ONE

He took a long drag of his cigarette before pulling it from his pouty, pink lips and flicked it lightly to rid it of its ash. He puckered his lips and blew out the grayish/ white smoke, watching it linger ahead of him before it mingled with the summer air and disappeared. He cut his eyes to the right and then glanced into the rear view mirror as he made his way down the desolate road. He hummed slightly to the country tune playing softly from the radio as the wind whipped through the open windows of his 1968 Pontiac Firebird. The air was sweet; just like he remembered.

His right foot pressed firmly on the old car’s accelerator, pushing him deeper and deeper into the Tennessee country. He glanced around as he barreled past the lush grass and full, mature trees. Memories from his childhood began to flood back to his fore brain as he could see himself running through the trees and grass, playing hide and seek with his best friend Trace. Good God, he could almost hear the laughter. It had been so long since he had been home.

And then he thought about her.

The urge to touch her smooth skin rose up in his tight, tensed body as he continued his journey home. It had been six years, two hundred and thirty three days and sixteen hours since he has last touched her smooth skin. He looked over at the wrinkled, torn and folded picture of her that he had taped to the dashboard. It danced with the wind as he smiled to himself; she was waiting for him. She had waited for him for six long years and he would end her wait that afternoon.

Their love was undeniable. She did everything and anything she could to be with him and he did the same. Even at the tender age of fourteen, she ran from her parents to be with him. They found them quickly, and vowed to keep them apart but she ran again and again and again until her mother just finally let her free. He remembered it like it was yesterday; her dirty, red sundress flailing in the wind behind her as she ran up the dirt road to his home. Tears streaming down her face as her bare feet carried her quickly towards him. He met her half way and caught her as she slammed full speed into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and grabbing fistfuls of his button down.

“I love you.” She whispered over and over again as she cried.

They would lie for hours under those mature trees, his fingers intertwined with random strands of hair as he gazed into her light blue eyes. She would stare back up at him with such adoration in her eyes, playing with the hairs on the nape of his neck and smiling lazily. He would capture her young lips, stealing sweet kisses from her as the sun set against the sky. He almost wished that everyone could have summers like that, just sweet and innocent.

He took a deep breath and then let it out slowly as the snippet from his past returned itself back to his mental rolodex. He took another drag of his cigarette as the sound of the tires gripping the pavement filled the otherwise silent environment. He blew out the smoke again, letting the feeling of ease pass over him and wash him of his anxiety.

Six years, two hundred and thirty three days and sixteen hours.

Oh, it had been a long time since he had been home. But he couldn’t blame anyone but himself, he just couldn’t help it. You see, he led a reckless life; a life of crime. His own mother could see the fire burning in his eyes when he was just a toddler, but she tried to ignore it. She didn’t want to believe it but he was just like her daddy, and his daddy before him, and his daddy before him. He had even inherited those cold as ice blue eyes, a trait amongst the men in her family. She didn’t want her little boy to be bad, but it was destined for him.

She did everything she could to keep him on a straight path but as he grew, his wild ways took a hold of him. She ran to the local priest, falling to her knees, wiping at her eyes as her mascara ran down her face, “Please father, save my son.”

But nothing could be done. Her screaming and begging and pleading and crying had no affect on him anymore and not even the love for his mother could keep him from doing wrong. His mother grew old quickly as the worry for her only son wreaked havoc on her. Thievery, robbery, lies and deceit; that’s what she lost her son too. But her love for him never wavered, not for a moment. The curse had been passed to him, and he was only doing what the countless men before him had done.

His mother’s heart finally gave out prematurely, and she died waiting for him to come home. The letter from his love was tear-stained that night when he received it. He knew it was his fault, if only he could have been a good boy. And for the first time, on the eve of his mother’s death, he cursed the blood that ran through his veins. Without the blood, he could have been a different person, a good person, but there he sat, another victim of the Rast curse.

He shook his head to stop his eyes from welling with tears as he neared his first destination. He pulled through the old rot-iron gates and rode slowly through the graveyard, glancing around for his mother’s final resting place. He pulled the beater to a stop and got out, grabbing the white roses from the seat next to him and walking slowly through the grave sites.

He knelt down at his mother’s headstone and put his head down, praying to whoever was out there. He plucked six of the twelve white roses from the bouquet and laid them gently on the grass that had grown over her place. He kissed the cold stone and ran his fingers down the embossed letters as he read over the loving words.

“I love you momma.”

The air picked up his words and whisked them away as he turned to the place to the left of his dear mother. Grandma Letty was the backbone of the family, but she too, could see the ruthlessness in him. She loved him dearly though, just like his mother and she wouldn’t have turned him away for anything. She too, died while waiting for him to come home.

He placed the remaining six roses on his Grandma’s grave and repeated his loving words to her, letting the tears swim freely down his warm face. His two favorite girls where now looking down on him from heaven. He stayed for a few minutes more, talking softly to them and picking the stray weeds away from the bases of their headstones. He kissed his fingertips and touched them once more to his mother’s and grandmother’s final resting places and then moved back to the Firebird. He brought it to life and flipped it around, the tires squealing as he pulled out harshly from the graveyard.

Just a few minutes more, and he would be home.

He flicked his cigarette out of the window and he flipped on his left blinker. He slowed slightly as the car made the transition from pavement to dirt. A cloud of dust followed him as he drove down the long road, a wide smile coming to his face as he saw his old house in the distance. His heart began to race as he drew closer and closer to the old wooden house.
And then he saw her.

She stood from the rickety, aged rocking chair that once held his grandmother. The wind threw her hair all around her face as that slow, side smile played on her face. Her arms stayed at her sides as she watched him drive up the house. She wanted to run towards him and jump into his arms but she stood still, wanting him to come to her.

He watched her carefully and he once again pulled the black Firebird to a stop. He grabbed his old beaten up bag from the passengers seat and stepped out into the afternoon sun. He stared at her as she stepped right to the edge of the porch, her short yellow sundress flailing in the wind. He walked toward her slowly, etching her into his brain so that he could remember her just like this. Her chest rose and fell faster and faster with every step that he took.

She was still waiting for him.

His boot-clad foot hit the first wooden step of the porch, and then the other followed. Within seconds, they were face to face; so close to each other that they could feel each others breath. Neither one of them moved, they just stood there, staring at each other, drinking each other in for the first time in six long years.

And then slowly, she stepped toward him and raised her hand, resting it on his shoulder. He then responded by placing his arm around her small waist, pulling her even closer to him. She ran her hand down his face as she looked him over, smiling for really no reason. Her eyes fluttered shut as her lips parted, still, she waited for him. He lowered his head and captured her lips with ease like he had so many times before.

The first kiss in six years, two hundred and thirty three days and now, seventeen hours later was a beautiful one as they massaged each other on the porch. His fingers dug into her long hair and her fingers did the same as their lips connected. They pulled apart after what seemed like a lifetime and linked their hands together as they turned and walked into the small house.

William Rast was finally home.

TWO

She sat on the edge of the bed and watched him quietly as he showered. He would glance at her through the mirror from time to time as he moved the soap around his hard and chiseled body. Her light blue eyes traveled down his hardened body, mentally taking note of some of the new scars. He had new black ink on his skin; they looked old but she knew his body better than he did.

William Rast had finally come home.

That lazy smiled returned to her face as she thought about what they would do after he got out of the shower. Her love hadn’t been dipped into since he left her six years ago, she was more than ready for him to drink from her well. Of course she was approached, she was a beautiful girl but no one could ever trump him and no one would ever have her but him. She rubbed her thigh with the tips of her fingers, brushing the soft yellow material off of her as she readjusted her position. She needed him.

But, just like William Rast style, he would make her wait.

She ran her thin fingers through her mane but continued to watch him as he stepped out from the shower, wrapping the white towel around his lower half. She closed her eyes and took in the smell of soap as the thin curtains danced in front of the open window. She parted her lips slightly as she remembered their first chance meeting. She belonged to him from that moment on; he couldn’t have gotten rid of her if he tried.

She was twelve at the time, he was fourteen. She looked cute that day too. Her long brown hair was pulled into two pony tails, completed with two stands of red ribbon. She wore a white, short sundress, her favorite, as she moved slowly beside her mother. He caught her eye as he was being pushed out of the general store and screamed at by the owner.

“I told you not to come back here Rast! Next time I catch you stealing, it’ll be your head boy!”

The young William laughed loudly as he wiped off her shirt and began to head off toward her and her mother. She twirled her hair around her finger and bit her lip as she watched him move, she was captivated. For the first time, her body began to respond to a boy by tightening severely. Her breath caught in her throat when he looked at her.

Her mouth hung open as they continued to stare at each other as he passed by. Her mother grabbed her and pushed her into her side as he smiled at her. She lifted her hand and waved gently as she smiled back, sending her mother into a rage. Her mother pushed the girl roughly in front of her and then grabbed her by the arm and led her into the store. The young girl smiled to herself for the rest of the shopping trip, not really paying any attention to her mother’s words to stay away from the Rast boy.

She soon wondered away from her over protective mother and stepped outside of the store. She walked over to the swinging chair that the owner had placed outside of the store and sat down. She started swinging slowly, dragging the tips of her toes on the wood beneath her as she watched the towns’ people mill about. She sucked on her teeth as she glanced about but gasped when someone sat next to her.

He smiled at her as he sucked on a piece of long, dried up grass. She took a deep breath and gulped, grabbing some more of her hair and twisting it around her finger; something she did when she was nervous. He flipped his much larger hand over, revealing his palm but kept it on his thigh as he watched her, not saying a word.

She raised her smaller hand and slid it slowly over toward him, her chest rising and falling quickly as she did so. She laid it gently into his hand, smiling softly as her body temperature rose. He took his free hand and ran his fingers along the smooth skin of her hand, smiling all the while.

“William.” He finally said.

“Megan.” She squeaked out.

He ran his tongue over his teeth suggestively and then placed her hand back in her lap. He stood and ran his rough hand down her pretty, young face, causing her eyes to shutter and a soft moan to escape her lips. He smiled at her one last time and then turned and walked away from her. She stood to her feet, for some reason she wanted to run after him, but she didn’t. She stood right where she was and vowed to the heavens above that he would be her husband one day.

They had been inseparable since then. She quickly made the transition from girl to woman with him that following summer, screaming out in passion as he milked her body for the first time in the meadow. They linked hands as she cried from the mixture of pleasure and pain. He kissed her gently as he laid on top of her and his body went limp inside of her.

That was love.

But her mother wouldn’t have it. That woman did everything in her power to keep her young daughter from the degenerate. She even locked the young Megan in her bedroom at night, not knowing that William had already loosened the screen on her window for her. She fought with her daughter for two long years before she finally gave up, tears streaming down her face as she watched her daughter walk out of the front door for that last time. She loved her, but she couldn’t watch her throw her life away. When she closed the front door, it would be forever and she told Megan that.

But Megan left anyway.

She opened her eyes and rejoined the present when his loud footsteps fractured her memory. She smiled and bit her lip as he moved from the bathroom and toward her. She backed her way up to the head board, her eyes never leaving his as he dropped the towel from his waste and began to crawl toward her. She gasped when she felt his body on top of her; six years is a long time.

Her legs instantly wrapped themselves around his waist, her dress riding up her naturally tanned thighs, giving him a peak of her black underwear. He ran his rough hand down her thigh as he cocked his head to side, watching her gasp lightly and shut her eyes when his fingers hit the black material. With one swift move he removed the thin lace, leaving her just as bare as he was. She lifted up just enough to throw the yellow sundress over her head and to the floor, exposing her naked body to him.

He played with her warm center, rubbing her slowly as he watched the pleasure wash over her beautiful face. He had dreamed of this moment, when he would finally be by her side again. His body tensed when his name escaped from her plump lips, the pure sound of her voice bringing him to his brink. She widened her thighs, begging him to enter her, needing to feel him once again inside.

The sweet, warm summer air entered the open window and kissed their skin as William connected them, pushing deep into her body. She pinched the skin on his shoulder blades as he moved inside of her, claiming her as his own again. He lowered his head to her neck, finding the warmth and comfort that he had been looking for and continued to work her as she wrapped her long arms around him.

The familiar, lovely pressure began to build in her body as he started to hit her spot. It started in the pit of her stomach and then moved to her chest as the waves of emotion and ecstasy washed over the rest of her body. Her screams and moans got louder as his force became harder and harder; they were so close. He grabbed a fistful of her dark hair that had spilled over the white pillows and grabbed her lips with his own as the pressure began to release itself.

They exploded within each other for the first time since he had gone away six years ago. Their harsh breathing and loud screams mingled together in the air as their bodies climaxed together. He fell against her bare chest as her body naturally tightened around him, draining him of his liquid. And soon, as the summer air soothed them, they fell into their old rhythm. He breathed softly on top of her as he slept; she played with the hairs on the nape of his neck as she stared at the ceiling.

She felt the lazy smile coming on again.

She kissed the side of his head several times and closed her eyes as she took deep breaths, never wanting to forget the way that he smelled. She rested a hand on his lower back and closed her eyes again as the soft chirps of the birds outside lulled her into a slumber. Even when she slept, she dreamed of him, even though he was right there again, by her side. No woman had ever been so in love with a man like she was with him.

And finally, William Rast was home.

THREE

Megan awoke a few hours later to an empty bed. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, readjusting them to the afternoon light. She yawned and scratched her head as she threw her feet over the side of their old bed. She walked over to the antique dresser his grandmother had left behind and shuffled through her things, finding her favorite white sundress. Throwing it over her head quickly, she made her way out of the bedroom and started down the stairs.

She glanced around for any movement as her hand slid down the banister on the stairs. Her head shot to the left when she heard dishes clanking against one another. God that boy had an appetite. Her soft footsteps filled the otherwise quiet house as she walked into the kitchen. His back was to her as he made himself a sandwich, the sunlight spilling in though the little window to the right of him.

She walked right up to him, slinking her hands around his waist and pushing her breasts into his back. She kissed his freckled shoulders and rubbed his sides gently as he groaned slightly at her. She gripped his wife beater and smiled as she began to run her fingers over one of the new tattoos he had acquired. He turns and kisses her forward and then moves them over to the old kitchen table that his grandfather had made for his grandmother. Megan sat across from him, propping her leg up on his chair, allowing him to grab her ankle as he took the first bite of his sandwich with his other hand.

“I like the new tattoos.” She said quietly.

He smiled back at her and took another bite of his sandwich. She could help by sigh when he stared at her for a second. He looked so tired, so beaten down. Six years is a long time to be away, especially where he was. Even though he had just woken up from his first peaceful sleep in six years, bags still played underneath his eyes. His laugh lines had deepened and the little wrinkles on his forehead where now permanent.

I guess prison will do that to you.

He glanced back up at her as she thought about him, his eyes softening as they spoke to each other without words. You would think that after being hauled off to prison, he would change his ways and become a valuable member of society. But he still had that fire in his eyes, that burning desire to just be… bad. He would never change; but that was okay with her.

“What was it like?” She asked quietly.

He looked up at her, “What was what like?” He said, just as quietly.

She sighed and tilted her head to the side, “You know what I mean.”

He looked back down at his sandwich and took another bite. He then looked back up at her, watching her as he chewed and swallowed his food, “Not fun.”

She had guessed that much. The scars on his body had tipped her off to that fact. She rested her chin on the palm of her hand and decided to leave the subject along,

“I’m glad you're home. I missed you.”

He smiled at her and squeezed her ankle softly, reassuring her that everything was okay. A few minutes later, William finishes off his sandwich and stands from the table, letting go of her ankle. He sets the plate in the sink and washes it quickly, drying it with a hand towel and placing it back in the wooden cabinets.

“You wanna go into Nashville for the weekend? Just walk around for a bit tonight?”

When he caught her look, he chuckled and leaned up against the counter, “I’ll be a good boy, I promise.”

She laughed a little and nodded her head, standing from the round table and starting upstairs to change. About an hour later, they jump into the old Firebird and start their hour drive into Nashville. Megan leans back in the passenger’s seat, throwing her right leg out of the open window and resting her foot on the side mirror. A country tune plays softly from the radio as he hums along, keeping his eyes on the still desolate road.

Megan’s mind began to drift as she breathes in the cooler, night air. She rests her head on the head rest and watches as the sky begins to go pink and orange as the sun starts to set behind the wall of trees. His six year stint in prison began in Nashville. He just could help himself whenever he was there. She didn’t know if it was the bright lights, the alcohol, or the thousands of people but he always got in trouble while in Nashville. Well, he always got in trouble, but it was always worse in Nashville.

She remembered the day like it had just happened. William sat in the driver’s seat, his friend Trace in the passenger’s seat and Megan in the back as they laughed and smoked on their way into Nashville. William had gotten them a room at some fancy hotel for the weekend, just so they could get away. They reached Nashville around nine that evening, Megan’s face lighting up with a smile as they drove slowly through the busy town.

She clapped and squealed happily from the back seat, pointing at all of the places she wanted to go to once they checked into the hotel, “Chill girl, it’s like you’ve never been here before.” Trace said, taking another drag of his cigarette.

“I haven’t been here before, shut up!”

They pulled up to their hotel and jumped out, William throwing the keys to the valet. Megan jumped on him, kissing the side of his face a hundred times as he laughed and they walked into the large lobby. She smiled widely and drummed on Trace’s shoulder as William checked them in; she had never seen anything so… fancy.

Throwing their bags on one of the trolleys, William instructed the bag boy to drop the bags off in the room. He tipped the young kid fifty bucks and then grabbed Megan by the hand, walking them back out into the Nashville night.

“Where do you wanna go baby? The night is yours.”

They went from bar to bar that night, Trace and William buying round after round of tequila and vodka. By the time they left the third bar, Megan was thrown over Williams shoulder, laughing and giggling out of her drunkenness. William patted her bottom and laughed, she never could hold her liquor. He and Trace chatted and lit up two smokes on their way back to the hotel when they passed a closed jewelry store.

The thousands of dollars of shiny jewelry caught Williams attention immediately. He stopped and walked up to the window, the fire igniting in him almost instantly. His fingers began to itch as he looked at all of the pretty jewels. His pupils dilated and his mouth went completely dry as his vision tunneled through the thick, glass window.

“Come on dude.” Trace said, knowing exactly what was happening with his lifelong friend.

“That one would look good on Megan.” William monotone voice said.

“Yeah, it would. We can come back tomorrow when it’s open. Come on, let’s get her into bed.” Trace said, trying to ignore what was happening.

But it was too late. The fire was burning and there was no putting it out. William tore himself from the window and continued to walk back to the hotel, planning the job in his head as Trace chatted beside him. Once they were back at the room, Trace made a b-line for the bathroom as William placed his now sleeping beauty in one of the two beds. He removed her from her light pink sundress and cowboy boots. He took her his own shirt and placed it on her body, lifting her up and throwing back the covers.

A few hours later, William laid awake, staring up at the ceiling as Megan slept beside him. He turned his head and looked at the sleeping Trace. He shouldn’t go, he shouldn’t do it. Not while they are with him anyway. He rubbed his hands together anxiously, trying to stop his mind from racing. He could get one hundred thousand dollars for that stuff easily, he even knew who he could sell it too. And it’s not like he didn’t have the skill to get it, oh, he knew exactly what to do to get what he wanted.

And as Megan slept, William changed into his dark denim jeans and black wife beater. He threw on his black coat and left the room, looking back at her one last time before heading out.

Next thing she knew, she was being violently shaken, Williams voice breaking into her subconscious, “Megan! Wake up! Wake up girl!”

She sat up and scratched her head as she tried to wake up from her drunken sleep, “What’s going on?” She slurred.

“We have to go, get up.” William said, stuffing something shiny into his bag as he raced around the room.

Trace threw on his clothes, not even asking any questions and helped William, grabbing all of their belongings and throwing them into the duffel bags. William grabbed a pair of jeans Megan had packed and dropped to his knees, forcing the material onto her legs. He jammed her feet into her boots and picked her up forcefully, wrapping his hand around her arm and dragging her to the door.

The threesome quickly made their way into the lobby and checked out, walking quickly outside and requesting the old Firebird. William kept a hand on Megan as she continued to question him, “Megan, quiet down.” He warned as he looked from side to side.

“What did you do? What did you do William?” She began to cry, that sinking feeling coming to the pit of her stomach.

He ignored her and through the bags into the car as soon as the valet pulled around the corner. He tipped the boy and threw Megan into the car, jogging around the front of the car and jumping into the driver’s seat as Trace jumped in as well. He popped the clutch, the tires squealing against the concrete as he peeled out from the hotel. Five minutes hadn’t passed before they whizzed past three cop cars, all descending toward the jewelry store.

Megan’s eyes widened as she turned and watched through the back window as one of the cop cars pulled a U-turn in the street, “He’s turning around William!”

William pulled a quick left turn and threw the car into fifth gear, pushing the car to almost one hundred and ten miles an hour. He whipped the car through the city until they were on the outskirts of town, but he knew he couldn’t get them away. He could faintly hear the sirens in the distance.

He pulled the old Firebird over on a small road and jumped out, grabbing at his duffel bag. Trace and Megan followed, standing beside the car as William fumbled through the bag. When he pulled out one of the dainty necklaces, Megan threw her hand to her mouth to stifle her quiet scream. He unlatched the hook and threw it around her neck, clasping it closed again.

He ran his hand through her dark hair as she cried and smashed his lips onto hers for what he knew as the last time. His head snapped to the right as he saw headlights turning up the road the old, quiet road.

“Run!” He said, pushing her harshly away from him.

“No! I won’t leave you!” She screamed back.

“Trace, get her and run, now! Go!” He said, pushing his friend and jumping back into the driver’s seat.

Trace grabbed Megan as she screamed and fought against him to get back to William. They continued to run through the dark night as William struggled to get the old car to start again. The sirens got louder and louder as Trace and Megan ran down the street. Megan turned just in time to see William grabbing the old duffel bag and trying to run, leaving the old car behind as the cops pulled up on him. Trace dove into her, pushing her into the wet grass and bushes. They huddled together and peeked through the bushes, breathing harshly as they heard the cops screaming at him.

“Drop the bag! Put your hands on your head and walk slowly toward us!”

“What are you thinking about over there?” William asked, pulling Megan from her memories harshly.

Her fingers instantly reached up and began to play with the necklace that he had given her on that faithful night, “Nothing, just thinking.”

William glanced down at the necklace and then grabbed her left hand, squeezing it tightly and then linking his fingers with hers. Megan smiled a little and then continued to look out the window as the sun continued to fall behind the trees. She dropped her right hand from the dainty necklace and ran her manicured fingernails over the back of his hand that was still linked with hers.

She wanted to believe that he would be a good boy while they were there.

But she knew him better than that.

And then she prayed.

FOUR

Megan’s eyes light up as the bright lights of Nashville lit up against the dark backdrop of the sky. There was just something about Nashville. William slowed down instinctively, his body already starting to tighten as the events of that faithful night flooded his memory. He was going to be a good boy, if not for himself, for Megan.
He had promised her.

They pulled up to the Hyatt Regency hotel and pull up in the large circular driveway. William parked the old, black Firebird and hoped out, grabbing the beat up duffel bag that held he and Megan’s belongings. They linked hands as William spoke to the valet, and they made their way slowly into the high end hotel.

“Welcome to the Hyatt Regency, how can I can I help you?” The front desk clerk said as they lumbered up to her.

“We’re wondering if you have any rooms available for the weekend ma’me.” William stated, his southern drawl playing against Megan’s ears, making her smile.

The clerk’s nails clicked against the keys of her keyboard as she checked the availability, “We have one suite available until Tuesday, would you like that room sir?”

William glanced at Megan as her smile widened, “Yes we would, the name is William Rast, R-A-S-T.”

“Okie dokie,” They clerk said, taping furiously at the keyboard, “The rate of the room is $537 dollars a night. Would you like to pay up front now or when you check out?”

William shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. Megan noted the change in his demeanor and quickly dug through her purse, throwing her light blue debit card on the desk, “We’ll pay up front please.”

A few minutes later and in complete silence, William and Megan opened the door to their suite on the 34th floor. William dropped the bag as Megan walked further into the room, falling back on the bed and letting out a deep sigh. She propped herself up on her elbows and watched William move about the room. He only paced that way when something was bothering him and she knew William better than she knew herself.

When a person is arrested for theft, their bank accounts are wiped clean. Their assets are frozen to all friends and family members and eventually sold off to strangers. When William was released earlier that day, they handed him 200 dollars and sent him off into the world. The big, bad, William Rast had 200 dollars to his name and not only did that bother him, it embarrassed him.

“You just want to stay in tonight baby? I’m kinda tired.” Megan called from her spot on the bed, trying to defuse the situation.

“What? Oh yeah, that’s fine.” He replied, not looking up from her as he removed his shirt and watch.

It grew silent again as Megan began to disrobe herself, stripping down to her black, lace bra and panty set and then throwing on an old, white t shirt. She slowly got into the large bed, gripping the sheets in her hands and leaning against the headboard as she waited for him to join her. She watched carefully as he shed his pants and wife beater. He clicked off the lights and crawled in beside her, grabbing the TV remote from the nightstand beside him.

Megan relaxed next to him and laid down, resting her head on his chest and shoving one hand between his back and the mattress, “You don’t have to worry.” She whispered after a few minutes.

“What are you talking about girl?”

She contemplated her words carefully, for fear of making him angry, “I’ve been workin’ with Sherry, down at the salon and I’ve saved up baby, almost ten thousand dollars since you’ve been gone. I can take care of us until you find a job.”

Her breath hitched in her throat when he slid out from under her and flipped on the lamp on the nightstand, “A job? How am I supposed to get a job, huh? I’m a convicted felon Megan.”

“I know that,” She breathed lightly, sitting up, “I’m just saying that you don’t have to worry because they took all of your money, we’ll be okay for a while.”

He chuckled sarcastically and glared at her, “You can’t live on ten thousand dollars Megan, fuck, we could blow that this weekend if we wanted too.”

“But we won’t. Please don’t get mad William.” She pleaded, gripping the sheets even harder this time.

He stood up and stomped over to the arm chair, where his clothes where hanging. He pulled them on harshly, mumbling to himself as he grabbed his watch and jammed it onto his wrist, “Where are you going?” Megan asked quietly, begging the tears not to spring to her eyes.

“I’m just… I’m going out for a while. I gotta clear my head.”

Megan slinked out from underneath the sheets and walked over to him, “Just stay babe, okay? I don’t want you to-“

“You don’t want me to want?” William said lowly, whirling around and glaring at her with his now dark eyes, “You don’t want me to go out and rob anybody? Huh? You don’t want me to break into any place while I’m out? Because I just can’t control myself, right? Is that it?!”

“No!” She screamed, “It’s late, I don’t want you to get hurt! Why are being like this?”

He ignored her and grabbed the door key from the dresser, not making another glance in her direction. When the door clicked closed, Megan wrapped her arms around her small body and carried herself back to the large bed. She flipped off that lamp and snuggled against the pillows, letting out a sigh as she eyes focused on the window on the opposite wall.

And then she prayed.

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William stopped and glanced from right to left as the cool Tennessee night air whipped around his body. He readjusted his light jacket around his torso and began walking again, his mind racing all the while. He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t even thought about their money situation, this was all new to him. You know, being… poor. Those fucking bastards took every cent he had and then they had the nerve to give him 200 dollars after he served his time.

And he hated the thought of Megan having to slave away for old ass Sherry in that Podunk salon in town. He always told her that he’d take care of her, how was he supposed to do that with 200 dollars? How was he going to have any pride while his girl was paying his way? The anger started to build up in him again as he continued to walk deeper into the nightlife of Nashville. What in the hell was he going to do?

His mind continued to wonder as he walked up and down the familiar streets. It felt good to be out, breathing in the sweet country air instead of the stale smell of a prison cell. He had forgotten what it felt like to be free. When he came to the strip of bars, he stopped short as the green, neon sign with the four leaf clover flicked on and off. The Irishmen, that was the last bar they went too before they had decided to call it a night all those years ago. That meant that the jewelry store was just around the corner. Instinctively, his feet began to move again and before he knew it, he was staring back into the thick glass window, admiring all of the pretty jewels.

His vision began to tunnel, his throat becoming dry and his mind thumbed through all of his old contacts, just like it had on the night that he first robbed the place. Donnaven would pay top dollar for those necklaces, hell, so would Donnelly brothers. He could get in there again, just as easily as he had before…

But then he stopped himself. He couldn’t do it to Megan again, not again. Not after six years of longing and waiting for him. If he got caught again, it would a third strike for Mr. Rast, that means life in prison. William took a few steps back from the window, blinking his eyes as they started to clear. After a few seconds more, he turned slowly, tore his eyes from the window, and then forced his feet to start moving again.

He was William Rast, he had to figure something out for the two of them. He wondered the bright streets of Nashville for about an hour more before his body began to slow down for sleepiness. He trudged back to the hotel and rode in the elevator in silence, smiling slightly at the other woman as he exited onto his floor. He slipped the door key into the lock, pushing the door open slowly after it unlocked.

The room was pitch black and the only sounds that could be heard were Megan’s rhythmic breaths. William shrugged out of his clothes for the second time that night and tip-toed over to the bed, throwing the covers back and dipping his body onto the mattress. He scooted closer to her warm, sleeping body carefully so he didn’t wake her, and snaked his arms around her tiny frame. He planted a kiss somewhere on the back of her head and then relaxed against her, not wanting to fight the sleep any longer.
He just had to keep himself out of trouble for the next couple of days.

He had to, for Megan.