by Cheree Alsop
I ran a hand down my face. “I wasn’t thinking when I followed him into the warehouse. They were ready for me.”
He glanced at me. “Now they’re all arrested?”
I nodded. “Whoever’s behind the copycats and drug runs is going to be really shorthanded. Can you help me keep an ear out if he’s asking for help?” I hesitated, debating whether to tell him. He had been my partner, and I trusted him with my life. There should be no secrets between us. “I have the FBI looking into Martin.”
“Carrison?” he asked in surprise.
“Yeah.” I fell silent, then said, “He knows who I am, and his family is connected in Sparrow.”
Magnum nodded, following my train of thought. “If he or any of his family is behind this, it makes sense that they would try to run you out first before attempting to kill you. They might have gotten desperate. But why would he write an article like that?”
I set a hand on the motorcycle. “I’m not sure.” My fingers clenched into a fist. “But whoever’s behind it has a vendetta against me, and my family won’t be safe until they’re stopped for good.”
“My family’s on the line too. I’ll help you any way I can.”
“Thanks, man,” I said. I watched Magnum climb onto the motorcycle. He ran a hand down the scratched side as if I had injured his prized horse. I knew how he felt. “I’ll fix it,” I promised.
He smiled as he pulled on his helmet. “I know you will.”
I watched him drive back up the road. It was evening, time to feed animals and prepare for dinner. It always felt strange to me how life returned to normal so quickly after events like the one in the warehouse. My nerves were still off. Thoughts of the warehouse door closing behind me and the armed men stepping from the shadows made my insides quake, yet it was time to pitch hay to the Holsteins, water the horses, and help Aunt Lauren pull weeds in the small garden near the chicken coop.
I leaned against the porch swing and allowed myself to just be for a moment. I closed my eyes. A few early crickets had started chirping along the outside of the henhouse, completely unaware of the listening ears within wishing they could feast on the unsuspecting meal. A slight breeze rustled the grass near my feet, then rushed through the fields of alfalfa. The sway of the plants sounded like the ocean, and for a moment, I was homesick for California.
Zoey and I used to lie on the beach that had been near our house before Dad left and we had to sell it and move to the apartment. There was the perfect time just before sunset at pretty much the same hour where I stood in the Ashbys’ yard. Sunlight was just fading from the sand, so it was still warm in the little nooks we dug for ourselves. We would watch the sun set as though it was sinking into the ocean, the waves of light dancing upon the water as if it were on fire.
My heart stuttered. I opened my eyes. Madelyn was standing there, her head cocked slightly to the side and a smile dancing on her lips. The same breeze caught in her brown hair, lifting it where it hung loose down her back.
“Are you really here?” I asked. It was a stupid question, but given my current mental state, a valid one.
She laughed, the light, happy sound that took any of the constraints from my heart and freed it completely. “Of course I’m here. Your aunt invited me to dinner.” Her brows pulled together slightly. “Is that okay?”
I nodded. “More than okay. I needed to see you tonight.”
“I needed to see you,” she replied. She threw her arms around my neck and held me tight.
I reveled in the warmth of her embrace, the way her vanilla scent grounded me. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“What happened?” Madelyn asked.
I looked down at her without speaking.
She gave me a searching look. “Whenever you have that expression, you’re lost inside yourself. Whatever happened when you chased that copycat must have been worse than your aunt said.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “Find me, Kelson. I’ll be your rock.”
The quaking of my insides slowed. I took her hand and led her to the swing. She sat down beside me without a word, waiting for me to speak. I appreciated her silence; she knew me better than I knew myself. I pulled her close to me and she leaned her head on my shoulder. Her nearness stabilized me.
“I didn’t tell them everything,” I said quietly.
Madelyn nodded as if she had guessed as much.
“If it wasn’t for the FBI, I wouldn’t be here right now,” I admitted.
She was silent for a few minutes, processing my words. When she finally spoke, it wasn’t accusing or worried, merely her curiosity. “How long have you been working with the FBI?”
I loved that she accepted what I told her and that it was enough for her—reliving it while telling the FBI had been plenty for me. “I met with Agent Devereaux on Saturday. I knew we needed help with the copycats and hoped if I was on their side, they might give me a break.”
She smiled up at me. “You’re still here, so I guess that’s a good sign.”
I couldn’t help myself. The joy that lived in her gaze and the warmth of her smile won over my self-control. I leaned down and kissed her soundly on the lips. Her taste, the touch of her hand on my cheek, and her scent chased away all of my thoughts.
“Time for dinner.”
I jerked back in surprise and looked over to see Cole standing two feet away with an innocent expression on his face.
“Uh, thanks,” I told him.
He continued to wait.
I sighed and looked at Madelyn.
“We should probably go with him,” she said with a laugh.
I climbed to my feet and helped her up. Cole ran happily ahead, flung the screen door open, and disappeared inside.
“I got ‘em, Mom,” we heard him say when he reached the kitchen. “They were making out on the swing.”
“Thank you, dear,” Aunt Lauren replied.
Mom and Cassidy laughed.
“Making out is a normal thing,” Jaren said, his voice solemn as we reached the mud-room. “It means they are pleased with their relationship.”
“Ew,” Cole said. “You called it a relationship.”
“That’s what it is,” Jaren replied.
I rolled my eyes at Madelyn. She laughed and took my hand. We walked into the kitchen with smiles on our faces.
MY NEW PHONE RANG as I was getting ready for bed. Sheriff Bowley’s name appeared on the screen.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Kelson, good news,” the sheriff said. “With the help of our new mutual friends, we tracked down the lab.”
My heart jumped. “You did? What did you find?”
“A couple of workers who are being questioned. No head honcho, but we’re getting closer. We took a lot of drugs from the lab. He’ll have to start over completely now.”
“Maybe it won’t be worth it to him,” I said. “Maybe with the police and FBI breathing down his neck, he’ll leave Sparrow for good.”
“We can hope,” the sheriff replied. I could tell by his tone that he was smiling. “Keep me posted if you hear anything otherwise.”
“Will do,” I replied. I hung up, and a smile spread across my face at the news. I dialed Magnum’s number.
“Someone needs to get you a clock,” he grumbled into the phone.
I glanced at the cow skull clock over the fireplace. “It’s barely midnight. Since when are you asleep so early?”
“Since I’m trying to be responsible,” he muttered.
“Speaking of responsible, guess what the police found?”
“What?” I could hear Magnum’s interest pique.
“They found the lab, Magnum.”
“What?” he exclaimed. “Seriously?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “The sheriff said whoever is behind the drug production is going to have to start completely over if he wants to stay in Sparrow.”
“Maybe he’ll leave,” Magnum said.
“That’s what I’m hoping,” I replied. “At least we’ll
sleep better hoping that our guy will have other things on his mind besides arson.”
“Sounds good to me. Night, Kel.”
“Good night, Magnum,” I replied. I breathed out a sigh of relief and settled back on my pillow. Things were definitely looking better for the near future.
“HE IS SO CUTE!” Madelyn exclaimed.
I couldn’t help the smile that ran across my face at the sound of her voice. Mom noticed and smiled back at me. I stepped over the small panels that made up Trouble’s pen at the Spring Festival. Around us, baby goats maa’d and sheep bleated in the small petting zoo portion of the outdoor livestock exhibit.
“We thought so,” I told her. “Mom figured he was so sweet, other kids would like to pet him and maybe feed him a bottle.”
“He’s hungry now,” Mom said.
Madelyn and I laughed at the sight of Trouble sucking on a corner of Mom’s shirt. Mom removed it from his mouth with some difficulty, then made a face at the slimy cloth.
“I have another shirt in the truck,” Aunt Lauren said as she strode past with another of her prized chickens in a small cage. She winked at Madelyn. “I learned long ago never to go to a livestock fair without a change of clothes.”
“It sounds like there’s a story to go along with that,” Madelyn said.
Aunt Lauren nodded. “Oh, there is. It involves a sick sheep, and it’s the reason we don’t raise lambs anymore.”
“Are you telling her the sheep story?” Uncle Rick asked, pausing next to us. He saw the chicken cage in his wife’s arms and his eyes widened. “You shouldn’t be carrying that,” he scolded. “The signs are light; take them and let me handle the cages.” He took it from her and carried it to the rest of the chicken cages along the wall.
Aunt Lauren hurried after him to make sure her hens were well positioned.
“You two go get some food,” Mom suggested. “I’ll feed Trouble.”
“I’d love to help,” Madelyn offered.
Mom’s face lit up. “I’ll get the bottle and bring it right back. Hold on a sec.” She climbed the panels and rushed toward Uncle Rick’s truck.
“I think she likes you,” I told Madelyn.
“I hope so,” she replied. At my curious look, she smiled. “I really like her.”
I pulled her close in a hug.
Mom returned with the bag of powdered milk and the enormous bottle she had already filled with water.
“Kel, can you show Maddy how to mix it? I’ve got to find Lauren’s shirt.”
“No problem,” I told her.
I crouched next to the bag and withdrew a plastic cup filled with powdered milk.
“It smells kind of good,” Madelyn said.
I nodded. “Kind of. Except when Cole spills one of the milk jugs from the fridge and fills it up with this instead.” I grimaced. “It doesn’t taste the same, especially with cereal.”
“I’ll bet,” she replied with a laugh.
I put my hand over the round opening of the bottle, turned it sideways, and proceeded to shake it until all of the powdered milk was dissolved in the water. I then wiped my hand on my pants as Madelyn slid the rubber nipple onto the bottle.
“All set.” She slid the bottle through the panels.
“Wait a minute!” I said. I showed her how to hold the rubber nipple. “Trouble sometimes pulls so hard that he takes the nipple right off and the milk spills all over the ground.” I positioned her hand beneath the bottle. “If you hold it like this, you’ll get some slobber on your fingers, but at least he won’t pull it off.”
She laughed when Trouble latched onto the bottle and eagerly began to drink. “His tail’s wagging,” she pointed out.
I grinned at the sight of Trouble’s black tail waving back and forth while he drank. Madelyn rubbed the little calf’s head as she fed him. “His hair is so curly.”
“I know. It’s even curlier since Mom gave him a bath.” I laughed at her look. “She wanted him to look handsome for the festival.”
“He really does,” Madelyn said.
Mom came up wearing a blue shirt that said “Farmers are in it for the long haul” and showed a picture of a tractor with a plow behind it.
“He does what?” Mom asked.
“She says Trouble looks handsome,” I told her.
Her pleased smile made Madelyn smile back. “I used Lauren’s shampoo so he would smell better.”
“I heard that!” Aunt Lauren said as she carried several signs with the chickens’ breeds and ages on them. “I can’t believe you wasted it on a cow.”
“Not just any cow,” Mom pointed out. Her sister rolled her eyes and continued past. “She just moody because she’s pregnant,” Mom said in an undertone.
“I heard that!” Aunt Lauren called over her shoulder.
Madelyn and I both laughed.
“Here they are,” Cassidy said.
We looked over to see her lead Magnum to the corral. “Hey, guys,” Magnum said. He leaned closer to me. “Can I talk to you a sec?”
I looked at Madelyn. “We’re good here,” she said.
Mom smiled at me. “Girl bonding time. Go do whatever you guys need to.”
I followed Magnum away from the others.
“We’ve got to head over to Snipe’s,” he said in an undertone.
“What’s up?” I asked in surprise.
“I don’t know,” he replied with a shake of his head. “She texted me and said it was urgent, and to bring you along.”
He looked at me as if trying to figure out why she would ask for me. I shook my head. “I don’t know anything about it.”
He reached the bike. “Is this all we have?”
I shook my head. “No way I’m doing that again. I’ll get my mom’s keys.”
A few minutes later, we were heading to Snipe’s in Mom’s green Volkswagen.
“This isn’t much better than the bike,” Magnum pointed out. He was trying to adjust the air conditioner, but it had long ago refused to blow out air except at the feet.
“We’ve finally gotten the town to stop laughing at the picture of us with that truck driver. We don’t need anything else taking its place,” I replied.
“Except Martin’s not writing for the Bulletin anymore,” Magnum said. He was quiet for a few minutes, then continued, “I kind of miss reading his articles. They were interesting.”
“He definitely had his own style,” I replied. I tried to feel bad for not working harder to get him back on the paper, but if my suspicions were right, the Black Rider would be a lot better off this way.
We pulled into Snipe’s driveway. She stormed out the second we arrived.
“About time you got here. I sent you the text a half hour ago,” she said in a huff. Her purple hair was mussed and her eyes were red as though she had been crying.
“What’s going on?” Magnum asked without apologizing.
She looked around. “Not here,” she said. She grabbed our arms and pulled both of us into the garage.
Magnum rubbed his arm when she let it go. “Geesh. Didn’t think I was coming here to get manhandled.”
“Woman-handled,” Snipe corrected. “And don’t be a baby.”
“If we were still the Bullets . . .” Magnum warned.
“We’re not,” she snapped. “Thanks to you.”
Magnum held up his hands. “Sorry. I didn’t realize everyone was so disappointed.”
A shadow of sorrow touched her gaze. “Well, you picked us up and made us a gang again after Kyle died, then ditched us for no apparent reason.” The sorrow disappeared and she speared me with a look. “I suppose you’re the reason.”
“I, uh,” I stammered, surprised.
She rolled her eyes. “My dad is on your so-called ‘Black Rider Task Force,’” she said, using air quotes.
“They call themselves that?” Magnum replied with a loud laugh.
“The whole world knows who I am,” I muttered.
Snipe shook her head. “Not everyone. You
r task force is very concerned with keeping your secret.” She gave Magnum a knowing look. “I only got it out of him by beating him at a game of darts.”
“Snipe’s killer at darts,” Magnum replied needlessly.
She shook her head. “Lisa. My name is Lisa. We’re not Bullets anymore.”
I sighed inwardly at the argument that ensued. Apparently, my secret was safe as long as nobody beat Lisa’s dad at darts. I held up a hand, interrupting their debate.
“Lisa, why did you call us here?”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest as if protecting herself. “There’s going to be a drop at the Spring Festival.”
My heart fell.
Magnum’s brow furrowed. “I thought the police found the lab. How does he have any drugs left?”
She shrugged. “It looks as though whoever is behind it has a contract to keep. He probably had drugs stashed before they found his place. You know what happens when agreements aren’t met. These guys don’t play around. He has to keep the drop.”
Magnum glanced at me. “How do we know it’s not a trap?”
She followed his gaze. “They made no mention of you being there. I think they’re hoping you won’t be.”
“Who told you about the drop?”
She lowered her gaze. “Van. He’s the one doing the drop, and he wanted backup. They’re desperate, with all the riders you’ve taken out. They threatened my family.” Her lower lip quivered slightly before she bit it. She met my eyes. “You’ve got to stop this. It’s gone too far. I just want it all to be over, but I can’t move on until we get to the end of this. Make it stop.”
I touched her arm. “It’ll be okay.”
She nodded without looking up.
I looked at Magnum and nodded my head toward the car.
“We’ll go, Sni—uh, Lisa,” he told her. “Don’t worry. We’ll make sure your family’s safe.”
“Thank you,” she replied.
When we left the garage, she called, “Kelson?”
I looked back. “Yes?”
“Be careful,” she said. “You’ve really messed up their plans. They’ll be gunning for you if they see you.”
