by Debra Kayn
"I hotwired Peggy's car. I left it parked down the road a bit out of sight. Gordon's an asshole and wasn't even looking for someone tailing him. I found out where he'd stopped and kept going, then backtracked on foot." Carl cracked his knuckles.
"Jesus Christ," muttered Mel.
Raelyn was never going to marry him knowing her brother could've lost his life. He sucked his lips over her teeth. The situation went from serious to fucking unpredictable.
"How many men are inside?" he asked.
"Just that Gordon guy."
"And, he's trigger happy." Mel exhaled loudly. "Okay, let's get you back where you're not going to get yourself killed. Can you run on that leg?"
"Fuck yeah." Carl grinned.
To be young and stupid again. Mel motioned to the trees. "When I wave, run out and arch back to that spot in the trees with the boulder in front of it. Keep your head down. I'll follow and cover you."
He moved closer to the rock pile until he had a view of the weigh station. There was no movement from the outside. He waved his hand, watched for any changes and when none came, he sprinted across the area, following Carl's path.
Halfway to cover, he watched Battery reach out from behind a tree and drag Carl behind the trunk of a tree. Twenty feet from the tree line a gun blast echoed in the gravel pit right before Mel's upper body pitched forward, upsetting his balance.
The ground came up.
He went down.
Chapter Thirty Two
Bree followed Raelyn to the kitchen and back into the living room without saying a word. Raelyn stopped pacing. The hovering from everyone in the room only made the situation worse.
Mel hadn't called, texted, or came back from saving Peggy and Carl.
Two hours ago, she'd started to worry. Not worry so much as sick to her stomach, ready to shake everyone camped out in her apartment, and go look for Mel herself.
"What time is it, mom?" Dukie turned on the television.
The added noise from the tv scratched every raw nerve in her body. She stepped over and took the control from him and shut the tv off. "Almost time for cartoons. How about you watch them in your room, so the adults can talk?"
"Yes." Dukie pumped the air, racing out of the living room.
She followed him and found the channel he enjoyed watching, turned the sound on low, and left him alone. His show came on in fifteen minutes. In fifteen minutes, they'd need to leave for the courthouse if they planned to make it to the courthouse in time.
She walked out to the hallway and leaned against the wall, glad for a moment alone. If Mel were hurt or worse, they wouldn't be able to get married. She'd lose him. She'd be alone. Heartbroken. Lost. Devastated.
Bree walked into the hallway. "Come on, honey. LeWorth brought you up a drink from downstairs. I want you to sit down and relax."
"I can't relax until he's home and Carl and Peggy are back." Raelyn let Bree lead her to the couch.
Grandma June placed a tumbler of whiskey in Raelyn's hand. "Drink up."
"I don't want any alcohol," said Raelyn.
"Don't argue with your grandmother." Grandma June nudged Raelyn's arm. "You'll go to hell, and that's no place to go."
She drank without thinking. No one had to tell her that she'd already lived through the horror of waiting for her husband to come home and instead she'd been taken to the clubhouse, only to see for herself that she was a widow.
She was thinking about that day when her world stood still, and she had careened off the side into nothing, and so was everyone else in the room. It was a subject none of them could afford to ignore.
The beginning theme song from Dukie's cartoon drifted into the room. Raelyn inhaled deeply. Her desire to wed Mel by the Justice of Peace ended. He wasn't home in time.
She sniffed. "I'm fine. Everyone can stop staring at me. I'm not going to fall apart because we won't be getting married today like we'd planned. Mel will return. He's just late. You know how the bikers like to talk. He's probably having a beer at the clubhouse, or he took Carl to the deli at the store to get a sandwich. My brother is probably hungry. He can eat a lot..."
"I'm sorry, honey." Her mom leaned over the back of the couch and kissed Raelyn's cheek. "You can reschedule. Make that man work his magic when he gets home and get you to the courthouse tomorrow."
She nodded, though not because she wanted to get her hopes up again, but to ease the worry for her mom. While her mom lived life without the normal responsibilities that people accepted naturally as they went through different stages of their life, her mom worried more about Carl than she showed others. There'd been tears in her mom's eyes when she thought nobody was looking and even prayers as she moved her lips silently with her eyes closed.
Grandma June pushed herself off the couch and walked with her cane to Raelyn's mom. The two women hugged.
Used to taking over when her mom failed to step up, Raelyn found herself unable to assure her mom of Carl's safety and instead found comfort in having her mom and Grandma June close. Today, they fell into their true roles as mother and daughter, and Grandma June stepped up for both of them.
Chapter Thirty Three
The gun blasts stopped. Mel lifted his head off the ground and found Battery motioning him forward. He pushed off the ground and sprinted for the trees, arriving out of breath.
Bent over holding his knees, Mel lifted his head and looked at his MC brothers. "I'm going to kill the son of a bitch. I've missed getting Raelyn to the courthouse, and those shots were too fucking close."
"I thought he plugged your ass when you went down." Rod leaned against the shelter of the tree.
Mel straightened. "You and me both, brother. I caught the toe of my boot on a fucking branch when I heard the first shot."
"Gordon shoots easily at Carl and you. Imagine what's he's done to Peggy," said Battery, quietly. "We're going to have to go in now and ambush him. He'll be too busy trying to take one of us out to turn on Peggy."
"Risky, Prez." Rod's jaw tightened.
"There's a woman in there." Mel stretched his back. "A woman that's associated with Ronacks. She comes first."
"Agreed," said Battery.
Rod nodded. "All in."
Mel looked at Carl. "Do you know how to shoot a pistol?"
"Fuck, yeah." Carl stepped forward, and Mel recognized the excitement in his eyes because he'd seen the same light in Raelyn when Dukie achieved a milestone.
Mel took off the gun at his ankle and handed it to Carl. "The safety is off. There's a bullet in the chamber, ready to shoot. You have seven shots after the first one. Make sure each one counts. Keep the barrel pointed at the weigh station and do not pull the trigger until you see and hear Gordon shoot."
"Yeah, I got this." Carl looked Mel right in the eyes. "I'll cover you. My sister needs you to come back to her."
Mel swallowed. He'd never forget his job of making sure Raelyn was taken care of, but Ronacks pledge came first. "You protect Battery, and that'll protect Rod and me. I'll get back to your sister."
Carl's gaze intensified. "Okay."
Mel turned around and studied the weigh station. "I'll take the middle. If you get a clear shot from the left or right, take it, and I'll go in and face what's waiting inside. We'll have the building surrounded with the three of us because the rear of the building backs the mountain. Battery, you go first, then Rod. I'll be five paces behind you both."
"Count of three." Battery moved up to the tree line. "One, two, three..."
One after another, they ran out into the open. Mel kept his gaze on the weigh station while keeping his MC brothers in his peripheral vision. The only person in direct sight from the building, Mel's whole focus remained on any movement in front of him. That's the only reason why he'd seen the barrel of a rifle coming around the corner of the building before the blast echoed in the gravel pit.
Mel ducked while running. "Battery, down!"
Another gunshot sounded. Mel raised his pistol and added more chaos to the si
tuation. He sprinted to the front of the weigh station, unloading the rest of his shots. In the reprieve of exchanges, he peeked around the corner and found Gordon's rifle laying on the ground. He held up his fist, holding the others off from shooting, and scanned the area.
Battery lay on the ground, elbows propped in front of him, holding his pistol. Rod kneeled behind a boulder, holding up his hand. Mel scanned the trees, unable to spot Carl. "Damnit," he muttered.
Raelyn's brother had returned the first shot from behind Mel. After that, he'd lost Carl in the exchange of bullets. Mel removed the extra loaded clip and put it in his pistol. There were too many shots fired between everyone, he couldn't be sure when Carl stopped shooting.
A whistle came from the right. Mel scanned the bottom of the rock pile and caught an avalanche of gravel cascading down the side of the hillside. He looked up and found Carl standing at the top.
"What the fuck?" He studied Carl's position and followed the kid's line of vision to the back of the building. "I'll be damned," he muttered.
Carl had ignored his order and found a safe spot that gave him the perfect position to take out Gordon at the back of the building. Mel looked down the side of the weigh station. Knowing Carl had him covered, he rounded the corner, keeping his pistol out in front of him in case Carl's earlier shot only injured Gordon.
He kicked the rifle away from the building. Putting pressure on the trigger, he stepped behind the building prepared to shoot.
Nate Gordon laid on the ground with blood soaking the front of his flannel shirt. Mel moved to the side of the man, squatted, and felt for a pulse.
Nothing.
He dropped his chin to his chest. Whether Carl asked for it or not, he'd taken the life of another. At eighteen years old, it was a hell of a burden placed on him.
"It's clear," he shouted, straightening.
Not waiting for the others, he stepped into the open doorway of the weigh station and found Peggy. Tied up, sitting on the floor, Peggy moaned getting his attention. He hurried to her side and took out the knife at his hip. Cutting off the bandana tied around her head and holding her mouth open, he looked into her eyes.
"You're safe now. You're going to be okay." He pulled off the material. "Where are you hurt?"
Peggy worked her jaw and moaned. "All over, but I'm okay."
He pulled her forward and cut the binding holding her arms behind her. "We'll get you out of here in a few minutes."
Battery walked into the room. "Peggy?"
"Here. She's okay." Mel rubbed Peggy's arm. "You stay seated here, while we clean up."
"I don't think I can get up." Peggy let her head fall back against the wall.
"Hey." Ron stepped into the room. "Everything okay?"
"All counted for." Battery crossed his arms and gazed at Mel intently. "Why don't you two go out and see if Carl can kick down some rocks and get a slide going to cover what happened here."
Understanding the need to hide Gordon's body and keep what happened today away from the interest of the authorities, Mel left with Rod and dragged the dead body to the base of the gravel pile. Stepping back, he smacked Rod's shoulder. "Let's give him some room."
"Carl thought ahead and made a smart move." Rod harrumphed. "Although the kid has no idea what his decision to kill a man will do to him. He needs to know Ronacks business stays within the club if he doesn't want to see his ass in prison."
"I'll make him understand." Mel waved his hand above his head getting Carl's attention and shouted. "See if you can get some rocks moving, Carl. Make it big."
Carl turned sideways and kicked at the rocks. Each time, a handful of rocks peppered down the hill. Mel glanced at Rod. At the rate they were going, it'd take hours for them to bury the body.
"Hey, Slick?" Rod pointed at his feet. "Try jumping."
Mel snorted. "Slick?"
"You've got to admit, the kid is smooth. He looks like he's been used as a punching bag, got shot in the leg, and still managed to take down Gordon from a location we never considered because we're not young and fearless." Rod scratched his beard. "What's the chance Gordon has a shovel in the trunk of that car over there?"
A small sedan was parked behind the gravel pile. The license plate from Indiana, marking it a rental.
"When have we ever been that lucky?" Mel stepped back at the loud rumble of rocks.
The rockslide picked up momentum. Carl continued jumping each time a new edge appeared on the pile. Mel watched the body of Nate Gordon disappear underneath the rough-cut gravel. One more body covered and buried because of dealings with Ronacks Motorcycle Club.
At least he was going back to Raelyn. That's all that mattered.
After a few more minutes, Mel motioned for Carl to come down off the gravel. When the kid reached the bottom of the hill, Mel slapped his hand on the back of Carl's neck and walked him to the weigh station.
Outside the doorway, Mel stopped him. "It's time to talk, and that means you don't keep anything secret. Battery doesn't accept anything less from anyone. He'll ask you a question, and you answer without any hesitation. If he finds out you're holding back, it's not hard to get more gravel to come off the hill and bury your body."
Carl narrowed his gaze and stayed silent. Mel pushed him into the room and then stepped inside and held his position blocking the door.
"Peggy told me that Nate Gordon has been running illegal betting during sport's night at the bar and forcing her to hold on to the money." Battery stroked his beard. "It's been going on for the last six months."
Mel looked at Peggy. He'd been there running security the whole time. There was no fucking way he'd miss illegal betting going on in front of his nose.
"After the game ended, Gordon would pick up the money from Brady outside at the grill. The men would bet again on the next game, and give the money to Brady and he'd carry it to Peggy for safe keeping until it was time for payout." Battery raised his gaze to Mel. "It was originally Brady's setup, and when Peggy caught him and Gordon, things got ugly. Gordon threatened to come back and hurt Raelyn and her son if she refused to hold on to the cash or told 'the bikers'. It was his way not to get caught by the Feds by making Peggy the banker. If caught, he planned to point fingers at Peggy and Brady."
Mel ground his teeth together and looked at Peggy. Tears welled up in Peggy's eyes. He could've taken care of the problem instantly if she had come to him.
"I'm sorry." Peggy sniffed. "I couldn't let anything happen to that sweet boy and his momma. They've been kinder to me than anyone has in my lifetime. Raelyn has taken care of me..."
Mel held up his hand. No one, not even a close employee, could excuse putting Raelyn and Dukie in danger. "Go on."
Peggy nodded. "I thought I'd do it for a week or two and he'd go away. But, Gordon became more demanding, and each time more money came into play. It wasn't only the customers that came to watch the game at the bar who were betting. Gordon brought in money from his coworkers and friends from the outside. When I realized I was in over my head, I kept the money when Nate asked for it the following game. I thought if he believed I was messing with his profits, he'd stop forcing me to be a part of everything."
"What did he do when he couldn't get the money?" asked Battery.
"He started making a scene at the bar, and to get him out of there, I gave him the key to my apartment and told him to get his stupid money. I planned to take the time he was away from the bar to tell you, but Raelyn had so much going on with her family showing up and moving in, I didn't have a chance to say anything. I didn't know how to tell you I screwed up."
"That's the night I overheard Gordon threaten to kill Peggy if she refused to hand over the money." Carl hooked his hands in the front pocket of his jeans. "I decided to follow Gordon to find out what was going on, and he ended up breaking into what I found out later was Peggy's apartment."
"You were there?" muttered Mel, putting two and two together. "That's how you got mud all over your shoes."
"Yeah, th
e grass was a mess at the apartments, and then the cops came, all the bikers, and I was trying not to get caught." Carl shrugged. "I didn't know anyone. I thought maybe everyone was in on the deal."
"Did it enter your head to tell someone what you overheard and seen?" Mel crossed his arms.
Carl shook his head. "Not my business. I thought they were stealing money from my sister and I take care of my family. She needed the job of managing the bar. That's all I cared about."
"Was it you who kept Nate away from my apartment when he tried to break in?" Peggy shifted to her side and held up her hand. "Someone, help me up."
Rod lifted her off the floor and held on to her until she found her balance. Mel glanced at Battery. He couldn't read his president's face.
Carl rocked back and forth on his feet. "I snuck up behind him and grabbed the envelope out of his back pocket when he was prying at your door. I wasn't fast enough to outrun his truck, and he caught me behind the store and beat the shit out of me. I guess he figured I was just a nosey kid and believed he taught me a lesson. But, he forgot to take his money back."
Battery looked at Mel. He nodded. That'd been the cash he'd taken off the kid and handed over to the club.
"So, the message painted on the wall at the bar was to you, because Gordon realized you still had the money?" asked Mel.
"Yeah." Carl rubbed the back of his neck. "That's when I realized Gordon wasn't playing around. He must've figured out I was living at the bar and he was looking for me."
Mel fisted his hands. The bar was property of Ronacks. A safe place for Raelyn and Dukie, and the whole time not only Brady and Peggy breached the security he ran, but Carl also had.
"A couple days later, I overheard Gordon and one of his buddies at the coffee shop planning on scaring Peggy more. Then, Gordon planned to split the money, ripping off the others who he owed money to, and skip town. I let all the air out of his truck tires and then hung out at the bar that day to keep him away. Mel and a few more of the bikers were around, and Gordon hadn't come in, so I took off to go look for him and see if he decided to run without the picking up the cash, and that's when I almost got ran over, and the car crashed into the bar."
