by B. B. Hamel
“Damn,” I said, glancing at Hartley. “What’s the local PD doing about all this?”
“The sheriff don’t give a fuck. They’re all bought by the Dixie assholes,” Markus said. “Lots of honest folks are getting bought out of their homes as the developers start swooping in. You see the construction on the way into town?”
“Yeah. I noticed that.”
“That’s all from Dixie money. They’re evicting locals and building these big-ass cardboard fucking houses for rich folks to get a taste of the country life.”
“Seems like that might be good for the town?”
Markus spit right onto the floor. “Fuck that shit, Travis. Knoxville don’t need no rich ass strangers coming into our town and changing everything for us. Besides, it’s just making the Dixie assholes richer, and that’s not good for anyone.”
I nodded slowly. “Is anyone standing up to them?”
He shrugged, drinking his moonshine. “Sure. Some folks are. I’m sure as hell not cooperating with them. But their biggest problem is the Caldwell family.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Caldwell? I know that name.”
“Yeah, you would.” He frowned. “Ray was seeing that one Caldwell girl. Jane Caldwell.”
I blinked as that memory clicked into place. Jane Caldwell and my brother were like the king and queen of the fucking school back then. She was pretty, thin, and popular, the kind of girl every guy wanted a piece of. My brother locked her down early and they were never apart all through school.
She was in the car the night my brother died. Ray wasn’t wearing a seat belt and was thrown through the window. Fortunately for Jane, she had her belt on and managed to walk away from the accident with cuts and bruises.
I didn’t see her after the accident. I was angry with her for a long time. I never much liked her anyway, since I didn’t go for those stuck-up girls, and so it was easy to pretend like she’d died right alongside my brother.
“What are the Caldwells doing?” I asked.
“You remember all their land up in them hills?”
“Sure do.”
“They’ve been running drugs over the border between here and Sellerton. Apparently they got some big backers up around there. Them and the Dixie assholes have been in a little war ever since the Caldwells started muscling in on their turf.”
I shook my head, surprised. “I thought they just did ATV tours up through those hills.”
“They did and do, but they also sell drugs and guns now, too.”
“Why?”
Markus just shrugged. “Hell if I know. Happened about a year before the Dixie assholes really started making moves. They’ve been in competition ever since.”
I sighed and drank back the moonshine, letting the warm burn enter my stomach. Knoxville sounded the same, but it was totally different, too. The Mafia had more sway in town than I had realized, but the Caldwells fighting against them was a surprise. I didn’t expect any locals to try to push back against them, but apparently I was wrong.
“All right, Markus,” I said. “Thanks for giving me the rundown.”
“Anytime, boy,” he said. “You in town for a while now?”
“Could be,” I said, glancing at Hartley. “I got some business to take care of.”
Markus sighed. “What are you mixed up in these days?”
“I’m a Navy SEAL, Markus. I’m not into this crime shit.”
“Maybe,” he said, “but I know you, Travis. I taught you to hunt and to fish. I know what your mind is like, and you’re a restless one. Take care of yourself.”
I grinned at him and stood up. “I always do.”
Hartley and Markus both stood up. Hartley smiled at Markus. “Thanks for the moonshine,” she said.
Markus laughed. “I like you, girl. Stick around.”
She just smiled and nodded as we headed back toward the front door. Markus walked us out and I followed Hartley down the front steps.
“Stop by again, especially you, Hartley,” Markus called out.
Hartley laughed. “Okay. We will.”
Markus waved as we got back into my car and I pulled out, turning around and heading back down the road.
“So, what did you think?” I asked her.
“Of Markus or of the moonshine?”
I grinned. “Both.”
“Markus seems nice, maybe a little crazy, but nice.”
“That about sums him up.”
“And the moonshine was disgusting.”
“Right on the money.” I laughed, shaking my head. “You impressed him, though.”
“Not hard to impress men like that.”
“How do you mean?”
She shrugged, looking out the window. “Men like him see a cute little blond southern girl. All you need to do is prove you’re not a pushover and somehow you’re incredible.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Hartley, not many people can stomach the swill he gave us, little blond girl or not.”
“Maybe,” she said, and we drifted into silence.
I couldn’t get a fix on this girl. One second she was all self-confidence, and the next she was looking down on herself. Markus held people to high standards, and impressing him was a real feat. But apparently, Hartley didn’t think so, and I couldn’t figure out why.
Maybe she was used to be treated a certain way her whole life. The girl was fucking gorgeous, after all. Maybe she wasn’t used to throwing back shots with real men.
I had a feeling she’d learn, though, and learn fast, especially if we were getting involved with the Dixie Mafia.
7
Hartley
The moonshine felt like fire in my stomach as Travis drove back into town.
I couldn’t believe I’d drunk that stuff. Really, it was the foulest liquor I’d ever put to my lips. It wasn’t the first moonshine I ever drank, but it was by far the most disgusting.
I didn’t know what the heck I was doing in this car with this strange man. I’d already visited his family gravesite, which was weird enough, but then we had to go and spend time with his crazy hill person cousin or whatever he was. When Travis saved me from those Mafia assholes, I never imagined I was going to get a very intimate tour of his life.
But the man was interesting, very interesting. I had to admit, he had a lot of pain in his past, but it was incredibly amazing that he somehow rose above it all and became a Navy SEAL. That was no small accomplishment. I could see it in his body, in the way he moved, the skills he had and the serious way he spoke. He’d handled Hoyt the other night, in the face of death, like it was no big deal.
Travis was something else, a kind of man I’d never seen before. He was a cocky asshole, a real southern jerk, but he was also much more than that.
“Where are we going?” I asked him.
“To your place.”
“Know where you’re going?”
“I figured you’d tell me.”
I sighed, feeling a little lightheaded. “Okay then. Know that little dry cleaner with the cowboy statue out front?”
“Sure do.”
“I live above that.”
He laughed. “No shit. Is your landlord James Duncun?”
I nodded. “He’s a creep.”
“That he fucking is.”
Travis took a turn and headed back toward my apartment. We rode for a few minutes in silence, and I noticed him looking back into the rearview mirror a few times.
“What?” I asked him.
He glanced at me. “It’s nothing.”
“Just tell me.”
“We’re being followed.’
I turned around and looked out the back. “How can you tell?”
“They’ve been on us since we left this morning. I’m guessing it’s the mafia making sure we’re not running.”
“What do we do?”
“Nothing,” he said. “Relax. We’re there anyway.” Travis pulled the car over, parking across the street from my apartment.
“Shou
ldn’t we lose them?”
“No,” he said. “We want them to know we’re playing by the rules.”
I was quiet for a second, chewing my lip. “This sucks,” I said finally.
“Yeah,” he agreed, and then got out of the car. I followed him, not sure how he could be so calm. As we crossed the street, he smiled and waved at a little red truck with two guys sitting in it. They gave him a look but didn’t wave back, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Was that them?”
“Sure was,” he said.
“Why’d you do that?”
He shrugged and smirked at me. “Fun, I guess.”
I headed over to the door that led upstairs, unlocked it, and went in. He followed me up and watched as I unlocked my front door, pushing it open.
My apartment was pretty empty. I had never planned on staying in Knoxville, and so I had never really made this place my home. There was a tiny kitchen to the left, a small living room space immediately as we walked in, and the bedroom and bathroom to the right.
All in all, it was a cozy apartment, so long as you didn’t mind living above a dry cleaner. That only meant that I had to deal with the smell of chemicals once in a while, which wasn’t so bad.
Travis walked inside and looked around. “Nice place.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “Got the job done.” I tossed my bag onto the floor and headed into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Travis leaned up against the wall and watched as I drank it down. The water tasted fresh and cool. It really helped with the fuzzy feeling I had in my mind and the burning in my stomach from that stupid moonshine.
“What’s the plan now?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “Now we wait until Hoyt comes back and lets us know what’s up.”
“Fine. I’m taking a shower then.”
“Need a hand?”
“No thanks.”
He laughed, stepping nearer. “How long are you going to pretend like you don’t want to feel this cock between your legs?”
“As long as it takes,” I answered, moving past him.
He laughed that cocky, arrogant laugh. It drove me absolutely crazy, and I hated that he could so easily get a rise out of me. I knew I was soaking wet already just imagining what it would be like to have him join me in the shower.
I could practically see the water dripping down off his muscular body. I wouldn’t mind feeling him press against me in the warm water, kissing my skin, his fingers running down between my legs.
But that couldn’t happen, not with so much going on. He collapsed onto the couch as I went back into the bathroom and shut the door.
The shower felt incredible as I stood there under the water, letting the heat wash away the fear and the memories of the last day. What had happened in the parking lot seemed like it was weeks ago, but it hadn’t even been a full day yet. So much had happened in such a small amount of time that I was having trouble completely decompressing.
Of course, the moonshine wasn’t helping, though the shower made me feel sober. Which was good, since I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep resisting Travis if I remained a little tipsy. The man had a way about him that simply drove me wild and pushed every single one of my buttons.
I had to stop thinking about him that way. I couldn’t keep imagining what it would feel like to get that wild, dangerous Navy SEAL in my bed. I couldn’t keep wondering how his rough hands would feel on my hips as he pressed himself deep inside me.
I finished up the shower and got out, wrapping myself in a towel. I felt better, more awake and more human after cleaning myself off. I quickly brushed my teeth and then left the bathroom and holed myself up in my bedroom.
There wasn’t much in the apartment that reminded me of home. I’d left all of that back on the farm, back with my parents. I’d wanted this to be all about business, but as I sat on my bed and looked at my bare walls, I wished I had brought something with me. I scrolled through my phone absently, looking at old pictures.
Just then, there was a knock on the front door, loud and jarring. My heart skipped a beat.
The door to my bedroom flew open. Travis stood there, staring in at me with this intense expression. I was sitting on the bed still wearing nothing but my towel, and he didn’t even pretend like he wasn’t looking at my body. A small grin began to play on his lips.
“They’re here,” he said.
“Uh, okay. I heard. Do you mind?”
“No. I’ll wait.” He leaned up against the doorframe.
“Get out, Travis.”
“You sure? I can help you change. Or we can leave you naked. Might be a damn good distraction technique.”
“Travis,” I said, getting annoyed.
“Your loss,” he said, laughing. He walked away and I quickly closed the door behind him.
That man was so frustrating. He left me flustered and wild every time he looked at me, and he made no apologies for it. I shook my head as I quickly got dressed, throwing on a pair of jean shorts and a T-shirt.
Travis was waiting out in the hall for me. “Ready?”
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
He nodded, suddenly back to business. “Good.” He walked over to the door and pulled it open.
Three men stood there. Hoyt stepped inside, follow by two men I didn’t recognize. They were large and broad and wore big jean jackets over dark denim pants.
“Hoyt,” Travis said.
“Good. You’re still here,” Hoyt said.
“Brought friends?”
Hoyt glanced at the two men. “Wait outside.”
The quickly filed out, and Travis shut the door behind them.
“I take it the news is good,” Travis said.
“What makes you think that?”
“Well, you wouldn’t be in this room alone if it weren’t.”
Hoyt grinned. “Yeah. You got me there.”
“Come on, sit.”
The two men sat down at the table and Travis gestured for me to join. I sat to his right, feeling a nervous knot in my stomach
Hoyt looked at the two of us. “You’re a real pain in my ass. You know that, Travis?”
“Sure I am,” he said slowly. “What do you have for me?”
“First, Hartley, I got to tell you how fucking lucky you are.” Hoyt stared at me seriously. “You know this guy is just about the only man in Knoxville who could possibly help you, right?”
“I’m lucky,” I said softly.
“You here to make the girl feel bad, or are you here to make a deal?” Travis asked, annoyed.
“A bit of both.” Hoyt leaned back in his chair. “You’re lucky as hell, too, Travis. If it were anyone else at that door last night, you’d be finished.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Travis said. “I know a few things.”
“I bet you do. Well, I talked to my damn boss about you. He’s interested in a little exchange.”
“I’m listening.”
“How much do you know about the Caldwell family?”
“Saw Markus earlier. He told me a bit about them.”
Hoyt scowled. “That old nut job still around? Anyway, so you know that the Caldwells have been pushing onto our turf, taking our customers.”
“Heard something about that.”
“A week ago, we had a big shipment go missing, mostly weed, but also some guns and shit like that. My boss wants you to find this shipment and bring it back to us.”
“That’s it?” Travis asked. “Seems too easy.”
“We think the Caldwells have it, and that’s not going to be easy to prove, Travis. This is a lot of weed and a lot of guns.” Hoyt looked at me. “Enough to pay down your debt.”
“If I do this, the girl is free? And her family?”
“Safe and free,” Hoyt said.
“Okay then,” Travis said. “You got a deal.”
Hoyt held out his hand and Travis shook it.
“One more thing,” Hoyt said. “It’s your job to keep the girl here. W
e can’t have her running off on us. If this job doesn’t work out, we want the girl.”
Travis paused. “I’ll keep her here, but I won’t give her to you if things go south.”
They released each other’s hands.
“I figured you’d say that,” Hoyt replied. “I can’t say I blame you. She’s real fucking pretty.”
“Enough,” Travis said, and I heard a dark edge in his tone.
“Easy there,” Hoyt said, standing. “Wouldn’t want to fuck this up before it even started.”
“I agree to keep her here,” Travis said. “You can tell your boss he’ll get his shit back.”
“Fine, fine.”
“How long do we have?”
“Two weeks.”
Travis nodded. “Done.”
“Well then, good doing business with you both. You don’t have to show me out. I’ll find the door.” Hoyt turned and left the apartment, shutting the door behind him.
I stared at Travis once he was gone. “Are you serious?” I asked him.
“I’m always serious,” he answered. “I’m serious when I tell you I could make you moan my name here and now if you just let me slide those shorts off that perfect ass.”
“Travis, come on. How are you going to steal all this stuff from a big gang?”
He shrugged. “I have no clue.”
“And are you even okay with doing this? I mean, you’d be helping a pretty awful gang.”
“True. I’d also be saving your ass.”
“I can’t ask this of you.”
“You’re not,” he said. “I’m telling you I’m doing it.”
“I can’t ask this of you. I barely even know you, and you’re risking your life for me.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “You don’t get it, do you? I’m not risking my life here.”
“These guys aren’t joking around, Travis.”
He grinned hugely and leaned toward me. “Neither am I. Plus, I have nothing better to do.”
“Travis—”
“It’s too late anyway. The deal is done. We’re in this together now, Hartley. Better get used to it.”
I stared at him, not sure what to say. His gaze was so intense and expressive that for a second I forgot how much trouble we were in. For a second I imagined that it was just the two of us, alone in the apartment together, with nobody looking to kill us.