Railed (Courage MC #2) (28 page)

T
ime was too
short for a love as powerful as ours.

C
hapter
16

I
woke
up by the sound of scattered footsteps and doors being opened. A firm hand wrapped around my mouth. “NO!” I screamed, though nothing seemed to sound. I scrambled to escape. I turned my head to see Adam with his finger over his mouth. “Shh…” He pointed toward the house and whispered. “
Six of them
.” He looked frightened, like a deer about to get run over. He picked me up in his arms and ran as fast as he could to a space in the corner of the backyard.

“
W
hat’re we gonna’ do
?” I asked him, heart racing. I practically peed myself from fright.

A
dam looked
toward the house again and suddenly there was a loud sound coming from within. It sounded like pots and pans were being thrown at the walls.

“
C
ome on
, you sons of bitches!” I heard a voice say.
Bruce!
I thought to myself. I looked at Adam who had taken out his pistol. He was shaking with undeniable rage.

“
I
’ll fucking
kill them all.” He whispered through his teeth.

“
A
dam
, we have to get out of here. There’s too many of them.” I warned, feeling frantic.

J
ust then a man
walked by the back door. He didn’t look out, but I could tell by the tattoos on his head who it was.
“Jorge!”
Adam cursed to himself. He aimed his gun at him as he walked by. The gun was shaking in his hand.

“
A
dam
, let’s go!” I whispered, grabbing his arms. It was a futile attempt at moving him, but he knew what he had to do.

“
F
uck
! Fine. Let’s go.” We ran into the dark woods, spiraling to the left, where there was a hill that overlooked the old home.

B
ruce’s voice
echoed from inside, “C’mon you bastards!” We sat behind the trunk of a large tree and watched as the men dragged him outside, forcing him onto his knees.

“
Y
ou’re not gonna’ hurt
an old man are ya, Jorge?” Bruce said, practically laughing. He was clearly still drunk from the night before. Jorge whipped his face with the butt of his pistol. He spit out some blood and tooth fragments and coughed out a hoarse laugh. “Aw, c’mon. I thought you were a man! Hit me harder!”

I
turned to Adam
, completely horrified. “Adam, what is he doing?!” Small tears fell from my eyes. So far, he was the only man who gave us his blessing.

“
H
e’s stalling them
. That senile old man is stalling him.” He simply stated, staring with a hardened look on his face. “Well, god bless him…”

I
grabbed
onto Adam’s hand and clasped down as hard as I could. Bruce was knocked on the ground, clearly weakened from Jorge’s blow. The men stood around him in a tight circle, chuckling like a pack of wild dogs.

“
W
here is he
?” Jorge asked menacingly.

“
W
ho
? Ain’t no one been here in years. Not since the gang broke up.” He said, breathing heavy and exasperated breaths. Bruce’s dogs barked loudly, jumping at the men. Jorge pointed the gun at them and fired two shots. The dogs squealed and fell to grass, dead. I jumped as the sound of the bullets echoed throughout the forest. Adam put his hand over my mouth.

B
ruce started to sob
. “Aw, why’d you have to go and do a thing like that. They weren’t hurting anybody.” His long hair draped over his bruised and bloody face. One of Jorge’s men kneed him in the stomach.

“
I
’ll ask you again
, homie. Where is he?”

T
here was
a strange silence among the men. Then Bruce answered, “Got a joint?” He laughed, louder than ever. It was as if he knew his end was imminent.

J
orge pointed
the gun at Bruce’s kneecap and fired. The sound of bone against metal crunched in my ears. “
FUCK!”
Bruce cried.

“
W
HERE’S ADAM
?!” Jorge screamed.

T
wo of his
men picked Bruce’s shivering body up by his heavy arms. “He’s far from here by now…went…south…” He sobbed, spitting out dark chunks of blood and mashed teeth. He looked up at Jorge, channeled by a moment of rage and fury. “And if he catches you before you find him…he’ll murder you sons of bitches…I’m sure of that…”

J
orge laughed coldly
. His gold teeth reflect against the moonlit sky. “Nah. I don’t think you’re right, old man. Ain’t nothing, though. I ain’t here to live and play nice. Boys, let’s show him what we do to old friends.”

T
hey enclosed around him
, kicking him onto his stomach. Bruce didn’t even try to put up a fight. “Goodbye, George. You always were a favorite of mine.”

J
orge turned
around and walked back, toward the house.

B
ANG
!

T
he group
of men hooted and hollered, shouting out slurs and curse words. There was no dignity among them. “Come on. We got a marriage to ruin…” Jorge said. From what I could see, Jorge wiped a small tear from his eye, across his tattooed face.

“
L
et’s go
.” Adam whispered, shivering in the cold air.

“
A
dam
…I…”

“
L
et’s
. Go.” Adam said, walking fast into the distance. I picked myself off the ground and hurried over to him.

“
W
here can we go to
…?” I asked him.

“
W
e’re going
to Daryl’s. Come on. I know of a path. Jorge won’t find us there.” He said. The sound of crickets reverberated throughout the state of Oregon.

C
hapter
17

“
W
ell
, that’s that. We can’t trust anyone anymore.” Adam turned to me. We had been walking for what seemed like a few hours now. We had no water, no supplies, not even a jacket to wear. I was freezing and yet, that was the least of my worries. My heart had grown weary. All seemed lost.

“
W
hen will it end
, Adam? Will it ever be normal for us?” I cried.

“
S
oon
.” He said, though his mind was elsewhere. I couldn’t blame him, even though I wanted to. I wanted to find a reason for all of this violence. I wanted to point a finger at someone, even if it was the one I loved. If he hadn’t dealt with these people in the past, none of this would have happened. Of course, he wouldn’t have met me either. It all happened for a reason. But I was that reason. This filled me with a cold despair that rattled my bones.

F
inally
, we came to a group of disheveled cottages that seemed to be built in a hurry. They were aligned in a square and only one seemed to be in use. Smoke was billowing out from a makeshift chimney and a faint light showed through the wooden walls. Adam walked up to the door and knocked seven times, in a perfect rhythmic pattern. We waited. Nothing.

H
e knocked again
. Still nothing.

“
M
aybe he’s not home
…” I whispered. I prayed that what I said wasn’t true.

“
H
e’s home
. He just ain’t answering.” Adam said. He knocked one more time and finally the sound of someone tripping over their shoelaces could be heard from within.

“
H
old your damn horses
.” A voice called out.

T
he door slid
open about an inch, just enough to eye us up and down. “Who the hell is out there? I got a magnum aimed right at your heart, asshole. State your name.”

“
I
t’s Adam
.”

S
ilence
.

“
W
ell I’ll be damned
…” The voice said back. “Adam? Bruce’s boy? I thought they killed you.” The door slid back and an old black man hobbled outside with his cane.

“
I
thought
you had a magnum aimed at my heart.” Adam said calmly.

“
C
an’t be too
careful these days. You’d be surprised who shows up every now and then.”

“
W
ho
? Your old hookers looking for their money?”

“
Y
ou always had
a way with words, didn’t you? Come on in, asshole.” He smiled, extending his arms.

“
T
his ain’t
a time for celebration. These are darkened days.” Adam said in a solemn voice.

W
e both walked
inside the broken down cottage. There were old chairs lined against the wall. Boxes littered the entryway. He was a hoarder if I ever saw one. I was a long ways away from home.

“
W
ho’s the girl
?” He asked.

“
M
y wife
.” Adam replied back.

“
I
ain’t see
no ring, boy.” The man hobbled over to one of the old chairs and sat down. A plume of dust shot up around his body

“
N
o time to explain
.” Adam said. “Daryl, this is Rose. Rose this is Daryl.”

“
P
leased to meet you
, sir.” I said, avoiding eye contact. He may have been an old friend of Bruce and Adam, but he was no friend of mine. After the events of this week, I learned to avoid growing too close to people.

“
S
it down
, sit down.” He said. “Make yourselves at home. You want coffee or something?”

“
N
o
. We’re fine. All we need is this fire.”

I
chimed in
, “And maybe some jackets if you have any.” Adam looked at me, cross.

“
S
o what bad
news have you brought me?” Daryl asked him, running his shaking hands over his cane.

“
I
t’s Jorge
…” He muttered. His jaw clamped down and I saw his face turn from pale to dark red. He grinded his teeth together and breathed deeply. A heavy set of rage and adrenaline flooded his body.

“
T
hat fucker
? What’d he do now? You know he was the one that fucked up that robbery years ago, right? Almost cost me an arm and a leg. I’m lucky I never got caught.
Mother fucker…
” He shook his head and adjusted the taped-together pair of glasses that hung against his nose.

“
P
ops is dead
. He shot him dead. In cold blood.”

D
aryl stopped moving his hands
. His cane fell to the floor. “What did you just tell me, boy?” He asked, turning suddenly very serious.

I
looked
at him and shouted, “He’s dead, okay? We need your damn help!”

“
S
he’s right
. We need you now more than ever.” Adam backed me up. He put his hand against my kneecap and images of Bruce falling to the grass where we made love just hours before, flooded my mind.

“
A
dam
, I’m an old man now. There ain’t nothing I can do now. I’m done playing those games.”

A
dam stood up
, his tall stature hovering over him. “Like hell you are.” He said, lighting up a cigarette. “Now, you’ll help us if it’s the last thing you do.” His body twitched angrily. He took one drag of his cigarette and threw it to the ground, stomping it out.

“
H
ey
, you can’t just barge in here and expect me to do whatever you want. This is my house, boy. And I won’t be taken advantage of. Pick your damn cigarette up off the ground.”

“
A
s if you
ever cleaned this place in your life…” Adam whispered.

“
W
hat was that
?” Daryl retorted back. He had grabbed his cane and pushed himself up from his chair. His legs could barely even hold his body up. I began to wonder how he had even kept his job at the bank.

“
A
dam
, this man is clearly on his last years. He’s no help to no one.” I said, looking Daryl directly in the eyes.

“
L
ittle girl
,” He began, “You know
nothing
about me.”

“
I
t’s okay
, Rose.” Adam reassured me. “He’ll be dead in two seconds if he doesn’t help us out.”

“
B
oy
, you always had a way with words didn’t you? Ain’t no one dying in this here house! Not on my property.
”
Daryl squinted at me, frowning. “Hey…I know you, girl.”

“
N
o you don’t
.” I said, turning to Adam. I bore the look of confusion and alarm.

“
Y
es
…yes, I believe I do. You were on the T.V.” He smiled. “In fact, you been on the T.V. for a couple days now. The kidnapping…
Ah, shit
! Adam, you didn’t…”

“
I
t was
poor planning on my part. I’ll admit that, Daryl. But now we got everyone in the damn world looking for us. Jorge, the police, and…”

“
D
on’t say her name
.” Daryl said, walking over to the kitchen. He leaned over his sink and sighed loudly.

“
B
rianna Baxter
.”

“
G
od dammit
, I told you to never say her name around me again!” He screamed. He punched the wood cabinet in front of him, shattering it to pieces.

“
S
ettle down
. She’s my problem, not yours.”

“
O
h
, I know that. She’s always been
your
problem.” Daryl looked at him angrily.

I
stood up too
, backing away from both of the men. “Adam, what’s he saying?” I stammered, clenching my fists tightly.

A
dam sighed
and looked past me. “Guess it’s about time you find out about something.” He said.

“
A
dam
…what’s he talking about…you didn’t… Did you?” I felt my body shake with pure rage.

“
I
’m afraid
…well, I’m afraid you already know the answer yourself.” He looked away from both of us, staring at the dusty floor.

“
Y
ou bastard
! I want to hear it from your own damn mouth. You tell me what he’s saying. NOW!” This time it was me who threw punches, right at Adam’s temple.

“
S
ettle down
, kid! Settle…down!” He grabbed both of my wrists and wrestled to the floor.

“
N
O
! You can’t make me! Goddammit! I’ll kill you! I…I
HATE
you!” I screamed. My voice practically echoed throughout the forest.

“
K
eep your voice down
. For all I know, Jorge’s men could be following us.” He held my wrists tightly, twisting them until I relaxed. I fell to the floor, sobbing tears of betrayal. He sighed, “It’s not what you think. It was a long time ago, Rose…” His voice turned into a soft whisper. “It was ages ago.”

I
struggled
to break free from his grip, but he wouldn’t let me go until I decided to listen to his reasoning. “Then what is it then? What could it possibly be?” I gave up resisting, falling flat against his chest.

“
O
h
, boy…” Daryl sighed. “I’ll give you some time.”

“
N
o
, Daryl. Stay here. We have a lot to do before sunrise. It’s fine.” Daryl shook his head and sat back down, muttering to himself quietly.

A
dam turned
to me and managed to let go of my wrists. “I met Brianna Baxter on the Eve of my initiation. I was the rising star in the group. So much promise. You know, that sort of thing. There was a lot of pressure put on me. I was going to take over the gang someday. But I was unhappy. I wasn’t getting paid as much as I should have. I had to pay off my debt to my elders. I had to prove my worth. And even though I knew I could run things better than the rest of the crew, I couldn’t say one damn thing. Because if I did, they’d have ostracized me quickly and completely.”

“
B
oom
.” Daryl said.

“
R
ight
. Boom.” Adam ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. “So I did what any man would have done in my position. I drowned myself in women and whiskey. Cigarettes and expensive cocaine. Hell, we sold it for triple the price. It was one of the perks of the job. And that’s when I met Brianna Baxter.”

I
wiped
the tears from my eyes. “Go on.” I said, sniffling. I needed to know the whole story, at least for my sanity’s sake.

“
W
ell one thing
led to another, you know? I was 26 years old. I didn’t know a thing. And here was this 23 year old bombshell of a bitch. And of course, I wanted her. But she played hard to get, teasing me and taunting me wherever I went. I’d sometimes be gone on a trip to deal in Texas or Nevada – one of those empty desert towns close to us….i’d be gone for weeks. And then I’d come back home to the guys, and Brianna would be sitting on the couch, wearing a tight skirt, legs wide open with her arms around Jorge. That’s the kind of woman she was. She liked to press your buttons.”

“
S
o you dated
?” I sniffed. I felt my heart beat fast. I was filled with adrenaline. I felt like I could punch a hole through his face.

“
I
’m getting to that
. As soon as she found out I was Road Captain and in charge of the drugs, she’d magically show up at the oddest times. I’d be in the middle of a deal, there it was, a knock on my door. I’d wake up sometimes and she’d be at my window, trying to score a line for herself after a party. It got to the point where I felt like I had no choice. Did I like this woman? Of course I did. Did I want to settle down with her. Hell no. She simply drove the point home. She needed me. And soon…well, soon I needed her more.”

“
Y
ou prick
…” I cursed, spitting in his face. He wiped it off and continued speaking.

“
W
ell
, I guess I deserve that. I didn’t tell you the whole truth. Even still, there’s more you don’t know. Now, if you want me to continue speakin’, you’ll have to keep your mouth closed and saliva to yourself.”

“
I
’m listening
.” I said, though I could barely contain my anger.

“
W
ell
, it got deep, her and I. And soon enough, she was trying to convince me to let her join in on my trips down south. This was something you didn’t do. Maybe other crews let that fly, but not ours. We had tight rules. We were a family. Brianna was just some outside bitch who was trying to ruin our plans, according to the rest of the group.” He lit up a cigarette and inhaled deeply. “I wasn’t in a good place back then. We were both doing coke everyday. Sometimes we would go all night, listening to Black Sabbath and talking about my future. She always had ideas for me. She always knew what was best for me. Of course, the guys were right. She had self-interests. However, we didn’t know it went as far as it did.”

“
S
o what happened
?” I asked, feeling my body loosen up a bit.

“
W
ell
, I did what I had to do. I got word of a big business deal, one that could make us millions. And I told her she could come. But as soon as word got out, my own father kicked me off the job. And he scolded me in front of everyone, including her. He knew she was trouble from the first day he met her. He was older than I was, more experienced. He had met girls like her before. Well, she didn’t quite like that. She left in a drunken, drug-fueled rage. And the next thing I knew, she had settled with Jorge. She was with him now.”

D
aryl shook
his head breathed out loudly. “Boy do I remember that. Your father was on the verge of ringing your goddamn neck.”

“
Y
ou bet he was
. And I deserved it too. But I had a new plan. One that would make us even more money than the deal down south. Can you guess what that was?”

D
aryl laughed
. “I’ll give you a hint…”

I
cleared my throat
, “The bank heist, huh…”

“
Y
ou got it
. So I went over the plan. Right in front of Jorge and Brianna, I gave out every detail. We had Daryl on our side, the blueprints to the bank, and God knows we had the manpower on our side to win. But one thing we didn’t have was that common bond. That had broken with Brianna. Like a snake in the grass, she fed me that poisoned apple and I gladly shared it with my men. When it came time to arm up, things didn’t feel right. But there was no backing down now. Once a decision had been made, there was no going back on that.”

“
B
ut what happened
?” I asked, standing up and pacing around the room. I grabbed a cigarette from the half-empty carton and lit it up. “What went wrong? You triggered that alarm, right?”

“
W
hat went
wrong was Brianna went missing. Somehow we had decided she would be the best getaway driver for the job. I don’t know how we came to that decision. It was god-awful. But she was innocent enough, young enough, and could put herself together well enough for us to think it could work. But when we triggered that alarm, we had 30 seconds to pack our things and get out of there. We stuffed all the gold and cash we could and ran out of their like a team of jackals.”

D
aryl spoke
up as Adam took another drag. “And boy did they run fast. They pushed those bank doors open with smiles on their faces. But I saw that damn parking lot and there was no getaway car like they had planned. That bitch never showed up. A few of the men, Adam included, had enough sense to get out of there. They all knew of the four routes into the forest and they knew the cops would have a hard time following them in there.”

D
aryl stood
up and walked over to the center of the room. He lifted the center rug off of the ground, revealing a wooden door. He opened it and we all looked down. There was a big passageway that seemed endless, like staring into a black hole. I shook my head in disbelief.

“
T
rust
me when I say this - we had this down to a fucking science. Brianna left us there to die that day, but I sure as hell wasn’t about to lay down in my own grave. I ran as fast as I could, got to this cottage here and went down in the hole. I spent two whole days without food or water, walking miles upon miles in a darkened tunnel. And eventually, I came out of a sewer and train-hopped to Arizona. That’s when I met you.”

D
aryl chimed in
, “One of our men tripped up and dropped a bag of cash. The boy was so stupid he ran back to get it. Cops surrounded him in seconds. All it took was one finger on that trigger for the damn police to light that place up. That’s how I banged up my knee. Took a bullet right in the thigh.”

A
dam swallowed down some saliva
. “And Jacky…man, he wasn’t so lucky. Two in the chest, four in the arms and legs, three in his fucking skull. I’m glad I got to miss that mess. I don’t think I could’ve handled that. I would’ve went marching right into my grave.”