Tattered & Torn

by A. J. Downey

  I slammed the lid on those thoughts and took some deep even breaths. Disney’s arm tightened around me and his hand smoothed up and down the shoulder of Ghost’s hooded sweatshirt. I tucked my nose into the front and breathed my man’s smell in. It calmed me, comforted me and I liked that it could. We all watched the show but to glance at any of us women should have been enough to tell you that our thoughts and even some of our prayers were back with our men who were out there doing who knew what...

  I just wanted him to come back in one piece. In fact, I wanted him to come back in one piece so bad that if he did, I swore to myself and to God that I would move my shit into his place, no questions asked. Just as long as he came back to me without a scratch on him. Yeah. That is exactly what I would do. Now here was to hoping I didn’t just jinx him in the worst kind of way.

  Chapter 22

  Ghost…

  The drive out to the rendezvous point took a while but there was a reason for that. We didn’t want our crazy and sometimes very illegal dealings anywhere near the house. I rode in the back seat of Trigger and Ashton’s rig, while Reaver sang poorly and intentionally off key to some country music up front. It was one of my favorite songs and the son of a bitch was mangling the lyrics to boot. Trigger was laughing his ass off as they made fun, I was pretty sure at my expense, but I didn’t care. When you were heading into heavy shit, you tended to laugh at anything. It was a coping mechanism for a lot of guys.

  “Jesus H. Christ you sing pretty! You sing so god damned pretty it’s making me hard,” I said and Trigger lost his shit. Reaver did too.

  “Sorry bro, I don’t swing that way!” he said, but mission accomplished he’d stopped warbling like a half mangled cat.

  Trigger made the turn off onto the gravel and dirt lane leading back onto the random property out in the boonies. I don’t think any of us had been out here since the deal with Ashton’s douchebag ex. I caught Trig’s ghostly silver eyes looking at me in the rearview. I locked eyes with him and nodded once. Steady. Rock solid. We had each other’s backs and God fucking help anybody who got in our way. By the time we pulled up outside the big old corrugated steel building, Dray was rolling back the big bay door. Trig threw it in park and we all bailed out.

  “What the fuck, over? You didn’t say it was a fucking ramp truck!” I cried. I looked at the big, red Chevy, that shit, must have come out of the 80’s. The bed of the truck a giant silver flatbed ramp. This complicated things.

  “Why? Is that bad for what we want to do?” Reaver asked and was bouncing on the balls of his feet.

  “More chains, more hook ups… to get the damned car up the ramp requires I drag it and that shit takes time. The longer we’re at this the longer we make a target of ourselves,” I scratched my head and thought about it.

  “Ah shit, what the hell! This whole thing is pretty fucking half assed and stupid. I don’t suppose it makes too damned much difference. So this is how this is going to go...” I was the one with tow experience, I made the rules on this. We could do it but we had to do it fast and sacrifice some safety in order to do it. I was okay with that and so were the guys. I laid out what I needed from them in excruciating detail.

  While I spoke, Trig handed out body armor. I took off my hooded sweatshirt and strapped into the vest, knocking into the plate over my heart. My knuckles clacked hollowly against it and I nodded. It was the hardcore ballistics shit. Meant to stop a bullet cold. Still would hurt like a fucking bitch if I got hit, but I wasn’t planning on getting hit. I had a beautiful woman I wanted to go home to.

  Once we were all agreed on what was what, and were finished laughing our asses off, I got up into the driver’s seat and began the process of starting the old diesel engine up. I turned the key Dray gave me and waited for the glow plug to tell me the ol’ girl was ready before I threw the key the rest of the way over and started her up. She may have been an old truck, and not much to look at from the outside, but she was kept in fine working order. She fired right up. It was a tight squeeze, with me Reave and Trig in the cab and fuck no there wasn’t any room for Lucky, but that crazy bastard straight up said not to worry about it. That he was happy to ride on back. I pulled down the lane and Trig’s radio squawked to life.

  “Let us know when you have the package Big Man. We’ll be waiting for your call,” Dray said.

  “Copy that, VP,” Trig grinned in the dark and Reaver bounced between us in his seat like some kind of little kid.

  “This is gonna be fun!” he crowed, his assessment was punctuated by Lucky out the back.

  “Woo Hoo!” came the rowdy cry and the elevated mood was infectious. I just had to laugh.

  We got real quiet when we rumbled up the street where Griz lived. “You guys sure about this? I mean this is breaking all kinds of codes we live by and we don’t live by many.”

  “I know how you feel man, it’s weird as fuck going to one of their homes but he started this shit the minute he had our women watched. They played dirty first and all we’re doing is boosting his fucking car. We’re not touching the house or any of his family that might be inside.” Reaver clapped me on the shoulder, his icy blue eyes cold and colder still where they shone in the dark.

  “There it is,” Trigger pointed. It was a big fucking beast of a land yacht and parked perfectly for us, in the street outside the driveway which contained the man’s first love. His motorcycle.

  “He made it easy for me,” I said and piloted the big truck into place in front of the car, gauging how much room I’d need for the ramp. I threw it in park and Reaver scooted over into the driver’s seat as I dropped to the ground outside the cab. I pulled on my gloves. Lucky leapt off the back of the ramp and went for the car, Trig covered my ass, sighting down his arm over the hood of the truck at the house. Watching for any movement. I heard the spray from a can of paint as I put the ramp into motion. Lucky was free handing something on the side of Grizzly’s car. I rolled my eyes. At least he was out of the way.

  The truck operated smoothly. I just hoped that wherever Grizz was in the house, he was far enough away not to hear what we were up to. I did my job, moving quickly and efficiently.

  “Lucky!” I whisper-shouted, “Stop fuckin’ around with arts n’ crafts and get the winch!” he scrambled up the ramp and I started rolling out the winch to get the car up the ramp. He kept it from making any noise and soon enough I had him at the controls while I was on the ground up under the old Caddie.

  I got it hooked up and rolled out of the way and spun my arm. Lucky flipped the lever I’d showed him and the massive old car began to lumber up the ramp, the tires making a god awful squealing where they dragged over the aluminum ramp bed.

  “Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck,” I heard Trigger hiss when the sound started and I couldn’t agree with him more. I took over the controls while Lucky got to work getting whatever explosive rig he had ready to hook up to the car. The fucking ramp truck’s controls were on the driver’s side, just behind the cab and the driver’s side happened to be the side the house was on so if douche pickle came out guns blazing my ass was straight in the line of fire.

  We were about half way up the ramp when the god damned barking started. I heard Reaver giggle like a fucking ninny from the open driver’s window and I damn near shat myself when I heard the loud boom of a voice from the house.

  “Shut up! Fucking dog!” punctuated by an animal’s frightened cry, or cry of pain. I scowled and Lucky’s expression echoed my own. It was a tense couple of moments waiting to see if the man would look out the window or come out front for anything but we were fortunate so far and that luck held. He either went back to whatever he was doing inside the house or remained in the back. Just about a foot more…

  Success! Phase one basically completed, I started the ramp back down into the flat position, the old truck groaning with some protest at the sheer size of the load it was undertaking. Lucky hoisted himself onto the ramp as soon as it was in a position where he wouldn’t slide right off and Trig handed him
an old canvas carpet bag. I didn’t know and I didn’t want to know what he was up to I just wanted to get this up and get going. Adrenaline was fizzing through my veins, making me feel light and shaky and as soon as I realized it I put a lid on that shit.

  I swallowed hard and the ramp clicked home. I hoisted myself up and over the side and lay flat, rapping twice on the back of the cab. Reaver threw the truck into gear and had it in motion before Trig could even shut the passenger side door. Reave drove through the neighborhood and out and as soon as we were about a mile away, rolled to a stop. I jumped down and retook my place behind the wheel.

  “That was way too fucking easy,” I gasped and threw the switch to get the heat going. Trigger grinned savagely in the dark.

  “Why do you think I wanted Lucky?”

  “Never figured you for superstition,” I sniffed, proud of myself for leaving off the ‘sir’ this time.

  “I wasn’t ‘til I met that fucking fool,” he said and Reaver chortled.

  “Dude you remember that time, after we got clean that we ran some of the shit for Dragon and Lucky laid his bike on fucking purpose?”

  “How could I fucking forget it? We’re being chased by this fucking rival gang and Lucky, he fucking whips it around and goes at them like he’s playing fucking chicken, right?”

  “This mother fucker lays his bike and is skidding along after it along the big slab,” Reaver says.

  “Shit you not, he turned his fucking bike into a bomb. Timed it just perfect. He’s sliding and his bike goes up under this fucking fancy ass Hummer they’re chasing us in,” Trig paused and Reaver picks right up where he left off.

  “Yeah and Lucky, he stands up like it ain’t nothin’! His bike goes skidding along and goes up under this damn thing and fucking explodes and he goes loping off into the woods on the side of the highway. It was like something out of a James Bond movie!”

  I stared out the windshield and tried processing what the fuck these guys were saying, finally I spoke, “You guys are pulling my leg!” I said incredulously. There wasn’t any fucking way that this had happened but I believed Trig, and was suddenly real grateful for my choice of words when Reaver sniffed and said:

  “You’re right, we are.”

  “Man fuck you guys,” I said plaintively and they both started to howl. Trigger got on the radio.

  “VP this is Big Man, you copy?”

  “Yeah Big Man, go ahead.”

  “Got the package, no complications, ETA 30 minutes, phase two.”

  “Copy that, Big Man we’re in position.”

  We rolled along in the deepening dark and the mood changed in the truck. We went from lighthearted stupidity to all business the closer we got to the Suicide King’s territory which had been part of ours. We’d pretty much conceded them being there out of the goodness of our hearts at one point. Somehow I got the impression that was about to change.

  The Suicide Kings holed up in an industrial park just over the county line in this sort of no man’s land where the sheriff of our county didn’t have jurisdiction but the sheriff of the next county didn’t want it and the city cops sure as fuck weren’t going to have nothin’ to do with it. It was actually a well thought out place to be for them but it wasn’t exactly a fully defensible position. Ours was a better set up for that.

  The Suicide Kings tried to make up for the lack of cover and the like by ringing their lot with a twelve foot, razor wire topped fence with only one usable driveway. It was good at keeping people out. They were about to find out that it was good at keeping people in too. The Suicide Kings had brought this fight to our door by blowing up Open Road Ink, we were about to sock it right back to them.

  I pulled up in front of the drive and slid out, Reave took up position in my place and while I started raising the ramp Lucky started releasing the chains holding the Caddie onto the bed. We had to move fucking fast.

  “Hey! What the fuck are you doing man!? Hey! Is that Griz’s car!?”

  Oh shit, I think our luck had just about run the fuck out.

  “Go! Go! Go! He went inside, hurry it the fuck up man!” Trigger said Lucky hit the last chain and smashed the window on the driver’s side. He leaned in while the ramp tilted ever so fucking slowly and I started to sweat a little. This crazy son of a bitch. He hotwired the fucking car in less than thirty seconds flat and put the fucker in neutral. The car started to roll and he yelled out,

  “Reaver, punch it!” I leapt up onto the runner board and hooked an arm through the open driver’s window. Reaver slammed the truck in gear and gave it some gas and it lurched forward. The ramp was up just enough, the Caddie rolled and careened off the back. Lucky ran back up to it and dove through the window to jerk the shifter into park and the passenger side door on the tow truck slammed. I looked in and Trigger was reaching across Reaver, he grabbed me and hauled me bodily into the truck. I kicked out against the door to slide in and connected with I think Lucky because I heard a sharp curse.

  A shot rang out and I fucking ducked and scrambled the rest of the way in but there wasn’t really any place for me to go!

  “Stop fucking squirming Ghost!” Reaver grated and I stilled half in his lap and half in Trig’s. My former CO was popping off shots out the passenger side window and I heard Lucky shout,

  “Reave I’m good!”

  Reaver put us in gear and we started moving, a heartbeat, then two and the whole fucking world lit up like a god damned Christmas tree when Lucky blew the fucking Caddie! We pulled through the maze of industrial parks and buildings until, satisfied we weren’t followed; we stopped so I could put the truck to rights before we drew any suspicion from anybody lurking. I backed out the driver’s side door and turned to look at Lucky who was laughing hysterically.

  “Did you see their fucking faces?” he demanded. I hadn’t but I could see his and I grimaced. He was bleeding pretty freely from a cut over his eye.

  “Shit man you all right?” I asked working the levers, putting the bed back down.

  “Yeah you fucking kicked me. ‘sallright though,” he shrugged grinning like a fool.

  Trig came around the front of the truck and pulled Lucky into the beams from the headlights. He was grinning like a fool too.

  “Didn’t exactly go according to plan, nice light show though,” he commented dryly looking at the gash. Then, “Meh you’re fine. Don’t even need Doc to look at it. Might get you some pussy though.” Trigger grinned.

  “Been a minute since I tapped anything, takin’ care of the ‘rents, Moira still coming around?” he asked.

  “Last I saw she was at the club,” Reaver said grinning.

  “Sweet, she’s got some good pussy,” I got the bed into place and stepped back.

  “We’re good,” I declared, “Where to?”

  “Rendezvous point,” Trig grunted. I nodded.

  “Hey Lucky, what’d you write on the side of the Caddie?” I asked before I climbed up into the cab. He grinned.

  “Eviction notice,” he said and I felt a savage grin of my own take over.

  “Nice,” I chuckled.

  We made it back to the rendezvous point and locked the ramp truck inside, what Trig assured me was a barn. Never saw a barn that looked like that but whatever blew his skirt up. We drove back to the club and went straight for the bar where Reaver poured us each a shot of cinnamon whiskey. Lucky raised his injured eyebrow.

  “You grow a cunt Reave?” he asked and Trig and I laughed.

  “No, it’s pretty good shit. I like it. Shut up and drink it asshole. Last time I pour you a drink,” we took the shots and Lucky looked around. There were a few guys sitting around drinking and talking and more than a couple of whores straddling laps and making out like teenagers.

  “Ouch! Lucky. Need me to have a look at that?” Cherry asked.

  “Naw bitch. You seen Moira?” he asked. Cherry’s face collapsed into a scowl.

  “Bathroom I think,” she tossed her long brown hair over her shoulder and walked away. T
he four of us exchanged looks and shrugged. Cherry was a bitch and no one particularly liked her because of it. She liked to instigate shit and didn’t always keep her attitude in check, like now.

  “Hey Cherry, last question, you know where about my Ol’ Lady’s at?” I asked.

  “I don’t fuckin’ know! Go look for her!” she snapped and that’s when Reaver leapt the bar, his eyes gone wintery and distant. He went up to Cherry who was at the pool table and seized her by the upper arm and hauled her to the front door.

  “Hey! Quit it!” she said.

  “You’re forgettin’ your place Darlin’ and I for one have kind of had it with you so I’m giving you a new one,” he said.

  “What!? What the fuck are you talking about?” she demanded.

  “You don’t disrespect a brother, you’re starting to get the impression your shit don’t stink, well it does and so now, off you go,” he shoved her out the club house front door and shut it in her face on whatever protest she was trying to make. Some of the guys around the tables watched the goings on with mild interest before turning back to whatever conversation was at hand.

  “I’m going to go find Shelly,” I said and Trig nodded.

  “I’ll come with you, she’s probably in the media room with the rest of the girls,” we trooped towards the back, the four of us. Lucky encountered Moira in the hall and the much younger girl smiled and cooed over his eyebrow and dragged him into the nearest bathroom with a medicine cabinet.

  We left them, Lucky sitting on the closed lid of the john, Moira straddling his lap and fussing over his minor injury. Trigger and Reaver chuckled and I felt the exact same sentiment clearly. There was something like an eighteen to twenty year age gap between those two but again, whatever blew their skirts up.

  The media room was dark and some fantasy show was playing on the big screen. Hayden and Ashton were huddled at one end of the couch under some blankets in a girl cuddle pile. Ashton was facing the television so we couldn’t see her face but when Hayden turned around and saw us, her eyes first lit on Reaver and relief flashed across her face but Trigger… Well he got twin green laser beams of heated fury leveled on him.