I hold him close, realizing he’s pent up with emotions and Jameson. He doesn’t need a lecture or advice.
No, he just needs to be...
*
I’m helping Val change out trash bags throughout the bar when I recognize the old, familiar twitch. She’s fidgeting and darting her tongue in and out past her dry lips.
“How are you holding up, Val?” I don’t know why, but I decide to rock the boat.
She lifts her glossy gaze and dilated pupils. “I’m hanging in there. I feel like a ball of energy, ready to explode. Anything I can do around here helps.” She holds a black bag up, whipping it through the air.
“Have you given any thought to when you’ll be going back home?”
Val’s jaw muscle spasms as she tries to roll her rigid neck. “I can’t be there alone. Hell, not like this, with Brendan out there missing. My God.”
“You do know you’ll have no choice when we find Brendan. You can’t live here, and he can’t go back to living with you.”
She drops the bag to her side, cocking out her hip and tilting her head. “Why not? Just because you say so?”
“Yes,” I respond flatly.
“Well, that’s not good enough for me. He’s my kid. I think I’ll leave it up to him,” she says with utter confidence.
“That’s not how this is going to work.” I barely get the words out when my cell phone vibrates. I fish it out of my back pocket to cut her off.
I’m done.
I check the caller ID.
Shit.
*
I choose slacks this time, paired with a cotton, long-sleeve, and basic, black pumps. Upon checking my reflection, I decide I need a little makeup, applying only mascara and blush. Smoothing down my freshly blown dry hair into a low pony.
Better.
Ronin strolls into the bedroom as I slip a pair of silver hoops through my ears.
“Damn, look at you. Mm.” He grabs two handfuls of my ass cheeks.
“Don’t you think it’s time to sleep it off?”
I look at him through the vanity mirror, and he furrows his handsome brow.
“I think I can handle a few drinks. Fuck, get off my back. I’ve been out nonstop handling business.”
I get ready to put him in his place and just where he can stick that attitude of his, but he doesn’t give me the chance. He falls back on the bed and closes his heavy lids, snoring seconds later.
I hate arguing with him. I hate leaving him like this.
I cross the room, tugging off his boots before covering him up with the quilt. I pull the blinds closed and leave him to sleep off his liquid breakfast.
I have my own hangover to worry about.
I hope to slip out without a tail, but no such luck. Bear is two cars back, probably thinking I won’t make him. The notion causes me to shake my head. I drive to town, pulling around the backside of the diner.
I open the door and feel his stare. He’s already here.
I search the restaurant until I find his face, walking over to the booth.
Ironically, our booth. Mine and Ronin’s.
“Mr. Garner, thanks for calling.”
He pops up to his feet, giving my hand a firm shake. “Well, thank you for meeting me.”
I offer an awkward grin.
“I have to say, I was surprised you picked D&K Diner. I told you that lunch was on me.”
His words create a tickle. “What? I love this place. Besides, if it’s gonna go in anyone’s pocket, it should be Daniel and Kimmie.”
“Yeah, they’re good people.”
“Agreed. Now, why don’t you tell me why I’m here.” I point to a club sandwich and coffee, and Wanda scoots behind the counter, disappearing into the kitchen.
“You sure are a no-nonsense kind of woman, huh?”
“I know you don’t value my time, but I hope you didn’t call me here to jerk my chain.”
“Not at all,” he says, opening his hands wide in front of him.
Wanda returns with coffee and water, topping off Garner’s tea.
“Thank you,” we say in unison before she shuffles away.
“No, I actually wanted to catch up with you and summarize our last visit.”
Just as I thought.
“I think I was clear. I need a little time.”
His head bobs, and he works to adjust his tie. “And I gave you that time. Now, I’m here to see what I have to do to seal the deal. We want you on the DA’s side. Let’s hammer this thing out.”
“I’m impressed with the pitch.”
Wanda places lunch plates in front of us, returning to top off the drinks, but I don’t have an appetite anymore.
“You should be. We have plenty of resumes on file, but I want you. Your record is stellar, and I’ve seen you practice first hand. Talk about impressive.”
I stare at him, popping a French fry into my mouth.
“Oh, come on. What do you have to lose?”
“A lot, actually.” I dab a napkin at my salty lips.
“So, this is about that motorcycle gang?”
“That’s none of your business, and it’s a club.”
He eyes me before craning his neck to see if anyone’s listening in on our conversation. “And Steele?”
“He’s off limits completely.”
He lowers his tone to a near whisper. “Look, I know why you’re holding back.”
I pop my eyes round. “You do?”
“Yeah, you can see that I’m attracted to you.”
That’s it. He went there.
He doesn’t give me an opportunity to respond. “But I can assure you that’s not what this is about. As a matter of fact, it’s because you’re engaged to Steele that I’m asking in the first place.”
“Excuse me?” My chin drops.
He’s already swishing his hands through the air. “Wait, I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, it helps that you’re in a committed relationship. Yes, I’m attracted to you, but that doesn’t change your effective qualities. And I would never dare act on it. Those feelings. I’m offering you a legitimate, lucrative package here.”
He pushes a folder across the booth table.
“Like I said, what do you have to lose?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Ronin
“Where is she now?”
Bear kicks at the gravel rocks. “After the meeting at the diner, she insisted on working on the books. She’s been huddled up in the office for a while now.”
“Who was the meeting with?” I dare ask because the last time she met a stranger at the diner, she brought home a teenage kid.
“Don’t know. A man, well-dressed and a nice car.”
I storm through the main house, and out the door. It takes me a matter of seconds to bust open the office door. Bear had been right. Her head is buried in a stack of ledgers.
“Hey, babe. Did you sleep well?” She gazes at me, her blue eyes sparkling when she sees me, but her grin fades when she notices my hard expression. “What is it?”
“Heard you had a lunch date today.”
She wrinkles her forehead, staring hard at me. “Excuse me?”
“Earlier. Bear said he tailed you to the diner.”
“Yeah,” she drops the red pencil in her hand. “What’s your point?”
“So, who was it?” I’m fuming, and my chest bows with every breath.
Jolene leans back in her seat. “Why would I talk to you like this?”
I take a long stride toward the desk, scrubbing at my scruffy beard. “It was that goddamn, son of a bastard Klein, wasn’t it?” I can hardly contain the tension mounting in my shoulders.
She lowers her gaze, swiping her tongue along her bottom lip before lifting and narrowing her stare. “No, Ronin. It wasn’t Klein. I was actually having a work lunch.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“I was meeting with the ADA, remember the prosecutor from your case? Garner?”
My neck
snaps, sending my back straight. “What the hell did he want? Is it about Brendan?”
“No, and if you’d have bothered to have a mature conversation, I would have told you it was about me. I got a job offer, but no. That’s twice now that you’ve snapped at me like that. What the fuck is going on with you? Because I am telling you right now that I won’t put up with much more.”
I glance into her captivating, but stern gaze. The tension eases, slowly running off my body like dirty suds down a drain.
She’s right.
“Damn, babe. I’m sorry. I’ve been a real dick to you, and you deserve better.” My heart hurts knowing that I’ve added to her pain and stress.
She tilts her neck, and I know that she forgives me, again.
*
It’s a nice change of pace, to be sitting outside around the picnic table breathing in the perfectly barbequed brisket. The bright orange sun is setting, floating behind the mountains.
A half-hour later, the only light left is the glow of the street lamps. I smack Jolene on her smooth ass, indicating that it’s time to move the party inside.
“Yeah, round everyone up,” she confirms.
I stand, stretching my long stride. “Alright, let’s move this shindig indoors and lock it down for the night.”
My heart is heavy and tired. Thank God that Val passed out around four in the afternoon and Patsy put her to bed. She’s starting to sleep more during the day, probably mixing her uppers and downers, taking whatever she can get her hands on.
I need her gone… like now.
Billy and Herc carry in the coolers, but I stop the gentle giant to grab a cold brew for myself, and one for Jo. She’s still nursing the first one, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s feeling sick again.
We didn’t get much of a chance to talk earlier after a round of quick, makeup sex on the desk. She filled me in on the lunch meeting, and I promised her that I would think on it some.
I chug a double shot of brown liquor and wash it down with a fresh Shriner when I hear breaks skidding right outside the bar. I rush out the door, followed by my pack of soldiers. I immediately spot the rolled-up rug and suck in enough air to leave me fuzzy headed.
Dizzy, I don’t know how I get there, but I’m on the ground and at the side, bracing my hand against the carpet, unrolling it back gently.
A half a dozen patches are already zipping down the streets surrounding the small-town maze.
I pull back the last corner, revealing his broken, fractured face.
Brendan.
He’s bloody and bruised. His left eye is swollen shut and a lengthy gash extends along his jawbone, cutting down through both lips.
And that’s just from the neck up.
I cradle his body close to my chest, trying not to rattle his loose bones, carrying him to the small couch in the office.
People flood the hallway, jamming up the door.
“Everyone, get out!” I scream. “Jolene and Patsy, stay.”
My eyes are round and dry, but every other part of me springs to life. “Do something! Make him better, clean him up!”
Patsy cranes her neck out the door. “Bonnie, towels, lots of them. And water, now.”
I hear commotion coming from the main room. My chest tightens. Jolene jumps into action, unraveling his jacket and cutting away his ragged t-shirt and torn jeans.
He’s a bloody mess.
Bonnie brings two large pans of water, followed by Tammy with an armload of fresh linens.
“Turn on that heater. He’s freezing,” Jolene barks at Patsy. She skitters across the room and plugs in the small space heater underneath the desk that Jessa keeps for her icicle toes.
“Do something!” I span my long arms out wide in the air.
“Babe,” Jolene turns to face me. “I think you need to go have a seat back in the bar.”
“But…” I start, but she cocks her head, peering up at me.
Tammy questions Ronin’s command, refusing to leave. “Shouldn’t we get him to a hospital?”
Jolene snaps her neck before I have a chance to respond. “I’ve got this. Now, stand down and get the fuck out.”
She looks back to me, and my shoulders slump forward.
“Babe.” She presses her lips to the center of my heaving chest. “Go.”
I slowly back out of the room, my stare glued on my brother. Jolene closes the door behind me, and it forces my hand.
I turn to face my family.
I’m ready to explode. The air becomes thin, and I have to brace myself against the wall. I feel a hand resting on my shoulder when the front door flies open. I have my weapon drawn, ready to blast a fucking Diablo until I see it’s my fellow patch brothers who went chasing down the suspects.
“Nothing,” Billy says, shaking his head.
“Goddammit!” I shove my heavy boot through the drywall. “Church! Now!”
*
I’m the last one sitting at the table. The plan is in motion. It’s not a good plan, but it’s got to happen. No way around it.
I hear a light knock on the door, and I’m pleased to see Jolene beaming a big smile.
“What is it?” Hope floods my chest.
“It’s Brendan. He’s talking.”
Her words send me barreling out of the chair and out the door. She follows me down the steps.
“He still looks pretty rough, but he’s cleaned up, bandaged, and sanitized.”
I take the stairs three at a time, losing her in the background. I round the office hallway noticing the entire bar has fallen silent. I spot Patsy standing outside the closed door.
“Where is he?”
She steps to the side, and I throw back the door, relieved to see one eye open, glancing over at me.
He sees me and winces, his fractured face wrinkling from the pent-up pain. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey, none of that.” I kneel on the floor at his side. “You’re here and safe.”
“But…” The building sob finally escapes, and I pull him into my arms where he lets the flood gates loose, his entire body trembling with waves of emotion.
He cries for a while, and I let him spill.
“It’s ok, brother. Let it out.”
I have nothing else to say. And I can’t see her, but I know she’s there.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Jolene
I sit in the rocker, curled up, and Ronin rests on the side of the bed where Brendan is sound asleep after taking half a Trazadone.
“I still can’t believe there’s no broken bones.”
“Well, his ribs will heal on their own.” He nods. “Watching him go down those steps was a real bitch.”
Brendan smirks, making him jerk with pain. “Ah,” he moans. “It ain’t nothing I haven’t been through before.”
His bold accusation sends Ronin pacing again. “Tell me she ever made you look like this and I’ll go put my boot up Val’s ass right this very minute.”
Brendan chuckles, and I wonder if he’s always had this personality.
And like clockwork, Val flies through the bedroom door. She catches my gaze first, then Ronin second before landing on Brendan huddled up in the bed.
His entire demeanor changed when she bolted through the door.
She rushes to his side, falling into the bed. I haven’t seen her since she passed out nine hours ago. I can see in her red, veiny stare that she’s still high. She probably popped a couple fresh pills after waking up.
“Oh, my God! My boy!” Val screams out, and Brendan recoils into the pile of pillows. She reaches out, seizing his purple jaw in both her shaking hands. “Son, are you ok?” She tries to pull him up to meet her over the top embrace.
“Hey, why don’t you back off?” Ronin grips her wrist, no doubt still thinking about Brendan’s earlier admission.
She snatches away from his loose grasp. “Leave me alone. I’ve been worried sick. Look at him!”
“Lower your tone.” I stand and cross the room.
>
“What?” Her neck might as well be rubber.
“I said, lower your tone,” I demand.
She grimaces, gawking at me like I’d just grown a second head. She releases his face and leans back, giving him a little room.
He’s sullen, and his eyes are locked on his own fidgeting hands.
“Are you at least ok?” She asks, lowering her voice.
“Yeah, ma. I’m good.” He talks through swollen, cracked lips, grabbing his ribs when he coughs.
Val swipes at her pouring tears. “Thank God.” She points her head up, clasping her hands over her mouth. “You should be in the hospital.”
Ronin clutches his fists at his sides, and I know he’s struggling when he rolls his jaw muscles.
“Maybe you should let him get some rest. He needs some time to heal.” I guide her up off the bed, steering her out the door.
“Yeah, ok,” she says right before I close it in her face.
I turn back to Ronin who has a wicked grin. “You know how to talk me down.”
“I just think there’s been enough bloodshed.” I notice his face fall, and I decide that I don’t like his reaction.
Not one bit.
*
The whispering causes me to stir, and my crossed ankles fall off the ottoman, jolting me awake. “Shit.”
“Hey, babe.” Ronin is sitting next to Brendan who’s now propped up straight against the headboard.
“Well, this is a sight.”
“So were you, snoring,” Brendan teases, and I decide to play along.
“I do not snore. You want me to split that lip?”
He tries to chuckle, but only a little because it hurts, rattling his insides.
“What have you been up to?” I wipe at the corners of my dry mouth.
“Just getting to the bottom of some things.”
“Do I even want to know?”
Brendan shakes his head, and Ronin honors his request. He doesn’t have to say anything. I see it.
“Ok, well, have you worked up an appetite yet?”
“Maybe a little. But my jaw hurts pretty bad.” His words are solid, but his jaw is stiff and swollen to twice its size.
“I’ll go get you some soup. You two keep talking. I’ll be a few minutes.” I close the door tight to keep people out.
Extreme Measures Page 11
