“I’ll make the call. Stay here,” the biker said, sliding from his stool and pulling out his phone.
Garrett leaned against the bar, letting Matthew film the bikers selling drugs and snorting them in the darkened corners. By the time they finished, none of them would harass Riley and Tara again.
“He’s not here. Kenny said he’ll meet you next Thursday at three,” the biker told him.
“I’ll be there,” Garrett said, walking out of the bar.
When he got into his truck, he spoke out loud. “Did you get everything?”
“You bet your ass, I did. Two have active warrants out on them, and the other, a recent parolee, snorted his product up his nose,” Matthew informed him.
Garrett drove back to his empty cabin. He sat in the driveway thinking about Riley and Tara, and if he only shut his big mouth, they’d be inside waiting for him. He restarted his truck, drove to the barn, and saddled Brutus. He gave a carrot to Storm, promising to ride her tomorrow.
Guiding Brutus toward the cabins, he told himself he wanted to check on all the survivors. Now, Riley and Tara stayed there because of him. Riding Brutus, he let his thoughts drift to her father. How did he find them when they moved? Why didn’t he press charges against Riley and go through legal channels?
After Riley’s confrontation with the man, he seemed to have disappeared. Did he go off on another drinking binge or give up? Something told Garrett the man who found them every single time didn’t plan on giving up easily.
He nodded to the guard on duty as he urged Brutus toward the back of the cabins. The lights shone in the one Matthew told him they were staying. He pulled the horse to a stop as he watched Riley sit at a kitchen table, picking ather food. She wiped her eyes a few times, making Garrett feel like shit. He caused this. Struggling with his decision to wait until he rid the town of Kenny and his gang and got them away from Riley, he turned the horse around.
Riley sniffledand picked at the heated meal she found in the freezer. What did she plan to tell Tara? Her sister was fond of Kara and her family, not to mention the ranch crew. She once dreamed of having one exactly like this. Her mom and dad living in the big house, and Tara enjoying a small home on the hill, where she loved to slide down in winter. Riley dreamed of one beside the green pastures with the field full of horses on one side and cattle on the other. She wanted goats in the barn, close to the house and the garden, and a chicken coop.
It seemed the closest she’d come to having chickens resembled a fast-food joint. Pulling out her phone, she checked for a text from Tara. Then, she recalled the conversation with her new friends. Did she really have a problem with control? She only tried to keep Tara away from her father. Maybe over the last year, things grew worse between the money, changing apartments, and tacos became more than a meal on Tuesdays. They ate them all the time. Staying with Garrett let her cook some of the foods her mom always made, making it feel like they found a home.
Her stomach twisted in knots, and she pushed the food away. “Snap out of it, Riley. You gave your virginity to a man you hardly knew. And when the chips were down, he showed you his true colors.”
Tears trailed down her cheeks, and she let them fall.Tomorrow, she’d pick up Tara, save up some money, and then they’d start over all again.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
“Grizzly is on the move,” Matthew said into the coms as Garrett pulled his truck into the makeshift gates of the gang a week later.
They waved him through, and he growled, “For the last time, I’m not answering to Grizzly.”
“I’m pulling leader privilege. You’ve done nothing but growl over this situation with Riley. You’re your own worst enemy. Call it punishment. It’s something I learned while working with the Serenity Securities Team. Ivan, one of the found family members, punishes his men by stupid, embarrassing tasks, such as picking flowers or babysitting teething babies. I say I’m letting you off easy.”
“Shit,” he muttered as he parked his truck, where he could easily jump in and run for cover. Jameson covered him with a sniper rifle, and Matthew waited to create a distraction if needed. His new brothers watched his six, and it drove home the feeling of belonging to something bigger, something he yearned for.
He slid out and waited while one of the bikers patted him down and searched for a wire. Too bad they didn’t havesomeone like Matthew in their gang to know about the latest equipment. He wore a pin on his cap, which he wore backward, allowing Matthew to watch his back from afar. Not to mention, he planned to scan the room, giving him access to all the players and their footage to prove they had broken parole.
Entering the main room, he scanned it, taking his time to note any dangers and turned, giving Matthew a view from every angle.
“Where’s Kenny?” he asked, walking toward the bar. “I’ll take a whiskey.”
The man behind the counter glanced at another biker, waiting for permission before he poured the drink. He slid it across to him and continued stocking. Garrett didn’t have any intention of drinking anything. He wanted to show he wasn’t ruffled by Kenny’s claims, regardless of the fact they ate at his gut.
“He’ll be along in a few minutes. Kenny’s finishing up another meeting,” a biker sitting at the bar told him. “You ain’t the only one he’s got business with.”
“I don’t plan on making any deals with him,” Garrett said as he pretended to drink from the glass. “I’m here to visit my beloved mother and to find out what it’ll take to get them to leave.”
One of the bikers coughed and chuckled, seemingly finding him funny.
Fifteen minutes went by, and still no Kenny. Garrett rose and turned to the bikers who escorted him inside the dump.
“Tell Kenny I’ll return some other time. He obviously has other things to do,” he said, heading for the door.
“Wait,” the biker said, jumping up and blocking him from leaving. “We’re supposed to keep you here.”
Garrett shoved the man backward and growled, “Kenny knows I don’t play games. I’m leaving.”
