by Harlow Brown
“Have you seen them? Do you still want to? Are you over her?”
“Slow down. I have seen them a handful of times, but I haven’t been back since…us. I will always love her. She is the mother of my son. I don’t want her, I know I can never have her. I have moved on, as has she, but it took years. Of course, I want to see them. What father doesn’t want to see his son? I have come to terms with the fact that I am simply a sperm donor to that kid. End of the story is, I did what I had to do to protect them. If I didn’t leave, the Ray brothers would have come after Daisy and in the end she and Eric would have both been dead.”
“Your son’s name is Eric?”
“One of the times I went to see them, I saw a stork sign in the yard. That’s the only reason I know his name.”
“The girl in the picture, that was her?”
“Yes. That’s Daisy.”
“She’s beautiful.”
I know she didn’t really want to talk about how pretty my ex was.
“What’s going on in that gorgeous head of yours?”
“What’s not going on is the better question. Mainly I am wondering, why now? You couldn’t tell me this until now? What changed?”
“I wanted to keep you. It’s that simple. However, I felt safe telling you. I was given some unexpected intel of sorts and know now that the Ray brothers won’t be an issue, but most importantly, I trust you.”
“And this is why you shouldn’t even entertain the idea of being with him. I’m the man for you.” A man’s voice boomed.
Rumor audibly gasped and shrieked, “Creed? How did you find us?”
“Darlin’ I’m a marshal. I could have figured it out, but I followed you. I left shortly after you. Now do you see why I’m the one you should be with. This guy isn’t even real. He has been playing you for the short time that you have known him. I’m here, in real life, a real person, with a legit identity. Did you hear why he was here instead of at home with his girl and son?”
“Yeah. I did, and we were sorting through everything when you appeared. You’re getting really good at showing up when you aren’t wanted. Too bad you had to lose me for good to start coming around again.” She stood up and walked to him. “You had your chance. You blew it. That’s not on him, and damn sure not on me. This is on you, big boy. Own it. Accept it and go on. If you would give me half a second to think for myself, I will come to my own conclusions about Fury and the mess he just shared with me. No, it isn’t ideal, but it is what it is. At least he told me his secret, unlike you, and he has a whole hell of a lot more to lose than you ever did. I don’t know what the future holds for Fury and me, but I can tell you that our future is none of your concern nor are you included. Leave me alone. I wish you would go back to wherever the hell you came from.”
He took us both by surprise and lunged at her and had her in a headlock with a pistol aimed at her head.
“I guess we are going to do this the hard way. I tried to give you the chance to return to me, but you wouldn’t. You’re better than this fraud. We have things to work out.” He said through gritted teeth.
“Fury!”
Creed practically dragged Rumor away. I started following him when I saw his back was turned and that he wasn’t going to turn the gun on either of us.
The sound of a truck was rumbling down the lane and gravel was thrown as he gassed it as he tried to get away.
I ran to my bike, hopped on, with all intentions to chase him down and save my girl. Even over the rumble of my pipes I heard my tires grabbing hold of the dirt on the road and the gravel slipping under them. Then I heard the sound that vehicles make in the movies when the getaway truck starts to fishtail and lose control. The worst thought ran through my mind. I knew he was going to crash head first into a tree and hurt Rumor. The rage was pumping through my veins and I was hot and ready to kill. I would stop at nothing to save her.
Eeerrrrck! Clash! The sound of metal bending flooded my ears and I drove faster to get to her.
When I got to the truck, it was in the ditch on the side of the road and was only damaged minimally. The bumper was bent, and the headlight was broken, but it was still drivable.
“Ouch!” A manly voice screeched.
I got to the truck and saw my girl defending herself. She elbowed him in the nose and banged the back of his head off the back glass. I stepped in.
“Rumor, get out. Go to the bike.”
She did as I told her. I got the bleeding idiot by the throat and squeezed until he was a pretty shade of purple.
“Did they not teach you to drive better in your special training? I hope you said all you needed to say to her because you are done speaking…forever.” I squeezed his neck until he was gasping for air. I heard a pop and knew that I had silenced him forever. I had crushed, or severely damaged, his larynx.
I heard footsteps but dropped the gasping fool on the ground.
“Rumor, I need to know that you are okay with me. All of me. This is how it is. People that can hurt me or the people I have loved in the past get hurt. It’s violent at times and there is usually no remorse. If you can’t handle that, now is the time for you to go.” I remind her again, with the hope that she won’t listen.
“I’ll help you get him back to the club. I’ll drive the truck. Meet me back at Acres.”
“Does this mean you and me…we’re still giving this a go?”
“No. This means I have a whole hell of a lot to digest, and I am pissed off and fucking done with this asshole. I’ll help you get him back, so y’all can talk to him. As for us, we aren’t over, but we aren’t together.”
“That’s better than I expected. I’ll take it.”
“Well, that’s good seeing as I didn’t give you any other option.” She smarted off. Only, she wasn’t kidding. I’m not sure if she was just stressed because of the last few minutes or what but she wasn’t cutting either of us any slack.
I loaded him up in the truck and Rumor went to the driver’s side. She opened the door and out fell pictures. Pictures of her. So many pictures that there was no way he could have taken them because he was gone during the time stamps on the pictures. She flipped through them. There she was sitting on the porch of the house they lived in, there was one of her and Raige bundled up around a fire at a party last fall, there was another one of Charlie and her on the practice field, and it looked like Charlie was running for a bunt and throwing the out to Rumor on first base. The next one was the one that hit her the hardest. I knew because of the tear that slowly fell down her cheek. It was just a few weeks ago. It was when the Regulators won the World Series. How? Who did he have watching her and taking photos? Did he really keep an eye on her? He was keeping tabs on her and making sure he knew what she was up to and where she was. Question is, how? Who did he know that would have done that but not tell her?
“He must have hired a private investigator. None of our mutual friends would have kept this a secret from me.” She looked at me.
For a moment, I thought I lost her. The look of excitement on her face when she realized he had been watching her, cut me like a knife. The look quickly shifted to one of sheer anger and hurt, so did my thoughts.
“So, he stalked me, kept an eye on me, and knew pretty much where I was at all times, but he couldn’t even let me know he was okay? Nah. Bad idea, bro.” She said as she cut her eyes to him and took a breath before she continued, “He should’ve hid these. Now I just feel dirty, like a peeping Tom was watching me for years.” She confessed.
“Let’s not worry about this now. We have limited time till sleeping beauty wakes and he will likely have a headache and be really pissed. We need to get him back to Acres PDQ.”
“PDQ?”
“Pretty damn quick. Let’s roll.” I bent down and kissed her, and I let our lips stay connected as we both took in a deep breath. “Let’s go.” I turned and walked back to my bike.
I straddled the seat and before I started it. I called Whiskey and gave him a half- truth sto
ry. I told him that Rumor’s ex followed us and threatened her and attempted to kidnap her. He said he would have Shooter and the rest of the guys ready in thirty minutes when we got back home.
I PULLED UP to the gate at Acres and pressed the code Charlie had given me and the gate opened with ease. I pulled through and parked my bike so I could help the boys get Creed out of the truck.
“Church. Now. Riddick, help us get him to the shed. Tie him up. Make it good. He can’t get away.” I snapped my fingers and vigorously walked around to the side of the truck.
In a few minutes, we were all in the shed and had Creed tied up, still out cold.
“Boys, this joker is pig food, too. You don’t just waltz up and threaten and kidnap my girl and expect to live through it. He even held a gun to her head. Mag, you and Sax yanked teeth last night, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Do it again. Riddick, you help.”
I patted my cut to ensure that my pistol was in there, I pulled it out and double checked that the silencer was on it. I aimed straight for his heart. Slowly I pulled the trigger and a small pew pew escaped the end of the barrel. With that I knew that Daisy and Eric were safe. He couldn’t hurt them or put them in danger now, and Rumor didn’t have to worry about this jerk coming around anymore either. This was a win-win for everyone.
“Riddick, you and Magnum find Saxton and have him help. Go feed the livestock and stop somewhere along the way home and bury the teeth in a deep hole and cover it with rocks and dirt. Make it look natural. See you in a bit.”
I walked out of the building and the summer air hit me in the face. I felt oddly at ease. I just killed a marshal and was okay with it. I was certainly going to hell, but I was fine with it. I justified it. I did what I had to do, period.
I went straight to the fridge for beer. Before I had the chance to open the door, a certain blonde had her hand outstretched with a beer for me. I reached and got it from her.
“We need to talk.”
“Yeah, I guess we have shit to sort out.”
“Come with me. I’ll drive you. I packed an ice chest.” She led the way.
I followed because what else do you do when the girl of your dreams, the one that holds all the secrets of your past in her hands, tells you to come for a ride and that she has beer? You go and don’t ask questions.
We got into her car and she headed northbound. I had no idea where she was taking me, and I didn’t care. I was with her, she was giving me a chance, and I would go anywhere she wanted.
Chapter 25
Rumor
ALL OF A SUDDEN, I was consumed with nerves and the full range of emotions. I glanced at him and he was staring at me. To make things even more awkward, I knew he wanted to smoke, but I ignored that thought. I didn’t want him smoking in my car.
“So, where are we going?”
“Some where there aren’t any distractions.”
“More specific?”
“I’m taking you to my favorite place in the world, other than the ball field. It’s just out of town and it’s a bluff that overlooks the interstate. The cars and trucks go by and life just goes on. You get to see everything, and no one ever notices you. It’s like you’re on top of the world.”
“Oh.”
“Look, it’s not the beach, or the creek, but so far bodies of water haven’t exactly been good luck for us. Bad shit happens around water.”
He didn’t say anything. He nodded his head because he knew I was right. We pulled up to the spot and got out. I led the way with the flashlight while Fury grabbed the ice chest and followed behind me.
We made it to the open spot where you can see the cars zooming by underneath. I sat and let my legs dangle off the edge of the bluff. Fury plopped down beside me and cracked open a beer.
“So…” Fury started.
“So.” I answered.
We stared at the traffic below.
“So, you are ready for an honest relationship? Fury, I can’t have anything less. Not with how my life has been the last few years. I simply can’t live with the what if’s and the secrets. My mind will go a hundred different directions. It’s time for me to have normalcy and sanity like everyone else.”
“I just told you something that I was sworn to keep to myself for life. Something that could ultimately kill my son and his mother. Short of telling you the last time I took a shit, you know everything about me.”
“You…you’re okay? I promise that I won’t say anything to anyone. I know what you have riding on this. You can trust me. Always. Even if things don’t work out, I will never betray you.”
“So, we’re going to see this through?” He perked up and turned to face me.
“I think that you get me. You understand me like no one else. You didn’t lie to me. Well, you didn’t lie to me on purpose, and you risked the lives of your son and his mom to make me happy, and to hopefully keep me. If you can do that, I can give you a chance. Just know, there are no secrets from here on. That’s a deal breaker.”
“I can handle that. I promise I have nothing else to hide.”
“Well, shit, I hope not!” I exclaimed. “Fury?”
“Yeah?”
“Is Creed going to be an issue for us?”
“Not anymore. We need to get his truck back to the house or sink it in the river or something. We can’t have his truck just floating around.”
“About that…” I trailed off leaving something for his imagination.
“No secrets remember.”
“It’s actually my truck. The title is in my name. He put it in my name to help me establish my credit. It looks as if Creed pulled his vanishing act again, only this time he left the truck.” I smirked, hoping he read in between the lines.
“Are you serious? We don’t have to dispose of a truck? You have two vehicles?” He asked, shock evident in his voice.
“As a heart attack. And yes. When he took off with the truck, I got my car. Not having a ride is for the birds. Before you even ask, I did report it stolen. Nothing ever came of it. It all makes sense now. Being a marshal would surely keep him from any kind of legal trouble.”
I clearly lifted a huge load off him and the club. He tipped his beer and drank it down.
“So, are sure you are okay with this? Me, the club, our businesses, our lifestyle? We’re not your average people.”
Could I be involved with a criminal? Could I give my heart to someone who blatantly said he was violent? What kind of life would this be for me? All of a sudden, all the questions started to overwhelm me, and I could feel the doubt creeping up and I tried to keep it from showing on my face.
“Here come the doubts, right?” He asked on cue.
“Yes. No. I don’t know. I want the things we talked about with Charlie and Jazz. You know, the restaurant and the business. I want the relationship with you. I worry about the bad things like, oh you know, jail and the thought that you aren’t afraid to do what is necessary for me.” I stopped to gauge his reaction.
“Rumor, I told you it wasn’t pretty, and you should’ve walked. I will be ruthless where you are concerned. If someone threatens you, they die. If someone pisses you off, they bleed. If someone crosses you, they deal with me. I’ve fought many demons, buried many more, and bared to you the one thing I was sworn to never reveal to anyone. I wanted to prove that you are what I want, what I need. I have come alive since you entered my life. You will never take place of Daisy, and I don’t want you to. I want something new with you. Something I have never been able to do. I want a real relationship. One that doesn’t have secrets. This is me, the person I had to become and the person that has finally found his place and his reason. Don’t take that away from me. Let me prove that I am the man you want, the man you need. Don’t let your fear of the unknown stop you from having this. You’re my second chance, Rumor. Don’t take this away from me, damn it.”
He spilled his guts and made broke my heart break a little. Not because I wasn’t giving him a chanc
e, because after a confession like that he deserved it, but because he told me more than he has told anyone. He has that level of trust in me.
“Fury, I’m willing to give this a chance. I’ve never been with someone on the wrong side of the law, and that scares me. What happens if you get caught? How long are your runs? Are there people that want you dead? What am I in for?”
“All of the above. Rumor, I wouldn’t have entertained the idea of any of this had I not thought you were strong enough mentally and physically to handle me and all that I am. I’d have taken off on my bike while you and the others were at the club house if I thought you weren’t up for this, and you would have never known how I felt. For fucks sake, I know it’s scary and I get that. I expect you to have some reservations, but that’s why you have to trust me. You can come talk to me any time about anything.” He explained.
I believed him. There was a calmness and reassurance that he exuded at that moment and I knew he wasn’t lying. This unexpected stranger has successfully put me back together and made my life make sense again.
I must have been smiling from ear to ear because he asked, “What seems to have you so happy?”
“You. Us. Here. Everything. You have just made my life whole again and you did it in my favorite spot in the world.” I stopped and took in a breath before I finished my thought. “You know, I would come here so many times and watch the traffic below and wonder if that car or that truck was Creed. I thought he would come back for me at any time. I came here to remember, escape, and forget at the same time. I hope that I don’t have to visit this place as often now.”
He came closer to me and kissed me. It was just a simple peck, but it was immediately followed by, “Promise me.”
“Promise you what?” I asked.
“Promise me you will tell me if you feel you need to come here. I’ll do everything in my power to see that you don’t end up here. You need a new favorite place, Rumor. This one is tainted.”
“I think I can handle that.” I agreed, sheepishly.
We turned back to the traffic under us and watched the world go by. Thoughts ran through my head at speeds I couldn’t fathom. Random thoughts from business endeavors to hiding bodies were like bright flashes of light behind my eyes.
