Fight You

by Abby Mccarthy

  “Is there a problem I need to know about with the girl?” my dad asks, “‘Cause now would be a good time to get that out in the open.”

  “She’s running from a creep and a fucked up past that might end up on my doorstep one day. Been working on taking care of it myself, but it’s not as easy as I’d like.”

  “Is it something that can hurt the club?” he asks.

  I want to tell him no, but in reality that fucking Senator could bring a whole heap of heat on Wakeman.

  “Dad, this guy who hurt her is bad news. I’m trying to take care of it before it comes anywhere near here. She’s hiding. Changed her last name, too. I’ve been looking into it and I have no reason to think he has any idea where she is.”

  “Son, she isn’t your old lady. I’ll set up cameras, but unless she’s your old lady this club won’t put their neck on the line for her. I like her. She’s a real sweet one, but you either need to make her your old lady or stop dicking around with her because if it’s bad, and it sounds like it’s going to be, then we’re going to put the club first.” I’m seeing red. It’s a threat to her. I know it. He’s saying I need to put a patch on her, or if shit gets hairy the club won't hesitate to cut her loose .

  “It’s not that simple. She has a little girl and she’s already dealt with so much. I can’t ask her to throw herself in this world.”

  “Well then, you better hope her shit stays hidden,” he says in a stern way and walks away from me.

  I’m pissed. I head out to the bar where half of our brothers are partying hard. Skaggs, Red, Greyson and a few other brothers are leaning against the pool table with various club sluts in different stages of undress. One has her tits completely out. I give them a glance. Nice tits, but they aren’t doing anything for me. The only tits that I’m interested in these days are waiting for me in our bed. I can’t wait to get the hell out of here, so that I can get back to her.

  Big Titty Rhonda is pouring the drinks behind the bar. She’s busy. I hope that means that she’ll leave me alone. Dealing with her is the last thing I want to do right now. She saunters over to me, giving off more sway in her hips than a second before she spotted me. Her black leather mini skirt is barely covering her ass and her large tits are on display in an off the shoulder belly shirt. Classless is the word that comes to mind. Now that I have had a taste of Aubrey, every woman here just seems classless too me.

  “The usual, Daws?” she purrs.

  “Nah, I gotta get going soon. Just give me a beer.”

  She slides a beer over to me and brushes my fingertips with hers, “You know, if you’re sick of your little play thing, we can go in the back? I got a break coming soon.”

  I pull my hand away from her and give her a death glare, “Are you stupid?”

  She looks confused, “What…what do you mean?”

  “You have to be stupid.” She fumbles around clicking a few glasses together on the bar and backs away from me. “I mean, how many more ways do I have to tell you I am NOT interested and will NEVER be interested again.”

  “Okay, you made your point. You don’t have to be so rude.”

  “Don’t I?” I say and grab my bottle and walk away. Turk is sitting at one of the tables drinking a beer by himself, just observing the room.

  “Turk,” I say and sit down across from my friend.

  “I’m heading out in a few. I need you to drive by my place every couple of hours. I’m worried about leaving Aubrey alone with no security.”

  “I got you,” he says and relief washes over me. Even though I asked my dad, I was left with a feeling that he wasn’t going to waste the man power. I finish my beer and spot Jules by the door, his hand is rubbing through his beard. It’s one of his tells that he’s ready to go. He’s riding out with me. We try to do this shit together. I can always count on him and trust him to have my back.

  We walk back outside into the cold air. The snow is still coming down pretty good leaving a thick blanket of white over the parking lot.

  “I wanna get out of here sooner rather than later with this snow coming down the way it is,” he says.

  “I hear ya. The sooner we get this done and I get back to my girl, the better.”

  “You’re really serious about this one, huh?” Jules asks.

  “Yeah, I am. You want to take the Dodge?” I ask. It’s four wheel drive and has plates registered to a straight and narrow country boy in town, so no one will mess with us if they see it.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Jules says as we head to the back of the compound to the big blue dumpster that we don’t actually throw any trash in. We move it out of the way and I unlock the small door that was hidden behind it. I walk in, flick on the light, and grab the guns that we both like to carry, as well as a few boxes of ammo. We lock up after we are fully armed and head out.

  The roads are a sloppy mess. I can only hope that the plows have already hit the highways. Our burner phone rings and Jules answers getting the meet up location from the Italians. We drive for three hours, keeping our eyes on the look out for any sign of trouble. Everything looks quiet, as if the guineys are the only ones dumb enough to move anything in a winter storm.

  We pull off the highway, with the Italians minutes behind us. I drive around the warehouse where the Italians are making their meet and stake it out. Everything looks empty. There is an abandoned semi parked against the building. My gut tells me something is off, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Jules picks up the phone and lets them know the place looks clear.

  We’re about to pull off to the side of the building, where our guest meeting the Italians won’t be able to see us, but I can’t let this feeling go that something is amiss, “Jules, something feels off about the semi. I can’t put my finger on it, but let’s check it out.”

  We park the Dodge and grab our guns. We’re quiet as we approach the semi. It’s parked so the back of it is pressed up against the building. Both of us take a side and move around it. I’m looking for footprints or something, anything to let me know why this feeling is nagging. Nothing looks off. We check out the cabin which is locked. I peek into the windows. It looks like a normal trucker rig. There some left over McDonald’s bags and an overflowing ashtray. It’s all very typical of a trucker.

  Jules and I reach the back of the rig at the same time, and that’s when I know why I have this feeling. What looked like a closed back trailer door to the semi from far away is really a black-out see through material. Our guns are raised and ready to strike. Suddenly, Anton, the leader of the Red Nine’s in front of me. His gang was recently cut out of guns. He must be pissed about that ‘cause right now, six guns from different men are trained on us. We have ours raised in a stand off.

  “Fuck!”

  I’m trying to decide on an exit strategy that will get us out of here alive. Maybe I just shoot Anton and see how the rest shakes out? The warehouse door bay behind us opens and more men have their guns aimed straight for us. “Fuck,” Jules says, and then he is clubbed over the back of the head with a gun knocking him out.

  “I’m so glad you decided to investigate. Your brilliant detective skills made this easier than I thought, Anton says.

  “My dad is going to come after you, you know that, don’t you?” I say to him.

  “Silence or I’ll just put a bullet in your head.”

  I do as I’m instructed as a black bag goes over my head. I’m pulled to the back of the semi. I feel a needle prick. I’m floating away. I don't want to go, but I’m slipping. Aubrey…. My thoughts trail off and everything’s dark.

  Chapter 17

  Aubrey

  “Aubrey!” I wake up to Ari saying my name and shaking me with excitement! “Come look at all the snow!”

  I wipe the sleep from my eyes. Daws is nowhere to be seen. I check my cell phone and see that I don’t have any messages.

  “Where’s Daws?” Ari asks looking around the room.

  I sit up in the bed, sheets are tangled all around me, “He got c
alled into work last night.”

  “Oh... well. Did you decide if we we’re moving in?”

  “Let’s just say Daws is very persuasive.”

  “So that’s a yes?” she asks with a big grin on her face.

  “Yeah. Looks like we’re packing. How about I try to get a hold of Daws and see if he can meet us for breakfast at the diner?

  “Okay. Wait until you see how white is is outside!”

  “Alright, let me get up and I’ll meet you out in the living room.” She throws her arms around me giving me a hug and then hops off of the bed and leaves.

  I wonder why Daws hasn’t called? I pick up my cell phone and ask Siri to call Daws. It goes straight to voice-mail. I leave a message, “Hey, Daws. It’s me. I thought you’d be back. Call me and let me know what’s going on.” He usually always calls or leaves me a text, so I’m slightly worried.

  Ari wasn’t kidding. There’s so much snow. I start the SUV and go back inside while it warms up. The driveway was plowed. I wonder if Daws had a chance to do that?

  Ari and I pull up to the diner; the same one that Jenny brought me to when I first moved here. I was so intimidated by this place at first. Now, it just feels like home. Home; what a concept. Daws, Jenny, Angie, the shop, this whole town, everything feels like it fits, like I was always meant to be right where I am.

  The smell of bacon and coffee assault us as we walk into the diner. The cold weather has this place less crowded than normal so there are a few empty spaces at the counter. Nicole, a middle aged waitress, approaches us. She sets a coffee cup down in front of me and pours water for both of us, “Morning ladies. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Juice?”

  “Coffee please,” I say.

  “OJ for me,” Ari says.

  She brings us our drinks and we both order blueberry pancakes. Ari and I talk about Gino and his latest game.

  “I’m so glad you have each other. Are you sure it’s okay that we move in with Daws?”

  She takes her straw, flicks a little orange juice at me and giggles, “Stop asking me. It’s good,” she laughs. “I’m going to the bathroom. I’ll be right back,” she says and gets up, walking to the back of the restaurant.

  Nicole, our waitress, sets the check down in front of me, “Listen, I didn’t want to say anything in front of Ari, but a guy came in here yesterday flashing around a picture of you, asking if we’ve seen you before. You’re hair was a lot lighter, but with your eyes there was no mistaking it was you. He was pretty persistent. I told him no, but I saw him talking to people outside on the street. Not sure if anyone told him yes, but the way this guy acted made me feel like you wouldn’t want to be found. I hope I did the right thing.”

  He found me. He found me. It’s all I can think. Panic is starting to overtake me. Think Aubrey. I squeeze my hand closed and remember the pills. I fumble into my bag trying to get a grip on my emotions and grab the bottle. My hand shakes as I try to get it open. I think Nicole is still trying to talk to me but I’m lost in the panic that’s threatening to take hold of me. I get the bottle open and swallow a pill. The panic still feels suffocating.

  “Mom, what is it?” I hear Ari’s sweet voice and focus on it. I don’t want her to see this. I want to protect her. I take deep breaths, breathing in and out and trying to focus on her. I’m not sure if it’s the Valium or if it’s Ari, but I feel myself start to calm. I look at Ari, “We need to get out of here.” I throw a twenty down on the counter, not actually sure how much the bill is, but hoping that the twenty covers it.

  We hop into the SUV and I turn the key. My heart is beating so fast.

  “What is it, Aubrey? What’s going on?”

  “I need to call Daws,” I take out my cell and dial him, but it goes straight to voicemail. “Daws, it’s me. Something’s happened. Where are you? Call me.”

  I start driving not quite sure where I’m going. I decide to head straight for the clubhouse. I know I haven’t answered Ari’s questions. She’s staring at me, trying to figure out what’s going on. I’m trying to figure out our next move.

  “Someone came to the diner and was showing a picture of me, asking if they’ve seen me,” I finally confess.

  “Oh my god, what are we going to do?”

  “I don’t know, Daws isn’t answering.”

  We pull up to the gates of the clubhouse and Skaggs is at the front gate. He isn’t immediately opening it which is unusual. Normally, he sees me and just waves me through. “Hey Skaggs. Is Daws here? I really need to see him.”

  “Sorry, Aubrey. We’re on lock-down. No one gets in. I’d let you in if I could, but Dray’s orders.” The look on Skaggs’ face is a worried, almost a panicked look. What in the world is going on? Where is Daws? Is he okay? Could Rich have gotten to him? I don’t know how much time we have and if Rich has figured out where we’re staying. I need to protect Ari.

  I drive back to Angie’s. The roads are slick with snow, making me drive slower than I want. “Ari I need you to pack your bags as quick as possible, I instruct as we walk in the door. She has a pained look on her face and looks defeated, “Okay.”

  I walk into my room, grab a bag and begin to shove clothes into it.

  I hear Gino raise his voice to Ari across the hall, “What do you mean you’re leaving. She can’t just take you. What about school? You’re my best friend. You can’t leave me.” Hearing him breaks my heart. She finally has a family and Rich has me running again.

  “I don’t want to go either. I’ll miss you so much. You’re my best friend, too.” I hear her sniffle and realize she’s crying.

  “I’m calling Carlo,” he says.

  Angie walks up the stairs. I flew in the house in such a hurry, I didn’t even know she was here. “What’s going on?” she asks me.

  “Someone is showing pictures of me around town,” I tell her. She gives me a look of sympathy, knowing I’m in danger.

  Gino appears in the hall. “I called Carlo. He said don't leave ‘till he gets here.”

  I want to rush out the door with Ari and take her as far away from here as possible, but I keep hoping in the back of my mind that Daws will call me back, and he will have an answer. He said he would keep me safe, so where is he? Why isn’t he calling me back? If I wait for Carlo, am I giving myself more time to be caught?

  As if sensing the war raging inside of me, Angie wraps her arms around me, “I know you’re scared. Let’s just give it five minutes and wait for Carlo, okay?”

  “Okay,” I concede, “but Ari still get your bag together and meet me downstairs.” Gino and Ari walk back into her room. I head down the stairs with Angie following close behind.

  “I know you’re scared, but my sister didn’t send you here for no reason. Carlo has connections. Let’s see what he can do,” Angie says rubbing my shoulder trying to reassure me.

  I sit on the couch. My leg is bouncing from nervous energy, but at least I’m not going into a full panic attack. I try Daws again and then Mickey. No one is answering.

  The front door opens, blowing in cold air along with Carlo.

  “Is everybody okay?” he asks.

  “Everyone is fine,” Angie says patting me on the knee, it’s just another way she’s showing me support.

  “After what happened with Daws last night and then Gino’s frantic call telling me to come over, I was worried.”

  I immediately stop bouncing my knee, “What do you mean? What happened to Daws?” The mention of Daws has me scared.

  “Oh shit, I thought you knew. I just figured they would’ve told you.”

  “Who would’ve told me what? What’s going on?” Panic is threatening again. Did Rich find Daws? “Is Daws okay?”

  Carlo is looking at me like he’s trying to decide what to tell me. Internally, I’m flipping out.

  “He was spotting for us last night and got picked up by the Red Nines. They have him.”

  “What do you mean, “picked up”? Who are the Red Nine’s? Is he okay?”

&nbs
p; “The Red Nines are a gang and Daws is caught in the middle. I don’t know how he is. But I know they grabbed him and Jules last night. Hell... I barely made it out. Shit went real bad, real fast.”

  “Language,” Angie scolds.

  “Sorry, Ma,” Carlo says and continues quietly, “It was an ambush. Daws went there first and the Red Nines were hiding out and grabbed him. Dray is on the rampage and he’s working with my boss. I’m sure they’ll get him back, but if that’s not what has you all worked up, then what does?”

  I’m on overload. This is all too much. Some gang has Daws and Rich is close to finding me, if he hasn’t already. I owe it to Carlo to tell him. I don’t want to put his family in danger, so I make a decision, a decision to trust.

  “Ari and I got breakfast this morning at the diner and Nicole told me that someone was asking about me; showing a picture. She told me she said she didn’t know me, but that the guy was asking everyone and she thinks someone was sure to probably talk. I have to run, but how can I run if I know that Daws is in danger. He would never leave me. Oh God, what am I going to do?”

  I can’t help it, tears form in my eyes as I search the faces of Carlo and Angie, trying to see if they hold the answers. I see sympathy and I can’t take it. My tears fall, and don’t stop. They are a waterfall of pent up hurt. I feel like I can’t keep Ari safe, and Daws is already in danger, possibly hurt. What if he’s in pain? I can’t see my beautiful sweet man hurt. I would do anything to protect him. I know pain and I hate the thought of him knowing it too.

  Angie starts to rub circles on my back. It’s calming and perhaps one of the most soothing touches I’ve ever felt. “Shh... it’s all going to work out. It’s going to be okay!!”