by Rachel Cade
“I’m ready to be shown the inside.”
Ashley opened the front doors. A musty smell hit their noses from a place that had been closed up too long.
Lyndie stepped inside after Ashley, who moved to turn on the light.
“The only reason I’m showing you this place is because of Will. Just know that.”
Lyndie continued looking around the movie theater lobby.
“You never would have gotten this appointment otherwise.”
“So you’re telling me you wouldn’t have done your job?”
Ashley lighted the actual theater. The chairs were exactly the way she remembered them. The room was on the dusty side, worn but still usable.
Lyndie ran her hand along the back of a nearby chair.
“If I even bothered to show up, the least you could do is tell Will you don’t want to be involved in planning the celebration.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Out of some respect, maybe? My father asked me to do it and I don’t need any help.” Something seemed a little off about her, but Lyndie couldn’t put her finger on it.
“When have you ever shown me an ounce of respect?”
Ashley rubbed the side of her eyes. “You’ve been laying low, Lyndie. And man, you’ve been good at it. I even felt sorry for you after I heard your card declined. But I knew in the back of my head you would try to worm your way back into Will’s life. Our engagement must have really sent you over the edge.”
This was how her mind worked. It was funny how everyone thought she was going to spend the rest of her life hoping Will would come back.
None of them knew a damn thing about her.
“Yeah, you’ve been playing the behind-the-scenes role for a while now, haven’t you? Did you tell him to give me money after you tried to get Max over to your little party? Since you guys like to talk about me, did Will tell you he came to my house after the bikers arrived offering to protect me?”
“You’re lying.”
Lyndie’s mouth flattened. “’Cause there’s no way Will would cheat, right?”
Ashley dropped the file and moved toward her, but Lyndie was ready.
She reached for Lyndie’s shirt collar and Lyndie grabbed her wrist, jerking it away.
Then Lyndie made good use of her free hand and smacked Ashley across the face with everything she could muster.
The sound echoed off the high walls around them.
The blonde’s head swung to the left as she yelled, but she quickly refocused.
“You fucking bitch!” Ashley spit through her teeth and lunged forward, knocking them both to the ground.
All of woman’s weight fell on Lyndie, briefly knocking the wind out of her.
Lyndie rammed her knee up, possibly hitting Ashley’s rib, but she wasn’t sure.
Nails scratched deep into her arm and Lyndie grunted hard, trying to pull her hand away.
When Ashley raised up, so did her hand, poised to smack Lyndie, but she wasn’t prepared for the foot that pushed her in her stomach. Ashley flew backwards, hitting the ground, her head barely missing the sharp corner of the theater chair.
Lyndie scrambled to sit up and was on top of Ashley before she knew it.
She grabbed the face of the girl that had bullied her most of her life. “You could tell him and he’d just deny it. You could leave him, but then you’d lose everything. Because you wouldn’t be between the two most powerful men in town anymore. You’re using Will just as much as he’s using you. And that’s the truth. But now, for as long as you’re with him, you can wonder what he’s up to on his late-night calls.”
She still seemed dazed from hitting her head, but Lyndie could tell she understood everything she was saying.
“Thank you for showing me the property,” Lyndie said when they returned outside. “I’ll see you soon at the town hall for the planning.”
“Hello, young lady.”
Lyndie almost dropped the silverware she was holding when she saw a bandaged but alert Hugh Langley in the booth of the empty diner. A woman was with him, older and friendly looking. She assumed she was his nurse.
“Hello. Good afternoon. How are you?” She set the silverware down on paper napkins on the counter, still stunned at the sight of him. The lunch rush was gone, so she was there alone, getting set up for dinner, or so she thought.
“Give us a minute, would you?” It seemed he was a little annoyed with the nurse. “You can wait outside for a bit. I’m not going to fall apart.”
The nurse seemed reluctant but moved faster under Langley’s long stare.
Once the door closed behind her, his long sigh filled the diner car.
He stayed quiet, staring out the window.
“What can I get you?” she asked, walking up to the booth. Her words were slower than normal, matching her cautious steps.
He shrugged his arms. This was the first time she saw him out of his suit. He wore a dark green collared shirt. Bandages covered most of his arms.
“How about you sit down with me? Some new company will do for now.”
New company? Even as Lyndie smoothed the back of her dress to sit in the booth, she wasn’t sure what the hell was going on.
Will had tried to kill this man. She was sure of it.
“You know my daughter, right?”
Lyndie stared at him. “Yes.”
“You two went to high school together as I recall. Your grandmother passed away.”
“Yes.”
“She was a nice woman. Made a mean apple pie.”
Lyndie’s smile was small. “She did.”
“Have any of our new residents been through here?” he asked.
“The bikers?” Lyndie questioned. “No, they kind of keep to themselves.”
“So everything’s been quiet around town amongst the residents?”
“Sure. I mean it’s Amber Falls, you know.”
“That’s an interesting ring on your finger.” Lyndie looked down at her hand. Since coming from Vegas with Noa, she didn’t feel right not wearing it, just putting it on her right finger instead.
“Thanks. It means a lot to me.”
“You have a child with Will, my daughter’s fiancé.” Both of his hands were on the table as he subtly shifted in the booth. “How is that working out?”
Lyndie only had a split second to wonder if that man had seen his daughter today.
“We’re all doing our best to adjust.” Lyndie rested her hands on the table. “She actually showed me the theater property today.”
“Did she really?”
“Yes. I’m interested in it.”
Langley chuckled and she waited for a verbal pat on the head.
“That place hasn’t been open in a long time. It would be nice to see some folks hanging out there again.”
“I’d love to be able to reopen it. I think it could be hot with the town, maybe even show some movies from this century sometimes.”
Langley laughed. It filled the diner like a crack, but it seemed to pain him a little, so it didn’t last long.
“Do you want me to-”
“Nope. I’ll be alright. Pain meds just wearing off a little bit. I don’t want to get hooked on them, though.”
Lyndie gave a little nod in understanding.
He sighed. “This whole town just looks different to me now.” He shook his head and reached for one of the salt shakers. “A lot of things look different. I know folks weren’t happy about the bikers being here, but the money can be used for the town. I want things to get better for us. What’s the point of me being here if I can’t do that?”
“Amber Falls is a strange place, you know. A lot of people don’t even know we exist here, but we do. If they can help draw more business to the town, how can that hurt any of us?”
“Yeah, lots of folks don’t like change, though. Even if it’s helpful.”
“They’ll get used to it, I think, over time.”
“I think I’ll have an orange j
uice if I may, miss.”
Lyndie scooted out of the booth. “Sure thing.”
She made it and brought a croissant on a saucer to go with it.
“Oh, that looks lovely.”
The nurse seemed to be peering by the door.
“Just wave her off,” Langley mumbled before sipping.
Lyndie held up a hand and the nurse reluctantly pulled back from the door.
“I’ll have a talk with Ashley about the property for you.” Lyndie turned to him. “Interested in seeing what you’ll do with the place.”
*
“Me and you again, just like old times.”
It was the end of the day and most of the men were out in the warehouse getting things ready. It was just Noa and Whisper in the room.
He sat down on the opposite end of the table.
He pushed the phone hard across the table. Noa caught it with his hand and picked it up. “The phone track was a nice touch. Chaos is useful-”
“When he’s not blowing shit up,” they said simultaneously.
“So Tin is gone. And now you’re in charge.”
“Yeah,” Noa answered.
“I don’t find myself surprised. You never liked taking orders, just giving them.” Whisper leaned back in the chair, eyeing him. “But being a Nomad is all about taking orders. There’s no allegiance to a particular chapter, just work and wandering. That’s what you said you wanted when you came to Mexico.”
“I know what I said. And it was true.”
“I heard you were married, and I waited for you to tell me and you never did.”
“Whisper, I’m supposed to relay all my business to you when you go off on your own, and drop communication when you feel like it?”
“Honestly, I didn’t know what I would find. I was out in the desert when the car passed, I recognized them and decided to follow. The reception is bad if you’re not in the city.”
Noa took a deep breath, fully aware Whisper didn’t give a fuck about what he was saying.
“At least we have our bases covered when it comes to the wild bunch, right?” Whisper tapped his finger on the table. “So how is married life treating you?”
Noa stood, tucking the phone in his back pocket. “Small talk?”
“No. I was hurt that you didn’t tell me. I heard she also has a baby… is that true?”
“Not your business.”
“I’d like to meet her. Do you like her or is it just a business arrangement?”
“I want to go and check out the gas station.”
“You need me to go with you for that?”
“Yeah, they have twinkies, your favorite.”
Whisper’s mouth flattened.
The gas station was closed. A breeze mixed with the night as their booted feet crossed the dry ground between their compound and the back of the station.
“If she likes you, does she know about your MC life?” Whisper asked.
Noa glanced up at the stars. “Yes. She knows.”
“Mm. Does she know how you got the name Skorpio?”
They reached the back door.
Noa popped the lock without much trouble. “I told her a story, not the story.”
“Not the one about your dad and that Greek mythology?” Whisper’s face was a mix of disappointment and disgust.
“I’d just met her. I didn’t want to scare her off.”
“A fifteen-year-old poisoning a bunch of guys that deserved it will always be the better story.”
“They lived though, right?” They walked inside to a small office that was enough of a mess it wouldn’t be known they were there.
“Surveillance camera feed is on the menu. I want to see if maybe we can get a hold of the footage from the night of the fire. The road out front is the only one that leads to Langley’s house.”
“Okay.”
Noa remembered seeing the cameras outside the first day he arrived in town.
Just as he’d hoped, the system was pretty antiquated.
As they were going back on the dated footage, Whisper asked, “So are you a father now?”
Noa wished he had a brick.
“What?” His eyes never left the small TV.
“Are you a father?”
“You didn’t ask me questions like this in Mexico.”
“You didn’t have much of a life then. Just work.”
“Like making sure you didn’t get us all killed fucking over a cartel?”
“Fucking over is a subjective phrase, my friend. Everyone’s dead. I cleaned up my mess.”
“You know the guys up here asked me about whether you guys are into hocus pocus down there.”
“Hocus pocus?” Whisper’s accented voice lifted in surprise.
“What did you do to Cujo?”
Whisper sucked his teeth. “Nothing permanent.”
“You know going off on your own is going to get you in trouble one day.”
“If what I did was positive for us, and it was, what’s the problem?”
Noa leaned forward and peered at the footage, seeing a car come down the road. The video was time stamped at 2 a.m. “There it is.”
Noa played it back a few times. “I’m going to get this to Chaos and see if he can clear it up.”
“Good work. I want to meet the baby too.”
“You’re not meeting the kid.”
Whisper made eye contact with him. “Why not?”
“Or my wife,” he added.
“And again, I ask why not? I get you think I’m reckless and all. But maybe I’ve changed.”
“Are you still dealing with the cartels?”
Whisper just kind of shrugged it off.
Noa shook his head. “I knew it.”
“In Mexico, everyone deals with the cartel one way or another. It’s not fair of you to hold it against me.”
“You see how Los Bandidos is so quick to fuck over the Aztecs, even though they know how big they are? We’re outlaws, but we have to have some kind of code. You lied to us and got us caught up in an ambush down there. Three guys took bullets. Your reasons don’t matter.”
“Tin gave you a direct order as I heard. And you pulled Chaos away. You weren’t even the leader then. How is that any different?”
Noa ground his teeth. “What fuckin’ gossip line is going on around here?”
Whisper just grinned. A lot of people in Tijuana were scared of him. Noa would never accuse him of outright betrayal, but Whisper wasn’t a man he could count on like the other guys. The whole Santeria thing was just the cherry on top. Noa figured it was a scam to spread fear since Death Skulls were so low in number down there, but sometimes he wasn’t so sure.
“You don’t do things like that lightly, defying Tin. You know you’re his favorite.”
Noa cut his eyes.
“Even after that, he still left you in charge,” Whisper added.
“I needed a pair of eyes on them,” he answered flatly.
“You love her?” Whisper asked, leaning to the side a little.
“All you need is a pair of knitting needles.”
“Oh, she stole your heart?”
Noa really couldn’t tell if Whisper was being serious or sarcastic.
“Like I said, you’re not meeting them.”
“I’m pretty much her brother-in-law.”
Noa opened his mouth and let out a breath. Whisper really gave no fucks. Sometimes Noa admired him for it.
“What was that about in Vegas?”
“What?”
“When Eduardo said you could have been an Aztec?”
“Before I joined the Death Skulls, he tried to recruit me. Even after I joined, he tried.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Whisper took a deep breath of night air. “The Aztecs. I saw what they do. I know you worry about me sometimes, Skorpio, but I don’t betray my people. I see that look in your eye. But I don’t betray my people. I’m a Death Skull until the end.”
Noa listened to h
im as they walked.
“I owe Chaos a case of beer and Tijuana backstory.”
“I’m glad I’m here then, to make sure the story gets told right.”
*
Noa sat on the porch steps and stared around the front of the house.
He saw the surprise on the owner’s face as he walked up.
“What the hell are you doing on my porch?”
“Mitch.” He didn’t move to stand. “Nice evening. I figured I pay you a visit.”
“What for?” He didn’t hide his suspicion.
“We haven’t really met. I know you own the diner and three other properties in town.”
“Yeah. I’m a businessman. If you wanted to talk business, we could have made arrangements. This comes across as an ambush.”
Noa’s brows lowered. “Don’t worry, I’m not expecting dinner. I’m just here to offer a professional courtesy.”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?”
“We know you’re running drugs through town. That you’re working with the Aztecs, and that the police department helps you.”
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“Did you know that Durand is still working with Los Bandidos? He plans to hire them to fuck up the town and blame it on us? Did your partner let you in on that shit? The look on your face says no.”
“You’ve got to wonder what else he’s up to if he’s making side deals and cutting you out. Los Bandidos are… well, there’s a reason they thrive in L.A. Mitch, I know you did a ten-year bid and you’ve been out for five. Ten years is a nasty chunk of time to be locked up. I know your freedom’s got to be precious to you.”
He stood, knowing the man had a gun somewhere on him, and dusted off the back of his jeans. “Like I said, professional courtesy. You have a nice evening.”
Eduardo’s boots crunched hard on the ground. He was sick of walking, but their bikes would make too much noise if they rode into town during the night.
“What the hell are Death Skulls doing in a dump like this?”
Eduardo glanced up at the welcome sign, looking at the population.
“If they’ve decided to set up shop, I look forward to finding out.”
“What about the police?” he asked.
“If they’re smart, they’ll stay the fuck out of our way.”
