“Not this. Go inside. Now,” Sully snapped.
My mouth dropped open. He’d never once spoken to me like that.
My eyes glazed, but I dashed out of the garage, slamming the door.
But I didn’t go into the house; instead, I crept around back and listened through the open window.
“What the hell is going on?” Derek asked.
I peered inside. Sully raked a hand through his hair as he paced the floor.
“I caught him, Derek. I caught him red-handed.”
“Doing what, for God’s sake?”
“I spotted his truck out by the shed near the back of Griffin Park. I thought maybe he broke down, so I pulled over on the side of Rue de la Mason. I heard a commotion in the shed. He had some chick in there. He was raping her, Derek.”
“What? Are you sure that’s what was happening? Are you sure it was rape?”
“Yes, goddamn it. She was screaming for him to stop.”
“What did you do?”
“I pulled him off her and beat him bloody. He got his hands on a shovel and slammed it against the side of my face, then ran out.”
“Where’s the girl?”
“I wanted to take her to the hospital, but she refused. Said she just wanted me to go. Said she’d get herself home. I asked if she wanted me to drive her to the police station. She shook her head and screamed at me to get out.”
“What’d you do?”
“I waited by my truck. I didn’t want to leave her there. I was afraid Remy would come back. Finally, she came out clutching her torn clothing around her, ran to a car parked in the lot across the field, and drove off. I came straight here looking for him.”
Remy’s truck pulled into the lot, and he jumped out, slamming his door. It was obvious Sully had landed a few fists. There was blood down his shirt, but the scratches on his cheeks and arms had to have been from that woman.
Sully and Remy attacked each other, and Derek had to break them apart.
“You’re turning yourself in,” Sully barked, jabbing a finger toward Remy.
Remy laughed. “Me? It’s you I’ve got a photo of coming out of that shed. I’ll tell the cops you did it with me.”
“You fucking piece of shit.”
I gasped, and when Derek turned his head to look toward the window, I leaped back, then ran to the house.
My brothers didn’t speak of it again, and the cops never showed up. Sully stopped coming around, and I feared I’d never see him again.
I couldn’t even look at Remy. He disgusted me.
Then one evening, I was standing at the kitchen sink, doing the dinner dishes, peering across the lot toward the garage where Derek was working alone when Sully’s truck pulled into the lot.
He walked into the garage and talked to Derek. My father and Remy were gone, which had become a habit. I began to wonder if Remy wasn’t drinking at the tavern along with my father.
When Sully headed back to his truck, I ran from the house and met him at the driver's door.
“Hey, Sully.”
“Six.” His eyes glanced past me to the garage.