by B. B. Hamel
They hugged briefly and she laughed. “I can’t believe you were going to drive away without saying hi.”
“Truth is, Janey, I figured you wouldn’t want to see me. It’s been a long time.”
“Come on, I don’t blame any of that on you. The accident was a long time ago.”
“It was.”
“How have you been?”
“Good,” Travis said. “I’m in the Navy now.”
I raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
“I heard,” she said. “That’s amazing. What are you doing home?”
“On leave for a bit, thought I’d bring Hartley to see the old haunts. I heard about the ATVs tours, figured it’d be fun.”
“Yeah? How’d King treat you?”
“He’s a prince, that man,” Travis said.
Janey laughed and put her hand on his shoulder, real friendly. Maybe a little too friendly.
“That’s King. He’s got a knack for the tourists.”
“That he does. How’d you know I was here anyway?”
“King recognized you. Only mentioned it in passing though. You almost got away with it.”
He nodded. “Almost. Damn.”
“It’s really good seeing you, Travis.”
“Same to you, Janey. Glad you’re doing well. I hear you guys are killing it on these tours.”
She smiled and nodded. “People seem to really like them. I think it’s mostly because of King and the boys, but I’ll take some credit too.”
“Your parents good?”
“Good as they ever are,” she said.
There was a short pause and then Travis nodded. “All right, Janey. We’re going to head out.”
“Oh no. Are you sure? Come on, come back and have a drink. We’ll catch up.”
Travis shook his head. “Sorry. We got plans. Another time though, promise.”
“How long are you in town for?”
“Couple weeks at least.”
“Good. Here, take my number.” Travis got his phone out and she read him her number. He typed it in and then called her. “Text me if you want to get together.”
“Will do.”
“Bye then.” She hugged him again and then turned and walked off.
Travis gave me a look and then got into the car. I walked around and got back into the passenger’s seat.
“She’s the leader of a gang?” I asked him after a short silence.
He laughed and shook his head. “Guess so.”
“She looks like a model, Travis.”
“She always did. That was why my brother liked her.”
“Has she always been so . . . tall?”
He smirked at me. “Are you a little jealous, Hartley?”
“Jealous? Not even a tiny bit.”
“I think you are. I think you’re worried I’d rather get a taste of her pussy than yours.”
“Cut it out, Travis.”
“Don’t worry,” he said, leaning toward me. “That dripping wet cunt of yours is the only thing I need.”
I sighed and shook my head. “Be serious for once.”
He put the car in gear, laughing, and pulled out of the parking lot, heading back home. “I am being serious.”
“Do you really think she’s the head of some gang?”
“Toad wouldn’t lie about that,” he said.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Besides, the Dixie said the Caldwells were the target themselves. Janey in charge or not, we still need to do this thing.”
“Fine,” I said. “You’re right. Just, it’s strange. I can’t imagine that girl in charge of a gang. She just seemed too nice.”
“Don’t let that shit fool you, Hartley,” he said seriously. “For some people, life is like wearing a series of masks. They can be whoever they want, putting them on and taking them off at will. Janey always was good at pleasing people. She was popular and nice. It wouldn’t surprise me if she had a whole closetful of masks, ready to be worn at any moment.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah. You’re right about that.” I looked at him, studying his face intently. “What’s your mask look like, Travis?”
He glanced at me, his face breaking into his usual cocky smirk. “I don’t wear a mask, sweetheart. What you see is what you get. I’m as open as they come.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” I said softly, but he only laughed in response.
People weren’t always what they seemed. Was he trying to tell me something about himself? Travis seemed like a cocky asshole, a bad boy and a player. But he was good at heart, and he was clearly doing what he could to keep me safe. Could I trust him, even if he had a closetful of masks himself?
I wasn’t ever going to get a good answer for that, unfortunately. As much as I wanted to get underneath that cocky swagger of his, that man had so many defenses built in.
As we drove on, I hated to admit to myself that he might be right. I might really be jealous of that Janey girl. The way she touched him, how beautiful she was, it all just seemed too easy for her.
I was never popular growing up. I was a normal girl, smart and good at some things, but nothing ever came super easy to me. I worked hard for everything I had, because that was how my parents had raised me. I wasn’t sophisticated, wasn’t perfect. I was a little rough, a real farm girl.
Janey though, she seemed like she belonged in a big city, not in some backwoods town like Knoxville. Just being around her made me feel a little smaller, a little embarrassed.
Maybe she was the leader of a violent gang. That could make sense if she had the power to make people feel so small. Even Travis had been slightly less cocky around her, though that was probably because of their complicated history together. I couldn’t even guess what that meeting had been like for him.
Janey Caldwell. She was interesting to me, and I’d only met her for a few minutes. I suddenly found myself wanting to know her better and wanting her to know me.
That was a powerful quality to have, maybe the sort of quality a real leader needed.
We drove in near silence for the rest of the ride. I thought back on the day and found myself smiling. Despite the strange encounter at the end, I’d had a ton of fun with Travis. I had loved beating him on the ATV, making him laugh, and fooling around with him. He had a surprisingly good sense of humor, plus he made me simply feel good.
Then there was tricking that meathead into giving away some secret mine shaft locations. That had just made me feel useful and important. I’d been worrying that I was going to be a drag to Travis, that he’d be able to do all of this better without me. But I wasn’t going to step aside and let that happen. In the end, I was going to be in control of my own fate.
My head was so full of questions and concerns as Travis parked the car near the apartment and climbed out. He grabbed his bag as I got out and followed him, lost in my own mind.
He paused outside the door while I unlocked it absently. He moved ahead of me, brushing past me. I blinked.
“What’s the rush?” I asked him.
He held up one hand, his face all business. “Wait here,” he said.
I blinked. “What?”
“Wait here.” He pulled a gun from his pants. I hadn’t even known it was there.
“Okay,” I said, suddenly afraid.
He disappeared up the steps. He waited outside my apartment door before pushing it in and going inside, his gun held ready.
I stood there rooted to the spot, fear coursing through my veins. I couldn’t move even if I wanted to.
There weren’t any sounds, no gunshots or shouts. A minute later, Travis stepped back out of the apartment and waved me up.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I got to the top of the stairs.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said softly. “Someone from the Dixie Mafia is here.”
I went to ask more questions, my heart beating fast in my chest, but he stepped away and into the apartment. I followed him and shut the door behind m
e.
Sitting at the kitchen table was a man I’d never seen before. He was thin and gaunt, almost too thin. His hair was thinning and there was slight stubble along his face. He wore a dark suit and had a gun on the table in front of him, within reach but not too near him. He smiled as I stepped into the room.
“Hello, Hartley,” he said. “My name is Culver. Don’t worry, I’m not here to hurt you.”
“Talk to me, not her,” Travis said, his face hard.
Culver looked at him. “Okay, Travis Rock. I will, although the girl can speak for herself.”
“What do you want?”
“I’m here to check up on the two of you.” Culver leaned back and crossed his legs and arms. “How are you doing?”
“Hoyt didn’t tell me you’d be stopping by.”
“Hoyt doesn’t know everything.” Culver smiled. “Please, sit. You’re making me uncomfortable.”
Travis nodded at me, and so we sat at the table with Culver. He nodded.
“That’s better. Now, Travis, have you made any progress?”
“Some,” Travis said.
“Elaborate.”
“We visited their compound today. I did some preliminary scouting. I suspect they’re keeping the shipment on site, somewhere on the compound.”
“What makes you think that?”
He shrugged. “Logistics. If this shipment is as big as your employers said it was, I doubt they’d take the time to lower it down into some mine shaft. No, they’re likely getting ready to sell it off, and it makes more sense to keep it close at hand.”
“I accept your logic,” Culver said, nodding.
“The place is well guarded. Easy sightlines everywhere, plus a lot of closed-circuit cameras.”
Culver seemed pleased. “This is why we are giving you this job, because it is a difficult one.”
“Yeah, it is difficult.”
“But you have connections to these people, don’t you?” Culver continued.
“I do.”
“We know all about you, Travis Rock. We know about your family, about your brother, about your friend Toad, and about Markus.”
Travis didn’t blink. “I hear what you’re saying.”
“I believe you do, but I’ll spell it out for the girl. If you fail, everyone you know and love will get hurt.”
He nodded and I just stared.
Culver was cold, so cold. He said these things with a small smile on his face, like he was ordering lunch. He was completely cool and calm, a lot like Travis was. But where Travis was warm and intense, Culver was aloof and uncaring. He seemed like he barely cared enough to speak the words he was saying.
“The Dixie Mafia cares a lot about this job,” Culver said. “That is why they sent me. They do not send me on normal, everyday missions. Understand?”
“Understood.”
“Good. I will be your handler from here on out. If you have issues, you come to me. My number is on the refrigerator. Do not contact anyone but me, including Hoyt. His life is on the line here too. You understand?”
“Understood.”
“Very good. I like you, Travis Rock. I believe you have a chance to make this work, if you’re smart.”
Travis nodded but didn’t respond.
Culver smiled at me, making my blood run cold. He stood slowly and took the gun, slowly pushing it into a holster at his side. Once it was away, he raised his hands.
“Well then, goodbye. Be good.”
He walked away without another word, a moving skeleton. He pushed open the door and closed it softly behind him, exiting the room like a whisper.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
“It’s okay,” Travis said, leaning toward me. “He was just here to scare us.”
“It worked,” I said. “How did you know he was here?”
“I left a few little traps around here. He tripped one on his way in.”
“Seriously? Like what?”
“I taped a piece of hair on the doorframe. It was missing when we got here.”
I laughed despite myself. “You’re serious?”
“Simplest trick in the book, but effective.”
“A single hair.”
“You’d be surprised what I can do with a single hair.” He smirked at me and I laughed again.
I felt the fear break inside me. Travis was here and he was watching over me. Culver was a terrifying man, but he was nothing compared to Travis. I had the right man on my side in the end, and I knew we’d get through this.
“Come on,” Travis said, standing. “Let’s go grab something to eat. We’ll need our strength.”
“Strength? For what?”
He grinned at me. “I’m moving my timetable up a bit. A man like Culver getting involved is bad news, so we’re going to do some serious scouting tonight.”
I nodded. “Okay then.’
I stood up and followed him back outside. I didn’t know what it really meant to go scouting, but I’d do it anyway. This wasn’t a game, and if Travis thought something was important, then I’d do it.
I was going to get through this no matter what.
12
Travis
Bringing Hartley was a damn mistake, but I knew I couldn’t avoid it.
The girl wasn’t a pushover. I had expected her to be a trembling mess after Culver’s little surprise visit, but she seemed to take it much better than I could have guessed.
Culver was a killer. There was no doubt about that. I knew killers. Hell, I was a damn killer. Culver was a particular breed, a cold-blooded killer, more likely to shoot you in the back of the head in the dead of night without you ever even knowing he was there. That little stunt with the visit, that was just him letting us know that he could break into the apartment and kill us at any time.
Except he underestimated me. When I kicked in the door, my gun ready, I had surprised him. He drew pretty fast, but his face betrayed his shock. He didn’t expect me to know he was there, probably figured I was just some dumbass military boy. Fortunately, we were both professionals, and neither of us got spooked and fired. Most other men might have pulled the trigger in that moment, but not Culver, and that said a lot about the man.
But I had a few tricks up my sleeve, the sort of tricks Culver wasn’t expecting. I wasn’t just some dumb military boy in over his head. I knew what I was about, and Culver and everyone else was going to have to figure that out the hard way.
I had planned on holding off on this operation for another day, but the Mafia was clearly getting a little antsy. I didn’t want them to do anything stupid, and so I decided to move forward despite possibly not being ready.
I parked the car in the woods, about a mile away from the Caldwell compound. I was wearing my dark combat clothing with a combat vest, and Hartley was wearing her darkest functional clothing. She looked nervous, and I couldn’t blame her.
“You’re not getting too close,” I said as we got out of the car. I turned on a flashlight and held a little map down flat on the hood of the car. She got out and looked over my shoulder.
“This is the compound, here. We’re parked over here. The plan is for us to sneak out there, keeping quiet. You’ll stay here, on the edge of the forest, waiting. I’ll do a quick recon through the compound, see what I can see. When I’m done, we head back.”
“I want to come with you,” she said.
I smiled, because I knew she was going to say that. “I know, but you can’t. There are too many cameras, and you don’t have the training to avoid them.”
“I don’t like the idea of just sitting there. What’s the point? I might as well wait in the woods.”
“Here’s the point. If I get into trouble in there, which is possible, I’ll need a distraction. While I’m inside, you’ll sneak to here and here. You’ll set up some fireworks, run the fuses down along the ground to here, and you’ll wait. If something goes wrong and you see something isn’t right, you set off those fireworks, and then you
run.”
“That’s it? Just sitting there with fireworks?”
“Trust me, Hartley, those things are going to make a pretty loud fucking sound. Anyone in the compound will be more worried.”
She frowned but nodded. “Okay. I can do that.”
“But listen to me. As soon as you light them, you run. You can’t stay. They will catch you if you hesitate even a second.”
“Okay,” she said, nodding. “Okay. I promise.”
“Good. Hopefully we won’t have to use them, but it’s good to always have a backup plan.”
“Sound advice,” she said, and I couldn’t help but grin at her.
The girl was brave, damn brave. Most civilians wouldn’t be able to do something like this, but I trusted her. Despite my best judgment, I trusted her to pull this off if she needed to, and to run once the fuses were lit. She wanted to get caught by the Caldwells about as much as I wanted her to get caught.
I popped the trunk and we got out our gear. I checked my gun and twisted a silencer onto the barrel. I didn’t like the weight that added, but I’d rather the stealth if this came down to gunplay. I gave Hartley the fireworks and showed her how to lay the fuse, which wasn’t really complicated.
Once that was finished, we headed out through the woods on our long walk.
It was really only about a ten- or fifteen-minute hike, but I could feel the tension in Hartley. She’d never done anything like this, and I couldn’t blame her for being nervous. We were going into enemy territory with only a single weapon and some fireworks. She probably thought this was insane.
But the truth was, I couldn’t imagine a situation where the fireworks would be necessary. Even if I got caught and the whole compound woke up, they wouldn’t be able to take me. I was trained in evasion tactics, trained to be able to escape from almost any situation. The Caldwells were gangsters and violent thugs, but they weren’t professionals like I was. A highly motivated and dangerous civilian was still just a civilian.
We didn’t talk much as we approached the compound. I didn’t feel like pressing her, and I wanted her to be in the right state of mind when we got there. I took us through the woods, using the moon as a guide, until we reached the ridge overlooking the back of the buildings. We crouched down next to an outcropping of bushes and looked down at the compound.