Shine (Kentucky Outlaw Book 1) (18 page)

“I was told to meet someone here?”

“Who?”

Julie silently cursed herself for not thinking of a better excuse.
 
“Avon Traxler.
 
That’s you right?
 
I, uh, wanted to buy some shine and I was told you were the guy to see.”

“Who told you that?”

She said the only name she could think of.
 
“Kenny Salo.”

Traxler stepped closer to her.
 
He was only a couple feet from Julie.
 
“Is that a fact?
 
When did you talk to Kenny?”

“Last night.
 
I said I wanted a jar of shine and he told me to come see you.
 
I didn’t get a chance to stop by yesterday so I came today.”

Traxler crossed his beefy arms over his large chest.
 
“Last night, huh?
 
You and Kenny friends?
 
Cause the last time I seen you two together he was chasing your scrawny ass outta my bar.
 
Yeah, I remember you, Prescott.
 
Fucking reporter sniffing around.”

“I don’t think I ever told my name.”

“Even somebody like me knows the daughter of Walter Prescott.”

Julie kept her story going.
 
“You going to sell me a jar or not?”

Traxler looked down at the floor and pushed what looked like a part of a car to the side with his foot.
 
He looked up, right into her eye and said, “There’s a little problem with your story.
 
Kenny got his head blown off yesterday afternoon.
 
Since you just lied to me about talking to him last night, I guess you haven’t heard.
 
So I say again, what the fuck are you doing here?”

With every word of the last question Traxler had taken a step towards Julie, and she had taken a step back until she was up against the jugs of shine.
 
She had one hand behind her back and felt for a handle, praying she grabbed a full one.
 
She hefted the jug, it was indeed full, and swung it as hard as she could at Traxler’s head.
 
He started to duck, but it was too late.
 
The jug cracked against his head, cutting him deeply and pouring liquor into the wound.
 

Traxler howled in pain as Julie ran past him.
 
She was out the door and running alongside the garage as fast as she could, wishing she’d parked closer.
 
As she cleared the garage and made her way through the parking lot she heard Traxler yell behind her.

She allowed herself a second to look over her shoulder.
 
He wasn’t running after her, but was heading towards a large jeep.
 
She heard the engine come to life as she rounded the corner.
 
Her car was only twenty feet away, but as she got closer she fumbled with the keys to get the door unlocked.
 
She was inside her car with the engine running in seconds, then she tore off down the street.
 

Traxler right behind her, Julie stomped on the gas and the car whined against the pressure she was putting on it.
 
For the first time in her life she wished she’d let her daddy buy her a damn car.
 
Could’ve gotten that BMW with the V8 and easily outrun this asshole, but no, she had to be the independent type and buy her own junker.

They sped around the area of the factory district.
 
The morning shifts had already started and there were no cars on the road and no one to see what was happening.
 
The jeep came up quick and crunched her bumper.
 
The front end of the car slid and she almost went off the road, but she managed to keep all four wheels on pavement.
 

Julie reached for her phone, dialed Ethan’s number, and held the phone up to her ear, once again cursing her car for not having a hands free system.
 
Ethan answered on the second ring.
 
Before he could even say hello she was yelling.

“Traxler.
 
He’s chasing me down the road.”

“Where are you?”

“Close to the bar on Woodlawn Avenue.
 
Just passed Second Street.”

“Get someplace safe, I’m on my way.”

“Ethan, he’s-”

Julie was cut off as the jeep slammed into her again.
 
The impact caused her to drop her phone and it fell between the car door and the seat.
 
She frantically searched for anything that would get her away from Traxler and spotted a narrow alley between two warehouses.
 
It would be a tight squeeze for her, and impossible for him to drive after her.
 
She swung her wheel wide to the left and jerked quickly back to the right.
 
The little hatchback crashed into the side of the alley as she entered, but the car kept going.
 
She heard the sound of glass shattering against the pavement and figured she’d probably just lost a headlight.
 
The alley was so narrow the side of her car scraped against the wall of the buildings.
 

She slowed when she saw he wasn’t following her down.
 
Instead she watched him raise an arm out of his window, gun in hand.
 
She heard the gunfire just barely before the window of the warehouse rained shards of glass down on her car.
 
Another shot and her back window exploded.
 
She kept her head down and stomped the gas again.
 
She reached the end of the ally and jerked the wheel to the right, spilling out onto the street, narrowly missing hitting a rusty pickup truck.
 
The truck laid on the horn and shouted obscenities at her as she sped down the road.

Her car would be too easy to spot with all the damage, so she left it in a fast food parking lot after finding her phone and getting anything else out that was of value.
 
Looking over her shoulder every step of the way she walked to a gas station with a horrible smelling deli attached to it and sat inside.
 
She called Ethan back, giving him her new location.

“I’m ok for the minute, but please hurry."

“Sit tight.
 
Be there in five minutes.”

While she waited she called her brother.
 
“What do you want, Julie?”

“Was a body found yesterday?
 
Gunshot victim?”

“Why are you asking about this?
 
After your behavior last night don’t you think you should be apologizing?
 
Not to me, mind you, but to our father.”

She counted to five and let the anger subside.
 
“Just answer the question, Austin.”

“You are something else, you know that?
 
After everything you caused you still call me up wanting something.
 
Hang on a damn minute and I’ll look it up.”
 
He was silent while she heard him typing.
 
He said, “A white male, around twenty years old, was found in a dumpster behind Chicago Seafood, that terrible place that was shut down by the health inspector last year.
 
He was shot through the back of the head and hasn’t been identified yet.”

“His name is Kenny Salo,” said Julie.

“How the hell do you know that?”

She didn’t answer as she saw Traxler’s Jeep roll past.
 
She ducked away from the window, but he didn’t stop.
 
He must’ve found her car then started searching the area knowing she was on foot.

She debated saying this next part, but no matter how much he pissed her off Austin was still her brother and she wanted to help him.
 
“If you can match the ballistics I’ll bet you anything they match the gun that killed Nick.”

“Julie, I don’t know what you’re messed up in but you need to drop this right now and leave it alone.”

“Austin, listen, I’m not going back to the house, but you need to keep yourself safe, OK.
 
Keep the family safe.”

“I could do that a lot easier if you weren’t running around town.”

“I’ll talk to you later, big brother.”
 
She hung up the phone.
 

Ethan pulled up a few minutes later.
 
He came and in sat at the table with her.
 
She hoped she didn’t look as shaken up as she felt, but the look on his face told her that she did.

“You OK?”

She nodded, and he put his hand on hers and she felt instantly better. She was just glad to feel that Traxler couldn’t get to her now, and she was especially glad it was Ethan who made her feel that way.

She told him about Nick’s calendar and the meeting with Traxler, then about finding the microphones in the garage, and being chased by Traxler. She finished up just as the Jeep cruised by again.
 
It slowed as Traxler saw Ethan’s car, then pulled into the parking lot.

“Oh shit.
 
What should we do?”

Ethan looked around.
 
“Bathroom.
 
Quick.”

She hurried off and shut the door just as the bell from the front door jingled.
 
The bathroom was a disgusting mess, even by gas station deli standards, but she didn’t dare move.
 
Through the door she heard the men talking.

“Ethan, what’re you doing here?”

“Trying to figure out what sandwich won’t give me dysentery.
 
What brings you out?”

“Just out and about.
 
Saw your car and thought I’d say hey.
 
You really should try the place up the street.
 
Better than this shithole.”

“Got to pick something up for Zeke.
 
He likes this place for some reason.”

“Hey, I got an order for you, speaking of your old man.”

“Orders aren’t my business.
 
You know I just like to drive.”

“Right,” he said.
 
No one spoke for several seconds.
 
“Let’s me and you hit up a few places.
 
You been to the casino since you been back?”

“I’m good, Trax.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?
 
Don’t you want to have a good time?”

“Hit the road, Traxler.”
 

The bell rang out again and the bathroom door opened.
 
“He’s gone.
 
Let’s get you out of here.”
 
They hurried out to the Mustang and got in.
 
They pulled out of the parking lot fast and sped through town, as Ethan completely ignored all speed limit signs.

“Something I didn’t mention earlier.
 
Kenny Salo was killed.
 
He was shot though the head and thrown into a dumpster.”

“Jesus Christ,” said Ethan.
 
“I’m taking you back to Zeke’s house.
 
You’ll be safe there for a while.”

“Are you sure he’ll want a Prescott staying in his house?”

“Probably not, but he’ll get over it, especially when he hears what’s been going on.”

Taking precautions that they weren’t being followed, Ethan got out of town and headed down into the holler.
 
Julie watched as the city dropped away and the windows filled with trees.
 

The Dalton house was two stories tall and nestled between two hills.
 
She could tell it had once been well decorated and cared for, but the years had taken their toll.
 
As she noticed how dated the curtains and wallpaper were, Julie realized that in all the talk they’d had about family, Ethan had never once mentioned his mother.
 

As Julie stood in the entryway, she heard a voice call out, “Ethan is that you?
 
God damn it, you were supposed to help Jackie fix the car.”
 
A man came down the hall.
 
He looked like Ethan, but was shorter and thicker.
 
He didn’t have Ethan’s fashion sense, dressing in baggy jeans and an old button up shirt.
 
He looked at Julie, then over to Ethan.
 
“What the hell is going on here?”

“Ged, this is Julie.
 
I’ll explain everything in a bit.
 
Call Zeke and Jackie.
 
Tell them we’re having a meeting.”

Ged looked like he wanted to say more, but turned away.
 
A few minutes later, Zeke Dalton came through the kitchen door.
 
He joined Ged, Ethan, and Julie at the table.

“Where’s Jackie?” asked Ethan.

“Fixing that car, which is where you should be.
 
He’ll be here directly.”
 
Zeke turned to Julie and said, “My feelings about your father notwithstanding, welcome to our home.”
 

He stuck out his hand and Julie shook it.
 
“Thank you.
 
It’s a lovely home.”

“It was better when Ethan’s mother was alive, but we’ve done the best we can.”

Ethan said, “Zeke, she needs a place to stay.
 
Probably just for the night.
 
She can take my room and I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Zeke gave his son a long, pondering look, then said, “Fine with me.
 
I don’t suppose Walter would approve though.”

“He won’t find out,” said Julie.
 
She said to Ethan, “Can I ask for one more thing?
 
I’m starving and after last night, if I don’t get something in me I’m afraid I’m going to pass out.”

Ethan made her scrambled eggs, buttered toast, a plate of crispy bacon, topping it off with orange juice and enough coffee to go around the table.
 
She devoured her food, not leaving a scrap of food behind.