“How did you know I was sleeping?” I asked him.
“Because, it’s what I would do if I was in a truck with people I didn’t know and the weather sucked ass,” he said.
Laughing, I said, “Yeah, I guess you would.” The rain had stopped and the mist lifted while I was sleeping. I told Breech I wanted to ride with him awhile and he agreed. He dug my helmet out of the pack then went back to tell the guys I would be with him.
The weather finally decided to cooperate and I could enjoy the ride. I loved being on the back of Breech’s bike but I secretly wanted to learn how to ride a bike of my own.
I talked Dukes into letting Danko teach me, and I’d been practicing with Lani’s bike. I signed up at the local Harley dealership to take my classes so I could get ready for the road test. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy riding with Breech, especially on this Taj Ma-bike of his.
When I told Tish what I wanted to do, she was all-in, so then I asked Sandra and she was like, “Are you fucking kidding me, of course I’m in.”
Lani already had her license, so she’d been coaching us. Each of us had a little problem with some aspect of riding. I had very short legs, so I needed a bike that could accommodate the length but still be able to stand flatfooted. I was shaky at first, but I’d grown to love the power and thrill of riding.
I admired the way Breech seemed to be a part of his machine. He rode with an effortlessness that I wished I could emulate. We had been driving for over half a day and my ass was getting numb. Breech’s voice came through my helmet, “Hey doll, your butt getting flat?”
I laughed. “I was just thinking the same thing, and yeah I can’t feel my left cheek at all—and my right one is about to join its twin.”
He chuckled. “I saw a sign for a rest stop a while back—we should be coming up to it shortly. Text the van driver we are pulling off, would you please, doll.”
Pulling out my phone, I texted the driver, as requested. My phone pinged with a response. ‘They needed gas and the horses could use some food and water.’
Pulling into the rest area, Breech found an empty spot, pulling in and shutting off the bike. My legs were wobbly when I dismounted and he loaned me a hand ‘til I could stand on my own.
I smiled at him. “Thank you, babe. I’m going inside to use the ladies’ room—do you want some coffee?”
He leaned down to kiss me. “Yes, babe, I could use the kick.” The van was parked a couple spots down from us, but I didn’t see Manny or Dave. They were probably inside using the facilities too.
I rounded the back of the trailer. Climbing up on the small platform, I looked through the half-opened Dutch door to check on the horses. Something moved directly under the window. Thinking it was one of the foals, I looked down but didn’t see anything. There was fresh hay was on the floor and food was in the hanger.
A pair of hands went around my waist, lifting me off my feet then setting me down on the ground. I shrieked, grabbing on to the wrists of the driver, Manny. “What the hell?” I shrieked, “Why did you do that?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am, I just finished feeding and watering the horses. I didn’t want you to slip on the steps,” Manny said.
Looking down, I saw the water pooling underneath the trailer. Breech had walked up and quickly pushed me behind him. “Do not put your hands on her again, do you understand me?” He was right up in the driver’s face. The guy looked like he wanted to take a swing at Breech. His hand balled up into a fist, but the handler, Dave, intervened.
“Boss said just drive and unload; we didn’t mean to scare the lady, and we apologize, don’t we, Manny?” he asked the driver.
After a tense second, Manny stepped back and tipped his cap to me. “I’m sorry for frightening you, ma’am.” He turned and walked to the cab, getting into the driver’s seat. Dave tipped his cap as well, and got into the passenger seat.
Breech didn’t relax until he heard the doors slam. “Come on, Jiji, let’s get going.” Taking my hand he led me to the bike. We put on our helmets and got back on the road.
Sixteen
Something about both of those guys didn’t sit right with me. Switching off the mic so Jiji couldn’t hear, I placed a call to Sonny.
He picked up on the second ring. “Yo, Breech, what’s up, man?”
“Sonny, man, I need some intel, bro.”
I heard a thump as his feet hit the floor and clicking as his fingers worked his keyboard. “What’s going on, Breech? You need me at your back, man?”
Chuckling, I said, “Thanks, man, just the intel for now. Did you dig up anything on Brom and his secretary, Lane?”
“No, and that’s bothering me, Breech. This guy is clean—I mean too clean. I can’t find any records for him at all for over two years. That is too suspicious and I don’t like it. Lane has a juvie record; he grew up in the New York foster system. Petty theft before moving on to grand theft auto. He did some time in Rikers Island before they moved him to Brookwood in Hudson, NY. After his release, he aged out of the system. No collars since then.”
“Check your phone, Sonny, I was taking some pictures at the farm and I got both of them in one. I sent it to you before we took off from the rest stop just now.”
“Hang on, Breech.” I heard some beeps then Sonny came back on the line. “Okay, man, I got it. Give me a couple hours to run these through some databases and see what I can dig up. Meanwhile, if you need some backup I can be there with a couple guys, pronto.”
“Appreciate that, but we’re okay for now. You stay on these guys and call me back as soon as you get anything. These fuckers are giving me a bad vibe and I want everything we can get on them.”
“Got it, Breech, check you later.” Sonny hung up.
Switching the headset back to on, I found a country station and set it on low so we could both listen. I felt Jiji’s fingers tapping on my thigh in time to the music. I could see the trailer up ahead of us and for a minute I thought I saw something move in the back window, but in a blink it was gone. Maybe one of the horses moved or flicked a tail, or maybe I was just overthinking the situation.
My gut was telling me something wasn’t right and it’s never been wrong before. I trusted it when I was in the Marines and it had saved my life. It was telling me not to trust these guys and until Sonny told me otherwise, I would be on guard.
The swaying of the truck almost knocked me off my feet. The little guy next to me nickered and I rubbed behind his ears. I was pissed at myself that I didn’t realize we had stopped before and I slept through most of it. After being up all night, waiting for my chance to slip away from the barn and into the hidey-hole I had created in the trailer, my nerves were shot from keeping up appearances—but I knew what they had planned for me and I wasn’t sticking around to let them do it.
My guardian angel must have been watching out for me, because Drake had climbed the ladder to my loft, yelling at me to get my ass down to a mare that was having a difficult birth. So instead of wiggling into the tight space I had made for myself, I was knee-deep in, helping the mare do her thing.
If I hadn’t been attuned to make my escape, I wouldn’t have seen the crates delivered to the building where the trailer was housed. Four big, burly guys unloaded the crates. I saw them when I took the bags of soiled linens outside. They paid me no mind, and I quickly went back inside, keeping myself hidden in the stalls ‘til I heard the truck drive away.
Checking to make sure no one was in the barn, I climbed the ladder to my loft, moving behind the bales of hay ‘til I came to the trapdoor built in the rafters. Pulling the backpack on that I hid earlier, I climbed through the door and onto the catwalk, quickly crossing between the two buildings.
From my vantage point, I could see two guys loading the crates into a space built into the side of the trailer. When they were finished loading the crates, they put a panel in pl
ace that hid them. The panel was designed so well that if I hadn’t seen them do it, I wouldn’t have known it existed. I had no idea what was in those crates, but I knew whatever it was it had to be illegal. Brom was into a lot of shady shit.
I debated for about two seconds whether or not I should tell someone about what I had just witnessed. The fight-or-flight feeling kicked in—I needed to escape and this was my way out. I didn’t have time to come up with a new plan. Add into that fact that I didn’t have much money and I was leaving with a backpack filled with everything I owned to that mix and again, this was my only option.
I waited until my legs cramped and I was afraid I couldn’t make my way down the ladder. Creeping across the floor, I opened the back door of the trailer; the click of the lock sounded so loud in the stillness. My heartbeat sped up ‘til I felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. Taking my backpack off my back, I stuffed it ahead of me into the hole under the seat. Crawling in, I pulled the panel ‘til it was almost closed behind me. Thank God I wasn’t afraid of tight places. But even if I had been, I would have braved this to get away from the fate Brom had in store for me. I settled down to wait for tomorrow to come.
Seventeen
I didn't realize that the spot I had chosen to hide in would have such great acoustics. I heard every disgusting thing that Manny and Dave talked about. I had to gag myself when they started talking about some girls they had taken care of for Brom, and the sick, twisted things they had done to them before dumping their bodies.
When the talk turned to the shipment, it dawned on me they were talking about the crates they had stowed away in the trailer. Dave was the brains and Manny the brawn—as cheesy as that sounded.
I was still pissed that I’d fallen asleep. Listening carefully, I knew frick and frack had left the truck, and I was alone in the trailer. Rolling out from my hiding place, I gratefully stretched out the kinks in my arms and legs. Hearing a noise at the back door, I quickly ducked, flattening my body against the wall. I heard a shriek and then voices.
Knowing they could open the door at any time, I scrambled across the floor, sliding into my spot and pulling the panel closed. The engines started up and I could feel movement as the trailer gained momentum. I was about to roll out of my spot again when I heard Dave yelling at Manny.
”You idiot, we don’t need Breech getting nosy and looking too closely at us because you were being fucking stupid and put your hands on his woman. We have to deliver these guns and get back to the farm without any problems. So keep your fucking hands to yourself, or I will shoot you myself, asshole.”
I sat frozen; the cargo they loaded were cases of guns. Once I found a safe place to hole up, I needed to tell someone that Brom was gun-running. My blood ran cold at the idea of putting more guns on the street. The reason I got dumped into the system was because my father, a decorated police officer, was gunned down during the raid of a suspected weapons dealer. My mom had died from breast cancer, leaving me with a workaholic detective father who had no idea what to do with a four-year-old girl child. He hired nannies and left me in their care until he also died, and I went into the system.
Guns scared me, and the idea of putting them in the hands of people to use against other people—especially those trying to keep the peace—made me sick. Brom was twisted enough with his depraved appetites and the cruel way he treated woman. Someone needed to stop him and if it would help in my own little way, if I could get the information into the right hands, I would.
The man named Breech—the one following us on the bike with the woman—he had been nice to me. He seemed to really be in love with the girl, and I didn’t get a bad vibe from him. Maybe if I could get him alone again, I could tell him what I knew and he could get the information to someone who had enough juice to do something with it. With that plan in place, I settled down to wait for the truck to stop again.
My pocket vibrated, telling me I had an incoming call. Switching off the mic, I answered the call. “Breech, I ran the picture you sent me through a bunch of databases but came up empty. The fact that I can’t find any information on Brom tells me the guy isn’t for real. He’s definitely not who he says he is.”
“Fuck, I knew something wasn’t right with that guy,” Breech responded.
“I’ve got some feelers out with some of my buddies, and if anything pans out I will let you know immediately. How far are you from home?” I asked.
“Maybe 5 or 6 hours of hard riding,” Breech replied.
“I’m going to send a couple prospects out to back you up,” I said. When Breech didn’t bitch, I knew he was worried. “Hang in there, man, you’re almost home.”
Chewing on all the intel, my gut was churning. Making a decision, I banged my fist on the desk and got up quickly, going in search of Dukes. Finding him in his office with the door open, I entered barely after knocking. “Dukes, I just talked to Breech, and I’m getting a fucking bad feeling. My first thought was to send out a couple prospects to back him up, but I think I’d rather take one and go myself.”
“Whoa, wait a second, back up, Sonny. What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Sorry, Dukes, I’ve been researching a couple guys Breech asked me about and not getting much intel in response to both name and facial recognition. This guy didn’t exist before a couple years ago, and his right-hand man is in the system. Breech is only a couple hours from home, but I’m not comfortable leaving him alone out there.”
“You gotta believe in your gut, Sonny! If it’s telling you to beware then do what you feel is necessary. Take Murph, get your ass out there, and guard his back. I don’t wanna hear Fighter bitching if something happens to Jiji while he’s away. Not to mention, I’ll never hear the end of it from Sandra and Lani. All those ladies have become thick as thieves.”
I smiled for the first time since getting Breech’s phone call. “I’m on it, boss!” Giving Dukes a two-finger salute, I went upstairs to pack a bag and strap up. Five minutes later, I threw my leather on, pulled the backpack over one shoulder, and jogged down the stairs and out the door of the clubhouse, calling for Murph.
“Hey, Sonny, how’s it hanging, man?” he asked.
“Murph, I want you to mount up and ride out with me. We are going to back up Breech on his way home with Jiji and some young horses for Sandra. Get what you need for a couple days and be quick, man—I wanna be out of here in ten.”
Murph dropped his teasing grin and stood up. “I’m ready to go, Sonny. I’ve got a go-bag on my bike now.”
I clapped him on the back. “Good man, Murph, let’s roll!”
The trailer had been moving for a while and I didn’t want to fall asleep again, so I thought about all the things I needed to do once I found a new place to live. Getting a job was priority number one. I would love to find a job working with animals, especially horses, but since those were few and far between it was back to slinging coffee in a diner. I could try bartending again, but even though the money was better, the clientele wasn’t. Getting groped ten times a shift just wasn’t worth the extra money.
I started to doze again when a loud bang startled me, then the trailer started thumping and whipping from side to side. I was thrown around like a rag doll, and couldn’t suppress the scream when I thought the whole rig was going to tip over. The sound of screeching metal and frightened horses filled the air. It all happened in minutes, but it felt like forever before the trailer came to an abrupt stop. I banged my head against the seatback and saw stars. Reaching up, I felt a sticky patch near my scalp and realized I was bleeding.
Before I could process the thought, I heard yelling and then three loud pops. A woman screamed; more cursing erupted, and then the sound of a motorcycle revving up and driving away. I heard the truck being unhitched from the trailer. There was the screech of metal on metal then the truck moving away, and the trailer rocked a few times before settl
ing on the ground with a loud thump. The silence after that was eerie—and I was afraid of what was outside the trailer. But I had to find out what was going on.
I was a sitting duck if Manny or Dave decided to investigate. Crawling over to the window, I glanced outside then ducked down. Moving to the other side of the window, I repeated the motion but stopped before ducking.
Lying on the ground about three feet away was the biker who had talked to me at the farm. He wasn’t moving. Damn it; those pops I heard were gunfire. They had shot Breech.
Debating for a minute, I knew I couldn’t leave him out there if he was still alive. Flipping my hood up, taking a deep breath, and gathering my courage, I grabbed a hoof pick, curling my fingers around the wooden handle and holding the pointed end like a hammer. The horses were unsettled so I took a moment to soothe them but I needed to get out to see if Breech was still breathing.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and slipped outside in a crouch. The trailer was off the side of the road, sitting at a drunken angle. The loud bang I heard was a tire that had blown. The panel that had hidden the guns was dislodged and one case was busted open on the ground.
Avoiding the deadly looking rifles, I hurried over to the fallen man and quickly rolled him onto his back. I could see his chest rising and falling, so he was still alive and breathing. Blood dripped from his side and a wound up near his shoulder. Grabbing one of the horses’ blankets, I made a pad and pressed down on the wound. I didn’t know much about gunshots, but I did know anything that bleeds needs compression to help stop or slow it down.
I was concentrating so hard on Breech that I didn’t hear the bikes ‘til they were almost on top of us. I crouched over him, lifting the hoof pick in front of me. The bikes stopped and two men dismounted in a hurry. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I wasn’t leaving this man alone to have these thugs finish him off. It probably meant I would die too, but I wouldn’t go down without a fight.
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