Chapter 37

The auto place was a few turns away from the town's main drag. Therefore, like everything else in our village of Shio, it was in the middle of nowhere. It was on a wide gravel lot, surrounded by trees. Pulling my temporary truck into the parking lot, I noticed two structures made up the dumpy business. On the left side, there was a long building with three garage doors. They were all open, displaying vehicles being worked on. On the right was the main store, which I parked in front of. It was a small brick building with two of the four walls mainly glass. Being able to see inside, it didn't look like the classiest place in the world – and it wasn't. When Irene and I headed inside, it was a make-shift small room, with pieces of bright red carpet over cement. There was a weird greasy smell I didn't like too.

It was easy to ignore though when we saw the three men standing behind the counter. Two were greasy and dirty, matching the place perfectly. The other was Sheriff Elbern. I figured there was a chance he would be here. After all, he said he would look into the car himself after hearing August might have been involved.

"Ruth, good afternoon," he said after seeing us enter. Stepping out from behind the counter, he shook my hand then turned to Irene. "You no doubt must be her sister."

"Yes, unfortunately," she chuckled tightly, still taking in the shop with subtle disgust.

"These two gents here tended to your car," he said to me as we stepped up to the counter.

"Yup, and it put us behind schedule," one of the greasy guys said to me. He was maybe in his late 30s, so automatically he was a contender for Irene's interest despite being blunt, rude, and having eyes that were too wide-set. "Because your potential legal issues demanded thorough inspection, it pushed several appointments back."

Well... he definitely won 'bitch of the day' for that. Caught off guard, not sure what to say, I shared an unsure glance with Irene. "Um... sorry?"

"You should be."

"Dewey, it wasn't her fault," the sheriff said with a sigh in his voice.

If my name was Dewey, I would be irrationally pissy all the time too. But he was quickly getting under my skin. Crumpling his lips, he shook his head, eyes still in mine. "No, but it was a complete waste of time. For nothing. She screwed us, wasted the police's time, and her lawyer has been up my ass. All for nothing."

"What do you mean for nothing?" I asked, heart jumping.

The third man spoke up from behind his colorful coworker. He had a beer-belly and sweet eyes. I'm sure Irene would go for him too. "So essentially, your breaks were not cut, but they quickly deteriorated – either intentionally or from all of the long-term problems we found with your break system." Then, he delved into the whole thing. You know, with all the technical terms that went over my head. He explained all the issues he found that I could not follow.

Generally, this was the gist though: I bought a sketchy car that already had a lot of problems apparently. Many with the breaks. I had no clue how cars work, but I guess the last owner didn't either.

I wasn't sure if they knew much about cars either though. Though asshole Dewey and his coworkers found many issues, they could not definitively say how my breaks failed. Yeah. So, I got basically no answer. "Look, I know I don't know a lot about cars, but... is there any way someone could have purposefully made this happen?"

The snippy bitch jumped back in, meeting my eyes and resting an elbow on the counter between us. "It's possible, but we found no evidence."

"You said my car was already kind of a mess, but honestly, there was nothing wrong with my car before this. So what caused it then?" I pushed.

"I would love to know, but your car had so much damage to the break-system, we can't even narrow it down. Maybe if you weren't reckless enough to drive such a hazard around, this wouldn't—"

"It wasn't a fucking hazard," I said, trying to not raise my voice, but unable to stop myself from speaking with a hiss. "I bought that car just months ago. It was fine! I even had it inspected because I was paranoid; I never buy anything that fucking cheap."

"Not good enough of an inspection, miss," he said loudly back. "That was long-term neglect. Or someone intentionally stripped the breaks and hid it well. Either is possible. Sorry you aren't pleased with our days worth of work—"

"Days worth?! What the fuck did you people do for days if you found nothing?!"

"Ruth," Irene hissed, taking hold of my arm.

"No," I shook her off, pressing into the counter and jutting a finger towards the man. "Did you people even bother double checking?!"

"That's what we spent days on, over and over, checking everything. All because a little city girl is scared someone is out to get her," he said in almost disgust.

I was beyond pissed – to the point where it didn't matter if I was being irrational. I didn't have the answers I wanted, my concern was more than fucking valid, he was an asshole, this place stunk, and there was no air conditioning in here! And it was 90 fucking degrees! I hissed through my teeth at him. "Go fuck yourself and good luck getting any payment out of me you piece of shit, you—"

"Alright, come on, that's enough," the sheriff said, quickly moving past Irene and resting a firm hand on my shoulder. "Let's go, Ruth."

Aware those words came from a cop, I complied and stormed out of the greasy hot air into just fresh hot air. How nice. Being away from that asshole helped me calm down though. Irene, not surprised I would blow up, got in the truck and waited for me while I spoke with the sheriff outside.

"I just don't understand. Is there anything at all we can do? I mean you looked at it."

"Even though Dewey is an ass, he isn't wrong," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "Unfortunately, it's inconclusive. It's not often I've seen breaks tampered with, but I do know there are other ways besides cutting them. August could have been smart enough to do it more discretely," he nodded.

"Well, he was smart enough then. I'm telling you. August did do this. When I bought that car, there were a few concerns, but nothing like that," I said, trying to breath normally, squinting up to him from the sun.

"I do not doubt you. But I personally inspected it and there is nothing to indicate there was any intention behind what happened. I'm not your lawyer, but I will say it is suspicious that you had no break issues before this. That alone can maybe help add credibility to your claim, but otherwise, this is void."

Talk about a major blow. I didn't even know what to think or where to go from here. But one place I wasn't going was the damn bank. I mean, my car was totaled and I just wanted answers, not a huge bill for nothing. However, a second later, Dewey had the balls to come out with a few papers.

As he neared us, Elbern immediately pointed at the building. "Go back inside."

"Sheriff, I only am giving this young lady her bill of service. Which she will pay."

"What the fuck do I owe you money for? You didn't fix anything, my car is totaled."

"Labor, doll, and a couple other things," he said, still cautiously nearing us until he jutted the papers at me, forcing me to take them."You can throw a hissy-fit all you want, but just because you're a spoiled rich city girl doesn't mean you can blow off your bill."

That bill in question... was for 980 dollars. I just stared at the number, dumbfounded. "This is a joke."

"You're right, this was a joke."

Yeah. If his rude words didn't do it, those three numbers sure fucking did! "This is bullshit, I'm not paying this! You better watch your back, you piece of shit," I exclaimed, turning to him and making him back up. "Your place is a disgusting grease pit, just like you!"

Before I could reach him, I felt the sheriff hold me back by my arm, allowing the asshole to walk back inside. "Calm down," he said blankly.

Spinning to him, I formed a fist around the papers, waving it up towards the sheriff. "Did you see this? Almost a thousand dollars! I might not know shit about cars, but I know this is beyond insane!"

"It is," he agreed with a sigh. "He's able to though. This is his place, his private business."

It was my turn to sigh, lungs releasing in defeat. "So what am I suppose to do? Just live next to a psycho after I pay this other psycho with the rest of my savings account?"

I was so pissed and upset, I didn't know what to do. After leaving in the truck I was borrowing, I was too wound up to just go home. I was too wound up for fucking anything! So, Irene and I drove around for a while (which says a lot about how tense I was since I hated driving that truck). The whole time, we just talked. Or rather, I just ranted. She tried helping me find a solution and we talked out options, but none were good enough. None would stop this. Even though she tried cheering me up... no matter what, I felt defeated. What else was I suppose to do to make him go away?

The next day, I suppose in a way I did get what I wished for. That morning, there were bars separating me from August. Unfortunately, I was on the wrong side of them.

It all started with my doorbell waking me up at about five in the morning. It my hazy half-asleep head, I knew it probably wasn't Blake; it was too early for me to be late for work. Too tired to care about my bed head or my purple silk pajamas, I answered the door.

It was Sheriff Elbern. Seeing him made me widen my strained and tired eyes up to him. With the blue hue morning light, I could see he was in uniform like yesterday, and also already wide awake. However, unlike our usual casual conversations, I could see there was a seriousness in his eyes.

"Hi... what's going on?" I said, clearing my groggy voice.

"Ruth, I'm sorry for the visit so early. Something... happened. I was just wondering if you could tell me where you were last night?"

Yep... it was a serious visit alright. Though he spoke in a normal tone, I was immediately on guard and alert. Crossing my arms, I stared down in thought. "Um... nothing. I got home maybe around 11ish or so and just headed to bed."

"What were you doing before that?"

"I was with my sister. We drove around for a while just talking after we left the auto shop."

His expression was unmoving. "So from the time I last saw you, to 11 at night, you were just... driving around with her?"

Though it was true, that was a long time. That was several hours of just driving. Which only made me more nervous. I mean, whatever happened, it sounded like he suspected me – and yeah, driving aimlessly did not sound good enough. "It's true though. I mean I feel I was understandably stressed and concerned. We just talked. We got take-out at about eight, ate, then later I dropped her off and headed home. Why? What happened last night?"

"Dewey's got vandalized last night."

Vandalized?! His words literally made my jaw unhitch in shock – and my stomach turned in fear. It wasn't like we lived in low-life ghetto town. I highly doubted that stuff happened around here. And for it to happen to that guy's place? Only hours after he gave me bad news and pissed me off to no end?

Immediately, I was shaking my head. "That no coincidence."

Exhaling deeply, he pursed his lips with sad eyes. "I agree. It's not."

"No, no, listen, it wasn't me. I— I know that is probably hard for your to believe, but it wasn't me, there has to be some way to prove where I was. I mean check the cameras, check anything, call my sister, she will tell you."

"Your sister will cover for you no matter what. What take-out place?"

Yeah that should do it! "Oh, Louie's! There must be camera footage or witnesses—"

"Who went inside to get the food?"

Shit... I really wasn't seen by anyone, or any camera, last night. "Well, Irene did. And... we did park in the shadows. But it was my truck we were in."

"You're truck doesn't prove you were in it. Besides. That was early in the night. You are unaccounted for during the time it occurred."

"Then prove I did it," I said in a shaky voice, running a hand up and through my knotty hair before I formed a fist in it. "I swear up and down I didn't do it. Show me proof. Check cameras, any cameras at the auto shop, because August is setting me up!" I said, gesturing to the house not even a few yards away.

"Mrs. Dunn, I was present when you expressed to Dewey that he needed to watch his back. You can't deny how upset and angry you were – at the results, his attitude, and the bill. Then, at about 10:15, the destruction was reported. The cameras went down just before it occurred, so there is no footage. But the glass walls were shattered, the store was torn apart, and multiple obscenities were spray painted across the garage doors."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't vandalize anything! Look around. Any sign of-of-of glass, paint, my clothes, I don't know! You're the cop, investigate it, just... it wasn't me."

Though he remained neutral, it was clear his patience was fading. "Alright, let me in then."

So, I did. And sure enough, he didn't find a damn thing. The only thing that earned a second glance was the amount of make-up I had on my bathroom counter. The whole time though, I was rattled. This was just as bad as August fucking up my breaks. No, this was actually worse. August setting me up (and clearly spying on me) was worse. What if I actually get pinned for this? Being charged with vandalism is not exactly going to look good for me.

But that's what happened. What sealed the deal was when Elbern checked the truck. Inside the truck – yes, inside – was a can of used spray paint. Seeing him discover that... it made chills run over my body. I didn't even bother telling him I didn't lock the truck. I didn't bother telling him it wasn't me. I knew I was done.

However, when he started to read me my rights, I was not having it. "Wait, wait, wait," I said, backing away from him at first. "Just wait and listen. You can't, you need to check stuff—"

"Ruth, don't resist. That's the best advice I can give you right now. I'm sorry," he said, and this time, realizing the seriousness of it, I didn't resist. "There is too much against you right now, but try not to worry. For now, I would get some shoes on, and this will go smoothly."

Just as I slid my flats on, he continued with the arresting process. All the while I was in a daze. One I broke out of for a second when he stepped behind me with the handcuffs. "Wait, before you cuff me, can I at least get ready? Like get dressed and put at least eyeliner on?"

Sighing, he latched the handcuffs around my wrist. Guess that was a no. Which only made me more annoyed. Hell, it would be rage... if I wasn't so paranoid, scared, and shocked.

***

Standing in the small white hallway, down from the jail's two cells, I held the corded wall phone to my ear. It certainly didn't help that I was still rocking my purple pajamas and bedhead. "Hey dad... guess where I'm at?" I said in a light voice, trying to not feel panicky.

It was even more difficult not to panic when I realized not even my own father believed me after I told him everything that occurred. Yeah, it was a huge blow to my already low morale. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Though my dad and I were slowly building a better relationship, I was very often in the wrong in his eyes. Including now.

"You're telling me you fucking didn't do this?! How am I suppose to defend someone who blew up in rage at a man whose business was vandalized just hours later?! I thought you were finally getting your shit together—"

"You gotta be fucking kidding me," I sighed, looking around the small area, making sure nobody else was around to hear. "How can you not see it? August did this! It makes sense, it was an obvious set-up. He must be spying on me or something. I mean come on, it would be just stupid of me to do that! Then to leave fucking spray-paint cans in plain sight. Really?!"

"You've done obvious acts of stupidity like this before Ruth! You let your feelings get the best of you and you do shit without thinking. Remember 9th grade?!"

"That was nothing!"

"It's almost the same thing! You left a nasty note, signed your name, and doused super-glue all over a teachers desk after she chewed you out for cheating—"

"She deserved it, I told you, I didn't cheat on that test!" I mean yeah, I cheated on tests before, but that particular time I didn't. "And that was ages ago!"

"Yeah? Was the drinking ages ago too? Again: reckless and stupid without thinking about consequences."

"I would so hang up on you if I had more than one call, I swear," I hissed with a tight jaw.

"I want to believe you, but there is no way he would just... follow you in broad day-light and spy on you when he has a restraining order against him. Plus, he would have ended up bumping into Sid in the bush next to him," he added in a mumble.

"Alright I'm doing a redial. Bye dad. Hey, what's up, lawyer, I'm kind of fucked so help me because my dad won't. You know, like maybe actually don't judge, and instead try to do some digging. Or, you know, come bail me out because I'm innocent."

"I'll be there in a few hours." Then click.

Few hours? Ugh, that was so long! It already felt like I've been in here for days! Thankfully, only an hour passed by the time my dad walked into sight on the other side of the bars. It sure felt like more than that though. All I could do was sit, feel ugly, and worry about everything!

Seeing my dad, feeling relief, I stood up and met him at the silver bars separating us. "Thank god, is someone getting the key to unlock the door?"

"Sorry, not quite," he said, looking away with a sigh. Though he was clearly in lawyer mode, it was hard for him to see me in here. "Listen. I obtained the auto company's worth and your lucky. Vandalizing most businesses can land you a felony, but it's only going to be a misdemeanor."

"Wha—? Aren't you going to even look into me being innocent?"

"Yeah, and I did. I couldn't find anything. Even if I could, I spoke with the owner and he's willing to end all of this – including any upcoming fines or any charges he could tag on. We just have to pay a lump sum, but it will be a lot. 5,300 actually."

"But I didn't do this." Just like that, I was immediately guilty, and he's jumping to what I need to pay as punishment? It felt like a weird dream. "And... I don't have that kind of money! No, fuck that, it doesn't matter, I did not do this!"

He finally looked up to me with a deep breath. Behind his glasses, his eyes filled with fire, surrounded in disappointment. It made his graying hair almost look paler. "Look, I don't have time to deal with this. You hear me? On top of all my other cases, I got your restraining order, I got to get more on psycho next door somehow without the break cutting issue, and I'm trying to secure you joint custody and help with your divorce. Ruth... this is not murder, it's a misdemeanor and it's nothing compared to what you've been charged with before."

"It's still going to hurt my chances!"

"Then maybe you should think before you act."

I was just... stunned. I really could not believe all this, but especially his words. "I can't believe you think I did this. Thanks for always being there for me," I said in a shaky voice, feeling almost sick.

"I am here for you. I always will be. But I won't condone your mistakes and I won't enable them. That's why I helped you move out here. I've always helped you regardless of your mistakes. I've even helped you, coddled you, aided you when I shouldn't have. But not now. You can handle a couple days in here."

"What are you talking about?! A couple days?"

"Your bail is 1,000 not including the sum I agreed on. It was that or sit in jail for a year. But I think maybe a few days in here will help before I decide to pay the bail. Then, we will put this behind us." As he turned to leave, his eyes lingered on mine. In a softer voice, he added, "For the record, I would have gotten you clothes and your make-up, but it's not exactly allowed. You're lucky it's a small town jail and they didn't make you change as it is. Anyway, just remember, I love you. See you in a few days."

Then just like that... he walked out.

***

Talk about a long day. Alone, mix emotions, and boredom. Add in the cold floors, and bland gray boring style around here, it was just plain hell. Sitting on the floor, refusing to lay down on the cot, all I could do was just... sit there. My thoughts played on a roll, putting me in a daze.

Until one cop snapped me out of it. Right out of the fucking blue... he walked up to my cell, unlocked it, and swung it open for me. For a moment, all I could do was stare at him in confusion. What the hell? Why was he opening my cell? "I... I don't need to use the bathroom. Remember, I hate public bathrooms and am going to try to go as little as possible."

The older gentleman nodded towards the main office area and lobby around the corner. "Well, when you do have to use public restrooms, you won't have to here."

"What?"

"Yeah, you're free to leave," he said, walking off down the hall.

Free to leave? Getting to my feet, I stood there for a long moment, flat out confused. Finally, I stepped out of my cell and just... stood in the small area. There was only one explanation and it made me smile to myself. Guess dad changed his mind and couldn't stand leaving me here for a couple days. It returned a little bit of warmth to my view of him at the moment.

However, as I walked down and around the curve of the hall, it wasn't my dad I saw.

Blake was lit by the evening sun from the windows of the police station lobby. Leaning against the wall, next to the front doors, our gazes met. And... it was like his blue eyes were the blue sky to me. I could suddenly breathe easier. Not sure why he was here, but simply seeing him was enough to help ease the weight, worries, and emotions from me.

Taking his weight from the wall, he stood straight and he shot me a laid-back smile. His strong body was relaxed, with thumbs tucked into his jean pockets. As if we weren't standing in a damn jail.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, I just figured I'd stop by for a visit," he said casually with a shrug as he closed the distance between us, staring down into my eyes. "You know, if I was charging you too much as your landlord, you could have said so first before moving into the jail."

His teasing was a surprising, but welcomed relief. I couldn't help but play along. "Well, you know, I didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"I'll try not to hurt yours and not comment on your choice of outfit today."

Feeling embarrassed, I sighed with a small chuckle. "I wanted to try a new style."

"How's it working for you?"

I glanced down to my purple pajamas and flats. "Well... it has earned me a lot of looks."

Eyes amused, searching mine for a moment, he turned towards the door and rested a hand on my shoulder. "Let's go."

So caught up in seeing him, it didn't dawn on me until now what he just did for me. He made it feel so casual and okay, but... this was kind of serious. I was arrested and the man just paid my bail. He was the reason I got me out of that cell! Yet, he acted like he was picking me up from the fucking mall or something.

Stunned, I got in his truck... and was lost in thought. Pursing my lips, I stared mindlessly at the dash as he drove us home. The evening sun behind us lit up all the dirt and dust resting on it. "Blake... I'm going to pay you back as soon as I can."

"I know, I'm not worried."

"No, like, you..." I trailed off, licking my lips in a daze, not sure where to even start. "You just signed all the papers and paid 1,000 dollars to get me out of jail. Jail because I was arrested. And, it's-it's like nothing to you."

Over the wind brushing against the cracked windows, he scoffed and spoke casually. "I mean, it was nothing, it was a no-brainer. What, you think I was just going to let you sit in jail?" he asked, chuckling as if the thought was absurd.

Breaking my blank stare, I looked up to him. His words stunned me. It made my chest rock, knowing how... simply and easily he could just do something like that. So selfless, caring, sweet. So stunning. Just as stunning though... was the revelation I received – and out of freaking nowhere too.

His eyes were relaxed on the road, strong arms controlling the wheel, and his wispy hair brushed in the breeze. The yellow light defined his masculinity, his body, and the dirty truck of a typical man. Because he was typical in a sense. He was the manly-man type. He was bulky, messy, and he didn't mind sweat, dirt, and all the gross shit I did mind. It was appealing – and it was new to me. Unlike Matt, Blake was country, masculine, fairly older than me, and a typical guy in many ways.

I knew that was part of the reason I was drawn to him. But I could not use surface attraction and shallowness as an excuse anymore. As I stared at him... I saw everything that made him not typical. His face was relaxed, with no signs of stress as he watched the road. He didn't show his anger, ask a ton of questions, or anything. Whether intentional or not, he showed nothing to indict he just sprung me from jail. Nothing to indicate he dropped a ton of money – without a thought – just to get me out. All I felt from him was warmth and beautiful free energy.

Staring at him, with my heart tumbling unexpectedly all over, he then glanced over and caught me staring at him. "What?" he smiled with an unsure chuckle, running a hand down his coarse facial hair.

My insides rolled around inside me harder. It had a domino effect, making my stomach feel the same way. And just like that, catching those blue eyes, I knew....

I knew I was in love with him.

"I... I just can't believe you did that is all," I said automatically, looking out the window, trying to calm the fluttering emotions – and trying to internally yell at myself too.

What was I thinking? I could not afford to love him. Maybe it was just fascination? A crush? Like a really huge crush? But my gut-instinct screamed back at my denial that it was love. It was stupid, stubborn, and dangerous love that struck me. If it was just a crush, I wouldn't feel sick to my stomach every time I realize how I can never have him. And that was exactly what I felt in that moment. I felt sick to my stomach... because I was in love with him and could not have him.

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Big chapter - and a fun one to do! Pretty crazy how August shifted gears and framed her. Wonder what's going to happen next with that :P Plus, what might Ruth's realization mean? Guess we shall see! 

Hopefully you guys liked this one! Thank you for always keeping up and reading, it's wonderful to see!