Damn, it was disheartening to feel the effects after two days. She remembered when two bottles wouldn’t even give her a buzz. Of course, those bottles had been shared with the other bitches, but still, it was a hard pill to swallow.
“Onions do me that way.”
The thought of onions made her even queasier. The sun shining down directly on her head had her glad she had grabbed a bottle of water from an ice chest at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Lucky stood on the makeshift stage, which consisted of Greer Porter’s lowered tailgate. Townspeople from Treepoint had driven to Jamestown to the dedication of the extension of the women’s shelter.
Nettie sniffed into a tissue she was holding. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for six years. If my daughter had had a place like this to turn to, she would not be where she is now.”
“Is she in the crowd?” Crazy Bitch asked, wishing she had worn a big, floppy hat like Nettie’s. Looking around, she didn’t see anyone she didn’t recognize.
“No. Charlotte is in prison.”
She turned her sunglasses toward Nettie. “What’d she do?”
“Her husband was a lunatic. He had been so sweet when they got married. He was the son-in-law I always wanted. After they had my grandson, he became jealous of every man she talked to. He would read her emails, listen to her phone calls. Charlotte had enough when he started becoming violent with her. I begged her to come and stay with me, or one of our friends, but she wouldn’t. She was too afraid he would hurt me or one of them.”
Her sick stomach grew worse.
“That was before I knew you, Sex Piston, and Lily. She didn’t feel like she had a safe place to stay, so she stayed home, took out an order of protection, and filed for divorce. Mike stayed away, other than filing for primary custody. I thought he was handling the divorce well, yet Charlotte kept saying it was all an act. That he kept breaking into her house and her car.
“That night, I called to say good night to her, and the next thing I knew, a friend who lived next to Charlotte called to tell me that she had been arrested for killing Mike and his brother when they had tried to take my grandson.”
“How did they send her to prison? It must have been self-defense.”
“The gun was Charlotte’s. Mike had told his mother that she had told him he could have Spencer that weekend. The sheriff and the Commonwealth Attorney said she had lured Mike to his death and killed his brother to make sure there weren’t any witnesses. They even called the gun store owner to testify that Charlotte had said that if Mike came near her house again, she would shoot him.”
Crazy Bitch promised herself, the next time someone pissed her off, she wouldn’t spout off about shooting them.
“How much time did she get?”
“Fifty years. I’ll never be able to hug my daughter again.”
“I’m so sorry, Nettie. But surely, you can hug her when you visit.”
“Not in the one she’s in. It’s maximum security. We have to keep a table between us.”
Crazy Bitch’s heart started pumping so fast she had to drink her water to calm down.
No one was standing near them; most of the crowd had gone to the front to listen to Lucky’s speech. She and Nettie were standing in the back, where the ribbon was going to be cut.
“What’s the name of the prison she’s in?”
“She’s in the Kentucky State Penitentiary.”
Crazy Bitch cleared her throat. “I have a friend not far from Eddyville. I could go by and visit her.”
“Would you? She’d get a kick out of someone else seeing her. I go to visit her once a month. You have to fill out an application online. Just type in that you’re Charlotte’s cousin. They’ll email you back that you’re approved. I’m going to see her tomorrow, so wait to apply. I wouldn’t want her to deny you’re her cousin before you fill it out.”
“Just text me when you get outside, and I’ll fill it out. How long does it take to get approved?”
“Not long if you don’t have a record. If you do, they won’t approve you.”
Her stomach sank. There was no way she or Calder were getting in by conventional means.
Her mind buzzed, drowning the rest of the speeches and the groundbreaking. How in the hell were she and Calder getting inside to see Charlotte? Sex Piston and Stud wouldn’t be leaving the twins anytime soon. They had taken their car away from them, and their phones, and they were grounded until hell froze over. T.A. and Bear had broken up, so she was refusing to play the game. Killyama and Train weren’t playing. That left one person in their crew who could get the job done. Fat Louise didn’t have a brain in her head, but Cade did.
She sidled back to Nettie as the woman was about to leave. “Now that I think about it, I don’t go to Eddyville that often, but Jane is friends with my friend, too. She could go see your daughter. Just tell Charlotte her cousin Jane and her husband will be coming for a visit when they’re approved.”
“I will. Can you tell them to change some dollar bills into change? They allow visitors to buy food and snacks from the concession area.”
“I’ll make sure Jane and Cade take good care of Charlotte.”
She said a quick goodbye then searched through the crowd to see her friends were watching Stud, Calder, and the rest of the brothers stack wood near the building site.
“Having fun?” Crazy Bitch grinned at Sex Piston as she watched a shirtless Stud carry boards over his shoulder.
“You have no idea.” Her eyes roved over Stud’s muscular body.
“I believe I do.” Crazy Bitch watched Calder carry a bigger stack across his shoulder. “Damn, I might need to put Rider on my wish list,” she said, taking out her phone to snap a picture of him carrying the smallest amount of boards. It was clear The Last Riders had more muscles, but the Destructors had more brawn.
“I don’t see Train packing any boards,” Crazy Bitch teased Killyama.
“He’s passing out water to everyone.”
“There are those who can do, and those who can’t… pass out water.” Crazy Bitch snickered.
The comment set off a catfight that had her sunglasses flying through the air as Killyama tried to twist her arm behind her back to say she was sorry.
Calder started to drop the boards he was carrying, but stopped when Crazy Bitch laughed as Killyama put her in a headlock. The brief fight ended when she saw Moon walk past.
“You win.” Crazy Bitch reached for her phone again, taking another photo. Then she quickly shoved it into her pocket when she saw Calder furiously approaching.
“I want to see those pictures tonight. And just so you know, every picture that is a Last Rider is going to piss me off. You get my meaning?”
Damn, Calder was sexy when he was jealous.
She gave him a smart-aleck salute when he went back to the woodpile.
“Yo! Hot thang!”
Calder turned around at her shout. She quickly took a picture, hiding her phone before he could take it away from her.
When he lifted her up into the air, she looked down at him, grinning. The other night, she had thought life was good. She was wrong. It was fucking awesome.
Tugging his hair back to plaster a kiss on his mouth, she thrust her tongue inside in a frenzy of love and need.
Lifting her head, she wiped her lipstick away with her thumb. “You can go now.”
He set her back down on her feet, giving her a hard smack on her ass.
“You’re making a habit of that!”
“Then behave,” he grunted, picking up another pile of lumber.
“Where has my bitch gone?” Sex Piston said mockingly.
“Your bitch is right here,” Crazy Bitch said gleefully, pursing her lips to throw an air kiss at Rider, who hurried past her. “Got to keep those suckers on their toes.”
“Which one?” Fat Louise put a hand over her mouth when Sex Piston shot her a quelling glance.
“Both Rider and Calder. Remember the good old days when Rid
er was afraid of me and Killyama? And I have to keep Calder on his toes. I don’t want him too sure of me.”
“How does letting him get away with spanking you keep him on his toes?” Sex Piston asked.
“Because he thinks I’m letting him get away with it, and then I get”—she reached out a hand, palm up, closing it into a fist—“to crush his nuts like peanuts.”
“You didn’t forget to use the lube, did you?” Killyama laughed, slapping her on the back.
Crazy Bitch had to catch herself before toppling over in her heels.
“Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t. You’ll never know.” Crazy Bitch patted her hair. “You might be the lucky bitch, but I’m the most devious.”
“Which one am I?” Fat Louise asked innocently.
“The one who is going on a road trip in a couple of days.” Crazy Bitch’s eyes beamed with pride when the other bitches moved closer.
“You figured out the clue?” Sex Piston looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was in hearing distance.
“Calder and I both did.”
“Where are Cade and I going?” Fat Louise’s eyes widened when she told her Eddyville.
“Is Greer still here?” Sex Piston looked for the truck that Lucky had been standing on thirty minutes before.
“I waited to tell you until he left,” Crazy Bitch informed her.
“Why do I have to go?” Fat Louise bent down to pick up Crazy Bitch’s sunglasses, handing them to her.
“You and Cade are the only ones who don’t have a police record, and Sex Piston won’t want to leave the twins.”
“Damn right. I won’t unless you’re offering to babysit them again?”
“No.”
“Come on, Fat Louise. Me and Train will watch the baby,” Killyama offered.
“Prisons give me the creeps. What if someone tries to make me their bitch?”
“Tell them you’re already taken.” Sex Piston slung an arm over Fat Louise’s shoulders. “I can take any of those bitches.”
“Let’s just hope you get approved and none of The Last Riders figure out the frozen clue.”
Crazy Bitch noticed one of her fingernails was chipped. Putting her hand in her pocket, she decided it was time to leave.
“I’ll see you. I got to go. Tell Calder I’ll see him at home.”
“What’s the rush?” Killyama moved out of her way when she brushed past her.
“I have a chipped fingernail. I have to go home and fix it.”
“Heaven help Calder if he sees you with a chipped nail.”
“He thinks I’m perfect. I don’t want to disillusion him.”
“You’re too late!” Killyama yelled after her.
Crazy Bitch didn’t turn around, walking toward her car to slip inside.
Starting the car, she aimlessly waited for her passenger in the back seat to show himself. He waited until she had turned onto an old road that led to the trash dump before he sat up.
“Took you long enough,” she said, looking into the rearview mirror.
“I don’t want to be seen talking to you.” Lucky stared back at her.
“No one looks at my car. They’re afraid it will make them sick. So, what did you need to talk about that you had to sneak into my car?”
“I wanted to talk about why you didn’t warn me about Stud and Calder searching for Sam?”
“Because I didn’t know. I only found out when Calder came home that night. They thought they were defending me.”
“What they accomplished was sending him into hiding so we can’t find him.”
Crazy Bitch slapped her hand down on the steering wheel. “I texted you as soon as I found out.”
“By then, it was too late.” Lucky’s expression turned ominous. “The drug task force is going to make their move tomorrow morning. Diamond showed the video of the deputy from the realty company to the Commonwealth Attorney this morning. She asked the Commonwealth Attorney to ask for the police camera of the sheriff and the deputy. The sheriff’s was on, but the deputy’s was off.”
“What a surprise.” Crazy Bitch turned the air conditioner on higher. She was sweltering. “So, who was the one who planted the drugs if the sheriff had his camera on?”
“We don’t know. The sheriff may not have planted the drugs, but he knew they were there. The video showed he went directly under the mat.”
“Stupid bastard.”
“Not as stupid as the deputy. He might have remembered to turn off his body camera, but he forgot there’s a camera on the ceiling of the cruiser, showing the back seat. His confession that he knew you had stopped at the stop sign was caught on tape.”
“Why didn’t the sheriff erase it?”
“He planned to, but Diamond had asked the state police to seize the tapes the night you were arrested. He didn’t have time.”
“If you don’t have Sam, then why is the task force going to make some arrests tomorrow?”
“We’re hoping Sam is at one of the houses we’re going to hit.”
She narrowed her eyes at Lucky. “That’s not all, is it?”
“I want you out of this mess. I want you to talk to Calder tonight so he can be on guard. When we go back, I want you to drop me off at the Destructors’ clubhouse. Stud should be back by then. He can make sure the brothers have your back.”
“Aren’t you worried about losing some arrests?”
“No. They’re already staked out. I came out of retirement to help you. I’ve done that, and now I will finally be able to get the sheriff. Once we find Sam, most of the danger will be off you. The paperwork leads back to him. Once he’s arrested, the town will believe he’s the informant, not you.”
“He’ll know.”
“I’m going to offer him a sweet deal.”
“Which is?” She hated that the rat bastard would get any kind of deal.
“I’m going to let him live.”
33
Crazy Bitch lazily blew on her fingernails, admiring the job she had just finished.
Looking at the clock, she reached for her phone. Calder should have been home by now.
She had come home right after dropping Lucky off, and she had actually expected Calder to be there. When he hadn’t been, she had texted him. So far, he hadn’t returned it.
Pressing his phone number, she stared down at her toenails critically, thinking on working on them. When Calder didn’t answer, she called Stud.
She didn’t give him time to say hello. “Calder at the clubhouse?”
“No, I haven’t seen him since I left him at the ceremony. He’s not there?”
Her feet went to her carpeted floor. “Did Sex Piston give him my message that I was going home?”
“Yes. He said that’s where he was going.”
“Could he have gone to the Blue Horsemen clubhouse?”
“Not without telling you.”
“Is Lucky still there?” she asked.
“I haven’t seen Lucky.”
Terror filled her. “Stud, is Sex Piston with you?”
“No, she’s at the house with the kids.”
“Where are you in the club?”
“At the bar.”
“Go to the office and lock yourself in. Now. Don’t say anything until you’re there.”
Silence met her ear, though she could hear Stud’s boots on the floor.
“I’m here. What in the fuck is going on?”
“You alone?”
“Yes.”
“You got a gun in there?”
“Yes.”
“Get it. I’ll talk while you’re getting it.”
Hysteria had her wanting to scream, but Calder and Lucky were in danger. She couldn’t let the crazy out until she found them.
“I dropped Lucky off at the club before I came home.”
“Why—”
“Shut up and listen. We don’t have much time. Someone has a head start on us. He was going to tell you that he was going to arrest several people in town who
are involved in selling painkillers. I was the informant. Lucky wanted you to have the brothers to protect me and Calder until he could find Sam. When I dropped him off out back, your van was outside. You didn’t see him come in?”
“I parked the van at the club, but I drove my bike to the ceremony. I was going to drive the van home tonight.”
“Fuck, we thought you were inside. Lucky said the sheriff didn’t plant the drugs in my car, but he knew where the drugs were going to be. Someone from the club must have planted the drugs. The rental car was parked outside. I didn’t bother to lock the door.”
“So, someone in the club planted drugs on you to get you arrested, and you think they’ve done something to Lucky?”
“Yes, and Calder. That’s why he’s not answering. I’m scared shitless. What do we do?”
“You got a gun?”
“In my bedroom.”
“Get it. I’ll stay on the line until you get it. When I hang up, I’m going to call Killyama. She, Hammer, and Jonas will protect you. Don’t answer the door, even if Jesus shows up knocking. I’m going to the Blue Horsemen and will send half the men to Sex Piston, and keep the other half with me.”
“Are you going to stay in the office until they get there?”
“No, we don’t have to wait. There are twenty men out front. I’m sure the one who took Lucky is gone. If he is, I’ll find out which one it is. Who did you report to?”
“Lucky. But he gave me a number in case of an emergency.”
“Call it. Then call me back.” The call went dead.
She immediately called the number Lucky had made her memorize. It answered on the first ring.
“Hello?”
She recognized the cold voice.
“Shade, I can’t find Calder. And Lucky had me drop him off at the Destructor’s clubhouse, but he’s not there.” She held her phone tighter.
“Where are you?”
“At my apartment. Stud is calling Killyama to bring Hammer and Jonas to me.”
“I see her and Train pulling out of the parking lot now. Make sure you keep a gun in your hand until they’re there.” Shade kept his instructions short and clipped.