As if on cue, the deep rumble of a Harley engine cut through the air and the nomad Vin had just told us about pulled up next to us. He pulled off his helmet and hung it on the bars, a tumble of thick, dark hair falling around his shoulders.
Vin climbed off his bike and walked over to him, and they shook hands.
“This is—”
“Balls,” the other man interrupted. “Name’s Balls and I’ve been looking forward to this day for a very long time.” He grinned.
“Balls has had dealings with Agent Lear a couple of times—never ended up in his favor either. Hasn’t been able to come to Miles City and see his mom for the past year because of our good friend.” Vin’s cell rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket and answered. He nodded and hung up. “Show’s on.”
A minute or so later Agent Lear walked around the side of the bank, cell phone in hand. He was talking quickly, head down and oblivious to the trap he’d just walked himself right into until it was too late to walk away. He looked up slowly, his eyes widening. Buddy stepped behind him, plucking the cell from his hand and putting it to his ear. Whoever was on the other end obviously had a lot to say because he listened intently for over a minute before he got a chance to say anything.
“Agent Lear is currently unavailable. But if you want your man back, I suggest you give up whoever is responsible for almost killing my brother. You have one hour.” He closed the cell and slipped it into his back pocket while JP and Crank gripped both of Lear’s arms and dragged him into the back of the waiting van.
Agent Lear still hadn’t spoken a word, and Balls walked over calmly, looking up into the back of the van, his hard gaze connecting with Agent Lear’s.
“Remember me, motherfucker?” he sneered, and I fucking loved the look of horror that crossed Agent Lear’s face. Balls pulled out a flick knife. “And this?”
“I’m an officer, you can’t—”
“You should know by now that the Highwaymen don’t run by your laws,” Vin said. He nodded to JP and Crank, and Buddy closed the doors to the sound of fists hitting flesh and grunts of pain.
We all climbed back on our bikes and Skull started to drive with us following, heading out of town and somewhere secluded. About halfway, Agent Lear’s cell rang and we pulled over so Buddy could answer it. He gave them directions on where they could find Agent Lear, with strict orders to come alone, and then we were off again.
We pulled into the drop point twenty minutes later and Buddy opened up the van doors and dragged Agent Lear out. His face was a mess, blood splattered down his shirt, and bruises already forming on what was likely a broken cheekbone. Not that it would matter soon anyway; he was a dead man walking regardless of who or what information he gave up.
Buddy pushed the man to his knees and Balls pulled out the flick knife again and made his way toward him. “You know I never got to say goodbye to my mom before she passed because of you?” he spat, and Agent Lear looked away.
Buddy was standing behind him and gripped him by his hair, lifting his face up to look at Balls.
“She was eighty-nine and I was her only kid. She was a good woman, and she died alone because of you.”
Agent Lear spat out a mouthful of blood. “You ever stop to think that it was your fault she died alone and not mine, you piece of shit?”
Balls reared back with his arm and swiped the blade across Agent Lear’s chest. He screamed out and blood blossomed across his shirt.
“No, it’s your fault. You’re the lowest of the low. Because you’re not just a cop, but you’re a dirty cop. Ain’t nothing worse.” Balls got down to his knees, blood dripping from his blade. “Now, are you going to be a good little boy and tell us who your contact is or am I going to cut your tongue out?”
Balls grabbed Agent Lear’s chin and squeezed his cheeks until his mouth opened. Agent Lear screamed and writhed under his and Buddy’s grip and I stared on impassively.
“I can’t! I can’t!” Agent Lear screamed, a puddle of piss building beneath him. “He’ll fucking kill me if I breathe a word! Please!”
Balls stood up and looked at Vin, who sighed. “How about this. You give us a name and we let you loose now. You run and you don’t look back. But this is your one and only chance. Your buddies will be here soon, and when they get here we’re going to kill every single one of them. This is as good an offer as you’ll ever get.”
Agent Lear looked down at the dusty ground, sweat trailing down the side of his face. When he looked up he nodded. “You let me go, now, today? And you leave my wife and kids alone.”
Vin nodded and I almost rolled my eyes at how fucking stupid Agent Lear was to believe him. His wife and kids would be fine, they were civilians, innocent of this man’s dirty dealings. But there was no way Agent Lear was coming out of this situation anything less than dead.
He swallowed, his anxious gaze moving over us all until it landed back on Vin. “You’ll look after my wife and kids, right?” he asked.
I was about to say something when I felt my cell phone vibrate in my pocket. I plucked it out and saw Nancy’s name on the screen.
“Now’s not a good time, babe,” I said as I answered it, and I had no fucking clue what she said back because it was indecipherable between the cussing and yelling. I pulled the cell away from my ear. “Now’s really not a good time,” I growled, louder that time.
Jesus. Was that what I had to look forward to now? Because that was not what I wanted. Bitching and moaning and we were only a couple of hours into the relationship, or whatever it was. Fuck that.
Vin glared at me, one eyebrow raised, as if to tell me to hurry the fuck up. I took a step back from the group to let them finish up. I didn’t need to see what would happen next; it was obvious how it was going to go down.
“You wanted a name, you piece of shit?” Nancy yelled, sounding both distraught and furious. “You wanted a name? How about you—Sketch? That a good enough name for you? Because you hurt me worse than any of those other men ever did!”
