Bad Beat

by Carolina Mac

  After dinner, the boys continued with their heads-up game while they mowed in a plateful of butter tarts. Annie cleaned up the kitchen and avoided Jackson.

  “I love butter tarts,” said Billy.

  “You love everything, asshole,” said Jackson, “as long as it’s food.”

  Annie paused on her way through the living room and laughed at Billy. “I’m taking a hot bath, Jackson. Can you help Billy to his room when he wants to go to bed?”

  “Will do, baby. I’ll be in soon,” he said, winking at her.

  Fuck, Annie has a mind of her own. I’ve got to get better control of this situation.

  Jackson slipped into bed beside Annie. She woke up and reached for him. “I didn’t want to wake you, baby,” he whispered.

  She rubbed her bare leg down his and kissed him. He moaned, rolled over on his back and pulled her over on top of him. “I’d die without you, Annie.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  BILLY PROVED SUCCESSFUL getting himself out of bed and as far as the kitchen using his crutches. “I’m getting the hang of these things.” He perched on a stool, leaned the crutches against the counter and let out a sigh.

  I passed him a mug of coffee. “What can I make you for breakfast, honey?”

  “Anything would be better than the shit the hospital gives you every morning. They put the tray in front of you with a bowl full of that runny white porridge, like they expect you to eat the fucking stuff.”

  Jackson rolled into the kitchen in a pair of cut-offs and hopped up on a stool beside Billy. “Hey, you made it out here on your own, man.” He made a fist to punch Billy in the shoulder but high-fived him instead.

  “Yep, the worst is over now. The doc said a through and through won’t take as long to heal as a bullet in the bone. I’ll be walking on my leg in a day or two.”

  “No, you won’t be walking on it until the doctor takes another look at it,” I said, “That’s what he told me, and I’m a better listener than you, Billy Jennings.”

  “Whatever you say, Portia. I’d never argue with somebody that can shoot like you.” He said with a grin, “that’d be a death wish.”

  I smiled. “I’m making omelets for breakfast, guys, then I’m going shopping for furniture for the new house. Can you two stay out of trouble while I’m gone?”

  “I’m the good one,” said Billy, “It’s always Jackson dragging my ass into deep shit.”

  “I’ll shoot you in the other fuckin’ leg, you asshole.” This time Jackson did punch him.

  After breakfast, I cleaned up the dishes, grabbed my purse and left the boys arguing in the kitchen. Jackson seemed to be in a better place but I knew he was lying to me about something. I just hadn’t figured out what it was.

  After a couple of hours at the furniture emporium, Pam had sent me to, I had selected the basics to furnish the new house. The accessories could come later. The salesman promised to deliver the leather sectional for the living room, two bedroom suites, and the dining room table and hutch on the closing date. I told them if the truckload wasn’t there on time, they would be getting all of it back.

  While I drove back to the rental house, Wolinski phoned my cell. “Keeping you updated, like I promised,” he said. “Stan Traynor will be in the infirmary for another two weeks, then he’ll be transferred to the Clarke County lock-up where they’ll hold him until the RCMP come down from Canada to get him. All the paperwork has been done.”

  “Please let me know the exact day when the transfer will take place, Agent Wolinski. Could you do that?”

  “I will, although I’m confident nothing will go wrong.”

  “How many guards do you have on him at the infirmary?”

  “One outside his door, around the clock.”

  “Not enough.”

  Wolinski chuckled. “I do have good news. The DA won’t be pressing charges against Mr. Traynor for shooting his father. It was ruled as self-defense.”

  “Hey, one point for the DA,” I said before hanging up.

  My boys were playing poker on the iPads in the living room when I came in. “Who wants a beer?” I hollered.

  “Me,” said Billy.

  “Me too, baby. Come sit with us,” said Jackson, patting the sofa beside him.

  “Are you guys winning anything?” I asked, setting the beer on the coffee table.

  “I made a final table,” said Billy. “I love these iPads.”

  “Jackson likes them too. We used them on our trip.”

  “How was it driving all the way out here in the heat?” Billy asked making a scowly face.

  “It was fun. We did some sightseeing, and Jackson went horseback riding,” I said. “In his former life, Jackson was a cowboy. We’re going back to the Grand Canyon on our bikes to take a closer look. When you’re better, we’ll all go.”

  Billy frowned. “Wish my bike was here, it’s the only decent thing I own, besides my guitar.”

  “That’s no problem, Billy. I’ll get Rusty to ship it.”

  A look crossed Jackson’s face.

  Why doesn’t he want Billy to have his bike?

  “Really, Portia? Would you do that?” Billy asked, his mouth hanging open.

  “I do anything I want,” I said with a laugh.

  “You’re the most fuckin’ amazing woman I ever knew,” Billy said, “Ain’t she, Jackson?”

  “She is, Billy. Absolutely the most amazing.” He grinned. “Exactly how many other amazing women have you known?”

  “Well… not too many…maybe…none.”

  Jackson laughed and brushed his dark, wavy hair out of his face. “That’s what I figured.”

  “I was never out of Ontario before I came here,” Billy said, smiling down at his screen. “Pocket Queens, I’m all in.”

  “Hope you make the big money, Billy,” I said with a grin.

  “I think I will, but sometimes, I get a little overconfident.”

  “No kidding,” said Jackson.

  I sat in the living room with the boys while they played, sipping my beer and listening to their banter, but my mind was on Stan. One guard outside his door, who were they kidding? He would wait until his bullet wound allowed him to walk again, and when they had their heads up their asses, he would make his move. Having escaped from a high-security prison like Millhaven with his two cronies, it would be a cakewalk giving the locals the slip. My money was on the transfer from the hospital to the holding cell. Once the RCMP had him, his chances of finding an opportunity would be much slimmer.

  I set another round on the table and said, “This amazing woman doesn’t feel like making dinner. I’m ordering pizza.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  Wednesday, October 31st.

  Hallowe’en.

  MOVING DAY. SIX o’clock saw me already up making coffee for the boys. Billy walked on his leg now with little trouble, and his face had been restored to its’ former irresistible state. Over the past few days, everything had been packed up except the toiletries and the last-minute items. Jackson and Billy had spent considerable time going over Jackson’s bike looking for the chip that Stan had installed. Billy had detected it with his new scanner and Jackson successfully removed it from the lining in his saddlebag. Billy’s bike had arrived from Toronto, thanks to Rusty making the arrangements at his end. Billy almost cried when he saw it. He ran his hand over the candy apple paint and touched the Fender guitar that Rusty had painted on the gas tank. Billy was so sweet and sad, despite his happy-go-lucky façade. It made my heart ache knowing he was so alone in the world. His mother hadn’t called him once since he left Toronto.

  While I waited to leave for my nine o’clock appointment at the lawyer’s office, to sign the final papers and pick up the keys, I drank a coffee and finalized my checklist. The furniture store had confirmed the previous day that their truck would arrive at twelve sharp at the new house. Pam had promised to take a drive out and make sure everything went smoothly for us. Jackson was pumped and couldn’t wait to take the
bikes out for a ride and show Billy the Red Rock Canyon.

  I glanced up from my list to see Jackson swagger into the kitchen. “Hey, Annie, it’s moving day.” He hugged me and snuggled his face in my hair. “Can’t wait to breathe that fresh air out by the canyon.” The past week Jackson had been impatient for the move and was talking non-stop about the wedding.

  I want to be happy but… what had caused this 360? Had to be the club.

  I shook my head and pulled my hair back into a ponytail. “Hope I remember how to find the house. I’ve only been out there a couple of times.”

  “I’ll put the address in the GPS, and you’ll have no trouble. We loaded Billy’s bike into the back of the pickup and hooked the bike trailer to the Hummer. You can drive either one.”

  “I have to stop at the lawyer’s office downtown, so I’d rather not be hauling the bike trailer when I’m looking for a parking spot. I’ll take the Ram.”

  Jackson nodded.

  Billy swaggered into the kitchen with his blond curls hanging damp around his neck from his shower. “I’m all packed up. What’s the plan, boss?”

  Jackson waved that away with a laugh. “Annie’s the brains of this outfit and has been since day one.”

  I blew him a kiss and picked up a box from the counter. “The plan is to take everything that’s not loaded out of here and pack it into the Hummer, leaving a spot for Angel. Then I drive downtown, pick up the keys and meet you guys at the I-Hop out on the highway for breakfast. After breakfast, we drive to our new address and tell the dudes where to put the furniture when they arrive at twelve o’clock. Then we sit on the new furniture, have a couple of beers and admire our new house.”

  “Let’s do it,” said Jackson.

  Everything was loaded by eight-thirty, including Angel, and I took off to pick up the keys. Parking proved to be a small problem downtown, but after circling the block twice I found a spot big enough for the truck. In the office, the wait was a little longer than expected with two clients ahead of me. Finally, I signed the papers, handed over a check and departed with the keys. When I walked into I-Hop, I spotted the boys in a booth drinking coffee. Billy saw me and waved.

  “Sorry I took so long. Have you guys ordered?” I asked flopping into the blue padded booth. The noise and bustle in the restaurant on the weekends was anything but relaxing. Lots of weekend dads brought their families for breakfast and it was wall-to-wall kids, but it was a favorite spot of Billy’s.

  “Nope, waiting on the most beautiful woman in Vegas to join us,” said Jackson scooting across the vinyl bench to make room for me. He finished texting a message on his phone and put it away.

  “I second that,” said Billy, giving me a thumbs-up.

  “You guys know how to make a girl feel good,” I said, but my instincts were kicking in.

  Jackson’s doing a lot of fawning.

  The waitress came by, took our breakfast order and filled up the coffee cups.

  “Angel’s in the Hummer?” I asked.

  Billy took a sip of his coffee and added more cream. “We had a smoke and gave her a walk around before we came inside.”

  The boys consumed mountains of pancakes, sausages, and bacon, while I ate a bagel with cream cheese. We paid our bill and left the restaurant around eleven. Jackson led the way to the new homestead and I followed in the Ram.

  On the end of a short cul-de-sac sat our new home. A sprawling single story Spanish style laid out in a t-shape, the triple garages being the stem. A row of tall vertical windows was the signature feature of the front façade. Lavish landscaping highlighted by towering palms enhanced the semi-circle formed by the stone-paved circular drive.

  “Fuck, you’re kidding me right? This is your house?” Billy hollered when we got out of the trucks at the new digs.

  “Yep, paid for it in full this morning,” I said. “Housing prices aren’t the same as in Toronto. You get a lot more for your money in ‘sin city.” I unlocked the front door and Jackson took Billy straight into the garage and opened all three of the overhead doors. The two of them put the bikes and the trailer away, so they could unload the trucks. I took Angel out the back and showed her the yard.

  Jackson leaned out the glass patio door with his arms full. “Where do you want the boxes from the other house, baby?”

  “Pile everything in the kitchen until the furniture guys are out of here. They should be here soon.” After the boxes and the luggage were unloaded we had a cold beer while we waited for the truck. “Take a walk around, Billy,” I said, “Hope you like it.”

  “This is like some fuckin mansion, Portia. I can’t believe the size of it.”

  “They don’t have to bother with basements out here, so they spread out more.”

  “Right, no basement.” Billy nodded. “Guess the frost doesn’t go too deep.”

  “I only bought the essentials at the furniture store. When it’s all in place, I think it’s going to look pretty bare in here.”

  “The truck’s here,” hollered Jackson from the garage.

  I greeted the three delivery men at the front door and told them where I wanted everything placed. They were professionals and had all the furniture in the house and unwrapped in an hour and a half. When they left, we uncapped cold beers and sat on the new leather sofa.

  “The furniture looks great, baby. You’re a good shopper,” Jackson said, toasting me with his beer.

  I looked around at the espresso leather sectional and nodded. “Thanks, we’ll fill in the gaps later. This is good enough for now.”

  The boys took their beer into the yard to have a smoke and try out the new patio furniture—three outdoor rattan sofas with a fire pit table in the center.

  Jackson had messages to return to the club. He said he had stepped down as number one but I knew in my heart it wasn’t true. He was acting out this fantasy for my benefit. The reality didn’t hurt as much as the lie did. Made me wonder what else he wasn’t being honest about?

  The boys kept Angel company while I unpacked and organized the kitchen. I made up the beds then stuck my head out to the patio. “When you gentlemen have a moment, can you figure out the new barbecue? I want to throw some burgers on and see if it grills the way I like it.”

  “I want you to try it out, too, Portia,” said Billy. “I’m fuckin starving.”

  Jackson punched him. “You’re always starving, you asshole. You’re a bottomless pit.”

  The sound of the doorbell made Angel bark and paw at the patio door. I left her in the backyard and walked through to the front to receive our first visitor.

  “How did everything go?” asked Pam.

  “Very smooth,” I said, “Come in and have a look around.”

  “I can’t stay long,” she said, “but I’ll say hello to Jackson.”

  Pam chatted to the boys for ten or fifteen minutes. I returned the keys to the rental house and she left to show another property in the area. “Your neighbors have a lot of Halloween decorations, I see. You might get trick or treaters tonight.”

  Damn. It was Halloween, and I had forgotten to buy candy. After lunch, I made a quick trip to the market to stock up my new pantry and buy chips and treats for the little ghosts and goblins. “Can you guys help me carry in the bags from the market?” I hollered. Billy came from the garage to help me. He was getting around slowly, but still favoring his right leg.

  “You bought a shit load of candy, Portia,” he said, unpacking one of the bags.

  “It’s Halloween. We might get a lot of little kids trick or treating.”

  Billy sighed, peeking into the other bags. “I never dressed up for Halloween. My mom said it was stupid.”

  “It’s fun for kids. A couple of my foster mothers dressed me up when I was eight or nine. Once I was an angel.”

  “You are an angel, Portia,” Billy said, giving me his best smile and melting my heart.

  “What’s Jackson doing?” I said, feeling a little uncomfortable, so close to Billy.

  “He
’s getting the bikes ready for the canyon ride. He’s pumped for it.”

  “Jackson loves it out there. I’m going to take more pictures today. Might get a couple of good ones framed for these bare walls,” I said, pointing to the sea of beige.

  Billy took a step closer to me. “Portia…” he said.

  “Are you guys ready?” Jackson stuck his head in the garage door and hollered. “Let’s ride.”

  We took off down the street giving our new neighbors a taste of the patented Harley rumble in triplicate. Billy hooted and hollered at the top of his lungs, waving to anybody who would look at him and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  When we reached one fifty-nine, the highway through the canyon, the landscape exuded its’ own brand of serenity. Stark red rocks reached for the sky. Joshua trees dotted sparsely through the black brush scrub. And the Yucca offered shade to the smaller desert dwellers. Jackson stopped often to photograph rock formations that had been hewn by glaciers thousands of years ago. We parked the bikes at the visitor’s center and checked it out. They offered tours and provided maps of hiking trails and points of interest.

  Jackson fingered through some pamphlets hung against the wall and chose a couple. “I want to see every inch of this canyon.”

  Billy snorted and took a drag on his smoke. “You won’t live that long, you asshole. It’s too fuckin huge.”

  “We’d need tents and gear to hike to the remote areas.” Jackson ignored Billy to come drape an arm around me. “Do you like camping, baby?”

  “Never done it, so I can’t say one way or the other,” I said, smiling as Jackson’s hand slid lower and rounded my ass. “I’m willing to give it a shot. We can plan a camping honeymoon.”

  Jackson grinned. “I like the sound of that, Annie.”

  “Are you guys really getting married?” asked Billy, the pout on his face mirroring his immaturity.

  I gathered Jackson’s hand in mine and headed back to the bikes. “Yep, as soon as I can pull something together. You’re part of the wedding, Billy.”

  “No way,” he said. “I’ve never been to a wedding.”

  Jackson grabbed the kid by the shoulder and tugged him along. “You’re the best man, asshole. Suck it up.”