***
Tank:
The drive to the drop off is on the outskirts of town, and we take our time getting there. It’s almost been an hour for Abigail riding in the car. After she stopped crying about that damn horse, she stayed quiet. It’s a little surprising that she’s not talking our ears off like she does with Chalk.
I get the impression that she’s not so sure about the rest of us guys, especially Vince. I can't blame her, I guess, if I think about it. We're not exactly the cute and cuddly types. I’m not sure why she's so standoffish toward Vince, but they say little kids knows shit that other people don’t.
Makes me think a little harder about Vince, but I shake off the thoughts. Vince wouldn’t do anything to endanger us, especially with the kid along. She's worth too much to take any chances. Vince is all about the club, anyway. He always puts the Death Jokers ahead of his own interests. Still, something seems off today.
The whole sketchy feeling probably comes from the kid, though. Have to remember, this is all new to her. I look down and find Abigail is sound asleep, her little hands clutching her Hello Kitty bag and blanket. No wonder she’s been quiet. I lift her back into her seat and buckle her in, putting her blanket around her and the bag by her hand.
Brax notices what I'm doing. “So what are we going to do with the kid?”
Vince cracks his window and lights a cigarette. “Fuck if I know, but she better act right. Chalk is getting soft and the stupid bastard doesn’t even see it.” He’s got some attitude, especially with this whole security thing being his deal. What the fuck is up with that shit?
Brax glances back at me. "Vince, man, nobody's supposed to smoke around Abigail. Her lungs don't work that great, and we don't want her sick."
This is a big deal. Chalk smacked the piss out of Messer the other day for lighting up while Abigail was in the living room.
"Fuck that. I got the window down. Ain't gonna hurt the stupid little bitch."
I hope to fuck it doesn't bother her, for all our sakes. I could insist, but that would mean a fight with Vince, and I'm not too thrilled with the thought of going up against my Pres.
Ever since Abigail let loose her whole Stranger screaming fit on him, Vince acted like the poor kid should be kept locked in a closet until we could cash her in. Seriously fucked up. I get back to the conversation. “He's acting weird, but Chalk, soft? Come on, never goin’ to happen. Hell, we're all nervous with the kid being around all the time. Has to be even harder for him.” Yeah Chalk is young and new to the scene, but he’s proven himself to be rock-fucking-solid.
I don't understand Vince's doubts. No, Chalk’s not ready to hold a half a million worth of drugs. The temptation to take off with it and never look back is strong as fuck. Chalk will just have to earn a little more trust. Of course, Abigail presents a far bigger temptation. Whoever has her had control of all that money, and access to it.
“That kid. Something's up with her. Ya’ll better watch it, or she’ll turn you all soft. And I'm saying it right now, I won’t have a club full of pussies.” Vince takes a deep drag off his smoke and flips ashes out the window.
“You have to admit, she’s kind of a cute li'l thing. Just look at her, she’s passed out cold and still hanging onto that Hello Kitty bag of hers for dear life.” I can’t help but to smile at the sight of her. Who would have thought a bunch of outlaws would have a little girl in the car on the way to a drug drop off? Not me in a million years, that’s for sure. She kinda reminds me of my brother's kid.
“She’s cute all right. Like a fucking landmine waiting to be stepped on so it can blow your ass the fuck up.” Vince's sarcasm ruins the peaceful mood in the car.
We all sit quiet for a few minutes, lost in our own thoughts. Who knows what these other fuckers are thinking about, but I’m thinking Vince might be right about Abigail, in a way. She’s going to change us all, whether we want to change or not. I doubt we’ll even notice before it’s too late. Not even Vince.
We're all hardened criminals, and there's a couple of stone-cold killers in the club, men without the slightest bit of softness or emotion. But kids are almost magical. They worm their way under your skin, and before you know it, you'll do anything for them. Happens in the blink of an eye, before you can distance yourself.
The silence suddenly breaks with Vince practically shouting at us. “That’s it! The fucking kitty bag. We’ll stuff it and no one would suspect anything inside it. Brax, grab it from her.”
Our biggest problem with this exchange was the quantity of goods. It was too much to tuck in a pocket and keep out of sight until the time came. Three bikers turning their pockets out might draw some attention. But it seemed like Vince had found the perfect solution, since he forgot to bring something to put the shit in.
Brax glances over his shoulder with a horrified expression. “Fuck, me man? Nah man, Tank’s right beside her. He should do it. I’ll wake her up and you know it.”
“Fine, dipshit. I’ll do it. Can’t believe you’re afraid you’ll wake up a six year old. Wait ‘til I tell the other guys about that one. Big bad Brax, taken down by Abigail’s sleeping form.” I can't not hassle Brax. It's too damn much fun.
This time, though, Vince gives Brax a dirty look before he can react, so he just flips me off instead of saying anything. Looks like I won't get to push his buttons and get him worked up. Oh, well.
I reach for the bag, where Abigail has her fingers wrapped in it again. Reflexively, she tightens her grip as I pull on it. She mumbles something softly about Chalk in her sleep. Everyone freezes. We all hold our breath, and wait to see if she’s going to wake up. After a few seconds, she settles back down. I sigh and try again, this time taking her hand first and undoing her grip from the bag. Success.
Vince starts barking orders. “Okay. We have to hurry before she wakes up. I don’t know how Chalk handles her screaming tantrums so well, but I won’t be able to. So hurry the fuck up.” If he keeps talking so damn loud he’ll wake her up and we’ll be screwed.
I know better than to say anything about it, so I unzip the bright bag with the stuffed character on the front and start sliding the plastic wrapped packages inside. The main compartment and pockets fill up quickly, and there's still more shit. It isn’t all going to fit.
Shit. I look towards the others for suggestions, keeping my voice as low as I can. “There's not enough room. What are we going to do now?”
“Rip that shit on the front open. Take out the stuffing. And do it quick.” Vince is in one hell of a mood. It’s starting to really piss me off.
I can’t believe this shit, and I’m not going to keep quiet about it either. “Are you fucking serious, man? This is not going to go well if she or Chalk finds out.”
“Screw Chalk. I’m the Pres here, last I checked.” Vince is irritated but I don’t give a damn, sick of his shit.
I've had enough. “Yeah, and last I checked I was VP. That means it's my job to tell you to check your shit when you go off the rails. Telling you that now. I’m not sure what your fucking issue is, but save it for later.” Pissed off now, I take my knife off my belt. How the hell am I going to do this and it not be plain as day? I settle for making a slit through the lining, just inside the zipper. Still pissed, I use a bit more force than necessary, but I manage not to fuck it up too much.
Inhaling slowly, I glance nervously at Abigail. Thank fuck, she’s still sound asleep. My heart beats like I've just spotted a Rapid Response Team barricade ahead or something. Amazing, a sleeping six year old girl amped up my adrenaline that much. Of course, if she woke and caught me, a fresh screaming fit would be just the start of the trouble. The prospect of law enforcement waiting seems a lot less frightening, compared to that.
The stuffing comes out easily in clumps, so I stash it under the seat where I can get it later and fix Abigail's bag. Finally, I slip the extra packages inside and zip the bag back up, and put it by Abigail's hand, right where she'll find it when she wakes.
She s
tarts to stir, grips the bag and her bright blue eyes pop open, startling me a little. Fuck, that was way too close for comfort.
“Whatcha looking at Tank?” She squeaks a little, and her eyes widen, so she appears unsure of me. Her little hand tightens on her bag and she pulls her blanket up close to her chin.
I give her what I hope is a comforting smile. “We’re almost there Abigail. You’re going to behave, right? Listen to what Chalk told you to do?” It's hard, pretending nothing is up and I didn’t just destroy her Hello Kitty bag. People usually have no clue when I lie to them, but this kid is fucking sharp. I have a very bad feeling she can see right through me.
She grins, scrunching up her face. “Yeppers peppers. I will, he said he’ll give me a present if I’m good.”
I chuckle, because I heard exactly what he said, and that wasn’t really it. "Did he? Really?" She is definitely something else. I have no doubt she has Chalk wrapped around her little pinkie, ready do to whatever she asks already. Kid's gonna be a real heartbreaker when she grows up.
She squints her eyes at me and waits, as if she needs time to think of her answer. “Um yes?” She smiles all cute, and bats her eyelashes.
I lose control, and laugh out loud. “I see what you’re doing Abigail. And unlike Chalk, I’m not falling for those eyes of yours. Just make sure you stay right with us.” Shaking my head, I hope for all our sakes she’ll actually behave once we get there.
She bursts out in a fit of giggles, practically admitting to her game, but then she starts to cough. Right away, her face turns deep red. Her coughs get weaker, and she’s looking to me for help. It's happening crazy fast. Fear and panic sets in, and she tries to reach out for my hand.
Shit, I should have busted Vince in the head for smoking around her. Now she can't fucking breathe. I rush to unbuckle her and pull her into my lap. The only thing I can think of is to try to talk to her, get her to listen to my voice. “Fuck, Abigail. Breathe in and out deeply, slow your breathing down. Come on now, you can do it. That's my big girl. God damn it, where’s her meds Vince?”
Vince slams on the breaks and pulls off the highway, making me lose my balance and hit the window hard. Abigail loses her grip on her Hello Kitty bag, and it goes flying to the floorboard. Vince jumps out to run to the back of the trunk, where I hear him cussing and yelling about not being able to find it.
My heart pounds as I struggle to keep my voice calm and not scare her any further. Just when I think we might not get Abigail the medicine in time, Vince comes rushing back, tosses me the vial and a needle that’s still in the medical packaging.
“Here, this is it. Chalk said 2cc of this clear stuff, in her leg, and fast. Then she’ll need a treatment for her lungs. Fuck, this is not in the plans. Ain't got time for this shit.” Vince turns, scrubbing his hands roughly over his head.
Tears run down Abigail’s little face, and she looks at me with such sadness, something in me snaps. The need to take away her pain and sadness is overwhelming. I set her beside me so I can get the medicine ready. My hands shake like a damn junkie's needing a fix as I rush to rip open the package and fill the syringe up.
“Abigail, you’re going to be okay. I've got you. Just hold still for me, baby girl.” I go to pinch her upper leg, terrified that it’s so tiny. There's nowhere for the damn meds to go, but I have no choice. I tense up and close my eyes, then jam the needle in.
She screams out and tries to get away with surprising strength.
“Brax, help me out here.” Brax holds her down while I push the rest of the medicine in.
My heart finally starts to settle back down. She'll be okay. “It’s okay, just a few more seconds, baby girl. You’re so strong.”
She whimpers, but her face is starting to get some color back to it. I finally let my breath out. Chalk would never let any of us take her again if something happened to her, and now something had. I’m starting to see why he has that soft spot for her. I can’t imagine having to do this all the time.
Vince gets back into the car and we get back on the road while Abigail finishes up her breathing treatment. Apparently the shot works faster than the inhalant, but both are needed if she has that bad of an episode.
The rest of the way to the drop is quiet. It’s like everyone is lost in their thoughts after what happened with Abigail. I’m starting to doubt we’re going to be able to keep her alive, regardless if whoever the fuck is after her gets her. That was too damn close.
***
We pull up to the truck stop where the drop is supposed to happen. If everything goes according to plan, we'll go inside, meet our connection, and be done in less than two minutes. And everything about the damn plan made me itch. It's weird, we've done the same thing a fucking hundred times with different locations and connections. Abigail being there must have me too much on edge.
Thankfully, the truck stop has a diner attached, so we can take business inside to minimize possible backlash. No criminal wants attention, so there's less likely to be trouble in the middle of a busy place. A meet in the middle of nowhere is begging for an ambush.
Abigail is sound asleep again, but I wake her up anyways. Wouldn’t want anyone thinking we kidnapped her. In a way, I guess it's good that people are so willing to interfere, but it creates a serious pain in the ass, sometimes.
Her shoulder is fragile as a tiny bird in my hand as I jostle her a little. “Abigail, we’re here. Would you like to go inside for some cake?”
She stretches her little arms, and yawns. “Did you say cake?” Her eyes go big as she looks around like we had the cake in the car. She still looks on the pale side, but hopefully once I get her some food and something to drink, more color will come back to her.
“Yes I did. Remember to be good and do what we say no matter what. Now let’s go inside and order you that cake.” I unbuckle her from seat and we meet everyone out in the front of the car.
“Okay, where’s the cake people? Let’s keep this train moving," says Abigail, with her hand on her hip. The little thing has a sassy attitude. I pity anyone who goes against her in a few years. They won't have a fucking chance.
“Abigail, hush.” I turn towards Vince, waiting for his silent signal to go ahead and take her inside, along with her famous Hello Kitty.
I try to walk slowly with Abigail but this eerie feeling of being watched causes me to pick up my pace a little bit. I shake off the feeling, just as Abigail tugs on my jeans.
“Hey, slow down or pick me up, mister. I’m not big like you. You’re going too fast.” She pokes her bottom lip out in a pout.
I stop walking, and look down at her, thinking about it for a second. It might look less awkward if I’m carrying her inside. I bend down and scoop her up, she squeals loudly and giggles. Tossing her up, I sit her on top my shoulders.
“How’s that, baby girl?” I hold her hand until she’s steady and able to hold on tight to me on her own.
“Much better! I’m so tall!” Abigail yells right in my ear.
“Just make sure you hold on tight. And duck your head, we’re going inside now. And Abigail, remember why you're with us. You're not to use your real name. Keep quiet unless I say you can speak.”
“You got it! This is so much fun, I can’t wait until I tell Chalk what we did.”
The waitress meets us just as we walk inside, smiling as her dark gaze slides right past Vince and Brax to meet mine. The little uniform she wears gets my full attention, showing off her curves to perfection. “What can I do for you, and the cutie pie you have there?”
“We'll take that back corner booth, over there, ma’am. And she’ll take a piece of chocolate cake and a glass of milk, if you have any.”
"Anything for you, sugar?" She looks me up and down, her bold expression clearly implying more than she's saying.
“Not today.” I wink at her. Any other time, I would have taken her up on her offer in a heartbeat, but I’ll have to pass today. I just make it to the booth and get Abigail to sit in the child s
eat, when she looks up at me.
“Tankkkkkk. I gotta goooo.” Her loud whisper draws a smile from the waitress, who lingers nearby to straighten a table.
I’m at a loss, trying to figure out what she’s talking about. She starts to wiggle around and gets to the edge of the seat.
“I gotta go, nowwwww, Tank!” she shrieks.
“Oh shit! Fuck me.” What in the hell do I do now? No way am I going in there with her. But I can’t let her go in by herself and not watch out for her, either. The shit this kid is causing is too much. The pay better be fucking worth it.
“Alright. Uh, let’s get you down. Leave Hello Kitty on the chair here, she’ll be safe.” I can’t let her take that inside the bathroom.
“You sure? You’ll watch her?” The concern in her voice would be funny, if I didn't feel the same way about the damn bag and its precious contents.
“I’m sure. Now I thought you had to goooooo? Hurry up and get going. I’ll watch the door from here. Just go in, do your business, and come right back out. No talking to anybody, understand?”
“Okay, I’ll be rightttt back!” She trots away toward the ladies room.
I unzip the bag, pulling out all the packages and passing them off to Brax and Vince, while I watch Abigail head towards the bathroom. We'll keep the shit right there on the seat, until our connection comes in. Normally, we would just set one bag down and pick up another, all inconspicuous, like. But some fucking genius forgot to bring something to put the goods in, so we have to take extra risks. Brings me more questions about Vince and his recent leadership.
The bathroom door closes behind Abigail, and the chime from the diner’s front door rings. Force of habit turns my head to see the newcomer, alert for a threat. Two guys walk inside, wearing Mongol Horde cuts and armed to the teeth. My hackles go up, and I know Vince and Brax are already uneasy, too.
There's always tension when members of two or more MCs show up wearing colors at the same place, but far worse when those clubs are rivals. Normally, I don't give a fuck, but today, they better mind their business and go on about their way. I ain't taking a chance with Abigail around any other MC, rival or not.
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