Wild Heart (24 page)

“I think we can handle that.” Cash smiled.

“Good, these guys get brutal.” Doc pulled a diagram of the warehouse out and place it on the table between them. “There are three main entrances into the building. They are all sealed and bolted shut. We have surveillance here,” he pointed to the outer walls of the building, “here and here.”

“Ok, how many of these assholes do we think are surrounding the building?” Cash asked, forming a plan in his head.

“We can make visual contact with thirty. Though the surrounding exterior of the building is primarily wooded,” Doc answered. “I am fairly certain that there are more within the woods, we just can’t see them.”

“Ok, I know of at least one other officer who’d be willing to come with us, and a handful of guys who I could probably call in a favor to.” Cash looked across the table at Charon and Doc, “I assume these men are all heavily armed?”

Charon didn’t verbally answer as he pulled the side of his leather cut back exposing the holster with his pistol underneath. Doc only nodded as he patted his chest.

“Ok, let me make some calls.” Cash said grabbing his cell and pulling up Johnathon’s number and hitting dial.

“Sup’ man?” Johnathon answered.

“You out at the still?” Cash asked.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Johnny, I’m not worried about taking you to jail. I have known about that old moonshine still for thirty years. I need to call in a favor. A big favor.”

“A favor that goes boom?” Johnny’s voice was filled with excitement.
Well at least one’s on board.

“Yeah, you still got those explosives we used for fishing over at Mr. Baxley’s lake?” Cash asked, eyeing over at the two men who were looking at him with amusement across the table.

“You know it. Where you want me to meet you?” Johnny asked.

“Meet me at Old Farm Road in thirty.”

“Ten-four.”

“Let me go grab the officer sheet from my truck,” Cash said as he rose and made his way out the door followed by Charon and Doc.

As he made his way back into the room he looked over and caught a glimpse of Ani, a freckled face little boy in her arms. She looked happy, genuinely happy. He smiled over at her, all of this time he had been worried that she’d get her heart broken. This wasn’t the kind of group that was for the weak hearted. Even though Ani wasn’t weak, she was pure and loving, more than anyone he’d ever met before and he didn’t want her to get swallowed whole by the life that this group led. He watched as she turned to him, blushing shyly before rushing back toward the dining room. He laughed to himself before holding the list up.

“Ok, I think I can pull Taylor, he’s a crazy bastard.” Cash ran his finger down the list.

“Carla Williams is on our payroll,” Doc looked over at him.

Cash contemplated that for a moment, he didn’t like the thought that his officers were on the payroll of an outlaw motorcycle club, but it wasn’t any worse than what he was doing at this moment and he’d be damned if he let the smile on Ani’s face fade. Even if it was all to help the man who had stolen her from him, as long as he took care of her that was all Cash could ever ask for. He just wanted her to be happy, his own feelings could be bottled up and ignored.

ANI

Ani came out of the dining area, holding the hand of Starla’s youngest son, Charlie. She made her way toward the kitchen to refill his bowl of scrambled eggs as Charon, Doc, and Cash came out from the chapel. He walked swiftly toward the door and out to the yard. She wasn’t sure if he was running for the hills, but when he came back in with a list, she knew he had agreed to help them.

Doc made his way across the room to her, “Ani, I just talked to Knox. Everyone is ok. Let all the ladies know for me will ya?”

“Sure, Doc.” She scooped out a large spoonful of eggs into Charlie’s bowl before picking him up. “Doc, we’re gonna to have to make a grocery run. We aren’t going to last until lunch at the rate these boys are eating.” She smiled over at Charlie who was shoveling the eggs into his mouth.

“Ok, let’s get the sheriff set up and ready to go and then we will run to the grocery store.” Doc patted the boy on the head and they made their way back toward the dining room. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Cash eyeing her, smiling slightly at the sight of her holding Charlie. She blushed awkwardly, turning and walking swiftly into the room out of his view.

“Someone loves their Aunt Ani don’t they?” Starla said grinning up at them. “You know, we are going to have to come up with a better name for you. Aunt Ani seems too…”

“Wizard of Oz?” Kate laughed, joined by the rest of the ladies at the table.

“What about Aunt Yaya?” Ani smiled over at Charlie who was grinning with a mouthful of eggs. “Starla, Doc and I are going to head to the grocery store after Charon and Cash leave. You think you can help me make a list?”

“Of course.” She smiled over at Ani as she took a seat across from her. “When you gonna have some of your own?”

“What?” Ani looked up at her in shock. “Oh no. Knox and I have plenty of time for that if it ever happens.”

“Don’t get me wrong, you can borrow my boys anytime you want to,” Starla giggled as she plastered a layer of jelly onto a piece of toast for Jameson Jr., “But you’d be an amazing mom.”

“One day,” Ani hugged Charlie tighter, kissing him lightly on his head. She sat imagining a small version of her and Knox. A little girl with his steel gray eyes, her complexion, and dark hair; or a little boy with the same chubby cheeks Knox had as a baby. She pondered on the thought for a moment, but let it pass. With everything that was going on, the last thing she needed to be worrying about was babies.

After breakfast was finished, Lulu and Kate made their way into the kitchen to clean as Ani made her way upstairs to change. She threw on some black pants and a white t-shirt, grabbing her black leather jacket. She made her way downstairs and met Doc, grabbing the list from Starla they made their way out to the yard. Ani walked toward her truck first only to be stopped by Doc.

“They know your truck, dear,” he nodded over at an old Chevy pick-up. “We can take this.”

“Ok.” For a second she’d let herself forget that there was a threat out there. She saw her dad in the garage and made her way over to him. “Daddy, Doc and I are running to the store. You want anything?”

“Some zebra cakes please,” he said looking up at her from the other side of the work bench. In one hand was a small engine part and in the other a wire brush.

She giggled as she watched him working intently to clean the rust and dirt off the part. She hadn’t seen him this active in a long time, “Ok, daddy.” She leaned over and kissed him on the temple. “We will be back shortly. Love you.”

“Love you too, Ani bug.” He didn’t look up from the part but the warmness in his voice was reflected across his face.

Doc and Ani pulled up to the grocery store, she pulled a ball cap over her pony tail and slid on a pair of dark sunglasses in an effort to disguise herself. Now that she was in public, she felt as though there was a threat lurking behind every corner. Doc followed her into the store, scanning patrons as they walked out of the store. They filled two carts with groceries and beer and made their way to the check-out line.

“Doc, I’m sorry, but I have
got
to run to the restroom.” She danced slightly in front of him in an effort to hold it. “I shouldn’t have had a pot of coffee with breakfast.” She smiled apologetically at him.

Doc laughed slightly at her childish dance, “Ok, but you need to be quick. Don’t go outside without me.”

“I won’t,” she called out as she rushed from the check-out line toward the bathroom in the corner of the store.

She made her way in, checking under the stalls before she went in. She’d be in and out before anyone could even notice her. As she finished and made her way over to the sink, she froze as an elderly woman made her way into the restroom. Ani eyed her briefly before dismissing the feeling for paranoia. She reached over and grabbed a hand towel, wiping her hands dry before tossing it toward the trash can a few feet from her. The towel bounced off the rim, to the other side, and then hit the floor.

“Damn.” She joked to herself as she reached down to pick up the napkin and before she knew what happened, blackness.

KNOX

“What the fuck is the word?” Knox’s voice reflected the irritation that was now eating away at him. Every attempt they had made to get out of the warehouse had failed.

They had been stuck in this damn warehouse long enough. He wanted to get out and go see Ani. Though being stuck in here, he was able to think about the fact that they needed to move some of their gun supply to a more readily accessible place. It didn’t matter how many AK’s or assault rifles they had when they only had a handful of guys to shoot them. He was trying to keep this from being a bloodbath. He had done everything in his power to respect the people in this town and even though his club and his own life were being threatened, he knew they could come up with a solution that didn’t involve shallow unmarked graves.

“We got back-up coming. They are on their way now,” Rage said into the phone.

“What do you mean back-up?”

“Ani called the cop,” Rage said quickly, as is he was ripping off a Band-Aid.

“You fucking kidding me, Brother?” Knox’s voice was loud as he shouted into the phone. He didn’t know this fucker and damn sure couldn’t trust him. No matter how much Ani trusted, he didn’t know this man from a stranger.

“No, but listen, he’s good. Got some of his buddies coming to help, don’t worry, Prez. We’ll get you outta of there.”

“What’s your plan?” Knox asked. “There’s about thirty head of these fuckers camped outside of the front door. I know there has to be at least ten more in the woods.”

“We’re gonna come in with a boom and hopefully they’ll get the point,” Rage answered. “Boys are here. See you in a few Prez.”

“Aye, bring the chaos, Brother. Don’t hold back,” Knox hung up the phone.

He whistled out to the men in the warehouse, summoning them to the front door. He ignored the ringing of his phone as he explained to them what they were going to do. Just as they made their way toward the door of the warehouse they heard a loud echoing boom. Forceful enough to rattle the doors of the building. Knox glanced up at the security camera to see the dust and dirt settling back down to the ground. Just as he went to leave out the front door he saw two large pick-ups pull into the yard, each with men in the back of the truck with guns. Shots rang out in every direction as the headlight of the Bronco shattered. It swerved deliberately and smacked directly into the first of the Renegades’ motorcycle that was parked in front of the warehouse, sending a handful of them sliding across the ground. The men went fleeing in every direction as the lights of the Bronco came on along with the siren. Before the remaining Renegades could react, they were surrounded and outnumbered.

As the chaos outside quieted he heard an unfamiliar voice shouting out from one of the pick-ups, “Hey, motherfuckers, I’m home!” Knox wondered who the man was as another shout resounded from the other side of the door. “Come here, let me hear you squeal!”

Knox came out of the warehouse, looking up and seeing Rage in the back of the large white F-250. Gun in hand and a stick of dynamite in the other, grinning from ear to ear.
Crazy fucker.
Knox looked around at the Renegades, searching for one in particular. “Where’s Chief?” Knox shouted at one of the men who was still trying to collect his thoughts after the blast