The day was crap. Started like crap, the afternoon and evening were crap, even the weather was crap. Abee felt like he was dying. It had been raining for hours, the water soaking through his shirt, and he couldn’t stop the alternating bouts of shivering and sweating no matter how hard he tried.
He could tell Ted wasn’t doing much better. When he’d checked himself out of the hospital, he’d barely made it to the car without falling. But that didn’t stop him from making directly for the back room of his shack, where he kept all his weapons. They’d loaded up the truck before setting out for Tuck’s.
Only problem was, no one was here. There were two cars parked out front but no sign of either of their owners. Abee knew that Dawson and the girl were coming back. They had to, since their cars were here, so he and Ted had split up before settling in to wait.
And wait. And wait.
They’d been there at least two hours before the rain started to fall. Another hour in the rain, and the chills started up. Every time he shivered, his eyes flashed white because of the pain in his gut. Swear to God, he felt like he was dying. He tried thinking about Candy to pass the time, but all that did was make him wonder whether that guy would be there again tonight. The thought enraged him, which made him shiver even more, and the whole thing would start over. He wondered where the hell Dawson was and what he was doing out here in the first place. He wasn’t even sure whether he believed Ted about Dawson — in fact, he was pretty sure he didn’t — but catching the look on Ted’s face, he decided to keep his mouth shut. Ted wasn’t going to give up on this. And for the first time in his life, Abee was a little afraid of what Ted would do if he walked over and announced that they were going home.
Meanwhile, Candy and that guy were probably at the bar right now. Both of them laughing it up, sharing those special smiles. Just picturing it made his pulse race with fury. The pain flashed then, and for a second he was sure he was going to pass out. He was going to kill that guy. Swear to God. Next time he saw him, he was going to kill him and then make sure Candy understood the rules. He just had to get this piece of family business out of the way first, so Ted would be around to help him. God knows he was in no condition to handle it himself.
Another hour passed and the sun sank lower in the sky. Ted felt like he was going to puke. Every time he moved, his head felt like it was going to explode, and his arm was already itching so bad beneath the cast that he wanted to tear the damn thing off. He couldn’t breathe through his swollen nose and all he wanted was for Dawson to show up so he could end this thing here and now.
He didn’t even care whether little miss cheerleader was with him. Yesterday, he’d worried about witnesses, but not anymore. He’d just hide her body, too. Maybe folks would think the two of them had run off together.
Even so, where the hell was Dawson? Where could he have gone for the whole damn day? And in the rain? He sure as hell hadn’t planned on this. Across the way, Abee looked like he was dying. Guy was practically green, but Ted couldn’t do this alone. Not one-handed, while his brain was swooshing from side to side inside his skull. It hurt to breathe, for God’s sake, and whenever he moved he got so dizzy he had to hold on to something to keep from toppling over.
As darkness fell and the mist rolled in, Ted kept telling himself that they’d be back any minute, but it was getting harder to convince himself of that. He hadn’t eaten since the day before, and his dizziness was getting worse.
By ten o’clock, there was still no sign of them. Then eleven. Then midnight, with the stars between the clouds a blanket of flickering lights above them.
He was cramped and cold, and the dry heaves started. Ted began to shake uncontrollably, unable to stay warm.
One o’clock and still nothing. At two, Abee finally came staggering up, barely able to stay upright. By then, even Ted knew they weren’t coming back that night, and the two of them staggered to the truck. He barely remembered the trip back to the property or the way he and Abee clung to each other as they stumbled up the drive. All he could really recall was the feeling of rage as he collapsed in bed, and after that everything went black.