by F. G. Adams
I shrug, step over to the bed, and lay down my bag. Taking a seat on the worn comforter, I’m surprised by how comfortable it feels. I lie back and relish in the softness, moving from side to side like I’m nesting.
“Alrighty, Jo. I’m taking a shower first. If I’m not back in ten minutes, come after me, niña.”
“Will do. This bed is super comfy, though. I’ll just stay right here and wait.”
She smiles as she walks into the bathroom area.
The shock wears off and the nostalgia of the quaint room returns me to another place in time, back to my Aunt Becka’s bowling alley.
It’s been several weeks since I met Keagan and I can’t stop thinking about him. What is wrong with me? We share a few of the same classes, but he hasn’t approached me and I kind of want to know more about him. My sisters and I are on our way to the bowling alley for my cousin’s birthday party. When we arrive, my Aunt Becka is upset. Sam, her normal employee, called in sick with the flu and she’s short an employee. Not wanting her to miss her son’s party, I let her know I will hand out shoes at the beginning of the night. She’s instantly relieved and kisses my cheek.
I’ve been passing out bowling shoes for the last thirty minutes when Keagan walks up with someone that looks a lot like him, but younger. Must be his brother. He’s staring at me again. It’s making me self-conscious, the way he’s looking at me. Do I have something on my nose? Then I notice his eyes, and there’s something there I haven’t ever seen before. A slight shiver rocks me out of my pondering and I ask them for their shoe size. After I get his shoes, he leaves and I’m working again to lessen the line waiting.
When I finish, I exit onto the main floor. I love to bowl. I spot my sisters on the last lane and grab my favorite pink ball to use. I weave in and out of the people jam packed around the fifteen lanes, everyone laughing and knocking down pins. An array of multicolored balls spins down the lanes. The strobe lights are bouncing all around the walls, shimmering off the two large disco balls that hang from the ceiling.
I finally reach my family. It’s birthday time.
“Happy Birthday to you …” we all sing to my little cousin.
He’s adorable with his Batman cape, the theme for his special day.
As things end, Fallyn and I get ready to leave. I find a bench and start taking my bowling shoes off. That’s when Keagan shows up and sits down beside me.
“You bowl really good. My balls end up more in the gutter.” He begins laughing at his ineptness of sending a heavy weighted ball spiraling down an alley.
“I’ve been bowling since I was able to walk.”
“Maybe you can give me some pointers?”
“Um, not sure when I’ll be back.”
“Maybe we could catch a movie or something?”
“Sorry, my dad doesn’t allow us to date.”
“How about we get a group of people together and meet at the movies?”
“I’ll have to see,” I say as I walked out the door.
When we get settled in the car, I notice Fallyn is worrying about something. She’s biting her bottom lip.
“What’s wrong, Fallyn?”
“Oh, uh … nothing, Jo. It’s all good.”
“You know you could tell me anything, Fallyn. I won’t tell anyone,” I offer.
She sighs. “I’ve got a lot on my mind and I’m not ready to talk about it yet.”
Fallyn worries me. She takes on too much and I know something’s not right.
She tries to shift me away from what she’s going on and comments, “I noticed you talking to Keagan. He’s got a thing for you, sis.”
I nonchalantly lift my shoulders. “He asked me to the movies, but I told him Dad wouldn’t let us date.”
“What? Not cool, JoJo. Maybe we can come up with something.” She’s scheming and usually when that happens, trouble follows.
“Whatever. I don’t wanna get in trouble.”
“We’ll see.”
“I don’t care what you’re thinking. It’s not going to happen, Care Bear.”
She smiles and ends the Keagan conversation. “I need you to have my back tonight. I’m sneaking out because I need to talk to David. Can you do that? Please?” She’s begging and I know even though I don’t want her to go, I will.
“Yeah, I’ll cover for you.”
“Knew I could count on you, sis! You’re the best.”
Later that night, I’m lying in my bed listening to Fallyn leaving. A feeling of dread washes over me. Something is wrong. I close my eyes and pray she knows what she’s doing. She hasn’t gotten caught yet, but with our dad, you never know.
“Jo, niña. Jocelyn! Estás bien? Are you okay?”
I’m shaken from the trip down memory lane by Katrina’s hands gripping my arms, jerking me from side to side and screeching at me.
“Wait. What? I’m fine, Rina. I’m fine. I’m sorry. I must’ve dozed off for a moment there. I’m with ya.”
“I finished showering and it took longer than ten minutes, mi amiga. You were murmuring something I couldn’t quite understand. And then I tried to wake you up. You wouldn’t wake up. I was scared for you.”
I rub my face with my hands, then I sit up and grab hold of Katrina’s.
“I guess all the ‘excitement’ has me a bit overwhelmed. I’ve had enough today to last me a long while. Plus, there’s this new case I’ve been put in charge of that’s constantly on my mind. It’s drudging up old memories. I’m fine, Rina, really. I promise.”
Katrina eyes me skeptically a little longer and then nods, squeezing my hands.
“Alright, go ducha, amiga. Get warm. It’ll make you feel much better.”
“Yep, you’re right, Rina.”
One of the hardest lessons in life is letting go. Whether it’s guilt, anger, love, loss, or betrayal. Change is never easy. We fight to hold on and we fight to let go. Maybe I can wash away all the lingering memories that have grabbed ahold of me lately.
There’s no room for any of it in my life tonight. This one night, I’m off, stuck in a motel in the middle of nowhere thanks to the hurricane that’s coming. So, I’m on break with Katrina and I’m going to loosen up and have some fun.
Sometime later, Gunner opens the adjoining door and strolls into my room ready to go eat. He’s again dressed like a college kid, but he’s added a bowtie. What the fuck? Seriously? I’m still amused from his shenanigans earlier. I’m hoping he knows what to expect from me now. I’m not a pushover and I will take you out if you fuck with me.
Nothing or nobody is going to stand in my way.
I agreed with Ollie and Lukas when we took this mission. The risks are high. Too many variables. We would be acting alone at times and in our business that’s a dangerous thing. The situation may arise where you have to step outside your comfort zone. Lines become blurred, and knowing where the line in the sand is marked isn’t always easy.
I’ve got the television on and the local newscaster is blabbering about Hurricane Georgia and all the preparations the state is doing for the storm’s arrival. By the way the winds are howling outside the room’s window, I would think that if you haven’t already battened down, you’re screwed.
The shutters on the windows outside are locked, readying the Pit-Stop for the storm. The flapping noise from the shutters increases as the wind picks up.
“Of all the times for a storm to come through …” Gunner mumbles, watching the window.
“My pop always told me growing up when a storm rattled and howled outside not to worry, that it was just God bowling with the angels upstairs.”
“Yeah, well, that don’t sound like bowling to me at all. More like the sky is falling and we’re gonna be pummeled into the ground like a pair of fuckin’ squished bugs.”
“You crack me up with the stuff coming out of your mouth. Let’s go.”
Televisions are blaring with news on Hurricane Georgia’s latest coordinates when we walk into the large room used as a restaurant during t
he day and a bar at night. We make it just in time to eat. The tables are full with anxious people worried about where the eye of the storm will hit. Grady flags me down and I make a beeline towards him when I see him point at two vacant chairs. Kendall is sitting on his lap whispering in his ear. She stops and looks up, smiling.
Kendall leaps from Bulldog’s lap and hugs me. The tiny slip of a woman has a firm grip on my waist when she says, “Holy Shit! Keagan! Where the hell have you been? You’ve been hiding from us too long. We sure have missed seeing you.” She keeps hugging me.
Bulldog reaches over and gently extracts her arms from around my body and lifts her back into his lap. He laughs at her welcome and places a kiss on her forehead.
“Let the man breathe, darlin’. I told you earlier, he’s been busy.”
“I know. It’s just so good to see him again. Like old times.”
Kendall and Grady share a relationship many would be envious of. At one time in my life, I wanted something like what they have, someone to share my life with. Now I can only dream because I’m too fucked up to take care of myself much less care that deeply for another person. Revenge and hatred are all I want. They keep me going. That’s my bitch. Mustaff shattered those hopes when he killed my men, men that depended on me, men who I let down.
The two of them look as much in love today as they did when I went to school with them in Texas. Damn, that was years ago. We use to call them the odd couple. He’s a hulk of a man and she’s petite. He’s tatted all over and her pale iridescent skin is blemish free. He’s rough around the edges and she’s as sweet as they come, a free spirit. Complete opposites.
They were dubbed “Couple Most Likely to Marry First” growing up. Funny thing is, neither one of them want to tie the knot. They are happy just the way they are, being together, something about them not needing a marriage license to be the real thing.
I notice Gunner is standing off to the side watching the scene unfold. He looks confused and I’m sure questions will follow soon.
“Bulldog and Kendall, this is Gunner. I’m giving him a lift to Miami. Gunner, these fine folks here are the owners of this fine establishment, Grady’s Pit-Stop. You won’t find a better southern home-cooked meal anywhere else in the entire state of Florida.”
I wave my hand between them. Gunner stumbles through the introductions, preoccupied with his thoughts, and slides into one of the vacant chairs. I take the seat beside him and three winks later a piping hot plate of food lands in front of me. The smell assaults my senses as my stomach growls causing everyone to laugh. Cubed steak, new potatoes with summer vegetables, and a large glass of sweet tea.
Fast as lightning, she’s back delivering the same plate and drink to Gunner. She saddles close to Grady and ends up back on his lap. Smiling at the two of them, I cut a piece of the battered-fried steak and spear a potato onto my fork. When the food hits my mouth, I moan in satisfaction.
“Mmm. Damn, Kendall, you know the way to my heart.”
“I remember the path runs through your stomach,” she says, giggling. “I seem to recall you always were a human garbage disposal. You better save room for dessert. I’ve got homemade peach cobbler and ice cream.”
“She’s trying to fatten me up,” I jokingly reply.
“Some things never change,” Grady chuckles.
We finish eating listening to the weather updates on the television and conversations around us. Old man Kelsey is yapping about Hurricane Frederick and the storm surge he had to endure a long time ago when he was stuck in The Keys. Gunner’s eyes continue to roam around the room expecting the boogieman to jump out and get him.
“You ready for Georgia?”
“As much as we can be ready for a cat-four hurricane. Maybe she’ll lose steam once she makes landfall. I know it’s going to be ugly here for a while. We’ll probably lose power.”
“They’re predicting she’ll get in the Gulf and grow to a five. God help the people when it hits, if that happens. Where are they thinking she’ll go?”
“Anywhere from Galveston to Tallahassee,” Kendall answers.
“Most models are predicting Pensacola. Damn shame mother nature got herself in a tizzy,” Grady says.
“How many generators do you have?”
“Enough to keep the fridge cold and minimal lights when needed.”
“How many people are here?”
“About twenty-six.”
“You got enough supplies to handle that many? I wouldn’t think you’d get power returned fast being so far out from the city.”
“Yeah, man. We’ve got a well-stocked pantry. Just gonna be a bitch when the humidity hits and the AC’s off.”
“What do you mean no AC?” Gunner pipes in.
“No power equals no air. Pretty simple, dwindle dwarf.”
“You’ve got to be jokin’ with me, right?”
I shake my head no and the heavy sigh he releases could blow out the candles on the table.
“I’m really beginning to hate the south.”
We all laugh at the forlorn expression on his face. Grady’s phone releases a series of annoying beeps and he turns the sound off with a swipe of his finger.
“Well, y’all enjoyed dinner, but duty calls. Some poor soul must be lost.”
“What do you mean?” Gunner asks, shaken.
“That’s our front door alert. Grady has the door rigged to his phone in case we have customers showing up during our busy times. We don’t have to stop taking patrons in. You wouldn’t believe the times I’ve went to the lobby and there were people waiting to get a room. So, Grady fixed it,” Kendall replies.
“You want me to follow?” I offer.
“No. Probably just somebody needing directions or wanting shelter from the storm. I’ve only got one room left and then we’ll be filling this room. Don’t wanna turn anybody away with Georgia out there. Just not safe.”
He makes his way around the tables to the hallway.
“I gotta clean the kitchen in case the power goes out. Last time a storm blew through here, I didn’t, and the entire motel stunk to high heaven. I really don’t want a repeat.”
Kendall stacks the dishes from our table in a neat pile.
“We’re just gonna sit here and chill, hon. Go ahead and take care of business. We’ll be here when you get done.”
“Sure you don’t want to help with the cleanup, Keagan? I seem to recall your obsession with cleanliness after your momma got a hold of you.”
“No way. I outgrew that thinking thanks to maw, among other things.”
We both laugh at the joke. My maw tanned my hide when she got home from work one day and I hadn’t cleaned the morning dishes. I tried to explain to her that dishes were a woman’s job, but the minute those words left my mouth, I knew I was a goner. I washed every dirty dish by hand for months. Didn’t matter if I had friends over or had been at school, the dishes would be waiting for me and the automatic dishwasher had apparently met its maker because I wasn’t allowed to stack it.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was when I came home and she had made her famous enchiladas. There wasn’t a counter not covered with dirty, caked-on dishes. I know she used every casserole dish she owned. I gave up and kindly told her I had rethought my stand on washing dishes: it was an equal opportunity job.
“What’s so funny, Crash?” Gunner inquires.
“Long story from when I was kid. Let’s just say women are smart, sneaky, and can hold a grudge, so beware.”
“My momma wasn’t around much when I was growing up. My grandparents told me she had the voice of an angel. I kinda remember her singing to me when I was young,” he reveals with a shrug.
“Had?”
“Yeah, my dad came home one day and found her with the next door neighbor. He shot ‘em both, dead.”
“Shit, Gunner. Didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
“Happened years ago. That’s how I ended up meeting Buzz. He’s the VP of the Phantom Prophets. We w
ere in the same group home until he turned eighteen. I lived with my grandparents until I was eight. They died in a car accident on the way home from Christmas shopping. I really hate that time of the year. That’s the year my life turned to shit.”
“You didn’t have any other family?”
“None who wanted the responsibility of an eight-year-old. My momma was an only child. When her parents were killed, there wasn’t anyone else, and let’s just say dear ol’ dad’s family wasn’t in the picture.”
“The state couldn’t find you a new home?”
“Nope. Ended up bunking with ten other kids. The only thing that saved me was Buzz. He kept the older bullies away.”
“You and Buzz are close, huh?”
“Yeah, man. He’s the reason I’m with you. He’s the only one that took an interest in me. He got me the gig working for his MC. Computers and networking always came easy. I could escape from this world into a new one. One of the workers at the home I was stuck in was gonna throw away this old desktop they used. Buzz snuck it out of the garbage and found me a secret place to be alone. I took it apart, got it running. Eventually I started writing code. Don’t ask me how I know what buttons to push; it just comes naturally.”
“I’ve got a friend like that. He’s a genius and can make any system purr like a fattened up kitten on cream. Is that how you got in the mess you’re in now?”
“Well …”
“Unbelievable. You’re a fuckin’ hacker?”
“I done told you, I wasn’t talkin’ about that with you. Look, I can’t. They would kill me if they knew I said anything now as it is.”
“You need someone watching your back. I can promise nothing will happen to you. I’ve got connections.”
“Oh shit. You don’t know what you’re sayin’. These guys don’t play. They’ll kill ya and won’t lose sleep over pullin’ the trigger. Just let it go before you’re sucked into their web. ‘Cause once you’re in, only death releases you. And, from what I’ve heard, you’ll wish you were dead before it’s all over.” He takes a deep breath and exhales. “That’s why I play nice. Do their biddin’ and get the fuck out. Buzz will protect me.”