by KJ Dahlen
“Fuck you old man.” Justin snarled.
As Boone searched him, he didn’t find any weapons and when he led him away, Justin began struggling but Boone wasn’t allowing him to get free.
Grizzly shook his head. “I do not understand what his problem is.” Looking over at Gunner, he asked, “Why? What the fuck would a kid like Justin Marlow have against me?”
Rigger had joined him and when he came in, he was holding a stack of papers in his hand. “I think Ethan found that answer.”
Gunner turned his gaze to his IT man. “What does that mean?”
“I think Ethan found out why his father was shot down in cold blood,” Rigger told them.
“What did you find?” Grizzly asked.
Just then, Teddy came out of the kitchen with DeeDee and Winona.
“I found a list of Logan Riggs’ employees,” Rigger explained. “One of the names is Leonard Marlow. Leonard is Logan’s ranch manager. That’s Justin’s dad. So, Justin may have a good reason to NOT want any of this looked into. He’s here to protect his dad from being exposed.”
Teddy gasped when she heard what Rigger had to say. She sat down hard in a chair at Grizzly’s table. She looked up at Rigger and asked in a shaky voice, “What else did you find from my dad’s drive?”
Rigger looked at Grizzly then at Gunner before he answered her.
Gunner nodded at him.
Rigger then went on, “Your dad Ethan found out your grandfather was in Laredo the weekend before he died. Ethan wrote himself notes as if he were recording his own thoughts and one of the things he wrote was that he felt his dad saw something he shouldn’t have that weekend. So he went to Laredo a few weeks ago, he spoke to your grandfather’s friends. Well most of them, he never got the chance to speak to Weston Holt.”
Teddy shook her head. “But he did speak to Weston Holt,” she told them. “Well, he was going to anyway. My dad told me he called Weston and spoke to him about two weeks ago. Weston was going out of town but he promised he would contact dad as soon as he got back.”
“Would he be back now?” Grizzly asked.
Teddy shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Gunner grunted. “Well, why don’t we call him and find out.”
Grizzly found the number in Ethan’s notes and made the call. When he hung up, he looked over at Gunner. Then he looked over at Teddy. “He was waiting for your dad’s call. It seems he might have something to say that might give us a clearer picture of what happened to Theo.”
“Why didn’t he speak up fifteen years ago, when it might have mattered?” Teddy asked.
“Honey, he said he tried but no one would listen to him back then,” Grizzly repeated what the man told him. “They all thought he was crazy back then. He told me Theo gave him something just before he died and he told him to one day, give it to Teddy. He said Theo told him if anything happened to him, she would one day let the world know what really happened. He said this was Theo’s way of safeguarding her until she was old enough to know the truth.”
Gunner looked over at her. “Do you have any idea what he’s talking about?”
Teddy shook her head. “No, I don’t.”
Grizzly nodded. “Well, we’re about to find out. He said he would come to us, so he’ll be here in about an hour.”
“Well, before he gets here,” Gunner cut in. “We should have a look at what else Ethan found out before all this hits the fan.”
Teddy stared at the stack of papers on the table. This stack represented the work her father had uncovered. As a daughter, she wasn’t sure she could look at it, but as a cop, she knew she had too. Not knowing whether he was dead or still alive was breaking her heart. But she knew he would be mad at her if she let him down like this. So, taking a deep breath, she reached for the stack of papers in front of her.
Grizzly grabbed her wrist. “Teddy, why don’t you let Gunner and me look through this info first.”
Teddy shook her head. “Because if I give into the grief I’m feeling, I’ll be lost. Someone out there killed my grandfather and wants to kill my dad and me. I was sent here to kill you in order to save my dad’s life and even when I pulled that trigger, I knew my dad might already be dead. I pray that he is still alive. I pray that soon...I will be able to look him in the eyes and tell him I love him one more time. I have to think he’s still alive because the thought that he’s not here anymore just hurts too much and I don’t feel the loss here, yet.” She pounded on her chest. “I don’t feel the same kind of loss I felt when my grandfather died.”
Grizzly shook his head and let out a saddened sigh.
Teddy looked angry now as she continued, “Whether the bitch called my mother has lied to me all these years or not, it doesn’t make a damn bit of difference to me. I was raised by Ethan Alexander and Theo was my grandfather. I’ll be damned if I turn my back on all of that and what they taught me. So while going through all those papers will probably hurt like hell... I have to do it with you. Please don’t shut me out of any part of this. I have to do this for my own sanity.”
Grizzly nodded. “Ok.”
Teddy reached again for the papers to take the first look at what her dad found.
Over the next hour, they studied the evidence of the trial and the drive that Ethan had given Teddy. Before they knew it, Weston was at the gates. When he came inside Teddy knew him at first glance. She didn’t know if she would know him or not but she sure did. She got to her feet and ran to him.
When Weston hugged her to him he trembled. “Oh, my god girl, you have grown into a beautiful woman. Theo would be so proud of you if he were here today.”
Teddy stepped away from him and wiped the tears from her eyes. Shaking her head, she told him, “I don’t think so but thank you for saying that Uncle West. I needed to hear it.”
Weston Holt just smiled when he looked at her. “You look so much like your grandmother. But I think Theo knew that the day you were born. You have her eye color.”
Teddy was stunned. “What? What did you say?” she whispered.
Weston smiled. “You have your grandmother’s eyes little girl, didn’t your dad ever tell you that?”
“Not that I remember.” She shook her head.
“Oh, your grandmother was a little spitfire.” He chuckled. “To keep up to Theo, she had to be. He lost a good woman though, when she died. He was never able to forget her that’s for sure.” He looked over at the men standing there. “Ethan contacted me a few weeks ago and when he told me what he was doing, I gave him hell and told him it was about freakin’ time.”
“You know what’s going on here today?” Gunner asked.
Weston nodded. “Yes, I do. Ethan was afraid something like this might happen.”
“What did he know?” Teddy asked.
“He knew who murdered his dad,” Weston told her.
“That would be Darren Nixon,” Grizzly stated.
Weston shook his head. “Nope, sorry young man, Darren Nixon was just a tool he used to get the job done. No, Nixon isn’t the one who killed Theo, that honor goes to one man who is hiding a terrible secret. And he’s been hiding that same secret for thirty-five years. That man is Logan Riggs.”
Teddy gasped and with her mouth open in shock, all she could do was just stare at him. “Logan Riggs? How do you know that?” she could barely whisper.
“Because I know Logan Riggs and everyone in the Laredo area knows what he’s doing. They’re just too afraid to say anything.” He shook his head. “He had Theo killed and when I raised some hell, he had me run out of that part of the state. I thought he was going to silence me as well but I stayed out of his way. I left but I know he had me watched for a couple of years.” He reached for something in his pocket. He brought out a small wooden box. The box itself was only about 3x5 and about two inches wide. “He gave me this a week or so before he died. He said he had a feeling something bad was coming. He’d said he could feel it in his bones. But when he gave me this he told me to hang on to
it and give it to you when you were grown. He said you would know how to get into it. He never told me what was inside but he said you would know.”
Teddy took the box from him and studied it carefully. Then she smiled and placed her fingers at different points and pressed buttons. Theo had shown her the trick of the box many years ago. The top of the box slid open and she gasped as she looked inside. She then stared at Weston with tears in her eyes. “Oh my god, this is what he died for. This is Logan’s secret?”
Chapter Nine
Teddy went back to the table and sat down. She pulled out some pictures and a few handwritten notes from her grandfather. Studying the photos, she passed them along to the others.
Grizzly held up one picture and asked, “Who is this guy?”
Teddy looked at the photo, as did Weston. They both answered as one, “That’s Logan Riggs.”
Teddy nodded. “I’m not sure who the other guy is but that’s Logan.”
Grizzly growled. “The other man is Francisco Brago. He’s one of the cartel leaders along with his two brothers, Luis and Angel. The Marshals have been trying to bust them for years but we could never get close enough or find enough evidence to bust them.”
Gunner looked over at Weston and asked, “Can you identify any of these other men?”
Weston pointed out the men who worked Logan’s ranch. He tapped at one man and said, “That’s Leonard Marlow. He shook his head. “He’s got a son in the Marshals and he’s using that boy to keep one step ahead of the police.”
“How do you know that?” Boone asked.
“Why do you think you can’t get enough evidence to bust them, son?” Weston asked carefully as he stared at Grizzly. “Leonard’s boy tips them off every time. That gives Logan time to hide his illegal shit.” He snorted. “Each and every one of his ranch hands is well armed and not afraid to shoot people that get too close.”
“Have you seen this up front?” Gunner wanted to know.
Weston nodded. “Yeah, I seen it. Theo and I both saw it. About ten days before he was shot, we were on the ridge above Logan’s ranch and we saw the cartel come through one of the tunnels they have. We saw them carrying box after box of drugs and guns. They loaded them all into two vehicles and drove them to Logan’s barn.” He looked over at Teddy and shook his head. “Your grandpa took a video of the shenanigans but I have no idea where that ended up. He also said he left you a message on tape with it but like I said, I don’t know where it all went.”
“I do,” Teddy told them quietly. “My dad gave me a small, wooden box after grandpa died. I just couldn’t touch it but I still have it.”
“Well, get it out,” Grizzly urged. “Let’s play it and see if the information is still there.”
Teddy got up and went to her room for the small wooden box.
Grizzly looked over at Weston. “You said before, she has her grandma’s eye color. Did you mean that?”
Weston nodded. “Wilma Alexander was a rare woman even for her time. She had pitch black hair and copper colored eyes just like Teddy. Why?”
“Her mother told her several weeks ago that Ethan wasn’t her real father, that a man named Darren was her father.” Grizzly stared at him.
“That’s a god damn lie! I knew Wilma and I know Reva. Reva couldn’t tell the truth if her life depended on it.” Weston looked disgusted by the whole idea. “Trust me when I say, she looks like her grandmother. I think that was why Theo fell in love with her so hard. She’s the spittin’ image of her grandmother. He would have loved her anyway but that girl was the apple of his eye, for sure.”
No one said anything when Teddy came back carrying the small box. She sighed then opened the top. She reached in and brought out a picture of a much younger Theo with his arms around a young woman. She looked just like Teddy but it wasn’t Teddy.
“That’s Theo and Wilma,” Weston said.
Teddy gasped at the likeness between herself and her grandmother. Looking up at him she stated, “Then Ethan is my father?”
“Of course, he is sweetheart.”
She turned to Grizzly and begged him, “We have to find him. I have to know he’s still alive!”
“We have to lure Levi here, then don’t we.” He stared back at her. “And we both know how to do that.”
“No. I won’t do it!” Teddy cried out. “Please don’t ask me to do that.”
“Teddy, we have to.” Grizzly shook his head slowly.
Teddy got up and rushed to his side. She wrapped her arms around his waist and Grizzly held her closed for a long moment. She took a step back and shook her head. “I can’t do it.”
“You have to do this,” Grizzly repeated to her softly. “This needs to be over for both of us.”
“But he will kill you and everyone here knows it. I couldn’t take that shot but Levi will. You know he will!” she argued.
“That’s why I want you on the roof with your rifle,” he continued. “I want you to take him out before he takes me out.”
“Your brothers will never allow that.” She shook her head firmly.
“Yes we will,” Gunner assured her. “I’d rather have you up there to take that shot than allow Grizzly to face this prick with anyone else and believe me when I say, we have righteous backup. We could do it without you, never doubt that, but I think you might just be what he needs to step out and face this prick.”
“Just don’t close your eyes when taking this shot.” Boone grunted. “You find that bastard and you take that shot. We can tell you right where he is, all you have to do is pulled that trigger. You nail his hide before he gets a shot off.”
Teddy took a shaky breath and exhaled. “If you can tell me where he is, I’ll take that shot.” She looked over at Grizzly. “But you have to promise me that we find my dad.”
“That goes without saying it sweetheart. We’ll find your dad,” Grizzly vowed.
Taking a moment to look around at the men then at Grizzly, she released a breath and said, “Ok, I’ll make the call.” She picked up her cell phone and tapped in a number. When the call was answered, she snarled. “Is my father still alive?”
“Why do you want to know?” Levi seethed back at her. “Is that fucker dead yet?”
“My shot hit him but they hustled him inside so fast, I don’t know how bad it was,” Teddy explained. “I had to wait until midnight to get clear of the clubhouse. They put everything on alert and I couldn’t get away for the longest time.”
“I don’t give a shit what you had to do, you stupid bitch!” Levi snarled. “Where is your mother?” He paused, then asked, “I had to get away from her, she was driving me crazy with her demands. She acted like I owed her something. She’s a right pain in the ass.”
“How the hell am I supposed to know where she is?” Teddy asked him. “Last thing I knew, she was with you.”
“Yeah well, I popped her one and while she was out, I got the hell out with your dad. Oh, by the way, he’s not in such good shape. I mean he’s still breathing for the moment, but he might not be come morning. Tell me where you are.”
“I’m in Jasper. Just outside their clubhouse on the east side of town,” Teddy finally told him.
“I’ll be there before dawn. If you can’t get the job done, I sure as hell will.” He growled at her. “Maybe I’ll even set things up, so your dad takes the blame for the shot. Yeah, I think that will give me time to escape after I take the shot. Maybe, I’ll kill more than just the bastard who put my dad away. He isn’t the only one who will die tomorrow.”
“If my dad isn’t alive when you get here, I will hunt you down like the rat bastard you are,” Teddy threatened with a growl in her voice.
“You think you can take me on and win the game, bitch?” Levi laughed at her. “You can’t even take out one fucking man that’s not so hard to miss. You ain’t got no game. You be there tomorrow morning and I’ll show you how it’s done, then I’ll shoot your dad right in front of your own eyes. That way, you’ll know his death is
on your fucking useless hands. He’ll die because you couldn’t damn well do what you were told. I’ll show you just how his head will explode when its hit with a high powered rifle. I got one that will do the job.”
When the call went dead, Teddy dropped to her knees. Tears ran down her face as she struggled to deal with Levi’s threats.
Grizzly lifted her into his arms and her legs went around his waist as she sobbed into his neck.
No one said a word, but Boone disappeared for a moment and when he returned, he laid her rifle on the table behind them. He brought out not only her rifle but her camo bag as well. They had found it up the tree after she fell. That bag held her scope and her ammo. She would need both in the morning.
When she stopped sobbing, Grizzly continued to hold her, whispering words in her ear that only she could hear.
Eventually, she loosened her legs and slid her feet to the floor. She stepped away from him and wiped the tears away with her hands then rubbed her wet hands on her jeans. Taking a shaky breath, she looked at each of the men standing in the room. “That fucking bastard is mine. You may have a bead on him at dawn but he’s mine to put down like the rabid dog that he is.” She looked over at Weston. “Come morning, I’ll make grandpa proud of me even if it’s the last thing I do. I will take out the trash, then I’m going after Logan Riggs.”
“Not alone, you’re not.” Gunner glared at her.
Turning to him, Teddy shook her head. “This isn’t your fight, its mine. You can’t get involved. I won’t bring down the law on your MC.”
Gunner just grinned. “Honey, we are the law here. We hunt bounties for a living and we know just how far we can go without a warrant. But even that won’t stop us, because we can always get a warrant if we need too. Besides, Grizzly is a Marshal he can get us a warrant if he thinks we need one.”
“Ok, but first things first,” Teddy replied. “And that would be Levi. From my own observations, I thought the front of the building would give the most advantage points to take the shot. From the front, you can cover a hell of a lot more ground than you can from either side of the back.”