by L. Wilder
With that, my father and Hunter disappeared into the tool shed, and moments later, they came out with a dolly carrying four large wooden crates. The SUV’s door opened, and a tall African-American male with a thick goatee got out and stood next to my father. He looked out of place in his baggy jeans and thick, gold chains, especially since my father was wearing a pair of old coveralls with stained knees and a tattered hem. The stranger seemed eager to see what my father had to show him and leaned over him as he opened the crate. I could feel my pulse racing as I watched him reach into the wooden box and pull out a large rifle. As the man took the weapon from my father’s hand, he asked, “How many do you have in this shipment?”
“We’ve got fifteen Colt AR-15 rifles and another fifteen of the Ruger 10/22 rifles with pistol grips,” he answered as he reached inside the crate again. He pulled out a different weapon, this one smaller, like a pistol with an odd-shaped barrel. “And I just got these beauties in last week.”
“Intratec DC-9s?”
“That’s right … with a barrel extension and a 32-round magazine. I’ve got twenty-five I’m looking to unload,” he answered proudly.
“How many more can you get your hands on?”
“Can’t say for sure, but I’ll tell you this, Devon. These are hot ticket items. If your boss is interested, he better act fast before they’re gone,” my father warned.
“I’ll let him know.”
“All right, then.” He returned the weapon back into the crate, then told him, “Today’s shipment will be 10K as usual.”
The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a large wad of cash. As he offered it to my dad, he said, “I’ll be in touch about the others.”
They loaded the crate into the back of the SUV, and then the man was on his way. I couldn’t believe what I’d just seen as I sat there for several minutes in utter dismay. Once the SUV was no longer in sight, I glanced back over at my father, and it was all I could do to keep myself from crying. I’d always thought he was a good, decent man who always tried to do the right thing, and it broke my heart to discover that I was wrong. He wasn’t a good man. He wasn’t a man I could look up to and respect. My father was a gun-trafficker—a criminal who risked his life and others’ just to make a damn dollar, and to make matters worse, he’d involved his own son in his wrongdoings. I thought back to the moment when I asked Hunter what was going on with Dad and the farm, and I couldn’t believe that he’d lied straight to my face. They’d both lied to me, deceived me in unforgivable ways, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they’d lied to Mom as well. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. Before I even realized what I was doing, I was climbing down from the treehouse and headed in their direction. Rage consumed me as I charged up to my father and shouted, “Did she know what you are doing?”
“Riley? What the hell are you doing here?”
“Answer the question, Dad,” I demanded. “Did Mom know what you and Hunter are doing?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the guns,” I spat. “Did she know you were selling illegal weapons, or did you lie to her like you’ve been lying to me?”
“But how did you know?” He turned to Hunter and growled, “Did you tell her?”
“No one told me. I was here … I saw it all for myself!”
“You were here? I thought you’d gone to class.”
“Well, I didn’t, and now, I know everything. I know about the guns … about the money.” I tried to fight back my tears as I cried, “My God. What were you thinking? How could you get involved with something like this?”
“I didn’t have a choice, Lee.” I could hear the sincerity in his voice when he said, “We were in real trouble. Money wasn’t coming in like it used to and with all the different expenses, we were going broke. Then, your momma got sick. You know how much she meant to me … how much she meant to all of us. I didn’t want to lose her, so I did what I had to do to get the money for her treatments.”
My anger started to subside when I heard the anguish in his voice. I’d always known that he would do anything for us, but I never dreamed he would go to such extremes. There were so many things going through my head at once, making it difficult to know what to say. After several minutes, Hunter looked over to me and said, “Don’t you see? He did all of this for us, so we didn’t lose the farm … so we could keep a roof over our heads and you could go to college. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but he did what he had to do.”
My words were strained as I asked, “But selling guns? Wasn’t there another way?”
“The opportunity arose, and I took it.” Dad stepped towards me as he said, “I know it was the wrong thing to do, and I promise you, Lee, we’re gonna stop. You have my word on that.”
“But when? How much longer are you planning to do this?”
“Not much longer. We just need to sell a few more shipments so we can buy Requiem. Once we have him and start breeding him, we’ll be set. Then the farm will be able to sustain itself, and we’ll be done with this gun thing forever.”
While I knew he had good intentions and was trying to do the right thing by his family, he’d gone about it in all the wrong ways. He’d lied to me, deceived me, and on top of that, he’d gotten my brother involved. It would take some time for me to trust him again, but in the end, he was still my dad. I loved him, and because of that I would have to find a way to forgive him and to accept things for what they were. As I wiped the tears from my cheeks, I looked up at him and said, “I hope you know I’m going to hold you to that promise. This thing you’re doing is dangerous. These people who are buying these guns are criminals. They aren’t like us.”
“I know that, sweetheart, but I’m always careful about who I do business with.”
“Good, because I don’t know what I would do if something happened to either one of you.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to us. You’ll see.”
3
Murphy
The days that followed the shooting were chaotic at best. After Gus and the others arrived at Jed’s cabin, we headed out back to tend to our fallen brother, Crow. I'd hoped that we would be able to bury him in the club's cemetery, where the other brothers could be present, but we were almost six hours from Memphis and it was simply too risky to try to move him that far. Once the trial was over and everyone was back home, we would have a celebration-of-life gathering for him. I hated that we couldn't do more for him, but I knew Crow wouldn’t want us to fuss over him. We were the only family that he had, and we’d make damn sure to pay our respects whenever we’d come to stay at the cabin. With heavy hearts, we had taken him over to Jed's family plot and buried him in the grave that Jed had gotten ready for him. After Gus had said a few words, we headed back inside and started making preparations to take Reece and Tate to Washington.
Just as I’d expected, Reece wasn’t thrilled about leaving Riggs behind. Gus tried to assure her that Mack would help Jed take care of him, but it did little to comfort her. He still hadn’t woken up and a high fever was setting in, so there was no way of knowing if he’d actually pull through. She wanted to stay there with him, to watch over him until his condition had improved, but Gus quickly let her know that wasn’t an option. He reminded her that Navarro’s trial was fast approaching, and her life was still in danger. He explained that moving was the only way he could ensure her safety and keep his promise to Riggs. Blaze and Shadow also chimed in, each had given her their word that they would keep an eye on things at the cabin, and if Navarro’s men came snooping around, they’d deal with them accordingly. While she still had her reservations, Reece finally gave in and stopped resisting. After a long, heartfelt goodbye, she and Tate got in the SUV, and we were on our way.
We spent the next two weeks in Clallam County with our brothers from the Washington Chapter. Cotton set us up at their clubhouse where we would be safe with Big’s high-tech security system and around-the-clock surveillance. Gus had made t
he right move. Under their watchful eyes, Navarro wouldn’t be able to touch us, and Reece and Tate would remain out of harm’s way. We’d been there for a couple of days when I’d noticed I hadn’t seen much of Reece. Other than grabbing a quick bite to eat, she’d been keeping to herself, so I decided to go check in on her. When I got down to Reece’s room, I knocked and waited for her to answer. Seconds later, the door eased open, and my chest tightened when I saw her standing on the other side with red, puffy eyes. It was clear that she’d been crying, so I asked, “You okay?”
“I’ve been better.”
“I imagine you have.” She walked back over to her bed and sat down next to Tate. “But give it time. Things will get better.”
“I wish I could believe that, but I just got off the phone with Mack.” I could hear the fear in her voice. “He told me that Riggs isn’t doing much better. The infection is taking a toll on him. His blood pressure dropped, and he keeps slipping in and out of consciousness.”
“Yeah, I heard.” Like her, Gus had been calling Blaze every couple of hours to check on things. He’d mentioned Mack’s concern about Riggs, and we knew it was a strong possibility that he might not make it. I hated the idea of losing another brother, especially Riggs. As a skilled computer hacker, he was a real asset to the club, but more than that, he was a good friend. Trying my best to hide the concern in my voice, I said, “Gus called earlier to check in, and Jed mentioned that he wasn’t doing well.”
“We could lose him, Murphy.” Tears filled her eyes as she complained, “He should be in the hospital where they can give him the medical treatment he needs.”
“We’ve already discussed this, Reece. You know that’s not possible.” I let out a deep breath as I ran my hand over my beard. “There would be questions … and they’d want answers we can’t give. Riggs knew what he was signing up for. He knew there were risks, but that didn’t stop him. Nothing would. The man would give his life to protect you, your son, and his brothers.”
“I know you’re right. Riggs loves his club and wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize it. I just wish there was something else we could do”
“I know it’s hard, but Riggs wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s seen firsthand what Mack can do, and he would have no problem putting his life in his hands.”
“And you? Do you trust that Mack and Jed can handle this?”
“I do.” I walked over and leaned against her desk. “He’ll pull through this. You’ll see. You just have to have a little faith.”
“I’m trying, but it’s all I can think about. He’s on my mind every second of every day.” She wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. “Can I ask you something?”
Feeling a little leery, I answered, “Sure, but I’m not promising I can answer.”
“Okay.” She looked up at me with an intense expression as she said, “When we went up to the cabin, you and the others did everything possible to keep us safe. We were miles away from anyone, and we were careful. Really careful. I never would’ve dreamed that Navarro would find us. So, how he’d do it?”
“You asking me how he found us?” She nodded, and a feeling of dread washed over me. She was already having a hard time, and if I told her the truth, it was only going to make her feel worse. Hoping that she’d accept a vague answer, I told her, “Men like him have their ways of making things happen.”
“Yes, and men like you block them at every turn.” Her back stiffened as she continued, “So, how did he find us? I know you must have some idea how he did it.”
“I have an idea, but … there’s no way to be certain.”
“Okay. What do you think happened?” she pushed.
“Ughhh, okay … You know how Riggs did something to protect our phones and computers?” She nodded. “Well, he wasn’t aware that Tate had an iPad, and they might’ve used it to ping our location.”
“Oh, no. You’re right. I’d forgotten I even had it.” Her eyes widened as she cried, “That means … this whole thing was my fault. I’m the reason Navarro found us. I’m the reason why Riggs was shot! And oh, my God … Crow!”
“No, Reece. None of this was your fault.” I tried to explain, but she wasn’t listening. Instead, she lowered her head into her hands and started crying. After several moments, I walked over to her and placed my hand on her shoulder, “Reece … you can blame yourself all you want, but it isn’t going to do anybody any good. Things happen, and you have to find a way to move on.”
“But Riggs and …”
“Riggs wouldn’t want you beating yourself up over this,” I interrupted. “You need to find yourself a distraction … something to keep your mind off things for a little while.” I thought for a moment, then continued, “What about the article you were working on? Couldn’t you focus on that while you’re here?”
Doing what she could to pull herself together, she wiped the tears from her eyes and shrugged. “I don’t know … I have my laptop with me, so I guess I could try.”
“I think you should. It would be good for you. Think of it as your way of getting a little revenge on Navarro. The asshole certainly has it coming.”
“Okay.”
I stood up and started for the door. “You’ll get through this, Reece. We all will.”
“Thanks, Murphy.”
As I walked out of her room, I told her, “No thanks necessary. Now, get to work on that article.”
Once I was out in the hall, I closed her door and headed down to Big’s room. Since Riggs was out of commission, I told Gus that I would check in with him to see if there’d been any news on Navarro or the trial. He was also a computer hacker and was known to be one of the best around—almost as good as Riggs. When I got down to his room, the door was open, and he was sitting at his desk working on his computer. I stuck my head inside his room.
“Hey, brother. You got a minute?”
He looked over towards the door, and when he saw it was me, he turned to face me and smiled. “Sure thing, Murphy. Whatcha need?”
“I’m looking for an update on Navarro. You think you could find out what he’s been up to?”
“Already done.” He reached for a file folder on his desk and offered it to me. “Apparently, there was some kind of disturbance down at the prison, and they had to put Navarro in solitary.”
“Any idea what kind of disturbance?”
“He was attacked in his cell. Looks like someone was trying to take him out.”
“Too bad they didn’t finish him off.”
“You got that right.” He leaned back in his chair and added, “Other than that, it’s been pretty quiet. His lawyer has been by to see him a couple of times, but that’s about it. I’ll keep an eye on him and let you know if anything comes up.”
“Hopefully it won’t, but I appreciate you staying on top of it.”
“Not a problem.” When I turned to leave, he asked, “Any word on Riggs?”
“He’s struggling a bit today, but he’ll pull through it.”
“I have no doubt that he will.” Big smiled.“He’s too damn stubborn to give in without a hell of a fight.”
“Yes, he is, and that’s a good thing”—I started walking out of the room—“’cause he has a lot of people counting on him to make it through.”
“He sure does.”
“I’ll catch up with you later, brother.”
From there, I headed down the hall towards the bar. I needed a cold beer and a bite to eat before I called it a night. When I walked in, I found Cotton and Gus having a drink. They were in a deep discussion and hadn’t noticed that I’d come into the room. I stood there for a moment, appreciating the fact that I was in the presence of two living legends as they sat there talking. They were both known for leading their clubs with an iron fist, neither of them backing down when faced with adversity. Instead, they faced it with strength and determination. They both had balls of steel, and never showed a moment’s hesitation when it came to protecting the brotherhood. There wasn’t a
brother around who’d ever question their loyalty to the club, and I was grateful for the opportunity to work alongside them. When Gus noticed me standing in the doorway, he motioned me over and said, “Hey, brother. Come have a beer.”
I walked over to the cooler, grabbed a cold one, and sat down next to him. I took a glance around and was surprised to see that we were the only ones in the bar. “Pretty quiet tonight.”
“The guys decided to call it a night.” Cotton took a drag off his beer before he continued, “It’s been a long few days.”
“Yes, it has.”
Gus turned to me as he asked, “Did Big have any news about Navarro?”
“He’s been moved to solitary confinement, but other than that, there wasn’t much to tell.”
“Good to hear. Maybe things will remain quiet for a few more days,” Cotton replied. “So, what are your plans for getting Reece to that trial?”
“It’s a two-day drive from here to Tennessee, so we’ll leave here early on Tuesday, and time it where we get to Memphis just before the trial begins,” Gus reached into his pocket for his cigarettes, and as he lit one, he continued, “This damn trial has been hanging over us for months. I'm ready for this shit to be over. Once Reece testifies and Navarro is behind bars for good, we can get back to some normalcy in our lives."
"Thankfully, it won't be much longer." Cotton took a drink of his beer before he continued, "On a good note, our last pipeline run was one hell of a success."
"Yeah, it's really coming together. Hopefully, they’ll just keep getting better." Gus turned towards Cotton. "If my source is correct, we might have the opportunity to add twenty or more Intratec DC-9 pistols with screw-on barrel extensions to the shipment."
"Intratec DC-9s? Those would definitely bring in the money, but they aren't easy to find unmarked. Where are you going to get your hands on those?"
"The supplier is in Somerville … about an hour from our clubhouse. He runs a horse ranch or something. Not clear on his full story, but I'm planning to check him out when we get back." He paused for a minute, then shook his head. "Riggs could get me anything and everything on this guy, and it wouldn't take him long to do it. The kid amazes me with his tech knowledge. Don't know what we'd do without him."
