13. Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen
Lonnie turned over on the narrow bed to see that Travis was staring at him. "You're awake."
"This bed is like a quarter of the size of ours. I've been awake for hours. I didn't want to move and push you off."
"We might need to stay at the farmhouse with Binx, Pappy, and Nathan."
"It's crowded there too. I think I'll go to town and buy us a bigger bed."
"For the couple of weeks we're going to be here? I thought you millionaires watched every penny."
Travis chuckled and kissed him. "Sorry. I forget we're saving for two ivy league educations."
Lonnie laughed and kissed his chin. "Yeah, we are. Say, we don't need a lot of room to fuck. Wanna?"
"No. Sorry, Lane, but I'm cramped. We need to fix this situation and get home. I like my bed there. Besides, if we don't get back soon, our two boys are going to be the proud owners of platinum credit cards. Lanie might even have a car by now."
Their sons in the hands of their grandmother Walton, or even their great uncle, Dennis, were dangerous. They were spoiled rotten in either home. "Okay, well, Dante left me a text to meet him at his trailer."
"I thought he left!"
"He's back. They flew back last night. Seems he got a second wind to deal with the serial killer."
"Goody. More time with the criminals, chasing more criminals. Lane, I swear to God, if you put yourself in danger, I'm going to call Lanie and Little Dennis and let them bitch you out this time."
"Threats!"
Travis growled, "You bet."
"Well, let's see what the guy has to say. If I don't like it, we'll grab up Pappy, Nathan, and Binxie, and get back home."
"That's a good plan. What if you like it and I don't?"
Lonnie wiggled a little and then purred, "I'll do what my beautiful Master wants."
"Sure! I'll believe that when I see it. Stubborn fuck."
"Rude," Lonnie said, laughing.
On the way to the trailer, Lonnie saw a bunch of cowboys riding fast in the valley toward the mountains. "Pretty, isn't it?"
"The cowboys or the horses?"
"Both," he teased. "There are some good-looking men here."
"Lane, I'm about to get really mad at you."
Lonnie reached over and grabbed Travis's hand that wasn't on the wheel. "No one compares to you."
Travis was jealous, but so was Lonnie. They were strictly monogamous and liked it that way. Most all their friends were either in throuples or were in open relationships. Lonnie and Travis had never gone down that road.
What they did to spice up things was to perform in front of crowds at clubs. Their kinks were on display for everyone to see. A favorite was the bullwhip that Travis wielded skillfully, and it never failed to awe the crowds.
That had all taken a backseat, however, in recent years while their two boys grew. Lonnie became sheriff of their hometown of Apishipa Creek. Travis ran a small business at home, connecting kinky people with memberships to clubs and to people that made and sold kink implements. That way, there was always someone home for their sons.
As Lonnie thought of the resort that was being quickly built, he imagined it, returning to the club scene, on stage, being with his husband and wowing a crowd of their people at night, while in the day, fishing and camping with their kids.
"You know, Travis, if this place gets going, it's going to be great."
"If?"
"Travis, you know how hard it is to catch a guy like that Brooks. Until he wants to be caught."
As Travis laughed, Lonnie stared over at him. "Lonnie Lane Walton, you know you're itching to be let loose on this land to catch that man."
"And you won't let me!"
"Like that ever stopped you."
It was Lonnie's turn to laugh. "Well, I have been thinking. You will not like it."
"I'm sure I won't. Can we get through the drive to the mobsters before I start yelling?"
"Oh definitely! Please!"
*****
"Why am I being left out?" Sel demanded. "Dante, don't usher me back to the farmhouse to sit around and let everyone else work."
"Selestino, you said you'd listen to me!"
"I'm trying, Uncle Dante, but all I'm asking is to be in on this meeting."
Blaine laid a hand on his husband's shoulder. "Dante…"
"Fine. Stay, but I'm telling you, Sel, you won't be involved in catching him."
Sel nodded, though he had no intention of listening.
There wasn't enough room inside the trailer for all those attending this meeting, so they were outside, the dogs locked in the trailer with Blaine. As soon as Tango, Lonnie and Jace came, Dante called the bikers, Kings and Carrillos to be quiet.
"Thank you all for coming. We've got a third of the buildings that are in the plans already built. That's time and money. By the end of this year, we hope to open, even if it's under six feet of snow. Those plans might as well be thrown in a campfire if Alex Brooks isn't caught."
Lonnie got up to stand by him and Sel watched them whispering quickly before Dante nodded and Lonnie spoke to all of them. "This is risky, but I think there is only one way of catching him, if he's on this land, which…well, by all indications, he is, or he's headed here.
"The head of security did just that for you all, made it secure. Tango made it mandatory that no one wanders on this land alone. That was how each and every person that was taken from here got taken. He also has everyone wearing GPS trackers. Well, that is something Alex Brooks can't know."
Sel knew what was coming. He raised his hand and asked, "Are you going to ask for volunteers to…to be bait?"
Lonnie and Dante exchanged a look, and Dante was the one to answer. "Yes, but that will not be you, Selestino."
Sel's eyes moved immediately to Indio, only to find him smirking.
Knowing better than to argue with Dante then and there, he quieted, staring nastily at Indio until the man turned back around.
"Sel's right. We're looking for volunteers. Those volunteers will wear the GPS trackers and go off alone."
Almost every hand was raised, all except a couple. Those were Barry Monarco, the lawyer for the Carrillos and Monarcos, and Bruno, who had sworn to watch over Dante and Blaine.
"Thank you. We'll do five a day. All points of the property will be covered, and Prince will be here watching the signals to all of you. If one goes even a little bit off track, we'll know that person is captured."
Eight called, "What if this piece of shit shoots first and doesn't take anybody captive?"
"We'll equip everyone with Kevlar," Lonnie said. "Dante's already called for it for the patrols. This is basically a patrol."
"Eight," Dante said, "You are exempt. I'm sorry, everyone, but if you have families, I cannot risk you."
Eight shook his head. "Nah, Dante, that ain't right. You risk my guys, you risk me, too."
All the men started to argue, but Dante only quieted them. "It's up to you, but anyone who doesn't want to volunteer, no one will look badly on you. You were brought here as extra security, not to be bait. I'll understand."
Tango got up with them. "The GPS trackers hang around your neck. That might be easily spotted if you're taken. We'd prefer you have them in the front pockets of your jeans."
Sel took his from around his neck, where it had been every minute of every day and shoved it in his jeans as he saw the rest of them doing.
"Now, those that volunteer, we'll know when and where you'll be in the marked places on the maps. If you have to move from where you were placed, let us know. Reception can be iffy in certain places, but we have very few satellite phones for those that will be in those areas where cell reception is bad. Any questions so far?"
A lot of men shook their heads.
Sel watched Indio and wasn't shocked at all to see him take out a gun and check the magazine. In fact, just that stupid act made Sel warm considerably. What did shock him, however, was that he stood and called, "I'll volunteer first."
Two others of the bikers stood and Dex and Marius both stood after them.
Dante shook his head and said, "I fucking hate this. I want you all to know that."
When both Mal and Kirk stood, Sel felt his heart sink. If anything happened to any of his friends, he knew it would take all his strength not to give up and run home like the child Indio thought him.
Dante met with the first of the volunteers separately, and Tango went along with them. Lonnie was talking to Travis, who looked upset, so Sel inched his way closer to overhear.
"I'm not letting you go, Lonnie."
"I'm not one of the volunteers, Travis. I'm one of those groups that will be close to grab them if the GPS tells us they're not where they're supposed to be."
"Which is still too close!"
Sel hadn't thought of being in the group that would watch over the volunteers, but he already knew Dante would never let him.
When Indio emerged from the trailer after the meeting with Dante, Sel wanted to go to him, tell him he was sorry for what he'd said and wish him luck, but he didn't. Instead, he stared at the man while Indio conferred with Eight.
Mal came over to him, throwing an arm around his neck. "He's going to be first. He says he wants twelve-hour shifts."
"So he doesn't have to be around me."
"I think so, but I don't think it's why you think it is. I think he's genuinely attracted to you, but…guys like that, they don't love easily, Sel. At all. I know. I fell for one of them. He didn't make it easy."
"I don't need things to come easily, Mal. In fact, maybe I finally need to work for something. Not saying I want him."
"Nooo, of course not. You're not staring at him for that reason."
He walked away before Sel could argue, and Sel couldn't help himself. He stared at Indio again.
Dante surprised him by calling him into the trailer. He was alone with his two uncles and was shocked to learn from Dante that Bennie was one of the volunteers. "He wants to do this. He's unattached. His last girlfriend broke up with him a month before he started watching you. He's not happy being a bodyguard, Sel, and that probably is because you try so hard to not like him."
"I'm sorry, Uncle! I didn't mean anything by it. It's not him as much as having one at all."
"I have one! We all do!"
Blaine quieted his husband, as only Blaine could. "Dante, hear him out. You know how you felt as a young man, always watched over? You had a terrible bodyguard, remember? He was in on trying to hurt me. It took a long time for you to trust anyone again in that position."
"Still, Blaine, this is different."
"Only because this isn't you. It's someone else, someone you love."
"For now, Uncle, I'm surrounded at that house. I have almost no privacy, except they gave me my own room. Can I just…if I promise to hang close to everyone, be without security?"
Blaine set his hand over Dante's mouth. "Do you swear to always hang with the men in that house? Never wandering alone?"
"I do," he hurried to repeat. "Never alone!"
Blaine took his hand away, and Dante pretended to bite it. "I can't ever win with you two!"
"You win all the time, my love," Blaine said, then kissed his cheek while winking at Sel.
"Thanks, Uncle Dante. I swear, never. I'll never go alone."
"Fine. I really hate you two."
Sel was overjoyed, but cautious. When they all got back to the farmhouse, Dallas, Ruben, and Marius went off by themselves to their room while Sel, Mal, and Prince were gathered in the kitchen with Binx. "I have a feeling Marius is going to be in a lot of trouble," Mal said to his friends.
"I don't blame them," Sel said.
"Talk! What's happening?" Binx demanded.
He was already working on lunch for the crowd, but he turned the burners down on the stove to lean on the island across from them.
Mal started, "Well, they want volunteers to go out into the woods alone, with just their trackers. All the bikers did, and all the…"
They all looked at Prince, who said, "I already know. He called on his way to the ranch. He's got to coordinate with the others on who is going first and all that. I hate it, but it's his job."
"I don't think Ruben and Dallas are going to feel that way," Mal said.
Sel could see tears in Prince's eyes. "Maybe they'll catch him before Dex has to go."
"Maybe that killer guy isn't even here," Binx said in a chipper voice. "I mean, would you come here with all these mean guys around?"
"He thinks this place is his," Prince explained. "He got cheated out of a father, out of a mother, too, for that matter, and who was his first kill? His real mom. Now all of us are here, making this place a home, and he's likely really pissed."
Sel nodded in silent agreement, as did the others.
"Well, at least we have these trackers," Mal said. "If we step one foot off of where we're supposed to be, it'll be seen."
"Mal, you?" Prince said, his lip quivering.
"I'm in a club. I wasn't brought here to hang out, as much as I love hanging with you guys. I'm here to work. Dante's done a lot for the clubs. He brought us together and keeps pushing for us to connect with other clubs. It makes us all stronger."
Mal was smaller than Sel by a lot. Sel felt like some soft rich kid that has to constantly be looked after by the big, strong men around him. "Don't let anything happen to you," he warned Mal. "Or you'll have this mobster after your ass."
"I believe it," he said, patting Sel's hand.
Kirk came into the kitchen, sniffing around the stove. "What's cookin'?"
"You'll see soon enough," Binx teased.
"Dang. Okay." He turned to see Sel staring daggers at him. "Um…did I do something?"
Mal saw Sel's face before he blanked his look. "Oh. They just found out I'm volunteering."
"Not my idea," he growled. "But I've fought this one about that shit before. He's small but fierce, as they say."
Sel turned to Mal and pleaded, "You have to be careful."
"I'm not going to skip around the forest unaware of my surroundings!"
Kirk didn't find him funny. "Mal, listen to him. Don't let your guard down for a second."
"I'm going to go with the watchers. I know my uncle will have a fit, but I'll still be surrounded."
His arm was grabbed and he was pulled off the stool at the same time he was spun around. Once he was facing the other way, he was shocked to see it was Indio that had grabbed him. "You're staying here!"
Sel blinked a few seconds, then his temper came roaring out, and he wrenched hard from Indio's grip. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Indio let go of him, and his pretty eyes narrowed hard. "We are not there to babysit you. Stay here so it's the volunteers they're watching and not you."
He stormed out of the room and Sel was about to follow when Kirk grabbed him. "I would let him go, if I were you."
Sel turned on him next. "You're not me!"
Sel broke away from Kirk and followed Indio to the basement. He slammed the door into the wall and ran down the stairs to find Indio sitting on a cot, leaning on his legs and his head came up slowly, his eyes cutting into Sel immediately. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"
"Go the fuck away, boy."