He laughed. “I knew it. You can take the guy out of the fight but you can’t take the fight out of the guy. You still love to rumble.”
“Zeke.”
He laughed and headed down the stairs. Colby scooped up his AR-15 on the way out the door, and put the Glock back in his holster. He grabbed up a small duffel bag filled with ammo and looked back into the house one last time before he followed Zeke out to a waiting horse. He hopped on the back, and held on to him as the horse galloped through the streets heading toward the main gates. There were two idling trucks waiting to leave. He dismounted and a cop came and took the horse. Dylan handed him a ballistic vest. “You’ll need this.”
When he climbed in, there had to be at least ten volunteers inside. Most he recognized. Those with military experience, cops, those who patrolled the perimeter. Among them were Jessie, Nina and Alicia. There was only enough room near the tailgate for him, Zeke and Dylan. He glanced down, trying to get her attention, but she was looking across to those on the other side.
The truck lurched and pulled away out of the gate and bumped over the uneven ground.
“Are this many really needed?” he asked.
“Wouldn’t know. I’m not in charge, he is…” Zeke said, pointing down the line to Kenzo.
“Hey, I’ll be right back. I need to speak with Alicia.”
He got up and unsteadily made his way down to her. “You think you can scoot to one side?” he said to the cop seated beside her. The cop shifted over and he took a seat.
Keeping his voice low, he turned to her. “What’s the deal?”
“You said you didn’t want to leave.”
“I said I needed more time to think about it.” Colby looked across at Kenzo who was eavesdropping on the conversation. There was something about the guy that bothered him.
“If you don’t want to leave, Colby, that’s fine but that doesn’t mean I need to stay.”
“And yet, here you are.”
She didn’t reply. He could tell she was pissed and this really wasn’t the time or place to have the conversation. A few others looked their way. “Where did you take your clothes?”
She didn’t reply.
“You know a person has a right to change his mind,” he said.
“So do I,” she answered.
He stared at her but she wouldn’t look him in the eye. He shook his head and got up and went back to his seat. Clearly he had done something major to piss her off or she wouldn’t be giving him the cold shoulder. Then again, he had to wonder if his mother had said something more, something to scare her off or at least make her think twice.
Dylan tapped his leg when he sat down. “Zeke told me. Give her some space. She’ll come around. They always do.” He hoped so because right now he was beginning to second-guess returning to Humboldt.
Alby had this smug grin on his face when she returned to the farm. He was sitting on the porch drinking moonshine, smoking weed and showing no signs of leaving.
God, he was a bum.
Martha couldn’t believe her own flesh and blood didn’t have her back. She figured they’d return, not fight with her. All those years of slaving and toiling away — making sure they had everything they needed — never once had she asked them to give her anything, at least nothing besides their time. Wasn’t that a sign of a good mother? Someone that always wanted their kids around? She knew of some terrible mothers who neglected their young, abused and beat them. Not her. Of course she’d been firm and hard with them but that’s what had been taught to her. And hell, it had done them good.
“Nice trip into town?” he asked, taking a swig of beer.
“If you’re planning on staying, maybe you can do something around here like tidy up,” she said, kicking six empty bottles across the porch. “You might have lived in a pigsty but I don’t. I run a tight ship and if you want to stay, there are house rules, and one of them is cleaning up after yourself!” She stormed into the house.
“Salty!” He laughed. Alby followed her in. “So I found out where the gold and Lenny is.”
She glared at him.
“Oh come now, Martha. You knew I’d eventually find out.” He hit his joint and blew smoke her way. “Very sneaky placing it at Heath’s, and telling the boys it was yours.” He laughed and leaned up against the doorway as she walked across the kitchen and tossed some of the dirty plates into the sink. “But I had a good chat with Colby today.” She eyed him but said nothing. “Yeah, seems he’s going to swing by and have a word with Heath for me. So maybe you will see me gone soon. Of course, as long as it’s all there.”
“And if it’s not?”
“Well, maybe you can work it off some other way,” he said, unzipping his pants.
“You’re disgusting, and a drunk. If Bruce was here he would toss you out.”
“But he’s not here, is he, Martha? You saw to that.”
She stabbed a finger his way. “Careful!”
“Or what? You going to shoot me like you did Ryland, Martha? I mean, I don’t care about that piece of shit. He deserved to chew on a bullet but I cared about my brother. And you took that from me. So I’m going to see to it that everything you have is taken from you. I was hoping to start with your family but you appear to have done a good job of pushing them away yourself.” He laughed and turned and walked back out onto the porch. “Oh Martha, maybe you can bring me an extra beer. It appears I’m out.”
She clenched her hand, having thoughts of slitting his throat.
There was a knife on the counter. She could do it.
It would be quick. No one would
