by Wilder, L.
“Someone’s pushing pretty hard to make that kind of connection.”
“Right now, none of that matters. We’ve gotta get moving.” This wasn’t the first time the cops had tried to take down the Sinners. For a while, it seemed like they were always snooping around, but this was the first time they’d gone after both the strip club and the clubhouse at the same time. With the amount of product we had at Stilettos and the artillery we had at the clubhouse, it would take some time to get everything moved. Knowing we didn’t have a minute to waste, I looked over to Menace and ordered, “Get with Country, Rafe, and Widow. You guys get things cleared out at Stilettos while we handle things here.”
“You got it,” Menace replied as he bolted out of the room. I was about to follow when Axel asked, “What about the girl? We can’t let the cops find her here.”
“No, we can’t. We’ll have to move her.” Viper looked over to me as he said, “Get the boys started with clearing things out, and then deal with the girl. You can leave her at the locker with Ada May.”
“On it.”
As soon as Hawk and I left Viper’s office, we got busy rounding up all the prospects and putting them to work. We didn’t want the cops coming across anything they might be able to hold against us, so we had them load up all the weapons, blow, and cash on hand into the SUVs. It was a lot to contend with, but it had to be done. Knowing I could trust Hawk to make sure the job was done right, I left them and headed down the hall to get Remington. When I reached her room, I knocked on her door, then slowly eased it open. It was still pretty early, so I wasn’t surprised to find her still asleep. I quietly stepped over to the bed and placed my hand on her arm, gently shaking her as I whispered, “Remington. Hey, Remington, you need to wake up.”
With a fearful gasp, her eyes flew open. “What’s wrong?”
“The cops are coming. We’ve gotta move you to the locker.”
“The what?”
“You’ll see when we get there.” I motioned for her to get up. “We need to get going.”
Trying to wake herself up, Remington ran her hand over her face and sighed. “Okay, but I don’t have any shoes.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
I leaned down and lifted her into my arms, carefully carrying her out of the room. I’d just stepped out into the hall when she looked over to me with a horrified expression. “You’re not going to give me a chance to get changed or at the very least, brush my hair and teeth?”
“There’s no time.”
Being careful not to jar her, I carried Remington outside to the SUV. She was still pretty sore, so I put her in the front and eased the seat back, giving her room to recline back. Once she was settled, I went around back to check in with Hawk and the others. Just as I’d hoped, they had everything loaded into Axel’s SUV and mine, and we were ready to roll out. Viper looked over to me and said, “I think we’re good. Call me when you get everything sorted at the locker.”
“Will do.”
I motioned to the others to let them know that it was time to go. Hawk followed me over to my SUV, and we both got inside. Just before we pulled off, Viper shouted, “Tell Ada May I’ll be by there soon.”
“You better, or she’ll have your ass,” Hawk teased.
“Don’t I know it.”
Viper gave the nod, and we were on our way. With Axel and a couple of the prospects following behind me, I started driving over to the club’s storage lot. On the outside, the place looked like your typical storage facility. There were forty units, ranging in size with a high fence and cameras posted at every corner. The minute Viper saw the place, he knew we had to have it, and he was right. When times like these rolled around, we needed a place to stash our goods, and with the underground safe he’d installed in one of the units, we had the perfect cover. Since day one, the brothers had called the place “the locker,” and I had to admit the name fit.
Since the place was on the larger side, Viper thought it would be a good idea to have someone to look after the place. I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about it, but I took a chance and told him about Ada May. I guess I could say she was my babysitter when I was growing up, but to me, she was much more than that. I always thought of her as part of our family. I could tell her anything. Hell, my day wasn’t complete until I told her all about it—which only made it that much harder when my folks died. I didn’t just lose them, but I lost her too. After I’d found out she was struggling and about to lose her house, I wanted to do something to help her but had no idea how until Viper mentioned needing someone to watch over the storage lot. I explained the situation, and not only did Viper agree to help her, he brought in a double-wide house trailer and paid off all her bills.
The brothers were a bit worried that a little, elderly, country-as-mud woman like Ada May wouldn’t be able to handle such an important role, but as soon as they met her, they realized she was one tough lady who didn’t put up with any bullshit. We’d barely pulled up to the gate when she came out the front door to greet us. I would’ve thought she was about to hit the garden the second I saw her standing there in those old worn-out overalls and bright floral top. When Hawk and I got out of the SUV, she put her hand on her hip, and a cheerful smile spread across her rosy cheeks. “Morning, boys. Good to see you.”
“Good to see you too, Ms. Ada,” Hawk replied. “How you been making it?”
“You’d know how I was doin’ if you came ’round here more often,” she fussed. “But I understand. You boys is busy doing what you gotta do.”
“Yes, ma’am, we are. Another day, another dollar.”
“That’s right.” She nodded with a smile, then turned her attention to me. “Got a bone to pick wit’ you.”
“I know. Been meaning to get by here.”
“Meaning to and doing it are two different things,” she scolded.
“I’ll do better.” I motioned my hand behind me as I added, “I got someone here who needs to hang out with you for a bit.”
“All right, den. Bring him on in, and I’ll make us a bite to eat.”
I nodded, then went over to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door. Confusion marked Remington’s face as I reached over and carefully lifted her from the seat. “What are we doing here, and who is she?”
“We’re gonna need to hole up here for a while.”
As I started up the front steps, Ada realized that it wasn’t a guy I was carrying. Curious, she stepped over to the ledge of the porch and leaned forward to get a better look. “My heavens. Who ya got dare?”
“This is Remington,” I replied as I continued up the steps.
“Remington? Hmm...Don’t reckon we’ve met before.” When we’d made it up to the door, her smile quickly faded, and her eyes widened with disapproval. “Oh, good Lord almighty! What happened to her?”
“She had a bit of an altercation with a couple of assholes, but she’s on the mend.”
“Did you have something to do wit’ dis?”
I gave her a scathing look as I snapped, “Come on, Ada. Damn, you know better than that.”
“I know. I know. I shouldn’t have asked such a thing.” Ada May stepped over to Remington and placed her hand on her arm. “Don’t you worry, child. I’m gonna fix you right up.”
“Thank you, Ms. Ada.”
“Come on. Let’s get you inside.” Ada motioned us forward as she opened the door. While her trailer didn’t look like much on the outside, the interior couldn’t have been nicer. The living room had an oversized sofa, a couple of comfortable chairs—including Ada’s favorite recliner—and a flatscreen TV mounted in the corner of the room. Flower arrangements and pictures were scattered around the room, and a large sunflower painting hung over the sofa. The kitchen was small but clean like the rest of the house. It was clear that Ada had taken great pride in her home, which was Viper’s intent. He wanted her to have everything she needed and more, and that’s exactly what she got. With a worried look on her face, Ada motioned her hand towards
the living room. “You can put ’er dare on the sofa or carry her on to one of da bedrooms in da back.”
I looked down at Remington and asked, “What do you think?”
“The sofa’s fine.”
“You got it.”
I carefully lowered her down on the couch and she’d barely gotten settled when Ada came rushing over with a pillow and a blanket. She patted Remington on the leg and said, “I got just da thing for those awful bruises. You just wait right dare.”
Ada scurried off to the back of the house, and Remington never said a word. A solemn look crossed her face as she used her fingers to brush her hair out of her eyes. I knew this whole thing was tough on her, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. “I’ve gotta help the brothers. You gonna be okay here for a little while?”
“Of course, she is,” Ada May answered for her. “Now, you go on and do what ya gots to do. She’ll be just fine.”
Ada pushed past me as she sat down on the coffee table in front of Remington and opened up a tiny bottle of lavender oil. Sensing my hesitation, Remington glanced up at me and smiled. “I’ll be fine. Go help your brothers.”
I nodded, then rushed outside. By the time I made it to our storage unit, Menace, Widow, and Country had finished at the strip club and were there with Hawk. They’d just unlocked the storage unit’s door, and Menace was logging in the code to open the hidden subfloor. The unit looked like all the others. It even had what appeared to be a regular concrete floor, but with one click of a button, the locks would disengage and reveal a set of stairs that led to an underground shelter. Once Menace opened the door, we all got busy unloading the SUVs. I was reaching for one of the duffle bags when I heard Widow grumble, “This is some bullshit.”
“You ain’t lying,” Country replied as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “What’s with the fucking heat today? Damn. It’s hotter than two rats fucking in a wool sock out here.”
Hawk chuckled as he asked, “What’s wrong, Country? You afraid you might break a sweat?”
“Break a sweat? Hell, I got swamp ass for days,” Country complained. “My taint is screaming for some corn starch.”
“I hear ya, brother.” Rafe shook his head. “My ass is—”
“Yeah, yeah. We get it. It’s fucking hot,” Axel snapped before Rafe could finish his thought. “Just move your chafed ass already, so we can get out of this goddamn heat and back to the clubhouse.”
Clearly unfazed by Axel’s scolding, Rafe grabbed a couple of duffle bags from the truck, and as soon as he started down the stairs, he chuckled and said, “Chafed ass. Swamp ass. Grumpy ass. Yeah, we got ’em here today, fellas.”
“Shut it, smartass.”
Laughter broke out as Axel grumbled cursed under his breath and grabbed another duffle bag. As we continued our descent down the steps, I could feel the cool, damp air on my skin, giving me a small reprieve from the scorching heat. Once downstairs, everyone started placing the bags on the shelves that lined the concrete room. It looked like a tornado shelter more than an actual safe, but it did the job. With the contents from the SUVs unloaded, we all trudged back upstairs, and Menace quickly locked everything up. When the brothers started to disperse, Axel walked over to me and said, “Viper wants you to stay here with the girl.”
“I need to be at the clubhouse in case something goes wrong.”
“You need to be where Viper tells you to be.” Axel’s eyebrow lifted when he added, “You made the decision to bring the girl to the clubhouse, so you deal with her.”
As much as I wanted to, I knew better than to argue. Trying my best to swallow my irritation, I gave him a nod and watched silently as my brothers loaded up into SUVs without me. After they were gone, I glanced back over at Ada’s trailer, and that’s when it hit me. I’d rather be at the clubhouse with the fucking cops than in that trailer with Remington. I just didn’t know why—or at least, I didn’t want to admit that I did. Either way, I was fucked.
Remington
“I’m guessing you can’t tell me who done dis to ya.” Ada hadn’t stopped talking since the minute Shotgun walked out that door. There were times I couldn’t even tell if she was talking to me or just to herself, but she was extremely sweet nonetheless. Her soft wrinkled fingers gently swept over my face as she applied lavender oil on my bruises. I had no idea if it would actually help, but it felt wonderful. There was a little bite to her tone as she grumbled, “You gotta be a sorry kind of fellar to put ya hands on a woman. People ain’t got no home raising no more. Got no respect for others or demselves. Ooo-wee. I sure could teach dem boys a thing or two.”
“I’m sure you could, Ms. Ada.”
“I tell ya what’s wrong wit’ da world today,” she pursed her lips. “Folks quit whooping der chil’ren. All dis time-out nonsense. Hmph. Should’ve gotten a switch after ’em and den we wouldn’t have so many disrespectful chil’ren.”
It was clear from the way she spoke that Ms. Ada May believed every word, and to be honest, I wasn’t so sure that she wasn’t right. My parents were pretty relaxed in the discipline department, but I never gave them a reason to behave otherwise. I found it doubtful that the men who attacked me the other night could say the same. “You might be right about that.”
“Might be? Pfft. No, honey. A good whoopin’ is exactly what deez chil’ren need.” When she was done dabbing the oil on my face and arms, she gave me a quick scan as she asked, “You got any more bruises I need to know about?”
“No, ma’am. Just a few stitches and bruised ribs.”
Ada’s expression grew angry again. “I sure hope Viper and dem boys of his take care of whoever did dis to you.”
“I’m just thankful that they’ve helped me as much as they have.” A tightness filled my chest as I told her, “If it hadn’t been for Shotgun and Doc, I might not be here at all.”
“I’m glad they takin’ good care of you.” She stood and shook her head. “Sweet girl like you needs taken care of.”
“I think they’re trying, especially Shotgun.” I thought back to those brief moments with him. “I’ve got a feeling that being nice doesn’t come easy to him.”
“I’m sure it don’t, but dat’s the way it is when you have the kind of loss he’s had.” She shook her head as she mumbled, “Umm-umm-umm. After all dat boy’s been through, it’s gotta be hard for him to let folks in. Easier to push ’em away. Might do him some good to have someone to tend to.”
She nodded to herself as she turned and went to the kitchen. When I didn’t respond, she kept on talking. “Um-hmm. He don’t even know dat part of him is still dare, but it is. I’d done seen it myself. Yes, sir. I seen how he takes after dem boys, and he takes after me too.”
I watched as she went over to the stove and put on a pot to boil. I was about to ask her what had happened to Shotgun when the door eased open and he stepped inside. Without saying a word, he walked over to the kitchen sink and washed his hands. Once he was done, he dried them off, then used the rag to wipe the sweat off his brow. He glanced over to Ada and asked, “Mind if I get a glass of water.”
“You know you don’t gotta ask.”
Like he’d done it a hundred times before, Shotgun stepped over to one of the cabinets, opened the right one and reached inside for a large glass. After he filled it with water, he leaned back against the counter and took a long drink. When he was done, he ran his hand over his mouth, wiping away the small droplets of water that were left behind, then looked over to Ada May with an expression I would’ve never expected from him. It was soft and innocent—like a child would look at their parent—and I could see the concern in his eyes as he asked, “That water heater still doing all right?”
“Shore is. Been doing great ever since you fixed it,” she replied proudly.
“Good.” Shotgun glanced around the room, making sure not to make eye contact with me, and asked, “You got anything else that needs to be done around here?”
“Well, if you got itchy fingers, you could take a
look at that damn ol’ sink. It’s been giving me fits.”
Ada opened the bottom cabinets so he could see the bucket she had slipped under one of the drains. Shotgun knelt down so he could get a better look. “How long has it been like this?”
“Can’t really say.”
“You should’ve told me about this sooner.”
“Would’ve if you been 'round to tell.” There was a hint of hurt in her voice, which apparently hadn’t gone unnoticed by Shotgun. I watched as he stood up and walked over to her, then leaned close as he said something I couldn’t hear. I have no idea what, but it brought a smile to her face. She patted him on the back as she asked, “How ’bout I make us some biscuits and gravy?”
“That would be great, just give me a minute to get the sink fixed.” Shotgun disappeared inside the open cabinets, and after clambering around for several minutes, he stood up and said, “All fixed.”
“Bless you, child.”
Just as the words left her mouth, something on the television caught my eye. When I turned to get a better look, I was surprised to see my picture plastered on the screen. I leaned closer, trying to listen as the reporter talked about the fact that I was still missing. It was hard to hear, but not nearly as hard as seeing my mother and father standing there with tears in their eyes while they pleaded for my return. The whole scene made me sick to my stomach. I wanted so desperately to reach out to my parents and let them know I was okay, but I already knew that wasn’t going to happen. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes as Ada fussed. “I gotta get to cooking. Go see ’bout your friend. She looks upset.”
I could see the apprehension in Shotgun’s eyes as he looked over to me, and I won’t deny that it stung a little. He could’ve just let me go and made me fend for myself, but he hadn’t. Instead, he’d gone above and beyond to help me, so I didn’t understand why he seemed so resistant to talk to me, especially after how supportive he’d been the night before. With a blank expression, he walked over to the sofa and asked, “You doing okay?”