncountable time, she thought, What do they think I did or know? I told them Grease Boy said he had two hundred and whatever big ones. Is that it? They think I took the money? And what? Keeping me here will break me? She played “Run” in her head to keep her thoughts from wandering down dark paths.
She did some push-ups and sit-ups. Gotta keep in shape. She checked her bottle in the freezer. Calm down. Ice takes time. She envisioned her weapon and wondered whether the strap would hold. Could she use it on Zach? Hell, yeah. That slimeball tricked me. But she hadn’t seen him since that first night. It was always Green Mask who brought her food and escorted her to the outhouse, which was seventeen steps away. She managed to stretch it to twenty-one steps; she figured the extra steps were good for her and prolonged her fresh-air time. Another major bummer , she thought. My skin’s going to turn plaster pale. I wanted to get one of those rich native tans, like Aunt Sus—just Susan, you dimwit.
Is my life in danger?
Holy moly, girl. Where did that drop from?
Face it , she thought . It’s been there all the time . She wondered what her father would say, for in Jenny’s mind he had never lied to her. She could hear him now: Be strong. Take it in with strength.
They were approaching the marina just as a summer squall erupted and threatened to blow the water clean out of Buckeye Lake. Instead of his usual cautious, slow approach, her father took the Trojan in hard and fast. She was certain they would crash into the dock. Larry screamed the Trojan’s engine in reverse at the last moment. “When things kick up,” he’d told Jenny when she’d asked why he’d gone in with such speed, “you need to take it in with strength. The tougher the weather, the stronger you drive. Remember that, Jen. When it’s nasty, be strong and take her in with strength. Be nasty right back.”He had let her steer the boat several times, but Jenny couldn’t imagine ever being good enough to race the boat into the dock. She didn’t comprehend the reasoning.
She got it now.
Pretty boy or not, when my bottle’s ready, the first guy through the door gets it. Besides, he’s the worst enemy—someone who posed as a friend. Then what? Run? I’ll worry about that later. Right now , she thought, it’s focus time.
Nasty right back.
CHAPTER 14
A fter I left Grouper’s place, I drove to Water’s Edge, Susan’s bar. It had no parking, so I pulled into a spot in front of a Wings store. I made certain my front bumper made contact with the C USTOMERS ONLY; ALL OTHERS WILL BE TOWED sign and strolled across the street. I wanted to fill Susan in on my trip up north. She was a blur behind the bar.
She didn’t slow down to address me. “Find Jenny,” she commanded as she worked three glasses in a row on the counter.
“I’m doing what I—”
“Now.”
She dropped two drinks in front of a couple, and the lady practically had hers at her lips before Susan’s hand was off the stemware. She spun around to finish the third. From behind her, a man with his eyes glued to her ass instructed her to “go easy on the ice, babe.” Her jaw clenched, and her hand tightened around the glass.
When I’d first met her, she’d told me the ones who come
She reached into the freezer and grabbed the bottle that was tied with a strap. How to do this? She notched two small holes into the topside of the bottle as it rested between her bare feet. She worked the head of a nail into each hole. She placed the bottle in the freezer against the side wall and pushed two other bottles up tightly so the bottle with the nails wouldn’t roll. The nails limped off to the side. Idiot. They need to be in deeper; otherwise, it’ll have no strength . She repositioned the nails and the support bottles.
For the uncountable time, she thought, What do they think I did or know? I told them Grease Boy said he had two hundred and whatever big ones. Is that it? They think I took the money? And what? Keeping me here will break me? She played “Run” in her head to keep her thoughts from wandering down dark paths.
She did some push-ups and sit-ups. Gotta keep in shape. She checked her bottle in the freezer. Calm down. Ice takes time. She envisioned her weapon and wondered whether the strap would hold. Could she use it on Zach? Hell, yeah. That slimeball tricked me. But she hadn’t seen him since that first night. It was always Green Mask who brought her food and escorted her to the outhouse, which was seventeen steps away. She managed to stretch it to twenty-one steps; she figured the extra steps were good for her and prolonged her fresh-air time. Another major bummer , she thought. My skin’s going to turn plaster pale. I wanted to get one of those rich native tans, like Aunt Sus—just Susan, you dimwit.
Is my life in danger?
Holy moly, girl. Where did that drop from?
Face it , she thought . It’s been there all the time . She wondered what her father would say, for in Jenny’s mind he had never lied to her. She could hear him now: Be strong. Take it in with strength.
They were approaching the marina just as a summer squall erupted and threatened to blow the water clean out of Buckeye Lake. Instead of his usual cautious, slow approach, her father took the Trojan in hard and fast. She was certain they would crash into the dock. Larry screamed the Trojan’s engine in reverse at the last moment. “When things kick up,” he’d told Jenny when she’d asked why he’d gone in with such speed, “you need to take it in with strength. The tougher the weather, the stronger you drive. Remember that, Jen. When it’s nasty, be strong and take her in with strength. Be nasty right back.”He had let her steer the boat several times, but Jenny couldn’t imagine ever being good enough to race the boat into the dock. She didn’t comprehend the reasoning.
She got it now.
Pretty boy or not, when my bottle’s ready, the first guy through the door gets it. Besides, he’s the worst enemy—someone who posed as a friend. Then what? Run? I’ll worry about that later. Right now , she thought, it’s focus time.
Nasty right back.
CHAPTER 14
A fter I left Grouper’s place, I drove to Water’s Edge, Susan’s bar. It had no parking, so I pulled into a spot in front of a Wings store. I made certain my front bumper made contact with the C USTOMERS ONLY; ALL OTHERS WILL BE TOWED sign and strolled across the street. I wanted to fill Susan in on my trip up north. She was a blur behind the bar.
She didn’t slow down to address me. “Find Jenny,” she commanded as she worked three glasses in a row on the counter.
“I’m doing what I—”
“Now.”
She dropped two drinks in front of a couple, and the lady practically had hers at her lips before Susan’s hand was off the stemware. She spun around to finish the third. From behind her, a man with his eyes glued to her ass instructed her to “go easy on the ice, babe.” Her jaw clenched, and her hand tightened around the glass.
When I’d first met her, she’d told me the ones who come
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