Forever Driven: Forever Bluegrass #4 (2 page)

“
C
an I buy you a drink
, babe?” Matt asked as he tossed back a vodka soda. The woman who had approached him at the bar had fake red hair, a fake black leather dress that barely covered her boobs and ass, and track marks up her arms. She would have been pretty if she weren’t so emaciated from prolonged drug abuse.

For two months, Matt had been coming to this small-town bar in Eastern Kentucky four nights a week after getting off work. He was seen as a regular now. He told them he had to drive a lot between their town and Lexington for contracting work. As long as he paid his tab, no one cared what that work was. They all assumed it was on the new highway being built and didn’t ask questions. Mostly because they didn’t want to answer any questions he had. So he had sat by himself and drank night after night.

“You can buy me a drink to start with and then buy a little more later. What’s your name?” she asked in a seductive voice. “A shot of gin. And leave the bottle,” she instructed the bartender.

Matt didn’t bother raising an eyebrow at the command to leave the bottle. She probably thought he was loaded compared to the men around here with barely two nickels to rub together. Unemployment was high but the highway had hired a lot of the men who could manage to stay clean—which meant none of the men in that room.

“Matt Wilson,” Matt told her as he shoved back the hair he’d been growing out the past few months. He’d also opted to dye his hair raven black, getting rid of the normally dark blond locks.

“Are you with the highway?” she asked after downing her first shot.

“Mmm.” Matt said before tapping his glass and asking for a refill of his own.

“I bet that’s hard work, but it must be nice to have all that cash in your pocket. Or are you just thinking about buying a little sumpin’ sumpin’ now instead of later?”

Matt’s lips tipped up at her hint. It seemed she was using prostitution as a way to pay for her drugs and wasn’t approaching him just for his devilish good looks.

“Oh, I’m thinking about it, babe. Let me have a couple of drinks first. I’m so tired from working, and I’m out of my regular pick-me-up.”

“Aren’t you worried about losing your job?” she asked, picking up on his need of drugs.

“Nah. I have my cousin pissin’ in the cup for me.”

“Well, then, maybe if you scratch my back, I can scratch yours.”

“What’s your name, babe?” Matt asked as the bartender handed him another drink.

“Crystal,” she winked, and she tossed back another shot.

“Funny, since that is exactly what I’m looking for. I guess I get two kinds of crystal tonight. If you can scratch my back, that is.”

“I can scratch your back and more. My dealer is out back. If you buy me a little ice, we can get high together and screw each other’s brains out.”

Matt took his time looking her over with appreciation. “I may want a steady hookup while I’m working this job. Is your dealer just a peddler or does he have access to quantity?”

“He just has what’s on him, but he can get you more if you have the money.”

Matt winked at her. “Of course I have the money. I have a job, don’t I? It will be easier for me to get it here instead of having to drive back to Lexington. Levi won’t be happy, but he’ll get over it.”

Crystal froze. “Levi is your dealer?”

“Yeah, is that a problem?”

“No, I’m sure Jared will love taking business away from Levi. They’re rivals. They both grew up here and were partners in a pot operation, but then Levi said he wanted to go corner the drug market in the big city. Jared wanted to stay here. They’ve been competing every since. Come outside with me to meet my dealer, Eddie. He can take you to Jared. But first, let’s do a hit. Then we can see Jared, and you can get more so we can really party tonight.” Crystal tossed back another shot and tried not to stare as Matt pulled out a wallet flush with cash. He tossed some on the bar, and then Crystal was on him.

Her hands ran over his wide shoulders and down his rippled abs as she tried to get him to kiss her while they were walking out the back door of the bar. Her hands dipped to cup his package and then reached around to squeeze his ass. Either she wanted him here and now, or she was checking him for a wire. He used to wear those back in the day, but this year had changed him. He wasn’t the squeaky-clean Kentucky state trooper anymore.

Matt picked her up, and her legs wrapped around his hips. He pushed her hard against the wall and shoved his hips against her as her dress rode up. “Or do you just want to do this now? You’re getting me all worked up, babe.”

“It’s so much more intense when we’re high. Come on, let’s hurry up. I need a hit bad.” She pushed against his chest, and Matt let her slide down his body. She stroked him through his pants, and with a giggle, left him standing there as she hurried out the back door.

Matt followed and was met with three men sitting on old drink crates, getting high and drinking straight from a vodka bottle. They all looked to be in their early twenties, but the one in the middle seemed to be the leader. The other two looked to him when Matt approached.

“You Eddie?” Matt asked.

“What’s it to you?” the cocky little shit asked.

“Eddie, he needs a hit, and he’s buying one for me, too.” Crystal practically danced in place with the excitement of knowing she was going to get a hit soon. Her eyes never left the bag sitting at Eddie’s feet.

“Did you manage to get your pea brain off a hit long enough to check him?” Eddie spat.

Crystal looked to the ground and nodded. “He’s clear, and he usually gets his drugs from Levi.” Her head popped up with excitement at telling Eddie the news.

Eddie’s lips pursed and flattened to a look of disbelief. “Yeah, right. Prove it.”

Matt looked at him for a second and then started patting his back pockets. He pulled out the small zipped case and opened it. He pushed aside the needles and held up the bag with Levi’s sticker on it.

Eddie grabbed it and stared. “Why do you want to switch dealers?”

“I’m working on the highway, and I’m tired of driving back and forth to Lexington to get it,” Matt shrugged. “I like to buy in bulk. My buddies and I go through a lot on the weekends. But if you don’t want the money, then I’ll just go back up to Lexington.”

“Nah, I can hook you up. What do you need?” Eddie asked as he opened his bag.

“I need a pound,” Matt said and heard Crystal practically salivating.

Eddie’s head shot up. “You got that money hidden on you?”

“No, but I can get it. The question is, can you?”

Eddie’s lips slowly parted into a sinister smile. “I can get it.”

“Jared has it,” Crystal blurted.

Eddie stood up slowly and walked toward Crystal. She knew what was coming. She ducked her head but the slap still connected with her cheek. Matt ignored them and sighed out loud. “So, am I going to get high tonight or what?” he asked.

“I’ll sell you a gram. It’s $500.” Eddie moved back to his bag and pulled out a baggie full of crystals.

“Bullshit. I’ll give you $300 and that’s that. If you think you can gouge me with a higher price, I’ll stick with Levi.”

Eddie nodded approvingly. “You know your drugs.”

“I buy enough to know how much they cost.” Matt pulled out his wallet and handed $300 to Eddie, who in turn handed him the baggie. “When can I see Jared?”

“Text me your number, and I’ll let you know.”

Matt pulled out his phone, entered the number Eddie gave him, and sent the text. “I’ll need it by this weekend,” he told Eddie before grabbing Crystal. “Come on, babe, it’s time to party.”

* * *

M
att watched
as Crystal stuck the needle into her arm. She slowly pushed the plunger down as the drugs entered her bloodstream. With a sigh of pleasure and relief, Crystal pulled the needle from her arm and placed it back in her purse. Her body relaxed after its craving had been fed. She held the spoon out to him and he took it. “I’m going to run to the bathroom. Then I’ll be ready to start our party.”

Matt nodded and took out a crystal and placed it on the spoon. He held it over the flame and waited for it to melt. When Crystal came out of the bathroom, Matt was pulling the now empty needle from his arm.

Matt blinked. “Damn, this stuff is strong.”

“Jared likes his ice to be as pure as possible.” Crystal ran her hands down his arms as she straddled him in the chair.

“Tell me more about Eddie and Jared. Can they be trusted? How do I know they won’t screw me over?”

“Jared likes to get to know his regulars. He’s paranoid about being busted or of Levi sending someone in to steal from him. So, he’ll want to meet with you first.”

Matt laughed.

Crystal looked confused. “What’s so funny?”

“The fact that I have to be interviewed by a dealer. Do I have to bring my résumé?”

Crystal giggled. “No, but Eddie will be passing along all your information, so a background check will be run before you’re even allowed to meet with him. While we locals know his base of operations, most outsiders aren’t permitted to know.”

“What should I know before I meet with him?”

“He likes to be one of the people. He pretends to be just one of the guys, but you better show respect or you’ll piss him off. Eddie will introduce you, but after that point he’ll only be there to handle the payment and hand off if an agreement is made.”

“Jared doesn’t like to get his hands dirty?”

“Nah, he’s a businessman only now. He’s got a family to think about and his standing in the community. He takes this shit seriously. He’s even in the PTA.”

Matt laughed. “I know those types. I bet he doesn’t even make the stuff on his property. Farms it all out so no one can bust him. That’s smart.”

Crystal nodded. “I met the farmer he uses once. It’s all under his control, but Jared oversees it.”

“I bet that farmer has a cool name like Smalls or Doc. They all do.”

Crystal giggled as she worked at pulling off his shirt. “How did you know that? His is Tubbo.”

“Is he super skinny?” Matt teased.

“No, this time the name fits. But enough talking.”

“How much to move this to the next level, babe?”

“Five hundred.”

Matt whistled. “I don’t have that much cash on me now. I spent it all on this,” he held up the baggie of drugs and shook it.

Crystal looked at the bag with greed in her eyes. “Maybe we could work out an exchange.”

“What kind of deal are we talking about?” Matt asked.

Crystal leaned forward and whispered in his ear. Matt grinned as she gently bit his neck before pulling back.

“I think I can make that work.” Matt handed her the baggie of drugs. While Crystal stood up and placed the baggie in her purse Matt poured two shots of gin into the motel’s dirty glasses.

When he turned around, Crystal was unzipping her dress. “Let’s have a drink to celebrate, babe.”

Crystal tossed back the drink and dropped her dress on the floor. She sent him a wink and climbed onto the bed and promptly passed out.

Matt let out a sigh and strode to the adjoining door. He knocked, and it swung open. Two scruffy-looking men in ripped jeans and dirty sweatshirts stood there.

“What have you found out?” Matt asked as he pushed his way into their room.

“I’m running Tubbo’s name through our drug database for a hit,” DEA Agent Tate told him.

“And I’m pulling up all the members of the PTA for the elementary schools in the county along with trying to find an old yearbook. We know how old Levi was from when you arrested him, so we know around the time to look for anyone named Jared, “ DEA Agent Forgy told him as he went over to look at his computer.

The drug undercover Kentucky State Trooper Matt Walz put in Crystal’s drink would have her out cold for the rest of the night. Tomorrow, she would wake up naked in a messed-up bed with no memories. Matt would lead her to think she’d fulfilled her deal with him. She would drive home and sometime in the next day or two, be pulled over by a K-9 officer for a minor traffic violation. The K-9 would indicate the scent of drugs, and the crystal meth would be recovered. She had enough to last her three more days at least. She would be ordered to rehabilitation, and his cover would stay intact. No one would associate him with her arrest in the slightest.

Matt stumbled past his partners and fell onto the disgusting couch with unidentified stains on it. “Wake me in six hours.”

Tate and Forgy grunted their response and turned on the news. As Matt fell asleep, the reporter was talking about the following day’s election. Images of an athletically built, natural redhead found a way into his dreams—one he’d walked away from almost a year ago in order to stay undercover.

R
iley had never been so exhausted
. She was pretty sure she’d stopped at every retirement home, shopping center, antique mall, tractor pull, and farm in her district. She had spoken passionately about what Small Town, USA, stood for and how she wanted to represent their interests in Frankfort. She’d answered countless questions about being single, as if not being married somehow made her less qualified to lead. She’d talked about her college degree and how her time managing her father’s farm had prepared her to better understand the concerns of her constituents. And finally, that morning, she had headed to Keeneston High School to vote.

“Have they started to come back with any numbers yet?” her mother, Gemma, asked as she hurried into the living room with a steaming pot of coffee.

“Not yet,” her father, Cy, called out, and her mother went around filling Riley’s campaign team’s coffee mugs. Campaign team was a fancy term her sister had thought of. Riley’s team was really made up of her enormous family and all of her friends. The Rose Sisters, the trio of elderly sisters closing in on 100 years old, had brought brownies. Others had brought drinks, chips, and a bottle . . . or five, of bourbon.

Riley took a seat on the couch next to her younger twin brothers, Porter and Parker. Her sister stood behind her and anxiously began pacing. “The polls are closed, why aren’t they releasing the results yet?” Reagan asked for the tenth time.

“Rae, they closed two minutes ago,” twenty-one-year-old Parker said for the tenth time.

“Shhh! Here they come!” Riley’s best friend and cousin, Layne, called out as she turned the television volume up.

“Well, Dan,” the same perky blonde television reporter who had interviewed Riley last week said from outside Keeneston High School. “The first numbers are coming in on the hotly contested House race out of Keeneston and Lipston. With one percent reporting in, it’s almost a dead heat at 127 to 123 votes. Right now, Jamie Skites has a slight lead over Riley Davies, but with results like these, you can bet both camps will be up until every vote has been counted.”

Riley groaned. It was going to be a very long night.

“
R
iley
, wake up,” Porter said as he jostled her awake. Riley bolted upright and wiped her hand over her face. Reagan was still pacing somewhere behind her. Her mother was still refilling coffee cups. However, there were only four bottles of bourbon left.

“What is it?” Riley asked as she blinked the sleep from her eyes.

“They’re ready to announce a winner,” Reagan said with barely controlled anxiety.

Riley leaned forward and watched Dan and his hair-sprayed helmet of hair look over the card he was just given. She didn’t think she took a breath as he looked seriously into the camera.

“With one hundred percent of the votes counted, we can announce Riley Davies as the winner.”

Riley didn’t hear how much she had won by. She stared at the graphics on the television showing her face with the official checkmark next to it in disbelief. She had done it! But with that realization, she also had another. It was now up to her to protect her town.

* * *

“
D
ude
, wake your ass up.”

Matt rolled over on the smelly couch and looked at Tate. “Is it six already?” he asked, a little pissed off. He was in the middle of a dream where Riley Davies was stripping out of her dress and standing naked before him. Too bad it was only a dream, since the reality was that she didn’t think of him that way.

“Nah, it’s only three, but you just got a text from Eddie. He says Jared wants to meet. Now.”

Matt sat up slowly and rested his elbows on his knees and read the text before sending his response. The phone vibrated a second later.

“Eddie is outside the motel now.” Matt cursed as he jumped up from the couch and headed through Tate’s dark room toward his own room. “You know I can’t have anything on me for command to listen to. You’ll have to be my backup.”

Matt didn’t even need to say it since Tate and Forgy were already strapping on bulletproof vests and sliding their badges onto their waistbands. In the darkness of the room, lit only by the glow of the television, the two agents were already checking weapons and slipping out the back door to their unmarked beat-up truck.

Matt kicked off his shoes, stripped out of his shirt, and unbuttoned his jeans before flipping the light to his room on. Matt nodded at Eddie and opened the door just enough for Eddie to see Crystal lying naked on the bed and to see Matt zipping his pants up.

Eddie smirked. “Wild night?”

“You know it.”

“You have that money on you yet?”

“Why?”

“Jared isn’t going to give you the goods without being paid. You said you wanted it. I thought you were serious about it,” Eddie challenged.

“No problem. Give me one minute.” Matt closed the door on an incredulous Eddie. He guessed most people were afraid of him, but not Matt. He was just an underling. Matt popped off the air vent and pulled out a bag of cash. He rustled through it to find the GPS tracker and tossed it under the door to Tate’s room. Eddie was trying to hide it behind his back, but Matt had seen the small device used to check for bugs and trackers in his hand.

Matt opened the door as he buttoned up his shirt. With the duffle bag of cash over his shoulder, he declared, “Okay. Let’s do this.”

“Not so fast. I’ll take the bag,” Eddie demanded and held out his hand.

Matt shook his head. “I don’t think so. And run off with my money?”

“I need to check it.”

“Then check it while I hold onto it. I’m not dumb enough to hand over ten grand just to have you steal it.”

Eddie was turning red. It was likely he had never been questioned before. He was used to his own underlings following every order he gave. “Fine. Hold it out for me.”

Matt held the bag out but kept a tight grip on it as Eddie unzipped it and looked around the inside before running his tracker around the bag. With a nod of his head, one of the underlings started to pat Matt down before taking the tracker and running it over Matt’s body.

“Are we good yet,or do you want to play with my balls, too?” Matt said with a hint of boredom to his voice.

“We’re good. Let’s go.”

Matt followed Eddie to his truck and got in. He didn’t look around for Tate or Forgy as Eddie drove through the small town, around curving mountains, and into a small subdivision of houses that were larger than most around town. They had expansive yards and American flags on porches decorated with pots of mums. Minivans and a couple of luxury sedans were parked in driveways. Swing sets were in the backyards and bikes were tossed on the sidewalks.

“This is where Jared lives? The big bad drug dealer?” Matt laughed incredulously.

“This is the best neighborhood in the entire county. He has a wife and kids to think about. Besides, what better way to keep an eye out than a freaking neighborhood watch?” Eddie grinned as if this were the best idea in the world.

Matt shook his head as they pulled into a driveway in front of a pretty two-story tan house with a little red wagon in the front yard and kids’ toys stacked on the porch. It had a black front door, black shutters, and flower baskets under the windows. Eddie parked the car behind a minivan with five stick figures on the back window and a massive tricked-out black Ford truck. Matt slowly got out of Eddie’s car. He looked around at the family-friendly neighborhood and wondered if the residents knew what went on at this house.

A light shone through a door on the side of the house that led into the garage. A pretty yellow curtain covered the window in the upper half of the door with different-sized handprints on it. The small date under the handprints showed it to be a Christmas present from the kids. Eddie pushed a button and the door unlocked. With a quick glance, Matt saw the house had a high-tech security system, including a doorbell to the garage with a night vision camera built into it.

Eddie walked into the converted garage and Matt followed. He didn’t hide the fact that he was curious about his surroundings. Most people would be if they walked into the second-biggest drug dealer’s house in the state. The garage was impeccable. The floor had nice glossy epoxy on it that resembled white and gray marble. Two large rectangular worktables with stainless steel tops sat in the middle of the room. Behind them, along the entire length of the wall, were custom storage shelves from floor to ceiling. Pretty canvas storage baskets of all sizes and colors filled the shelves. They had initials and names embroidered on them as if they stored nothing more than little Timmy’s old clothes.

Matt turned to his left. There was a sitting area with old leather furniture facing a television hanging on the wall. Coffee tables had magazines ranging from sports and parenting to gardening and gourmet cooking on them. Behind the sitting area, close to the entrance to the house, was another stainless steel table. This one was shorter and sitting behind it in a leather chair was Jared.

You expect drug dealers to look a certain way, but Matt had discovered that wasn’t always true. Underlings, yeah, they looked a certain way. But the actual brain behind the operation of illegal drugs was not your average street criminal. He, or she, was smart and focused on business. They were often part of the community. They were members of a church, the president of the PTA, and local business owners who coached Little League. And Jared fit the bill just as Levi had. When Matt busted Levi, it was after he’d finished volunteering at the soup kitchen with his son’s Boy Scout troop.

Jared had pictures of his family lining the wall behind him. Pottery made by his children sat on his desk. He was in his late thirties. Styled hair, khakis, and not a single piercing or tattoo in sight. He was your average suburban father.

“So you’re Levi’s client,” Jared said with a smile and stood up to shake Matt’s hand as if they were at a bank meeting instead of a drug deal.

“That’s me. I’m Matt Wilson.” Matt shook his hand and looked around. “Your kids are into soccer?”

“Yes. They love it. Every Saturday morning at eight we’re at the fields. Do Levi’s kids play soccer?”

Matt shook his head. “Basketball and ballet.”

“Eddie said you were looking to leave Levi,” Jared said as if Matt were simply looking to change brokers.

“I’m down here for the next year working on this highway. I’m getting tired of driving back and forth. In full disclosure, when I move back to Lexington, I’ll probably switch back. You know, it’s a matter of convenience.”

Jared nodded. “I can understand that. What’s your budget while you’re here?”

“Ten grand a month.”

Jared’s eyes widened. “You have that kind of money?”

“Nah, man. I have friends I go in on it with,” Matt laughed. “Damn, I’d be dead in under a month if it were just me.”

“Is this what you’ve been buying from Levi?”

“Yup. Varies on our employment, of course. But lately, I’ve held some pretty steady jobs. A year working in Versailles, a year on a project in downtown Lexington, and now another potential year or two on this highway job.”

“Why you?” Jared asked as he motioned for Matt to take a seat in the sitting area.

“Why me what?” Matt sat down and Jared sat in a chair near him.

“Why are you the handler?”

“Oh, because I ain’t married. Wife and kids get nosy. We learned that after Carlos got married, and his wife found the stash when she was spring cleaning.”

“Unless you have a very understanding wife like I’m blessed with. She decorated my office for me,” Jared said with pride.

“Nice.” Matt took the opportunity to look around again. “I like the basket organizer thingies. I had a girlfriend once who had those in her closet for all her laundry.”

“These hold things more valuable than laundry. Now, Eddie said you wanted a pound.”

“That’s right.” Matt knew the deal was coming.

“Then you have a problem. I normally charge $15,000 for a pound.”

“Then you’re overcharging,” Matt said immediately before pausing. “No disrespect.”

Jared grinned. “And you’re either smarter or dumber than most of my clients. They wouldn’t dare question my price.”

Matt held up his hands. “Like I said, no disrespect, but they’re the stupid ones. I can get a pound from Levi for ten grand. If I bother to drive a little farther east, I can get it for eight. But since I heard your product was purer, I thought I’d go with you.”

That caught Jared’s attention. “Who would you go to?”

“One of my buddies has a contact in Beattyville.”

Jared shook his head in amusement. “You don’t want to be buying from Skunk. He cuts his drugs with antifreeze. Why do you think it’s so cheap?”

Matt shrugged. “We all know bigger cities have bigger price tags. Like I said, I want to do business with you. However, I’m not going to be taken advantage of either. Ten grand is fair.” Matt stood up and held out his hand. “Let me know if we have a deal. Eddie knows how to reach me.”

Jared waved him away. “Sit. We have a deal. Just don’t tell anyone the price or more of my clients will demand the lower price. And you have no idea how expensive it is to put three children through private school.”