by Chris Bostic
Once we straightened up, setting us on a course to skim just past the rack house, he reached inside an opening next to the steering wheel to take out his pistol. It was still sheathed inside a holster, but that didn’t make it any less bizarre.
“Hold this.” When I looked at him funny and kept my hands on the roll cage to keep from falling out, he added, “You won’t need it.”
“I sure hope not.”
“I should’ve let you drive.” He kept the pistol in his extended arm and wagged it. “Just hang onto this for a sec.”
“What should you tell me first?” I asked sharply.
He frowned and said, “Uhm…please?”
I almost laughed at that, if it hadn’t been for the shock, not to mention hanging on for dear life.
“Dude, just tell me what the fuck’s going on.”
He sat the gun on the bench seat in the gap between us, but it wasn’t going to work with the way he was driving. I relented and picked it up, but still stared at him. “I’m waiting.”
“The cameras have been going crazy all afternoon,” he said. “I swear we had a crew roll up on Rack House A earlier, so I swung by there first.”
“While we were down in H doing the sampling?”
“Exactly. But it was just some contractors dropping off lumber for a repair.” Lee shook his head, and grumbled, “Nobody even bothered to tell me about a delivery.”
“Then the gun shots,” I prompted, though I couldn’t help but notice the similarities with the way the giant rack house worker had felt about being left in the dark. Old Tyler employees definitely needed to work on their communication plan.
“Yeah, I don’t think that was anything, uh…important or whatever.”
“What?” I dared to take my eyes of wherever we were headed to stare at him. “How so?”
“I heard it, but it sounded really far away.”
“You sure?” I said, asking the question that I hated others asking of me.
Lee didn’t hesitate. “Oh yeah. I kinda thought it might’ve been fireworks.”
“Really? That’s what the others were trying to tell me, but you know it was different, right?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Probably.”
When he offered nothing more, I told him my best theory. “I thought it was like some shady dudes robbing the houses back there or something.”
“Nah. I don’t think so.” Lee cut the wheel back to the right, angling us in the direction of the fence line at the point where I’d seen the people earlier.
“So what the hell are we doing back here?” My agitation grew, as much at the situation as at Lee.
“Just looking.”
“At what?” When he didn’t answer that either, I said, “I saw at least two guys back here, dressed all in black.” That didn’t draw a reaction, so I added, “Right before all that shooting started. I’m talking solid black clothes, like the Bison Fork crew.”
“I’ve been on the scanner all afternoon. I didn’t hear the police respond to anything major out this way.”
“So you didn’t call 911?”
“No reason. The rack house thing over at A didn’t check out, and I don’t like to bother them if nothing’s really going on.”
“It’s kinda their job, you know? To come check things out whether it turns out to be an actual emergency or not.”
“Well yeah, I know. But I also know that it annoys them. It sounds like we’ve had enough trouble out here over the years, so I hate to bother them for false alarms.”
“I guess I get that, but…I dunno. Better safe than sorry?”
“It slows down reaction time,” Lee explained. “Like all those business alarms that randomly go off in the middle of the night. Back in Memphis I used to get tons of calls to go check out building alarms, and I swear over ninety percent never amounted to anything. So it just becomes…routine.”
“I could see where that’s annoying.” I shook my head and blew out a frustrated breath, more at myself than him. Nothing made any sense.
“So what was all the stay there stuff in your text about? And you’re coming for me?” I stared at him. “Something hit the rack house. Like a bullet pinged off it right over where I was at.”
“Oh. You’ll have to show me. I want to see that.” He slowed the UTV and looked back over his shoulder at the rack house. He squinted into the sun but, regardless of the lighting, we were already too far away to see any bullet holes. “This one, right?”
“Yeah.” I pointed to the left of the side door. “I was right there when it happened.”
Lee stopped the side-by-side and put it in park. A frown slowly overtook his brow as he said, “You would have heard it whistling if it was some kind of firework.”
“Good point.” I cursed under my breath. “Man, I wish I’d thought of that earlier.”
While remaining calm, he extended a hand to me. “How about I take that pistol back now?”
I handed it to him and raised an eyebrow. Before I asked about the gun, I said, “So about the texts….”
He pulled the pistol out and sat it on the seat. Then he scooted forward so he could reattach the holster to the back of his pants before putting the pistol away. His frown deepened as he said, “I…I don’t know. I didn’t mean anything by those texts.”
“You said to wait there. Like all serious…and why wouldn’t it have everything to do with the gunshots?”
“Shit. Sorry.” Lee shrugged. “I sure didn’t mean to upset you or anything. It was nothing to worry about.”
I didn’t like him pointing out when I was upset, so I stayed on the offensive, saying, “Stay there, like don’t move or whatever, sure as hell makes it seem serious when bullets are flying.”
“Yeah.” Lee hung his head. “I see where I really fucked that up.”
“Hell yeah you did.”
“I am sorry. Really sorry. That was dumb.” He hung his head. “I just wanted to see you. You know, to meet you guys at that sampling thing after all.”
“You can’t be serious. Dude, this is like majorly fucked up.” I looked at us parked in the middle of the pasture and harrumphed. “And now we’re out joy riding?”
“Not exactly.” He took a moment to seemingly try to find the right words. “You said you saw someone…a couple someones out this way, and we did hear possible gunshots, so I figured you might as well come with me to check it out.”
“By driving like a maniac? Holding a gun?”
“That’s pretty much how I drive.” He patted his lower back and said, “And I don’t like keeping the pistol in my holster when I drive. It rubs against the seat and gouges my back.”
I was lost somewhere between pissed off at him and myself. At that moment, anger with Lee won out. “You know I have a job? In the office, bud. Not fucking around out here, hanging out with you.”
He raised his hands defensively and tried out a disarming smile.
“I know, but there’s a nice view of the distillery from down here.” He pointed back up the hillside. Across the pasture to the buildings silhouetted against a clear blue sky, I could see what he meant. “Great spot for pictures, right? It’s like a whole castle on a hill vibe.”
“More like castles.” I was willing to grant him that the view was pretty spectacular, and not something I would have ordinarily thought about seeing given how far it was away from my office. But I wasn’t at all happy with him yet.
I couldn’t help but continue to lash out.
“You seriously said to stay there.” I growled the last couple words for added emphasis. “Also that you would be right there. How did you think I’d take that?”
“Better,” he said weakly, and offered a pained smile. “Ideally I would have gotten there quicker. That was the plan for sure.”
“I’d say so, seeing how you said you would.” I kept ranting. “That wasn’t quick and you know how I feel about being on time.”
“Yeah. On time means twenty minutes early.”
&
nbsp; “But the worst part is I made a huge, epic fool out of myself to Clarice and Tim and the clients.”
“How so?” He tilted his head at me like a curious puppy. He tentatively reached out like he wanted to take my hand, but I pulled away from him.
“Don’t worry.” I gave him a wry smile. “You’re probably gonna hear about it from them too.”
“Oh boy. Now I have to know.”
“Do you?” When he nodded aggressively, I said, “Fine. Well…after I got those texts, I told them that you basically wanted us to lockdown or shelter in place or whatever. Because of the gunshots, of course.”
“Oh, shit. You seriously told them that?” I thought he’d be pissed about me getting him in trouble, not that I cared too much how he felt right then. Yet he seemed more intrigued than anything, along with a side of sympathetic—finally.
“Oh, yeah. I sure as hell did,” I continued. “I went outside to check, and when that bullet pinged the building, I came in there running like a damn fool.”
“No way.”
“Yes way.” I hung my head. “I went right up to Clarice and told her people were shooting at us.”
“I don’t believe it,” he said, brow furrowed again, leaving me wondering what he meant. I was too involved in telling my pitiful story to ask.
“Oh I did alright…and they looked at me like I’m an idiot because Clarice says there’s some kind of text alert that goes out.”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah, our active shooter notification. That was pretty much the first thing they told me when I started working here.”
“Not the first thing they told me. Or the last. Or ever.” I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes. “Man this place is fucked up.”
“You can say that again.”
“This place is….” I let the words peter out.
Lee’s serious expression faded into a slight chuckle. “Damn, Hope. I can’t imagine…like I can’t even see you running back in and saying that.” He broke into laughter that took a second or two to stifle. “You seriously did? You’re shittin’ me?”
I should have been pissed at him for laughing, but he had a point. I would have laughed at him if he’d done the same thing.
“I think I need a vacation,” I said. “Maybe a permanent one.”
“I don’t think that means what you think it means.”
“I don’t care. I just…I’m sooo tired of always being this way. Always looking over my shoulder. Always freaking out.”
“Hope, you don’t freak out. I know you’ve been jumpy lately, but it’s not the way you think. Maybe up in your head, but it’s not for everyone else to see.”
“Until today.” I exhaled loudly. “What a way to show my crazy.”
“It happens. Don’t worry about that too.” He looked me in the eyes. “After what you’ve been through, believe me…it’s totally normal.”
“Well, thank you Doctor Rogers.” I gave him the wry smile again. “But thanks for real. I know you get what I’ve been dealing with. I just haven’t been dealing with it very well.”
He reached out for my hand again and I let him take it. Our fingers linked together like they belonged that way.
“You’ve been fine. Better than fine. I just haven’t been helping.”
I squinted at him. “Say what? You’ve been pretty great. Most of the time at least.”
“Today’s all on me.” He let go of my hand to wrap me around the shoulders. “I get why you’d think all that stuff. I should have been more…specific.”
“You got that right. So what’s up with the short texts? That’s not like you.”
“I got a little busy checking the cameras and the delivery at A. Then the shots and listening to the scanner, and then going to get this sweet ride.”
“Sounds like you’ve been pretty busy.”
“Not as bad as you, but yeah.” He pulled away to look me in the eyes again. “I’m really sorry, Hope. I got caught up jumping around on my phone between a lot of different apps and was pretty short with my texts.”
“And the call.”
“That too. You know I don’t like the phone.”
“Me either. Especially not anymore. Not after all this.”
“Next time I’ll just come along, if you let me.”
I didn’t think he meant it as a jab, but I had been the one who’d tried to make sure he didn’t come with us.
“I’m sure Clarice won’t mind,” I offered. “So maybe…if there is a next time.”
CHAPTER 13
“I should get back,” I said as we continued sitting in the pasture field below Building H. “I might already be fired for my antics, but I’d better not give them any more reasons just in case they’re feeling generous.”
“You’re too good at what you do,” Lee replied. “They couldn’t afford to get rid of you.”
“Kind of like you,” I said softly and nestled into his shoulder.
“I can afford it.” When I looked up at him, Lee grinned and said, “But I wouldn’t do it.”
“I meant good at what you do, Jackass.”
I sat up and playfully shoved him away. When he looked all bashful and apologetic, I grabbed his arm and pulled him close. He burrowed his head to where his lips hovered above my collarbone.
I waited for the kisses that would send a tingle through my body. When the delay dragged on, I sighed. Lee was always taking his time when he should’ve just gone for it.
“That’s better,” he said in response to my sigh, giving his best throaty, sexy growl. Unfortunately for him and any ideas he might have had about kissing me, the sound reminded me of my earlier encounter.
“Hey, do you know a big guy that works in the rack houses rolling barrels?”
“Maybe. We’ve got a few that fit that description.”
“I guess that’s true. This guy was huge, with arms totally covered in tattoos.”
“That doesn’t exactly narrow it down either, but I think I know who you mean.”
“Kind of a grumpy fella. Super deep, almost raspy voice.”
“Okay, yeah. You mean Little Bill.”
“Interesting name.”
“I think he prefers that over Little Willie,” Lee said with a chuckle.
“I could see why. Anyway, he saw me over in G and knew my name. I’ve maybe seen the guy once before and we’ve never talked.”
“So you’re chatting up the big burly barrel rollers now? Man, those guys get all the chicks.”
I slugged him on the shoulder. “Seriously, dude? I just wonder how he even knew my name.”
“Not that many people work here.” He smirked. “And out of everyone, you are the hottest.”
“Of course. Typical man.” I shook my head in disgust. “I should have known.”
“I mean Jessie’s not bad looking at all,” Lee rambled. When I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, he quickly added, “But no one’s anywhere near as pretty as you.”
“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You should.”
I found his words hard to believe, although he’d seemed sincere. As far as I was concerned, Jessie was adorable. The college girl came to help give tours on the weekends. I couldn’t have said what was nicer about her, her outgoing, pleasant demeanor or her gorgeous smile.
“I don’t think I’m anywhere near as pretty as Jessie. She’s the total package.”
“Well, you are,” Lee said matter-of-factly. “Let’s face it. I think you spent so much time letting Alyssa beat you down that you never realized how much better looking you are than anyone else around. Here, there, or anywhere.”
I scoffed at that. “Me? Better looking than some Instagram model? I doubt that.”
“You shouldn’t. You could have a million followers in a heartbeat.”
“I think you’re supposed to say that or something.”
“It’s still true.” He straightened up in his seat and shifted the UTV out of park. “I’ll show you. W
e’re gonna go get a picture, right here, right now.”
“Sure. I’ll just sit here all sweaty and dirty and try to pretend like I’m looking good.”
“You look…amazing. Like always. It doesn’t matter when or where.”
Lee took his pistol and holster back out of his pants and handed them to me. While I thought about how he needed to find a better way to carry a weapon in the side-by-side, he eased his foot onto the accelerator.
We took off down the hill at an easy pace. My fingers tightened on the seat as we drew closer to the fence line, but it was nothing like before. With Lee and his pistol with me, a great deal of the anxiety had faded. Or maybe it was just because the shooting had long since ceased, and Lee had pretty well explained everything away.
Still, I tensed up a bit when he brought us almost all the way down to the tree line. When he turned to the side to run alongside, I stared between trunks and brush into the backyards of scattered big houses sitting on gigantic lots.
Nothing seemed out of place.
When I finally quit staring at the woods to look ahead, I noticed tire tracks running all along the edge of the distillery property.
“Someone’s been down here,” I noted.
“I drive this every now and then. Just a quick little perimeter patrol.” He turned to me and smiled again. “That’s how I know where to find the perfect picture shot.”
I looked back up at the buildings on the hill. Though not nearly that far, they seemed like a mile away.
“It’s not bad, but you’re just trying to get me all alone again.”
He put up a hand in protest. “No, seriously.” Then he stammered, “I-I mean I’m not like opposed to, uh, something like that.”
“Don’t even think about it,” I said and went back to staring into the trees.
“Too late.”
At a thinner patch of woods, I got a cleaner look into the backyards. The neighboring houses sat on such large lots that it didn’t look much like a subdivision. Especially the way they all backed to dense woods of their own.
On the property past our fence, neon splotches of color caught my eye.
“Hold up,” I told Lee.