by Jade Kuzma
“It’s not like we had anything to do with that.”
Grant chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t know if Picardo is as rational as you think he is.”
“Well… I guess we’re about to find out.”
Chapter 11
ROSE
I sipped a cup of tea as I stared out the window. There was nothing remarkable outside. Just the same view of the farm I’d been looking at all my life, only it was dark. I was so distracted by the view I didn’t notice my mother standing next to me.
“Rose… What are you still doing up?” The mild concern on her face made me smile.
“I might ask you the same thing.”
“I was just getting ready for bed. I’d think you’d be doing the same.”
“I’m not as old as you, mom. You know how us young people like to stay up past our bedtime. It’s not like I have anything to get up early for in the morning.”
“That’s true. But I figured you’d be doing something a little more interesting than staring out the window. Pretty soon you’ll be working. You won’t get much free time to enjoy yourself and stay up late like this.”
“Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I need to go out drinking and partying every night. I’m just fine staring out the window. You don’t get a view like this back in town.”
I leaned against the couch while my mother took a seat on the other end. She pressed her hand on my toes.
“I remember when you were little. You and Joey would always be playing out there in the fields. Even when the sun went down, we’d have to drag you two back in here for dinner. You remember that, don’t you?”
“It wasn’t that long ago.” I chuckled at my mother’s memory. “It seemed like every night I was playing out in the field. Feels like yesterday, too. I guess I just got my fill of messing around and I’d rather stay home.”
“You haven’t been staying home recently. Not that it’s any of my business, but this is the first night it seems like you haven’t gone out.”
I looked down at the phone in my hand. I was ashamed to admit I was anxious to get a message from Ashton, even though I knew he was busy with work. What was really embarrassing though was that without him, I didn’t have much else to keep myself occupied with.
“Maybe I am a little bored,” I said. “But going out and drinking and causing trouble is something I’ll save for another night. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I know I don’t.” She got up from her seat and patted me on the leg. “Just make sure you shut the lights off before you retire.”
My mom left the living room. I sat in the darkness with nothing but the light from my phone to keep me company. The way the moon shined outside was enough to illuminate the farmland beneath it. My parents’ farmhouse was out of the way, so they had most of the land for themselves. It was mostly empty though, so I could see the stretch of highway that led back into the part of Ivory where most people lived.
I took a quick glance at my phone to check the time and saw it was still early in the evening.
“Maybe I should head out for a drink… It wouldn’t hurt to get to know some of the other guys at the Bone Pit… They are his friends, after all…”
I figured if I couldn’t spend time around Ashton, the next best thing would be to get to know his MC better. Then again, reservations about going to a place like the Bone Pit had me questioning what to do.
“There you go… Nobody’s around and you still don’t know what to do.” I laughed softly at my indecisiveness.
I swiped through my phone to see if anybody else had messaged me when I heard something in the distance. Even with the window closed, the farmhouse was so remote, you could hear it when someone was coming. I peered down the highway and saw a pair of headlights headed in my direction. I kept watching, waiting for the car to keep going but it slowly pulled onto our land. I didn’t recognize the car but I recognized the man who came out of it.
“What’s he doing here?”
I headed outside and Joey walked up to me. The lights on the car were still on and he hadn’t bothered shutting off the engine.
“Rose!”
“Joey, what’s going on… Are you all right…” I narrowed my eyes and saw the bruise on his lip. It was swollen enough it stood out on the rest of his face. “What the hell happened to your face?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Joey… You can’t show up out of nowhere with a bloody lip and tell me it’s nothing.”
His clothes were as disheveled as the last time. His hair was messier. But it was the look in his eyes that told me something was wrong. He didn’t say anything and my heart began to thump harder in my chest.
“Hey! I got something for you.” He reached into the passenger seat of the car to grab something then handed it to me. I looked into the small envelope and saw the money.
“That’s everything I borrowed from you and more. I told you I’d pay you back.” He winked, a confident smile on his lips. But it wasn’t enough to make me feel better.
“What happened—”
“Rose…” He put his hands on my arms and looked me right in the eye. “I… I gotta go.”
“I assumed that since you didn’t bother turning the car off.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I mean, I have to go. I… I’m leaving Ivory.”
Even though he hadn’t been in Ivory for very long, it still made me uncomfortable knowing he was leaving so quickly.
“I don’t know when I’ll be back. I just wanted to get your money back to you though. And I… I wanted to say goodbye.”
I reached forward and wrapped my arms tight around him. I knew there was no point in pleading with him to stay. He’d already made up his mind. “Just do me a favor, okay? Wherever it is you’re going, just stay safe. Can you do that for me?”
I pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. Even with a swollen lip, he still smiled with the same confidence I always saw in him. “You know me, sis. I know how to take care of myself.”
I glanced down at the envelope full of money then held it out to him. “Here. Take this.”
“What… What are you doing? That’s your money—”
“I know it’s my money. But I know you can put it to better use than I can. Take it. If you really wanna repay me, just do it when you come back.”
He sighed a deep breath and nodded before taking the money. He didn’t say a word as he got back into the driver’s seat. He gave me one last glance before hitting the gas and spinning back out onto the highway. I watched as the car sped off down the street and disappeared into the distance.
My brother always knew how to take care of himself. I knew better than to worry about him. But the look in his eyes just now was different than usual. I had a feeling I couldn’t shake.
The entire time, my phone was clutched tight in my hand. I didn’t notice it until it suddenly vibrated in my palm. I saw the message from Ashton.
“Change of plans. Working late tonight. Sorry.”
I’d prepared for the possibility of spending the night by myself but I couldn’t deny how disappointed I was.
Joey was gone. Ashton was busy. I was alone at home.
I headed back inside of the farmhouse, looking for something to keep me busy until I fell asleep. Hopefully, my disappointment over Ashton and concern over Joey would go away when I woke up in the morning.
Chapter 12
ASHTON
It didn’t take very long for Picardo to show up to the garage. The man arrived first even though Jordan was the first man I called.
Jordan. Micah. Rex. Doc. Grant. We all stood silent just outside of the garage. Nobody was moving. Shit, it was hard to tell any of us were breathing.
Picardo paced back and forth slowly in front of us, flanked by a couple of expressionless bodyguards. Everybody knew how serious this was and Grant and I were right at the center of it.
“If I’m understanding this correctly, four masked men appe
ared at the garage and took my car. No identifiable features. No identifiable clothes. An unmarked van. Is that right?”
I slowly nodded my head.
“Whoever did this obviously knows what they’re doing,” Jordan said.
“Maybe Grant and Ashton here got careless. Maybe these men noticed you two working by yourselves in the garage and saw an easy target to jack.”
“Never happened before,” Grant said. “Motherfuckers in Ivory know better than to fuck with private businesses. And they know even better than to fuck with a Cobra.”
Picardo walked up to Grant and looked him up and down. “Apparently, these men didn’t get the message.” Picardo took a step back, his hands behind his back as he started pacing again. He stayed calm but it was obvious he was holding everything back. A tea kettle bubbling, just moments away from starting to whistle.
I didn’t say anything because I had nothing to add. I didn’t do anything because I couldn’t think of what to do. The guys who took Picardo’s shit might as well have vanished into thin air. But Picardo wasn’t having it.
“Four men,” he said. “A driver makes five. And there’s no telling who put these men up to it initially. Maybe you were in on it.”
“Now hold on just a damn minute!” Jordan took a step forward. “I know Ash. I know Smoke. These guys aren’t stupid enough to pull some shit like this. If they were, they wouldn’t be wearing the patch.”
Jordan and Picardo stared hard at one another. The tension growing between them was thick enough that everybody could feel it. But Picardo did his best to keep his composure, so Jordan didn’t respond.
“You can check the security footage for yourself,” Grant said. “You won’t get much because these men were masked up. No tats or any other features on camera though. They were ready for everything.”
Picardo looked at the ground. “Fingerprints. A strand of hair. Maybe a drop of blood.”
“I slugged one of ‘em but he was wearing a mask.”
“I don’t care. I paid you two to do a job and some criminals are stopping you from completing that job. I didn’t pay a premium just to have my vehicle go missing. I want this garage shut down. My men will look it over. There’s evidence that will incriminate these men and I’ll find it here.”
I looked at Grant. He took a deep breath and sighed through his nose. He and I both knew there was nothing we could do. Picardo was pissed and he had every right to be. Everything had to be put on hold until we figured out what the fuck happened.
“Is there anything else you remember?” Picardo asked.
Grant didn’t say anything. I shook my head.
“If you remember anything, you let me know,” he continued. “Nothing moves until I get my ride back.”
Picardo snapped his fingers and a few more of his security guards stepped out of the new SUV that arrived. All of them began scouring the small garage and giving every last square inch a hard look.
I stepped off to the side with the rest of the MC and watched while Picardo got to work.
“Shit, man… I knew it was a bad idea to get involved with these motherfuckers,” Micah muttered.
“You couldn’t have known some shit like this was gonna happen,” Rex said. “Unless Ash and Smoke are actually in on this.”
“What do you think we look like?” Grant said. “You think we’re stupid enough to let someone pinch Picardo for his shit then call him up right after it happened? Crime of the fucking century…”
“Nah… They weren’t in on in this,” Jordan said. “Whoever did this was gunning for Picardo the entire time. You two are just innocent bystanders in all of this.”
“Any ideas on what we’re supposed to do now?”
“I could ask around,” Doc said. “A big hit like this never stays quiet. Picardo’s probably got a laundry list of people gunning for him. Now it’s just a matter of getting one of them to talk.”
“Shame you boys will be out of commission until this is over,” Rex said.
I kept my eyes locked on the garage while Picardo’s men kept looking it over. “Nah… There isn’t much to find in there. We gave all the details. If Picardo is gonna find his men, it ain’t gonna be in the garage. There’s nothing in there for him.”
“Well, what now?” Rex asked.
“Grant and I will stick around. We’ll answer all of Picardo’s questions if he has any. You four can head back to the clubhouse. Maybe start questioning people and see if you can find out what the fuck happened.”
“That’s a good idea,” Doc said.
Doc got on his ride. Micah and Rex did the same. Jordan was the last man to get on his bike. The president of the Cobras looked at Grant and me, half a smile on his lips. “Just because you boys are in some shit now doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get out of it. Picardo gives you any trouble, you lemme know.”
“I think it’s a little too late for that,” Grant said.
They smirked at one another before Jordan patted him on the arm. They revved their engines and headed down the road.
I turned back to the garage where Picardo was observing his men collect all of the evidence they could. Grant crossed his arms, a combination of anger and frustration on his face.
“How’s your hand?” I asked.
“It’s a little sore. Got that motherfucker good.”
“Not good enough apparently. He got away.”
“It helps that he had a couple of guys pointing their pieces right on my dome.”
“Motherfuckers must’ve been scouting us from the jump. Knew it was only us two.”
“No ride to work on, we should probably head to the clubhouse after Picardo is done with his search. It’s not that late. Maybe you can give your babe a call and see what she’s up to.”
I looked down at my phone and saw it was just past midnight. After everything that went down, nothing sounded more satisfying than spending some time with Rose.
“It’s been a long night,” I sighed. “Too late to bother her.”
“That’s cool. Don’t worry. A cold beer will help you forget about all of this shit.”
Picardo’s men started dusting the place for prints. They were more thorough than fucking Ivory PD.
“I don’t wanna forget about this,” I said. “I can’t. Until Picardo gets his man, our necks are on the fucking line.”
“Then I guess we’d better do everything we can to get Picardo’s ride back to him.”
Chapter 13
ROSE
Amy’s Bakery was less drab than I remembered it. The lights were brighter. A fresh coat of paint on the walls made a cheery scene. Even the line seemed filled with more enthusiastic patrons and the employees were smiling more than usual. The pastries were just as good as I remembered though.
I sat just outside of the bakery in the morning, picking at a donut along with a cup of tea. A combination of thinking about my brother and wondering what Ashton was up to kept me up longer than I was used to but I still managed to wake up and enjoy the sun.
The sweetness of the donut perked me up as I kept my head down. I smiled, imagining Ashton probably still in bed at the moment after a long night of taking care of work. I caught up on the news, a couple of earbuds just loud enough to distract me from all of the people heading into the bakery to get their day started.
I sighed a deep breath when I suddenly felt someone standing next to me. I could see the man was wearing a suit but I didn’t pay much attention to him. Figured he was just another man looking for a cup of coffee before he headed into the office.
“Hello.”
I heard a voice but assumed it wasn’t for me. The suit next to me didn’t move though. I raised my head up and he spoke again.
“Hello.”
He had a polite smile on his face. It wasn’t polite enough to hide whatever it was he was really thinking. Something about the way he looked at me… It gave me an uneasy feeling. That’s when I noticed just how fancy his suit was. Along with the expensive watch
on his wrist and how neatly he style his hair, he wasn’t some ordinary suit. You never saw men like him in this part of town, regardless of how popular Amy’s was.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” he said. “Do you mind if I speak to you for a moment?”
“Um… I guess not…”
“Thank you.”
He took a seat in front of me and I pulled my earbuds out. I looked to the side and noticed an SUV parked right next to me. It’s windows were tinted but not enough to hide the man in the driver’s seat who was looking right at me. Some sort of intense-looking security guard who made me feel even less uncomfortable.
“Again, I apologize. My name is Aaron Picardo.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Aaron.”
“I’ve heard a lot about Amy’s. Never got the chance to stop by. I’ve been so busy really. But I guess now is as good a time as any. How is the donut?” He kept his eyes locked on me, that smile still on his lips though it looked like it was taking more effort for him to keep it.
“It’s good… Listen, I’m sorry, Aaron. But I think you have me mistaken for someone else—”
“Are you not Rose Macdonald?”
“I…” I held back my surprise. But I was flustered, suddenly able to respond. And he knew it.
“I apologize. I stopped by your home earlier this morning. Your parents were there. I believe it was your mother who told you’d stopped by Amy’s. You look just like her…”
He kept that unblinking stare on me. It was obvious this was serious. I swallowed hard, narrowing my eyes at him. If he was up to something, I wasn’t gonna waste any time.
“I don’t know who you are or what this is about but you have the wrong person—”
“As I said, I’m Aaron Picardo. And you are Rose Macdonald. I’m exactly where I need to be.” He straightened up in his seat and fixed his tie before sighing softly through his nose. “I’ll get to the point. Recently, I was having some modifications done to one of my vehicles. At a local garage. It just so happened last night, the men working at that garage were held-up at gunpoint. My vehicle, stolen.”
