The Four Stages of Loving Dutch Owen - Debra Kayn Page 0,21

the counter, he slipped his arms through the holes. She caught sight of the massive devil tattoo on his back before the leather hid it from view.

"I'll see you the next time I'm around." He stopped beside her. "Be good, Marla Marie."

She swirled on the stool, ready to run after him. "What if I'm not?"

"Then, you better be afraid because it won't be Rachel and Skull dealing with you. I'll come back and punish you."

She tilted her head. "You'd come back?"

His gaze narrowed, and he ran his hand down his beard, gathering it at the base of his neck. "Don't push me."

"Don't leave."

"I need to go."

She sulked. "If you cared, you wouldn't leave me."

"Rachel and Skull care about you. I'm not your parent." He walked to the door.

She followed him. He was being mean.

"You're the one who took me away from my mom." She stopped. "I-I could go to the police and tell them what you did, and they'd arrest you."

He slowly turned around. She pressed her back against the wall in the foyer as he appeared to grow taller, broader, and stronger.

Dutch stepped in front of her. "Do you know what I do to people who cross me?"

There were only two times he'd scared her. Once when he caught her behind the pool hall in Moses Lake and when he'd dumped her in Bellevue with Rachel and Skull.

He took her chin in his hand and tilted her head. She gulped. And, he scared her now.

"Trust me." His deep voice made her shake. "You don't want to cross me."

He backed away from her, opened the door, turned, and walked outside. Tears sprang from her eyes and trailed down her cheeks.

Afraid of losing him forever, she ran to her room and looked out the window. Outside, Dutch put a bandana around his head and rode off. She sank to the floor and buried her face in her hands. Her heart broke into a million pieces.

"Marla?" said Rachel. "Did I just hear Dutch leave?"

She raised her head and screamed, "Get out of my room."

Rachel stayed in the hallway. "What happened?"

"Go away." She jumped up and slammed the door. "I don't want you."

Falling on the bed, she pressed her face into the mattress. Somehow, she would find a way to leave.

She would find her mom.

There was nothing anyone could do to stop her. She was going to grow up and then find her mom by herself.

She didn't need anyone. Especially Dutch.

Chapter 10

RACHEL SAT ACROSS THE table from Marla. "Because you skipped school, the principal is suspending you for three days. That means you have to stay inside the house. No talking to Alyssa on the phone and no friends over to the house."

"Whatever." Marla scooted the chair to get up, and Rachel banged the table with her fist, stopping her. "What? Go ahead and take more things away from me. I can't go anywhere anyway. You won't even let me go to Alyssa's house anymore."

Two months ago, after Dutch had left, she'd used the computer over at Alyssa's house to search the internet for her mom's name, but there were hundreds of women named Sue Smith in Washington. She had no idea which one was her mother.

She thought her snooping would never get back to Rachel and Skull, but Alyssa's mom ratted on her.

"Damnit, Marla. Why can't you see that I love you? We love you?" Rachel leaned closer. "You have a family here. We're only trying to do our best."

"You're not my family."

Rachel's sad gaze fell to the table. "You have to accept you belong to us now. You're our daughter."

"You're not my mom," she yelled.

Rachel stood. "I'm the only mom you've got."

Her cheeks stung as if slapped, and she stared at Rachel. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing." Rachel walked away from the table and went into the kitchen.

Not letting her walk away without answering her, she followed. "I have a mom. She's in Moses Lake. She lives on Dover Street. Her name is Sue Smith."

She tried to think of more facts she'd memorized. "My mom's got blonde hair, and...and she's skinny."

Rachel stopped. Staring at her back, Marla said, "She has a lot of friends. Boyfriends, because they think she's pretty. And...and, she'd hate you for taking her daughter and not giving me back."

Raising her hands, Rachel turned around. "She's dead. Your mom would want you to stay with us."

Marla stared in horror at Rachel, shaking her head in denial. It wasn't true. The police took her mom. H-her mom came back and