“Well, go outside and welcome them. Make sure we pat them down. We don’t need any more guns in the building than we already have.”
“Yes, sir.” Stupid prick.
Nathan returned outside as the car came to a stop. Sam was with the buyers. He was chosen to bring them to the sale. Nathan didn’t know any of these other guys. They were Sam’s people. “Once I pat you down, we can join the others inside. Mr. Agosta doesn’t want any additional firearms in the building,” Nathan said.
The older gentleman said, “If he wants my money, he’ll allow one guard with a gun for my protection.”
“I’ll ask.” Nathan disappeared back inside to speak with Tony. He agreed to the one, but wasn’t happy about it. When Nathan returned to the guests outside, he relayed the message. Mr. Moneybags played his role perfectly for the cameras. As Nathan patted them down, he quietly told them where the doors were and how many people were inside. Masterson Investments being short-handed worked to their benefit. As they went inside the garage, Nathan saw headlights on SUVs turning off just inside the driveway. He knew his guys would be in place in a matter of minutes. He escorted the buyers and introduced them to Antonio Agosta. Tony shook Mr. Moneybags’ hand, then showed him the guns before showing him the drugs.
Nathan heard Tony say, “We’ve taken the liberty to have some refreshments ready for the festivities if you’d like to sample the goods you’re purchasing.”
Mr. Moneybags scowled at Tony and asked in an accusatory tone, “Are you trying to impair my men, Mr. Agosta? Is this the kind of operation you run? You get us high then take our money, kill us, and take your goods back? What are you trying to pull here?”
Tony stammered, “No, No! I’d never do that! I just thought you’d like to try it before you buy it. I sell only the best quality. See, I’ll show you.” He took some of the coke on his finger and rubbed in into his gums. Within moments his smile covered his face and his eyes were glassy. The drugs were legit.
Mr. Moneybags was pleased with Tony’s reaction. “Let’s make a deal.”
“Bring the money over here and open the bag,” Tony said. He and Mr. Moneybags walked to the far side of the garage. Nathan was still by the front door. Carlos rolled his chair a few feet behind Tony while another DEA agent followed close behind Mr. Moneybags. Dick was beside the table full of drugs, and Sam was beside the table of guns. The other couple of “buyers” were in the center of the room. When Mr. Moneybags put the duffle bag on the table and opened the zipper, Tony nudged him out of the way. He grabbed a couple stacks of the money and flipped through them to make sure it was all currency.
Mr. Moneybags said, “It’s all there. Do you want to count it?”
“Don’t mind if I do. Can you step aside so I can pull it all out?” He pulled out every stack and ran his finger over the ends to flip the bills.
ATF was waiting for Tony to confirm the sale. They needed him to put the money back in the bag and tell Mr. Moneybags the deal was concluded. The longer this took, the greater the chance for someone to get trigger happy. Nathan knew he, himself, was getting jumpy. Finally Tony put the money back in the duffle. When he guided the zipper closed, he stretched his hand out to Mr. Moneybags. “It was a pleasure, sir. Thank you for your business,” Tony said.
Before the last word was completely out of his mouth, agents were coming in the front door and busting down the other two. Nathan anticipated the shouts: “ATF!” “DEA!” “Nobody move!” “Put your hands where I can see them!” Organized chaos ensued. Dick tried for the door closest to him only to be met by agents coming in. Tony grabbed the money and tried to run out the back but agents beat him to the door. Since Carlos was too far away in his wheelchair, he just surrendered. Nathan got to see it all before someone slammed him against the wall. “Fuck,” he groaned. The cuffs clamped down on his wrists as he was read his rights. When he turned around, he saw Sam on the floor with a knee in his back as he got the same treatment Nathan did. These guys enjoyed taking them down more than they should. Nathan’s agent stopped at the door just as Tony’s walked him past him. He looked Nathan in the eyes as if to say “We’ll be out by morning.” Nathan gave him a barely perceptible nod.
When they got outside, there was a slew of SUVs. Tony got his own private chariot. Dick and Sam rode together, and Nathan got Carlos one last time. He didn’t see where the buyers ended up. Once they got through booking, things changed. Tony still had a cell to himself, but Dick and Carlos shared the next one with Sam and Nathan in the last. That’ll make things easier in the morning, but they still had to spend the night in jail. He hated when it played out like this. Neither Sam nor Nathan could let their covers fall, yet, but they would be glad when this was over.
The next morning, they were marched out of their cells. The first transport took Tony, Carlos, and Dick to the Federal Courthouse for arraignment. A guard joined them in the back and another in the front. A guard held Sam and Nathan back. He told them they were waiting for the next one. As the first transport pulled off, the next one pulled up for them. They started to load up as the first transport turned the corner out of sight. Nathan’s cover team leader, Russell, walked up and slapped him on the back. “Good job, guys. Officer, please take the cuffs off my men.”
They stood there patiently waiting to be released. Once Nathan’s cuffs were off, he rubbed his wrists. “What took so long?”
“Had to make it believable, my man,” Russell said with a smile on his face.
“Yeah, your agent last night must’ve thought the same thing. I repeatedly told you my head still hurt and that idiot slammed me against the damn wall. I swear you better arrange for me to have a training session with him. I’m going to kick his ass for that.”
“Yeah, he was a little excited.” Russell turned to Sam. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Sam said. “Just glad it’s over.”
They got their clothes, and Russell left them an SUV. Even though they had to report for a debriefing that afternoon, there was a stop Nathan wanted to make first.
When they pulled into the driveway, Sam glanced over to Nathan. “Why are we here? I don’t think I’ll be welcomed.”
“You’ll be welcomed more than you know.”
They walked to the front door then rang the bell. When the door swung open, Nathan was glad to see her. “Hello, sugar.”
32
Ginger answered the door and stood there, speechless. Evan walked up behind her and reached out to shake Nathan’s hand. “Hey, man. Good to see ya made it out in one piece.” Then he turned to Sam. “Sorry I wasn’t able to speak to ya the last time ya were here. Y’all come on in.” Evan moved out of the way to let them in as he took Ginger by the hand. She looked at him with a glimmer in her eyes.
Sam shook his head. “That was you on the butt end of the rifle that day I was here with Harley?” Evan nodded. “How the hell, man? I thought you were out of this deal.”
“So did I until they moved into my backyard,” he confirmed.
“You been working behind the scenes the whole time?”
“Nah, I was finally able to make contact with Nathan a couple of weeks ago thanks to my girl, Ginger,” he said as he squeezed her hand.
“Still a stupid-ass move,” Nathan said. “No offense to you, Ginger. You did great. Evan must trust me a lot.”
“Evan knew who I was coming home to. That was never in question.” Ginger’s sassy smile was back, and it was great to see.
Nathan placed his hands over his heart. “Ouch.” His smile was contagious, though. “If he ever does you wrong, you know how to find me, sugar.” He quickly kissed her cheek as they adjourned to the living room.
“I was bankin’ on ya doin’ your damn job,” Evan said as he pulled her closer. “Tell me how it all went down. Did they take down Nebraska, too?”
“Yeah. I’m waiting on pictures now. I want to see proof that all this shit here wasn’t for nothing,” Nathan said.
“So the hearing where Harley got th
e thirty days, was that part of the plan? Because that guy was angry,” Mitchell said.
“I don’t know,” Sam responded. “He told me in lock-up that night that he shot your cow.”
“Steer,” Evan and Mitchell said at the same time.
Sam looked at them as if they were speaking a foreign language. “What’s the difference? Look, I may be from the midwest, but I’m a city boy. I’ve never been around farm animals. I’ll go hunting with you any time, though.”
“I’ll take you for an anatomy lesson later,” Evan said with a chuckle. “Finish your story.”
“Anyway, I told him to keep his mouth shut. The next thing I knew, a Deputy took him to an interrogation room. When he came back, he had a smug look on his face and said everything would be fine,” Sam finished.
“So he wasn’t expectin’ the thirty days?” Evan asked.
“I don’t think so, unless the guy is one hell of a good actor,” Nathan said.
The sweet sound of Kayla’s voice caused everyone to turn. “Hi. It seems a little too early for this conversation without coffee. Who else would like some?”
“Good morning, sweetheart. I think it’s safe to say everyone,” Mitchell said.
She nodded her head, but before she could turn, Nathan walked to her. Kayla’s eyes widened as if she were a deer in headlights. Mitchell rose from his seat because he didn’t know what Nathan was planning. Nathan reached his hand out to shake Kayla’s. When she took it, he said, “Ms. Gregory. First, I’m sorry. I was in the car that kept scaring you. I was grateful every time Mitchell was with you to make sure you were safe. Second, I never want to play chicken with you behind the wheel again.” He raised a brow and tilted his head in thought. “Actually, I don’t ever want to play chicken again. You did a great job. I’m glad you’re okay after all of this.”
Mitchell didn’t think Kayla expected to hear that. She just demurely said, “Thank you.” She made her way to the kitchen to get coffee.
The men returned to their conversation about Harley. “The old man seemed pleased that Harley got thirty days,” Mitchell said.
“He laughed, but it was almost like it was a game or something. Part of the money in the briefcase was the bail for both Harley and Sam. When Sam’s was so little, we knew he had it on him so we didn’t linger. After Harley got the days, Carlos said we’d pay his fine when we picked him up in thirty days. I heard the old man tell the banker that there was extra if he needed to use it,” Nathan said.
“We know other things are going on, but nothing ATF or DEA are interested in. We’ll turn the information over to the powers that be and see if anything else shakes out. Until then, you guys need to watch your backs. We haven’t figured out who’s corrupt and who isn’t. Y’all live in one shady-ass town,” Sam said.
Kayla and Ginger brought trays with mugs, coffee, cream, and sugar on them. When they set them down, everyone reached for the mugs and condiments.
“So, Evan, when are you heading back out West?” Nathan asked.
Evan shifted in his seat and reached for Ginger’s hand. She took it with a smile on her face and moved closer to him. “I’ve asked the Cap’n for a few more weeks of leave. I fly out in three weeks.” When Evan saw the look of shock on Ginger’s face, he gave her a gentle kiss. The smile on his face proved that he wanted to surprise her. He surprised them all because this was the first Mitchell had heard of it, too.
“Good for you, man. After a year with no vacation, I’m taking some time off, too,” Nathan said before he dug his phone out of his pocket.
“Me, too. I just want to sleep at normal times. Are there any other women to meet around here or have you taken all the good ones?” Sam chimed in.
The laughter died down when Nathan stood. “Thanks for not blowing my cover at the bar and for the coffee, but we have a debriefing to get to. Maybe we can grab a beer before we leave,” Nathan said. When they got to the door, he showed Evan his phone before he showed the rest of them. It was the two other men Mitchell saw at the hearing in cuffs.
“Glad to,” Evan said with a very wide smile on his face as he shook both Nathan and Sam’s hands before they left.
“So does this mean you can actually take me on a date in public now?” Ginger asked.
“Let’s go to the bar where you danced with Nathan. I haven’t been there since it reopened, and I want to see this place,” Evan said with a cocky grin on his face.
“Okay, then I can shake my booty for you,” she gave it right back to him. “Kayla, can we all go back there tonight?”
“I’ll have to check with Thomas and Cat. I don’t know if he’s off tonight or not.”
With all of the stuff that was on Mitchell’s mind, the day just flew by. It was a Wednesday night, so hopefully the pub wouldn’t be too crazy. They walked through the bar, sat at the same table they had before, and placed an order with the waitress. Thomas, Evan, and Mitchell watched the girls dance to Vacation by Thomas Rhett. Mitchell took a long pull from his beer while he watched Kayla’s ass wiggle around. “I need some help tomorrow.”
“Sure. What ya need?” Evan asked.
Mitchell still didn’t look at either of them and took another pull. “Distractions.”
“What kind of distractions?” Thomas asked.
“Well, Evan, I need you to keep Mak busy tomorrow morning, and Thomas, I need you to take your mother out.”
“So tomorrow’s the day,” Evan said matter-of-factly.
“I’m going to talk to Mr. Gregory,” Mitchell confirmed with confidence.
Thomas smiled. “I’ll take care of Mom. What time do I need her out of the house?”
“Go for nine. I’ll tell Mak I have a meeting.”
“You already got a ring or are you going to let her pick it out?” Evan asked.
Mitchell looked him directly in the eyes because he needed a good read on Evan. “I had Mom’s ring sized for Mak a while back if that’s okay with you.”
Mitchell saw the tears well up in Evan’s eyes. He nodded and could barely speak, “Yeah, that’s okay with me.” He pinched the bridge of his nose briefly, and Mitchell knew it was to get the tears out of the way. “Seems like tomorrow’s the day we take the cover off of the pool. Kayla’s been wantin’ to do that so we’ll go buy the stuff,” he said.
The girls returned when the song ended. They were sipping on their drinks when Evan brought up the pool. “Why don’t we buy the stuff to clean the pool and some new toys in the morning?”
“Yes, I can’t wait!” Kayla squealed like a schoolgirl.
“Sounds fun,” Ginger agreed.
“Good, can you girls be ready by nine?” Evan asked.
“Yes,” they both said at once.
Mitchell flashed Thomas a glance, and he gave Mitchell a small smile. Mitchell was peeling the paper off his bottle when Kayla nudged him. “Aren’t you going with us in the morning?”
“I can’t, baby. I’ve got a meeting, but I’ll meet y’all back at the house to do the work.” Mitchell smiled at her. “I Don’t Dance” by Lee Brice came on, so Mitchell asked, “Let’s dance, then we can go home?” She agreed, and he led her to the dance floor followed by the rest of the group. He took Kayla in his arms and knew she’d be his dance partner for the rest of his life. As the song came to a close, they headed toward the door. This time, they made it out with no issues.
The following morning, Mitchell woke for the first time in a long time not wanting to linger in bed with Kayla. He had something important to do today. Today was the first step toward making Kayla officially his. He was talking with her dad, asking for her hand in marriage and for his blessing. She said he didn’t have to do it, but it was something he wanted to do, needed to do. Mitchell wanted her parents to know they were important to him, too. He was dressing when Kayla stumbled her way to the bathroom. Even half asleep, she was so beautiful to him. He waited for her to come back out so he could kiss her before he left.
“What kind of meeting do you have?”
“A face-to-face one,” he deadpanned.
“Oh, I thought it was on Skype or something.”
“No, but you’re supposed to be ready in twenty minutes to go with Evan.”
“Crap, I forgot.” She threw on clothes and ran out the door.
Mitchell was right behind her. He gave her another quick kiss as he passed through the kitchen on his way out the door. Evan was outside when Mitchell made it to his truck. “Good luck, man,” was all he said.
Good luck. Did he need luck? He was sure Mr. Gregory knew how he felt. Mitchell wanted his blessing, but wasn’t that just a formality? He’d give Mitchell his blessing, right? All the way there he practiced what he wanted to say. Imagined what Mr. Gregory would ask him, what Mitchell would answer. Mr. Gregory knew he made good money and could provide for his daughter. He knew Mitchell loved her and would take good care of her. What else was there? He had this. By the time he arrived at the Gregory’s house, he felt confident he could answer any question Mr. Gregory threw at him; however, for the first time in his life, he was nervous to get out of his truck in this driveway. He took a few steading breaths and wiped his hands on his jeans before he climbed out of the truck. He walked to the back door as usual. Before he knocked, he took another breath and wiped his hands one more time, then rapped on the door with his knuckles.
“Mitchell? What are you doin’ here so early?” Mr. Gregory asked.
“I came to talk to you if you have a minute,” he said.
“Well, yeah. Thomas took Mabel for breakfast this morning, and I’s goin’ to feed the fish. You wanna walk?”
“Yessir. I’d like that.”
About halfway there, Mr. Gregory finally asked, “What’d you want to talk about?”
“Mr. Gregory, you know how I feel about Mak, um Kayla, um Makayla, sir.”
Unwelcomed Greeting: A Riverton Crossing Novel Page 22