The Gathering 01.64 – The Gathering ReDux – Pt. 12

            It was two weeks after having gone away and everyone was back into the routine of their lives.  Shane sat at the bar of the Planet, she was waiting for Tina and Sam, and they were meeting her for lunch.  Shane‘d found herself gravitating towards Sam, they talked easily but there were no sparks.  At least not on Sam‘s end Shane sighed.  Tina was the only one in her sights.

            She felt a tap on her shoulder and spun around, seeing Steven‘s face.

            Cheri‘s husband, she stiffened, shaking her head.  Her past, it reared its ugly head; once again, please don’t let anyone see this guy.  Please don’t let anything have happened to Cheri.

            “I haven’t been anywhere near your family man, I swear to you…”  She put her hands up, getting up from the stool, he just grinned.  He walked towards her, enjoying as she tried to move away.  He caught her arm and pulled her closer to him.  Tina didn’t know what to do.

            “Did you get my message?”  He asked his voice filled with a boiling rage.  Shane looked on, confused.  He continued, seeing the look on her face.  “I see you’ve healed from your injuries?  I didn’t plan on having you hit by a car, but it was an added bonus when I heard of it.”  Shane‘s face registered her astonishment, her blood ran cold suddenly. 

            Steven had hired the thug to steal her truck, as a warning to stay away from this family.  She never would have made that connection; she had just thought it was a regular car jacking.  But then again, who would want her beaten up Toyota?

            “It’s easy to find someone to hop up a ***** *****.  The other thing that was great was that it seemed you had everything you owned in your miserable life in the back of that piece of *****.”  She backed away from him, pulling her arm free of his grasp.

            “I burned it all, cleansing my family of you Shane, stay away or next time if will be much, much worse than having your crappy car stolen and your face slapped in.”  He went to turn and slammed right into Sam.  The tomboy was steadfast, she didn’t move.  Sam looked at him with a cold stare, having heard every word.  A viciousness covered her like a cloak.