With that, we walk into the house in search of whiskey, company, and a little peace.
Michael Russo
I emerged from the dark, dank mine to find my daughter and that good-for-nothing deputy gone. Debbie always was a leech. Now I’m covered in gasoline ruminating over how I got here. I should never have gone back to the house. This bastard son now has everything I’ve ever worked for.
With gasoline permeating my senses, I wait for the inevitable to happen. I’ve given him everything he wanted, so there’s no reason for him to keep me alive. The big man, his president, walks back into the room with a sneer on his face. He’s holding the lighter in one hand and a knife in the other. Debbie, whimpers like the sniveling little slut she is but not me. If death is coming for me, I’m going to battle it head-on. I’ve lived my life the way I wanted, and I’ll be damned if I cower to this behemoth of a man in death.
The knife glints in the dim light as he walks toward me. I brace myself, waiting for the impact. Instead, he undoes Debbie’s binds with quick flicks of his wrist. For a moment, Debbie sits there, not moving, petrified even to breathe. He steps back and swings his arm, with the knife wide, motioning for Debbie to leave. Slowly, she stands, takes several steps sideways, and then bolts for the door, not even a backward glance at her boyfriend or me.
“You’re letting us go?” I ask.
“I’m letting her go.”
His voice is like death—no emotion—and his eyes are blue but icy cold. I watch as he pulls the tape off Brian’s mouth.
“What do we do with you, Deputy?”
“Let me go. I’m nothing to you. As it is, I’m going to have to run. I did kidnap the little blonde.”
“Yeah, you did.” He leans closer to Brian, knife held out in front of him. “There’s a Captain Ronald Carland in town who’d love to have a conversation with you.”
I’m watching his profile, and he smiles. This MC President is terrifying. I find myself leaning away from him as though the very air around him is instilled with death. Brian flinches, and the color drains from his face. His head goes from side to side as he tracks the path of the knife.
“You’re no threat to us, Deputy. You’re screwed in this town. A pariah, a wanted one at that. I suggest you run and forget you ever fucked with the Savage Angels. Of course, you could try your luck with Carland.”
Brian shakes his head and casts a look at me.
“No, I’m done in this town. It’s not the first time I’ve had to reinvent myself, and it won’t be the last.”
The president rocks back and eyes Brian thoughtfully.
“You’re not going to cause us problems are you, Deputy?”
“No. You’re doing me a solid by letting me go. I’m grateful. I haven’t survived this long by not recognizing a gift horse.” Brian pauses and looks at me. “I did like your daughter. Probably not enough to not screw her over, but I’m pretty sure she’d have done it to me first.”
“I thought she’d never betray me, so you’re probably right,” I reply bitterly.
With a few quick flicks of his blade, the deputy is free. Brian touches his top lip gingerly, stands, walks past the behemoth and out the door.
“That’s it? You’re letting him go?”
“He’s not a threat to us. Besides, who’s going to believe him?”
“Debbie knows I’m here. Debbie will look after me.”
But even to my own ears, I can hear the lie. My daughter didn’t so much as spare me a backward glance, and she tried to leave me behind at the mine. Debbie is only worried about Debbie.
Dane clicks his tongue behind his teeth and shakes his head at me. The lighter in his hand comes to life with a flick of his thumb.
“No!” I shout as I struggle to get out of the chair. It topples over, and my head bounces off the gasoline-soaked wooden floor.
Dane kneels in front of me with that grin that doesn’t reach his eyes and chills me to my bones. He closes the lighter and shakes his head slightly at me.
“You’re pathetic, you know that? I don’t know all the story between you and Zeke, but I can damn well tell you that he’d never piss himself at the thought of death. He’s made of stronger stuff than that, than you.”
It’s only then I feel the warmth tricking through my pant legs. My face infuses with heat as I try to right myself, but I feel like a turtle on its back as I struggle, tied to the chair.
“You don’t know me!” I hiss.
“You’re right, and I’m happy about that.”
With a grimace, he leans over me and cuts through all my bindings then he stands over me as I scramble to stand up. Two more of his men appear in the doorway, faces devoid of any emotion.
“What are you going to do?” I ask as I step back and away from him.
“Nothing.” Then he chuckles to himself. “I suggest you go into town, tell everyone what happened. I’m sure they’d believe you.”
“They will! I’m a pillar in the community! I’m respected!”
Dane laughs harder, waggles a finger at me, and walks from the room without uttering another word.
“You’ll see!” I scream.
I stand there in my own filth and gasoline waiting for them to come back in and finish me, but when I hear their motorcycles start up, I realize they are done with me. Stumbling to the front of the building, I watch them as they ride away.
It doesn’t make sense. Those filthy bikers should have killed me. I take a step outside the building, scanning the area, but no one is around. I take another step and another, but no one comes out of hiding to kill me. Why? Before I know it, I’m running as fast as I can to get away from this house and the nightmare they put me through. If I can get to Sheriff Sharpe, I know I can fix all of this. He’s been a trusted friend and backed me all through the years. I can count on him.
Zeke
With the help of a friend, I sent the recording to Ronald Carland. It can’t be traced back to me or the MC, and it’s probably not admissible in court, but at least people will know what he did. For good measure, I made sure the local newspaper got it too. Within a day, the story went national. It ignited a fire across the nation with ‘Preacher Gone Bad,’ one of those heaven-and-hell-type articles. There are pictures of Michael Russo standing in front of what used to be his church looking miserable. I don’t feel sorry for him, though. I won’t allow myself to do so.
A hand clamps down on my shoulder. It’s Rush. He glances at the newspaper in my hands, and his lips go into a hard line.
“When are you leaving?”
Dane, Dirt, and Rebel left yesterday, while Kade is waiting until Cassia and I hit the road before he leaves. I swear he’s worse than a mother hen. An aggressive, volatile mother hen who’ll fuck you up if you threaten those he loves.
I grin to myself. “Tomorrow. I thought maybe you and I could have dinner tonight, shoot the shit.” I pause, fold the paper up, and throw it in the bin. “Get to know each other a bit.”
Rush smiles. “I’d like that. Bring your pretty fiancée, too.”
“Sounds good. Maybe we should invite Doc and Izzy, too?”
Rush nods. “Ernest would never forgive me if he weren’t invited. Come to the house at five. We can have drinks while I grill.”
“You’re going to cook?”
Rush nods again. “Best ribs in the county! I always win the county fair with them. You’re all in for a treat.”
His eyes sparkle as he pats me on the back and goes back inside. I can hear Cassia and Doc talking in the house, probably in the kitchen. Rush has spent every other minute here at Doc Green’s house, making sure we are all okay. I’m surprised at how well he fits in with me and the MC. He doesn’t make blanket judgments. Rush talks to each of us and makes up his own mind as to whether we are good or bad. So far, the only one he appears to be wary of is Rebel.
“You going inside?” asks Kade.
“Nope. I was going to go and see Izzy.”
“Want company?”
“She’s a good chick.”
“Yeah, she is. Too good for this town.”
“Agreed.” Kade smiles and wanders inside.
I pause outside the diner for a heartbeat before I open the door. When I go inside, the place is empty. The bell above the door alerts Izzy that someone has come in, so I sit at the counter and wait.
She pushes through the back door, fake smile in place, but when she sees it’s me, it falls off her face and is replaced with a scowl.
“I like it better when you smile.”
“Yeah, well, I liked you better when you were single.”
And there it is. Izzy is pissed that I wasn’t upfront and honest with her. I don’t blame her, but to be fair, I didn’t know where I stood with Cassia. Now I know she’s right beside me.
“I deserved that. Sort of.” Izzy walks toward me, hands on hips. “Cass and I were going through a bad patch. I didn’t know if we were still together or not…”
Izzy raises an eyebrow, One hand moves to rest on the counter, scrutinizing me.
“So, you thought you’d toy with the girl you used to know?”
“Izzy, you were the prettiest girl in school, surrounded by all the popular kids. Why are you still here?”
A frown mars her pretty features, and she looks down at the countertops.
“I fell in love with Tommy Pritchard, remember him?”
Tommy was the high school quarterback and came from a wealthy family.
“I remember him.”
“Do you know what happened to him?” I shake my head. “Tommy and I started dating just after high school. He went away to college, and I was still trying to decide what I wanted to do with myself, you know? He came home for fall break, and we connected. I fell for him so hard.” There’s a small smile on her lips as she remembers Tommy fondly. “After that, we were inseparable. I was his, and he was mine.”
“Where’s Tommy now?”
“Three years ago, he went for a drive and never came back. I’ve been waiting. His family thinks he’s dead. The police think he’s dead, but they never found him or his car, so…”
“So, you’ve been waiting?”
“Yeah.”
“Three years is a long time,” I state sadly.
“Yes, it is.” Izzy smooths her uniform and laughs to herself. “But I’m still here.”
Her voice cracks, and I watch her as she tries to pull it together without meeting my eyes. Izzy grabs a cup and pours coffee into it placing it in front of me, then pours one for herself.
“Come back to Tourmaline with me.” Izzy’s eyes bulge out of her head. “Not with me, but along with me to get a fresh start. No one will know you there. It’s a good town. You could be happy there. Reinvent yourself.”
“Sounds like running away.”
“To stay, sounds like stagnating. You’ve given Tommy three years. If he loved you like you loved him, if he were alive, he’d have found a way back to you. It’s time to move on.”
Izzy nods. “You’re right. But I have family here, friends. If I leave, I’ll be alone.”
“Not if you come to Tourmaline. You’ll have Cassia and me if you let her in. During the winter months, Tourmaline has a population explosion. Lots of money comes into town with the tourists.”
Izzy chews on her bottom lip. “What would I do? Do they have a good diner?”
“Yeah, we do. But honestly, between you and Cassia, I’m sure you two could come up with something. Tourmaline is only getting bigger with lots of new developments and new people. I’d help, so would the MC.”
The bell above the door sounds, and I turn to see Cassia standing there.
“Hey,” Cass says to both of us.
“Hey, Cass,” replies Izzy.
Cassia comes to me and kisses me lightly on the lips. “What are you two talking about?”
“Zeke is trying to get me to move to Tourmaline,” states Izzy.
Cassia’s eyes widen. “Is he now?”
I pull Cass into me and nod. “You know I have.” I look back at Izzy. “We’ve talked about it. Izzy, come back with us.”
“I don’t know what’s keeping you in Black Ridge, but this diner is never busy, so I can tell you aren’t making a huge amount of money out of it. Why not come? I have some money saved, and the one thing Tourmaline doesn’t have is a good rental company for skis and tours. In the winter months, we could book people in for the best ski slopes, and in the summer, with help from Zeke and the MC, we could book ATV tours of the mountains. It’s something my daddy talked about doing, but in the end, passed it over as he’s happy just having his store.”
As she mentions her father, I see Cassia frown slightly. I know he’s hurt her badly, and I’m not sure if she can ever forgive him.
“I know nothing about running tourists or tours.”
“Neither do I. We can learn together. Something I do know is you’re good with people, and Zeke trusts you.” Cassia pauses and looks at me. “He’s a good judge of character.”
I return her easy smile and look at Izzy, but she’s looking at the countertop again, a deep frown mars her pretty face.
“I know how to ride an ATV,” Izzy states.
“I know how to ski, and I know Tourmaline like the back of my hand,” Cassia responds.
One side of Izzy’s mouth kicks up in a half-smile.
“Where would I live?” asks Izzy.
Cassia looks at me. “That’s a good question, where would we live?”
“As in you and me?” I ask her.
“Well, that, too, I guess. I can’t go back to my house that Daddy bought for me.”
I nod at her. This just got a little harder.
“We’ll figure it out. It’s our first obstacle. One of many, I’m sure. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Do you want to leave here, Izzy?”
Izzy places both hands on the counter and looks directly at Cassia.
“I kissed him.”
Cassia straightens up. “I know.”
“Okay, then. If I leave here, and if we do this do, you think you can work with me?”
“So long as you don’t try to kiss him again,” quips Cassia. “But forget about the business idea. Do you want to leave here?”
Izzy looks around, her face softens. “Yeah, I do. I’m just not sure if Tourmaline is the place to go to.”
“How about you look at it as a first step? If you decide to stay, we’ll work it out, and if you decide to move on, we’ll help with that, too,” I say to Izzy with a grin.
Izzy is nodding her head, and she smiles. “I can do that. I can take it a step at a time. I’ve got some money put away, not much but enough to get me to Tourmaline and set me up.” Izzy looks back at Cassia. “You sure you want me around?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Okay, then. When do we leave?”
“Cassia and I are leaving tomorrow by my bike. You got a car?” Izzy nods. “Good, you can follow us.”
Izzy shakes her head. “No, it’s going to take me a few days to get things settled here, then I’ll follow. I’ve had the diner for sale a couple of times before and didn’t even get a bite. There’s a guy in the next town over who’s interested in some of the equipment. I know he’ll give me a good price.”
I grin at her. “Good. You’ll like Tourmaline. The people there are solid, hardworking, and the MC will make sure you’re protected.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Zeke
The countryside goes by in a blur. All I’m concentrating on is my woman holding onto me and the road—no better feeling than that. We’ve taken our time getting back to Tourmaline, stopping at motels and enjoying our time together. Today is the final stretch, and the closer we get to town, the tighter Cassia strengthens her grip on me. We ride past her father’s store and continue on until we hit the clubhouse. I
kill the engine, but she doesn’t release me or make a move to get off the bike.
“You okay, petal?”
“I knew it would be hard. I just didn’t realize how hard until we rode through town.”
I pat her hands, and she slowly releases me and climbs off. First out of the clubhouse doors is Dirt. He engulfs me in a hug while I’m still on my bike.
“You’re a fucking sight for sore eyes!”
“Get off me, old man!”
“Yeah, I know, I know… you like vaginas!” teases Dirt, then he turns and gives Cassia a bear hug. “Did he treat you good? Did he take care of you?”
“Yes, he did,” replies Cassia as she tries to break free of him.
Dirt holds her at arm’s length and says, “Good.”
Dane strolls out next with Kat firmly tucked under one arm, a big grin on his face.
“You finally made it!” booms our president and my friend.
“Yeah, Prez. Took our time. It’s good to see you.”
Kat gets out from under his arm and hugs me. “I think your fearless leader was worried about you.”
“Isn’t he your fearless leader, too?” asks Cassia.
“Hardly!” teases Kat, giving Dane a wink. “Maybe I let him lead in the bedroom.”
Dane puts an arm around Kat’s neck and pulls her back into him. “My woman has a mind of her own, but we both know who’s boss.”
Kat mouths ‘me’ which causes Cassia to burst out laughing. Dane looks down at his wife and shakes his head.
“Come on, let’s get you inside. There’s a beer with your name on it,” says Dane.
I wink at Kat on my way past, and she giggles.
“Sounds good. Is Kade around?”
“He’ll be here soon. He’s gone to get Destiny,” says Dirt as he goes into the clubhouse.
I grab Cassia’s hand, and as we walk through the doors, a roar erupts from those within. I hold up a hand and nod at the crowd.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m back!” Rebel is at his usual spot behind the bar, and he holds up a beer. “Better make that two, one for my girl.”
“Hey, Cassia, good to see you,” replies Rebel, handing her a beer.
Savage Lies: Savage Angels MC #7 Page 16