by L. Wilder
Marcus glanced back at me as he asked, “You got a name?”
“Riley,” I mumbled with fear.
“Well, sit back and enjoy the ride, Riley.” A sinister smile crossed his face as he said, “’Cause you’re going to be in for quite a night.”
15
Murphy
As planned, the brothers and I made it down to Mobile by noon. When we pulled up to the dock, Ronin and his crew were already there waiting to help us unload. While there were times when he was a royal pain-in-the-ass, Ronin had proven himself to be an invaluable asset. Over the past couple of years, the club had been partnering with several of our affiliate chapters to create a pipeline that would enable us to move a large number of weapons in one haul, allowing us to gain a high profit. It had been going well, and we owed a great deal of that success to Ronin. After the weapons left our hands, it was up to him to see to it that they made it to our buyers, and he always went the extra mile to ensure that the deliveries went without a hitch. In the past, he’d used barges to move the goods from one secure location to the next, but recently, Ronin had changed his method of transportation. Just like the time before, he had a seventy-foot, high-performance yacht sitting at the dock waiting to move our shipment to the next location.
Like the last few times before, the brothers and I had to travel in two different SUVs. Our shipments had gotten bigger, so it was now taking us two horse trailers to carry the load. I’d driven one SUV with Blaze, Rider, and Gunner riding along with me, while Shadow had driven the second with T-Bone and Gauge. We’d had a long drive, so I was looking forward to stretching my legs as I got out of the truck. I’d barely had time to stretch out the kinks, when Ronin came over to me and said, “We need to move fast. There’s a storm rolling in, and I want to get out of the bay before it hits.”
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, so I asked, “What makes you think it’s gonna rain?”
“Look at the radar. There’s a hell of a storm brewing along the coast.”
“Is that going to be a problem?”
He didn’t sound exactly confident as he answered, “Not if we get this shit unloaded in the next fifteen minutes.”
“Then, let’s get this thing done.” I pounded on the hood of the truck as I shouted, “Let’s roll, boys.”
When I spotted him standing by the truck, I called out to Rider, “Hey, brother. Come give me a hand.”
He followed as I went over to the horse trailer and watched as I opened the back doors. Then, he helped as I got the two mares out and secured them on a nearby post. Once we were done, Rider asked, “What do you need me to do now?”
“We need to help the guys unload. Just follow my lead.”
“You got it.”
We both watched as Shadow and T-Bone unbolted the secret compartments beneath both of the trailers’ floor. As soon as they got them open, we started removing the crates. One by one, we carried them over to the yacht and hid them away in the storage containers in the lower deck. I watched as Rider followed suit, never asking questions as he tried his best to do what was expected. It took several trips for us to get everything unloaded, but we got it done with time to spare. Knowing he had to get moving, Ronin didn’t stick around for idle conversation. Instead, he said his goodbyes, and seconds later, he and the yacht were gone. When we returned to the truck, I sent Gus a message and let him know that all went well and we were on our way back home. As I started the truck, Gunner turned to me and asked, “You think he’ll beat the storm.”
“I got no idea.”
“Well, it could be all kinds of bad if he doesn’t.” His face grew pale as he asked, “Have you seen that movie, The Perfect Storm? Those waves tore that boat to shreds. There’s no telling what a storm like that would do to that fancy-assed boat of Ronin’s.”
“We’re talking about a thunderstorm, Gunner. Not a fucking hurricane. Ronin and his boat should be just fine,” I assured him.
“It was a great movie, though,” Blaze added.
“Yeah, it was.” Gunner looked over to Blaze with a proud smile as he asked, “What about Kintzler and Quintana?”
“No surprises there, Gunner. We all knew they’d be back.”
“Yeah. There’s still no word on Hamels or Strop, but I don’t see them going anywhere.”
“Probably so, but not really concerned about them.” Blaze shook his head as he said, “If the Cubs want to make it this year, then they’re gonna have to find a reliable backup catcher. Contreras is good, but he can’t carry the team alone.”
They continued to talk baseball for the next half hour. I’d never been a fan of the Cubs, so I was relieved when the conversation died out. We were just about to come into Meridian when Shadow’s voice came over the two-way radio. “We’re going to need to fill up soon.”
“Us, too. Let’s get off at the next exit.”
“You got it.”
Once we’d taken the exit, I pulled over to the nearest gas station. None of us wanted to waste time stopping for lunch, so while Shadow and I filled up the SUVs with gas, the others went inside to grab us something to eat. Ten minutes later, they came out of the store looking like they’d just gotten a week’s worth of groceries. When they started getting in the truck, I asked, “What the hell is all that?”
“It’s lunch,” Gunner answered innocently. He reached into the bag and pulled out a burger wrapped in foil. “Whatcha want? I’ve got a couple of burgers and hot dogs … but I gotta tell ya, the hot dogs were looking a little sketchy. If I had to guess, I’d say they’d been there for a while.”
“But that didn’t stop him from buying them,” Blaze complained. “And it also didn’t stop him from buying a couple of pretzels that were as hard as rocks.”
“I was hungry.”
I chuckled as I took the burger from his hand and told him, “You’ve got a gut made of steel, brother.”
“That I do, but if you had to eat the shit I did growing up, you’d have one, too.” He shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong. My momma tried, but damn. There’s only so many times a man can eat undercooked chicken.”
Blaze chuckled as he told him, “We’ve all heard the horror stories of your momma’s cooking, but I’ve eaten over at your place. It’s not that bad.”
“Brother, she didn’t cook that shit. That was takeout that she’d warmed up in her dishes to make it look like she made it, and she still screwed it up and burnt the damn mashed potatoes.”
“Yeah, I remember.” Blaze’s face twisted into a grimace at the memory. “But at least she tried. Maybe one day you can find yourself a good woman who can cook.”
“I’d be happy with just a good woman … Don’t give a shit about her being able to cook.” He took a bite out of one of the old, rubbery hot dogs and said, “For the right woman, I’d live on beanie weanies and Vienna sausages.”
I glanced up at the rearview mirror so I could get a look at Rider. He hadn’t said two words on the entire trip, so I asked, “You’re awfully quiet back there. You making it okay, brother?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” he answered. “I’m just soaking all this in, so I’ll be better prepared next time.”
“You did good today,” I told him. “I’m sure Gus will be happy to hear that.”
“I hope you’re right.” He took a bite of his sandwich and said, “By the way, the chicken salad ain’t so bad.”
“Wait! You’re eating the chicken salad?” Gunner asked with alarm. When Rider nodded, Gunner reached into the backseat and grabbed the sandwich out of his hand, quickly tossing it out of the window. “Never … and I mean never, eat the chicken salad from a gas station, brother. Trust me. Not even my stomach can take the hell it will do to your intestines.”
“Thanks for the heads up.”
“No problem.” Gunner reached into his sack and brought out another burger. As he offered it to Rider, he said, “Do us both a favor and eat this instead.”
We all settled in and finished our lunch as we continued down
US 45. We’d almost made it to Tupelo when my burner started to ring. I reached down and took it out of the cupholder, and when I checked the screen, I was surprised to see that Gus was calling. As soon as I answered, he asked, “How far out are you?”
“We’ve still got about an hour and a half to two hours.”
“I was afraid of that.”
There was something about his voice that set me on edge. “Why? Is something wrong?”
“It’s Riley.”
I could feel the weight of the world pressing down on me when I asked, “What about her?”
“I don’t have all the details yet, but from what I can tell, she’s been taken.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
While mine was frantic and full of anger, his voice remained calm while he continued, “There was a situation out at the Nichols’ place … an exchange that didn’t go down as expected, and they took Riley at gunpoint.”
My breathing became more rapid, more shallow, as I barked, “Who was it?”
“I don’t know yet. Nichols called looking for you, and I couldn’t understand much of what he was saying.” The thoughts were racing too fast in my head. I wanted them to slow down so I could think as he told me, “I was trying to explain that you were out of town when the line went dead. I’ve tried calling him back, but I haven’t gotten an answer.”
“Fuck.”
“Murphy,” Gus warned. “I know this isn’t easy, but you’re gonna have to keep it together until we find out what the hell is going on.”
“I’ve got to get to her, Gus.”
“I know and we’ll see that you do, but for now, you need to get back here in one piece. You got me?”
My ribs felt like they were bound in a vice as I tried to take in a deep breath. I was in full-blown panic mode which never happened—not to me. It was me who always kept a level head, but I’d let my rules fall by the way side and it cost me. “Yeah, I got you.”
“I’ll keep trying to get Nichols and see if I can get any more information on Riley. You focus on getting back home.”
“I’ll do my best.”
I hung up the phone and threw it into the cupholder. “Dammit!”
“What’s going on with Riley?” Blaze asked with concern.
As I told him what Gus had just told me, he didn’t ask questions. He just took in the information and did his best not to get me any more worked up than I already was. Once I’d gone through everything, I said, “Gus is supposed to call me back when or if he gets back in touch with Nichols.”
“I don’t know, brother.” He seemed certain when he said, “I think we need to head straight to the farm and see for ourselves what’s going on. If Nichols is as upset as I think he is, he’s gonna end up forgetting something important. Besides, it’s on the way.”
“Agreed.”
“Good. I’ll call Shadow and let him know what’s going on.”
When he picked up the phone, I eased down on the accelerator and hauled ass down the interstate. An hour later we were in Somerville, and I was hanging on by a thread as we turned into the Nichols’ driveway. I was doing my best to keep it together as we made our way down the gravel road, but then I saw Riley’s favorite mare sprawled out on the driveway with a pool of blood around her head. Once we’d pulled up at the house, I threw the truck in park and got out. With Blaze and Shadow at my side, we started walking towards the house. I hadn’t gotten far when Riley’s father and her brother came rushing out the front door. With his pale complexion and worried expression, Mr. Nichols looked like he’d aged twenty years as he raced towards me. He shook his head and said, “You were right … you were right about everything.”
“None of that matters now,” I told him. “Right now, we need to focus on getting Riley back.”
“I won’t be able to live with myself if they hurt her.”
“Who exactly are ‘they’?” I pushed.
“I don’t really know … the Hurricanes or something. They’re some inner-city gang.” He went on to tell me about Devon, and the argument over the shipment that we’d purchased from him several weeks before. He explained how he’d reached out to his contact and a new shipment was in route, but there had been some bad weather up north and it had caused a delay. Tears filled his eyes as he told me about Devon shooting Anna Belle, and the devastated look he’d seen on his daughter’s face when she realized he’d killed her. He continued talking, but I couldn’t hear anything after he told me about Devon putting his gun against Riley’s head. After that, it was all static. I clenched my fists at my side as I inhaled a deep breath, hoping it would help center me, but I was too far gone. I was going to end this guy Devon and every one of those asshole gangsters who were in that car with him. Nichols’ voice trembled as he went on, “There was no way I could know that they’d just take her like they did. If I’d known that, I would’ve killed them myself.”
“How long have they been gone?”
“Not quite two hours.” He took a step towards me as he pleaded, “You’ve gotta help me get her back, Murphy.”
“I’ll do everything I can. You have my word on that.” After I gave him the number to my burner, I told him, “We’re going to need to leave our horses and trailers here, or they’re going to slow us down. You good with that?”
“Absolutely. Do whatever you need. Just unload the trailers, and I’ll tend to the horses.”
Once we unhitched the trailers, I turned to Nichols and promised, “We’ll be in touch as soon as we know something.”
I got in the truck and closed the door behind me. Once my brothers had done the same, I pulled out of the driveway, and as I started back towards Memphis, I tried to think of the fastest way for me to find Riley. I had no idea where Devon had taken her, and trying to find her in a city with over a million people in it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. If there was anyone on the planet who could come up with a way for me to find her, it would be Riggs. Praying that he would have the answer, I reached for my phone and called him.
16
Riley
I’d never realized how powerful fear could be until I was trapped in that car with Devon and his friends. With each second that passed, I could feel the terror in the pit of my stomach growing with every beat of my racing heart. Like a wild animal, it clawed at me, demanding to be freed. I tried to fight it, tried to focus on something other than the men next to me with their guns sticking out of their waistbands, but no matter how hard I tried, the fear was still there. I could feel it pressing against my organs, digging into my ribs as it swelled inside of me. When it finally made its way to my throat, I looked up in order to open the passageway for some air to enter my lungs, and then I inhaled a shallow breath. It felt like I was suffocating when my mind drifted back to the moment Devon killed my sweet Anna Belle. A wave of nausea washed over me and I could taste the bile at the back of my throat, but I forced it down. Inhaling a slow cleansing breath, I tried to concentrate on steadying my heart rate, hoping that it would be enough to calm me down. I had to keep my wits about me and focus on the hatred I felt towards these men for kidnapping me and killing Anna Belle. I needed to use that anger to keep myself in control. It was the only way I was going to survive this.
I looked out the window, and even though it was getting dark outside, I knew we were entering Frayser, one of the roughest parts of Memphis. It was gang territory, known for its violence and endless illegal activities, and people who had any sense at all about them did everything they could to steer clear of the area. More than eighty percent of the people there lived below the poverty line, and it showed. Gang graffiti marked every street corner. The homes were so dilapidated that it was hard to believe anyone actually inhabited them, and the businesses were often dirty with old, dingy storefront signs that hadn’t been updated in years. The streets were lined with various hoodlums searching for their next score, and prostitutes looking for their night’s companion. I didn’t know which was worse—th
e danger that was looming in the car with me or the danger that lurked in the dark alleys of the ’hood. I assumed I was safer in the car, thinking they wouldn’t hurt me as long as my father got them their weapons, but then one of the men turned to me and said, “You sure are a pretty thing.”
I didn’t want to respond, thinking it would only open the door for more conversation, but he wouldn’t stop looking at me. Feeling like I had no other choice, I replied, “Thank you.”
“Ah, look at that. She’s not only a looker. She’s shy, too.” His eyes skirted over me, and a creepy grin spread across his face as he said, “You know … there’s just something about the quiet girls that gets to me.”
“I think you’re on to something, Leon.” Marcus chuckled from the front seat. “It’s the quiet ones who can surprise ya. Hell, some of ’em get downright freaky when they want to.”
“What about you, cowgirl? Are you a lady in the streets and a freak in the sheets?” The conversation was going south fast, and I was scared that anything I said would just provoke him to take things further. When I didn’t answer, Leon snickered, “That’s all right. I’ll find out for myself soon enough.”
I knew exactly what he was insinuating and was horrified by the thought of him or any of the others raping me. I could feel the tears burning my eyes as I turned my focus back to the side window. I thought he would continue harassing me, but thankfully, the man sitting to my right leaned forward and said, “Give it a rest, Leon.”
“What’s wrong, Zeek? You don’t want a piece of the prissy, little cowgirl?”
“What I want is for you to shut the fuck up for a minute and remember why she’s even with us right now,” Zeek growled. “You got any idea how pissed Malik is gonna be if we don’t get that shipment to him?”
Devon cleared his throat as he looked up at the rearview mirror and glared at Zeek. “That’s enough out of both of you.”