Chapter 24 #2
I unbuckled my seat belt. “Well, since we’re here. I guess we should take a look around.”
Alexandra twisted her hands up, then unbuckled and got out of the car, too.
Tundra looked past Mickayla, shaking his head. “Get back in that car, ladies.”
Mickayla glanced over her shoulder at us, then scowled at Tundra. “It won’t take that long. Help us or don’t, but we’re doing this.”
Tundra crossed his arms on his burly chest and scowled down at Mickayla. His scowl was terribly fierce and more than a wee-bit frightening.
I wandered toward the side of the house and couldn’t stop myself from gazing up at the two-story structure. It had to have been beautiful back in its day. If it weren’t so far from Jacksonville, it was the kind of property I’d love to buy and renovate on my own.
“You look at that house like you’re remodeling it in your head,” Alexandra said, walking beside me.
I shook my head and turned my focus toward the ground in front of us. There were plenty of exposed oak tree roots that could trip me. “Maybe a little, but having been inside, it’ll take a crap load of money to fix it up, let alone afford the property itself, too.”
“For what it’s worth, Rafferty – or, I guess you were introduced to him by his road name, Bluff – he’s planning to start his own general contracting business. He’s remodeled the house we’re living in, and I’d imagine he’d love taking on something like this.”
I nodded. “If he’s licensed, I’ll keep him in mind as a referral for my clients.”
“Oh, I didn’t even think about that. Do you know where you’re going?” she asked as we wandered farther away from the house.
“Yeah, as much as I thought I’d obliterated this from my memory, it seems this is something you don’t forget.”
“Yo! Slow down,” Tundra yelled from behind us.
Alexandra and I stopped and turned half-way to watch him and Mickayla approach.
Tundra lumbered closer. “Neither of you are getting close to that body, if it’s still there.”
Alexandra held up a hand. “There’s a reason I went into dentistry instead of becoming a doctor. I didn’t want to deal with cadavers, so I’m not about to get close to a decomposing body.”
Tundra tipped his head toward me. “Seeing as she helped move the body, it’s her I’m concerned about.”
I fought off rolling my eyes. “There wasn’t much choice. They way they hit Nickel in the head, I couldn’t expect him to move the body on his own.”
“I’m sure. Lead the way, Ivy,” Tundra said.
We trudged ahead another ten feet before we came to the gathering of trees and palmetto bushes.
I held a hand out toward the area. “This is where we left his body, but… He must have been moved, because there’s no way he just disappeared.”
Tundra turned to Mickayla. “Time to go. Straight to the clubhouse, Mick.”
“We should check the house,” Mickayla said.
Tundra’s jaw clenched. “Woman, I told you why that’s an even worse idea than just being here. That body isn’t going to be in there. Take them back to the clubhouse.”
“Not the bar?” I asked.
“No. It’s more likely someone’s watching the bar, and there’s no decent way for her to approach from another direction.”
“We have to stop at that truck stop in Sanderson because I’m hungry and I need to pee,” Alexandra said.
Tundra shook his head and closed his eyes for a beat before he opened them again. “Fine. But I’m letting Bluff and Nickel know that’s the plan.”
Alexandra started back toward the car. I followed her as a breeze kicked up from behind me. Tundra stood rooted the spot, grabbing his phone from his back pocket.
“You need to get yourself a man who can get you in line,” Tundra said in a low voice that I only heard because it carried on the wind.
“Whatever, Tun,” Mickayla muttered and picked up her pace based on the increased sound of her footsteps on the fallen leaves and twigs.
Alexandra turned in her seat toward Mickayla as we bumped along the dirt lane back to the highway. “It isn’t my business—”
“Then leave it alone,” Mickayla muttered to the windshield.
Alexandra went quiet and I thought she was letting it drop.
Then she said, “I can’t. What in the world is with you and Tundra? Was he just being—”
“He was being an overbearing biker. You know exactly how that feels, Lex, and you and I both can’t stand it when the brothers get that way.”
“I’m sorry. That sucks,” Alexandra said.
Mickayla took a deep breath. “I’m trying to tell myself he didn’t mean what he said. Otherwise, forgiving him will be a tall order.”
My brows drew together. “You mean the part about getting yourself a man? His voice carried on the breeze.”
Mickayla’s bitter laugh filled the sedan. “No, him saying he didn’t have time for ‘dealing with the shit a wayward wild child pulls’ with special emphasis on child.”
Alexandra’s head dipped toward her shoulder. “He probably didn’t mean it like that.”
“He did. It came up more than once in that conversation. We were both pissed though, so I’m trying to let it go.”
Alexandra’s cell rang.
“Hey, Raff—,” she answered, then paused.
After a moment, Alexandra said, “You should call me after you calm down. ”
Another pause. Alexandra twisted her head to aim an annoyed look at Mickayla, who chuckled quietly.
“Tundra stopped us from doing anything, not that there was anything we could do, and I know you know that because you’re at that truck stop thanks to Tundra’s text.”
The next pause was much shorter.
“No, Raff, we’re almost there, so please use the next fifteen minutes to cool down or we’re going to have an entirely different type of problem. See you soon, babe,” Alexandra said.
She tucked her phone away and looked over her shoulder at me. “Nickel is at the truck stop with Rafferty. Seems you and I are riding back on their bikes, and Mickayla has to drive back alone.”
“That sucks. Even though I love being on his motorcycle,” I muttered.
“Oh, boy. Sounds like you got it bad,” Mickayla said.
Alexandra aimed a gentle look at Mickayla. “I hate to tell you this, Mick, but if your future man is a biker, you’re gonna have it just as bad because there’s a big difference between riding with my dad and riding with Rafferty.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Mickayla said, then twisted her head toward Alexandra. “You sure we need to stop at the truck stop?”
“I’m sure I don’t want to poke the bear,” Alexandra said.