No Safe Place

by Christine Kersey

  She pointed to the one she’d been looking over. “This one. Those windows tell me it’s a bunkhouse, so there should be plenty of room for the kids.” She tapped her chin with her finger, then pointed out another one. “What about that one for you and Amy?” she asked Chris.

  “As long as we have a place to sleep, we’ll be good.”

  She pointed to one more. “For Paisley and Serena.” Swiveling to Derrick, she said, “What about you?”

  He shrugged. “We’ll get one for me another time.” He didn’t really care. His needs were simple, and since they could only take three, it was more important for the families with kids to have a space.

  With that resolved, they drove the pair of trucks and the SUV up to the trailers they’d chosen and began hooking them up.

  They had just finished when Derrick felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. He straightened, drew his Glock, and spun around.

  Not ten feet away stood Emperor Randy and a dozen men, all armed and pointing their weapons at them. Matt, Jessica, and Chris had noticed the Emperors’ arrival seconds after Derrick had. Not in time to draw on them though. Only Derrick had his weapon out.

  Furious with himself for failing to keep the area secure as they worked, Derrick clenched his jaw but kept his Glock aimed at Randy.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Matt

  “Well, well, well,” Randy said, grinning like a maniac, “What do we have here?” He wasn’t wearing a ball cap this time, which made the tattoo covering his bald head clearly visible—an intricate geometric design.

  Ever since their run-in with Randy on the day they’d arrived in California, the memory of Randy and the complete helplessness Matt had felt brought a fury upon him like he’d never known before. Now, seeing the man who was behind it standing there, once again thwarting their plans, Matt saw red.

  “What do you want?” Matt spit out.

  Randy shifted his gaze to Matt, his eyebrows raised in apparent surprise that Matt wasn’t groveling at Randy’s feet. “Your nose looks better, but those black eyes…” He tsk-tsked as he shook his head. “Not a good look for you, my friend.”

  Matt had to remind himself to unclench his jaw, and when he felt Jessica slip her hand into his, he inhaled slowly through his nose in an attempt to calm himself. He didn’t want to do something stupid that would put her in danger.

  “Toss your guns this way,” Randy said.

  Matt wanted to resist, wanted to pull out his gun and shoot at Randy until his magazine was empty, but he knew that wouldn’t end well. Not with a dozen guns trained on them. Still, he didn’t move.

  Randy shifted his aim, pointing his gun directly at Jessica. “I’d hate to shoot the pretty lady, but I will.”

  Jessica softly gasped.

  Hate-filled adrenaline flooded Matt’s veins, but he withdrew his gun and tossed it on the ground without hesitation. So did Jessica. Matt turned to look at Derrick.

  Cords stood out on Derrick’s neck, but he tossed his Glock toward Randy. Chris followed suit.

  Randy holstered his weapon and nodded at his men. One man scooped up the discarded guns while two other men quickly searched Matt and the others, taking the knife Matt had on his hip. Randy’s men stepped away.

  “What do you want?” Derrick asked, echoing Matt’s earlier question.

  Randy turned to Derrick, his head tilted. “Why do you think it’s okay to take what belongs to me?”

  What was he talking about? There was no way this RV dealership belonged to him. Randy was a gang-banger, not a businessman.

  Derrick narrowed his eyes. “We haven’t taken anything that belongs to you.”

  Matt couldn’t help himself. “It’s the other way around. You’ve taken things that belong to us.”

  A smile broke out across Randy’s lips as he stared right at Matt. “You mean that sweet rig you paid in taxes?” His smile grew. “I especially appreciate that auxiliary fuel tank on my truck.” He closed his eyes. “I hardly ever have to track down fuel now.”

  Anger burned in Matt’s gut, but he kept himself under control. Barely.

  “And that fifth wheel,” Randy went on, a blissful smile lighting his face. “So comfortable. Especially that bed.” His gaze slid to Jessica. “I know you used to sleep there.” He inhaled deeply. “I smell your scent on my pillow every night.” He touched his throat as his lips parted. “You fill my thoughts whenever my head touches that pillow.” Randy’s gaze slowly raked up and down Jessica’s body as his tongue slowly slid along his lower lip. “Perhaps you’d like to join me one night.”

  Matt barreled toward Randy, his only thought to slam his fist into Randy’s mouth to wipe that disgusting grin off of his face. Instead, before he reached the scumbag, he heard the blast of a gun as an excruciating pain tore through his upper thigh. He crashed to the asphalt, his leg feeling like it was on fire.

  “Matt!” Jessica screamed as she raced to his side. “Oh, Matt.” She lifted her gaze to Randy. “You shot him, you evil lowlife! You shot him!” Tears streamed down her face as she turned her attention to Matt, tearing off the sweatshirt she’d been wearing and tying it around his leg. “It’ll be okay, baby. It’ll be okay.”

  “For the record,” Randy said, his voice soft and calm, “I didn’t shoot your husband. One of my men did.”

  Matt didn’t care who had pulled the trigger. It was an Emperor who had done it. Matt had been unarmed. There’d been no reason to shoot.

  “Besides,” Randy went on, “you should be grateful we only shot him in the leg.”

  Despite the pain, Matt actually was grateful. And rather surprised that they hadn’t killed him. It had been idiotic to rush him. What had he thought they would do?

  “Can you stand?” Jessica asked him.

  Dizzy with pain, Matt wasn’t ready to stand just yet. “Give me a minute.”

  Jessica nodded, then she turned to Derrick. “We need to go.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Derrick

  Hatred for Randy and his crew scorched Derrick to his very soul. Even so, he had to maintain control. “As you can see, we have an injured man. We need to leave.”

  Randy chuckled. “Go right ahead.”

  Derrick knew it wouldn’t be that easy. There was a reason Randy had shown up. In fact, Derrick would bet that one of the Emperors had been watching them the whole time and had alerted Randy that they were there. That had been why he’d felt they were being watched. Because they had been.

  Knowing Randy wanted something, Derrick played along, going over to Matt and helping him slowly get to his feet. Chris joined him, standing on Matt’s other side. Jessica stood back to let Derrick and Chris take Matt’s weight between them as they hobbled toward the passenger side of Frank’s truck. Jessica opened the door and they helped Matt get inside.

  Expecting Randy to stop them at any moment, Derrick resisted the urge to look his way, instead focusing on making sure Jessica got safely behind the wheel of Frank’s truck.

  “Drive forward,” he murmured to her. “Head to the exit and don’t stop. But if you notice anyone following you, don’t go back to the farm.”

  She nodded. “Wait. What about you and Chris?”

  “We’ll be right behind you.” Hopefully. Derrick glanced at Chris, who stood nearby, rubbing the back of his neck, his lips tight. Derrick couldn’t begin to imagine how Chris felt. He had a wife and two small children depending on him, but Derrick could read in Chris’s body language that he wanted to take these guys out as much as Derrick did. That he was just holding himself in check. Derrick had no doubt that if he made a move, Chris would follow. A stony smile tugged at his lips.

  “See you back at the farm,” Jessica said, drawing Derrick’s attention back to her.

  He nodded, watching as she drove off, and as she left the dealership lot, he felt a sense of great relief. He didn’t see anyone following her, but that didn’t mean someone wasn’t parked around the corner ready to tail her once she appeared. Hopefull
y she or Matt would notice if that happened.

  “See what a generous emperor I am?” Randy asked.

  Shooting one of his “subjects” didn’t seem particularly generous to Derrick, but he wasn’t about to point that out. Why cause friction when they might be able to leave without further incident? Although Derrick was pissed that Randy had taken his Glock 21—his favorite weapon.

  “Yeah,” Derrick said as he and Chris strode past Randy and toward their truck and SUV, ready to get the heck out of there.

  “Hold up,” Randy said.

  Prepared to ignore him, when Derrick saw several guns shift to follow him, he decided it would be a good idea to see what Randy wanted. He stopped beside the hood of his truck. Chris was right beside him.

  “I hate this guy,” Chris muttered only loud enough for Derrick to hear.

  “You and me both,” Derrick said in a low tone. As much as Derrick would have loved to wipe out Randy and every one of his men, that was unrealistic. He and Chris were outmanned and unarmed.

  Derrick turned around and stared at Randy. “What is it?”

  “What makes you think you can drive off with another one of my trailers?”

  Derrick’s eyebrows shot up. Randy was claiming all the RVs as his? Why did that not surprise him? “Your trailers?”

  Randy swept his arms outward. “This is part of my kingdom. Everything within my kingdom belongs to me.”

  Which begged the question, Why did Randy let Matt and Jessica take the trailer that had been attached to Frank’s truck? “I disagree.”

  Randy burst out laughing. “You say that as if your opinion matters.” He sobered, his eyes cold. “It doesn’t.” He paused. “You need to pay for the trailer your friend took.”

  I knew it! As furious as Randy’s attitude made him, Derrick knew he was not in a position to fight him on it. “You never said anything about a payment when my friends left.”

  One side of Randy’s mouth tilted up in the semblance of a smile. “They were in a big hurry. I didn’t want to slow them down.”

  Right. Shaking his head in frustration, Derrick glanced at Chris, who sighed heavily.

  “What do we owe you?” Chris asked.

  Randy shifted his gaze to Chris. “I like that. Right down to business.” He frowned toward Derrick. “And he didn’t even argue.” He smiled at Chris. “You’re the one I’ll deal with.”

  Randy’s gaze slid over both the SUV and Derrick’s truck and their attached trailers before going back to Chris. “You can keep the trailer your friends took.” A menacing smile curved his lips. “To pay for it, I’ll keep your truck and SUV.”

  Fury, hot and bright, ignited within Derrick. Pounding began in his ears as adrenaline rushed through his body. Now he knew how Matt had felt when Randy had stolen his truck and fifth wheel. Like he wanted to kill the man. Slowly.

  Derrick’s hands curled into fists at his side. Then he remembered the way Randy’s man had shot Matt like he was a pesky fly. Was risking getting shot—and possibly killed—a price he was willing to pay to keep from losing his truck? No.

  Breathe, damn it, breathe.

  Using all the self-discipline he possessed, Derrick managed to calm himself enough to keep from doing something he would regret. Silently counting to ten, he felt his pounding heart slow. Maybe he could reason with this lunatic. “We’ll unhitch both trailers and then we’ll go.”

  Randy’s eyebrows tugged together. “Why would you unhitch the trailers?” Then he grinned as his expression smoothed out. “You want to keep your truck.” He paused. “I get it.”

  Damn right he did. It wasn’t just the truck, it was the principle of the thing.

  Slowly shaking his head, Randy said, “Shoulda thought of that before helping yourself to something that’s not yours.”

  Derrick couldn’t stop himself. “You mean like you do?”

  Randy stared hard at Derrick, then he burst out laughing and looked at his men, who also started laughing. After a moment, he sobered. “You’re forgetting your place. I am Emperor Randy.” He swept his hands outward. “This is my kingdom. I do what I please.” Hands falling to his sides, he continued smiling. “You are nobody. You don’t matter.” He glanced at Chris. “None of your people do.” His looked at Derrick with narrowed eyes. “I hope your friend dies.”

  It would have been easy to allow himself to become enraged, but Derrick forced himself to remain calm. Randy was just a nutjob trying to impress his men. Only problem was, his arrogance was affecting Derrick and his friends.

  Derrick kept his expression neutral as he stared back.

  “On your knees,” Randy said, his voice laced with anger as he unholstered his gun and pointed it at Derrick.

  Guess he hadn’t gotten the rise out of Derrick that he’d expected. Maybe he’d been hoping Derrick would rush him like Matt had so he would have an excuse to shoot him.

  Despite being fed up with Randy’s bullying ways, Derrick didn’t want to get shot, so he slowly knelt on the asphalt. Chris knelt beside him.

  “Hands on your heads,” Randy yelled.

  Moving slowly, Derrick did as commanded.

  Randy stalked over to him and pressed the gun against his temple.

  Briefly closing his eyes at the feel of the cold steel against his skin, when Derrick opened them, he stared into Randy’s dead eyes. No soul, just like Matt had said.

  “I should shoot you right now,” Randy murmured.

  Though his heart was pounding, Derrick kept his eyes locked on Randy’s.

  A slow smile lifted the corners of Randy’s lips and he pulled the gun away before taking a step back and turning to one of his men. “Bring me a revolver.”

  A moment later a man handed a revolver to Randy. With growing trepidation, Derrick watched as Randy opened the revolver’s cylinder and dumped the bullets into his hand. He pocketed all but one bullet, dropping that one into the cylinder before spinning the cylinder and snapping it back into place.

  With a wicked grin, Randy pressed the gun against Derrick’s head just above his left ear. “Let’s play a game.”

  Derrick didn’t say a word.

  “Where are you and your people staying?”

  Derrick had been in a lot of dangerous situations when he’d been deployed in the Middle East, but he’d never had anyone play Russian Roulette with him. Still, he wasn’t about to tell Randy a damn thing. Pressing his lips into a flat line, Derrick glared at him.

  Randy pulled the trigger.

  When Derrick heard the empty click, the thrum of near-death zinged through his body. Not a pleasant sensation.

  Randy spun the cylinder, then pressed the gun to Derrick’s temple. “Let’s try that again.” His voice was dangerously soft.

  Derrick continued to glare. “Go to hell.”

  Crazed excitement burned in Randy’s eyes. He pulled the trigger again.

  Click.

  How long was Randy going to play this game? Until Derrick was dead?

  Randy spun the cylinder.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Derrick

  Just as Derrick was wondering how long his luck would last, an explosion shattered the air and he was thrown to the ground.

  Stunned, it took him several moments to regain his equilibrium, but he immediately knew this was his chance to take out Randy and his Emperors. Shaking off the light-headedness that swept over him, he forced himself to get to his feet. Once standing, he sought out Randy but didn’t see his tattooed bald head anywhere. His men must have gotten him out of there. But they’d left behind half a dozen Emperors who were still splayed out on the ground.

  Derrick glanced to his left where Chris was lying face down on the pavement. Chris lifted his head and gave it a shake. Confident that Chris was all right, Derrick turned his attention to the Emperors who were closest to him. He needed to get his hands on a gun. His own, if possible. But he’d take anything at this point. And where had the explosion come from? Was it a rival gang or friendlies? It was t
oo soon for it to be his own group. There was no way Matt and Jessica could have gotten back and rallied the troops to come to their rescue.

  Putting aside his questions, he focused on taking advantage of the distraction. Needing a weapon, Derrick lunged toward the nearest man and snatched his handgun from the pavement. Straightening, Derrick dropped the magazine, made sure it was full, and slammed it home. Then he pulled the slide to see if a bullet was in the chamber. One was. Without hesitation, he shot the man in the head. He went to the next man, who was beginning to move, and took him out, grabbing that man’s gun and tossing it to Chris, who was now on his feet. Working together, they took out all the gang bangers who had been left behind.

  Skirting around the RVs, Derrick and Chris cleared the dealership, ending in the area where the explosion had originated—a propane tank on the back of the lot.

  “Did someone set that off?” Derrick asked, his gaze roving the area as he looked for anyone lurking about. “Or do you think the tank was leaking and exploded on its own?”

  Chris shook his head. “No clue.”

  Derrick was mighty curious to know the answer. Because if someone had blown up the propane tank on purpose, he wanted to know if they’d meant to help Derrick and Chris or if it had just been a lucky coincidence. “Time to go.”

  “I agree. No telling if the Emperors will come back.”

  Absolutely. That was the last thing they needed. He and Chris hustled back to their vehicles. “Keep an eye out for a tail.”

  Chris grinned. “You got it.”

  Before they left, they collected all the weapons the Emperors had left behind. Much to Derrick’s disappointment, his Glock 21 was not among them.

  On the way back to the farm, Derrick turned on random streets to make sure no one was following them. Chris stayed right on his tail. When Derrick reached the farm’s driveway, he saw Jeff standing guard. He waited while Jeff backed the box truck out of the way and opened the gate. Derrick drove through and Chris followed. Derrick saw Frank’s truck with the trailer still attached to it. Good. Matt and Jessica had made it back.