Page 8 of Taken By my Brothers' Best Friends

It was such a success I volunteered to stay behind and clean up so Ava could go home. I forgot that I didn’t have my car back yet until I’d locked the salon door and slid the key under it.

Feeling like an idiot, I called Maxie and asked for a ride home. I wanted to tell her about the club and ask her to come to the meetings, so it was perfect. We weren’t as close as I wanted us to be and I hoped the club could help us bond. She didn’t seem all that happy to have to come and pick me up so I wasn’t sure we were off to a good start, but I held onto that hope.

While waiting I walked down the street to peek into Steve’s garage windows. I wanted to see if my car was on his lift and if it looked close to being finished. I couldn’t see anything from the front windows so I made my way into the tiny alley between the garage and Meredith’s bar. There were a few windows on the side of the shop and I was determined to see my car after going through the little effort I’d made already. It didn’t occur to me I’d look like I was trying to break in until I heard someone coming out of the bar. The music grew louder until the door was closed again.

I didn’t want to look like a cat burglar so I quietly walked backwards, deeper into the alley. It was dumb but I felt like Dylan or Ryan from my novel. I felt like a private investigator,spying on a mark. I had a stupid smile on my face as I tiptoed away from the mouth of the alley.

“Fuck, it’s too loud in there. We need a better place to talk in this piece of shit town.” A voice I recognized but couldn’t place trickled back to where I was standing as two men stepped into view.

“You know the boss man likes this place. It’s home and it’s not like the cops will be up our asses here.” The second voice I didn’t recognize at all.

“Fuck off.” The first man nodded at the alley and I held my breath as I realized the two men were walking into the alley, right towards me. “We’re moving the product as soon as the trucks are in. Will you be ready to move your guys soon?”

A horrible feeling settled over me as I started to put words together, like cops and product. I watched with my back pressed against the brick wall of the garage and without breathing. The two men had stopped around twenty feet from me and I was terrified they were going to catch me eavesdropping.

“Like I told the boss, my guys are always ready.” The second guy lit a cigarette and took a long drag before finishing his thought. “It was his son who wasn’t ready and nearly fucked everything up last time. Why we have to work with that shit for brains asshole is beyond me.”

“We do what the boss wants. It’s not our job to ask questions.” The first guy stepped closer to the second one. “Is that clear? Our boss was ready to cut you loose. Do you get that? You’re on thin fucking ice so I suggest you keep your head down and make sure your men do their jobs running the product.”

“Alright, alright. Damn. Get off my ass.” The second guy snorted and then spit at the wall in front of him. “I didn’t realize you were such a fan of the little shit.”

“They pay me to be whatever they want. Same goes for you. If you want to continue breathing, you’ll be sure to show Markyour respect.” Lighting his own cigarette, the first guy sighed. “Just a few more runs.”

“Are you thinking of getting out of the business? Maybe start doing your day job a little more?”

“I’m turning in my badge, both my guns, and this entire shit hole state when my time’s up here. J already knows I’m not in this for the long run.” He looked around. “I just need us both to stay alive until then. I brought you into this. If you go down, so do I. Don’t fuck me in this.”

“I got it. Trust me. I don’t have a death wish, either.” Putting out his cigarette, the second guy grunted. “You better get back in there. The crowd’s rowdy tonight.”

“The job’s never done.”

“Protect and serve, baby. Protect and serve.”

I watched as the two men left the alley and I sucked in a big breath of air before stumbling towards the space they’d just been standing. I was pretty sure I’d just heard at least one cop talking about running drugs and I was full of panic over it. I wanted nothing to do with any of it.

My heart was beating so hard that it was all I could hear. When I got to the end of the alley, I stuck my head out to make sure the coast was clear and came face to face with a man I’d never seen before. He was wearing a sheriff’s uniform and when he spotted me, his eyes narrowed. I didn’t think; I just ran.

“Hey!”

I heard him chase after me and barely held in a scream. I ran harder than I’d ever run in my life, truly desperate not to get caught by the man chasing me. I cut throughThe Big Dill’sparking lot, sprinted down N. Poplar, and then cut across to get to Highway 66. In my head, I thought running all the way home was a good option. I could still hear the man chasing me but he was falling behind. I just have to keep running, I chanted to myself over and over again.

I saw headlights on the highway and recognized Maxie’s car. I stepped into the road and prayed she was paying attention and wouldn’t run me over. Of course, Maxie was always doing the right thing, so she slammed on her brakes and slid to a stop right in front of me.

Before she could stop and ask what was happening, I climbed in her passenger seat and started screaming. “Go! Go, Maxie! Drive!”

She stepped on the gas and gripped the steering wheel with both hands. “What is going on? I almost ran you over!”

I spun around in the seat and watched the road behind us. “Someone was chasing me. I had to get away.”

Maxie didn’t say anything as she pulled into the Second Baptist Church parking lot to turn around. She glanced over at me every few seconds but that was it.

I was still trying to catch my breath and keep an eye out for the man chasing me. I wiped sweat from my face and shoved my hair back. “Maxie, drive faster. Please. We need to get home.”

“Tell me what happened, Vera. I’m not just going to break the law because you say so. Are you drunk?” She sniffed the air and frowned. “How much did you drink?”

“I had a beer at the… At the bar. I had one beer at the bar. Then I went outside to look at my car and these two men came into the alley. They were talking about drugs and—I think one of them was a sheriff, Maxie. He chased me.”

“You’re running from the cops?” Her voice had climbed into whistle territory. “Are you kidding me?”

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