by Jessie Cooke
Cheney laughed. Levi wasn’t sure what he was feeling, but he knew that Johnson had said one true thing…he didn’t have any right to ask. “So what do you think, Levi?” Cheney asked, sarcastically. “You think the Mrs. is innocent?”
Levi looked from the man to the woman. She’d stopped thrashing when she realized her husband was going to beg for her life. He walked over to where she hung from her own engine lift and reached for the tape on her mouth. She tried swinging her legs again and her eyes grew wide. Levi pulled the tape off and she cried out. “Is it true?” he asked her. “Are you innocent in all of this?”
She looked at her husband out of the corner of her eye and with fire in her eyes, she said, “I lost my son. He was my heart and soul. But I had nothing to do with any murders.”
“So…we should kill your husband and let you go?” Levi asked.
“Let us both go,” she pleaded.
“Someone has to pay for what was done to my father and my girlfriend. You took my life from me. You may as well have just killed me.” He wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw a small smile tug at her lips. She reset her face and said:
“The man who was responsible…Matt Bledsoe…is already dead. Why can’t you leave it at that?”
“That man was a pawn. He was a down-on-his-luck, suicidal schmuck and you dangled more cash than he’d ever seen in his life in front of him to get him to agree to do this. He did it for his daughter. That doesn’t make it right, but he’s already paid the ultimate price and meanwhile, the two of you just go on living your high life, acting like you’re untouchable. It’s easy to see why Spider was such an arrogant asshole. He got it from you,” Levi told her. She looked like she wanted to scratch his eyes out as she said:
“I didn’t have anything to do with this.”
“Then I’ll ask you again, should I let you go and just kill your husband?” This time she didn’t even try to look in her husband’s direction as she said:
“If you need to kill someone, he was the one who set this up, not me. Let me go. I’ll move away, far away, and I won’t tell a soul what you’ve done.”
Levi looked at Johnson. He looked like he’d just had the wind knocked out of him, but he remained silent. Swallowing bile Levi asked him, “You’re willing to take the blame for all of this, while she walks away…why?”
“Because she didn’t have anything…” Levi lost his cool for a second and rushed in and grabbed him by the back of his neck. He pulled his face toward his own and saw the pain and terror in the man’s eyes up close. The other man grunted as Levi stretched the ropes that tied him, as far as they would go, and said:
“I’m giving you a chance to tell the truth here. Like you said, you have nothing to lose by telling the truth. I want to know why you would let her live, knowing that you’re going to die.” He still didn’t say anything so Levi went on, “Come on, we all know that she was the one that made Spider believe that he was so far above and better than everyone else that he could just take what he wanted, from anyone he wanted it from. She was the one that turned him into what he was, and she was the one that defended him, even after he tried to kill you. So, I doubt very seriously she is innocent here. I want to know why you would lie for her, when she’s willing to just watch you die?” Levi looked back at the wife.
“Because I love her,” Johnson whispered. The woman didn’t even flinch.
Levi let go of the man and looked at Cheney. “What do you want to do, kid?” Cheney asked him.
“Let him go, but make sure he knows his life here is over. I think he might want to donate this shop to the club…What do you think, Mr. Johnson? Would you like to make a charitable donation to a local organization? I know the Defenders would be more than capable of running this place and making it an even bigger success than it has been for you.” Cheney was smiling brightly. Levi could tell that he’d never even thought of that. He was surely planning on wiping the place out once Johnson was dead…but legal ownership of the place, that was unprecedented in their small club.
“We’re not signing our business over to you!” the woman spat.
“It’s in my name,” Johnson said, more harshly than he’d said anything thus far. “I’ll sign it over.”
“Great!” Levi said. “You spend the next week with our accountant and our president here…or however long it will take to do that legally…and then you can take what’s left of your money and leave. I don’t ever want to see you again though, because if I do…I will put a bullet in your head…do you understand?”
“Yes,” he grunted out.
“You pathetic coward!” his wife screeched. “If it wasn’t for me, you’d be nothing! This place was bought and paid for with my family money and you’re just going to give it away!”
“To save our lives,” he said, with his teeth gritted together tightly. “This place means nothing if we’re both dead.”
“If you were a real man you would have just killed him yourself like I told you to!” she snapped…and then she realized what she said. Her wide blue eyes turned on Levi. He shook his head at her in disgust and looked at Cheney and said:
“You can do whatever you want to her.” She started screeching again. Levi ignored her and walked out of the shop and toward his bike. He could hear her screams growing fainter, the further he walked away from the big metal building. He was almost to his bike when the screaming stopped. He slipped on his gloves and his skullcap and drove away.
38
It had been over a week since Zoe heard from Levi. She was beginning to wonder if he thought everything that happened was just too much, and he wanted to start over. She wouldn’t blame him at all if that were the case. She had his number, but she wasn’t going to use it. Sometimes late at night, she’d begin to worry that something had happened to him and she’d never know. She’d tell herself that she should call him, just to make sure he was okay. She knew, however, that she was just trying to make excuses. Levi was fine and if he wanted to see her, he knew where to find her.
It was a slow day at work and while she was filling sugar containers on the tables, she looked out the window and saw her friend Charlie in the center divider of the road, holding a sign. She had been worried about him since he hadn’t shown up for any of the twelve-step meetings that he’d introduced her to for weeks. “Hey Donna, do you mind if I take a little break?”
Donna looked around the almost-empty diner. “I think I can handle things,” she said with a wink.
“Thanks,” Zoe said, pulling off her apron. “I’ll be back in a few.” She left the apron on the counter near the cash register and went out the front door. She had to wait for several minutes until the traffic slowed down enough for her to get across the road before she jogged across. “Hey, Charlie, what are you doing?” Charlie was homeless by choice. He drank way too much before he got clean and he preferred to spend his little military stipend on alcohol rather than shelter. But once he and his friends got kicked out of the house they were squatting in, he had been talking about renting a place. As long as Zoe had known him, she’d never seen him panhandle.
“Hey, Golden Girl! How are you?”
“I’m good. I’ve been worried about you.”
“No worries, Golden Girl, I’m doing great.” Zoe detected the scent of alcohol when she got close to him. It was disguised by the scent of body odor and whatever else he’d run into on the streets, but it was clearly there.
“Charlie, have you been drinking?”
“Nah, I’m straight.” A driver rolled down their car window and held a bill out. Charlie walked away to get it and Zoe bent down and picked up his insulated cup. She brought it to her nose and inhaled. The smell of the cheap whiskey nearly knocked her back. When he turned around and saw her with the cup he looked angry. He stormed over and snatched the cup from her hand.
“What are you doing? You of all people know that you don’t touch other people’s property,”
“You’re my friend, Charlie, and I’m worr
ied about you. Whatever is in that cup…”
“Is none of your business,” Charlie said. “You’re not my mom.”
“I’m your friend.”
“Then be my friend and get off my back.”
“Charlie, you were doing so well.”
“Yeah, and for what?” he said. He walked over to another car with an arm out the window, He took the change from the man’s hand and said, “God bless you, sir.”
“What happened?” Zoe asked him when he came back. “What was the trigger?”
“Doesn’t matter. You can’t change the past. I can’t un-drink from that bottle, just like you can’t go back and erase that first hit you took out of that little black balloon.”
“No, but every day is a new chance to start over. I learned that in the meetings you and I took together, the ones that you convinced me to take part in.”
“Not today,” he said, holding the cardboard sign up over his head. “Sorry, Golden Girl, but you’re screwing up my business here.”
“Charlie, why are you panhandling?”
“To make money, so I can eat.”
“What about your pension?”
“The VA cut me off. They won’t send my check to the post office anymore. I have to have a verified address.”
“What happened to your idea about an apartment?”
“No one is going to rent an apartment to me. I haven’t had real estate in my own name for years and last time I did, I got evicted for not paying my rent.”
“Have you tried, Charlie? You might not be able to get one in the best neighborhood….”
“Leave it alone, Golden Girl,” he said. “Now come on, you’re messing with my business here.”
Zoe started to say something else, but she could tell by the look on Charlie’s face that he wasn’t interested in hearing it. She sighed and instead she said, “Okay, but you know where to find me if you change your mind…or need anything. I’ll help you, Charlie.”
He smiled at her through his rotted teeth. “You’re a good soul, Golden Girl. Don’t waste it on a bad one like mine. I’ll see ya around.” He held his sign back up and Zoe headed back to the diner with a lump in her throat. She had really thought Charlie would be able to kick it this time. She was almost to the front door of the diner when she heard someone say her name. She turned and saw her customer, Mr. Johnson, coming up the walk. He was dressed like he just came from a business meeting, in a dark, expensive-looking suit, and carrying a laptop case.
“Good morning, Mr. Johnson. I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Things have been…busy,” he said, as he got closer. Zoe noticed then that he had a large bruise on the side of his face.
“What happened to you, Mr. Johnson? Your face…”
He put his hand up to it like he’d just remembered it was there. “Oh, that’s nothing,” he said, “Work injury.” Zoe pushed open the door for them, but he waited for her to go inside before stepping in. “Quiet today?” he said, looking around.
“Very,” she said. “You want your coffee?” Sadly, even though Zoe liked the quiet man, she was most happy to see him because he was such a good tipper. She’d missed his ten- or twenty-dollar tips for a cup of coffee, especially since she needed all the money she could get to pay for her lab supplies and books for school.
“Yes, please,” he said, heading over to his favorite booth. Zoe tied her apron back on and grabbed a cup. After she filled it with coffee, she took it over to Mr. Johnson. He was on his phone. As she walked up, she heard him say, “Things have just been stressful since Michael died. I finished the transfer of the business today and then I’ll be headed to meet her in Greece.” He listened for a second and smiled up at Zoe, as she put his coffee and creamer down on the table. “She’s fine, Loren. She’s there to rest, that’s why her phone is off. When I get there, we’ll check in with you.” Zoe was walking away as he ended the call. “Zoe, I’m sorry, could you come back over?”
“Sure, Mr. Johnson. Is there something wrong with your coffee?”
“No, dear, I haven’t even tasted it, but I’m sure it’s fine. Would it be okay for you to sit down for a minute?”
Zoe looked around. Donna was embroiled in conversation with two guys at the counter and other than them, Mr. Johnson was the only one in the diner. She smiled at him and took a seat in the booth across from him. “What’s up?” she asked, curiously.
“I know this is strange, but I was wondering if I could ask you a favor?”
“Sure…” Zoe learned to be cautious about people, living on the streets, but she hadn’t sensed that she had any reason to be wary of Mr. Johnson so far.
“I have this envelope.” He pulled a manila envelope out of his laptop case. “I need to get it to someone…but I’m worried about putting it in the mail. I need it to be put directly in her hands.”
“So it’s a lady you want me to deliver it to?”
He nodded, sadly, and said, “She’s the mother of my grandson. We’re…estranged, I’m afraid. There’s nothing in here that you have to worry about carrying. It’s just papers and…things, things she can use to make sure her son has a comfortable life.” Zoe looked at the envelope again. It was too thin to have much money in it, if it was cash. It was too thin for drugs unless there was powder in there, and that was doubtful. The idea that it contained something poisonous crossed her mind, but she shot that down quickly. It was something she’d seen on an old movie she watched with her grandmother a few weeks before…it wasn’t real life.
“Does she live here in town?”
“No, dear, Nashville.”
“Oh, Mr. Johnson, I’d love to help you, but I don’t own a car.”
“I know, or at least I thought so since I see you walking or riding your bike into work. But I will pay for an Uber to take you.”
“An Uber? Wouldn’t that cost a fortune? I guess I could go out on a bus when I get paid next week…”
“I would prefer that you went sooner…today, when you get off work, maybe?”
“Forgive me for asking this, Mr. Johnson, but don’t you know someone else who can do this for you? You hardly know me. Why would you trust me to do something that obviously means so much to you?”
“I can’t explain it, Zoe. There’s a lot going on and I only have a short time left in town. I don’t have anyone close to me that I can trust to do this. But for some reason, I do trust you. Please don’t take offense here, but I also think that you’ll fit in at the place I’m sending you, a lot better than anyone I knew personally would.”
She raised an eyebrow and said, “And what exactly is the place you’re sending me?”
“My grandson and his mother live in Nashville, but I don’t know the exact address and I don’t have time to track them down. But her boyfriend…or ‘old man,’ I guess he’s called…he’s a part of the Invaders and I want you to deliver this envelope to their clubhouse.”
After Johnson left, Zoe spent the rest of her day at work, lost in thought. Thankfully, they never got any busier. She had ultimately agreed to do what he was asking, and the car was supposed to be there waiting for her when she got off work. But despite his assurances that she “seemed” like she would fit in around a motorcycle clubhouse, she was still nervous. She had only been to Nashville once and that was when she was a teenager, for a concert…before she ran away. She didn’t know anything about the city, or the MC that this woman’s “old man” belonged to. All she had was the woman’s name, Nicole Leoni, the little boy’s name, Liam, and the name of the biker she was in a relationship with. She had no idea what kind of people the Invaders were, or what she’d be walking into. She also had no idea what was in the envelope. She could be getting herself into a whole hell of a lot of trouble. All she had were Johnson’s assurances that he only wanted to make sure his grandson was taken care of, and another envelope he gave her to keep for herself. He left it on the table underneath her tip. Today’s tip was a hundred-dollar bill. The envelope had her name
on it, but she hadn’t opened it yet. That was because even though she’d agreed to do this, she was now on the verge of changing her mind.
Finally, about an hour before she was supposed to get off work, she called Levi. He answered on the first ring. “Hey, Zoe! I was going to call you tonight. I’m sorry I’ve been AWOL lately. It’s been a busy week.”
“That’s okay. I’m sorry to bother you. Are you busy right now?”
“No, I can talk. What’s up?”
Zoe told him about her customer and what he wanted her to do. Levi listened quietly and when she finished talking he said, “His name isn’t Michael Johnson, is it?”
“Yeah…how did you know that?”
Levi sighed so heavily she could almost feel his breath through the phone, “Another coincidence,” he said. “Please don’t go anywhere until I get there. I’ll take you to Nashville. Don’t get in the car he sends, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Good, I’m on my way.” Levi’s voice sounded anxious and Zoe wondered once again what the hell was going on.
39
Zoe was waiting out front when Levi drove up. She’d already sent the Uber car away, asking the driver to let Mr. Johnson know that she found her own ride. Levi parked the bike and stepped off. Zoe’s stomach did a somersault at the sight of him. The past week, her dreams had begun to become less intense. She hadn’t seen him in person either and although she thought of him often, she had almost convinced herself that what she felt for him was all tied up in the dreams. But when her stomach flipped, her pulse sped up, and her breaths shortened instantly, she had to admit that it wasn’t a dream she lusted after…it was the man.
“Hey,” he said, giving her one of those smiles that made her insides turn into hot, molten lava. She had to remind herself that this wasn’t a date, again.
