by Chris Pike
The drunk slipped off the barstool, pondered a second, then took a wild swing at Doc Holiday.
Quick on his feet, Doc ducked.
Johnny Ringo rushed in and hooked his arm under the drunk’s arm, twisting it behind his back. With the drunk under control, Johnny wrestled him to the floor and put a knee in his back.
Ike rushed in, jerked up the drunk, and shoved him into a wall, mashing his face into it. Ike made eye contact with Johnny, motioning to the door for him to open it. Johnny opened the door leading to the street, stood aside, and with a sweeping gesture said, “After you.”
Ike manhandled the drunk toward the door, and flung the guy out onto the street where he landed on his butt. “If you come back, we’ll be waiting.” He slammed the door shut.
“Thanks,” Kate said. She glanced at Reload. “If y’all hadn’t helped, Reload might have been the one persuading the guy to leave.” Reload thumped his tail, knowing he was being praised.
“Mind if I lock the door?” Ike asked.
“Can’t.” Kate shook her head and pointed to the sign above the door. “It’s against policy. When the bar is open, the door needs to stay unlocked.”
“It’ll keep out riffraff,” Ike offered.
“Sorry, still can’t.”
“Okay, I tried. We may not be here the next time something happens.”
“I’ve dealt with worse customers. I can take care of myself. Thanks, though.”
During the melee, Kate noticed Ike was carrying a 9 mm Glock. And while the bar had a 30.06 sign indicating carrying a concealed weapon on the premises was barred, Kate decided to keep the bit of intel on Ike to herself. These were the good guys, and good guys didn’t need to be barred from carrying. The sign never stopped the bad guys.
She carried, even if it meant breaking the rules, or risking jail time. Her own Glock was located in an inconspicuous place she thought nobody would suspect. Her eyes flicked to Reload then back to the bar. She shook her head, knowing it took a tragedy of epic proportions to change laws.
The defining moment for Texas happened in 1991 at the Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen located in central Texas where twenty-three innocent people had been killed by a deranged madman. A woman whose parents had been killed at the cafeteria while her life was spared had later spearheaded Texas lawmakers into action to pass a bill in support of concealed handgun laws. She said she would have liked to have had her gun but, “it was a hundred feet away in my car.” She feared if she was caught carrying, she might lose her chiropractor’s license.
Kate gave Reload a reassuring pat on the head. “You’re a good boy.”
Reload thumped his tail.
Even Reload recognized the Tombstone Gang were good guys. She thought it odd how dogs could sense whether or not people were good or bad, and Reload had indicated without failure or hesitation who the good guys were. He allowed Ike to pet him the first day he walked into the bar, otherwise he would have growled and bared his teeth, a clear indicator he wanted nothing to do with the person. Reload’s reaction to some customers drove a few off, there were a few complaints and threats of lawsuits, but overall, Reload added to the personality of the bar. People from all over came to the bar specifically to meet Reload, which increased business, increasing profits for the bar.
The manager decided Reload could stay.
Reload had accepted Nico the first time he set foot into the bar. The big dog with expressive eyes had lifted his snout in the air, tasting the essence of the man. One sniff told him Nico was strong and confident. He spoke in tones Reload understood. He was an honorable man who looked after the little guy, and who spoke the truth through his actions.
Protective of Kate, Reload sensed the interest Nico showed her. He was excellent at recognizing body posture and the odd scent humans released around one another, scents as individual as their faces. Intermittently when the conversation became animated, and when both experienced spiking blood pressure and an increased heart rate, Reload became aware of tiny bursts of adrenaline, not enough to warrant action, only an observance he filed away in his brain for future use.
Kate had fought her reaction, while the man had not. Reload’s first instinct was to go to Kate, to comfort her when he recognized the emotional release, yet he held back due to Kate’s comfort with the man.
On the last day when Nico was at the hotel, Reload observed the unusual interaction between Kate, the Hispanic woman, and Nico. Subtle facial expressions, voice intonation, and the odd dynamic of ownership of Nico the woman claimed. Kate had obviously been annoyed.
Yet after the woman had left, and the brief conversation between Kate and Nico, Kate’s body language indicated an understanding had been achieved. She had looked at Nico with the same longing and worry she bestowed upon Reload.
If Kate wanted this man, then Reload would also accept the man. They would be part of a new pack, one Reload would protect with his life.
Chapter 15
Nico, Josh, and Tracey left the grocery store while it was still light. They needed to reach Tony’s house before dusk darkened the land, and before unsavory characters and looters claimed the night. They briskly walked along the blacktop, letting Tracey direct them to her house. They walked past vacant lots and a dollar store. A fast food restaurant sat dark and quiet, gas stations were deserted of cars and people.
A corner store was still open, the lights on and the loud rumbling of a generator filling the air.
As they neared the store, Josh looked at the mostly empty shelves, and what appeared to be locals shooting the breeze. He spied a few bags of pretzels and some candy bars. The isle with the paper goods was still stocked, though. There were a few cold drinks in the coolers, and suddenly Josh was aware of his unquenched thirst.
What he wanted was an ice cold Coke, the kind in the bottle, not a can, fresh out of the cooler. Bottled Coke tasted better, although he wasn’t sure why. When he was at the grocery store, he had searched for cold drinks only to find warm canned Coke. If he had been starving or extremely dehydrated, he would have downed the warm Coke in a few gulps. Right now, it was a craving. Maybe it was the sugar he needed. Whatever it was, the urge to splurge overcame caution.
“I’d like to stop at the store.” Josh said. He swallowed hard in anticipation of a cold drink.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. Can’t it wait? Nico asked.
“The cooler still works and I see a bottle of Coke with my name on it. I’m in dire need of a rush of sugar.”
“My mom likes Coke,” Tracey said. “She doesn’t let me have any. She says too much sugar isn’t good for kids. She says I have to wait until I’m 16 before I can have a Coke, because she says her parents made her do the same thing.”
“Really?” Josh said dumbfounded. “I had a girlfriend in high school who said something similar to me.”
“What’s her name?” Tracy asked.
“It doesn’t matter. You wouldn’t know her.” Josh’s attention wandered as they walked past the store.
“Do you ever talk to her?”
“No. We lost contact a long time ago. I went to college, and she stayed here.” For a brief moment Josh thought back to that time in his life. Eighteen years old. Del Rio, a lazy town near the border where the most excitement on Friday night was high school football, had become too constrained for him, too suffocating. He yearned for the big city, to meet new people, have new experiences, but the further he got away from his hometown, the more he realized it was who he was.
Small town America was completely different than the big cities where a million people lived, yet among all the hustle and bustle, loneliness was ever present. Here, in Del Rio, he remembered walking along the street and having people he knew wave to him. Friends, relatives, parents of his friends. He missed it, and it had taken him to leave for him to appreciate it.
His high school sweetheart said she’d wait for him; said she’d get a job at the bank and live with her parents until he came back. Josh was too impati
ent, too young, so like most long distance relationships, time and distance chipped away at it until the emails and phone calls stopped completely. There was no bad breakup between him and his girlfriend, or pleading to come home. Only a gradual, natural, parting. He couldn’t even remember what their last phone call had been about. Every once in a while, when it was quiet, and when he was left with his thoughts, he wondered how she was and if she had married. Whatever had happened to her, he did not know. Perhaps it was better so he could remember her as that carefree seventeen year old, freckle faced and always smiling. She’d never grow old in his mind.
“We’re almost there,” Nico said. “My partner’s house is the fourth one on the left. It’s the one with the big mesquite in the front.”
“After this, can you take me to my house?” Tracey asked. “I only live a couple of blocks away.”
“We’ll take you there,” Nico said reassuringly, patting her on the shoulder. “I need to stop and talk to my partner’s wife first.”
“Tracy,” Josh said, “when we get to your house I’ll need to talk to your mom about something.”
“What is it?” Tracey asked.
“Grown up stuff.”
Coming to the house, Nico took a big breath to steel himself for what he needed to do. He reached into his pants pocket, feeling for Tony’s wedding ring, making sure it was still there. He swallowed a big lump in his throat then rapped his knuckles on the screen door. A hound dog bellowed from inside. The click-clacking of nails on hardwood followed.
“Coming!” a female voice shouted.
Nico glanced at Josh. “This is going to be hard.”
“I know. I’m sorry, man.”
“Who is it?” a woman asked from behind the door.
“Vanessa, it’s me, Nico.”
The door swung open.
“Nico, I’m so glad to see you.” Vanessa’s eyes swept past Nico, then to his companion as she searched for her husband. “Where’s Tony? I’ve been so worried.” Before Nico could answer, a young woman in her late 20s came to the door and stood to the side of Vanessa. “Who is it?”
Tracey, unable to contain her delight at hearing her mother’s voice, shrieked, “Mommy! Is that you?”
“Tracey?”
“It’s me, Mommy!” Tracey squeezed in between Josh and Nico and ran to her mother, who scooped her in her arms and held her tight.
“I’ve been worried sick about you,” her mother said, smoothing down Tracey’s hair. “Where have you been? And who are…? She trailed off when she locked eyes with Josh.
“Kristen?” Josh’s voice was soft and low, and pained to the point he had trouble saying her name.
Kristen set Tracey down. “Josh? What are you doing here? What’s going on?”
“You know him?” Vanessa asked.
“Yes, from a long time ago,” Kristen said.
Vanessa looked at Nico. “Where’s Tony?”
Nico glanced at the ground.
“Will someone tell me what’s going on?
“Can we come in?” Nico asked.
“Sure, I’m sorry,” Vanessa said. “Come in.” She held the door open while Nico and Josh entered the house.
Josh snuck a peek at Kristen then looked away.
“Can I get you anything? A sandwich?”
“If you could spare a sandwich that would be great. I’d appreciate a glass of water too if you don’t mind.”
“Of course. Come sit in the den. I’ll be back in a moment.”
Tracey and her mom sat on the loveseat, while Josh and Nico sat on the sofa. Nico folded his hands, clasped and unclasped them, scratched his head, cleared his throat, and generally showed signs of nervousness. Josh was unable to look Kristen in the eyes.
Vanessa was in the kitchen opening and shutting cabinet doors. Tableware clinked, and after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence she returned with sandwiches and water for everyone.
“Is everything alright?” Vanessa asked. She handed out sandwiches on paper plates, sliced apples, and a few potato chips. She kept her eyes on Nico.
Nico didn’t answer her question, instead, he asked, “Where are the kids?”
“Upstairs playing card games.”
“Would it be okay if Tracey played with them? Kristen, is it okay?”
“Sure, yeah.” Kristen turned to her daughter. “Let’s go on upstairs. Would you like to play with some other kids?”
Tracey nodded. “Can I take my sandwich?”
“Sure,” Vanessa said. “And take Pepper with you.”
“His name is Pepper?” Tracey asked referring to the dog.
“Yes. Offer him a bite of your sandwich and he’ll follow you anywhere.”
Kristen said, “I’ll be back in a moment.”
When Tracey and Kristen were out of earshot, Vanessa asked, “Is my husband okay? Nico, weren’t you and Tony on an undercover mission?”
Before Nico had a chance to answer, Kristen returned and said, “The kids are all upstairs. I turned on one of the lanterns with the LED lights. It was getting dark up there.”
“Thank you,” Vanessa said. “Tony always made sure we had workable lanterns in case the electricity went off.”
“Tony was a good man,” Nico said. He immediately regretted the past tense he used.
Kristen sat down next to Vanessa.
“Nico…tell me what’s going on. You’re scaring me.”
“I’m not sure how to tell you.” Nico hesitated, glanced away, then back to Vanessa. “I’m sorry. There was nothing we could do.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Nico took a big breath. “Tony was piloting the helicopter when it went down in the river.”
“The chopper crashed? Where is he? Is he at the hospital? We have to go.”
Nico shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t like this, Nico. What are you trying to tell me?”
“Vanessa, Tony died from injuries he suffered in the crash.”
Vanessa’s eyes bounced from Nico to Josh then to Kristen.
“No. What are you trying to tell me? I don’t understand.” Her strain was evident.
Kristen reached to Vanessa and held her hand.
“He’s what?” Vanessa’s voice cracked.
Nico went to Vanessa, kneeled in front of her, and took her shaking hands in his. “The helicopter was hovering over the river when it lost power. It crashed in the river and sunk. It took me a few seconds to locate the chopper and to get him out. He had been knocked unconscious and wasn’t breathing. I was able to get Tony to shore and perform CPR on him.”
Vanessa gasped and put her hand over her mouth.
“He started breathing. He coughed, but I don’t think he got any water in his lungs. I checked him for injuries and didn’t find any. He said his side hurt. I figured he had a cracked rib or something and told him I’d get him to the hospital. After we got to the truck, we found out it wouldn’t start. The radio was dead too.”
Vanessa dropped her chin to her chest. Tears rolled down her cheeks. “What did you do?”
“There wasn’t much we could do. About the same time, Josh ejected from his fighter jet and landed not too far from where we were. I left Tony at the truck and I went to find Josh.”
Josh nodded.
“I helped Josh out of his harness and we raced back to the truck because the crash started a grass fire. At that point, we decided our best course of action was to head to the river. Tony was having trouble walking, so we helped him to the river where we had stay for several hours until it was safe. We made a fire on the riverbank and tried to keep Tony warm. When he went to sleep, he said he was okay.” Nico paused to let Vanessa digest the information. “He spoke about you and how much he loved you and the kids. He passed away some time during the night.”
Thumps on the ceiling and children laughing from upstairs interrupted the solemn moment. Pepper barked in excitement.
Vanessa swallowed and looked at Nico through eye
s blurred by hot tears. “Where is he?”
“We buried him next to the truck and placed stones on his grave. I can give you exact directions to where he is buried.”
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Vanessa said.
As she rose from the sofa, Nico put a hand on her arm. “Wait. I have something for you.” He reached into his pocket and retrieved Tony’s wedding ring. “You should have this.” He dropped the gold ring in Vanessa’s hand.
Picking it up, she looked at it and silently read the inscription. “It has our wedding date on it and our initials.” She reached behind her neck and unclasped the necklace she had on. She looped the necklace through the ring then fastened it back together. “I want to be alone.” Vanessa left and headed to her bedroom.
“I’ll go to her,” Kristen said.
“No, you stay here. I’ll go to her,” Nico said. “Tony was my partner for years. I owe it to him.”
* * *
After Nico left, Josh and Kristen were left alone.
“What are you doing here?” Josh finally asked.
“I was going to ask the same about you.”
“I’ve been stationed at Laughlin. Nico helped me after my jet crashed, and he needed help with Tony. Since my parents’ house was on the way here, I walked with Nico and Tracy. And you?” Josh asked. “How do you know Vanessa?”
“We were going to night school together and met in one of the required courses. I’m studying to be a teacher.”
Josh thought back to their high school days. “You always said you wanted to be a teacher.”
Kristen ignored the comment, suddenly aware of long ago emotions she thought she had buried. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
“I’m sorry it has to be under these circumstances.”
“I’ve often wondered what I’d say to you if I ever saw you again. Do you remember what I told you?”
Josh didn’t say anything.
“I said I’d wait for you,” she said with a hint of anger. “I meant what I said.”
“I’m sorry,” Josh said. “I had to leave. I had to find out what the world was about outside of Del Rio.”
