“They don’t know my brother very well when it comes to Kayla.”
“Apparently, that’s what the Chief told them. He also told Carlos that they won’t get another shot at Ms. Gregory alone. And he’s been right.”
“So Kayla’s at the ranch…”
“Yeah. The next day, word got back that your brother and Ms. Gregory filed a police report for an attempted hit and run. Carlos was about to blow a gasket at that point. Then, word came in that your brother and Ms. Gregory were on the property next to Dick’s. Carlos wanted a closer look at the two of them and to stir up some shit with her parents. In Carlos’ mind, that property is going to belong to MI real soon so he wasn’t thrilled to see a fence going up. That day, he had us walk between Dick’s garage and the Gregory property. I guess it was an intimidation tactic. It may have worked if it was just her parents there, but your brother and the doctor didn’t seem fazed.”
“Yeah, my brother took pictures of y’all. Once I saw Carlos, I knew I couldn’t be seen.”
“When I saw your brother and was told his name, I knew you two were related. I didn’t confirm it until we were walking behind him at the Chinese restaurant. He’s bigger, but you walk the same. Carlos intentionally put his bright lights in your brother’s eyes. He knew your brother wouldn’t be able to drive after that. He wanted Ms. Gregory behind the wheel because he thought it would be easier to scare her. We went to the edge of town and while we waited, Dick adjusted the headlights. When they passed, we saw your brother in the passenger seat. That was all Carlos needed. He was laughing as he formed his plan. His intention was to run them off the road. He didn’t think Ms. Gregory could control a big truck. The whole time I was trying to figure out how to stop this or not be a part of it. So Carlos gave them a few minutes’ head start. He stayed back until we got far enough from town that the road was pitch black. He turned his high beams on, trying to blind Ms. Gregory in the mirrors. I could see Ms. Gregory trying to move her head to get the lights out of her eyes. Carlos got on her tail then went around her, even with the double yellow lines on the hills. At that point, I thought he’d gone a little crazy and I might die.”
Nathan opened another bottle of water. “Carlos flew past her and went up the road about half a mile. He flipped the car around and sat in the middle of the road with his high beams on. As soon as we saw the truck top the hill, he revved the engine. That’s when I saw the truck slow. Your brother must have been coaching her because she flipped on her high beams, drifted to the center of the road, and floored it. Hell, I wasn’t great in physics, but even I knew with that truck being bigger and heavier, which vehicle was going to suffer the most damage. All I could hope for was that she’d chicken out and swerve first, but she didn’t. She just kept coming. At the last second, both of them swerved. Carlos didn’t let off the gas much, but I saw the truck fishtail. She had brought it to a stop before I turned forward. I swear I thought I was going to have to change my pants when we got back. Do you really do that shit around here? God bless, Evan. That was fucking psycho!”
Evan chuckled. “Yeah. Sometimes. It’s usually teenage boys who’ve had too much to drink. There isn’t too much to do here, ya know?”
“Hell, I’d find something to do. A girl with STDs would be safer than that shit,” Nathan said with a serious expression.
Evan laughed at Nathan’s words and the look on his face. “Yeah, well, boys ‘round here do shit like that to get the girl. Hopefully, the ones without STDs.” He nonchalantly added, “Usually there ain’t anyone else in the car.”
“Did you do that growing up?”
“Yeah, once. Not somethin’ I ever wanted to repeat, but I won,” he said with a cocky smile on his face.
“Did you have to change your pants afterward?”
“Nah, the other guy bailed early. It didn’t get as close as this one’s been described. So then what?”
“So the next day, there was a party at your house.”
“How’d ya know that?”
“Carlos and I rode by. We heard the music. Carlos figured you’d be distracted so it’d be a good time to show a buyer an assault rifle. The buyer wanted to ride in one of the cars, so they took Harley’s Camaro. The buyer was DEA. He’s been trying to stall until at least one of the Agosta men are here at the same time as the buy. Anyway, I heard them talking. Dick doesn’t use guns. He’s too into the cars and never really hunted. Harley does, though, so he went with Dick that night. Sam stayed behind. All I know about what happened was just what they were saying when they came back. The other agent will have to testify on what went down at the wildlife preserve.”
“Well, I can tell ya. There were four shots. Three rapids and a single. When we found the steer, he had one in the head and three down his flank. I figured whoever did it was showing how quickly the gun could change from semi-automatic to single shot and still maintain accuracy. The steer took a couple of steps before the one in the head dropped him.”
Nathan nodded, confirming what Evan said with what he’d heard. “Harley wanted another head of your cattle to walk by so the buyer could try the gun. Your brother keeping the cattle close to the barn at night has frustrated everyone. Anyway, the next day, Harley and Sam drove over to the ranch. To my knowledge, all they were supposed to do was take pictures of the steer with their phones. When they saw all of the cars still at your place, Harley freaked. Sam saw the flare and tried to tell Harley not to pull in.”
“Did Sam plant the drugs?”
“No.”
“Did he, or you for that matter, know what was in the trunk of Harley’s car?”
“Sam heard the Sheriff talking to your brother. He became a little concerned that he was supposed to be the one hanged. He started thinking the ride was for Harley to take him out.”
“Shit. Do ya think his cover is blown?”
“I don’t know. That was what his cover team told mine. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him.”
“We’ll come back to some of this. So tell me about the day of the hearin’.”
“When your brother walked in, Carlos told Mr. Agosta who he was. I was trying to figure out how many new players were in that room by looking for any telling moves. I knew we would be giving a briefcase of money to Mr. Jones and the chief. When the Judge let Sam off with the low fine, I figured he was on the payroll, too. But when he gave Harley thirty days and a thousand-dollar fine, I wasn’t so sure anymore. When I looked toward old man Agosta, he seemed pleased Harley was being held. I don’t know what Sam knows yet. Like I said earlier, we haven’t been near each other. So after the hearing, we walked outside to meet with the banker and chief to give them the briefcase. I heard Tony say more would be coming when the property is secured and set up for operations.”
“So ya don’t think he’s comin’ out here again ‘til they get the land? No one has approached any of us to buy our properties.”
“They’re waiting on someone to go to the Zoning Department or police station to complain. They think if the cattle continue to get killed, your brother will put up a “For Sale” sign. They want the Gregorys to get so upset that they do the same. They’re willing to wait, but the pressure will start to increase soon.”
“Shit. What about Nebraska? Where are they?”
“They’re ready when we are. They’ve even got someone who’s seen the books. I guess coordinating this shit is a nightmare.”
“Above my pay grade, dude.”
“Mine, too.”
“Let’s go back to the hearin’. Judge Harland Bishop has always been known as a hard son of a bitch. Ya never wanted to go in front of ‘im. I don’t think he’s ever used the law books for more than a door stop. He passes out punishments according to what he feels the person ought to get, not what the law says. Rumor has it that if his dinner ever got disturbed because someone needed a warrant, the perp would regret the day he was born. Judge Bishop was pissed when they got rid of hard labor and chain gangs in the South. He petitioned to keep t
he electric chair in South Carolina. I swear I think the man’d go back to public hangins if they’d let ‘im. Ya get what I’m sayin’?”
“Yeah, man. Does this town know we’re in the twenty-first century?”
“Yeah, they know. They just don’t care. If Harley’s a snitch, it could go either way, dependin’ on who he’s snitchin’ for. Or what Judge Bishop’s been promised,” Evan said.
“So you think he’s on the payroll?”
“Like I said, could go either way. Let’s say the Judge is and so is Harley, but Harley’s reportin’ to the sheriff. What does MI get with him in jail?”
“Their scapegoat is locked up, so nothing there. But if a big shipment is coming in, he won’t be there to know. He won’t report to whomever he’s supposed to. The Judge took an informant out of the picture.”
“Okay. What if the Judge ain’t, but Harley is and he’s reportin’ to the sheriff?”
“The Judge is protecting Harley from getting hurt. Do you think the Judge knows Harley and what’s going on?”
“Even though Judge Bishop lives here now, he’s from Cloverville. He should’ve recused himself if he knew Harley.”
“Unless he has some other agenda,” Nathan said.
“Whatcha thinkin’?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Well, my brother said he’s never seen Harley before the other day. He’s never even seen his car. You’ve been here. You know how small this place is. How could that car not be seen unless he only comes out at night?”
“You make him sound like a damn vampire. You know he’s been out in the daylight, but you make a good point. Why hasn’t your brother at least heard his name? If he’s such an avid hunter, why does Carlos only have him working with the drugs when his attorney swore Harley doesn’t do drugs?”
“Do ya think they’re baitin’ Sam?”
“Into what? Running the drugs? To see if Sam is a snitch?”
“I don’t know, Nathan. I just need this to end soon.”
“Me too, man.”
“Ya haven’t heard Judge Bishop’s name bein’ tossed around?”
“No. The only clue I got was the smile on Geno’s face when the Judge said thirty days. He didn’t say anything to anyone later either, at least not around me.”
“Okay. I’ll think about that. I need to get goin’, though. We’ve been here a while.”
“You going home to the redhead?”
“Yes.”
“So, are we sharing her now?”
“What? How the fuck did ya come up with that?”
“Well, if we’re going to continue meeting, she’ll have to be my steady Thursday night piece of ass, man.”
Evan slid one of the burner phones to him. “You’ll call the number programmed in there. Her voice is on the recordin’ or she’ll answer. If you need to meet, we’ll figure somethin’ out. Otherwise, she was a one-night stand. Has Russell been listenin’ to all of this?”
“Yeah, man. He’ll have someone looking into Judge Bishop and Harley. See if there’s a connection we don’t know about.”
“Alright. The hotel room’s yours. Check out in the mornin’ by eleven.” He stuffed Ginger’s shoes in the backpack he brought with him and walked out the door. When he got to the ground floor, he looked out the stairwell door just as he told Ginger. When he didn’t see anything that caught his attention, he made a run for the truck in the parking lot next door.
23
It had been a week since the night Ginger met with Nathan. Nothing had happened, but Mitchell kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. He had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right. As a result, the men diligently made sure the cattle were in the corral at the barn every night.
This evening, they were all sitting on the back porch when the burner phone rang. That phone felt like it was glued to the notepad and pen it sat on. Evan slowly handed the phone to Ginger.
“Hello,” she said as she tilted the phone so Evan could listen too.
Evan scribbled something on the notepad for Ginger. Then she said, “In town or out?”
He scribbled something else. “Would you have time for dinner?” Ginger asked.
He scribbled. Ginger asked, “Will it be dangerous?” After a brief pause, Ginger disconnected the call.
Evan looked at Mitchell and Kayla with unease in his eyes. “Well?” Mitchell prompted.
Evan’s eyes focused more on Kayla. “Somethin’s goin’ down tonight at your parents’ place. It’s happenin’ after five this afternoon.”
“Ginger asked if there would be danger. Will there be?” Kayla asked with fear in her voice.
“He said it may get hot.”
“What does that mean?” She asked.
“It could mean a lot of guns or enough disruption for your parents to call the police, or…”
“Or what dammit?” she yelled.
“Or possibly a fire,” Evan said in a distressed tone. “When Nathan and I talked last week, he made a comment that Masterson Investments, or the Agosta family, will wait but will increase the pressure soon. Maybe this is soon.”
“I can’t let my family sit there in danger.”
“We can’t warn them to get out either. It could blow Nathan’s cover and ruin the whole operation,” Evan said.
“Mitch, maybe I need to go to my parents’ house today.”
“I don’t think so, sweetheart,” he said. “I’m not going to willingly put you in danger.”
“But Mitch, they’re my parents!”
“Baby, I know. Is Thomas working?”
“Oh, it’s okay for Thomas to risk his life, but not okay for me?”
“Please listen to yourself. You aren’t even making sense. I don’t want anyone to risk their life. Evan, do you think this could work? Thomas could drive to the Gregory’s house around lunch time, like he usually does. He’d need to park on the far side of the house. They’d go out the door on that side. He’d get Mak’s parents in his car, but have them duck down in the seats. He could drive them out and no one would be the wiser. Hell, he could even throw a dark blanket over them for good measure. The cameras would be the only obstacle. I don’t know if they can see into a car.”
Evan paced. Ginger watched him in complete silence. Kayla fidgeted. Mitchell also watched him, anticipating an answer. “I can’t knowingly put people in danger, but I can’t jeopardize the operation either. I haven’t been there in a long time, so I don’t know where the cameras are. Where they’re pointing.”
“Give me the notepad.” Mitchell moved so he could draw a map for Evan. He showed him the property lines, the fence they’d started, the location of the cameras he knew about, the Gregory’s house, and Dick’s garage.”
“So some of the cameras are pointing toward the Gregory’s driveway?”
“Yeah. The ones in the trees concern me. From their angle, they could see the cars, but I don’t think the angle would allow them to see into the cars. Maybe the driver, but that’s about it. Remember, Thomas’ car is a two-door, so there’s no back window for the camera to see through,” Mitchell said.
“Okay. Keeping normal routines is a good idea.” Evan looked at Kayla as if this was killing him as much as her. “Kayla, I don’t think we can bring ‘em out.”
The tears rolling down her face tore Mitchell apart. “Why the fuck not?”
“Masterson Investments is bankin’ on them callin’ 9-1-1. If they aren’t there, who’s gonna make the call? We don’t know when this is happenin’ or exactly what’s happenin’. They could call from their cells, but if we don’t know what the problem is, what are they gonna say?”
“They’re sitting ducks if we leave them there,” Kayla said through her tears.
“I know, Kayla. I’m so sorry. If they go in with guns, your parents’ security system’ll notify the police. Technically, they’re only a few minutes away, but Curtis could drag his feet. The fire department is less than five minutes. From what Nathan said last week, they wan
na scare your parents into sellin’ their property, not kill ‘em. We need to let ‘em know to be vigilant, but we can’t take ‘em out and neither can Thomas,” he said before he looked at Mitchell. “I think ya need to call ‘im.”
Evan hugged Kayla like a sister. Mitchell watched Evan comfort her as best as he could while Mitchell called Thomas. This shit had to end soon.
24
Kayla was grateful that Evan’s arms were around her. They were different than Mitchell’s and didn’t calm her the way his did, but they were nice.
He whispered in her ear, “I want ya to know that I’m gonna do everythin’ in my power to keep the people ya love safe. Not just your family, but Ginger as well because I love ‘em too.” He bent his knees so they were eye to eye. “All of ‘em.”
She nodded because she understood what he was saying. “I’m scared, Evan, and I’m giving them exactly what they want.”
“They’re using emotional terrorism, Kayla. Ya gotta be strong. Your family has to be strong. Ya know Mitchell and I are right beside ya. We’ll get through this together as one big, happy family.”
She felt Mitchell beside them, “Thanks, bro. I’ve got her from here. You need to take care of Ginger. She seems a little shell-shocked.” Evan released Kayla as Mitchell brought her in tight. His mouth was by her ear. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Were you able to get in touch with Thomas?”
“Yes baby. He’s going by there now like normal. He’ll help your dad load his guns, then leave around four but isn’t going far. He’ll be in contact with your folks the whole time. They’re trying to go about their day as usual. This is as close to getting them out as possible.”
Unwelcomed Greeting: A Riverton Crossing Novel Page 17