Riley didn’t respond. Her body screamed in agony, and she wished they’d get it over with and kill her. Maybe if she made them angry enough, they’d finish the job. Tara got away, and when Riley didn’t show up at the bus station in Corpus Christie, Tara would know she didn’t make it. Death was the only thing able to keep them apart.
“Come on, Kenny. You promised to take me shopping,” Bernice said, tugging on his arm. “She’s not going anywhere. Let the boys have her. They’re complaining about the other women.”
“I’ll be back. You’ve got about two hours before Stitch comes back to tell me what I want to know. If I find out you’re hiding anything, I’ll comb this town from top to bottom. When I find your little sister, I’ll give her to the men.”
Riley babbled incoherently as worry filled her. Shedidn’t have anything but the money she gave Tara. Hopefully, by now, she boarded the bus and escaped from this small town.
Her mom didn’t want them to live a hard life on a ranch. She insisted they go to school. Riley loved the outdoors. She loved riding horses and wrangling cows. Tara, on the other hand, hated ranch life. She wanted to go to college. Mom left each of them a sum of money and a note.
Riley still recalled opening the envelope and reading her mother’s last piece of advice.
Riley,
You were born to this land. As a baby, the only way I calmed you down was letting you run barefoot in the grass and pet your pony. You’ve always ridden into the wind while Tara waits for it. Never lose your spirit and watch out for each other. I’m counting on you to care for the family. Your father’s a good man, but a bit of a dreamer. I know you’ll make the right choices. I’ll try to guide you along the way. I’ll always be in your heart.
Remember: A good fence should be pig-tight, horse-high, and bull-strong. Do a good job and no shortcuts.
Love,
Mom
Riley whimpered and cried as she moved her leg. Tears flowed from her cheeks as she scooted to the bucket. Her need to vomit overtook her urge to pee. She rolled back on the floor, still holding her armto her chest. She imagined what her mom might say now. Riley smiled as she conjured her mom’s tough voice. “Riley Marie, if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.”
The problem was, she didn’t have anyone to give her a hand out.
Jameson walkedin and sat at the bar. He wore a leather jacket and scanned the room as Matthew used facial recognition to identify the men playing pool or sipping drinks.
“The man to your left is Samuel Clemmons, AKA Roadrunner. He runs drugs with a bigger biker affiliate in Dallas. They must be spreading their territory. He spent time in Three Rivers for drug possession. Tell him you recognize him from there and worked with Jade,” Matthew said in his ear.
Jameson cocked his head as he picked up his beer. “Roadrunner? Is that you?” he asked, surprised.
“Who wants to know?” the man bristled as his eye narrowed toward Jameson.
“I spent some time in Three Rivers working with Jade. The name’s Jameson, like the whiskey,” he said smoothly while he sipped his beer. “I recently got out and came in to celebrate. The damn parole officer seems to know every bar between here and Dallas. I decided to take a detour.”
Roadrunner chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve enjoyed a couple of them. Wait until they leave the house, then leave them a special present. They’ll back off once they know you can get to them at any time.”
“Good to know. I can’t say I enjoyed my first stint there. I’m damn sure not going back over a bottle of beer,”Jameson said, motioning for the bartender for another round. “What’s your poison?”
“I’ll take a beer,” Roadrunner said as he sat beside Jameson. “What’s Jade up to these days?”
“He got shanked three days ago, and he’s spending time in the medical ward,” Matthew told him through the coms.
Jameson leaned back against the bar, surveying the place. “The asshole got himself shanked a few days ago.”
“Man, that sucks. Do they think he’ll make it?” Roadrunner asked as he accepted the cold bottle.
“He’ll live,” Matthew informed Jameson.
“The fucker has nine lives,” Jameson said, chuckling and taking a long swig. “Hey, you wouldn’t know where I can get a hit, do you? I’m jumping out of my skin.”
“I don’t have anything here. Let me make a call first,” Roadrunner said as he moved from the stool and went outside.
“Shit, boys, Roadrunner’s not as stupid as we thought. He’s calling for confirmation,” Jameson said under his breath.
“We got it covered,” Julio said, sounding calm. Garrett wanted to nab the jerk and make him take him to Riley, but he admired the way the team worked together. He hated bikers, most likely due to his mother’s last boyfriend, Kenny. Logically, he knew there were good ones, but Kenny epitomized the lowest of scum.
“He’s coming back in,” Matthew said, giving Jameson a heads-up.
