Beth's Absolution: A small town, opposites attract, suspense novel (Twisted Willow), page 17
“I see you know who we are and why we’re here,” the man said.
“I do, and I understand your need for compensation, but you won’t find it in our town,” Doug replied.
“Hm, and I’m just supposed to take your word for it?”
“No, I didn’t expect you would. That’s why I pulled together every member of the community over the age of eighteen to demonstrate why you won’t find anything you’re looking for around here.” Doug and Collin had argued round and round about how to approach this part. It had been Cameron who finally told them both to shut up and do it this way. Since he was the only one who knew some of the members of THE13s, everyone agreed to follow his suggestion.
Beth had no idea if the leader was a gang member or someone up from the cartel, but it didn’t matter. When he laughed at Doug, her finger shifted from the guard to the trigger.
“This I have to hear,” he boomed. “These folks seem to think we’ll believe this is everyone who lives around here, and that it’s enough to scare us off.” He was speaking to his people more than anyone else.
“I didn’t say that,” Doug clarified. “If you look closer, you’ll see most of our people are tucked into the trees. See, the Deadly Coyotes did try to set up shop here, but we don’t much like outsiders, and we really don’t like people trying to run business through our county without sharing a cut with us.”
Doug paused there to give them time to look closely into the trees. If everyone followed the plan, a few people would be waving at the newcomers while others were more discrete about their location.
“Those people you see waving at you?” Doug waited for the leader to refocus on him. “That’s one out of every ten people in the woods.”
It was actually more like one out of three, but everyone agreed the one to ten ratio sounded better and lined up with what people from the city would expect the population to be.
“They aren’t all on the ground either,” Doug added.
That was Beth’s cue. They did have several people up in trees and deer stands, but none had a good angle to shoot from. Beth’s position on the roof gave her the perfect position to shoot down into the ground beside the gathering, making it very clear they had people up high. No one doubted there would be return fire, but the eaves of the house made it almost impossible for them to hit her. They would be able to see her location though. It was a strategic move to draw the return fire in a direction that wouldn’t end with anyone being hurt. That was why Beth was the only person on the roof and the one who would fire the first shot. She’d thought Doug might burst a vein at the thought, but the logic of it won out over his protective instincts.
She took the shot and landed it ten feet to Doug’s left, exactly as she’d told him she would.
Everyone who’d come from the three SUVs raised their weapons. Sure enough, one person did fire at her. Stay calm, Doug. You know they can’t hit me. She tried to tell him telepathically. If he lost his shit now, this would not end well.
“Stop shooting at my people, or they’ll shoot back. And these hunters don’t miss,” Doug snarled.
“Fine,” the leader yelled while motioning for his guys to calm down. “I assume you have something to offer us?”
“Yes and no.”
Beth hated they couldn’t come up with anything better than this. There was no way it would be enough. These guys were hardcore. They were running drugs from Mexico all the way up the east coast. There was no way they’d accept Doug’s terms. She ignored the guy who’d fired at her. If he hadn’t hit her then, there was no reason to believe he’d be able to a minute later. Instead, she set her sights on the guy who’d stepped out of the backseat of the third SUV. He was tucked in behind the open car door with his own rifle balanced where the door hinged to the vehicle. He would have the best position, aim, and range. Beth would take him out first and hope everyone else got taken down by the hunters.
“I’m listening,” the leader offered while crossing his arms over his chest and jutting his chin out toward Doug.
“Your drugs and money high-tailed it out of this county less than twenty-four hours after arriving. A couple guys named Matt and Craig came through, but when we made it clear they weren’t welcome, they kept moving. Some of their associates showed up a few days later asking about them. We explained the situation, same as we’re explaining it to you. I don’t know what y’all got going on, but we want no part of it and won’t stand for it around here.” Doug was letting his thick county accent bleed through more than Beth had heard from him before.
She made a mental note to ask him to speak that way again when they were both naked and not being shot at.
“Really?”
“Yeah. We got nothin’ goin’ on with any of y’all. The only thing we have to offer is peaceful passage back out of our county. But we will grant you that, so long as you go now and don’t come back.”
“And if we choose not to?” the leader asked.
“Well, we have our own way of settling disputes.”
Beth clicked her walkie-talkie button twice. That had been Payton’s cue. It turned out that she might have taught her brother, Travis, to shoot a gun, but her real specialty was with a bow and arrow. Who’d have thought a National Champion archer lived in Twisted Willow? Then again, prior to moving here, Beth hadn’t known there was such a thing as a national championship for archery.
Payton followed the plan and shot her arrow into the ground at the feet of one of the men standing toward the back of the SUVs.
“If you’ll have you man pull that out of the ground, you’ll see it’s got a practice tip.” Then Doug pulled a box from a cargo pocket of his pants. He moved slow and showed the leader what he was doing. “You ever seen a broadhead before?”
The leader waved a man to bring the arrow forward and join the conversation. “I’ve heard of them,” he said to Doug as the other guy approached and showed them both the blunt end of the arrow that was apparently called a practice tip.
Then Doug opened the box and showed them the crossed triangle-shaped blades of a broadhead. “May I?” he asked as he gestured for the gang banger to pass him the arrow.
The leader nodded his agreement and watched as Doug showed him the way the practice tip screwed off and could be replaced with the broadhead.
Doug explained as he went. “These are the tips used for hunting everything from deer to buffalo—not that there’s any buffalo around this area. See, with arrows, it’s not the impact that does the damage, but the way the razors slice through the flesh and open up the arteries. It doesn’t kill right away, but the animal will bleed to death before long and leave a nice trail of blood that’s easy to follow.
“Right.” The leader was trying not to look impressed, but Beth could tell the demonstration had made an impression. “So what? You’re threatening to kill us?”
“Well, now we don’t like to think of it that way.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you don’t. I’m guessing the po-po around here would frown on that.”
Holy fuck. This might work after all. That was the opening they’d all hoped would come. They hadn’t been counting on it, but the simple fact the guy was asking about it showed he was at least nervous. And this was the piece Doug was most excited to respond to.
“You’ve likely noticed we’re simple country folks in a small community. In fact, if you looked us up on a map, you probably saw we don’t have much in the way of a town or population or anything around here. Sure, there’s the town twenty miles or so up the road where you’ll find the library and sheriff’s office and whatnot. But out here, things don’t work the same way they do in the city.”
The leader tried to laugh, but it sounded forced. Or maybe that was just how it came through the phone and earbud, but Beth wanted to believe the guy was secretly panicking on the inside. “Tell me then,” the leader asked, “what happens if someone calls 9-1-1?”
Beth couldn’t see Doug’s face because she was behind him, but she didn’t need to see it to know he was grinning.
“Well, Judy’s shift just ended, so you’d probably get Randy. I think he’s the one on call tonight. But even then, he’d just call me.”
“You?”
“Like I said, we take care of ourselves out here.”
“So you’re like the guy in charge?”
“I mean, I do answer to the county supervisors, but they’re just behind me in the woods. Well, except for one of them who prefers his tree stand. And of course, we have the courts just like everywhere else in this great nation.” Then Doug increased his volume to scream loud enough for everyone to hear. “Judge Snyder, you want ta’ wave at our guests?”
It turned out Judge Snyder was somewhere between the age of eighty and three hundred, but Doug and Gloria had been right about him loving to hunt and being happy to let Tyler count this evening as community service.
The leader started to look more concerned. That was Collin’s cue to take it across the finish line.
He pulled out his FBI voice. “Before you even ask about other agencies, know I’ve got a nice long history with the FBI, and we’ve got some forest rangers and several other law enforcement officers out here tonight. We chose to keep the state troopers and most of the deputies out on the road, but they are all aware of what’s happening and just a radio call away. The locals wanted to give you a chance to leave peacefully without us calling the DEA. They were worried that would lead to ongoing disputes they would prefer not to be a part of. I know you have your own agenda, but, I have to say, they’re making you a better offer than I’ve ever seen before.”
The leader glared at Collin and then at Doug. Then he turned back to his people. Three of them gathered in close to him while the rest kept their weapons ready. After a quick discussion, the leader turned back around to address Doug. “Do any of your people know where our drugs or money are?”
“We have our own trouble with drugs and moonshine around here, but we don’t allow any of it coming in from anywhere else. We sent Matt and Craig on their way. When the Deadly Coyotes came looking for them, there was talk about them being headed to California, but I don’t know anything more than overheard rumors and that they weren’t welcome to stay around here.”
It was working. This was the best-case scenario. Beth swore to a higher power she didn’t really believe in that she would do her best to be a positive member of the Twisted Willow community from now on.
Then the leader spoke again, “You haven’t mentioned Beth or Cameron yet, but from what I hear, they’re the people we really need to speak with.”
CHAPTER 16
Doug
He thought they had it. He thought they were golden. Then the guy had to ask for Beth and Cameron by name.
It was time to move to plan B. Hopefully they could avoid plans C, D, and E since all of those were likely to result in some unwanted attention by outside agencies. They also carried an increased likelihood of needed body bags.
“I don’t know those names, but we’ve said our piece and tried to be respectful about it. Now it’s time for you to go.” Doug tried to sound calm as he spoke despite his inner panic. He clapped his hands and announced, “You’ve got sixty seconds before we take out the first car. Two vehicles will be crowded, but you can make it work. Once we’ve disabled your transportation, we’ll start aiming for your people.”
The clap had been Beth’s cue to start counting. They’d discussed having someone else make those first precision shots, but when Doug had casually asked Cliff how Beth was with a rifle, the man had just about cum in his pants from the excitement of describing her skill. He’d also shared that she’d been to the range for several hours each day, every single day. She wasn’t a fair shot. She was one of the best Cliff had ever seen. Since everyone was already aware there was someone in position on the roof, and no one had a good angle to fire back at her, she was the logical choice.
Mac had been keeping time as well, since Doug couldn’t count and talk without making himself crazy. It meant he was the one to mark, “Thirty seconds to decide.” Then he reminded them again, “Ten seconds.”
He’d only made it down to two before a shot blasted into the radiator of the SUV closest to the house. Beth must have been counting fast.
The man Doug had been negotiating with released a string of swear words before issuing what Doug could only assume was a threat in Spanish.
“I don’t know what that means, but we’ll start counting again, shall we?” Doug clapped again. “Sixty seconds before you lose another ride.”
The second clap was also the cue for everyone in the woods to become slightly more visible with their weapons aimed at their unwelcome guests. The guys standing around Doug shifted their positions. Some took a knee while others moved up onto the porch of the house. It opened up clear lines of fire.
“It’s your call,” Doug offered.
Then he watched and waited as the intruders looked around. One man approached the leader and leaned close to his ear to whisper something. Doug’s best guess was that the guy was telling his leader not to be stupid because they were clearly outnumbered. If the guy was really smart, he’d also be pointing out the single access point. It didn’t take a tactical genius to see how easily they could be surrounded. Hell, if the guy had half a lick of sense, he’d be warning about how likely it was they were already completely surrounded.
Of course, they weren’t. It was a tiny community, and Doug wouldn’t invite just anyone to this particular party, but they did have Cameron’s surveillance and a few people in position to induce a little extra fear.
The man nodded calmly at whatever the other guy whispered to him. Then he stepped forward again. It put him so close to Doug that he wouldn’t have to move his feet for them to bump chests. Tactically, it was smart—ballsy as shit, but smart. Neither Beth, nor anyone behind, would be able to hit the man without hitting Doug as well.
Then he heard Mac say softly, “Fifteen seconds.” He could hear the tension in his friend’s voice. If Beth were counting fast, they didn’t have long before she’d take the next shot.
Doug held up his hand to stop the count. Then he offered, “Shall I take an extra count of thirty to point out all the ways this will end badly for you?” He just needed Beth to give them a few more seconds. Hopefully.
The leader spoke softly enough for only Doug to hear, though he was hoping Beth had picked it up through the phone.
“I’m not so cavalier or so stupid to waste the lives of my men, but that doesn’t mean we will go without recompense.” Then he looked Doug in the eye.
Doug lowered his volume to match that of the man before him. “We ran the Deadly Coyotes out of town the same as we’re doing with you. We don’t tolerate any of that around here. We’re a tight-knit community. We protect our own and don’t much care for outsiders. Your issue is with the DC.” Then he watched the man’s face as he made a decision.
Mac was giving Doug silent hand signals showing they were back down to the final ten seconds again before the leader nodded and stepped back.
Doug held up his hand to pause the count again.
“If we ever hear about our drugs or money showing up in this area, we’ll be back,” the leader promised.
“If you ever come back, we won’t talk before we shoot,” Doug countered. He wanted to threaten even more, but if they were leaving, he needed to let it happen. That was the goal.
As the outsiders climbed into the two working SUVs, Doug asked one last question. “You want me to have this towed anywhere for you?” as he gestured at the disabled truck.
“Nah. We got more where that came from,” the guy answered with a smirk as he slid back into the passenger seat he’d emerged from. Once he was tucked inside, the three men who’d come from the same vehicle joined him. All seven other men piled into the last SUV in the line before both drivers executed neat J-turns and headed back toward the road.
Everyone held their breath until Cameron called out, “They’re clear!” Doug was glad to have someone watching the cameras to ensure they vacated the property, but he wouldn’t fully relax until he knew they were clear of the entire county. He called Erica and let her know they were headed her way. She’d follow them in her department vehicle until they crossed the county line.
Everyone hollered and cheered, and several people ran home to grab moonshine, whiskey, and their favorite beer to celebrate. Doug shouted at as many of them as he could that they needed to crash wherever they drank because he would not be kind to anyone caught behind the wheel while intoxicated. Many of them blew him off, but when Judge Snyder glared and pointed at them, several people started asking Cameron if they could crash in cabins and spare rooms. The judge turned and nodded at Doug.
The two men had very different ideas about how to do what was best for their people. Doug stood by his belief that the judge’s views were from the past while he was trying to point the community toward the future. They did agree on some of the basics though. It was nice to see they could work together when necessary to ensure the well-being of their friends and families.
Then Doug scanned the crowd in search of Beth. Before he could locate her, his gaze stopped on Brandon Clark. Everyone in town joked that if you looked up Mountain Man in the dictionary, it would have a picture of Brandon. In all his life, Doug had only had cause to visit the man’s homestead once. It was completely off the grid. He had some solar power with a battery bank, but his plumbing (and Doug used that term loosely) was gravity fed from an above-ground cistern.
Most of the kids spoke of Brandon as if he were more legend than live human. It was rare to see him anywhere other than the local IGA grocery, Ace Hardware, or Liz’s café. The one time Doug had gone up to pay the man a visit had been because Liz was worried about him. Apparently, he kept some kind of semi-regular schedule that she was aware of. When he didn’t show up for longer than she could tolerate, she’d begged Doug to go check it out.
Brandon had been fine, and Doug had been annoyed. Staring at the man across the clearing and seeing him here, with the rest of the community, Doug felt his guilt over that day rise up again.
