Love, Lies, & Crime: Anthology

by Kimberly Blalock

  Suddenly, the masses began filing out onto Monument Avenue, armed to the teeth and looking for a fight. It would be the showdown to end all others. Jax grabbed a pair of hand guns off the front counter as well as Randy’s Louisville slugger and walked out behind the army that had formed.

  The guards couldn’t control the Devils, and the police didn’t seem too concerned on the threat at hand. The citizens of Oakeley had to take matters into their own hands.

  It had all come down to this.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Sunset Throw-down

  Monument Avenue was quiet as Randy stepped out into the fading light of the dying sun. The men of Oakeley, two hundred strong, crowded the avenue. Danny stood upon the hood of Colt’s truck keeping an eye out for the storm that was coming.

  The men formed into two groups, leaving a narrow aisle in the middle. As a rumble sounded in the distance, Randy cut through the masses with Harlan and Jax at his back as he waited for the on-slaught.

  The way into Oakeley was blocked by manpower. These men were protecting their families, their homes, and their home town. They refused to back down to the Devils anymore. Randy Ford didn’t stand alone in his hatred for Black Horse and the Seventy Devils. He was backed by a community of people who were somehow hurt or affected by the actions of the Seventy Devils.

  Some towns might take pride in their local MC. Some do good deeds, protect the community, do charity work for causes that are important to the community. This is not that town. To Oakeley, the Seventy Devils were a poison – a toxic river that ran through the town contaminating everything it touched.

  Oakeley was a town reborn from the ashes of a fiery past.

  “It’s beginning,” Cheyenne said with concern in her eyes.

  “Help me move Matthew into the bedroom,” Averi said. “I’ll carry his play pen.”

  “Front bedroom?” Cheyenne asked.

  “No, back… There are no windows and it doesn’t face Monument Avenue,” Averi said nervously. Her hands shook as she spoke. Cheyenne placed a hand on Averi’s arm.

  “It’s going to be okay…” Cheyenne assured her.

  Averi had to admit that her words calmed her hammering heart.

  “Is Colt out there yet?” Averi asked with worry in her voice.

  Cheyenne moved the curtain aside as her breath was stolen by the scene before her.

  “Chey?” Averi repeated giving her sister-in-law a perplexed look.

  “Colt and Tim are coming now with at least 25 bikers on their tail, plus two vans… Oh, my God!” Cheyenne gasped.

  “What?!” asked Averi, very much on edge. “You’re not going to believe this!”

  Averi rushed to the window with wide eyes. She stared in horror at the oncoming traffic. There, from the back of the queue, the first shot was fired.

  Randy stood at the frontline, his jaw clenched, his toned arms crossed over his chest. Armed to the teeth, he was prepared for a war. The sound of the oncoming motorcycles intensified his adrenaline, his rage spilled over. Randy had an army at his back. Peeking up at the second floor window, he knew he had a marksman ready to take down anyone who posed a threat. Averi always did have a crack shot. Not surprised, Randy smirked when he saw his wife and his sister stare down at him, their guns at the ready. The intensity of Randy’s gaze at the oncoming motorcade was nothing compared to the mood that had set in Oakeley. You could cut the tension with a knife.

  Tim slammed on the gas pedal. The man who was so often known for his gentle demeanor and calm disposition was about to reveal a darker side to himself. Tim was a skilled fighter. He knew his way in the cage as well as on the battlefield. But the moves he used in the wrestling ring were nothing compared to the ones he reserved for creeps that messed with his family. Shelly was gone. Tim would not let this injustice slide. He knew Preston and the Devils had something to do with it, and now, with 37 of them on his tail along with Prescott Anderson, himself, Tim was ready to let the beast in him come uncaged. It really is the quiet ones that you have to watch out for.

  Gunnar Rhoades led the pack as they tore up Monument Avenue right on the rear bumper of Randy’s truck. There were bullet holes riddled in the glossy paint job.

  The men of Oakeley made room as Randy’s truck careened through the crowd with Tim and Colt inside. The gap immediately closed, keeping the Devils out. Gunnar revved his motor as he laughed at the crowd. The other Devils followed suit, glaring at the townspeople, ready for a battle. The Devils didn’t care about the town. It was a matter of taking back a territory they once ruled… and they didn’t care who got hurt in the process.

  “What have we got here… A bunch of school boys, ranchers and roid ragers blocking the way…” Gunnar said facetiously. “Is there a toll to pay.”

  “You’re not getting in. You’re not welcome,” Randy said calmly.

  “Oh, look. It’s Anger Management Ford… Here to get your ass beat?” Gunnar asked, as a few of his brothers in arms laughed behind him.

  “Get the name right, Rhoades. My name is Randy fucking Ford and you’re about to get your ass handed to you.”

  “Right. Have they taken your license away yet after you crashed into our HQ?”

  “Nope, they even let me take a wrecking ball to it,” Randy said with a smirk.

  Gunnar’s blood boiled as he glared at Randy.

  “And for the record, I don’t have an anger management problem. I have a problem with assholes like you showing your smug faces ‘round here. C’mere. Let me fix your face for you,” Randy threatened.

  Gunnar revved his engine again as the rest of the Devils arrived behind him. Tim and Colt emerged from the sea of men and stood beside Randy. In a voice that everyone could hear, Colt shouted out, “This ain’t your town anymore! Cross it… cross me… and I’ll give you a one-way ticket to hell. Don’t worry. My father will welcome you when you arrive!”

  The Devils screamed in anger at Colt but he did not hold their attention long.

  Bang! Bang! Crash!

  Someone had opened fire upon the two vans that were approaching the town line. One of the vans swerved into the brick wall of the Pembroke Bank. No one emerged from the vehicle.

  Bang! Bang! Boom!

  The second van erupted into flames as a shot gun blast hit the engine. Colt watched in confusing as a figure emerged from the smoke and fire.

  “Holy. Fucking Shit!” Randy yelled as Shawn Hall emerged from the wreckage with a shot gun in his hands and a look of pure fury on his face. He shot again, taking down Doc Marone, and again, taking out Rex Lynch, blowing a hole through his belly. Finally, he approached a white Lexus parked on the side of the road. Whipping the door open he yanked Preston Anderson out of the car.

  “Go!” Shawn yelled, his voice raw and his eyes wild.

  Tim emerged from the crowd with a cold look in his eyes. Not wasting a second, he marched right up to Preston’s and glared in his eyes. Tim gripped Preston’s suit collar and pulled him close to his face.

  “You killed my Shelly.”

  Anderson cowered away from Tim’s gaze, surprised at the malice he found there.

  Tim went on, “She never hurt a soul, and you beat her and shot her and left her like a heap of garbage.”

  Preston continued to stare, not saying a word.

  “Admit it!!!!!” Tim screamed. “At least be man enough to tell me what the fuck you did!”

  In a muted voice, Preston replied, “Yeah, I did it. Y’all had it coming.”

  Tim turned on his heel, clenching Preston’s silk shirt. He dragged him behind him, bringing him to the front of the crowd.

  “Get him Tim, or I will,” Colt warned.

  Danny stared at his sister’s killer with such pain he could barely contain himself.

  “You have poor choice of leaders, Devils!” Tim shouted as he made Preston face the crowd.

  Gunnar’s lip snarled but Randy shoved his gun in his face.

  Tim brought his mouth close to Preston’s ear and whis
pered, “When you get to hell, tell Black Horse we won!”

  In a movement as quick as lightning, Tim snapped Preston’s neck as the man fell to the ground in a thud. Everyone was silent and still for a moment… it wouldn’t last.

  Fists flew, ranks broke and all hell broke loose on Monument Avenue. The townsmen still held the line refusing to let the Devils through. Chuck Spina and Sam Blackstone pulled a gun on Colt, but as soon as they did, they were dead on the spot. Two shots fired from a second floor window of Colt’s gym. Colt looked up to find Averi hanging out the window with her rifle. Though the thought that Averi could get hurt horrified Colt, he couldn’t help but laugh. He loved that she didn’t need a hero. Sal Salitrio, Mitch Cox, and Beau Bixby had Randy attempted to corner Randy. They hadn’t seen Jax kneeling right behind his back.

  Jax and Randy muttered under their breath, “3…2….1…GO!”

  Pop! Pop! Pop!

  Three Devils fell to the ground.

  Michael Riley and Gage Strickley fought to break the town line. Andy Parker, an old friend of Colt and Randy’s, fell to the ground with a bullet hole between his eyes. Michael Malloy and Kyle Polk attempted to go up against Tim, but it was short lived. Kyle Polk swiped at Tim’s chest with a crude blade but missed. Michael Malloy meanwhile took a shot at Tim’s head, but Tim veered at the right moment. Tim took Michael Malloy out with a vicious sucker punch. He laid on the ground unconscious. Kyle Polk cowered away in fear but found himself face to face with Shawn Hall.

  Pop! Pop!

  Two more down.

  Harold Grisham, father of Dave Grisham, Cheyenne’s horrid step-father, spotted Cheyenne in the upstairs window and pointed a pistol towards her head. With his tongue sliding over his chapped lips, Harold aimed, but not before receiving a lethal blow to the back of his head from Randy’s Louisville slugger…. Quite similar to how he had to take care of his son, many years ago.

  “You fucker’s don’t learn! Don’t mess with my girl! Shit!” Randy vented as the old man fell to the ground.

  Six Devils were all that remained when the whirr of a police car showed up. When Officer Jennings emerged from the vehicle, Colt screamed at him. “It’s about fucking time you showed up!”

  “How did you know they would show up?”

  “Did you really think they were breaking out of prison to go on vacation? They had a score to settle. You wanna do something about those six? Or do I have to do that, too?”

  But before Jennings even had to move a muscle, a prison bus arrived. In all, 17 of the townsmen that came to fight, were killed. Thirty-one Devils dropped along with their source on the outside, Preston Anderson. The remaining six had been badly injured and Colt didn’t believe they posed much of a threat. All of the Devils that were in the vans perished in the crash and fire.

  As the prison officials stepped off the bus, they collected the remaining Devils and peered around looking for one other escapee. Shawn.

  “Where’s Hall?”

  “Who?” Colt asked.

  “Shawn Hall.”

  “I didn’t see him,” Colt said with a smirk.

  The official barked into his radio, “Hall’s still on the run. Keep an eye out.”

  As the bus pulled off, and the cops dealt with the mess on Monument Avenue, Colt McClain, Randy Ford, Danny Carmichael, Jax Carter and Tim Ford huddled together, relieved, proud and satisfied that Oakeley was finally safe.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The Aftermath

  With the threat over in Oakeley, everyone returned to Hall Ranch, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Baby Matthew had slept through the entire ordeal. When the fight was over, Colt couldn’t help himself. He ran up two flights of steps and pulled his wife into a kiss that rivaled in intensity to their first kiss so long ago. If it wasn’t for her, he’d be dead. Once again, Averi reminded the world that a woman scorned should never be underestimated. Scooping Matthew and all of their belongings up, everyone returned to Hall Ranch, relishing in the quiet that the country provided.

  The following morning, Cheyenne woke Randy early and they rode in Averi’s car, since Randy’s was still riddled with bullets and Cheyenne’s car was still parked at the hospital from the day prior. They had something very important that they had to take care of. Without hesitation or regret, Randy and Cheyenne filed a petition for emergency custody of Samantha Rae Ford, and much to Cheyenne’s surprise, Randy insisted that they initiate the adoption as well. The petition for emergency custody was granted and was advised that Samantha could be put on Randy’s medical plan as soon as the adoption went through.

  Directly after the courthouse visit, Randy and Cheyenne drove to the hospital to visit Samantha. They were relieved to discover that Samantha was no longer being treated for jaundice and they had removed some of the wires from her. Her skin appeared pinker, too. Nurse Ann appeared happy to see Randy and Cheyenne and informed them that if all went well, Samantha would be able to come home with them in a week’s time.

  Shelly Carmichael was buried the following Tuesday. Tim, Averi, Colt and Danny pulled their money together to have a private and intimate celebration of her life. The day gutted everyone, but none more so than Tim. After the funeral, he retreated to his bedroom and didn’t come out for two days straight.

  “Mail’s here,” Averi announced to Colt as she placed the stack of letters and bills on the kitchen table. He plucked a few off the top and started sorting through.

  “Bills… bills. Always bills,” Colt complained, but then he stumbled upon something interesting.

  “What’s that?”

  “A letter… There’s no return address,” Colt admitted. Averi’s eyes lit up.

  “Read it to me,” Averi said as her heart began to race.

  “It’s Shawn. He’s in Minnesota with Paul and Tessa.”

  “Oh, thank Christ,” Averi said in a breath of relief.

  “Holy shit, man…” Colt said in surprise. Tim had just arrived in the doorway. His skin was pale and he had terrible circles under his eyes. “I didn’t think you were going to come out…”

  Tim didn’t respond to Colt’s comment, but instead met eyes with his sister.

  “I’ve decided to reenlist. To get my mind off things. I’m shipping out to Fort Campbell in three weeks.”

  Averi’s chair skidded out as she rushed to her brother. Pulling on his neck, she brought him down to her level and whispered something in his ear, to which Tim replied with a nod.

  “It’s for the best, Averi. I need to have a purpose and without her, I have no real path here.”

  “What about the ring?”

  “The circuit will always be there. I’d rather put my skills to better use, and serve my country. I think that’s something she could be proud of.”

  Averi smiled, “Shelly would be having a fit right about now.” Averi continued, “But now you’ve got a guardian angel watching out for you,” Averi said somberly.

  Tim smiled as he gave his sister a kiss on her cheek.

  “I’ll add her to my collection.”

  On March 1st, Hall Ranch earned itself a new resident when Samantha Rae was discharged from the hospital. Averi went a little crazy the day before she came home and purchased a new crib, a bouncer seat, an entire wardrobe and enough diapers and wipes to last at least six months. Randy and Cheyenne drove home from the hospital alone, and Averi and Colt decided to stay home with Matthew and make a celebratory dinner. Watching Averi, you would have thought that she was the one bringing home a new baby. As Cheyenne’s car pulled up the driveway, Averi stood in the doorway with Matthew on her hip as she bounced up and down in excitement.

  “You have a new cousin, Mattie!”

  Cheyenne held the door open for Randy and he lifted the car seat from the back seat. Quickly, he brought Samantha in from the chill. Upon first glance, Averi could immediately see how much the child resembled Cheyenne. She had tufts of dark brown waves and as she opened her eyes, she revealed irises colored stormy grey. Averi had a
hunch that with time, they would turn bright blue like Cheyenne’s.

  Kneeling down, Averi smiled at her niece.

  “Hello there, Miss Samantha Rae… I have a feeling we are going to be good friends,” Averi cooed.

  Samantha squirmed in her car seat as a yawn escaped her tiny mouth. Matthew reached out to reach his cousin, tugging her pink blanket from her legs. Averi smiled up at her brother Randy and winked at him, before she gave him a kiss on his cheek.

  “Adulthood… It looks good on you.”

  Randy didn’t even bother defending himself, instead he buried his hands in his pockets and laughed as he followed his family out to the kitchen.

  As everyone sat down to their meal, Colt spoke up, “We have a little announcement to make.”

  “Oh?” Randy asked with a mouth full of meatloaf.

  Cheyenne gave her sister-in-law an excited look.

  “Baby number two arrives in August,” Averi said with a smile.

  “Shut up!” Cheyenne yelled.

  “What? Why?!” Averi said with a laugh.

  “I wasn’t going to say anything yet. I literally just found out,” Cheyenne hinted as she gave a smile to Randy. “But we’re expecting, too. It’s very early. I’m only five weeks.”

  “Oh, my God…” Colt said with wide eyes. “A little Randy?!”

  Randy laughed, “This kid is going to be awesome.”

  Tim shipped out on March 17 to Fort Campbell, Kentucky for training. Everyone was in agreement that it was the best thing possible for him. He was a military man at heart, and this would keep his mind off of Shelly and on the road ahead. And although, in the quiet moments at night, when he was alone with his thoughts, Tim’s mind wandered to Shelly, he knew in his heart that he had avenged her. He missed her. He loved her. But he would love again. He owed it to himself, to learn how to live in the moment.

  A lifelong pressure had been removed from Colt McClain’s shoulders. He could now walk into a restaurant with his wife and son and not worry about the stares he received. Now it was “Hello, Mr. McClain. Thank you McClain. How do you do, Mr. McClain.” Word had spread fast about what Colt, Randy, Tim and the others had done to protect the town – and protect Oakeley they did. Not a single Devil crossed into Oakeley that day. Randy Ford decided that he had enough with the lackluster law enforcement in Oakeley and decided to pick up a badge of his own. He finishes the academy in twelve weeks. Averi, who tried to talk him out of his newest endeavor, continues to pray for him to control his anger management problems. Randy still insists that he has no such dilemma.