Page 91 of His Road Dog

Chapter 35

Nicole

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NICOLE COCKED HER HEADtoward the open sliding door, hearing her dad's name mentioned. She'd recognized the arid scent floating into the house, reaching her in the kitchen, and knew Priest was meeting with a few Tarkio members.

She'd thought they'd all enjoy the sandwiches she'd made since it was already after one o'clock.

"Bennett's a slick son of a bitch," said Priest.

"Where'd Nicole's dad get his hands on this shit?"

"From what I could see picking up Nicole, I believe they're growing it on state land." Priest's gaze stayed on the other men.

Nicole held her breath, hoping none of them turned toward the window and could see her. Why were they talking about her dad and the marijuana?

"I'm going to contact him, but I wanted the four of you to sample the product first." Priest folded his arms. "I think we'll make a run to the commune. If we can buy them off and have them work for us, our sales are going to fucking skyrocket."

"Damn right. There's nothing like that here." Curley chuckled. "The extra money could take the pressure off our scheduled loads. We've been losing more cash each year. Pretty soon, it won't be worth our time to make the run. If you can wipe out the commune's part in the production and take it for Tarkio, it would benefit the whole damn club."

"What kind of security do they have up there in Northern California?" asked Paco.

"Everyone's toting long-arms around the encampment. I couldn't tell you how far away from the campsite they're growing, but if a bunch of hippies are armed, you know damn well something is happening close-by, and it's bigger than a backyard grow," said Priest.

Nicole gasped. The plate of sandwiches slipped out of her hands.

She scrambled to catch the food before it hit the floor and missed. Falling to her knees, she quickly picked up the ruined sandwiches.

Priest talked as if he was going to invade the commune and take the marijuana plots away from everyone back home. Adrenaline made her jumpy. She had to warn her dad.

Her eyes burned with unshed tears. It was her fault for going back home. If she hadn't gone, Priest wouldn't have figured out what was going on. Nobody knew how her family made a living or what happened in the woods.

As far as the locals in the nearest town knew, they believed a bunch of hippies were communing with nature and each other. Everyone living in the commune kept the people's much-guarded secret. It was their livelihood.

Her dad shouldn't have given Priest the gift.

The only reason he had given him the joints was because her dad was doing something nice for Priest since she'd admitted to falling in love with him.

She needed to warn everyone back home that Tarkio Motorcycle Club was a threat.

"Babe?"

She startled, dropping what she'd picked up again and starting over. "What?"

"What happened?"

"I-I accidentally spilled the food." She picked up the last sandwich and stood. "I'll throw these away."

Escaping to the kitchen, she needed time to think. Usually, she wrote letters to her parents, but sending mail through the post office wouldn't get there fast enough. Any of the Tarkio members could ride to the commune before the mail was delivered.

She would give anything if her parents were able to have a phone.

She tossed the ruined food in the garbage and set the plate in the sink. Fisting her hair, she looked around the room for answers. Why hadn't Priest asked her about how her dad got the pot?

Maybe she could've explained things in a way that he gave up the idea of trying to take away the commune's business.

She exhaled harshly. Someone was going to get hurt, and it would be her fault for falling in love with Priest.

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