Ride to Redemption (15 page)

Chapter
21

R
eturning
to the Lodge, I stopped by the restaurant and grabbed two black teas, along
with a menu for room service. Candi, was by far the prettiest sleeping beauty I
have ever had the privilege to wake up with. Some mornings, I just lie beside
her and gaze. Nothing else, no touching, no lusting, just gazing, thinking to
myself, I am by far the luckiest guy in the world.

Kissing
her on the cheek, Candi roused from her sleep and pulled me back into the bed
beside her.

“I
haven’t brushed my teeth, baby.”

“That’s
okay miss, I have,” whereby she immediately began to kiss me with vim and
vigor.

“I’ve
missed you. Where did you go?”

“I’ve
been busy while you slept. I’ve walked, checked my email, voice mail and text
messages.’

“Oh,
I haven’t even thought about those things since I landed in Sioux City. I guess
I should check mine too,” expressed Candi, while pausing to think just where
she had stored her phone.

“Is
there anything interesting going on?”

“Not
really, but I did hear from a friend I met in Sioux City.”

Now,
fully wide-awake, “Is this an old friend or a new one?” Candi scoffed, “And if
it’s a new friend, I’d like to hear all the sordid details, considering you
were only there 36 hours without me.”

“She’s
an attorney, names Victoria, I met at the Casino the night I arrived. She’s now
my attorney,” I proudly conveyed, “held on permanent retainer. And no we did
not have sex, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Of
course, that’s what I’m thinking. You’re a slut remember, when it comes to
beautiful women who become willing participants of your lustfulness.”

“Bite
your tongue young lady. I do recall that I resemble that remark … but not
lately.”

“D,
sometimes you exhaust me. Plus, you continue to wow and amaze me. In less than
36 hours without me, you manage to meet and hire an attorney, an attractive one
I’m sure. Then somewhere in your spare time you meet and hang out with Billy,
Frank and Dusty, ZZ Top no less, two times, as I recall and never even want to
know the name of their band. But, let’s get back to your newfound attorney,
Victoria; I’m dying to know how you met her. “

“It’s
a funny story,” I began, “I thought when she bumped into me in the casino she
was a high priced call girl.”

“Really,
was she selling tricks on the side to increase her client list?”

“No,
but she was offering “lady” luck, as long as she played with mine, not hers.
Money, that is.” I grinned.

“I
bet that’s not all she was offering,” exclaimed Candi. “Did she offer to let
you play with her winnings?”

“You’re
jealous. I can tell by the steam coming from your nostrils,” I chuckled.

“I
am not jealous, just concerned. You're a push over when it comes to twat. Any
twat for that matter.”

“Call
it as you see it. That was me, but not now. I’m glad you like me that much to
care.”

“Of
course I like you, why else would I have rode off into the sunset with my first
organ donor?”

“I
keep asking myself that repeatedly. Just what organ are you referring to by the
way, me or the long and hard one that accompanies me everywhere I go?”

“It’s
sure not that little teeny one between your legs,” quipped Candi, thoroughly
displaying a smirk, followed by an infectious wink.

“Changing
the subject, now that you’ve impugned my manhood, would you like breakfast in
bed?”

“Always,”
Candi replied, “as long as it includes you.”

“Thank
you, Candice, but I have to run out and pick up our clean clothes and return
the dirty ones.”

“Don’t
you have care packages to mail in this town, too?”

“I
do. I should have never involved you in that. I can mail them all by myself,
thank you.”

“But
I can help,” pouted Candi.

“Yes
you can, and I’ll let you if you totally insist.”

“I
insist,” she continued. “Just let me put my clothes on.”

“What
about breakfast? You’re always hungry when you wake up. For that matter, you’re
always hungry, period.”

“It
can wait, besides, I had the feeling my breakfast in bed this morning was going
to be without you.”

“You
are one astute filly; I grant you that.”

We
arrived at FedEx just as they opened and after producing my ID, collected the
fourth package and emptied its contents into my waterproof duffle bag, while
Candi boxed up our dirty clothes for their return trip to Tennessee.

“When
are you going to tell me what’s in all these boxes? And what I also want to
know is just where they are going and why? “

“I
told you, Candice, the less you know the better. Remember, plausible deniability?”

“But
I’m an accessory after the fact, D. If you haven’t noticed by now, I am helping
you.”

“You
are, but right now, no one knows that, and furthermore, you have no clue what’s
in them.”

“Agreed.
That’s why I want you to tell me what’s going on. Right now, at this point in
our relationship, I’m willing to be all in for you. But you have to confide in
me, D.”

“That’s
even better than the jealous streak you presented earlier. But why should I
involve you in something that could adversely affect you and your career?”

“I’m
tired of being protected, D. I like being with you and living on the edge.
You’ve brought excitement back into my life. Every day since we first began
conversing, I can’t wait to talk to you when I wake up, hear from you during the
day and talk to you at night, before I go to sleep. You must feel the same way,
don’t you, baby?”

“I
do, Candi. Seemingly, you complete me. And it’s been a long time since I’ve
come anywhere close to feeling whole.”

“That’s
just what I wanted to hear, D. Thank you. My guess is you will open up to me,
sooner, rather than later, yes?”

I
nodded affirmatively, what else could I do? Swayed once again by the willing,
dastardly woo-hoo.

“That
works for me. Let’s you and I get these packages mailed, I’m starving.”

Chapter
22

W
ith
that, we rode across Bozeman, dropping off the boxes, 25 to 30 at a time. I
have been careful to always wear gloves when handling them, while using a
reflective covering over the license plate that skews the numbers in the event
it is captured on camera. I’m sure I’ve not thought of everything, but at
least, I’ve tried to minimize my exposure. Which until Vic’s letter, I didn’t
realize how perilous this journey was rapidly escalating.

“One
stop, and two to go,” I announced to Candi, after mailing the last packages.
“After that, we’re on our own. What I mean by that is you’ll be in crisis mode,
if we don’t stop every other day and wash your clothes.”

“Seriously
D, you’re worried about my dirty clothes, after all the other questionable things
you’re in the middle of?”

“I
am. You’re the one that said you would in no way wear the same clothes longer
than two days in a row, come hell, or high water.”

Kissing
me on the neck, Candi continued, “Things change. I’ve changed. I’m mellowing
because of you. If my mom could see me now, wouldn’t she be surprised?”

We
made it back to the lodge right before they stopped serving breakfast.

“That
was nice of you, D, to offer me breakfast in bed this morning and then to take
me with you. I know I can be a pain, more times than not. I’ll settle for
dessert in bed before we shower, if you’re still so inclined.”

“Baby,
with you, I’m always inclined. That’s my best position. Never mind, with you,
reclined is my best position.”

With
that, we were off, back to the room and into the cozy bed in three minutes
flat. This morning’s encounter was lust, pure and simple. Removing her clothes,
I found Candi receptively ready and commando, the two keys in my book to pull
off a quick romp in the sack.

Showered,
dressed and packed, I called Gio and asked that he and Mile meet us at the
Starbucks by the Home Depot. I told him we would ride through downtown and stop
at a few western shops and then head south for the best burger in Montana.

After
Gio hung up, I shared the news with Candi. “I’m taking us to a longtime western
bar, for lunch, right out of the old west, called Stacie’s Saloon, a
twenty-minute ride south of town in Gallatin Gateway. Bella offers the best
buffalo burger and coldest, locally brewed beers, west of the Mississippi.”

“I’m
game for that, let’s ride!”

* * *

Meeting
up in the Starbucks parking lot, I motioned for Gio and Mile to follow as I
headed into downtown proper. We parked on Main Street and walked through the
shops and stores that catered more to tourists than locals. Mile found a $600
pair of cowboy boots that she could not live without.

“It’s
okay, Gio,” I assured him, “I’m positive they can ship them to Milan.”

“No
ship,” said Gio, “she wears.”

“Well
then, send her old ones home.”

“No,
she keeps, too.”

“Well
sir, make room in one of your bags, because hers are full.”

Finally,
Mile relented and the store was kind enough to offer free shipping, even to
Milan. My guess is that they would do that all day long, as long as they found
suckers, I mean customers willing to pay $600 for boots. Gio decided he, too,
would buy boots and ship them home with hers. An hour later and almost $800
lighter, Gio had picked out the first exotic pair of the twenty or so boots he
tried on.

“So
help me Candi, if that had been you trying on all those boots, I would have
left your behind here a long time ago.”

“He’s
such a girl when it comes to clothes. He has been that way all his life, come
to think of it.”

“Lucky
you,” I quipped.

Chapter
23

H
eading
south, the Italians followed closely behind me as we weaved our way through
traffic toward Gallatin Gateway and Big Sky. The road we’re on leads into
Yellowstone near the Idaho border and is always either totally congested or
under construction much of the year. After 30 minutes of stop and go traffic,
our troupe rumbled into Stacie’s. We parked right beside the front door,
stretching our legs and scratching our helmet matted hair in the dusty graveled
parking lot. I instructed the others to hang out in the bar for a few, while I
searched inside for the woman I fondly knew as Bella. She was a dear friend
from long ago — back when my life was not so twisted. I was eager to see
her again, especially after the passing of so many hard years.

Chatting
up one of the waitresses near the kitchen, she directed me to the back room to
surprise my old friend. I soon found her, stocking shelves with numerous cans
and jars and humming that old tune under her breath, like always. She hadn’t
changed a bit — same faded-blue apron cinched-up around her plump waist.
I offered a playful insult as I stepped near.

“I
see they let the congenial help work out front with the customers.” My wry, but
humble smile greeted her steely-blue eyes and curly white hair.

“Well,
hell, Boy! Ain’t you a sight for sore eyes? Where the hell you been, kid?”
Bella was never short on clever lingo, herself. “Gimme a hug, before I bust
that sorry ass of yours for not keeping in touch! The nerve of you, boy…”

Bella
shuffled over to me and tugged me in close. I could tell by her tight grasp
that a lot of water had run beneath the proverbial bridge since we’d last
talked. There was more to her embrace than a casual welcome back. She squeezed
me hard, before finally letting go. I stayed silent as she backed up and gave
me the once-over glance, up and down. “Last I heard, you was stuck in some kind
of deep shit down in Texas and fell off the map. Damn it, Boy, you know better
than to stir shit or you’ll have to smell it. Hell, I even caught a whiff clear
up here.”

With
a sheepish grunt and a shrug of my shoulders, I let her know that her comments
weren’t far off-track. “Yeah, it went a little something like that.” Raising my
foot off the ground before her, “My boots still stink.”

Bella
continued with her questioning. “I called and emailed a dozen times, but never
got so much as a kiss-my-ass. What the Hell happened?”

“Well,
I can’t go into much of it at the moment, Bell — I have a few friends
with me right now — but basically me, and a bunch of others took a good
screwing … and I got to take the fall for a good bit of it. Although I’m nearly
broke, I’m trying to make amends to many people who not only deserve it, but
have been a part of my whole mess. And,” I continued, “That quest brings me to
you.”

“You
never wronged me, son. What are you talking about?”

“I
never intentionally wronged anybody, but just by being involved with those
bastards, I managed to be the vehicle of destruction to some. As I said, I’m
making amends to those I love and care for, and you are very high on my list.
I’ve always appreciated your help early on. I love you, Bell. I’d have gotten
nowhere in life without your help in introducing me to the heavy-hitters up
there in Big Sky.”

“I’m
still not sure I’m following you, Jon David.” Her eyes having lost their tender
glow, were now becoming much more curious.

“Like
I said, I’ve got my friends waiting. They’ve probably raided your bar snacks
and one in particular, may have seduced your cutest waitress. We’re hungry from
the ride, and I’m sure Gio is also drooling over the beer list.” My feeble
attempt to change the subject seemed to work. I took my turn at questions.
“What’s happened with you, Bell?”

She
gave a wrinkle of her nose and a quiet grumble. “Recession took damn-near
everything I own when this sorry sumbitch I partnered with in a venture fell
short about two-mill. In the end, I got even with the connivin’ bastard, but
the money never turned up. You know how that goes, don’t cha, Boy? When ya got
money, some sum-bitch is always tryin’ to take it away from ya.”

“That’s
for damn sure! I’m sorry, Bella. It must be tough. I know you’re a strong one,
but it still doesn’t make it any easier.”

She
nodded in agreement and gave me another hug. “Let’s go meet your friends, Boy.
It sure is good to see ya. I’m glad you came by.”

We
made our way to the dining area and found the trio tucked into a booth by the
window. Gio had two empty bottles of Hippy Highway Oatmeal Stout from Lone Peak
Brewery in front of him and a partial still cold in his hand. “Guys, I want to
introduce you to Bella. She owns this joint. Ya better be extremely nice to
her, especially you, Gio. She’ll spank you like a child in knickers, before you
know what hit ya!”

Bella
chuckled, and Gio managed a confused smile, not understanding a word of what I
said.

After
a few more introductions and small talk, Bella had taken our orders and
scurried off to the kitchen. The four of us talked briefly and took in the
sights of this cozy diner in the middle of almost nowhere. It wasn’t long until
we had overloaded plates in front of us, consisting of what we’d ordered along
with a generous helping of samples, Bella considered her best dishes. No one
ever left hungry when Bella was around.

Bella
stayed and chatted with us all for over an hour. We caught up on her other
businesses in the area, and she hinted to a few bigger deals she had cooking
further west. It was as if Bella and I had never parted. She and I could always
talk business and friendship like we were actually family. I finally spoke up
about our trip and how the four of us were putting many miles beneath us.

“Bell,”
I finally stated, “we’re going to have to climb back on those bikes. They’re
not going to drive themselves. But first, I need to grab something from the
bike and make a pit stop.”

“No,
no!” she complained. “Ya just got here!”

Walking
away, “I’ll be back soon, I promise. Just need to finish this ride. I have some
off the wall business ideas to discuss. Plus, we just need to do some catching
up. I won’t hide from you again, that is if I can help it.” I grimaced as those
words left my lips. What I promise and what I deliver is not always up to me
here lately.

On
my return, we exchanged good-byes and made our way to the front doors. Bella
pulled me into another long hug, squeezing me like a long-lost grandchild. I
whispered into her ear. “I promise I’ll call you as soon as I can. And one more
thing…” I paused before I finished. “I left a couple of brown wrapped packages
in the back for you. They’re hidden under green bean cans. Use all you can to
make yourself whole and give the rest away. That is if there is anything left.”

“Dammit,
Jon David!” she said aloud. “You better not have…”

I
smiled. “Good-bye, Bell. We’ll talk soon.”

She
shook her head disapprovingly, but smiled back at me and whispered. “I love
you, Jon David.
 
I'm glad you're
alive, healthy and here.” Swatting me smartly on the butt, Bell continued, “Go
on, git!”

We
put on our gear as Bella disappeared into the diner. Just as we were bringing
the bikes to life, I saw the diner door swing wide, accompanied by the
screeching shout of Bella.

“What
the Hell are these, Jon David?”

My
heart sank. I’d hoped she’d wait until we were gone, before tearing into her
treasures.

Bell,
racing out the door, stumbled. I watched as her ankle rolled in the loose
gravel. As she regained her balance, she lost her grip on one of the torn
packages, held loosely in her hand. To my utter horror, one of the drawstring
bags in her grasp, flung open, littering the river graveled parking lot with
dozens of brilliant, transparent stones.

“Hop
off, Candi,” I yelled, before jumping from my bike and racing to her side,
scanning the ground for traces of glimmer and glory, scattered between the
rocks. Soon, an inquisitive Candi was by my side, sifting through the gravel
and dust for diamonds peppering the ground.

Trying
not to make a scene, we scrambled with all the speed we could muster, hoping no
one would notice the frantic tourists seemingly searching for a seemingly lost
contact lens while down on all fours. Satisfied we had found most, if not all
of the precious stones, I slid them gingerly back into the bag, before pressing
it into Bella’s hand — folding her fingers tightly around it.

“Take
them, Bell. I’ll explain when I can. Trust me,” I pleaded, watching the tears
stain her leather like cheeks.

I
motioned to Candi it was time to go and I jumped on the bike, faster than the
Lone Ranger on Trigger. With Candi settled in behind me, I extended a nod to
Bella, rumbling out onto the road — the Italians wondering by their blank
stares what had just transpired. As I peered into my mirrors, I felt Candi’s
hands creep under my jacket as her finger nails dug deeply into my ribs. Her
growling made me even more uncomfortable…

“You’ve
got a lot of explaining to do,
Jon David
.”

* * *

Pulling
into the first 100% pure gas station I found, Gio, immediately dismounted and
sauntered up to me, “Good food D, good beer, too. What happened back there?”

“Bell
lost some trinkets I gave her.” Changing the subject, “Have you decided where
you go from here?”

“I
look on map while you away, we go south to Jackson Hole.”

“Excellent.
You’ll like it. Make sure you take Mile to the Million Dollar Bar, where the
beer is ice cold and the bar seats are real saddles. Oh, and stay in the Wort
Hotel if they have rooms. It’s right out of the old west. You will like it, I
promise, because its downtown and you can stumble drunk your way around and
never have to get on, just to fall off your bike.”

Looking
totally confused, Gio somehow managed a compliment. “You know best places, D.
You good guide.”

“Thank
you, Gio.”

“We
find you later, D?”

“What
do you mean, later?”

“We
ride south, then pointing his black leathered finger toward the sky, we ride
north. We find you, okay?”

“You
can try. Candi and I are going to Canada from here.”

Not
one to take no for an answer, Gio continued, “We call you,” while slapping me
hard on the shoulder, before he jumped on his bike and roared off with Mile in
tow.

Watching
Gio and Mile head south, where they were finally putting some distance between
us, seemed to offer Candi instant relief.

“I’m
glad they’re gone, D. I’m ready for some us time.”

Pulling
into a rest area on the outskirts of Butte to scrape the bugs off my
windshield, “Do we ride on to Missoula or would you like to stay in Butte tonight?
“

“What’s
in Butte, baby?

“It’s
an old mining town that is trying to revitalize itself. It’s not there yet, but
it can be soon enough, if people continue to invest in jobs to replace the ones
lost when the mines closed.”

“I
get it, D. Forgive me, but I am so not impressed. What say we ride, baby, we
ride?”