Chapter Forty-Six

Ariya's P.O.V.

Everyone falls silent when Justin and I hit the last step. I almost laugh at the scene in front of me. It's pretty much like someone has pressed pause on a movie. They're mid movement and everything. What an amazing effect I have on people.

Justin shoots me a warning, sidewards glance. I take it that he's warning me not to stir up trouble. I would never do such a thing...

I chuckle at his expression and he frowns at me, muttering, "Behave..."

That makes me laugh even more. He should know by now that telling me to do something is a pretty sure way to make me go completely against his request. I've never been one to conform to the normal way of doing things. I'm not scared of him or any punishment he can hand out. I've dealt with people and situations way worse than this. Nothing they throw at me can be remotely close to what life has already dealt me.

I scowl when I see Palmer. There's no way I'm sitting at that table if he's going to be here.

I turn to Justin and hiss, "I'm not staying if that dung breeder is in here. I'll be in the barn."

I leave the house before anyone can speak. After my training session with Justin, I'm relatively calm. Don't get me wrong, I'm never at a level that most people consider normal, but I'm at a normal level of anger for me. I don't want to stick around in the house to ruin the bit of quiet I currently have. Especially as the memories now have a way of escaping whenever they feel like it.

Before I start to clean the stalls, I take the horses out and put them in the pasture. I'm working in silence, quite happy with my own company, when I hear footsteps approach the barn. I turn, expecting it to be Justin, but I'm met with Palmer's face instead.

I turn away from him, not even acknowledging his presence. I don't want to give him the satisfaction. I carry on with my jobs, pretending like he isn't even there.

Eventually, he breaks the silence, "Are you just going to pretend I'm not here?"

I pause my jobs to coldly ask, "What? Were you expecting a party or something?"

He shakes his head, "What has gotten into you, Ariya? You were never this bad. I'm thinking the DA's plan has backfired."

I scoff at his comment and continue to clean the stall I'm in.

He sighs, "I want to make it known that Todd was lying. I didn't tell him anything about you."

"Like I care."

"Maybe you do; maybe you don't. But I wanted you to know it wasn't true. He's got a thing for you though. He thinks you're sleeping with Justin and he wants in on the action. He's determined to get you in his bed; his words, not mine."

It's not like I didn't already know most of that, but hearing Palmer confirm it just makes me more angry. The fact that I'm the subject of their discussions makes my blood start to boil. My grip on the shovel tightens and my knuckles start to turn white.

I'm trying to fight back the rage when I hear Justin say, "Joe, you troubling Ariya? I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to talk to you..."

Palmer looks straight at me and mutters, "I just thought you should know..."

He turns and walks out of the barn, leaving Justin and I alone. He has a quizzical look on his face and he questions what Palmer was talking about.

"It's not important. Nothing he says is important."

"You sure about that? He seemed pretty serious. It looked like he thinks it's important..."

"Don't all cops think everything they say is important?"

"I'm sure they aren't ALL like that."

"You keep telling yourself that. When are you sending him back?"

Justin sighs, "I don't know yet. I want to speak to Chris and see what he thinks about Palmer. Don't give me that look, I'm not going to tell Chris anything about you. I just want him to do a little digging, that's all. I'll see him when we go into town."

I jump in, "You're not expecting me to go with you, right?"

"You think you can't hold it together?"

"No, I know I can't. I told you the next time I saw him it wouldn't be pretty. I wasn't lying about that."

He's quiet for a few seconds and then he asks, "If I leave you with Louise, can I trust you? Can I trust you not to run or hurt anyone?"

"I won't run; I told you that already. And I won't hurt Louise. I also told you that before."

"What about anyone else that crosses your path? I don't want fighting around Lou."

"I can't make any promises, but I will only hurt someone if they deserve it. It's a small town, what can go wrong?"

"That's what I thought last time and you broke John's nose..."

I growl, "He was asking for that. He was groping me..."

I see him purse his lips and I watch his adam's apple move as he swallows. I guess he's trying to compose himself. My reasoning for that wording was to gauge his reaction. He's angry.

Eventually Justin speaks, "While that may be true, my point still stands. You found trouble or trouble found you, in a small town. I don't want trouble around Lou."

I smirk, "I'll try to be on my best behavior. There's is no way that me going with you is going to end well for that douche wad."

"Ariya... he's still my friend. Even if you don't like him. Just lay off the nasty remarks, huh?"

I chuckle, "He might be your friend, but he certainly isn't mine. I won't sugar coat what I think."

He lets out a deep breath, but doesn't comment on my statement. Everyone else appears in the barn, so Justin says, "Mike, you're in charge while we're in town. You can split the chores between you, Todd and Palmer. You don't mind helping out, do you Palmer?"

"No sir. I've never been around horses, but I can follow orders and I'll try my best."

I roll my eyes at his sucking up. Dude needs to grow a spine. I don't believe for one second that he wants to help out here. He's just trying to appease Justin. As long as I get to stay far away from him then I don't really care. I walk out of the barn before I puke due to the level of socializing that's going on in there.

Justin and Louise talk for most of the journey into town. I don't know what they speak about because I've completely tuned them out; it's just background noise to me. Instead, I'm caught up in my own head, my thoughts taking over my mind.

I'm just wondering if I can sneak a way to get a call to D when I hear someone call my name.

"Huh?"

Justin and Louise laugh.

Justin glances at me, "I called you like five times."

I shrug, "I tune out trash. I told you that already. You're either seriously deaf or you're losing your mind. I've repeated myself a number of times today."

He smirks, "Maybe I just tune out trash too..."

I laugh, "Nah, you're just crazy."

"You and Lou are getting the groceries. I'll stop by the feed store and then go find Chris. Lou has the list and she'll tell you what to grab. Behave yourself."

My signature smirk returns, "That ain't never gonna happen. I'm a bad girl, don't you know?"

"Don't make me regret giving you a little freedom, Ariya."

I mutter a whatever as I open the door and exit the truck. I don't speak to Louise and she doesn't really say anything to me, except for informing me what I need to pick up from the shelves.

While Louise pays the clerk, she talks to him like they've known each other for a while. This is a small town, so I'm sure they have. I grab as many bags as I can carry before Louise can take them. I'm stronger than her so I can carry more, obviously.

As I reach for another bag, Louise speaks, "That's got the eggs. I'll take that one, just in case."

I chuckle, "You think I'm not delicate enough to carry eggs?"

She blushes, but doesn't answer.

"You're getting a bit brave, huh? If you were the Turd, I might respond to that a little differently."

Louise is walking in front of me and we're just leaving the store when she stops dead in her tracks and her body language completely changes.

I don't get a chance to ask what's going on, because a guy's voice is quick to fill the milliseconds of silence.

"Lou, I haven't seen you in a while. You need to stop all this messing around. You should be at home..."

The guy steps forward and Louise drops the bags she's holding. The eggs crash to the floor and crack everywhere. For a brief second I think of the irony of this situation, but the thought doesn't last long. There is something very wrong with this situation. I'm not dumb and I'm definitely not blind. Louise is shaking and she's backing away from this guy.

My survival instincts kick in and I drop all of the bags that I'm holding. My body gets ready for whatever I may encounter here.

I try to get the guy's attention away from Louise so she can get away if she wants to. While I don't like Louise, I'm not going to see some random guy hurt her. That's the stupid obsession with hating injustice taking over again. Justin might actually kill me if I let anything happen to his precious Louise. While I'm not scared of Justin, I know how to pick my battles. I'm not completely stupid.

"Dude, she ain't interested. Go away."

His gaze turns to me and there's a hardness in his eyes that I'm very familiar with. He thinks I should be scared of him. I almost laugh at the thought.

"This doesn't concern you! Mind your own freaking business!"

I laugh, "Yeah, that's not going to happen. I don't know how to mind my own business. It's something I've been told to work on..."

Louise interrupts me, "Ariya, don't. Don't provoke him..."

"You think I'm scared of him? Dude, you think I'm scared of you? You're a comedian, right?"

The guy looks at Louise and then me, "Ariya? That's your name? You should listen to Lou, she knows better than you, obviously."

He reaches to grab Louise's arm, but she backs away and his hand just skims across her wrist.

I grind out, "You touch her again and I'll show you who knows better. I'll show just who the alpha male is here... and it isn't you..."

Louise is pretty much backed up against the rail in front of the store, so he reaches for her again and actually grabs her arm. I know his type and I know he's not just playing. Louise lets out a yelp in pain, so I know he hasn't just grabbed her. He's probably twisting her arm as well. I know that feeling all too well.

I take a couple of steps forward and grab this guy's throat until he lets go of Louise's arm.

I grit my teeth and growl, "Get out of here Louise."

He takes a swing at me, so I release his neck enough to block his hit.

He seethes, "Get in my truck, Lou! You're coming home!"

I glance at her and try to soften my tone. I'm fully aware that I'm not gentle or nice, but I'm actually trying to help her out here.

"Don't get in that truck. I'm going to deal with this."

The guy laughs, "You're going to deal with it? You're just a stupid little girl..."

I smirk at him. I don't think he likes my attitude because he takes another swing at me. I let him actually hit me this time, because then whatever I'm going to do to him is classed as self defense.

I push him away from me a little because I want him at arm's length. I don't want him too close to my body. That's where cheap and dirty shots come into play. I'm not letting this guy get me like that.

As I shove him, memories flood my mind. I remember Brad. I'm swamped with pictures of what made me run in the first place. That day of my fourteenth birthday was the turning point for me. That was the day I ran and haven't really ever stopped. Those images of my lack of control, and also what made me lose it completely.

I have no idea what happens or what I do, but I hear screaming and that snaps me out of whatever is going on in my head. It isn't the red haze. It's something I haven't experienced in a very long time. I don't quite know how to describe it and I hoped I'd never have to go through it again. It's more than rage; actually it's totally different to rage. It's more like a primal need to survive; to escape from the situation I'm in at any cost. In this case, it's the memories more than this guy. I'm not saying he didn't deserve it; he totally did.

When I assess my surroundings, I find the guy sprawled out on the ground and I'm standing over him. My back is to Louise and I don't want to turn to face her. I know what look will be on my face and if that guy scares her, then seeing that look on my face will terrify her. So, I stand looking down on the guy. He's completely knocked out so the threat is gone. I stare at the damage I've done. The guy is a mess. I mean, under all the blood, I think I've rearranged his face some. He's probably sporting a whole load of injuries, but I don't remember what I did to him.

I hear footsteps rushing toward us and I hear Justin's voice exclaim, "Ariya?! What have you done?! I told you about..."

I don't face him, but I rush out, "It wasn't me that found trouble! It was Louise!"

He growls, "You think I'm going to believe that?! I thought you didn't lie?!"

"I'm not!"

Justin questions, "Lou?"

She doesn't answer so I turn to face them. Both of them let out a gasp.

Justin whispers, "Is that...?"

Louise breathes out a simple word, "Emmett..."

I'm in a little bit of a fog right now, but even through my clogged up thoughts I can tell that Justin goes into soldier mode.

He sends me a stern look, "Stay right there, Ariya. We need to sort this out."

He takes his cell out and dials.

"Chris? I need you over at the grocery store. We have a situation. Just you though."

He hangs up and dials again, "Mike, you're going to have to come into town. No, everything isn't ok. Emmett appeared and Ariya has beaten him to a pulp. Lou is going to need you here. You'll have to leave Todd and Palmer. I don't want either of them here right now. Right. Thanks."

He slides his cell back into his pocket and looks over at me again. I literally haven't moved a muscle.

Before I can process and more thoughts, Justin speaks, "Is he still breathing?"

"Yeah. I didn't kill him."

Louise lets out a sob and I almost feel like I'm that twelve year old kid who just stabbed her father again. They're looking at me and acting a bit like my mom did that day. Even though I'd just saved her life, she was furious with me. All she kept saying was I'd killed her husband and I'd ruined her life, as she cried over his bleeding, lifeless body.

I'm snapped out of my thoughts when I hear someone call my name. They're much closer than they were previously. Yet again, the stupid memories are clouding my vision and are stopping me from taking care of myself properly. I knew this was going to happen. I warned Justin, but he didn't listen to me.

I look directly at Justin as he stands in front of me. He looks concerned and his voice is lower when he speaks again.

"Hey, are you ok? You're acting... weird..."

"I'm going to jail again, huh?"

He sighs, "I don't know. Maybe. What happened here, Ariya?"

"He grabbed Louise so I told him to leave her alone. He took a swing at me so I hit him back. Obviously he didn't realize what he was getting himself into."

"Apparently not. You could have held back a bit though. I'm sure that level of violence wasn't needed. He's not exactly a seasoned fighter."

I snort, "You're telling me. He gets his kicks out of making Louise scared of him. Maybe he'll think twice about it now."

Chris has just appeared and before I can let out a scowl, Justin whispers, "Let's hope so. Just try to control yourself for a little while, Ariya. You're in no position to run your mouth or you'll make things worse."

I keep my mouth shut, but I glare at Chris and imagine ripping his head off. As I said before, I'm not completely stupid. I know that making Chris angry is a sure way to make the situation worse. I don't mind being in jail, but I have a feeling jail here will be a whole lot different. I'd probably have endure hours of Chris trying to psychoanalyse me. With a set of bars between us, I wouldn't even be able to shut him up. That's a whole lot worse than rotting in a cell, alone.

I stay where I'm standing and let Justin deal with the cop. Anything to keep our interaction to a minimum is a bonus for me.