All Chapters of The Curse of the Seasons: Chapter 51 - Chapter 59

Harley  Jay, Cole and I worked in silence in the garage on our separate projects, Dolly Parton's greatest hits playing on the old stereo in the background. My mind still found itself wondering why Cole had a picture of me from my younger years. It was disconcerting and part of me was glad that he hadn't recognized me.  Jay had explained to me a few times that I'd been shot when he'd found me. He had heard gunshots moments before and put two and two together, drawing the conclusion that dangerous people - probably a gang - were after me. It's why he never took me to the hospital for treatment, and why he never reported finding me to the police. He wanted to keep me safe.  So either Cole was telling the truth and we had been friends back then, or he was a part o

Harley I watched in horror as Cole ran - literally ran - to get away from me. Was I THAT much of a freak that guys found the need to escape the moment things got slightly intimate. I mean, we were just making out.  I swore under my breath and stared at myself in the reflection of the floor length mirror that Jay had hung up beside the coat rack by the front door. I wasn’t hideous. I mean, I wasn’t drop dead gorgeous either, but I wasn’t a monster. I was probably a bit curvier than the chicks Cole obviously attracted, my backside refusing to shrink from a size ten no matter how much dieting and exercise I put in. My blonde hair had a slight curl to it and, in some lights, looked as if it was shot through with golden threads - another reason Jay insisted on my nickname. Nothing about me stood out or screamed sexy

Harley  You know those events in life where you just know sticking around will end in disaster, but you do anyway?  Well, this rally was like that.   I was seriously regretting my outfit choice, and was pretty sure my backside would be bruised by the evening from all the slaps drunk old men had given it. As it turned out, it wasn't the "young bucks" Jay was so worried about that I needed to look out for - it was the creepy old men with wandering hands and boozy breath.  Even Tanner's presence didn't seem to help, although I guess he didn't really look like he would be able to do much in a physical fight. He was a lover, not a fighter. The whole personal space thing really was lost on drunkards. 

Harley "That's Junior!" Cole practically shouted as he grabbed the file and studied it more intently. "I spent most of the day with him… but he said his father was dead. He said he joined the Rebels in memory of his dead dad."  I'd seen the guy Cole had been hanging out with but I guess I hadn't been paying that close attention to him - my focus being on Cole instead.  "Are you sure, kid?" Hank asked, scratching through his scraggly beard. Cole nodded, his eyes fixed on Jay. "I promise, if I'd known the full story I would have said something to him. I will see what I can do to break the news to him gently… try to get him to leave that group of criminals."