Page 46 of Knuckles (Dragon Riders MC 4)
And damn it, he came back with a few.
Not only had the Feds vacated our town, but they were blazing a clear trail that smelled like Skeleton. According to Sly, they raided not only the motel that had been sold off, but the warehouse we clocked that I was supposed to check out.
“My best guess?” Sly asked. “They’re tracking Skeleton hard. They probably saw we had run-ins with him, but once none of us could be found they kept on trucking. Ten bucks says they’ve already touched down in Chalk Borrow or whatever that town was called.”
I paused. “Cherry Branch?”
He pointed at me. “That’s the one.”
I looked over at Link. “What do you think?”
We all waited on pins and needles as our president racked his brain for the right answer.
“And you’re sure about all of this?” Link asked.
Sly nodded. “I’d bet my damn life on it. I even felt safe enough to contact one of our connections in the police. Brody?”
Ash chuckled. “The hell did that bastard have to say?”
Sly shrugged. “He told me the Feds were in and out in less than two days. And you know what that means.”
I nodded. “Yeah. It means they already found what they were looking for.”
Link took the reins of the conversation. “Did they go by the Iron Horse at all? Do you know?”
Sly nodded. “Went there, too. Bartender and staff say no one came in to question them or take pictures. Not even as much as a peep of them snooping around.”
Bowser clicked his tongue. “So… we left for nothing?”
I shook my head. “Not for nothing. This really got us off their radar. They’re so far deep up Skeleton’s ass right now they probably don’t even give a shit about us.”
Sly pointed at me. “I… actually wouldn’t go that far.”
We all turned to face him as Link cocked his head. “Why?”
Sly sighed. “I don’t have any proof. It’s just a gut feeling.”
Link didn’t miss a beat. “Don’t care. Spill it. What’s your gut telling you?”
He looked at every single one of us before his ass fell into yet another chair.
“I still think they’re watching. Even though all the evidence points to the contrary, I think they’ve got someone watching us.”
Bowser paused. “But you’ve got no proof of this?”
Sly shrugged. “I don’t know. Something was just off about the entire thing. It was a bit too perfect, if that makes sense?”
Link nodded. “Makes perfect sense.”
Ash sighed. “But you didn’t come back with supplies. That means someone else will have to run out if we’re gonna continue to stay here.”
Sly pointed up at him. “That was actually my plan. I brought back a few things, but I figured in a couple of days we can send someone else out in civilian-wear and see how they feel. See what they come across.”
We all looked over at Link while he mulled over the information.
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” he finally said.
I raised my hand. “I volunteer, if no one else wants to do it.”
Bowser patted me on the back. “That’s nice, but I’ve got this one.”
I furrowed my brow. “I don't mind doing it. I trust you guys with Simone.”
Bowser shook his head. “It isn’t that.”
Link smiled. “He’s our behind-the-scenes man.”
I blinked. “Come again?”
Link spelled it out for us. “Bowser’s the one who’s kind of kept his head down with all of this. While we’re out doing inventory at the storage shed or running back and forth to that house or out on patrols or out there making connections, Bowser’s the one in the office crunching numbers and ordering stuff for our bars. You know, doing the shit that needs to be done to keep our businesses afloat. Not a lot of people lay eyes on him. So, putting him in regular clothes and sending him out would be like—”
I cut him off. “—like sending in someone who’s already camouflaged.”
“Exactly.”
I looked over at Bowser. “You sure you’re good with this? You don’t want to talk it over with your girl?”
He snickered. “Would you have talked it over with yours?”
I paused. “Good point.”
The guys and I had a nice little laugh before things got serious again.
“We’ve got one shot to get this right. One shot to execute our plans the way we see fit,” Link said.
I nodded. “We won’t let you down.”
And as the guys murmured their agreement, I found myself staring out the window once more. Taking in Simone’s presence over by the outdoor water cooler while she talked with the girls. Suddenly, so many plans burst within my mind’s eye. Vacations and time off and new furniture for the house. Contractors carving out our perfect bathroom and landscapers creating a small garden for her to tend to, if she still enjoyed those like she did when we were younger. Everything hit me all at once: the life we’d share and the home we’d create and the children we might have.
