Sanctuary

Chapter 1“What’s going on with Gale?” Marcus asked Cal as they got ready to open The Three Bs club Thursday evening. “He seems sorta out of it.” Cal leaned against the bar, glancing down at Gale who was at the far end. He was staring off into space, the knife he used to cut the fruit for drinks in one hand. “His sister, Audra, called him this morning. She’s coming into town and he doesn’t know what to do with her.” “Find her a nice motel for starters,” Marcus suggested. He frowned. “Only her or is Hank tagging along?” “Just her from what Gale said.” “You mean Hank let her go off on her own?” “Who’s Hank? Her husband?” Russ asked. He’d been listening to the conversation, trying to figure out what was going on. “Yep,” Cal replied. “He’s, shall we say, a tad possessive. At least from what Gale’s told me.” Russ grimaced. He knew what that could be like, having been raised by a pair of alcoholic parents. Whenever his mother tried to go out by herself to some bar, his father was right there, telling her he was coming with her, whether she liked it or not. If she protested, Russ was usually the one who bore the brunt of his father’s anger while his mother hovered in the background, obviously glad it wasn’t her. “Does he drink?” he asked Cal. “Nope. Absolute teetotaler. No liquor allowed in their house, or when they go out. He considers it a sin.” Russ said under his breath, “I wish my folks had felt that way.” Marcus heard him nonetheless and hugged him. “At least you’re out of it, now.” “Thanks to all of you.” Gale put the knife down then came over to ask, with a brief smile, “Am I the only one who realizes it’s time to open?” Marcus made a show of checking his watch. “Well, damn, and here we were thinking we had at least an hour.” He winked as he gave the top of the bar a final wipe while Cal crossed the room to unlock the front door and Russ hurried back to the kitchen to help Wally. Gale shot Marcus a questioning look. “You were talking about me, weren’t you?” “We were,” Marcus replied. “You seem sort of unfocused so I asked Cal if he knew why.” “You could have asked me,” Gale said sourly. “Could have and should have. Sorry. When’s Audra due in?” “She’s driving so she didn’t know specifically but probably late this evening. I told her to come straight here so I’d know she made it in one piece.” He stopped talking as the first customers started to fill the seats at the bar and at the tables scattered around the main room. At that point, as always right after opening, Marcus and Gale had their hands full filling drink orders for their customers at the bar and the waiters who were serving the tables in the main room and the ones around the dance floor in the back room. Meanwhile, Jules was chatting up various people as he did several times each night, making certain they were enjoying what the club had to offer. Around eight, things slowed down enough that Jules was able to spend a few minutes talking to Gale and Marcus. “I hear Audra’s coming for a visit,” he said to Gale. “Yep. Sort of unexpected, but I’m looking forward to seeing her again. It’s been a while. She didn’t say if she’s already booked a motel room, or where it is if she has.” “When’s she getting here?” “Late tonight. I told her to come here, first.” Jules nodded. “In that case, if she doesn’t have a place to stay yet, tell her she can use one of the rooms upstairs for tonight. It’ll save wear and tear on her nerves trying to find a decent motel close to you.” Gale blew out a relieved breath. “That would be great. Thanks.” “No problem. Cal said it’s only her, right?” “Yeah, which surprised me, given how controlling Hank is. Maybe…” Gale shrugged. “Maybe she’s finally decided to leave him?” Marcus asked. “Don’t I wish,” Gale muttered. “Won’t happen, though, because she loves him, or so she says. Besides which, he wouldn’t let her.” Jules shook his head. “Someday she’ll wise up.” “I hope,” Gale replied before moving down the bar to take care of a couple of new customers. * * * * Audra pulled into the lot behind The Three Bs shortly after two A.M. with a sigh of relief. It had been a long drive and she was glad it was over—except, of course, for finding a motel. That could wait. Right now all she wanted was to see Gale and his friends. Men her husband did not approve of for way too many reasons to count. That was why she rarely was able to come out to Denver. And never without him until now. She sighed again as she checked her makeup in the mirror attached to the sun visor, decided it worked, pulled down the sleeves of her shirt, and got out of the car. She looked up and down the street, saw no one who alarmed her, and walked around to the club’s front entrance. Cal’s “Hey, pretty lady,” greeted her when she stepped onto the porch. “Hi, Cal.” “You look beat. Long drive?” “Yeah, but worth it, I hope. Gale’s working the bar?” Cal snorted. “What else would he be doing on a Thursday night, or Friday morning now, I guess?” She shrugged. “Finally finding a nice man? There’s probably plenty to choose from.” “True, if he wasn’t so damned picky. Go on in.” She did, stopping a few feet from the end of the bar to watch her brother, who as yet hadn’t realized she was there. * * * * Gale set beers down in front of two customers and looked around to see who else needed his services. It took him a moment to realize the woman standing in the shadows at the far end of the bar was Audra. Without a second thought, other than to tell Marcus he’d be right back, he hurried to greet her, giving her a tight hug. “You made it!” “I did.” She hugged him back. “Feels like I’ve been on the road forever.” “Then sit.” He took her to a stool at his end of the bar, then put his hands on her shoulders, studying at her. “You look beat.” Audra chuckled. “So Cal said.” As his scanned her face, he frowned, gently touching her jaw. “The makeup’s not doing its job, Audie. Did Hank do this to you?” She swallowed, looking down, and nodded once. “He got upset at something I said and…” “Son of a b***h, Audie!” Gale took a deep breath. “Is that why you’re here? To get away from him?” She nodded again. “Sort of, I guess.” She gave him a weak smile. “Can we talk about it later, when there aren’t so many people around? Please.” “You bet we’re going to talk about it.” He kissed her forehead before going around the bar. He put some ice in a glass, added water, and handed it to her, grumbling when one of his customers lifted an empty bottle to let him know they wanted another. “About time you got here,” Gale heard Marcus say, knowing he was talking to Audra. “Gale’s been on pins and needles.” “That sounds like him,” she replied with a light laugh. “Afraid the car would break down or I’d be in an accident. It’s not like I haven’t been driving forever.” “Let’s see. If you got your learner’s permit when you were sixteen, then you’ve been driving for ten years, which is hardly forever, young lady.” He looked past her, gesturing to someone. A moment later a young man with very curly red hair was standing beside her. “Audra, this is Russ, my, umm, roommate. Russ, this is Audra, Gale’s sister.” “Nice to meet you,” Russ said. “The kitchen’s closed, but if you’re hungry I can get you a sandwich.” “I’d love one. I stopped for supper at a fast-food place but that was hours ago.” “Be right back.” Gale came over, asking her, “Where did you park?” “In back.” “Good. It’s safer there, in case…” He stopped, glancing at Marcus and the customers seated close to her. “He doesn’t know I came out here,” Audra told him. “Okay, but he’s not stupid. Where else would you go?” “I do have friends from school,” she replied dryly. “Not that I keep in touch with them very often,” she added, sounding remorseful. “Maybe a couple of times on f*******:, but that’s it. Gale wanted to say something about that, and the bastard she’d married, but he knew now wasn’t the time or place, so he patted her hand. “I know the feeling. I don’t think I’ve been in touch with any of the guys I was in school with, well, since I graduated, actually. Are you hungry?” “She said she was,” Russ told him as he set a plate with a thick sandwich down in front of her. “I don’t know if I can eat all that,” she protested. “Then give the rest to Marcus.” Russ grinned. “To hear him tell it, he’s always starving.” “I resemble that remark,” Marcus replied, laughing. “Okay, I’d better give last call. Or not,” he added when Jules did it before coming over to the bar. “You made it,” Jules said, giving Audra a quick hug. “Now Gale can relax.” “I was relaxed,” Gale protested, getting eye-rolls from the others in reply. “Okay, so I was a bit worried because she was driving out here and I shouldn’t have been, but that’s what older brothers do.” The club slowly cleared out, the waiters did their closing chores and left as well. Jules dealt with the day’s earnings then suggested the six of them go up to his office to unwind. * * * * Soon, everyone was settled in the office. Audra, Gale, and Cal were on the sofa, and Marcus in one of the armchairs with Russ seated on the floor between his legs. Jules made coffee for those who wanted it and handed beer or bottles of water to the others before taking the other armchair. “All right,” Jules said with a smile, looking at Audra. “Inquiring minds want to know why you came out here without Hank.” She sighed, briefly touching her jaw. “I suppose the easiest answer is I’m running away from him.” “About time,” Gale stated adamantly. “I don’t care how much you think you love him, in spite of his controlling ways, when he starts hitting you all bets are off.” “He hit you?” Russ looked at her, shaking his head. “I’ve been there, not that it matters at the moment. All I can say is, it’s a damned good thing you did leave because once it starts it doesn’t stop. Trust me on that.” She nodded. “I know. This…” She touched her jaw again. “This wasn’t the first time.” She hesitated then pulled up her sleeve to show them the bruise on her arm, stood and turned, lifting the hem of her shirt to reveal a discolored bruise just above the waistband of her jeans. “But—” she straightened her shoulders, “—it’s going to be the last time. I can’t, won’t take it anymore.” “Whoa,” Gale said. “Back up. Why didn’t you tell me he’s done it before?” “What good would it have done? If you came out there it would have pissed him off even more and then, well, you know.” She sat, rubbing her hand across her eyes to stop incipient tears. “I’d have shown him what it was like to be punched around,” Gale replied angrily. “Then I’d have dragged you away whether you liked it or not!” “He’d have come after me,” she said. “As far as he’s concerned, I belong to him and no one is going to get in the way of that. At least he doesn’t know where I am now, I hope.” “Audra…” Jules waited until she looked at him. “He might not know for certain you came out here, but we all know for damned sure that Denver’s the first place he’ll come looking for you. He’s been out here with you, more than once. He knows where Gale lives, he knows about the club. If he’s smart, and he is, he’ll check every motel and hotel in the area to see if you’re registered at one of them.” “If you parked out back, he’ll see your car,” Marcus pointed out. “Then I’ll move it. I mean I’ll have to, anyway, when I find somewhere to stay,” she replied. “Tonight you can use one of the rooms downstairs,” Jules told her, getting a relieved look and a heartfelt ‘Thank you’ in reply. “Then tomorrow morning I’ll pick you up because you’ll be staying with me and Eddie at our house. I don’t think Hank knows where we live.”