Moonshine Hollow

Chapter Thirty-Seven

                  
Rose was shocked into consciousness by the sound of a single gunshot. 

She bolted upright in bed and turned to Forrest who had been sleeping beside her. But Forrest was already out of bed. He scooped up his pants and buckled them quickly before pulling the revolver out from under his pillow. He held the gun up and cocked it then looked back at Rose. 

"You stay here," he whispered so they wouldn't be heard, but his tone was firm. Someone was in the store. 

Rose stared into his eyes and nodded too many times. Her own eyes were too wide with too much white showing like a panicked horse. But she could see in his gaze that he was grim and resolute. He already thought one of his brother's was dead.  

A door slammed down the hall. Rose flinched and she sank her teeth into her lip to keep from crying out. She hastily climbed out of bed and she slipped Forrest's discarded flannel over her panties. Her hands were shaking so bad she could hardly do up the buttons. She crouched on the far side of the bed where Forrest motioned for her to go. 

Another second shot rang out. Rose froze and she lifted wide, terrified eyes to Forrest. Then there was silence.

Forrest reached for the knob and opened the door, flattening himself against the wall. It was still early. The first hints of dawn reflected through the windows, barely illuminating the hallway. Forrest moved to see what was happening but another shot rang out. It caught Forrest in the shoulder and knocked him down. 

There was so much blood so fast. Rose cried out and rushed to him. She couldn't think of anything but getting to him and trying desperately to stop the bleeding. She slid across the floor and pressed both of her trembling hands against his shoulder. She didn't even think about the intruder. 

"Lo-" Forrest started to say, his eyes widening, but he never got the words out. 

Rose screamed as she was pulled backwards off him by her hair. She was dragged several feet across the rough wooden boards before the barrel of a gun was shoved up under her chin.

"You will walk, or I will splatter your brains all over these walls," She would recognize Jon's voice anywhere. He growled the words in her ear. "Now, where is my money." 

His hot breath falling on her neck threatened to take Rose's mind back to that place. She closed her eyes for a moment. She was not that person anymore. They had taught her to be strong. Rose narrowed her eyes at her brother. "It's gone." She said defiantly. Jon swore and backhanded her roughly before hauling her back towards him.

"Where?" he demanded. He caught her by the shoulders and gave her a rough shake. 

She met his gaze levelly and spoke her next words calmly and clearly so he would know how serious she was. "I gave it to the other man from Chicago to kill you."

Jon hit her again, sending her skidding across the floor. "I know. Your button man failed. And when I cleaned out his room I found some money but not all of it. Not by half," he growled out the words. He stalked after her and grabbed her by the hair once more, lifting her as she struggled to get her feet under her. Her ears were ringing and the room swayed. Jon always knew how to make a hit count.

Forrest made an angry sound from the floor and she heard movement behind her as he moved.

Rose froze, her eyes finding Forrest's. For the first time since she had known him, there was fear in Forrest's eyes. He tried to sit up but Jon leveled the gun at him and fired again. Rose screamed and tried to lunge for Forrest but Jon still had a hold of her hair. She rebounded back against him and realized his sharp suit was torn and dirty. There was blood coating his hands and staining the wrists of his shirt sleeves.

"No," she whispered as cold dread filled her body.

"You did this sister. This is all because of you. Look what you made me do to get you back. If you had only just come with me like I asked it would never have come to this. You killed them all, every last one of them." Jon spoke calmly and reasonably as though his words all made perfect sense. 

Rose felt her world begin to fracture. In her mind she counted the gun shots, somehow willing there to have been a mistake, some way he was lying to her. But as he dragged her towards the stairs, she could see Peter's legs in the doorway of his bedroom. He had heard the first shot as well and come to investigate. He had just been faster because Forrest had been worried about her. Maybe he would still be alive if Forrest hadn't had to take care of her. 

But the first shot, the first shot had been for Arthur.

Jon followed her gaze and nodded. "I put a bullet in the head of the pretty one," he said smugly. "Just like I promised you." He wrenched her down the stairs. "Too bad, I could have sold him for even more than I get for you."

Her legs moved woodenly and he had to half drag her. She felt like her legs belonged to someone else. Someone who lived somewhere else. There was no way they could be dead. She could not be the reason for them all to die. They were so strong and so kind. And one of them was always watching the store through the night now. 

Except her plan, her stupid plan. They had made a plan with that man from Chicago and they had all thought they were safe now. No one had stayed up because she had suggested they make the deal. This was her fault. It was all her fault.

She didn't bother trying to pull away, didn't bother trying to escape. This seemed an apt punishment for what she had done. She had come here. She knew someone would come for her eventually, but she had stayed anyway. She had promised Miss Lilly she wouldn't bring her trouble here, but she had. She had been so selfish. Why did she take that money? Jon would have let her go if she had only left his money and his business alone. Why had she stayed here? They had been so kind to her despite what others said about them and she had taken advantage of them. Why hadn't she gotten on that god damned train? 

There was no getting around it, she had earned her sentence.

Jon dragged her down the stairs. Her body half collapsed under her as he moved. She looked at the counter as he dragged her passed it, knowing there was a gun behind it. Had she been thinking clearly she probably could have told him that was where the money was. She could have gotten her hands on that shot gun and saved herself. But for what? This was all her fault. What was there to fight for now? 

When they reached the parking lot she had stopped fighting all together. He shoved her forward with the gun, forcing her towards a beat up pick up truck. It took her a moment to realize she recognized it as belonging to Floyd. She frowned at the truck. It didn't belong here. Jon must have stolen it somehow. She stared at it for too long and he made an impatient noise behind her. He reached around her and jerked open the passenger door. 

"Get in," he commanded, jamming the gun hard enough against her ribs she knew it would bruise. Not that it mattered anymore. She tried to look back over her shoulder at the store. Trying to see it one last time. But if the brother's were truly dead, then it was just an empty building. When she didn't move fast enough Jon grabbed her and shoved her head first into the truck. Her temple cracked against the dash and the world went black.