A Pair of Second Chances (Ben Jensen Series Book 1) (23 page)

"This shit startin' to piss me off mahn. People just vanish here. Some fuckin' cowboy kill a whole damn crew in some piss hole in Montana... all but one fool he shoot in the ass! !" Tyrone growled. "You get a crew together Sawon. You, me and six more. We gon' go to Montana, get my money, my boy and that white bitch. Then we come back here, and find that damn Rashan and Kai... if they not dead, they will be!"

"Ok, when we leavin'?" Sawon asked.

"We're leaving as soon as you get those bwoys loaded up mahn!"

Sawon walked out of the condo putting his cell phone to his ear. While Tyrone grabbed one of the girls sitting on the couch by her arm, and shoved her toward the bedroom. "I'm leaving for a few days bitch. You best give me what I need to hold me over till I get back!"

An hour and a half later Sawon pulled up in front of the Heartwood Terrace Condos, driving a black Escalade that carried him and two others. A white van with another four men on the seats pulled up behind the Cadillac SUV.

He called upstairs to tell Tyrone the crew was loaded and ready, waiting downstairs. Tyrone zipped his pants, told the crying girl to quit her damn sniveling and get some clothes on her scrawny ass, and that he'd be back in a few days to finish teaching her how to be useful to a man.

He picked his leather duffle off the floor, shoved a glock into his waistband behind his back and walked out of the condo, shrugging into a black leather jacket as he walked to the elevators.

In less then an hour the small convoy was rolling along the Interstate, leaving the western fringes of the Chicago suburbs, headed for Bozeman, Montana.

The Jamaican drug dealer pressed a button on his phone as they drove. The voice on the other end answered after the first ring; "Musa here. What you want me to do Tyrone?" That the man was nervous and uneasy was plain.

"You don' do nothin' fool! We're on our way. Be there tomorrow. You jus' sit right where you are and let that hole in your poor ass heal!"

As the Yukon had a few days prior, this small convoy rolled on through the night, racing toward its unknowing targets. Amanda and Timmy slept in their beds, fearful of the future, yet unknowing just how cruel that future would be.

Sawon sat now in the back seat with his boss. Looking across the car in the dark, as they passed the lights of a Wonder Bread hauling Freightliner he asked; "Tyrone. Montana is a big damn place. This man we look for, this Jensen, he's on his home ground and he's hiding. From what you say, he's no fool. How we gon' find where he's hiding her?"

Tyrone's teeth shone in the darkness as he grinned. "Jamal, he was a tough man, but he was a fool. He always thinks he can just use his muscle. His muscles got him dead!" Tyrone tapped the side of his head with a finger. "He don' know how to use this muscle! Not worth a damn. You and me Sawon... We don' need muscle. We'll just ask!"

"Ask? I don' understand" a confused Sawon returned. "Ask who?"

"Ha Ha! You got a lot to learn Sawon!" Tyrone laughed again, his white teeth flashing in the darkness. "We'll ask the man himself! Sawon! We'll ask Ben Jensen where he hide her! ha ha ha ha."

Tyrone might know what he was thinking, but Sawon, hadn't a clue. Though it was his intention to outlive Jamal by a wide margin, to do that, he calculated he'd need to get a lot smarter. To that end, he consciously sat quietly as the Escalade hurtled through the night. He sat quietly with his eyes and ears wide open, and his mouth shut.

They drove in one hour shifts. Even Tyrone took a turn behind the wheel to break up the monotony. Nearly every change of drivers was made at a convenience store or gas station along the way for access to coffee, restrooms, and some occasional road food.

Twenty three hours after leaving Chicago the two vehicle convoy was approaching the off ramp into Bozeman, having only stopped for fuel, coffee and three times, to eat in truck stop cafes.

An hour before they arrived Tyrone's phone buzzed, which he answered with a simple; "Yeah" after looking at the ID on the screen.

He listened without speaking, scribbling down notes in a small pad he took from his pocket. "Good" was the only other word he spoke before hitting the cancel button.

He reached up and tapped Stevie, sitting in the front passenger seat, on the shoulder. "Hand me the road map bwoy". Stevie handed the folded map back over his left shoulder as he emptied the last swallow from his most recent truck stop cup.

Tyrone opened the map to look at it for a minute before telling Amani who was now driving; "We're not stopping in Bozeman. Go on to Butte mahn, turn north on Interstate 15. Got it?"

"Yeah mahn, Interstate 15. but I'm gon' need to stop somewhere pretty soon Tyrone. That coffee run through me like coke through a whore!" Everyone in the car laughed at the joke. Everyone except Tyrone. He just smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. You go pull in to the next truck stop" Tyrone made a gesture with a flip of his hand; "and choke your chicken fool. We all know what you doin' in there, makin' us all wait every time. Don't tell me no shit 'bout coffee and whores!" Everyone, laughed when Tyrone made that joke, even Tyrone.

Tyrone keyed in a number on his phone as they pulled into a truck stop on the west side of Bozeman. Musa answered on the first ring.

"Look mahn. You just stay put. We gon' go on and take care of a few things 'fore we come get you. You wouldn' be no use anyway, limpin' aroun' with your sore ass, whimpern' all the damn time. I'll call and tell you where to meet us... maybe tomorrow. I don't know. You just keep that phone close. You understand?"

"Yeah Tyrone, I got it. I'll sit right here. I ain't goin' anywhere."

They fueled both vehicles there at Bozeman and were back on the road in less then ten minutes.

Sawon looked across at Tyrone as they rolled off the on ramp and back onto the Interstate. "We goin' to talk to the man?" he asked.

Tyrone looked back and said with the grin of a coyote; "Yeah mahn, we gon' go talk to the man."

Chapter
24

Amanda and Timmy were sitting at the table, eating their own breakfast when he came in. It made the old cowboy feel pretty good when the little boy's eyes lit up and the grin split his face when he looked over his shoulder and saw Ben, as he came through the door.

"Well kid, it's like this. Any time you don't have what you want, and most people think, is their God given right to have, that there, is what they call poverty!"

"Well, I... uh... I left those horses standing in the corral. I gotta get back there and take care of 'em. Get 'em hauled down to the stock yards... to the sale barn. Might take me a day or two."

"Damn it. I thought we'd settled that. You don't have to sell those horses Ben."

"I know, I know... but Amanda, I just can't get comfortable with you doin' that." he told her.

"Well, tough! Get over it!" Amanda exclaimed in reply. "I'm not too comfortable with what you've been doing for me either, but, I'm dealing with it, one way or another, aren't I? You can just swallow your pride this one time, tough nut! and let me carry my own weight a little. Got it?"

"Well... uh... if you put it that way, I don't have much choice, do I?" Ben smiled at her and lifted his cup.

"No Sir, you don't!" Amanda smiled back. "But, you still have to go take care of those horses, right?"

"Yeah I do. I shoved enough hay into the bunks before we pulled out to hold 'em through most of today maybe. But, it won't do 'em any good to stand around in that pen. I need to at least get back and turn 'em out on one of the pastures."

"Go then and do that. We'll be fine right here. You might want to pick up some groceries on your way back, unless you'd rather I run back into town and do it."

"No, it's better if I do that shopping for a bit." Ben said. "Better you get seen around here, as little as we can manage. I don't see how they could find us here, but you never know who's watchin' where... so you guys just sit tight here... and don't go walkin' off in the woods too far neither. There's some big bears in this country. You'd do better to stay shy of them too!"

"Bears are here?" Timmy asked wide eyed, head swiveling to look around,.

"Yeah rooster." Ben wrapped his arms around the boy, and tickled his sides with both hands as he teased; "Great big droolin' bears that'd gooble up a lil' snack like you in no time!"

Timmy's squeals of laughter brought tears to Amanda's eyes, so she turned to the sink busying herself with the morning dishes, so the boys couldn't see.

As she worked at her morning chores she commented over her shoulder to Ben; "Since you're going back there, and we don't really know, you know, what's going to happen... you should take that money now, and give it to the bank. At least that will be settled."

Ben sat at the table and looked at her back. She rested her hands on the counter top, waiting on his reply; expecting more resistance.

"Maybe" he said. "You should know, I still don't like it. Not one little bit."

"Poor abused little boy. The nasty girl hurt your feelings and saved your ranch!" Amanda looked back over her shoulder at him wondering if she'd pushed her teasing a little too far.

From the look he was giving her she thought it likely that he'd not be passing up the opportunity for a little payback if it ever presented. But, he took the jab silently... well, mostly silently. He just looked at her and sniffed, wiping away imaginary tears with a finger, and then made the motion of stabbing a knife through his heart, grinning.

"When are you leaving?" She asked.

"After lunch will be soon enough." He replied. "How'd you guys like to go for a walk in Montana before I go?"

"Can we see bears?!" Timmy giggled.

"You bet ya midget devil, and we'll feed you to 'em!" Ben exclaimed amidst another round of tickling, and squealing laughter from Timmy.

The three set off west across the meadow, up a trail that led toward a point a mile or two from the lodge. From there, they looked out over a vast panorama of mountains. Ben had taken his binoculars from his old truck, and slung them over his shoulder, just in case. He and Amanda talked quietly as Timmy ran giggling and hooting ahead of them.

At one point, when Ben had raised his hand and pointed at her while answering a teasing question, she'd grabbed his hand, giggling at him. When he kept a grip on hers, as she went to pull it back, she didn't resist.

In a short while they walked out on that high point that overlooked miles of mountains and meadows. Timmy was already standing there, even the little boy was awed by what he saw.

Amanda turned to him and grinning, punched him in the shoulder. To defend himself he wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to her sides.

He could feel her body, the heat of it, pressing against his chest. He looked down at her, the blue eyes... that seemed to see right through him... and almost...

Suddenly self conscious he released her and stepped back, clearing his throat, and reaching up to scratch his neck said; "Well little guy, wha'cha think of Montana?"

"I like it" the boy giggled. "Where's the bears?"

"Well let's take a look!" Ben laughed and kneeling beside the boy, unslung the binoculars from his shoulder. He put the glasses to his eyes and scanned the meadows and tree lines within his view.

"I'll be damned. You're in luck Tim ol' boy... there's a big ol' bruin straight across there... just outside the trees. Here, take a look!"

Ben pulled the youngster around in front of him, and putting his arms around him held the heavy binoculars up to his eyes, after folding them a bit at the hinge so they'd fit his small face.

"Can you see him?" Ben asked.

"No... No... not yet." Timmy answered.

"Let's see here... Keep looking..." Ben tried to get the field glasses looking in the right direction, until finally the little boy squealed in delight; "I see it, I see the bear momma!"