investigated, so I
want you to be ready for detectives asking you questions,
okay?”
She nodded again, then Sharon shared a look
with Brady. He nodded in return.
“Do you have any questions these gentlemen
might be able to answer?”
Now Gertie looked up as though she hadn’t
even noticed the men before. “No,” she said softly, shaking her
head. “I don’t ... I don’t think so ...” she trailed off, staring
behind Sharon.
She had to turn to see what had drawn
Gertie’s attention. It was Bark, of course. He nodded to her,
taking off the ball cap.
“Bark?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I’m ... I’m leaving
California. I just wanted to say goodbye before I did.” He smiled
again, hand gesturing to her. “You’re pregnant. That’s great,
Gertie. It looks really good on you.”
Gertie was staring, mouth hanging open.
Sharon didn’t know if it was shock or what, but she was getting
ready to ask them to leave when Gertie got up and walked past her
to the door.
Townsend, for his part, was also waiting to
see what her reaction would be. He was tense, as though he expected
a slap or some other assault.
“Bark,” Gertie repeated.
“Gertie,” he returned, voice soft. “I’m so
sorry.”
In a flash she was hugging him, and after a
pause he hugged her back.
Sharon averted her gaze, feeling a weird
prickling in her nose like she might tear up. That brought her
attention to Brady who was outright crying, hand over his
mouth.
Great. Emotion was always uncomfortable for
her to be around. She never knew what to do.
“Just had to see you, make sure you were
okay,” Bark was saying, stepping back and holding her shoulders. “I
can tell you’re going to be just fine.”
Gertie grinned, tears on her cheeks, too. “I
am. I really am. Thank you.”
Bark grinned, terribly handsome when he did
it. “Take care of that little bean,” he instructed, and Gertie
laughed, hands returning to her stomach. “I will,” she
promised.
Hogan, off to the side during all this and
undoubtedly as uneasy as Sharon was with all this, cleared his
throat. “We need to get to LA to catch your flight,” he said.
Townsend nodded, then let go of Gertie and
put his ball cap back on. “Okay, let’s go.”
Sharon waited a minute as they left the shop,
then she cleared her throat. “Did you want me to call the clubhouse
for you?”
Gertie came out of her reverie watching the
agents depart, and she gave an uneasy smile. “Oh, no thank you. I
can call Buck. I’m fine. Thank you, Sheriff.”
Now she was an outsider. Knowing her cue, she
nodded, gave a wave to Brady, and headed back outside into the
sunshine on the sidewalk. She made her way back to the department
on her own.
Chapter Two
His shoulders felt tight, his lower back was
stiff, but this was when he was happiest. Another Sachetti run
down, a few more grand in his pocket, and this one would pay off
his mom’s mortgage. The run had gone beautifully, it was a gorgeous
day to be riding, and now they were pulling into a truck stop motel
where he could rest his head and pay for a bit of female company if
he so desired.
But first, food.
They checked into side-by-side-by-side rooms,
then headed to the attached diner. These places all had, with few
exceptions, one large corner booth, and it was the perfect size to
accommodate their group.
Everyone ordered their meals, then their
waitress left them to grab their beers.
“That was an interesting run,” Tank rumbled
in his slow, halting way. They were already used to the fact he
didn’t speak as quickly as he once had.
“It was perfect, everything went as planned,”
Tiny insisted.
Tank shot him an unimpressed look. “Road
construction. Truck full of sensitive cargo. Sitting in one place
for two hours.”
Tiny grinned. “I know. What road captain in
his right mind would send us into construction?”
Tank was laughing now, too. “You’re fucking
nuts.” It was funny; when he swore he had no trouble talking
Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Anthony Boulanger, Paula R. Stiles