Page 34 of Tangled Threats on the Nomad Highway
“Nah, just make sure you catch me before Ihead out tonight. We got a few more things to iron out, you and me.Wanna make sure I do it right before I hand you a rocker for yournew status.”
The donkey rounded the corner of the house,hilariously carrying what looked like a sleeping bag in its teeth.It paused when it saw Einstein and Retro, not much, but enough forGunny’s girl to grab the lead rope dangling from its halter. “Gotyou,” she shrieked, then waved at the two men as she led the donkeyoff at a fast trot, sleeping bag trailing behind them.
“Don’t give it much mind.” Retro’s laughtercouldn’t be contained, bubbling over each of his words. “I’ve cometo understand that kind of shit happens a lot around Gunny.”
“Tell me what you know, old man.” Einsteinquirked an eyebrow at the door in silent question.
“Everybody’s either in the kitchen or outsaying their goodbyes. By noon it’ll just be you, me, and thosenewly patched into Baker’s first official MC, plus maybe one or twowho’ll hang around today. By nightfall, that count will be down byat least one, and the rest is up to you.” Retro’s feet disappeared,and he bent double, long hair flowing down to hide his face as hetugged on boots. “I’m going to ride west with Blackie’s crew, eatlunch with ’em, then hie my ass back here.” His neck angled, and heshot Einstein a grin. “Mostly I’m gettin’ out of cleanup duties.Not my clubhouse, no reason to add my sweat equity to the mix.Monday’ll be down here in a few days. He can represent all hewants.” Retro straightened. “As can you, from today forward. Gonnabe weird as fuck not knowing by the day what’s goin’ on in yourhead, brother.”
“You’ll hear from me on the regular.”Einstein took the stairs in three strides and settled his vest,working his shoulders until it swung freely around his hips. Heclosed the distance between himself and his president, his brother.“Wouldn’t be right not to. If Monday’s representing down here, thenwhat I’m doing is representing out there, on the road. Man needs toknow what he’s thrown out into the world, and I’ll keep you in theknow.”
“Fuckin’ right you will.” Retro slapped ameaty palm against his shoulder, the sting not mitigated by thethin shirt Einstein wore.Motherfucker.“You will, or I’llhave your ass. Won’t be no ‘in the round’ conversation. I’ll tellyou again tonight, but I have two fuckin’ rules for thisbullshit.”
“Lay ’em on me, man.” Shoulders back, hewaited, gaze locked with Retro.
“One, you check in every couple of days. Me,Mudd, Marlin, Crazy Mike, don’t matter. Checking in will consist ofa location, garnered information, insights, and outcomes. I want toknow where you are, who you talked to, what you gained from thoseconversations, and where they’re taking you next. I know findingout Bane’s the brother throws a crimp in your initial thoughts, butsomething in my gut says you were on to something. Probably be goodto follow that up.” Retro stepped closer, the tips of his bootsoverlapping Einstein’s. Leaning in, he shoved his face withininches. “Second, you fuckin’ keep breathin’. You have more than apassing thought otherwise, you give me a call and I’ll come to you.Won’t matter where or when, so don’t give a bullshit excuse of mebein’ busy. You breathin’ matters to me, Jim. That’s the only waythis’ll work.”
“What happened to my family isn’t yourfault.” This was the first time he’d seen the depths of guilthiding in Retro’s eyes. The heaviness was crippling, stripping hisbreath away, so his words were weak, without force. “Not a bit ofit is on your doorstep, Jerry.”
“You can say that all you want.” Retro swunghis head side to side slowly, hair quivering as it trailed over hisshoulders. “Won’t make it a lick truer than it was the first time.I shoulda given more weight to the man’s ask. Shoulda lookeddeeper. Shoulda dug until I hit blood and bone.” Muscles in Retro’sjaw quivered and flexed. “I didn’t. Had shit goin’ on that feltmore pressing. My own shit with Trina and her old man, shit withthe cartel, pressure from the north to suck in a couple of ridingclubs and clean up their mess—and in retrospect, wasn’t any one ofthose things more important than looking into a club’s presidentasking for sanctuary.”
“You couldn’t know.” The muscles in histhroat tensed, chokingly tight as Einstein tried to swallow.“Nobody could have known just from what he gave us then.”
“I shoulda. What’s the Bible say? ‘Pridegoeth before a fall?’ Ain’t right you took that fall in my place.”The sideways wrench of Retro’s mouth was painful to see.
Man has got to understand.
“Coulda been your kids. Little Saya orJimmy? Are you looking to trade eye for an eye? Say no, brother.Please God,say no. I can’t stand the idea. Not saying I canstand the idea of my Makayla gone, either. Neither way makes a bitof sense. You losing one of your kids isn’t right.” They needed tomove on from this topic or Einstein wouldn’t last. “You’ve gottaunderstand, it’s not on you. Man came after me, and I’ve got tobelieve I did everything I could. That it’s not for lack of tryingthat they died.”
Casting his glance around, Einstein saw abundle of flowers along the front edge of the steps. “Like thosewhite lilies there. High traffic area, but they’ve prevailed. Mancomes along with a shovel and digs ’em up by the roots, there’snothing they could do. All that work, that striving—and it’s notenough. Someone persistent enough, someone dogged in their desireto destroy the beauty in their path? Not a lot someone not in themoment can do. Even if Vanna was standing right here, stave in herhand, they could get close enough to do a lot of damage. Mightsalvage one root, enough to transplant and save. Would take work,and that’s where you came in on this tale. All there was left wasme, and me alone. I would have withered and died. Eaten a bullet.But you wouldn’t let it happen. Coddled me, set me on a path ofsalvation even if I can’t catch up to the healing part yet. So yousaying it’s your fault? Fuck, brother. I don’t know, but it isn’tright. Take the win you fought for. Take it and run.”
Wordlessly Retro stepped forwards, armswrapping around Einstein’s shoulders like they never planned onletting go. Tight grip, almost fierce in the angry pain that stillrolled off Retro. A big hand cradled the back of Einstein’s head,moving him so Retro’s mouth was at his ear.
“Count myself lucky that you’re still withus, brother. The pain, Jesus God. I cannot imagine. Won’t. Myfuckin’ heart breaks in two every time I think about it. Losin’ mykids would kill me, which makes you a stronger man than me, becauseyou’re still puttin’ one foot in front of the other. Trustingyou’ll keep on that path, brother. My brother. Gonna be the one andonly nomad on books for the Bama Bastards. Fuckin’ hope you findanother brand of happy out there, man.”
“Me too, Retro.” Wrapping his fingers aroundthe edges of Retro’s vest, he pulled his friend closer. “Fuckin’ metoo.”
Chapter Eight
Marian
Rolling her shoulders didn’t ease the achethat had built all afternoon. She paused and propped the fistholding a scrub brush against her hip, using the back of her otherwrist to push hair away from the sides of her sweaty face.
Listening to Bane speak in general termsabout the state of the building hadn’t prepared her for thereality. The club—and she mentally gave herself a high five atremembering to call it that—had purchased an old retail storelocated along the downtown stretch of highway. Driven out ofbusiness by a big box store one town over, the previous owners hadsold down to the bare walls, fixtures and all. So that was a plus.But they’d left behind anything without value, which meant theirfirst few hours in the building had been spent hauling boxes ofunidentifiable stuff to a dumpster outside the back door.
Einstein had talked Bane into focusing onthe downstairs first, so they were at least able to see the dentthey’d made in the mess. She was glad. She’d toured the upstairs.It was a different kind of disaster.
Earlier, Marian had been in a small roomalong the farthest edge of the balcony that overlooked the maindownstairs area. Probably some kind of office, with the windows ontwo walls and grooves ground into the floor from something slidingback and forth—maybe a chair? Next to one of the windows had been athin mattress, something similar to what she’d used at her father’shouse. More a foam pad than anything else, it was spotted withindecipherable stains. She’d been toeing at some unique-lookingtrash that littered the floor nearby when Einstein walked in.
He’d choked and called her away from whereshe stood. She’d made her way over with a frown. Then he’d managedto embarrass and educate her within a few words. The things she’dtouched with the tip of her shoes were condoms, used during sex.Ugh.Someone, likely the local high school kids, had beenusing the room to hook up with their boy- or girlfriend.
Just remembering the way Einstein had lookedat her had Marian’s face going scalding hot again. It had taken herabout a half a second to vacate the room and the floor, racing downthe stairs to position herself within a room already cleared ofdebris, scrubbing brush in hand.
Her stomach grumbled, and she gave it a pat,frowning down at the dark mark left on her shirt. Doing a top tobottom clean on something like this was dirty work—she glancedaround the room with a sense of satisfaction—but worth it when theend results looked so good.
“Marian.” Someone called her name from themain room, and she walked to the door. She was surprised that therewere only two men present and looked around for the others. Thelast time she’d been in the room, the overlapping voices of nearlya dozen people had been overwhelming, driving her back into herself-assigned chores.
“Told you she didn’t leave with Bane.” Horsegestured towards Marian. “I don’t think he realized you were stillhere. No one remembers seeing you at lunch.”
