Tank

by Erin Bevan

  “Three years in prison. Mary gets temporary custody for the time being.”

  His jaw dropped. Three years? “That’s it?”

  “Yep.” Father rocked on his heels. “First offense.”

  “So, he still has custody of his son.” Tank crossed his arms.

  “It appears so.” Father nodded.

  What the hell kind of justice was that? He shook his head. “That’s disappointing.”

  “I agree, it’s less than I expected, but at least this way, he can’t hurt them for three more years. We’ll do our best to make sure it’s never again.”

  Three years. Bear will be ten when his father comes back in his life. Still, young and impressionable. “I hope the kid can move on.”

  “That’s why we’re here. To help.” Father slapped him on the back.

  The man was right. They were there to help, and if he had to check in on Nathaniel and Mary every day—once the man left prison—to make sure they were safe then he would.

  “How about we all go out to eat at Sandi’s. Hamburger Steak is the special tonight, and I don’t know about you guys, but I’m hungry.” Father patted his stomach.

  “Me, too,” Bear squealed.

  “Well, great.” The leader rubbed the boy on the head. “Mary, I’ve got you two covered. Rest of you heathens, you’re on your own. Come on guys, let’s go.”

  Duke exited the courtroom, the same hard stare from before creased his face. Tank’s palms began to sweat. Annie.

  “Hey, man.” He slapped Father on the back. “I think I’m going to sit this one out. You guys go ahead without me.”

  The leader followed his gaze over to Duke before he leaned in and whispered. “Normally, I would say okay, but not today. You need to come, be seen in town. The way that man’s looking at you, it’s almost like he suspects something. Don’t give him a reason to follow you home. Come have dinner. I’ll give Tree a call to pass the message on.”

  Staring at Duke had his skin crawling. He needed to get home to Annie, wrap his arms around her, and make sure she was safe. He couldn’t keep her safe if he couldn’t see her. But Father had a point. He needed to be seen around town and act like he had nothing to hide.

  “Besides,” the counselor cut into his thoughts, “JoJo is coming. And she said you owed her a thank you dinner.”

  “She told you about that?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Father tossed his hands in the air. “And I don’t want to know. See you at the cafe in ten.” The leader headed for the exit.

  Tank turned and saw Duke in the corner flirting with the same button clad woman as before. He fisted his palms at his sides. He’d go to the diner and play his part, but he’d be damned if that man ever laid another hand on Annie. He’d give his life before that happened.

  Pulling his shades out of his pocket, he put them on just as the lady slipped Duke a small piece of paper. Probably her number. Bastard.

  Sandi led their group back to a table big enough to seat eight. Tank spied as Father gave her a slight ass pat when she laid the menus on the table.

  Horny old man.

  The bell on the front door jingled. JoJo scooted in the restaurant and pulled up a chair next to him.

  He glanced at his partner in crime. “Hey, long time no see.”

  “I didn’t want to be seen around you too much,” she whispered. “You know? Just in case.” She glanced down at her jacket to a slight hole at the elbow.

  “What happened to your leather?”

  She shushed him and stared around the room just as Duke and his accomplice ambled into the restaurant. Much to their luck, the hostess sat them a couple of tables over at the only empty space left.

  Beads of sweat formed around Tank’s hairline.

  “It got ripped.”

  “Ripped?”

  Her eyes widened as if he needed to catch on to what she tried to say. He gave her his best dumb stare before she cocked her head toward the side of them.

  “I think I left a little piece of myself at a friend’s house,” she whispered.

  He passed the cops a glance as they took their seats then licked his suddenly dry lips and nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me before about your jacket?”

  “Like I said, keeping my distance.”

  “Why are you wearing it? What if he sees you?”

  She gave him a hard stare. “I always wear my leather. I’m proud of who I am, and what I’ve been through. I’ll be careful. He won’t see.”

  Steele smacked him with his menu. “It’s not nice to tell secrets, you two.”

  Father glared at them over his own menu. “Steele, in this case, it’s best we don’t know.”

  JoJo leaned in. “Counselor here is a stickler for following the rules and the law.”

  “I gathered,” Tank muttered.

  “Too bad our own force don’t seem to think those laws apply to them,” Steele mumbled to where only they could here.

  “Tank, why are you sweating?” Father asked.

  “It’s hot in here.” He gripped his menu tighter and took in a deep breath.

  “Look who it is.” Father’s gaze skirted to the entrance of the restaurant.

  Tank tossed a glance to the right of him. A tall man wearing a button up and khakis walked in beside another tall man wearing a suit. “Who is it?” he asked JoJo.

  “Tall and lanky— the chief’s father. Tall and fat—Mayor Glass.”

  “Duke, my boy.” The father slapped his son on the back.

  The chief stood, shaking the mayor’s hand. “Good to see you both.”

  “I’ve seen your signs around town these past few days. Your campaign seems off to a fine start.”

  The mayor spoke loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear. Just what this town needed— the mayor’s stamp of approval for Duke. And considering the fact that daddy and the mayor were having dinner together, there was probably some dirty secret scandal behind their friendship.

  Crooked politicians.

  “Well, thank you, sir,” Duke said. “Please, have a seat.”

  Tank cut his gaze back to the menu and heard the scrapping of chairs.

  “Where’s that lady friend of yours, Miss Annie? I haven’t seen her around the diner lately.”

  Tank kept his gaze firmly on his menu as he strained to hear what they were saying over the noise of the restaurant. Even though the mayor had his back to him, he could imagine a man like Glass tucking his napkin into the collar of his shirt.

  “Annie is visiting her mother. She’ll be back any day now.”

  He cracked his neck as he listened to the lies.

  Stay calm, Wilde. Duke will never lay another hand on her.

  “You set a date for that wedding of yours?” the mayor asked.

  “Not yet, sir, but it’ll be sometime in the fall.”

  “Before election time of course,” Duke’s father answered.

  Tyler gripped his menu harder. “Did you hear that?” he whispered to Steele and JoJo.

  “Yep,” the firefighter said.

  He cocked his gaze to JoJo.

  She nodded. “He hasn’t given up,” she whispered.

  Annie was still in trouble. He tapped his foot under the table, anxious to leave and get home to her. The silverware rattled from his knee bumping the underside of the tabletop.

  JoJo placed a calm hand on his arm. He glanced at her embrace and stilled his leg, nodding. As long as Duke was in the restaurant, Annie was safe.

  “I’ve been telling Duke how important it is to have a wife on the campaign trail,” the father continued. “A man’s campaign is only as good as the woman backing him.”

  “Ain’t that the truth?” the mayor said. “My Georgia, she keeps me straight and helps me remember what’s important.”

  “So, you get Annie back here, son, as soon as possible. The town needs to see her by your side for the speeches in a couple of weeks at the town hall,” the father advised.

  �
��Of course,” Duke agreed.

  Speeches? Tank focused his attention back to his own table. Annie wasn’t safe as long as Duke ran his campaign.

  Tossing his menu to the side, he laid his palms flat on the table. “I have to get out of here. I need to get home.”

  Father shook his head. “Watch your back, son.”

  “Will do.” He tapped the tabletop and pushed his chair back before he waved goodbye to the group.

  He made it to his bike before Father ran to catch up to him.

  “Tank. Wait up.” Father stood next to him.

  “Yeah?”

  “Quick question. You still going on the ride?”

  The Fourth of July ride. He’d nearly forgot. He still had a few days to prepare.

  “You bet.” He reached for his helmet.

  “Hey listen.” Father held out his hand to stop him. “I don’t know if this matters and I didn’t want to say anything in front of everyone else, but…” He glanced around and leaned in. “Our friend was asking some odd questions this morning.”

  “Odd?” He placed his helmet back on his handlebar. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, she asked me if we did background checks on our members. Then she specifically started asking about you and your background. She was white as a ghost.”

  White as a ghost? Why?

  “When exactly did this happen?”

  “Early this morning. Right after she checked the mail.”

  The mail? The letter. Oh shit.

  “She checked my mail?”

  “Yeah, she wanted something to do. I saw you toss a bunch of the mail back in the box, so I thought we could help out by bringing it inside.”

  “Fuck,” he whispered and shook his head.

  Father took a step back. “I’m sorry, man, if we over-stepped. I mean, it was the mail. It seemed innocent enough.”

  “No.” Tank shook his head. “It’s not your fault or Annie’s.”

  “I have to ask. Is everything all right?”

  “Everything’s fine. At least, I hope it will be after I talk to her. I gotta go.” He tossed his helmet on and hopped on his bike. “See you for the ride.”

  “Yeah, man.” Father waved at him. “See ya, and make sure you bring your friend.”

  He’d be lucky if she wanted to have anything to do with him after tonight. His past was dark, and not something a woman like her needed to worry herself with. She needed a new beginning, not his old problems.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Duke gripped his fork tighter. If his father talked about having a wife on the campaign trail one more time, he might slug the man. Worse, he couldn’t seem to get a break on finding Annie. His source at her mother’s home hadn’t seen her. Besides the piece of leather he found, it was like she had vanished without a trace. Her phone hadn’t been turned on in over a week, and her car wasn’t at any of the impound lots.

  Where the hell did she go?

  He’d had to start running his campaign on his own, and people were beginning to ask questions. Making up one lie after another, they began to jumble in his mind. She was somewhere, and he would find her. No one just disappeared without a trace.

  The group of Guardians that sat at a table across from him all stood and strolled to the cash register. He did his best to glance at each one, spying for a hole in their jacket. More than likely, whoever ripped their leather wouldn’t be wearing it, but it was worth investigating nonetheless.

  And that big guy, Wilde. What the hell was his deal? He’d been at the courthouse, staring at him like he had something to hide. He didn’t have a jacket, but he sat at the same table they did. Was he part of the group? Whether he was or not, the guy rubbed him the wrong way which made him worth investigating.

  The young redheaded waitress tending his table laid the ticket down. His dad reached for the bill. “Here, Dad, let me get that.” Duke pulled out his wallet and grabbed the check.

  “Well, gentlemen, thank you.” The mayor rubbed his fat stomach.

  The bill came to seventy dollars, nearly forty from the fat ass alone. He would gladly pay the check. If fatso could help win him more votes, and get his father off his ass, he’d buy the man a steak every damn night.

  “I’ll be back. Excuse me.” He stood and walked to the cash register, stopping a few feet behind the biker group. He scanned each of them as they went to pay.

  “What time are we meeting, Saturday?” A burley biker with a mustache asked.

  “Ten,” the short woman said while she handed the cashier her credit card. When she stretched out her arm, a nice hole stared back at him.

  He gripped the ticket book tighter and glanced straight ahead, like he hadn’t seen it. The opening in the window had been small. Someone of her size could have easily slipped out.

  Finally. A lead.

  She signed her receipt, then glanced up and noticed him. Immediately, she placed her arm against her ribs and used her other hand to accept the receipt.

  “I gotta go, guys.” She shoved her card in her back pocket and spun on her heels.

  “Later, JoJo.” One of the men called out.

  Yes, later JoJo.

  He would see more of her soon. Very soon.

  After paying the tab, he sauntered back to the table. Duke caught Brayden staring down the waitress’ shirt. He’d seen that waitress before. She’d worked here when Annie did.

  Maybe she knew something. He stared back at Brayden—his key to picking the waitress’ mind.

  “Well, gentlemen, dinner was great, but Brayden and I have to get back on duty.”

  “We do?”

  “Yep.” Duke slapped a firm grip on the rookie’s shoulder. “Ready?”

  “Uhh…yeah.” The guy had a questionable look on his face.

  “Yes, duty always calls.” The mayor stood. “If I don’t get a chance to talk to you before the big debate speeches, then good luck, Fields. However, I’m sure you won’t need it.” The man stuck out his hand.

  “Thank you, sir.” Duke shook then reached around to shake his father’s. “Dad, I’ll talk to you soon,” he said then hurried Brayden out the door.

  “Boss, what’s up?”

  “Not here. Get in the unit.” He crossed the street at a clipped pace and unlocked his patrol car. Once the officer got inside, he asked, “Brayden, how would you like to be my right hand man when I make Sherriff?”

  “Really? I’d love it, sir.”

  “Then you’ve got to prove you’re worthy.”

  “How do I do that?”

  “First thing you’ve got to do, sleep with that redhead in there. Find out anything you can on that boss of hers and that old biker. I saw the old guy get pretty chummy with Sandi. I want to know if they have something going on.”

  “Okay, but why?”

  “Don’t worry about that. Also, ask the waitress what she knows about the bikers. All of them. Start by questioning her on the blond guy we saw at the courthouse, Tyler Wilde.”

  “What makes you think she knows anything about this Wilde guy?”

  “Waitresses talk. They wait on a lot of people in this town. Surely, she can tell you something. Find out where he works, too. That’s important. Maybe the waitress knows.”

  The rookie pulled out a notepad from his pocket and started jotting notes. “Sure, but can’t I just ask her? Why do I have to sleep with her?”

  “Because, it will be more fun for you if you do. Trust me.” He slapped the rookie on the shoulder. “Then, I want you to find out the names and addresses of everyone in the Blue Guardians, including that chick, JoJo.”

  “Sure, but again, I have to ask why?”

  He grit his teeth and took in a deep breath, searching himself for patience. This rookie asked too many damn questions. “I’ve got reason to believe that group isn’t as good as they seem.” He cuffed the guy on the neck. “Also, you should know, in the future, a good employee just does what’s asked of him. No questions. Got it?”

  “Yes, sir. S
orry, sir.”

  “No problem. Someone’s got to show you the ropes. Now, let’s see how well you can prove yourself. But remember, everything we say is confidential police business. Not a word of this to anyone, got it?”

  “Yes, sir, I’ve got it.”

  “You’re a good man, Brayden. Now, let’s get back to the station so you can get to work. The more you find out about this Wilde guy and the Blue Guardians the better.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Tank turned off his motorcycle and stared at the front door. His gut sank as he unsaddled his bike.

  What the hell would he tell her? The truth? The idea seemed too harsh. She would stare at him with pity. As bad goods. He didn’t want her sympathy, or anyone’s for that matter. He wanted to ignore his past and the person who damaged him.

  He inserted his key into the lock and opened the door. Al greeted him with a bark and a wag of his tail. “Hey, buddy.” He bent and rubbed a hand down the dog’s side. Tree sat at the kitchen table.

  “Hey, man. Thanks for staying with her.”

  The biker stood. “Yep.”

  “Where’s Annie?”

  “Bedroom.” Tree pointed down the hall. “Since you’re here, I’m going to head out.”

  “Yeah, man.” Tank held out his hand. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” He shook. “Bye, Annie.” Tree hollered down the hall.

  She walked out of the bedroom. “Bye, Tree. Thanks for staying with me.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” The man saluted her and left.

  Glancing up, Tank stared at Annie. The silence between them thick and heavy. He looked past her and saw her overnight bag sat in the middle of his bed. Full. And a white envelope clutched in her hands.

  Shit.

  He swallowed. Time to face the issue. “Annie—”

  “How was the trial?” She asked, avoiding eye contact.

  Stalling. She was stalling. He could use this to his advantage.

  “Okay. The man got prison time, and the Guardians are going to make sure Bear gets the help he needs.”

  “That’s wonderful.” She gave him a tight smile, gripping the letter in her hand. Her fingers shook.

  “Annie?” He took a step closer. “Are you okay?”