Page 53 of Gotta Dig Deep
“Seconded. It’s bullshit is what it is. But it does make more sense, why they’d pick you to target now. Ya know, since you were handy and right there. Both of ’em hate your guts.”
“Lotta people hate my guts, but they don’t try to jack with me.” Gunny’s expression was puzzled. “Wonder why that is.”
“It’s because you’re special, Gunny. You let your crazy just hang out there and they understand pretty quickly it’s not worth it.” Horse tapped a finger against the counter. “With me, I’m quiet, and they don’t get how dangerous I can be.”
“Fuck, man, just because it comes outta my mouth don’t automatically make it wrong,” Gunny groused.
“Roscoe should understand,” Blackie put in. “You fucked him up.”
“It’s been a long time since then. I hold the view that lessons like that need to be reapplied for them to really stick. The more painful the application, the better the retention. Hold on a minute.” Gunny laid the phone down, the view shifting to the ceiling. “Sharon, can you go outside and see what that fuckin’ donkey is killing now? Sounds like Randy’s in the chicken pen again.”
Horse chuckled as his comments broke the tension, and Blackie grinned back at him.
“Regret savin’ that ass yet?” Horse laughed again at the spew of profanity that met his question. The view shifted again and Gunny was scowling darkly.
“Every fuckin’ goddamned day. Swear to God, if those boys didn’t love him, he’d have already been ground-up for sausage. Or maybe not. I do love to eat ass, but not that kind.” A shout came from offscreen and Gunny looked away. “Sharon, everyone already knows I’m nasty, the fact you enjoy it is just between us.”
“Not anymore,” Blackie muttered, then cleared his throat. “Gettin’ us back on track. Horse, now that you understand the depth of the threat, how do you want to handle it?”
“Handle it?” He lifted his gaze to the window and watched as Glenna rode past on the ATV, Shamu sitting behind her, feet on her shoulders. “I think they’d only have picked this place if they knew I was here. There’s still no info sayin’ that shit is true. So maybe my being here is just the universe at work. Hell, all I know for sure is I want to do whatever’s needed to keep this woman safe. That’s how I want to handle it.” She passed out of view and he returned his gaze to the phone screen. “If that means creating terminal options for those motherfuckers, then I’ll be all over it. I don’t fuckin’ care about relations with a shitty club like the MDMC, no matter where they think they’re gonna expand. We’ll shut down their asses. Like Gunny said, we turn them into sausage. Those motherfuckers don’t belong in our territory, period. Full fuckin’ stop. I vote we wipe the ones who’re here, including Roscoe and Dale, wipe them fuckin’ out. However that shakes out.”
“I do not disagree, brother. You think your woman’ll have a problem with that solution, though? I don’t want to fuck things up for you at the beginning of whatever this is.”
“She’s—” Horse sighed and dropped his eyes. Fiddling with the clean mugs sitting on the counter waiting to be put away, he adjusted the order, smaller to larger. “I don’t know what this is, if it is anything. You know the saying about want in one hand and shit in the other. Right now, I don’t have anything to hold onto. Do I want that? Yeah, pretty sure I’d be all in if she was interested. She’s a widow woman, though, and hasn’t even so much as dated since her husband passed.” He gestured towards his body. “Every stitch of clothing I’ve got on was his, though, so I don’t know what that says.”
“It says she sees you as something to hold onto. Shit, man, she didn’t call a bus to pick up your ass on the side of the road, but loaded you into her truck, where you then bled all over her shit. There’s something. It’s up to you to figure it out, brother.” Blackie stared into the camera and Horse was pinned by the intensity of emotion on his face. “If she’s important to you, don’t let a day go by without telling her. If you want her, then work for it, man. And that includes protecting what’s precious to her.”
“Like this ranch.” Horse was nodding, because what Blackie said resonated with him. “Yeah, I think she’ll be good with whatever resolution we have with the MDMC. It’ll be worth it. To both of us.”
“That’s decided then. I’ll circle the wagons here and we’ll sort out next steps. Just needed to know you were on board.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t forget us out here in Baker,” Gunny cut in. “We’ve got a history with the MDMC, and not a single man would turn down the opportunity to balance the scales.”
“I’ll let you know.” Blackie shut down the call, the image of Gunny filling the screen.
“Does he always do th—”
Horse disconnected with a grin, knowing he’d be leaving Gunny fuming.
He turned to head outside just as the door opened and Glenna came in, Shamu at her heels.
On impulse, he held out his arms, wrapping them around her as she walked into them. Holding her close settled something inside him, and he drew in a long breath.
“Thanks,” he murmured against the side of her head.
“I’ll never turn down a hug,” she responded, her cheek tucked in beside his neck. “They’re the best.”
“Truth,” he returned, swaying them slowly side to side.
A hard nose pushed at his hip, then a whipcord-thin dog’s body wedged between them. Horse and Glenna both laughed and backed up a step, his hands still on her shoulders as they looked down at the disgruntled dog staring up at them.
“Guess Shammy loves hugs too.” Her voice held more laughter and Horse grinned. “Or he doesn’t like his momma gettin’ some without him involved.”
“I’d vote on the latter.” Horse leaned against the counter, his arms falling away. “He’s kind of a jerk.”
“Yeah,” she crooned as she rubbed the dog’s head, the wiry mohawk standing back up after every stroke. “He’s a good boy, though.”
