According to Sam, Dougie was James’ spotter. While on a fact-finding mission, they’d been made, and when they were going to the extraction point, Dougie and James had both been hurt. Only Dougie had died, while James had lived. Sam said that ever since, James hasn’t been acting the same.
I wasn’t sure if James would shoot his rifle, but I figured I would let the option be available if he decided to face his fear.
“When was the last time you shot your rifle?” I asked curiously, as he came to a stop outside the handgun range.
I hopped out and went to the back of the truck, waiting patiently for him to take in his surroundings, and then finally open the back hatch with his key.
“A few years.” He hesitated. “Four to be exact.”
Four years ago was when Dougie had died. And that broke my heart a little bit.
“Well, don’t laugh at my target shooting skills.” I said lightly, very aware that his mood was taking him down a dark path that I very much didn’t want him down.
“I’ll help you, honey.” He laughed lightly.
Five boxes of ammo, and a thirty-minute search of the immediate surrounding area for the copper casings later, James and I were standing beside his truck staring at the rifle range.
“We don’t have to do this.” I explained hesitantly.
“It’s okay, I’ve put this off long enough.”
With that bold statement, he grabbed the case to his rifle and walked up to the area where he could set up his rifle. He did so with swift adept movements. First came removing the rifle from the case. Then he checked the chamber, the safety, the scopes mount, and finally set up the bipod to where the rifle rested on the table.
Ejecting the magazine, he loaded the shells that Sam had handed me earlier with a hopeful smile, and replaced the magazine into the bottom of the gun. Gesturing to his earphones with his eyes, I reached forward and placed his pair he’d produced from under the seat in his truck over my ears, and stepped back to sit on the concrete bench that was directly behind him.
Since no one was in the rifle target area, he didn’t have to tell anyone that he was walking down range. Using a fancy handheld device, he took his staple gun and a target, and walked downrange. It took him what seemed like forever to walk, and walk until he was at his desired distance.
Once there, he pinned the target to the metal wire that was hanging across the range, and then walked back to me, licking his finger, and holding it in the air as he came back towards me. Seeing that he was in his zone, I stayed quiet, not asking the questions that were barely being held in, practically burning a hole to escape the confines of my mouth.
He took his time setting up, reading the handheld device, and then producing a pen and post-it from his pants. He wrote something down, looked at his scope, and adjusted it in some way that I couldn’t really see from my vantage point.
I was utterly flabbergasted by all that went into the process. The man was stunning when he was in his element.
Today, he was wearing dark washed jeans, brown mud-caked boots, and a fitted gray t-shirt that hugged his muscled torso to perfection. He had on a pair of blue Oakley’s that covered his expressive hazel eyes, and his beard, that just yesterday resembled a five o’clock shadow, now covered the lower half of his face with a scruffiness that only added to his sexiness.
Now, with his cheek snug against the stock of the rifle, his eye close to the scope, and his muscled shoulder cradling the butt of the massive gun expertly, I was sure I’d never seen anything sexier in this world. The man was the picture perfect example of a man.
His hand flicked up in a gesture of ready, and I held my breath, waiting for him to finally break through the barrier that he’d put up four long years ago.
Crack.
The sound of the rifle shot echoed through the tall Pine trees, and I let out the breath I’d been holding.
“That’s some damn fine shooting there, son.”
My heart leapt in my chest, and I turned sharply to find my father standing behind us. Although muffled, James’ curse didn’t escape my awareness.
“Hi, daddy.” I smiled.
***
James
“Mr. Mackenzie.” I nodded my head warily after switching the safety on my M21.
Silas Mackenzie was an intimidating figure. He was wearing jeans that had holes in the knees, a black t-shirt, and a flannel shirt that was hanging open. A small amount of leather peeked out every time the wind gusted. Which made me notice that he was covering the leather cut that was probably exactly the same as his sons had been last night.
I could make out a shoulder rig over his big burly shoulders as well, most likely hiding the same hand cannon I’d seen him sporting the last time I’d seen him. His hair was buzzed close to his scalp, but it did nothing to hide the silver lines of his hair. His beard was cropped close to his jaw, giving him a rugged appearance.
His arms were crossed closely across his chest, and he was looking at Shiloh with no short amount of love in his eyes. That look changed once his eyes turned from her to me at my greeting.
“I see you finally got back out here, boy. It’s good to know you haven’t lost the touch.” He said, nodding towards the range.
How he knew that I’d gotten a good shot, I didn’t know. From my naked eye, I could barely make out the bullet hole that ripped through the middle of the target. Directly in the center of the 0 at center mass. I could most certainly tell when I had my eye at the scope, but he didn’t have anything but his eyes. Although they were cold and calculating.
“Yeah,” I answered when I could think of nothing else to say.
“May I speak to you in private for a moment, James?” Silas asked.
I nodded in affirmation, and Silas’ sharp gaze turned pointedly in Shiloh’s direction.
“What, you want me to leave?” She asked in mock outrage.
“No, we’ll go.” Silas said with exasperation before turning to leave.
I gave Shiloh a raised eyebrow as I passed.
Once I’d passed her, I followed Silas in the direction of his bike that was parked at the end of the rifle-designated area.
“Hey, can I shoot your rifle?” Shiloh yelled towards my back.
“No!”
Both Silas and I yelled back in unison.
“That girl is curious, so we better make this quick or she’ll shoot it anyway.” Silas laughed.
I didn’t say anything, just waited for him to tell me what he needed.
After years of being friends with Sam, of hearing all the stories of how he’d suffered when he was younger, I didn’t know how to handle what I’d learned last night. Didn’t know how to proceed. Whether I should tell Sam what I’d learned. Whether I should tell Shiloh.
“Sebastian told me he informed you last night. I need to make sure you keep that shit quiet, or a lot more than just my life will be at stake.”
“I understand. Although, I’m not sure it’s conducive with having a life with your children.” I said carefully.
“You don’t think I don’t know that? Why do you think I’ve alienated myself from them? I’ve made sure that they’re not in my life for their safety, not mine. Do you think it doesn’t kill me? Fuck.” He hissed.
I winced at the despair I heard in his voice. “As an outsider to this, I can tell you that they’re grown adults, and they deserve to know.”
Silas’ fingers crossed and linked behind his head as he paced back and forth.
“They already hate me. There’s no reason to make it known to them. Them understanding the truth won’t change the fact that I ignored them their entire lives. Protected them, yes, but been there for them when they needed me? No. It’s too late.”
“It’s not too late for your grandchildren. Pru, Piper, and Phoebe are young. They don’t have a grandfather. They could really benefit from having one.” I explained.
“Yeah, I don’t think Sam is going let me
get near them, even after he hears why I’ve done the things that I have.”
“He may not at first, but, eventually, he’ll understand. He may not like it, but he’ll know that at that moment in time, that he wouldn’t have done anything differently.”
“Maybe,” he hesitated. “I have one last assignment that I’m working on, and then we’ll see.”
“I’m not keeping anything from them if they ask. I won’t just outright tell them. However, when they ask, and I know that they will, I’ll tell them everything I know.” I said carefully.
He nodded in understanding, and swung his leg over his ride. Starting it up, he was about to put it into gear when Shiloh cried out for him to wait.
He turned off the engine, and turned just in time to catch Shiloh as she threw herself into Silas’ arms.
Silas’ muffled, “Oomph.” Made me want to smile, but I held it in check when I caught the look of adoration that crossed over Silas’ face.
“I love you, daddy.” Shiloh whispered to him before leaving back the way she came.
“She knows.” He said with a disgusted sigh.
“Yep.”
“Watch over her. She’s going to open a big ass can of fucking worms if she doesn’t keep her nose out of my business. I can’t afford the distraction right now.” He growled.
I looked at him pointedly, and he sighed. “Yeah, yeah. I know. Just try your best.”
“Always.”
***
“When are you going to tell Sam?” She asked quietly.
“I’m not. Well, not yet. We’ll see if that changes in the future.” I sighed.
“Alright.” She agreed.
She agreed so nicely, that I knew Sam would know before the week was out. It just wasn’t sitting well with her. Her conscience wouldn’t let her keep this from him. Which I guess was for the best, because I was having doubts about telling him myself. Maybe it’d be better to come from his own sister, rather than his brother in law.
“Just wait till I’m not there to do it. I’d rather not have my ass kicked, if it’s all the same to you.” I said.
“Yes, sir.” She said, saluting me.
“What movie are we watching tonight?” I asked instead of confronting the sarcasm.
“Frozen.” She explained.
I grimaced. That was Janie’s favorite movie, and I watched it no less than twice a day.
“What if I don’t want to watch that?” I asked.
She laughed. “Well, I guess you’d have to take that up with your daughter. I promised her ice cream and Frozen yesterday if she’d give it a try at her mom’s. Since she did so well, I figure we owe it to her.”
Fuck. She was right. “Okay,” I relented. “There just better be beer.”
She snorted. “Yeah, well I’m gonna need something to drink, too. There’s only so many times I can tolerate it as well.”
Chapter 12
Ladies, wearing heels is not sexy if you walk like a newborn calf.
-Life Lesson
Shiloh
“Where do babies come from?” Janie asked the group as a whole.
We were eating dinner at McAlister’s Deli with all of the women. Cheyenne had her three kids and Janie, Payton had her daughter, Blaine had her son, Winter with her daughter, and Ember had her two as well. Cheyenne had called a meeting of the minds, and since this was the most kid friendly, we decided it was as good of a place as any.
“Uhhh, why do you ask, sweetie?” I asked into the shocked silence.
“Daddy was talking about missing his baby this morning when he was holding Cat. He kept rubbing his beard along her hair and telling Jack how much he missed his baby.” Janie said around a mouthful of macaroni.
My mind went down the dark road, and I kept thinking about what he could do with that beard. How it would feel with his bearded mouth running along the sensitive insides of my thighs. How it would feel to have his mouth on me... down there.
“Beards, sweetheart. Amazing beards.” I said wistfully.
It wasn’t until I heard the women all out laughing that I realized I’d said it aloud. “Whoops. Didn’t mean to tell you that.”
“Aunt Chey, Uncle Sam doesn’t have a beard. How do you have three babies with no beard?” Janie demanded.
“Well, honey,” she choked. “Uncle Sam has a beard every morning before he shaves it. Trust me on this.”
Conversation flowed, and I allowed myself to let it sink in that I was actually a part of this. Over the past two months, I’ve gotten to know these women fairly well, and I was honored to be a part of their tight-knit group.
I’ve also become very close to James and Janie. They are a huge part of my life, and each movie we watch, and night out we spend together, the happier I seem to be. It made me realize how a real family should feel like, and I envied James’ relationship with his little girl.
The more I thought about what I’d learned from James and my father, the more I’ve come to understand that I need to talk to Sam. Only, I don’t know what or how to go about doing so. I know he’ll be hurt, and we’ve just begun building a relationship of a sister and brother. I didn’t want to chance telling him and losing that building closeness. Although, I knew I didn’t really have a choice. It would have to be done, and I’d just have to hope that it didn’t hurt him.
“Cheyenne, would it be possible for me to speak with Sam later tonight? Without the kids?” I asked softly.
“Of course. All you ever have to do is come over and I’ll take the hellions on a walk or something.” She agreed quickly.
“Motherfucker!” Ember yelled, bringing the attention of not only our immediate table, but every table in the fucking restaurant to her face.
“What?” We asked in unison.
She threw her phone into the middle of the table, refusing to answer.
Since it was closest to me, I brought the phone closer and scanned the screen, anger simmering in my body at what I’d read.
Reading the anger on my face, Cheyenne slipped the phone from my grasp before reading it over herself.
My mind was racing. What could I do? Then I had an idea.
“Where are you going?” Cheyenne asked as I started hustling towards the door.
“To bail your brother out of jail.”
***
Although I hadn’t made many connections with the police department, I still had to deal with quite a few of them on a daily basis. It would take time for them to come to trust me, but one thing was for sure, 99.8 percent of the department did trust James.
However, they’d seen me being picked up by him, taken out on dates by him, and generally around town with him a lot over this past month. More than once, I’d been asked about James or Janie by a passing police officer. So when I showed up at the police department a little over twenty minutes after he’d been arrested, most of them were more than aware of who I was to him.
“Ms. Mackenzie.” A young officer nodded in greeting as I approached the front desk.
It took me a few moments, but finally I remembered. “Howard! How’re you doing today?”
He grinned. “Doing good. That woman we picked up last week was picked up on another warrant yesterday.”
A smile overtook my face. “That’s fantastic news!”
It was, too. That woman was a menace, and didn’t deserve to have the two beautiful children she had. Luckily, after a neighbor heard the mother yelling at her daughters at three A.M. the police were called. I was called shortly after that, and we made the decision to have the children placed into the temporary care of the girls’ paternal grandparents.
They’d found drugs and other paraphernalia in the home, as well as a half assed porn shoot going on in the back of the house, all the while the girls were cordoned off to a small laundry room. One of the girls, the two year old, had wandered out of her cubbyhole and walked into the middle of the amateur porn film that was being filmed.
After enduring tons of yelling, the neighbor had finally called the cops, fed up with the horrible language. The cops had been flabbergasted at what they’d seen, and Howard, in particular, had helped me straighten out the fiasco.
“Are you here to bail James out?” His disgust at the mere thought was very apparent.
“Yes,” I said hesitantly.
“I think that’s the biggest crock of bull I’ve ever heard. I can’t believe he was arrested on those charges.” He growled.
“Can you tell me what they were?” I asked cautiously.
He looked into my eyes for a few moments, searching them with cool cop eyes. Then, as if coming to a decision, he leaned forward over the desk and spoke.
“Detective Howell brought James in this afternoon. I’m not even sure how you heard about it yet, seeing as we’ve not released the information. Anyway, supposedly he caught him attempting to assault his ex-girlfriend. The girlfriend pressed charges saying that James tried to rape her last night.”
That. Fucking. Bitch.
“Take me to him. Is his lawyer in there with him?”
“Umm, apparently he asked not to have his lawyer.”
I looked at him pointedly. “Seriously, you really think he’s that stupid?”
“No. I thought...” He started to explain, but I interrupted him with a wave of my hand.
“You need to go in there and stop that interrogation. I’m going to make a call, and then you can take me in there.”
I made three phone calls. One to James’ lawyer, one to Sam, and one to my father. I just hoped they got here in time to stop the impending blowup that was a result from one officer’s careless actions.
***
“What’s going on here?” Todd bellowed so loud I could have sworn the flimsy old pains of the police station’s windows shook with the force.
Todd Masterson was an intimidating man. From what I’ve learned of him from James, he was a Hard Ass, with a capital H, and a capital A. A marine during the first year after 9/11, he’d taken his fair share of shit, and it looked like he was plain out of patience. Even now, in jeans and a t-shirt, the man oozed authority. When he stormed past me as I sat in the old rickety chairs in the front office, I just smiled, and waited.
Texas Tornado (Freebirds Book 5) Page 11
