River's End

Chapter 3-1

Chapter 3

Jack stepped back. He never expected her to say that. Shocked, he stared down at Erin’s profile. Her face was to the ground now, studying the toes showing through the black straps of her idiotic shoes. Jack looked up at Chance, who shuffled his feet in surprise. Then his face went blank. He scowled down at Erin as Jack had previously. God! He was a cold son of a b***h. Jack always felt a weird chill go through him whenever he was in Chance’s presence. He couldn’t quite explain why. There was just something off with Chance, almost a kind of evil inside him.

“So? What do you want me to do about it?”

She flinched. “I just thought you’d want to know.”

“Okay, I know now.”

Erin bit her lip and stared up at her brother. Chance suddenly straightened. “She leave any money?”

“No. No, there’s no money. There’s nothing.”

“You’re not lying, are you? I’ll find out if you are, you know. Lawyers and s**t will know.”

She shook her head. “I’m not lying. I thought, maybe, I could stay with you for a few days, to figure this out.”

“Stay with me? Here? Are you shitting me?”

Joey’s head bobbed between them. “Are you for real? You think she’s stealing from you? Why would she come here if that were the case?”

Then the strange demeanor that Chance only ever used with Joey suddenly overcame him. Chance purposely tried to tone down who he really was, so Joey didn’t see it. Judging by the expression on Joey’s face, he really didn’t like how Chance was treating his sister.

Neither did Jack. What was wrong with this man? Just because he didn’t want Erin there, near his brother, didn’t mean he needed to listen to that.

Chance suddenly smiled. “I’m sorry. You surprised me. Joey’s right, of course. Let’s go inside and talk, huh? You can tell me everything.”

Erin stepped back. Perhaps she was surprised by Chance’s suddenly affable tone. She nodded and glanced up at Joey before following her brother.

The Polettis disappeared inside the trailer. His trailer. On his land. What was that all about? A pathetic act for his benefit? Or did the girl’s mother just die and she came here to tell her brother? He supposed it would be a good reason to need a break from college. Or did that just coincide with her story about the break from college? Yeah, he was that gullible. Joey believed every word. Jack didn’t. He wasn’t so sure the Polettis hadn’t just put on a very fine show for Joe and him.