by Wilder, L.
Since Murphy wasn’t available, I decided to run by and see Grady. It had been a couple of days since that night at the bar, and I was hoping that he’d had a chance to cool off. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. It was just after two p.m. when I got to the bar, so I figured he was working in his office. I walked in and found him sitting at his desk going over some paperwork. I put on one of my best smiles as I said, “Hey, you busy?”
“Hey.” He glanced up at me and said, “I thought you were coming by yesterday after you got out of class.”
“I was planning to, but something came up.”
He didn’t hide his disapproval as he asked, “Did this something have anything to do with that guy from the other night?”
“Maybe.”
“And what did you two do?”
I couldn’t help but smile as I told him, “He took me to one of the casinos in Tunica. It was so much fun, and I actually won three hundred dollars!”
“Sounds like you had a great time.”
“I did.”
“And the other night when he carried you out of my bar like some kind of animal, did you have a good time then, too?”
“Grady.”
He paused a moment, then crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “Look, I hate to be the one who puts a damper on this …”
“Then, don’t.” I went over and sat down in the chair beside his desk. “I’ve already heard it all from my father, besides … you’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I am on your side, Riley. I always have been, but I can’t help that I’m worried about you.” Sincerity crossed his face as he said, “You mean a lot to me, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I know and you mean a lot to me, too.” I placed my hand on his arm and added, “I appreciate your concern, but I really like Murphy, and I want to see where this thing goes.”
“I just don’t get it. What is it about this guy?”
“I don’t really get it either. I just know I feel more like myself when I’m with him than anywhere else.” I wasn’t sure if I was making any sense. “Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?”
“Yeah. I know exactly what you’re talking about.” His mood turned somber as he continued, “A connection like that is rare at best.”
“So, you get why I want to pursue this thing with Murphy.”
“I do, but if he hurts you, I’ll kill him. Be sure he knows that.”
“I’ll be sure to tell him,” I scoffed.
“So, what do you have going on today?”
“I should probably get back to the farm.” I stood up as I told him, “I’ve been a little busy, and I haven’t taken Anna Belle out in days.”
“You wanna grab a bite to eat or something before you go?”
I thought back to the night before and the worried look on my father’s face. I knew he was concerned about Devon, and I didn’t want him to face that alone, so I said, “I should really get home. Can I get a raincheck?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks, Grady. You’re the best.” I leaned towards him and gave him a quick hug. “I’ll see you soon.”
“You better.”
Once I’d left his office, I got in my car and drove back towards the farm. I wasn’t too sure if I wanted to be there when Devon came for the weapons he was after, but I didn’t like the idea of my father being there alone with him even more. When I got home, I was surprised to see that Travis was the only one around. Worried something might be wrong, I went over to him and asked, “Have you seen Dad?”
“Not since this morning.”
“Did he mention where he was going?”
“Yeah.” He continued to check Starlight’s hooves as he said, “He said something about meeting up with some guy. He had a package to pick up or something,”
Assuming the package he was getting had something to do with Devon’s threat, I asked, “Any idea when he’ll be back?”
“No idea.” He looked up at me and asked, “Why? You need something?”
“No. He never mentioned that he’d be gone, and I wanted to see where he was.” As I started towards him, I asked, “Have you had a chance to check on Anna Belle’s hooves?”
“Yep. I did a few minutes ago.”
“Great. I’m going to work with her a little, then take her for a ride.” As I started towards the house, I told him, “I’m just going to run in and change first.”
“I’ll saddle her up and take her out to the training ring for you.”
“Thanks, Travis. I’d appreciate that.”
I went inside and changed into my jeans. A cold front was coming in and it really was starting to get a little chilly, so I decided to put on an undershirt with one of my bigger hoodies. I grabbed an extra pair of socks and went downstairs to get my riding boots. Once I was ready, I put on my coat and headed towards the training ring. I was pleased to see that Travis was already there with Anna Belle. He was adjusting her saddle when I came up to them. “Thanks for getting her ready for me, Travis.”
“No problem. I’m sure she’ll enjoy some time out with you.”
I reached my hand up and scratched behind her ear. “Hey there, sweet girl. Are you ready to stretch your legs a bit?”
“Don’t be out too long. It’ll be dark soon,” Travis warned.
“I won’t.” I put my foot in the stirrups and pulled myself up. “I’ll be back in an hour or so.”
I tugged the reins and let her out of the training ring, and I was just about to head out to the back pasture when I noticed my father’s truck coming down the driveway. Curious to see if he was okay, I stopped and waited for him to pull up to the house. I watched as he got out of the truck, and the minute I saw his face, I knew something was wrong. Panic washed over me as I heard him tell Hunter, “We need to be prepared for the worst here, son. I’ve got no idea how this is going to play out.”
I got off Anna Belle and led her back over to the fence beside the driveway. After I’d secured her to one of the rails, I walked over to my father and asked, “You seem upset. What’s going on?”
“Riley!” His eyes widened with fright as he asked, “What are you doing here?”
“It’s after five, Dad. Why wouldn’t I be here?”
“Damn. You’ve got to get the hell out of here before Devon—” his voice was filled with urgency, “You need to get your things and go to Grady’s.”
Knowing it wasn’t a time to argue, I answered, “Okay. I just need to get Anna Belle back in the stable.”
“Make it fast. There’s no telling when he’ll show up.” As I turned towards Anna Belle, I heard Dad say, “Hunter … go get your rifle. Get one for me and Travis too.”
He was trying to prepare for Devon’s arrival, but he was too late. I’d only taken a couple of steps towards Anna Belle when his black BMW came barreling down our driveway, much like it had two days earlier, but this time was different. This time Devon wasn’t alone. I glanced back over at my father, and he looked positively petrified. Seeing that he was terrified didn’t help the dreadful fear I was feeling as I watched the BMW park and four men get out. Devon walked over to my father and asked, “You got my shipment?”
“I-I’ve been trying to call you,” he stammered. “I’ve got everything lined up … but I need more time.”
“You had time, Nichols.” Devon turned to one of the men beside him and gave them a quick nod. He looked back to my father, and with a look of utter nonchalance, he told him, “Now, your time is up.”
The tall, bulked-up brute-of-a-man took a charging step in my direction, and I knew I was in trouble. I turned and began to run, but the sound of gunfire stopped me in my tracks. I stood there frozen, and the world around me stilled as I watched my precious Anna Belle’s lifeless body collapse to the ground. I thought back to the day my father had given her to me and how much she’d meant to me. My heart shattered into a million pieces when I saw the bullet wound between her eyes as I screamed, “No! Oh God, no!”<
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I’d only taken a few steps when I was quickly jerked back. “Where you do you think you’re going?”
The man lifted my feet off the ground as he hurled me back over to my father. Devon took the gun that he’d used to kill Anna Belle and pressed it firmly against my temple as he growled, “I told you to have my shit here within forty-eight hours, and you disappointed me. I don’t like being disappointed, Nichols.”
“It’s on its way. I just need some more time,” my father pleaded. “It’ll be here by morning. You have my word.”
“You better hope it is, cause if it ain’t …” He motioned his head towards Anna Belle as he continued, “The same thing that happened to your horse over there is gonna happen to your girl. You got that?”
The blood drained from my father’s face as he said, “Yeah, I got it.”
“Let’s roll, boys.”
Devon kept his gun pointed at my head, and my heart was racing as he led me over to his car. When my father realized what was happening, he shouted, “Wait! What the hell are you doing?”
“What the fuck does it look like I’m doing?” He chuckled as he shoved me into the backseat. Horror washed over me when I heard him say, “I’m taking this sweet ass with me to make sure you follow through. You’ve got till morning, Nichols, or she gets a bullet in this pretty little head of hers.”
“Devon, please don’t do this. I’ll keep my word.”
Unfortunately, he didn’t listen. Once I was in the car, two men got in next to me, securing me on either side, then Devon and another man got in the front seat. Once they closed their doors, Devon started the car and whipped out of the driveway. When we drove by Anna Belle, my chest tightened, and I had to fight the urge to cry. My stomach was in knots, like I was stuck in a horrible nightmare, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t wake up. Only this was no dream. I was wide awake, and my life was hanging in the balance. I was lost in my own thoughts when one of the men next to me said, “Yo, Marcus. Did you see that dude’s face when Devon killed that fucking horse?”
“Yeah, man. He about lost his shit.”
“Well, he got the message.”
Devon chuckled. “Yeah, I made sure of that.”
Marcus glanced back at me as he asked, “You got a name?”
“Riley,” I mumbled with fear.
“Well, sit back and enjoy the ride, Riley.” A sinister smile crossed his face as he said, “’Cause you’re going to be in for quite a night.”
CHAPTER 15
Murphy
As planned, the brothers and I made it down to Mobile by noon. When we pulled up to the dock, Ronin and his crew were already there waiting to help us unload. While there were times when he was a royal pain-in-the-ass, Ronin had proven himself to be an invaluable asset. Over the past couple of years, the club had been partnering with several of our affiliate chapters to create a pipeline that would enable us to move a large number of weapons in one haul, allowing us to gain a high profit. It had been going well, and we owed a great deal of that success to Ronin. After the weapons left our hands, it was up to him to see to it that they made it to our buyers, and he always went the extra mile to ensure that the deliveries went without a hitch. In the past, he’d used barges to move the goods from one secure location to the next, but recently, Ronin had changed his method of transportation. Just like the time before, he had a seventy-foot, high-performance yacht sitting at the dock waiting to move our shipment to the next location.
Like the last few times before, the brothers and I had to travel in two different SUVs. Our shipments had gotten bigger, so it was now taking us two horse trailers to carry the load. I’d driven one SUV with Blaze, Rider, and Gunner riding along with me, while Shadow had driven the second with T-Bone and Gauge. We’d had a long drive, so I was looking forward to stretching my legs as I got out of the truck. I’d barely had time to stretch out the kinks, when Ronin came over to me and said, “We need to move fast. There’s a storm rolling in, and I want to get out of the bay before it hits.”
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, so I asked, “What makes you think it’s gonna rain?”
“Look at the radar. There’s a hell of a storm brewing along the coast.”
“Is that going to be a problem?”
He didn’t sound exactly confident as he answered, “Not if we get this shit unloaded in the next fifteen minutes.”
“Then, let’s get this thing done.” I pounded on the hood of the truck as I shouted, “Let’s roll, boys.”
When I spotted him standing by the truck, I called out to Rider, “Hey, brother. Come give me a hand.”
He followed as I went over to the horse trailer and watched as I opened the back doors. Then, he helped as I got the two mares out and secured them on a nearby post. Once we were done, Rider asked, “What do you need me to do now?”
“We need to help the guys unload. Just follow my lead.”
“You got it.”
We both watched as Shadow and T-Bone unbolted the secret compartments beneath both of the trailers’ floor. As soon as they got them open, we started removing the crates. One by one, we carried them over to the yacht and hid them away in the storage containers in the lower deck. I watched as Rider followed suit, never asking questions as he tried his best to do what was expected. It took several trips for us to get everything unloaded, but we got it done with time to spare. Knowing he had to get moving, Ronin didn’t stick around for idle conversation. Instead, he said his goodbyes, and seconds later, he and the yacht were gone. When we returned to the truck, I sent Gus a message and let him know that all went well and we were on our way back home. As I started the truck, Gunner turned to me and asked, “You think he’ll beat the storm.”
“I got no idea.”
“Well, it could be all kinds of bad if he doesn’t.” His face grew pale as he asked, “Have you seen that movie, The Perfect Storm? Those waves tore that boat to shreds. There’s no telling what a storm like that would do to that fancy-assed boat of Ronin’s.”
“We’re talking about a thunderstorm, Gunner. Not a fucking hurricane. Ronin and his boat should be just fine,” I assured him.
“It was a great movie, though,” Blaze added.
“Yeah, it was.” Gunner looked over to Blaze with a proud smile as he asked, “What about Kintzler and Quintana?”
“No surprises there, Gunner. We all knew they’d be back.”
“Yeah. There’s still no word on Hamels or Strop, but I don’t see them going anywhere.”
“Probably so, but not really concerned about them.” Blaze shook his head as he said, “If the Cubs want to make it this year, then they’re gonna have to find a reliable backup catcher. Contreras is good, but he can’t carry the team alone.”
They continued to talk baseball for the next half hour. I’d never been a fan of the Cubs, so I was relieved when the conversation died out. We were just about to come into Meridian when Shadow’s voice came over the two-way radio. “We’re going to need to fill up soon.”
“Us, too. Let’s get off at the next exit.”
“You got it.”
Once we’d taken the exit, I pulled over to the nearest gas station. None of us wanted to waste time stopping for lunch, so while Shadow and I filled up the SUVs with gas, the others went inside to grab us something to eat. Ten minutes later, they came out of the store looking like they’d just gotten a week’s worth of groceries. When they started getting in the truck, I asked, “What the hell is all that?”
“It’s lunch,” Gunner answered innocently. He reached into the bag and pulled out a burger wrapped in foil. “Whatcha want? I’ve got a couple of burgers and hot dogs … but I gotta tell ya, the hot dogs were looking a little sketchy. If I had to guess, I’d say they’d been there for a while.”
“But that didn’t stop him from buying them,” Blaze complained. “And it also didn’t stop him from buying a couple of pretzels that were as hard as rocks.”
“I was hungry.”
I chuckled as I took the burger from his hand and told him, “You’ve got a gut made of steel, brother.”
“That I do, but if you had to eat the shit I did growing up, you’d have one, too.” He shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong. My momma tried, but damn. There’s only so many times a man can eat undercooked chicken.”
Blaze chuckled as he told him, “We’ve all heard the horror stories of your momma’s cooking, but I’ve eaten over at your place. It’s not that bad.”
“Brother, she didn’t cook that shit. That was takeout that she’d warmed up in her dishes to make it look like she made it, and she still screwed it up and burnt the damn mashed potatoes.”
“Yeah, I remember.” Blaze’s face twisted into a grimace at the memory. “But at least she tried. Maybe one day you can find yourself a good woman who can cook.”
“I’d be happy with just a good woman … Don’t give a shit about her being able to cook.” He took a bite out of one of the old, rubbery hot dogs and said, “For the right woman, I’d live on beanie weanies and Vienna sausages.”
I glanced up at the rearview mirror so I could get a look at Rider. He hadn’t said two words on the entire trip, so I asked, “You’re awfully quiet back there. You making it okay, brother?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” he answered. “I’m just soaking all this in, so I’ll be better prepared next time.”
“You did good today,” I told him. “I’m sure Gus will be happy to hear that.”
“I hope you’re right.” He took a bite of his sandwich and said, “By the way, the chicken salad ain’t so bad.”
“Wait! You’re eating the chicken salad?” Gunner asked with alarm. When Rider nodded, Gunner reached into the backseat and grabbed the sandwich out of his hand, quickly tossing it out of the window. “Never … and I mean never, eat the chicken salad from a gas station, brother. Trust me. Not even my stomach can take the hell it will do to your intestines.”