Open Road (8 page)

Ali felt physically ill. Obviously it wasn't a coincidence. It was personal. The deepest cut was Perrie, who'd obviously been prompted to call by her mother. It was meant to upset Ali, she was sure of it.

She racked her brain for why such a thing might have happened. She paced and worried and tried to make sense of it before heading out for a ride on Tip. What had she done to alienate her students' mothers? She hadn't made her breakup with Bobby public yet, and even if she had it shouldn't matter. Perrie's mother Barbie was a snob, but Ali had worked with Perrie since long before Bobby Dawson was on the scene. What on earth could have happened?

It wasn't until later that night when an unknown number texted her phone '
miss ali this is perrie check the keepers blog'
that she got any insight as to why her students had all canceled out on her.

Wade Stavely, known for his blog persona, "The Keeper," was a source of information and outrage for the communities of Arroyo Flats. A religious conservative with no tolerance for what he called "Modern Day Sins," he took shots at everyone from grocery store clerks to the mayor if he thought they'd done wrong in the eyes of the Lord. Though everyone pretended to roll their eyes at his judgments, local gossip often originated on the blog, making it a must-read for the bored housewives in town.

Sure enough, when Ali pulled up the web page, the newest post featured a photo of several Padre Knights working at Cloverleaf's future site. There was Alejandro, his arms bulging as he hefted a bag of mulch, and just beyond him, shielding her eyes, a recognizable blonde woman. Herself.

"Working on the Lord's Day, But Not Doing the Lord's Work!" the caption accused. Ali's eyes scanned the article, gathering the gist of it quickly enough. Words and phrases like "thugs," "Satan on wheels," "unwelcome terror in our town," and "drug-peddling scum" swam in her vision. Although she wasn't mentioned by name, she was there in full color, smiling away. Guilty by association.

No wonder they had pulled their kids out of lessons. According to the article, Ali had hired drug-dealing felons to help her with her children's program. Never mind that none of the guys were actually felons--or even drug dealers, although she knew their hands were dirty on that account somewhere along the line. The Keeper painted the Padre Knights as hardened criminals, which in turn implicated Ali in their activities. At the least she had poor taste in associates; at the most she was personally involved in their crimes.

Oh, God. Mr. Lathrop!

Her association with the Padres would get to him somehow, and then he'd want his money back. No way would he allow her reputation to sully his. No chance in hell he would continue to support her work with that much negative attention attached to it. Ali allowed herself a moment or two of full-out choking, heaving sobs before she called the only person she knew could help her get out of such a horrible mess.

CHAPTER NINTEEN

"Back again, huh?" Alejandro greeted Bobby with fake cheer as he walked into the garage. "You know, Ali can't stay away, either."

"My girl does love a charitable cause, what can I say." Bobby flashed him a tight grin. "This isn't a social call, Rojas. I warned you what would happen if you didn't leave Ali alone. Thanks to you, she's got clients jumping ship left and right."

"I'm not going anywhere," Alejandro declared. "You can go fuck yourself."

Bobby smirked. "See, I thought you might say that. But here's the deal. You and I have a mutual friend, Sheriff Colton Hennesy."

Alejandro felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise. "Yeah, so,” he snorted. “What about him?"

"I know he's turned a blind eye on illegal club activity in the past, but he's not going to be doing that anymore. Whatever arrangements you had with him are now over. This is an election year, and he knows that without my support, he won't be re-elected."

"We're the least of Hennesy's worries. He's got the Diablos to worry about."

Bobby smiled. "No, I'd say you're right up there on the top of his list of concerns. See, it's not the Diablos who were on The Seeker's blog, and it's not the Diablos who have been leaking drugs into this community--"

"Wait a minute!" Alejandro thundered. "The Padres haven't brought any drugs into this community."

"Says you." Bobby shook his head. "I guess we'll let the DEA figure that out, won't we? In any case, you can kiss Hennesy's cooperation goodbye."

Fuck
, thought Alejandro.
Without Hennesy, we've lost our contacts on the Border Patrol, we've lost our intel about the DEA investigation, and we've lost any shot of protecting this town from the Diablos Verdes.

"I did warn you," Bobby said. "I don't give a shit what happens in this town, really, not when it doesn't concern me. Problems at the bottom tend to stay there. I'm only concerned when the garbage floats to the top. You let Ali go, I call off my dogs."

"You dumb sack of shit. You don't get it, do you? People aren't dogs that bark on your command. You act like I have some kind of control over Ali." Alejandro laughed bitterly. "Well here's something you probably never realized about her. Ali makes up her own mind. And even if I did succeed in pushing her away, that doesn't mean she'd go back to you."

"Sure it does. You're the only reason we're not together."

Does he even know her?
"You're a delusional sonofabitch, you know that?"

Bobby shrugged. "I'm not the one chasing a lost cause," he replied. "That's you. If you know what's good for you, you'll pack up your club and leave this town before things get any uglier."

CHAPTER TWENTY

The plan was simple enough, but Alejandro's gut churned as he contemplated what they were about to do. No doubt about it, Crockett was a wild card and a threat to both the Padre Knights and the Bezerkerz, but the fact remained that what they were planning was murder.

He'd been honest with Ali when he told her he'd only ever killed out of necessity. Three times, and he remembered every detail of each one. He could honestly say that he had no choice in any of them.

But this was different.

On the one hand, he had to protect the club. His brothers, their families--they all depended on him now. Turk was out of commission, probably for good, and it was up to him to keep things running smoothly for all their sakes. Crockett knew the dangerous game he was playing by abandoning his loyalty to his club for the protection of a rival. He was practically begging to be hit.

But on the other hand, every time Alejandro thought of squeezing that trigger, he saw the look of stark terror on Ali's face when she'd seen the black Camaro out on the road. Would she look at him the same way when she found out what he'd done? Would she see him as a man who took action to protect his club and his livelihood, or would she see him as a cold-blooded killer?

***

Alejandro and Pitbull trailed behind Dobie, forming a triangle on the road. The pickup was stopped just ahead, across the intersection. As planned, it had been disabled by a flat tire, the efficient work of the Bezerkerz. Alejandro could see Crockett checking the other wheels and shaking his head in disgust at the unexpected damage. 

The Bezerkerz had arranged for road crews to slow traffic for exactly ten minutes in either direction. The Padres had to act quickly and with absolute precision. There would be no second chance to get this done.

As they edged closer to the stop sign, Alejandro saw movement in the truck's passenger seat.
Who the fuck is that? He was supposed to be alone!
He hoped that his eyes were deceiving him, but as Crockett rounded the bed of the truck, he caught a clear glimpse through the passenger window of a woman. It was Talia, Crockett's wife. He didn't know her well, but he'd seen her a few times and recognized her.
Fuck!

Dobie turned left at the intersection, just as planned, and Alejandro saw his right hand move into his vest to pull out his weapon. Pitbull idled next to Alejandro at the stop sign, about fifty yards back from the truck. His eyes widened as he, too, realized the woman was in the car.

Crack! Crack!
The first shots fired in rapid succession. Crockett dropped to the ground behind the truck, motionless.

There was a scream from the inside of the truck, so shrill that the hair on the back of Alejandro's neck stood up. He saw hands rise up and saw them shake, begging.

Dobie pulled up next to the driver's side door and raised his gun.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

The image of Crockett's old lady dying in her husband's truck would stay with Alejandro forever. No matter what Crockett had done, the woman was an innocent victim. She didn't deserve to die for his misdeeds. But she'd been in the truck with him, and there was no way around that. The worst part of the whole thing was that she'd taken longer than he had to die.

Her fate was what Ali risked every day being with him. Her life, too, could be cut short for his actions. Other clubs would know she was his Achilles heel, which meant she could be used as a bargaining chip. Forget snobby treatment from Arroyo Flats socialites, this was the real risk of their union. Though it didn't matter, snubbed at the grocery store or shot on the streets--she didn't deserve any of it. He couldn't guarantee her protection.

The Diablos Verdes already knew about Ali: what she looked like, where she lived, what kind of car she drove. He had no idea how long they'd actually been following her or how close they could get to her if they tried. He realized they had likely followed him and Ali on the bike intending for him to see them. It was a statement, one the Padres themselves had used to intimidate members of rival clubs.
We're watching you. Any minute, we can bring chaos down on you and everyone you know.

He had to protect her, but if he pushed her away again there would be no turning back, no changing his mind, no third chance. She would not forgive another betrayal. If he decided to give her up, he had to be prepared to walk away forever. The thought of never seeing her again or touching her again made him ache in his bones.

The only way to guarantee her safety was to make sure she married the rich boy. Bobby's father was connected in ways most men only dreamed of. Their name, money, and connections could protect Ali from anything. Honestly, that was the life she deserved, a life free from struggle and danger. Not his life, full of crime and danger and heartache.

But the thought of her with Bobby turned his stomach. He didn’t want him touching Ali, let alone marrying her. It had been easier when she was still a memory and Bobby was just some guy he occasionally saw on TV. Knowing Ali now and knowing Bobby for the fucking scumbag he was, the thought of what he had to do made his blood curdle.

I should have never fucking touched her,
he raged against himself.
I should have left her well enough alone.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

The words tumbled from his mouth before he was even through the door. One look at her eager smile and his heart was in a vise. 

"Ali, listen to me.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and blurted it out before he lost his courage. “You have to marry Bobby."

"Wait--what?" The immediate confusion on her face was replaced by wariness. "What's going on?"

If I keep touching her, I won't be able to do this
. He stepped away from her and repeated himself. "It's over between us. You need to marry Bobby."

"Alejandro, what are you saying. What's going on?" she breathed.

He nodded, his tongue thick in his mouth. "I'm serious."

"Am I-- Are you--"

He nodded again. "Yes. And yes. But I'm not worried about me, I'm worried about you. Say you'll do this. It's for your own protection."

Ali shook her head, fat tears spilling from between her tightly squeezed eyelids. "You know I can't do that."

"You're not safe, and I can't justify placing you in any more danger."

"No! Damn it, Alejandro!" she wailed. In three steps she crossed the kitchen and battered his chest with her fists. "You're being a fucking coward! You're not doing this for me. You're doing this because you don't want to love me and you do. And now you want to get out of it by sending me back to Bobby!"

Alejandro grabbed her wrists and pinned her against the wall, holding her tight with his body. He stared at her incredulously. "Is that what you really think?”

She merely stared at him, her gray eyes defiant.

“I swear to you, I'm trying to protect you, Baby, not play games with you."

"I don't believe you." She narrowed her eyes and struggled against his hold. "Why would you need to protect me? You're in an outlaw club, so what? I knew that when we started this. What's different?"

"Ali, Baby, just trust me on this--"

"No!" she shrieked, her eyes wild, her hair whipping around her face like a madwoman. "You better fucking tell me right now, Alejandro. What the hell is so different now?"

"I killed an innocent person," he blurted, and his heart lodged in her throat as he watched the look of horror slowly creep across her face.

"What?" she whispered, shrinking against the wall.

"We were contracted for a hit. It was the only way to keep the DEA and ATF off our asses, so we agreed to do it. But when we went to take the guy out, his wife was with him. We did it anyway. We couldn't leave witnesses."