Cheyenne turned around and rolled her eyes.
“You don’t mean that. You cringe everytime Matthew cries.”
“That boy has a pair of lungs,” Randy said as he proceeded to unbutton Cheyenne’s blazer.
“Randy Ford, what are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?”
“Call me crazy, but it looks like you’re undoing my hour worth of getting ready.”
“Okay, crazy. Maybe I am?” Randy said as he ran his tongue over his teeth.
Cheyenne laughed as her primly pressed blazer hit the floor. Randy ignored her and proceeded to nibble on her neck as the buttons of her blouse came undone at his fingers.
“And what excuse shall I give Father Mulroney?”
“Tell him your husband needed you. He believes in the sanctity of marriage.”
“The sanctity, huh? Big word for a dirty Texas boy like yourself.”
“Dirty I am, but dumb I am not,” said Randy with raised eyebrows as he pulled on Cheyenne’s slacks. He tugged her closer to him as he kneeled on the bed.
Cheyenne began to speak again but Randy’s hand quickly silenced her.
“Shhhh… No more talking.”
Cheyenne couldn’t help but laugh. This pissed Randy off a little, so he grabbed her and plowed her down onto surface of the bed as he pushed the rumpled sheets to the floor.
“I can see it now,” Cheyenne said. “I’m sorry I was late Father Mulroney. I married a wild ravenous man who needs sex twice a day.”
Randy laughed as he pulled off Cheyenne’s high heels and tossed them behind him.
“You’ll get the old guy excited.”
“Your mama needed better pre-natal care. You’re a hot ass mess!”
But as she laughed at him, Randy slipped her out of her black pants.
“You think too much, baby. Wait, I know how to shut you up,” Randy said just before he dug his teeth into the flesh of Cheyenne’s thigh.
Suddenly, Cheyenne wasn’t thinking of anything but the touch of Randy’s tongue, the feel of Randy’s strong hand clenching on her legs. Dividing her legs, Randy wiped Cheyenne’s mind clean and all anxiety she once felt for her job interview had vanished.
“Here you go, western omelet and sausage links,” Averi said as she placed a plate down in front of Colt.
“I could have just had some cereal. You didn’t have to do all this.”
“I wanted to!” Averi said with a smile as she sat down in a kitchen chair. She faced Matthew who was sitting in his high chair. Matthew beamed at his mother with a toothy smile.
“Hi happy boy! Ready for oatmeal?!” Averi said in a coo to her son. She grabbed the warm bowl of oatmeal and dipped his blue spoon in. Quickly, she brought the spoon to Matthew’s mouth, making an airplane sound.
Suddenly, the back door swung open and Randy walked in with a happy look on his face.
“Good morning, everyone!” Randy said, sounding a little too happy.
Averi rolled her eyes at her brother, while Colt looked up at him over his newspaper and shook his head.
“Someone’s happy today.”
“Morning sex makes everything better,” Randy announced.
Averi covered Matthew’s eyes as she cast her brother a foul look.
“Seriously?!”
“He’s not going to remember that!”
“Right… until he starts to say it!”
“Don’t be jealous because the kid’s first word was Ran.”
“You’re name isn’t Ran, for the last time!” Averi yelled with a laugh.
“Well he didn’t say Ma until two days later.”
“I can’t wait til you have kids. I’m going to spoil them rotten and be the bane of your existence,” Averi threatened.
“Oooh! Eggs!” Randy said.
“I can make you an omelet…”
“He can have cereal,” Colt said without looking up from his newspaper.
“It’s not that big of a deal. Besides, we’re almost out of milk.”
“Beer. Milk. God! You are like a bottomless pit!” Colt said to Randy in annoyance.
“Payment for fixing your truck,” Randy said with a laugh as he sat down next to baby Matthew.
“Father Mulholland. Thank you for meeting with me,” Cheyenne said as she departed the rector’s office. Turning around, she faced the elderly minister with a friendly smile.
“It was lovely to see you. Will you be back tomorrow?” Father Mulholland asked hopefully.
“Does 9 A.M. sound okay?” Cheyenne asked.
“Perfect. Your nephew is in our daycare, correct?”
“Yes. Little Matthew,” Cheyenne replied.
Father Mulholland held his hand out to Cheyenne.
“Miss West…”
“It’s Ford now,” Cheyenne replied with a happy smile as she showed off her simple gold wedding band.
“Congratulations are in order, then…” Father Mulholland said in surprise.
“Thank you. I couldn’t be happier. I’ll see you tomorrow!” Cheyenne said as she departed.
Father Mulholland watched as Cheyenne walked to her car. This was not your typical job interview. Cheyenne had worked for Mother of Grace church before… Before her last round of troubles began. Cheyenne knew that this time would be different. This time, she had Randy. This time, she was stronger, and Trent Myers was nowhere to be found. Cheyenne had risen above her past and she had convinced herself that she was more powerful than the pull of her former addictions. Father Mulholland was happy that Cheyenne’s broken road had found a healthy detour.
“Yo Randy!” Colt yelled from across the breakfast table.
“What?!” Randy yelled back with a mouthful of pancakes.
“You gonna replace my beer or what?”
“I did $2,000 worth of labor on your truck. You buy the beer.”
“Can you all be civilized?!” Averi snapped as she glared at her husband and brother.
“Baby, he drank all the beer and the milk.”
“So I’ll buy more… It’s not that serious.”
“It’s a very serious offense!”
“Where is my payment for listening to you two gripe?” Averi asked.
Colt smirked as he placed a hand around his wife’s waist. He pulled Averi in for a kiss. As their lips met, Randy’s fork hit his plate.
“Ugh! Get a room!” Randy yelled.
“Technically,” Colt said with a devious smile, “this is my room. Your rooms are over across the pasture.”
“This is a common area and I am eating!” Randy protested with a disturbed look in his eyes.
“I’m about to leave for work,” Averi said as she grabbed her purse. “You can finish your breakfast in peace.”
“Hold on, I’ll drive you,” Colt said as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.
But then, just as he was about to rise from the table, an urgent news broadcast flashed across the screen.
“Oh, fuck!” Randy griped with widened eyes.
Waikes Penitentiary appeared on the television that sat on the kitchen counter. Colt and Averi looked up at Randy, startled from the sudden outburst.
“What now?!” Averi asked, a bit on edge.
“Great,” Colt muttered as he glared at the screen.
The caption on the screen read, “38 inmates escape from Waikes Penitentiary after a deadly prison riot. Warden Shaw and seven prison guards dead. Prisoner death toll climbing.”
A sharp breath escaped Averi’s lips as the reality hit her. As the names of the escapees flashed across the screen, Averi became dizzy. Rex “Linch Pin” Lynch, Gunnar Rhoades, Dominic Marone, Beau Bixby, Chuck Spina, Dane and Kyle Polk, Doc Marone… the list went on and on. Every last name that appeared was a member of the Seventy Devils Motorcycle Club. All the names but one, that is. The final escapee was none other than Averi and Randy’s uncle – Shawn Hall.
“Damn…” Cheyenne complained as she looked at the fuel gauge. The lever was dangerous
ly close to empty.
Cheyenne veered off Route 1 and pulled into the Gas ‘N Go. She brought the car to a stop as she pulled up to pump #2. It was then that Cheyenne saw her. Cheyenne couldn’t believe her eyes. She actually had to do a double-take. Leaning against the brick exterior of the Gas ‘N Go, was none other than Gina West-Grisham, Cheyenne’s mother. She was the mother who had failed to care. Gina was the woman who had essentially fed her daughter to the dogs of Oakeley. Gina’s head of platinum blonde hair dropped as her neck rolled. Her arms, which were covered with tracks, reached for her belly – her massive, swollen belly. Gina appeared to be at least eight months pregnant. Cheyenne’s thoughts screamed in her brain. Gina was pregnant. Gina was dipping. Gina was knocking on the devil’s door.
Livid, Cheyenne emerged from her car. Heels clacking against the fractured asphalt, she beat a path to her mother’s side. A furious look shined out from Cheyenne’s bright blue eyes. She encaged her mother’s arm in her right hand, her knuckles turning white from the force of her grip.
“Dave…” Gina called with a faraway look in her eyes.
Through her teeth, Cheyenne replied, “Not even close,” as a vision of her abusive step-father came to the forefront of her mind.
“Michael,” Gina replied in a hopeful voice.
“I can’t believe you have the nerve to even utter my father’s name,” Cheyenne spat. “It’s Cheyenne! Your daughter! Remember me?!”
Gina didn’t reply as her eyes rolled back into her head.
“Come with me!” Cheyenne barked. “I’ll be damned if you’re going to ruin another kid’s life!”
In a voice Cheyenne barely recognized as her mother’s, Gina spoke, “Do you know what it’s like to live without a soul? Every breath is hollow.”
A horrible cough rattled from Gina’s throat.
She continued, “Every heartbeat is a chore. You live for the chase, for the high.”
Gina scratched her arm as her daughter glared at her. Gina went on, “When you’re on top, you feel unstoppable. You don’t care about the past. You don’t care about the future. You only care about the here and now… and when you come crashing down, you’re reminded of just how human you are. You don’t know what this is like… Don’t you judge me!”
“Actually… Mom… I do know. I choose never to go back down that route… and you’re hurting more than just yourself. Think about your baby!”
“I’m not strong enough. Let me go!”
“No, now get in the car!” Cheyenne screamed as she helped her mother into the passenger seat. Her eyes began to roll again. Pulling a seat belt across her mother’s lap, Cheyenne was disgusted by what she saw. Her emotions began to come undone when she remembered… Cheyenne was once in a very similar position.
“Breathe, Ave! Colt yelled as he lifted his wife off the kitchen floor. She had collapsed upon the linoleum floor with the shock of the news crashing down upon her.
Randy ran from the room and rushed back with a first aid kit and a damp wash rag. Kneeling by his sister’s side, Randy laid the cloth on Averi’s forehead. As Averi opened her eyes, she met Colt and Randy’s gaze.
“Not again…”
Meanwhile, across town, Cheyenne was dealing with a completely different dilemma of her own. Sitting in the waiting room of St. Catherine’s Hospital, Cheyenne nervously bit her fingernails.
“Ms. West?” a doctor in a white lab coat addressed Cheyenne.
“It’s Ford. Cheyenne Ford. I’m Regina’s daughter,” Cheyenne replied in a strained voice.
“Mrs. Ford, I’m afraid it’s bad news,” the doctor said somberly.
Cheyenne knew what had happened before the doctor had even uttered the words.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Ford. We couldn’t save your mother.”
“Calm down, Ave…” Colt pleaded.
“What is he thinking?! They are going to think he is in on the break out!” Averi cried.
“It’s possible that he’s trying to prevent them from hurting anyone,” Colt suggested.
“Thirty-seven against one, Colt!” Averi protested.
“You know Shawn isn’t stupid. He has a plan. I know it,” Colt said, trying to reassure his wife.
“Averi,” Randy said in a voice full of inflection. “It’s not Uncle Shawn I’m worried about. It’s the thirty-seven psychopaths that broke out with him. You know they’re headed for Oakeley…”
“Randy…” Colt warned as he gave Averi a nervous look.
“No, Colt. He’s right…” Averi said. “They are pissed and Oakeley will be the first place they go. They aren’t looking to hide.”
“Dude,” Randy continued. “They are not your father, and as much as I hate to admit it, that son of a bitch was cunning. These idiots don’t have a lick of sense.”
Colt agreed, “It’s not about self-preservation for these assholes. It’s a kamikaze mission. The idea is to take out anyone who stands in their way.”
“What now?” Averi asked as she glanced back nervously at her baby.
“Pull everyone in. Jax, Harlan, Tim, Danny…” Randy suggested.
“They’re all at the gym,” Colt said.
“Warn Shelly. I guess she’s still at her Dad’s, and get Cheyenne home,” Averi pleaded.
As Averi said Cheyenne’s name, Randy’s cellphone began to ring.
“It’s Chey,” Randy said. “Hello?”
Cheyenne sounded upset, “It’s me. I need you to come down to St. Catherine’s. It’s really important.”
“What’s wrong?! Are you hurt? Who did it?!” Randy said, going off before he even knew what was going on.
Averi and Colt stared at Randy nervously.
“Don’t go off the deep end! I’m not hurt. I ran into my mother today. Randy, she’s dead. She OD’d.”
Randy could hear Cheyenne’s emotions building in her voice. He understood perfectly why she was upset. Anyone would be upset to learn that their mother had passed away. It was the manner in which Gina passed that caused need for sensitivity. Cheyenne had been on the same road Gina traveled down. Drug addiction was a slippery slope. Randy knew that if it wasn’t for him, Cheyenne would likely be dead, too.
“Randy…” Cheyenne said in a soft voice full of pleading. “She was pregnant.”
“What?” Randy asked, hardly able to believe his ears.
“She was thirty-seven weeks. The baby is alive in the NICU.”
Randy’s heart hammered in his chest as he tried to process his thoughts.
“I’ll be there within the hour,” Randy said in an urgent voice. As Randy hung up the phone, he gave his sister an unsteady look.
“What is it?” Averi asked, looking unsettled.
“Cheyenne’s mother is dead. A drug overdose. Gina was nine months pregnant…” Randy said in a haunted voice.
Averi gasped loudly. “That bitch! Did they save the baby?!” Averi’s eyes looked horrified as she held her hand over her mouth, barely allowing herself air to breathe.
“Yes. I just said the baby is alive. She’s in the NICU.”
“What are you going to do, Randy?” Colt asked giving his brother-in-law a troubled gaze.
All of Randy’s emotions warred within his heart. He was conflicted, deeply so, and it showed all over his face. Looking up at Averi, Randy’s green eyes looked distant and stormy. Corinne Ford’s face came to the forefront of Randy’s mind as his mind churned. He knew Cheyenne would feel an overwhelming need to be there for the child. Family was important to her. Randy Ford knew a little something about the importance of family after tremendous loss. This baby was the child of Gina and Dave Grisham. The thought that they had reproduced made Randy’s blood boil. But then Randy looked up at Colt. He was the son of a man that Randy likened to Lucifer, himself. Although Randy would never admit this out loud, he thought Colt had turned out okay despite his lurid upbringing. There was his mother’s face again, owning his thoughts. Corinne’s voice reminded Randy, “Do the right thing, Randy Ford. Be a kind,
good boy.”
Damn, Averi looks just like her, Randy thought.
“Randy? What are you going to do?” Averi asked again, repeating Colt’s question.
As he grabbed his car keys, Randy looked back at Colt and Averi and replied, “I’m going to do what Mom would have done.”
Colt watched as Randy charged out the door with a look of firm determination on his face. Tears had formed in Averi’s eyes.
“What the hell just happened here?” Colt asked in shock. His eyes were wide as he looked at his wife.
Averi sniffed. “My big brother finally grew up.”
CHAPTER FOUR
The Plan
Drops of water dripped down Tim’s back as he poured half a bottle of water over his head. His face was red from the workout. He’d gone seven practice rounds with Jax at Colt’s gym.
“Damn good bout,” Harland said to Tim in a tone of approval.
“It was alright,” Jax said, not sounding quite so certain.
“Wore you out, didn’t I?” Tim said with a smirk, his light blue eyes shining at Jax in a teasing way.
“Yo, turn on the news!” Colt yelled as he walked through the front door of his gym with Averi and Matthew in tow. She had an overnight bag hanging from her shoulder. “
Why?” Tim asked, sounding as confused as he looked.
“What’s goin’ on?” Harlan asked, eyeing Averi nervously. She rarely came to the gym.
In fact, Colt’s gym had a largely male clientele.
Quickly, Jax turned on the TV and flipped to Channel 6. Firefighters were working to control the blaze at Waikes Penitentiary. Prison officials were spanning the field outside the prison perimeter. They had a lot of ground to cover, but with the prisoners fleeing on foot, they were sure they wouldn’t get too far. A news reporter, standing outside the prison walls, relayed the news.
“We’re here at Waikes Penitentiary where the unthinkable has occurred. Thirty-eight high security prisoners have escaped during a violent riot that left seven prison guards, the warden and three inmates dead. The men who escaped are all from the same small town – Oakeley, Texas. This is a small town with a lurid past. A violent motorcycle club has ruled the seemingly quaint town since the early ‘80’s. Thirty-seven of the escapees were members of the notorious Seventy Devils Motorcycle Club. The other escapee is Oakeley’s former Police Chief, Shawn Hall. Former Chief of Police Shawn Hall is serving a twenty-two year sentence for the murder of Tom “Black Horse” McClain – founder of the Seventy Devils MC and the man who murdered Hall’s sister, brother-in-law and nephew back in 1993. Stay tuned for more information on this story as it unfolds.”
Love, Lies, & Crime: Anthology Page 18