Chapter 21

Dani

ash, where the hell are we going?”

I swear we’re in the middle of nowhere. I haven’t seen any sign of civilization in over an hour, nothing but a dry, dusty highway.

Cash got a mysterious call when we were driving to an appearance in Dallas. And then, boom! He just turns the car around and drives us into what can only described as a perfect setting for a horror film.

“We're almost there.”

I’ve never seen Cash like this. He's usually playful and full of sarcastic remarks, but when he got that phone call, he went dark.

We stop at a stop sign and Cash turns the car right, toward Ryland, whatever the hell that town is.

We drive through the “town" which has a couple of houses, a church, and at the end of main street full of abandoned buildings, there is a rickety building marked “Sonny's Tavern."

Cash parks his car in front, and I stare at him in total confusion. “You drove an hour and half to relapse?”

No laugh.

This isn't good.

He grabs his keys and opens the door. “Come on.”

I climb out of the car hesitantly, the hot July Texas sun hitting my face, and follow him closely. He opens the glass door, and we enter the small tavern that consists of three wooden booths, a pool table, and a bar with six stools lined up.

There are four men playing pool and one woman, laying with her head on the wooden bar, a cup of coffee sitting by her head.

And of course, that’s who Cash walks toward.

I stay on his heels as the older gentleman behind the counter gives him a sad smile. There's a familiarity there, as if they’ve known each other for years.

“Sonny. Thanks for callin’.”The man nods to the skinny chick who, at the moment, looks like long legs and a mass of long blonde hair. “You know she's like a daughter to me. I hate seeing her like this, but she was getting a little belligerent, and I couldn’t leave the bar to take her home. She's lucky no one called the cops, but the woman she was threatening decided to leave instead.”

Cash nods stoically. None of this seems to surprise him about this mystery chick. “I’m sorry she’s causing you trouble. I know if she was in her right state of mind, she wouldn’t dream of doing anything to hurt you.”

The man smiles fondly. “I know, she's a good kid. Just been torn to pieces, as you know.”

Cash nods his head, but doesn’t chance a glance at me. I have so many questions, but I keep my mouth shut as he nudges the woman's bare arm.

She's dressed in short jean shorts and a thin black tank top that is showing significant wear.

The woman barely budges from out of her state, but mumbles something.

Cash kneels down and leans near her ear. “Beth, it’s me.”

Her head lifts in recognition of his voice, and her eyes, that I think are green, barely open enough to peer at him through the fog of what I’m assuming is drugs, maybe alcohol. “Cash?”

Cash's hand sweeps over her hair, sweetly. “I’m here.”

Whoever she is, he cares for her deeply.

“I’m not going back.”

“Okay. Well, how about you come back to my place, and we get you some food and a shower.”

The woman lifts her head, and I can see that at one time, probably not that long ago, she was an absolute stunner. Not that she's not still beautiful, but the drug use has taken a toll.

She looks exhausted and worn, with deep seated misery radiating through her eyes.

“I won’t go back to rehab, Cash.”

“We can talk about that later.” Cash wraps her arms around his neck, lifts her effortlessly, and nods cordially to the man. “Hopefully this won't happen again.”

“I wish you both all the best, Cash. We can only hope.”

Cash starts toward the car, and I follow, opening the back door for him to place her in the seat and buckle her up.

She finally see me, and her eyes darken. “Who the fuck is that?”

Cash finishes situating her and stands up to answer. “This is Dani.”

“Ah, the newest piece of ass. It won't last you know.” She grabs my shirt and pulls me to her like she's telling me a secret. “You know why? Because he will always love me.”

I pull out of her grasp. “We’re just friends.”

“Makes sense. He's usually only into blondes. Always looking for my replacement.”

Cash closes the door and walks to the driver's side. “Let’s go.”

I don’t open my door, just stare at him over the top of the car. “Are you okay?”

“No. When it comes to Beth, I’m never okay.”

He yanks his door open and climbs inside.

It all makes a lot more sense suddenly.

When he told me loving an addict is hard, it wasn’t just because he’s an addict, it’s because she is.