I fully expected us to stop in some remote area, far from anywhere, far from anyone to hear me scream as Monarch attempted to get the truth about Josh out of me. But we rode straight into the night, the air turning from hot, to warm, to cool to downright cold. He only stopped to piss and even that he did fast. He didn’t speak to me at all.
It was as though they were running from something, rather than returning home having caught me. And after a couple of hours, I was sure we weren’t stopping for long until we reached Vegas. Good. I can make a run for it once we get there. I still know people there, and some pretty good place to hide.
I fell asleep against Monarch’s after the third time he stopped to take a leak at the side of a dark road, empty save the twenty-odd bikes of his club members.
“Rise and shine, princess,” Monarch says in his harsh, guttural whisper. “We’re almost home.”
I open my eyes to light and movement, but it’s far from morning yet. We’re stopped at a large intersection, with a fair-sized column of cars passing to and fro in front of us. Vegas never sleeps. Most cities sleep, but not Vegas, something is always going on here.
And I know exactly where we are. The corner of Valley View and Oakey. If I make it to the end of this street, I can get lost in the alleys beyond this intersection.
My heart is thundering in my chest, my throat is so dry I can’t unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth, but this might be my one and only chance. I think there’s only like two more traffic lights before we get to the Kings’ clubhouse.
I loosen my grip on Monarch’s waist, pretend to stretch and bolt. It’s only by some miracle that I manage not to trip over his bike as I slide off it. Then I start running as fast as I can. Straight across the street, dodging cars and bikes and ignoring the angry shouts.
Monarch downright roared as I got away, and that animal sound is still reverberating in my ears.
But the darkness of the first cluster of alleys is just up ahead. I will my legs to go faster, even though my heart is already beating so fast I’m sure it’ll burst at any moment.
But I’m almost there. Almost in the dark, almost safe, almost home.
Something hard runs into me from the back, propelling me forward through the air. I’m flying, no longer in control of the movement of my body. My forehead hits first, pain so great and all-encompassing I only feel the very edges of it racking my entire body before everything goes black.
Colt
The drive to the hill overlooking the abandoned town passes in the blink of any eye. We took a different route, not the one past Brenda’s motel, and as sorry as I was at first, I now think it’s better this way. There’s no room for her in my mind for this job.
The responsibility Cross gave me weighs like a bull sitting on my chest. And for the first time ever, I feel like I’m up to par. Like my best will be good enough. Like the promise I made Cross was a prophecy, not just empty words.
We arrive at the site, trek up the hill where me and Blaze spent our stakeout, then lay low behind the two boulders.
Sounds of partying in town are loud, boisterous, and deafening, though that might just be because my nerves are red hot and frayed in anticipation of the work ahead. I point out the houses and the likeliest routes, speaking in short sentences just above a whisper, though I doubt anyone down in town can hear anything. The main street is full of people, lights are shining in most of the houses, and you’d think they were celebrating New Year’s or something with the amount of noise they’re making.
Even by one AM, the partying doesn’t seem to be letting up.
“At least they’ll be drunk and tired by the time they finally go home,” Ace remarks to no one in particular, since we’re probably all thinking the same thing.
The children and wives leave first, and by two AM, the street finally starts clearing. The lights in the houses start winking out one by one.
“That’s your guy,” I say to Eagle and Mac as the old, portly guy they’re supposed to be bringing in limps and stumbles along Main Street, making a left turn towards his already dark house on the second row over. His wife never came down to the party, and that house has been dark since we got here.
“And there goes yours,” I tell Ace and Rook, who both grumble agreement. I bet they had eyes on him since we got here. He’s getting up there in years, but his wife is young and pretty and he was all over her all night. His hand is cupping her ass now as they make their way towards their house. It could be a while before they’re asleep, though he’s gotta be over fifty, so that’s not a given at all.
The guy me and Blaze are supposed to take down is in his early forties and he’s had a different club girl wrapped around him each time I caught a glimpse at him. Now he’s got two kissing and dancing for him just outside the bar.
Sweat is running down my face and back, so much of it, my shirt is nearly soaked. It’s a hot night tonight, no wind to speak of, and even the breeze that rises every so often is warm.
Our guy is one of the last to leave the bar, a girl on each arm, as he leans on one and then the other on the way to a small apartment above what was some sort of office space or store back in the day. It’s right at the end of Main Street and the last structure on the side of town that’s right below the hill that leads to the big house. The downstairs windows are boarded up, but the upstairs ones are open and brightly lit. At least we’ll be able to hear exactly when he finally goes to sleep. How we’re gonna pull him from under those two club girls is another matter altogether.
We wait for a solid hour after the whole town goes dark and silent. Even club whores the guy me and Blaze are taking out brought home eventually stopped moaning and screeching.
“It’s time?” I ask Rook, who nods.
“Let’s make this quick and silent. No talking, only hand signs from this point on,” Rook says. “You know what to do and where to meet. And, Colt, if you see something that’s not supposed to be there, don’t be shy about letting us know.”
“I won’t,” I assure him.
“Good luck!” Rook says and starts making his way down, Ace right behind him.
The rest of us follow in pairs. The wind has finally picked up, cold and fresh and all the hissing and whistling is masking our descent very well. My nervousness is just a memory now and a ball of something heavy in the pit of my stomach that’s not so hard to ignore now that we’re doing this. Worrying has no place now in my head. The only way I get back from this is by doing my best.
By the time Blaze and I reach cover among the first row of houses, the rest are nowhere to be seen. The wind is whistling around us, gusting through the open spaces between the houses, raising dust and debris, most of which is hitting my face. I’m hardly breathing as we sneak towards our target house. A shutter banging against the window and shattering glass breaks the silence over our heads. We plaster ourselves to the wall of the house we’re walking by and wait. A curse turns into a full-on argument between the husband and wife in that house.
Great, just what we need.
And I think that before the occupants of at least three houses start shouting for them to shut the fuck up. But luckily everyone seems to be too drunk and tired to do much before morning, and soon, the only sound is once again the whistling of the wind.