Page 60

She nodded, and headed out the bedroom door. He sat on the edge of his bed in his pajama pants and tank top. His phone buzzed, and he saw it was a text message from Phoenix.

Almost there. Be there in 20 minutes

He quickly wrote him back: 20 it is

He opened his nightstand drawer and removed a jewelry box.

He held it tightly in his hands, his chest rising and falling hard.

A thrill of frightened anticipation touched his spine as he opened the box, and peered down at the ring.

He quickly slammed it shut, closed his eyes briefly, then placed it back in the drawer.

Yeah. I’m gonna ask her. But we’ve only been dating for five months. She’ll think I’m rushing this. I can’t convince her that I just know, in my heart, that she’s the one for me. I’ll give her a long engagement if she wants.

His nerves were raw and all over the place.

But she mentioned wanting to live here, with her Aunt Huni.

That was a good sign that she might be ready after all, right?

I wonder if she was just talkin’… that after-sex bullshit women say…

He shook his head. If I ask her to marry me, and she says no…

Fuck. The hell with this. My mind is made up. I’m going to ask her soon.

He heard a noise in the backyard, which caused him to abandon his thoughts.

He sat there for a couple of seconds, hearing it again.

That’s not Orvil. He peered out the window, but didn’t see anything.

This didn’t sit right with him. He knew practically every sound that came from his land like the back of his hand.

His hearing was always acute—one of his strongest senses.

“You comin’ down, babe?” Poet yelled up from what he presumed was the kitchen.

“Yeah, baby, I’m on my way. Just need to check somethin’ real quick. Grab me a beer, would you?”

“Sure.”

He seized his phone and pulled up the outside cameras, checking each one.

His heart thundered in his chest when he spotted several men he didn’t know, trying to navigate his property.

He looked back out his bedroom window, seeing nothing, but then realized it was interference from two cameras, picking up something from about a mile away.

He leapt off the bed, phone in hand, and raced down the steps.

“Baby, you gotta go.”

“What?” Poet sat on the couch in her oversized nightshirt, a mouth full of ice cream as she watched some reality show on MTV.

“YOU HAVE TO GO! Someone is comin’ and you could get hurt!”

“WHAT?!” She popped up, swallowed and began cursing and waving her hands about.

“I don’t have time to argue with you!” He raced back up the steps and called Phoenix. Thankfully, the man answered on the second ring.

“Where are you? How far?”

“’Bout ten minutes. What is wrong wi—”

“Push on the gas. I need you to get Poet out of here, NOW! I’m in deep. There’s some motherfuckers tryna get to my house, and to me. I spotted at least four of ’em, and they are armed. I see ’em on the cameras. I have less than ten minutes to get these sons of bitches!”

“I’m on it.” He heard the music stop playing in Phoenix’s vehicle, and the truck speeding up. “Do you know who they are, or who sent them?”

“No, but you don’t have to get ready if you stay ready.

I bet you my entire bank account this has somethin’ to do with that old fucker on the hill.

I want you to come in through the side door and scoop her.

Use my motorcycle you just fixed. It’ll be easier to ride on the terrain than your truck.

Put her on, and stay on path 5. The one I showed you when you visited a few weeks ago.

If you deviate from path 5, you could be toast. That is the only path with no… surprises.”

Phoenix chuckled. “Well, most folks would say, ‘Fuck you, then’ for this favor you’re askin’, but lucky for you, I remember exactly what you showed me, and I know what the hell I’m doing. What’s next?”

“I want you then to go to Box T-3 from that path. It’ll be to your right, and only twenty feet away.

Go down there and it’ll run you the full length, all the way to the highway, just like I told you.

We have two options. The first one is, I’ll meet you at the exit of Box T-3, in your truck, and we can switch places.

Wait for me. If I don’t show up when I tell you that I am, go on and take her home.

Or, I may call you to tell you to take her home anyway.

It depends on how much time I have, and what’s goin’ on.

Trust your instincts. Now, do you remember where Box T-3 is? ”

“Yeah. Our recent little meeting, it seems, turned out to be more necessary than I originally thought.”

“Yeah, seems that way. Are you packin’?”

“Always.”

“What do you have on you?”

“Two hunting knives, a 9mm, a 308 rifle in the cab, and a 12 gauge shotgun.”

“Fully loaded?”

“To the mothafuckin’ max.”

“Good. There’s more shit in the box should you need it.

I’ll be in touch. Deuces.” Kage ended the call and looked into the doorway.

There Poet stood, her face red, her eyes angry—yet her soul was troubled.

He could feel it. She didn’t say a word as she crossed the room, pulled open a drawer, and slipped into her jeans, then put on her sneakers.

“How much did you hear?”

“…Enough.”

“Poet, I can explain this to you later.”

She raised her hand, not even bothering to look at him, as if she didn’t wish to talk. She moved about with purpose, but the hurt was all over her face when she finally did shoot him a glance. He grabbed her in his arms and hugged her tight.

“Let me go!”

“Please believe me. I’m telling you the truth!

I’m not into any strange shit, or anything like that!

This isn’t some drug deal gone wrong, or a gambling problem that went bust. I’m on the up and up!

I am dealin’ with something that you just can’t fully understand.

My grandfather is somehow behind this, whatever this is, and I have to handle it!

I can’t have you here when this goes down!

As soon as I can get him off my back, this will be resolved.

Forever. I’m not going to let anything come between us.

I refuse to lose you! Do you understand me?

” Releasing her, he grabbed a gun from above the bedroom door, then handed it to her.

She looked at it, then she calmly took it from him.

She lowered her head, then when she looked back at him, her eyes were filled with icy fear, mixed with fiery rage. She turned to leave, but he grabbed her once more and kissed her. She clawed at his chest, but he kept kissing her until she relaxed in his arms. Limp, like dying rose petals.

“I promise you’ll be fine, Poet, and so will I, but only if you do what I say right now.

Just trust me. What I’ve said that I was going to do when it came to us, I did it!

I’ve been honest with you about everything, too.

Can you please just give me some gotdamn grace?

! I am beggin’ you to believe in me! Can you do that? ”

She hesitated, then nodded.

“Good. Go downstairs and wait by the side door off the kitchen. When you see a motorcycle pull up, that’s Phoenix. He has long black hair and a beard. Go out, get on the bike with him. He knows what to do.”

She nodded, began walking away, then looked over her shoulder once more at him before rushing down the steps.

Once she was gone, he quickly dressed, then frantically grabbed his phone and a flashlight.

While making a mad dash down the steps, he shoved two more guns in his jacket.

He walked past the kitchen where she stood, and made his way into his workroom.

Then, he turned on all the large computer monitors, extra motion detectors, and began pulling levers and pushing buttons to put his land arsenal in active stage.

The microelectronic snares, the grass zappers, and so much more.

Now, all circuits were on. He grabbed a few more goodies for his new visitors, and then his favorite hunting knife, slipping it into his boot.

In moments, he heard the motion detectors going crazy…

Then the roar of a motorcycle.

Phoenix.

In the distance, his kitchen door slammed. His phone vibrated. His heart raced and his adrenaline rushed as he pulled it from his pocket and read the message from his cousin.

Phoenix: I got her. My truck is parked in back of your house with the keys under the mat. Good luck and Godspeed, motherfucker. Make your cousins proud…

Kage slipped the phone back in his pocket and raced to the kitchen.

Locking the door, he turned off all the lights in the house.

Then, he looked out the workshop window and saw the falcon.

Rook sat in a tall tree, surveying his home.

It flew away after they’d made eye contact for a good five seconds.

Kage grabbed the keys to his other motorcycle, left out the door, and raced to the Erik Buell Racing (Ebr) 1190RX.

Jumping on it, he tore up the soil as he roared through the wilderness, racing faster than a hungry wolf out to get its prey…