by Kara Hart
“I bet this house was beautiful growing up.” She said. “It’s so charming when you look past all the decay.”
“Yeah, I s’ppose it was.” I said, reminiscing a bit. “But there was a lot that was wrong with it all. Come here. I’ll show you my old room.”
We walked past the hallway where our family pictures hung for all to see. Now the walls were empty and depressing. Age had taken their glory away from them. At the end of the hall, we came to a door. “Is this it?” she asked me, gripping my hand tighter. I nodded my head and pushed it open.
“I haven’t been here in over a decade. It’s so close, but there’s a lot I wanted to block out. Now that I’ve met you, I’ve got this strange feelin’, like I should share some of those memories with you. I don’t really understand it myself, but I have to believe it means somethin’.”
In the center of the room was a small chest. We walked over to it. “What’s in it?” Hope asked, as I hunched over the box, unlatching it.
I opened it and immediately, a handful of spiders came out. “SHIT!” I screamed nearly falling over. Hope started laughing hilariously. I looked up angrily, but suddenly found myself laughing with her.
“I’m sorry, I can’t help it! You’re not scared of a gun pointed at your face, but you’re scared of a few spiders?!” she covered her mouth, still laughing.
“You never know when a black widow might bite you!” I laughed. I reached inside the dusty old chest and the contents inside. “Just some pictures of me growing up.” I said. “Old memories I had forgotten about.”
I gave her the bunch. “Wow!” She whispered. “Little baby Avery.” The top picture was my mother holding me when I was born.
“That’s Ma.” I said. “She was an angel.”
“What happened to her? Where is she now?” she asked.
“Cancer got her. Spread to her lungs quick. I was just a boy, but I remember it like it was yesterday. Well soon after that, we buried her and thought we’d continue on living. It was just my dad and I at that point. But he was a bit of a dead beat, of course, so he left me pretty quick after that. Left me to rot, that son of a bitch.”
“My God, Avery. I’m so sorry.” she said. That was all she could say at that point. When something that heavy is revealed to you, the best you can do is give your regards and hope for the best. She, however, knelt down next to me and put her hand on my upper back. The warmth she gave me at that moment was unexplainable. But it was something good. Something right from heaven above.
“It’s all okay now.” I lied. Truth was, I still carried a lot of pain from back then. But you gotta move on and become an adult sooner or later. “For a while it was just me. I’d wake up and hit the streets, begging for money or food, or cigarettes. Anything to keep me from feeling the pain. I found out about whisky at age 10 and I took to that too. Eventually, Bruce walked by me.”
“What happened?” she asked. “He took you in?”
“Well, not at first. First, he’d just sit and talk to me outside the building. He’d give me cigarettes and we’d smoke together and talk about life. You see, he didn’t have an easy life either. None of Courage did. So he empathized with me, showed me a little love. Then, little by little, he gave me more. He gave me money, a home, and a family to rely on. He gave me everything, Hope.”
I watched as she flipped through the pictures. There was the picture of me and my mom, my father right before he left me, and a picture of Bruce helping me aim a gun. Last in the pile was a picture of three boys. “Who’s that?” She asked me.
“That’s Bruce’s son Adam, Luke, and I. We used to be a tight little crew.” I said. “Adam’s a little younger than us, so we were sort of his older brothers in a way. Man, I miss those times. Makes me feel weird to think about, you know? Once Rust told me about your situation, I felt like we had some sort of common bond. I thought you were some prissy little privileged girl, but it turns out you lived a rough life too. You just got that one lucky break. In a way, I did too.”
“Bruce has been good to you, Avery. I think he’s proud of you. I think he thinks of you more of a son than Adam.” she said, running her hands through my hair.
“Yeah, well…” I trailed off and looked into Hope’s eyes. “I just hope I can make him proud, ya know?”
“You will.” she said. That was all she had to say. I grabbed her by her hips and pulled her close to me, feeling her incredible body and warmth against mine. I leaned in and kissed her. It was a kiss that lasted forever, a kiss that made you feel like you were on top of the world. I was a bad boy criminal, a good for nothing loner. And yet, she made me feel like I was the king of the fucking world.
“I like you a lot, Hope.” I said.
“I like you too.” she whispered. We both couldn’t help but smile. Shit, we had to. The next few days were going to be rough.
“Can I keep these?” she asked. “I’ll understand if I can’t.”
“Go ahead. They’ll have more meaning if you hold onto them. They’re just collecting dust in here. This roof’ll probably collapse in a year or so. They’d be destroyed otherwise.” I wiped the dust off my jeans and grabbed her hand, leading her back out the front door.
“Avery?” she asked me.
“Yeah, darlin’?” We had been in there for so long that night had fallen. The full moon’s light was shining through a window, illuminating every single one of our steps. These moments would be engrained in my head forever.
“Promise to never leave me? Even if you’re shot. Promise that you’ll stay by my side?”
“I’m too quick to get shot.” I lied. Truth was, I had been shot about five times already. I was reckless then. Now I had people who depended on me.
She scowled at my answer. “I’m not joking, Avery. Promise me.”
“I promise. Even if I get shot. Even if Bobby Farole takes all my teeth, I promise I’ll never leave your side.” I kissed her head. She smelled of roses and perfume. God, it was a good smell.
“If Bobby Farole takes all your teeth, I might have to reconsider.” she started cracking up again. “Sorry, I just can’t imagine you without teeth!”
We spent our time walking home that night. There wasn’t any rush. Heavy things were coming our way now and I needed to know there was somethin’ real in the world. I got my answer in the form of a beautiful woman. But there was always the threat penetrating the veil of happiness. In the distance somewhere, Bobby, Angelo, and Luke were plotting. They were infiltrating the ranks, waiting to bring me down.
22
Hope
I loved him. I admit it! I loved him. From the first moment I met his drunken ass in that bar, I knew he was something else. Sure, I thought he was a loser at first. But now that I’ve gotten to know him, I’ve seen just how special he really is.
The only problem was that I had to meet with Bobby Farole tonight and I was not happy about it. “Look, if shit hits the fan, I’ll come in there myself and kill him.” he assured me. “Baby, it’s gonna’ be okay, I promise you.”
“But how do you know, Avery? How can you be sure?” I cried. “Please don’t make me do this. Please!”
Bruce was with Avery, smoking and watching. Avery sighed and gave me that million-dollar smile. “I’ll never make you do anything you don’t want to do. If you say the word, I’ll leave this place right now with you. Just say the word.”
He was trying to be sweet and selfless, but I couldn’t let him do that. “No. We can’t just give up. If you leave, they’ll find us someday. You need to fix things, Avery. You need to be the leader of the Courage MC. I believe in you.”
He looked at me and smiled. “Alright. Then we gotta do this right. I don't want you with him too long. Just be there long enough for us to plant the drugs in his garage. Sound good?”
I nodded. “Don't leave me in there, Avery.”
Bruce took the cigarette out of his mouth and said, “Do you see this guy? Do you think he would ever put you in harm’s way without a good p
lan?”
“He's right. If you need it, I'll create a distraction so you can run out. We’ll have a car waiting outside for you.” Avery said.
“What if he's not at the bar?” I asked.
“He will be. He's there every night. It's practically his home.” Avery assured me. “Listen, I know you're worried, but things are going to be fine. You're going to come out of this fine. I promise you that.”
“We should get Angelo to help. We’ll need all of our best men on this job.” Bruce said.
Avery shook his head. “No. We tell no one. This one we do together.”
Bruce extended his hand, “Okie-dokie, boss.” he said jokingly. “We’ll see how well this plays out.”
Avery turned to me and pulled out a small bag of white powder. “The drugs. This is some good cocaine. When he offers you some, don't accept it. If I know Bobby, he won't give a damn about sharing. Remember the mace. If things go bad, you press that button immediately and Bruce and I will come in with guns blazing.” He took in a deep breath and held me close. “You ready?” he asked.
No, of course I wasn't. But the time had come for me to come through. “I'm ready. Well, as ready as I'll ever be.”
Avery looked at Bruce and nodded, as if to say “It’s go time.” The men grabbed their things and together we headed out the door.
* * *
They dropped me off at the bar and left in a hurry. I adjusted my shirts and crop top and put my hair in a ponytail. My heart was beating rapidly. This is it, Hope. Who would have thought you'd be spending time with one of America’s most ruthless killers, huh? I wasn't excited about it, but at the same time knew it had to be done. After this, I thought, it would be smooth sailing. Avery would get Bruce to take out Angelo and Luke and all of this would be over. Right?
When I walked through the doors to the bar, Bobby was already there, waiting for me. He was, oddly enough, alone this time.
“There's my pretty little flower.” he said as I sat down in a booth with him.
I smiled cheerfully. “Here I am. Where's your posse?”
“I told them to back off for the night. I wanted some alone time with ya.” He licked his lips as saliva sprayed out from his mouth onto his chin.
The music was playing loudly from a jukebox in the corner. “You disgust me.” I whispered, looking away.
“What was that honey? Can't hear you over the music.” he said.
“I asked if you trusted me.” I said, looking as innocent as I could.
“Sure. I trust ya.” His gaze had fallen to my breasts. I grabbed his warm and clammy hands and pushed out my chest further for him.
“Well how about we go into the bathroom and have a little fun?” I held out the bag of cocaine. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw it.
“For me? Why the fuck not?” he laughed, nearly ripping the bag out of my hands. He pushed me into a back room where he held out a line of cocaine for me. “Come on, baby. Live a little!” he yelled, white powder spilling out of his left nostril.
“No thanks. I got it for you.” I said turning my head.
“Aw, such an innocent little flower. Of course you don’t want any. How could I offer such a sweet girl horrible things like this?” he smiled and cut out three more lines, all for himself. He was truly repulsive – a maddening glutton.
I looked at my watch. It had been 20 minutes since I had been here. They would probably need 30 more minutes just to be safe. Come on, Avery. Please hurry. I thought to myself.
“DRINKS!” he yelled out suddenly. “We need lots of drinks! We’re gonna have some much fun tonight, little one. I bet you haven’t been with a man like me before, have you?”
“I have not. It’s turning me on just thinking about it.” I lied. Oh, Avery. Where are you?
“Yeah, baby. I bet it is. No doubt about that. Plenty of women would kill to be with a man like me.” His face was turning red and he was beginning to talk too fast for me to even keep up. “Oh, shit! This is some good stuff, baby. Where’d you get it?” he let out a loud sniff and wiped his nose.
“I met a guy.” I said, placing my hand in his lap.
“What guy? Come on, I know all of ‘em, baby. Tell me.” His hand wrapped around my wrist tightly.
“Bobby, let’s not talk. Let’s have some fun.” I whispered. My breath was short and I felt like my lungs were constricted. I wanted to run away, but there was no escaping his grasp. A glance to my right showed me that my purse was on the table, a few feet in front of me. There was no way I’d be able to grab the “pepper spray” in time.
“What’s wrong? Do I scare ya?” he laughed, grabbing my other wrist.
“No,” I struggled, “I just want to spend some time with you.” Tears were forming in my eyes.
“We’re spendin’ time together, alright. Are you crying? I love it when they cry.” his laugh was deep and hoarse.
“Please!” I begged. “Let me go and I’ll give you whatever you want. I promise!”
This only made him laugh louder. “So you’ll give me Avery?” My eyes widened and I gasped out of shock. No. It can’t be. How did he know?
“You don’t think I know who you are, do you? Hope Lawrence, the singer? My men told me last night. They said it would be easy to get you.” he smiled. “And now that I have you, we can have some real fun.”
“NO!” I kicked and screamed. He simply held me at bay. His body was at least four times the size of mine and his strength was something akin to a bull. I was no match for him.
“Shut up and stop screaming!” he said sternly. When I didn’t adhere to his demands, he grabbed a piece of tape and placed it over my mouth. “That’ll shut you up. Come with me, baby. We’re going on a little ride.”
He picked me up and pushed me out the back of the bar, throwing me into a truck. My purse was still in the bar. Whatever hope I had in that room, was now lost forever.
23
Avery
“So what do you have to tell me that I don’t already know?” Bruce suddenly said. We were in an unmarked van, headed towards Bobby’s house.
“What’re you talking about?” I asked him, though I already knew.
“Avery, when you’ve been the boss for over two decades, you start to pick up on things pretty damn fast. It’s Angelo isn’t it?” He was staring straight ahead as the barren landscape passed us by.
“I’m sorry, Bruce.” I whispered, loading the ammo into our guns.
“It ain’t no thing. I’ve known it all along. Not about Angelo or Luke, per say. But I knew somethin’ was brewin’. Our crew is startin’ to crumble from within, Avery. You're the only one I can trust now, boy.” I nodded.
“I saw it coming too. I just didn't know it would be this widespread. Nothing’s crumbling, Bruce. This is just the beginning for us. Once this is all over, we’re gonna’ make this crew great again.” I clicked in the clip and cocked the piece back. There's nothing like the sound of a loaded gun.
In the distance was Bobby’s house. It was a hell of a place and looked like it had been left and taken over by rats and possibly the homeless population. How anyone lived there was beyond me, but Bobby was different than most bikers.
We pulled off to the side and dimmed the headlights. It was just about time to do the job. My palms were sweating. “There's a chance that Angelo or Luke will be waiting for us. You ready?” I asked Bruce, tossing a pistol into his hands
“If I see anyone, they're dead. Those who turn their backs on the Courage MC don't deserve a decent life.” I couldn't help but agree. He grabbed a semi automatic rifle and strapped it to his back.
I nodded in silent agreement and opened my door quietly. “Alright. Let's do this. Be on the lookout for anyone on the premises. He’ll most likely have some bodyguards we’ll have to take out. Silent and swift. Remember that.”
Bruce laughed. “Haven't done this kind of thing in a while. God damn, it's a rush. Let's move!” We began running quietly against the desert air. For a moment, time seemed
to slow down. This was it. Time to frame Bobby Farole. Our men would kill him in prison, I'd make sure of it.
I felt myself turn a small amount worried. Hope. It had been about 30 minutes and there had been no signal from her. I was hopin’ this was a good sign. But if something were to happen to her, I'd be the one to kill the son of a bitch who hurt her. It would be my pleasure.
We turned the corner and ran up to the side of the house. Bruce motioned for me to go through the back gate. I unlatched the thing and opened it, aiming my guns in front of me. In the yard were two men. I motioned for Bruce to wait. I rolled on the silencer and took them out with two shots to the head. “Bastards.” I whispered, moving forward.
There was more of them, that I was sure of. I carefully glanced in the back window and noticed another bodyguard to the right and another to the left. I ducked down and whispered to Bruce, “Two more, 8 and 3 o'clock. You take the one to the left and I'll get the one on the right. Alright. 3, 2, 1. Move in.” I slid the door open carefully and rolled across the floor, Bruce right behind me. In an instant, both men fell dead from the impact of our shots.
For a second, I sat in the corner of the room, listening for movement. There was nothing. Assuming we were now all clear, I moved through the trash inside and found myself face to face with the door to his garage. “This is it.” I said to Bruce. But all of a sudden, I felt the cool, hard metal of the barrel of a gun press against my cheek.
“Freeze, motherfuckers.” the voice said. I strained my eyes to see who was holding the damn gun. “Put the fucking guns down!” the man demanded.
“Don't do it Bruce. I'd rather die than give my pistol to this son of a bitch.” The man slammed his gun across my face. I fell against the door. It was one of Bobby’s henchmen. Fuck.
“If you don't put down your guns, you're both fucking dead!” he shouted. “Now give me your weapons!”
