Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
Chaney didn’t sleep well. She went to bed with a headache and woke with one. She took Tylenol for it and had a soda with her toast instead of milk, but that didn’t seem to help either. She was rinsing out her glass to put in the dishwasher when she noticed outside the window that a shiny blue car was parked in the driveway.
“Rawlins, I think someone is here.”
“Why?” he asked, finishing up his breakfast.
“There’s a car outside, in my driveway.”
He grinned and got up from the table, going outside. Confused, she followed him.
A piece of paper with writing on it stuck out from under one of the wipers on the brand-new Kia K5 and he snatched it, read the message, and chuckled.
“What?” she asked.
“This is my new wheels. Do you like?” he said, opening the driver’s door.
She came forward and breathed in that wonderful new car smell. She looked inside at the supple black leather seats and ran her hand over one amazed at its softness. “How?”
“Kenneally. I called him last night and he said he’d have it delivered today,” Rawlins explained. “We don’t want to have to have Broderick taking us everywhere, especially because he’s going to report back to your parents. Having our own wheels–I want to be able to go where I want, when I want. Don’t you?”
She nodded, catching his use of the words ‘our own wheels’ and then hugged him, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. “Yes. I just didn’t know I wanted that until you said it.”
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. “It’s okay. I wanted to be able to get you to and from The Village if you were going to be going there regularly, you know.”
“I understand.” She pulled away, dabbing at her damp eyes with her fingers. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“It was for both of us.” Rawlins reached over the visor and grabbed the key fob and closed the door. “Let’s go back inside.”
Chaney followed him feeling deflated by his abrupt response, but she shook it off. Again, she shouldn’t be reading too much into this. Obviously, they’d not just shared a special moment like she thought. He was her protector. That was all. No matter how well they seemed to get along.
Leland Warshafsky looked at his minions with disgust. His new head man, Drake Minchin, wore a suit while his underlings Alfie Jennings and Grant Evans dressed in khaki pants and polo shirts. “How can men like you screw up a simple objective like this so badly?”
“Sorry, boss.” Minchin hung his head, looking downcast. “My men assured me they could finish the job but looks like they failed.”
“Damn right, they failed. Now, we don’t know where Justus or Chaney are,” Leland ranted, throwing his arms up in the air, causing Minchin to flinch away. “The two you sent to scare them after their deposition made a blunder of the job and got themselves arrested. Arrested!”
“It wasn’t their fault, boss, Honest, it wasn’t.” Minchin defended his people. “How were Earl and Clay to know that the Brotherhood Protectors had men on the job?”
“It’s their job to be aware and to think ahead of possible roadblocks to get around them.” Leland snapped, pacing back and forth in front of him.
“The girls… they arrived alone,” Minchin protested. “It wasn’t until they were leaving that those Brotherhood Protector guys made their presence known.”
“Again, your men should have thought ahead,” Leland said, continuing to pace like a caged tiger. “I’ve had to send one of Felty’s associates to bail out those two chumps until they can be prosecuted for tampering with a federal trial. It’s bad enough I already have three of my men standing trial from the raid on my house outside of Fool’s Gold. Do you think I like laying low in this RV storage lot? It’s hampering my business and keeping my corner of the operation from going forward.”
“No, boss. I know you don’t. But no one has a finer vintage 1973 Chieftain Winnebago than you,” Minchin praised. “Just look how well-kept this interior is.”
Leland grinned, appreciating the compliment, while not missing out on the chance to brag a little himself. “I had the plaid carpet and plush cushion seats redone to match the original manufacturer release when I purchased her. But enough about my RV. I want Justus and Chaney found before this case against Polaski, Biddle, and Nuchols goes to trial.”
“We’ll find them,” Minchin assured him.
“I still don’t understand how those damn Brotherhood Protectors found my place to bust up the auction,” Leland said. “I’m the only brother among the Four Corners who has had this happen, and time is running out for me to give an account for it. If my head rolls, you all go down with me, do you hear.”
“We do,” Jennings and Evans finally spoke up, avoiding making eye contact with him.
“Then get out of here and go find them,” Leland sneered.