Growing up in Harlan County gave her a shared history with Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens. A history that made the two Kentucky natives cynical to the outside world.
However, after meeting former Army Ranger, Tim Gutterson, Jolene 'Jo' Taylor's p...
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The dream she'd been having was a peaceful one, filled with ocean waves, cold beers, and a certain blonde-headed Marshall who didn't say much. That was, until the sound of buzzing interrupted her content slumber. Jo willed the noise to stop, but it was persistent nonetheless; someone really wanted to reach her at this ungodly hour.
Throwing the sheets back, she sat up in bed and looked at the offending device with distaste, torn between ignoring it altogether and ripping the person on the other end a new one. Once she'd chanced a glance at the caller ID though, she knew there was no going back to sleep and shunning this distinct indication of the problematic day that was beginning to form.
A call from the Sheriff's Office was a thoroughly unwelcome start to Jo's morning. Now, she was down in Harlan, begrudgingly handling the business with Arlo's DUI.
After parking her car in the lot and walking up to the doors of the facility, she found Helen being haphazardly tossed out. The string of swear words flowing out of the older woman's mouth were less than ladylike.
"You get yourself thrown out?" Jo asked as she stood aside the older woman who was righting herself after being unceremoniously kicked to the curb.
"Those jackboot thugs are filing a restraining order against me! Said I'm not allowed back in the jail," Helen all but seethed at her question.
Jo let out a sigh, rubbing the space between her eyes where she could already feel a headache starting to form. "Alright, you head home. I'll get it sorted and drive him back." That answer seemed good enough for Helen, and she left without further incident.
Walking through the doors of the precinct provided Jo with a sense of deja vu. How many times had she bailed someone out of this particular lock up now? Far too many to count, and she assumed this wouldn't be the last time either.
Saddling up to reception, she'd given her name and informed the clerk that she'd need to speak with the Sheriff. When the kid behind the desk tried to inform her that this wasn't possible, she pinned him down with a firm look.
"I'm an old friend," she said shortly. "Now, run along and tell Hunter I'm here, I'm sure he'll find the time to meet with me." Any argument to the contrary died on the boy's lips as he hurried off towards the back of the station.
Wearily finding a seat in the waiting room, she plopped down in the chair, already exhausted though the day has just barely begun. Her head was leaned back against the wall, her eyes closed in contemplation when a vibrating from her pocket informed her of an incoming text.
Pulling it out and glancing at the display screen told her that the message in question was from Tim. She unlocked the screen with a swipe of the thumb, and reading over the text's contents had Jo's laughter cutting through the early morning quiet of the station.
Hands and feet handcuffed to the bed. Only wearing socks and tighty whities. Women's underwear stuffed in the mouth.
She quickly typed back a response.
Is this a request?
Tim's follow up came back just as fast.
That's how we found a fugitive.
Sounds like a good time.
With one last smile at her phone, she returned the device to her pocket seeing Sheriff Hunter Mosley steadily approaching her.
"My office," he replied gruffly while pointing a thumb to the back, and strode off with the intent on her to follow, which she did with a roll of the eyes.
After ushering her into his office and closing the door behind them sharply, Mosley made himself comfortable behind the large wooden desk while Jo took the seat across from him. "Now, Jolene, you gotta understand-" She cut the Sheriff off before he was allowed to finish commenting on what it was she may or may not understand.
"Hunter, you and I both know that the medication they have Arlo on gets him in a certain way," Jo started.
This received an indignant grunt in disagreement. "Arlo was drunk coming back from that veteran bar."
She continued as though she hadn't heard his interruption. "If you choose to follow through with charges, then I completely understand, but you know I'll just get them thrown out. Sounds like a waste of your office's time and taxpayer money, now doesn't it?"
He appraised her for a long moment before saying, "that old kook got lucky having a lawyer for a daughter." Jo wasn't Arlo's daughter, not really, but she didn't bother correcting him on the ill-informed title.
She made a show of gathering up her things, adding finality to her ultimatum. "Let him know I'll be waiting out front," she said while heading for the door.
With her hand on the knob, Hunter's next statement stopped Jo in her tracks. "Heard Raylan's back in Kentucky." The assertion held more weight than a casual observation.
"Aye, and you all would do best to stay out of his way," she announced before turning the handle and exiting the Sheriff's office.
It didn't take long before Arlo was meeting her out front, carrying a shit eating grin on his face. Jo directed him to her car, and they took off for his and Helen's house without a word being shared.
The ride was equally silent until Arlo interrupted the quiet. "You seen Raylan around lately?" Two mentions in less than thirty minutes had her resenting being the designated go-between the underside of Harlan and her adoptive brother.
"Yeah, saw him a few days ago. I'm assuming he hasn't called?" Jo knew damn well Raylan hadn't called his father or his aunt; he was smart enough to steer clear of the family drama by any means necessary. She wished she were as clever, but something, call it an obligation for taking her in when she had nowhere else to go, kept her wrapped up in the Givens' revolving door of trouble.
Arlo knew just as well that her question was intended to be sarcastic, and barked out a laugh as her car parked alongside his disheveled home.
Turning in her seat to look at the older man, Jo advised, "try and stay out of trouble, Arlo."
Another roll of laughter was all she received as he vacated the vehicle and entered the old house while she watched on. She hadn't gotten so much as a thank you for her efforts in bailing him out; that was less than surprising.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Jo took her car out of park and started the long drive back to Lexington. But, not before shooting off a text to Raylan letting him know that the next time Arlo got arrested, there would always be a next time, it was his turn to handle it because she'd already fallen on one grenade for his sake.
