Broken Road

by Addison Kline

  The procession wound through the streets of Oakeley earning nervous stares from passerbies. Barreling up Patriot Lane, they made a sharp turn onto Colt and Averi’s old street.

  There was a charge in the air, a spark of electricity. If the Seventy Devils were a powder keg, Jimmy was the match that lit them up and set their demons free, unfiltered and unchecked. That powder keg was about to explode and it was all Jimmy Hearns’ doing.

  As he parked his truck outside of Colt and Averi McClain’s house, Jimmy waved on two guys.

  “Go around back,” Jimmy said pointing to Riley and Penn. “You two. Side doors. Garrison… Basement. The rest of yas, follow me.”

  Without hesitation, Gunnar Rhoades sent a shot gun shell blasting through the oak surface of the frame. Wood fragments went flying everywhere. Wasting no time, Gunnar opened the door, and the Devils, one by one, crossed the threshold to the one place Averi and Colt had called home. They ransacked the house, barging through the empty rooms, looking for any sign of Colt, Randy or Averi. They found nothing.

  “The house is fuckin’ empty, Hearns!”

  That fact was not lost on Jimmy, whose eyes had darkened with murderous rage. Leaving Gunnar in the empty parlor, Jimmy ripped up the stairs, checking each room, each closet, each corner.

  They were gone.

  She was gone.

  And Jimmy’s mind was snapping.

  “They must’ve moved in a hurry. Larry Pote, who lives across the street, said that they were here last night.”

  “Where the hell did he take her?!”

  “The real question is where the fuck are Randy and Colt?!”

  “Move,” said Jimmy as he pushed Gunnar at out his way.

  Jimmy had a look on his face that was all too familiar to Gunnar. The look of pure unabridged hatred. Jimmy’s mind was unraveling. He looked just like his father. Jimmy bolted out the front door, on the warpath for his truck. Reaching into the flatbed of his truck, he pulled out a canister of gasoline. Gunnar now had a flicker of insanity in his eyes.

  “Hearns, what are you doing?” Gunnar asked eyeing the gasoline can.

  “Sending a god damn message. Tell the others to get out.”

  A whistle screeched from Gunnar’s lips sounding through the house and into the yard. Jimmy doused the front lawn with gasoline. He circled the house, pouring gasoline on the property until the last drop had fallen into the dirt below. As the last Devil ran out of the house, Jimmy flicked a burning match onto the lawn.

  Shades of his father were beginning to show.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Averi always was a morning person. She loved waking up before everyone else, when the world was still asleep. It was the perfect opportunity to gather her thoughts, relax over a warm mug of tea and prepare herself for the day at hand. She didn’t know it yet, but Averi would need the little bit of serenity that the morning provided to get through to the other side.

  Averi woke up at seven, sliding out of bed, careful not to disturb Colt, who was lying asleep next to her. Barkley did circle-8’s around her feet, excited to have someone to play with. She scooped the pup into her arms and kissed him on his wrinkled head. Her stomach hardened as another round of Braxton Hicks contractions rolled through. Averi closed her eyes as she waited for the pain to subside. In a few seconds, the pain wavered, and Averi was able to make her way downstairs to the kitchen. She was still amazed at all they had accomplished yesterday. There was not a box in sight. Colt had stored anything that didn’t have a place in the attic. The house actually looked like a home again. She had a happiness in her heart and an overwhelming feeling that she was right where she was supposed to be.

  Averi went into the fridge and grabbed a carton of eggs, some cheese and the milk. She pulled down a box of pancake mix and began to make breakfast. She’d need to get used to cooking for an army again. It wasn’t just her and Colt anymore.

  As the eggs and pancakes sizzled in the pan, Averi’s cell phone buzzed. One missed call. She didn’t recognize the number but it was local. Picking up her phone, she accessed her voicemail and listened as a frantic voice took over the line.

  “Averi…” the woman who cried into the phone was sobbing heavily with labored breaths.

  “Averi… It’s Cheyenne.”

  Her throat caught and her sobbing intensified.

  “Look. I know you don’t like me. I don’t like me right now… but I’ve always respected you and I know you’re a good person. I need him. I’m in trouble and I don’t know what to do. Please. Please, tell Randy to get in touch with me.”

  Click.

  Averi had a startled look upon her face. She had never heard someone sound so upset before. Whatever was wrong, Averi hoped that she didn’t pull Randy into it. There was a part of her that really felt for her though. She knew about the role Trent Myer’s played. He played it with many girls in Oakeley. With a sigh, Averi put her cell phone back on the counter, when it lit up again. An incoming text message from her Uncle Shawn lit up her screen.

  “I need to talk to you. Dinner tomorrow night?”

  “Sure. Is everything okay?”

  “Fine. We’ll talk over dinner.”

  “I’m making baked ziti.”

  “Great. I’ll bring the wine. Oh, wait. You can’t have any. Haha… ;) “

  “Don’t tease me!”

  “And a Welch’s grape juice for the lady.”

  Averi shook her head as she laughed at her uncle. He was like a father to her. The only father she had after Black Horse stormed through. She wondered what he wanted to discuss. She hoped it wasn’t serious.

  Averi transferred a serving of pancakes, sausage and eggs to a plate. She poured a hot cup of coffee and carried them both out the back door. Walking through the grass in her slippers and night gown, she tapped three times before opening the glass door of Randy’s new house. It wasn’t the sight of her brother passed out on the couch that caused her breath to hitch. It was the sight of his new digs that caught her by surprise. Randy’s Granny pad had been transformed. He moved his leather couch in, along with a black recliner, glass coffee table and a couple of lamps. He had rolled out a charcoal grey area rug and set up a bar area complete with stools and a dart board. There was a small work area set up with his tools. He had even hung curtains. They were black out curtains, but still, it was better than nothing. His place was far from done, but Randy was clearly trying to make himself feel at home.

  Averi walked through the sea of boxes and bins and maneuvered her way to Randy’s recliner. Flopping down, she reclined her seat, taking a load of off her sore ankles. Randy woke at the sound, jumping up with a start. As his mind was shocked from dreams to reality, he said one word that spoke volumes to Averi.

  “Chey…”

  “No, Randy… Just me.”

  “Shit. What time is it?”

  “Only 7:30. I made you breakfast.”

  Randy immediately sat up and reached for his plate and began shoveling his breakfast in his mouth. He let his approval of her cooking be known with a groan.

  “Oh, my God. So much better than crappy diner food.”

  Averi laughed as she gave her brother a concerned glance.

  “So Randy… We need to talk.”

  Randy stared at her with a mouth full of food and a nervous glare casting from his eyes.

  After swallowing he said, “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

  Averi gave her protective older brother a smile.

  “Yes. I’m perfectly fine. I’m concerned about you, though.”

  “Me? Why me?”

  “I know Cheyenne’s been calling you and you never did tell me the whole story.”

  “It’s really complicated.”

  “I know all about complicated,” Averi reminded her brother. “Look… she called me last night and left me a message. She was really upset.”

  “She’s been calling almost non-stop. Everyday. I can’t bring myself to listen to the messages.”

 
“You might want to. What’s going on, Randy?”

  “Ave, I really don’t want to get into it…”

  “Randy… I’m not leaving this seat until you tell me what’s going on.”

  Randy looked into his sister’s eyes. Past the hardened look that was designed to push Randy into talking, he saw something else. Genuine concern. It was the same look that his mother gave him whenever he would close up and not address the issues that were plaguing him. Finally, he cracked.

  “She’s using again.”

  Averi sighed. How many times could she pray for her? She felt like her prayers for her had fallen onto deaf ears.

  “That’s not what I mean, though. Two months ago you were in the clouds. She’s calling me hysterical. What’s going on?”

  “Same shit as always. Drugs and Trent. Her addictions.”

  Averi shook her head as she responded, “No, Rand. She doesn’t love him. She wants nothing to do with him. Her mother is a Devil. Her step-father is, too. She has no one.”

  “Then why does it always come down to him?”

  “Look. I didn’t want to say this but…”

  “But what? Tell me.”

  “Look, Randy… It’s not a simple situation. Trent preys on women. Cheyenne has an addictive personality. You saw me just trying to quit drinking coffee for the pregnancy… Imagine detoxing. He catches her when she’s at her lowest. If she resists, he gets physical.”

  Randy’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at his sister with a serious expression.

  “What do you mean he preys on women?”

  “He puts on an act. Plays sweet and friendly… Get’s them hooked. He takes advantage of them, Randy.”

  “How do you know?”

  “He tried it with me.”

  Randy’s mouth gaped open, “What?!”

  “Do you remember when Trent broke his collar bone? He told everyone he was in a car accident?”

  “Yeah… We were in high school at the time.”

  “That was the result of Colt beating the snot out of him. I had too much to drink at a party and Colt walked away for ten minutes to grab our coats. Trent swooped in, tried putting something in my drink. When I wouldn’t leave the party with him, he tried to force me upstairs. I wanted nothing to do with him, but he is very persuasive. I’m not saying Cheyenne is innocent, but he gets her hooked. She’s gullible and he saw her coming a mile away.”

  “Ave, I caught them in bed together.”

  Averi considered her brother’s admission for a moment.

  “Did you happen to notice if she was even an active participant?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean Trent is a sick bastard who gets girls messed up, high on cocaine and heroin, and then has his way with them. He did the same thing to Christine Campbell in high school.”

  “I’ll fucking kill him.”

  “All I’m saying is, if she’s using, he has something to do with it. She got clean for you before. Before you walk away for good… before you do something that you might regret, you need to have a conversation with her. She’s not the type to just sleep around. I bet you any amount of money that she’s afraid of him. She said she was in trouble, and she needed you.”

  “Ave, not all relationships end in happily ever after…”

  “Shit, I know that. You don’t have to marry her… Maybe what she needs right now is someone to lead her from the darkness.”

  “A friend.”

  “Yeah, a friend. I think she’s in real trouble, Randy… and I know that if anything happened to her, you would blame yourself. I tried to call her back, but it went straight to her voicemail.”

  Averi could see that her words were sinking in.

  “I can’t tell you what to do. I can only try to guide you into doing the right thing. You have an opportunity to save someone you love. You have a history with her. Only you can walk her back from the ledge she’s on.”

  “I can’t trust her.”

  “She can’t even trust herself. This is a cry for help, Randy.”

  That’s what hit it home for Randy. Cheyenne loved Randy. She was desperate for him. But she knew she didn’t deserve him after all she put him through. Even though she hadn’t knowingly cheated – she wasn’t of her right mind – she sometimes needed that fix to drown out the demons. The shattered memories of the past.

  Randy needed to make a decision. Could he forgive her for the hell she brought him through? Or would he forever carry around the burden of losing the only women he bared his soul to?

  Randy reached for his cell phone expecting to see at least a dozen missed calls, but to his surprise there wasn’t a single one. His heart sank.

  “How many?” Averi asked as Randy got off the couch and pulled on a t-shirt.

  “She hasn’t called. Something is wrong.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I have to take care of something. Tell Tim and Colt that I’ll meet them at the gym later on.”

  “Please be careful.”

  “I will,” Randy said before giving his sister a kiss on the cheek.

  “And Randy?”

  “Yeah, Ave?”

  “Keep your head.”

  As Randy bolted out the door, Averi began unpacking some of his things out of the moving boxes. She put away his clothes and unpacked a bin full of bedding. He had a green and tan camouflage blanket that Averi snarled at in distaste. Picking it up with just her thumb and index finger, she tossed it off the top of the pile, sending it falling in a heap on the floor.

  “That thing should be burned. Oh, these are much better!”

  Averi pulled out a much nicer blue and white comforter and a set of black jersey sheets. She proceeded to make his bed, fluffing his pillows and smoothing the sheets. She continued to put things away until she stumbled upon a box that was labeled, “Shit you don’t need but are too stupid to throw away.” Averi’s curiosity got the best of her. Ripping open the box, she was greeted by the surviving mementos of Randy and Cheyenne’s long and dramatic relationship. Pictures of Cheyenne and Randy at the senior prom. Cheyenne and Randy on the water in Florida. Cheyenne and Randy at the rodeo when they were only fifteen. Then Averi saw something that that she wished that she could unsee. It was a letter with a photograph attached. She only read a sliver of what Cheyenne wrote. There was a photo of Cheyenne in an elegant white dress. Her eyes glimmered and she looked so healthy. Healthier than Averi had ever remembered her.

  The note read:

  Please remember me like this and not as the monster that I have become.

  Closing her eyes, Averi closed the box and decided to let her brother sort through his own mess.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Colt was jarred awake by an incoming text message. He shot up in bed, his eyes wild, his hair a mess. Was there ever a moment when this guy didn’t look good?

  “What the hell…” he groaned.

  The text was from Jax and it said only four words.

  ‘Turn on the news.”

  The cable company hadn’t come out yet, so Colt used his phone to visit the website. He scrolled through the news feed, bypassing the usual riff-raff caused by the Devils. Ignoring the ongoing coverage of his father’s death, Colt zoned in on the photo of his old house in flames. His blood boiled. He wanted to chuck his phone against the wall and crack it into a million pieces but he held his temper in check and tried to regain his composure. His phone vibrated again. It was Shawn.

  “Got Grisham, McCoy, Bernacky and Prescott in custody. Jimmy Hearns, Gunnar Rhoades and Trent Myers are nowhere to be found. Sorry about your house, but I’m relieved that you guys are safe. Stay that way.”

  Acid began to rise in Colt’s throat. Those three would be dealt with accordingly. He couldn’t replace the house, but he was relieved beyond measure that they weren’t in it when it went up in flames or when the Devils broke down the door. Colt wasn’t the most religious of men. Life had broken the spiritual light in him. But in that m
oment he thanked God for sparing them. He knew that Averi was safe at the ranch. It was tucked away miles from the main road. No one knew they were moving out there. As far as any of the locals knew, the Hall Ranch had been empty for four years since Averi’s grandfather passed away. There was one sign, a rickety old thing, and Colt was about to take care of that. Other than distance, Colt and Tim had implemented other security measures. A high perimeter gate was built around the property. To get in, you had to enter through a security gate that was kept locked at all times. A home security monitoring system was in place. This was a priority for Colt. He didn’t want to have to worry unnecessarily while he was at work. Averi’s safety, the safety of the baby, and the rest of the family was a top priority for Colt and it was always looming in the back of his mind.

  The run-in with his half-brother at the diner the other night still had him on edge. The one thing that Colt was glad about was knowing that his brother was not a smart man – all jokes aside. Jimmy was falling into mental illness and as the rage consumed his body, he needed an outlet. He hit the gym hard, and while Colt still saw him as a scrawny runt, he wasn’t. Jimmy had increased his strength and his muscles were more defined. Not that any of that mattered in the least bit to Colt. He could still easily take him on and not break a sweat.

  Colt wanted to keep Averi away from the TV… Away from the news. He didn’t want to panic or worry her, but he knew she deserved to know the truth. He would tackle that one after breakfast. Grabbing a towel, Colt hopped into the shower leaving a trail of clothes on the floor. The hot water felt good flowing over his sore muscles but it did nothing to relax his mind. Jimmy had it coming.

  Colt wrapped his bath towel around his waist, brushed his teeth and pulled some hair gel through his black hair. He was dressed in minutes wearing a pair of jeans, work boots and a plain white t-shirt. Just as he was about to bolt downstairs, Averi appeared in the doorway with a shocked look on her face. Her eyes were watery, but her voice was pure rage.