“We’d keep all of them if we could, but we can’t have twenty-five plus kids, rowdy teens at that, running around the compound. Relay has a friend in the church and Ruck’s already set everything up.”
“Relay has a church friend?” she asked with an arched brow.
I chuckled. “Believe it or not.”
“I’m not sure I do,” she said, hesitantly.
“Which part, the church or the friend? You’d be surprised the friends we made in the military,” I told her with a chuckle. “Relay’s friend was another PJ. Works closely now with churches in the area as well as charities.”
“That must be so rewarding,” she replied, watching as I moved the cattle where I needed them to go. “What’s that?”
“Sorting flag,” I told her, moving to my left and waving the plastic pole with a flag on the end in front of a heifer’s face when she tried to backtrack and come back up the chute I’d created instead of loading into the trailer. “Keeps them going where we want them. Really, your mutt should be here earning his keep, not sleeping at home.”
“He earned his keep at home by protecting me and the others,” she reminded me.
“Good point. I’ll pick up a pound of steak-” I saw her expression darken. “I mean, shrimp for him tomorrow.” Note to self, it was too soon for steak, hamburger, or brisket.
I’d called immediately after the fight with Carrick to check on everyone back at the clubhouse. Rue had been nearly inconsolable until she heard Strike on speaker phone saying everyone, including Flir, was okay. Just some scrapes and bruises. I doubted that was all it was, but it calmed my girl down so I was willing to accept that answer.
Ruck had sent Drifter back to the house to check on everyone, so the minor injuries would have to wait to be looked at. I had a lot of debts to pay because Strike, Flir, and Norman had done everything they could to protect Rue. Didn’t matter how good of a fucking fighter you were when you were outnumbered five to one the way they were.
Code had dragged Mercy off to an area that he’d locked down tighter than a damn escape room. She’d tried to convince him to go help the others, but his job had been to protect her and the baby. I didn’t envy him being stuck in that position, leaving his friends alone, but protecting a pregnant woman would always take priority. Kid had done his job perfectly.
I closed the doors behind the last cow. “Hop in the truck. I’m going to take a look around, make sure we didn’t miss any.” I took a quick walk through the plant, ignoring the dead bodies littering the floor. We weren’t even going to bother removing them.
It was a warning to The Collective. A message that we were coming for them. They’d make sure the bodies were taken care of so they wouldn’t have to deal with the cops. Meant less work for us and would instill some paranoia in the fuckers we were going after. Win, win in my book.
Hopping in the cab of the truck, I put it into gear and left that building filled with death behind. At least now it was only guys who deserved to meet their makers left in there. I wasn’t a crazy vegan guy who didn’t understand that cows were meant to be meat. Shit some of our best friends were cattle ranchers.
But there was a difference between those poor cows stuck in a small corral in a concrete building and them living their lives out on a ranch until the end came. I believed in ethical farming and where we were taking them, these cows would have the best life until it was their time to give back to us. That was the best I could do for them. Well…most of them.
I settled my hand on Rue’s head as she laid across the bench seat and put her head in my lap. It’d been a long fucking day for her. For all of us. But it was over. Her brother was with my brothers, helping the kids he’d met because of The Collective start their new lives. Then it would be time for him to put all that into the past and start his own. We’d help him with that. We’d help all of them.
Ruck had already set up an account that would help these kids, but also the others at the orphanage. The church would never struggle to find funding for them because it was already taken care of. We’d already agreed that any cash or hard assets that could be sold that we took from The Collective in the future would go back to the orphanage.
The sun was rising over the mountains as I pulled off at a deserted gas station on the side of the road. No sooner had I put the truck in park than a set of headlights appeared on the horizon. I didn’t need the rig to get closer to know it was Warrant.
Rue sat up with a yawn. “Where are we?”
“Meeting spot.”
We both climbed out of the truck as the other pulled in ahead of us. “Who are we meeting?”
“Friends from Wyoming,” I told her with a grin. “They’re going to watch over your cows for you.”
“Mine?” she asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.
I winced a little. “Rue-”
“Hey fucker!”
I turned and grinned at Demolition as he jumped out of the truck. “Demo.”
“How the fuck did a city asshole like you end up with a trailer full of cattle?” he asked.
“Packing plant,” I told him, my gaze sliding to Rue.
“Ah.” He turned and stuck out his hand. “I’m Demolition. Friends call me Demo.”
