Highway Don't Care (Freebirds)

by Vale, Lani Lynn

  “I want you to tell me more, but not until we get you home. Being out here in the open makes me twitchy.” Gabe said.

  He grabbed my hand and hauled me over to his bike.

  The ride took no time at all. As soon as we made it through the door, I made a beeline for the fridge and grabbed us both a beer. If I was going to spill my guts, I needed some liquid courage. Handing him his beer once I was back in the living room, I plopped down into the Lazy Boy that sat directly across from the fireplace where Gabe had parked himself.

  Okay, here goes nothin’ I said to myself. I hadn’t spoken about this to anyone since the week after it happened. I’d spilled my guts to Cheyenne, and we never spoke of it again.

  “It’s been a little over nine years now, and at twenty five, going on twenty six, it feels just as raw now as it did that day. I can still remember when Max came to get me from school to tell me. I’d been in lunch, sitting at my usual table with Cheyenne, and our closest friends. We were having a great time laughing and playing around when I glanced up and saw Max there, dressed in his fatigues, wearing a grim expression. The lunchroom had gone quiet, and all eyes watched as Max scanned the lunchroom for me. My stomach had fallen to my knees, and I stood up slowly. Max found me then, and started walking to me.”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and then started again.

  “I hadn’t seen Max in a little over six months. He’d joined the army right after high school, and boot camp was the hardest thing I’d ever experienced. Max was my rock, my confidant. He knew my hopes and dreams; he beat up anyone that looked at me funny. I’d never been away from him for more than a weekend since I was born. When he’d deployed, I was lost. But seeing him right then, I knew something had to be horribly wrong since he was supposed to be thousands of miles away in Iraq. He didn’t waste any time. Once he reached me, he grabbed me by one hand and Cheyenne by the other and led us out into the hallway. He didn’t stop until we reached his old Bronco in the front visitor’s lot.”

  Gabe must have felt I needed the support because suddenly I found myself sitting in his lap, my head tucked up under his chin.

  “Keep goin’.” He said.

  “Anyway, once we came to a stop beside the truck Max took me into his arms and nearly broke me with a bear hug. He told me that my parent’s had died on the way back home from visiting my grandmother. The plane they were on crashed when it was landing. The landing equipment never engaged. They didn’t die right away either. They burned to death. They were wrapped around each other when they were extracted from the burning remains of the plane. We had a whirlwind the next two days. The funeral was planned for the day after, and Max was shipped back to Iraq before we could even take a full breath. I was left alone in a huge empty house. Cheyenne’s mom had ‘guardianship’ of me, but I didn’t stay with them. My parent’s life insurance policies were doled out, we had plenty to pay off the house, cars, bills, funeral costs, and then I invested the rest. I had to go from partying carefree Ember to responsible Ember in less than two days. When I needed my brother the most, he wasn’t there. I didn’t see him but for his leave for the next couple of years. The only good thing in my life was Cheyenne.”

  “Sounds like we could be soul mates. I’ve had one shitty thing happen to me after another too.” He said to me forlornly.

  “I think since I shared my shit life story with you, that you should share yours.” I said seriously.

  This was my chance. If I had known that was all it took, I would have spilled these crappy memories from the get go. I’d been wondering what made Gabe tick since I met him. He was always the sit in the back of the room and watch type of guy. He would join in reluctantly, but never of his own volition.

  He was also the type of man whose presence you couldn’t ignore. My eyes were always drawn to him, and I itched to be near him. However, he always came off unapproachable at first. It was as if one damaged soul was drawn to another. His story had to be hard to bring down a man whose presence seemed bigger than life.

  “Not really much to tell. I just have shit luck. My dad died when I was young, my mom remarried a piece of shit who made me feel like I wasn’t good enough to do anything. Then my mom died of the same disease that took my dad. A year later, my girlfriend aborted my kid without my knowledge. Since then two of my closest friends have died. I’m just not that lucky. That is until I met you. When I met you, I started to feel different. I was happy when I was around you.” He said.

  I sat up straight in his lap, and then turned to look into his eyes. They gave nothing away. When he gave that speech, it was all monotone. Like he didn’t feel any emotion anymore, or he made himself not feel.

  “Okay. I don’t even know where to begin. Do you mind if I ask you questions?” I said while looking deeply into his eyes.

  “You can ask, but I don’t know that I’ll answer. Some of it’s still too raw.” He said.

  I didn’t know where to even start. Therefore, I started with the one that irritated me the most.

  “So who’s the bitch I need to kill, and where does she live?” I asked seriously.

  Gabe burst out laughing, and it made my heart go a pitter-patter. I didn’t say anything else though. I was completely serious, and if I knew where she lived, I would give her a piece of my mind. I had a strong pro-life stance, and felt that every human being deserved a fighting chance.

  I knew there were some circumstances where abortion was the only option, but in Gabe’s case, I felt like there was something more to the story, and she didn’t have that excuse.

  Once his laughter died down, he started speaking.

  “I met Sidney when I was home on leave. We hit it off, and dated for about a year when we found out she was pregnant. I was over the moon. I was confused on how it happened, since I never once forgot the condom, and supposedly, she was on the pill. That’s neither here nor there. I was a guarded happy. I wanted the baby, but wasn’t too sure about her. The circumstances seemed a little fishy, but there was nothing I could do about it then. She found out the day before I was to deploy for six months, and I didn’t have enough time to process that she was pregnant. She made a doctor’s appointment, and sent me a picture about four weeks in to my deployment. Three months in, she sent me a “Dear John” letter. It said that she was no longer in love with me, that she found someone else. She was kind enough to tell me in a P.S. that she wasn’t pregnant anymore, that she took care of it the day after I was deployed.”

  I was stunned into silence. I honestly didn’t know what the fuck to say to that. Who in the hell wrote that in a letter? This man was fighting for our freedom. He was in a danger zone that could have killed him if his whole mind wasn’t on the task at hand. Anyone who was anyone would have known that you didn’t tell someone that. Hell, if that woman had any morals what so ever, she wouldn’t have aborted his baby in the first place. What kind of God-awful person did this?

  “I don’t even know what to say to that.” I said quietly.

  Leaning down, I gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

  “Nothing to say. I just hope I never see her again. I had the landlord kick her out of the house. Apparently, the new love interest had moved in. I closed the account that had our name on it. I also called movers to move all my shit into storage. I didn’t leave her with a thing. I was so disgusted with her that I cut all ties with her. I never even went back to the town I used to live. I moved here when I retired from the army.” He said.

  The more he told me about this woman, the more upset I got. If I’d been a cartoon character, I would be blowing steam out of my nostrils and ears right about now. My eyes would also be shooting laser beams. What. A. Bitch.

  “What a bitch!” I fumed.

  One of Gabe’s rare smiles flashed across his face. It was a good thing to see right about now. No wonder he always seemed moody. He’s had a tough lot given to him in life.

  “How long ago was this?” I asked cautiously.

  “I got out of the arm
y a year and three months ago.” He said quietly. “If the baby had lived, he would be a year and a half.”

  Oh Jesus. Tears were running down my face.

  “Your mom?” I sniffled out.

  “She died while I was on deployment. She didn’t even tell me. I never knew until they told me she had gone. My stepfather had the funeral before I could even get home on emergency leave. Didn’t even bury her where she wanted to be buried, which was next to my dad. He had her buried in some tomb in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She hated it there. Dad was buried in Detroit.” He said easily.

  A little too easily. His face was closed off now, and I knew that I had pushed him farther than he wanted to go. Deciding to change the subject, I started telling him a funny story about Max, James, Cheyenne and me.

  “So this one time at band camp.” I said while pausing for effect.

  He rolled his eyes, exasperated at my attempt at lightheartedness. I small smile crooked the corner of his lip up, but that was all that he gave me.

  “Okay, it wasn’t at band camp. Cheyenne and I were having a sleepover, and found out that Max and James were going on a double date that night. So, we did what any thirteen year olds would do, we hid in the back of the car while they went to pick up their dates. Things were moving along nicely until around ten that evening. We thought they would just go to a movie, but they didn’t. They went to some party, and we were stuck in the car for hours. Luckily, we planned ahead and brought snacks and drinks. Here we were hanging out in the back seat eating some trail mix when the cops show up. The car was boxed in pretty good, and there was utter chaos going on outside our doors. Deciding that it was best for us to get out of there, I hotwired the car-“I was saying before he interrupted me.

  “What do you mean, you hotwired the car?” He asked.

  “I learned that useful skill on YouTube. I also know how to get out of zip ties, and pick a lock. Cheyenne and I practiced.” I said proudly.

  “Why would you need to know how to do this?” he asked.

  “Duh. Because it is useful information. Especially in that situation. So anyway, I start the car, and only hit the car in front of me twice before I managed to get us turned around and headed out of there. About that time, James and Max come barreling out of the house. Their dates are nowhere to be seen. They’re running full tilt towards us and hop in the back seat just as I pealed out of the driveway, skirting the cops as I went.

  I was one of many cars though, and managed to get out of there before being questioned. Max and James were drunk as skunks in the back seat, and pass out before we even make it home. I parked outside of Cheyenne’s house and we left there asses there on the front lawn. We went back to my house. The next morning we went out to the car and realized that even more damage was done to the car than we thought. Cheyenne’s mom came out around that time and found us staring at the car. You should have seen how pissed she got. To this day they don’t remember how they got home, and think that one of them wrecked the car and drove drunk.”

  “You can’t be serious.” He said to me. “You were only thirteen. How did you know how to drive?”

  “I used to borrow Max’s car all the time. I was a little bit of a delinquent.” I explained.

  “A little bit of a delinquent. Are you still this way?” he asked.

  “I am a tad impulsive, but I would never endanger myself.”

  “Well thank God for small things”

  Chapter 5

  I wake up in the morning and I piss excellence.

  -Talladega Nights

  Gabe

  “I think we can use this kid. He doesn’t want to be in this situation, and if we get the brother out, then he won’t have a reason to be entering the gang anymore.

  I was in the down room with Sam, Max and Jack. Elliott is at home with Blaine, who was perilously close to dropping her kid out on the pavement at any moment. Cheyenne and Ember decided to help Blaine around the house as well. James is delivering a bird to her new cage in South Louisiana.

  “What does Luke think?” Sam asked.

  I turned my head and looked Sam in the eyes. He had his feet propped up on the edge of the desk. Grease covered him from head to toe, and had a bottle of Heineken dangled from his fingers.

  “He tried to make contact, but the kid’s like a ghost. Knows his shit. I’ve only been able to tail him twice in the past two days. Once to school, and the other home from school. He gave me the slip though, because when I knocked on the door the grandma said he wasn’t home, and she didn’t look like the type to take any shit. I haven’t seen any Skulls near him at all.” I answered him.

  Sam nodded, and seemed to lose himself in thought. Max was staring at me with scrutinizing eyes. He’d been doing this ever since Ember started staying with me. He knew that I was sleeping with his sister. He also didn’t seem too happy about it.

  He could go fuck himself.

  My phone rang, interrupting the quiet. Ember’s bright idea of putting “The Bad in me” by Jake Owen’s shifted the mood from serious and somber to playful. Sam chuckled, and Max faced cracked into a semblance of a smile. Apparently, he understood his sister’s sense of humor. I would have sworn he’d kick my ass when he heard the part about having nothin’ on.

  For the life of me I couldn’t figure out how she found this song, let alone how she managed to get the shit on the phone. I haven’t changed it yet. It’s something she would do to me, calling me at work when she knew I couldn’t come to her. Teasing me, and making me want her for the rest of the day.

  Ember’s name and picture of her foot flashed across the screen, and I smiled wide as I picked it up.

  “Yeah?” I asked.

  “Can you take Blaine, Cheyenne, and me to the Baby’s R Us? Elliott needs to go check on his mom, and Cheyenne’s mom has the twins. We need to get her the rest of the shit she needs before the baby gets here. She’s being induced in a week.”

  Oh didn’t this just sound like a shit load of fun. Although, I wasn’t going to make her go alone. It was nice that she at least asked me to go with her, instead of just going, as I knew she wanted to do.

  “Yeah, I’ll be there in about ten minutes. Is that enough time?” I asked.

  “Perfect. We’ll be waiting outside Blaine’s for you.” She said before hanging up.

  Sighing loudly, I touched the end button and shoved the phone back into my pocket. Walking over to the desk, I grabbed my spare Colt out of the desk drawer, pulled the slide back to check the chamber, and then shoved it into the back of my jeans. Normally I only carried my Glock on my ankle, but today I felt the need for some extra firepower. Just in case, I needed to shoot myself in the middle of the baby food isle. Just kidding. Maybe.

  “Gotta go take the girls to a fuckin’ baby store.” I grumbled. “Let me know what Jack can pull up, I’m sure I could use some distraction while going to baby land.”

  Sam and Max chuckled.

  “Better you than me, my man.” Sam said.

  “It’ll be you again in a couple months.” I shot back as I walked out of the room.

  Sam’s cell started ringing just as I made it through the bay door.

  I bypassed my bike and decided to walk since I wouldn’t be using it. Turning the side of the garage, I saw Ember with her arm around Blaine’s waist. She was whispering to her, and both eyes locked on me before Blaine burst out laughing. It was obvious they were talking about me. The giggling cut off once I was close enough to distinguish clear sounds.

  Ember was in a pair of tight white jean shorts and a Ranger’s shirt. Blaine was wearing her usual long dress that brushed the top of her feet, stomach bulging out from her tiny frame. She looked like she would pop at any moment. Not that I would dare tell her that. She was a little fire cracker, and I’ll be damned if I lit her fuse.

  Both women wore blinding smiles, which if I was being truthful, made me a tad nervous. I always found that when women wore smiles like that, things didn’t end well for me.

  “
Where’s Cheyenne?” I asked.

  “She and Sam are going to have a little alone time since her mom has the twins for the night.”

  I nodded. Must have been the call he’d gotten as I was leaving.

  “Y’all ready to go?” I drawled.

  I loved teasing Ember about her accent. ‘Y’all’ was never in my vocabulary before I moved here. Ember decided to broaden my horizons, and started teaching me a few slang terms. I still couldn’t figure out how they worked ‘might could’ into a sentence. That one might never stick. ‘Fixin’ to’ was definitely easier to accommodate her on.

  “Sure am. Blaine here is gonna need a lift into that monster truck of yours.” She said.

  I rolled my eyes. It wasn’t that big. I’d just had thirty-five inch tires, and a four-inch lift put onto my Chevy the day before. Cheyenne and Ember absolutely adored it. Or so they said. Not like I cared what the girls thought. I’d wanted this dream truck since I was a little kid. My dad always used to talk about the kind of vehicle he would get if he could afford it, and this was the one. I got it for him.

  “Let’s roll.” I said while walking to my truck.

  I hoisted Blaine into the front seat, and then did the same for Ember in the back.

  Pulling out of Free, I hooked a left and started down Main Street. Just as I was about to turn onto Grand, a blue Impala zipped around me and cut me off. I’d clocked him as soon as I pulled out of Free, but I wasn’t sure he belonged to the Skulls. Now I was. These kids in the front seat were wearing their signature blue bandanas and sitting low in their seats, practically laying down. They hit the brakes suddenly, but I expecting it, and adjusted accordingly.

  “Call your brother.” I said while breaking and putting some distance in between their car and my truck.

  The little pricks were trying their hardest to get me to hit their vehicle, but this was nothing. I dodged IEDs in Afghanistan while driving an armored Humvee. Avoiding running into these shit heads was a piece of cake.