Chapter 41
Ford kneels, handing Crew and me two bulletproof vests from the trunk he keeps at the foot of his bed.
The lock discarded haphazardly on his bunk.
The plan, as simple as it is, is still unpredictable in a way that normally wouldn’t make my skin itch.
But now? The long sleeves of my shirt feel tighter, restricting, and though my collar is unbuttoned, I keep tugging at it just to get a semblance of a deep breath in.
It’s not just myself or Levi I have to worry about now.
Maggie’s words keep replaying in my head over and over like a nightingale's song.
They started it. You’re just finishing it.
She and Ford may not be related, but the need to have justice for the people and things they care for flows through both of them.
He hands two more to Peter and Dylan, who, despite being beaten to hell, eagerly takes it. Ford made her take off the Twelve Acres jacket before he tossed it outside in the slush, and now she’s wrapped in one of Logan’s Whiskey River coats.
“As soon as you see flames over the hill, you move.” Crew slaps his hand over the velcro shoulder straps and looks between them.
“No lights, if what this one here says is true,” he juts his chin towards Dylan, “then she knows those fence lines better than any of us. Follow her and keep the flashlights off.”
“The snow is melted enough along the property line that the trails are easy to see right now,” Dylan offers, looking between the four of us, her shoulders lifting when Ford raises a brow.
“They may have locked me in a stall, but none of them know how to fuckin’ whisper.
They ran the fences last night after the trucks were delivered. ”
“There another run tonight?” I ask, slipping my own vest on but keeping my eye on her.
She shakes her head. “They won’t wanna be anywhere near the deaths. They’ll be celebrating what they consider a win in the main house.”
“Any visual from the house to the pastures?” Crew asks, his voice gruff as his arms cross over his chest, taking a stance not unlike the photos he brought back from deployment.
“Just one and two. The treeline gets thick enough between two and three that they won’t know anything until they recheck cattle in two days.
” Dylan grins, shifting her body in her vest, “I know enough to get into trouble and to stay out of it. I’d rather stay out of it, if that’s alright with you,” she says, looking to Peter.
“If they catch me on this side of the fence, neither of us comes back tonight.”
“Which is exactly why you need a third,” Levi says, tossing his hat onto the table and holding out his hand for a vest from Ford.
“No.” I shake my head and point towards the bunkhouse door. “You’ve got too much to lose to be a part of any of this.”
“They hurt us,” Levi says and looks me in the eye. “They hurt Wanda, and they put their hands on a woman who damn well didn’t deserve it. I’m a big boy, Bode, this isn’t your decision to make.”
“Like hell it is.” I bite, smacking his hand away from the vest Ford is holding out.
“He’s right, Walker,” Ford says, looking at me. “They’ll be faster with three people, and Levi works fences faster than any of us.”
“We’ll see.” Dylan pipes up with a smirk.
“So we’re all fine with this?” I snap, looking between all of them, surprised to find Crew staring at Levi like he’s actually considering sending my kid brother into this fight.
When I finally look at him again, he’s still staring at me.
His jaw clenched, and the humor that lives at the surface completely gone.
He looks older, way older than I remember him being, but it gives me pause long enough to grab him by the shoulder with one hand and take the vest from Ford with the other.
“Fine, but the minute shit gets bad, you take off. No ego, no hero shit.” I tilt my head to make sure he’s listening.
“You ride back here as fast as you can,” I finish, pressing the vest against his chest.
Levi lets out a breath I wasn’t aware he was holding and takes the vest from me with a nod. “Promise.”
That itchy feeling burns as I pat his cheek and step back with a nod before turning to the other two. “That goes for you two also. I’d rather you run back here empty-handed than hurt or worse.”
Dylan and Peter both acknowledge me with a nod before heading towards the door. Levi follows behind them, vest on, and snatches his hat from the table, giving me one last glance as he pushes through the door after them.
“This plan fucking sucks.” I breathe, looking between Ford and Crew.
“It only sucks because you won’t have eyes on him.” Crew says hitting my back once, “He’ll be fine.”
I let out a grunt, unconvinced, and look to Ford, who’s been mostly quiet this whole time. “Dot okay with all this? Truly?”
“She’s just as tired of losing as we are. She doesn’t need to know the details, but she needs to know her family is safe.” Ford says lowly as he unlocks the gun box and hands Crew and me our pistols.
“We all do.” I offer and meet his gaze. “We’re just blowing up some trucks. What could go wrong?”
Crew lets out a groan and smacks the back of my head with his free hand. “Why did you have to say that? Why now? Why jinx us?” He frowns. “The worst bad luck,” he mutters, shaking his head.
“Shut up and go throw salt over your shoulder or something.” Ford bristles. “We ready?”
“I’ll meet you up at the road,” I say, backing away from the glare Crew is throwing to Ford. “Gonna check on Maggie.”
I can tell Ford wants to argue, tell me not to worry about her, but his mouth snaps shut, and he only nods. “Make it quick.”
I leave the bunkhouse, thinking I’m going to have to trek up to the house in the dark, when I hear soft singing from the barn.
My heart clenches, and I follow the sound to the stall we set Wanda up in.
Maggie is curled up in the hay, wearing about three layers of clothes with Wanda’s head in her lap.
Her fingers are combing through the calf’s fluff at the top of her head, singing a song I don’t recognize.
“I thought you were in bed,” I say, sliding the stall open.
“I was,” she says, looking up at me. I can still see the exhaustion lingering behind her green eyes, but the moment I step into the stall, they track down my body.
She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and scratches behind Wanda’s ear distractedly.
“Where were you hiding that?” she asks, almost offended.
“What?”
“The vest.”
I raise a brow and kneel in front of her, resting a hand over her knee. “You like it?”
“You look like one of those hot cops on TV.” She grins, her voice still hoarse from her bout of puking.
“We keep them put away for a reason, Magnolia,” I sigh, but can’t help the grin on my face.
Maggie tuts and shakes her head. “A shame.”
A laugh bubbles out of me as I shake my head.
“Sick and delusional,” I tease gently and look down at Wanda.
“How’s she doin’?” Her breathing has somewhat returned to normal, and the bloat has calmed down quite a bit, but it’s the lethargy that worries me the most. Thankfully, the guys had skipped giving Buck the rotten hay.
“She’s sleepy. She barely moved when I curled up next to her. It took a little coaxing, but she’s finally relaxed enough to let me do this.” She looks down at Wanda before tilting her head back against the wall. “Are you guys heading out?”
My hand tightens over her knee gently as I nod. “I don’t know when we’ll be back.”
“But you’ll be safe?” she asks, and I hate how much the worry and hope in her voice tangle together.
“We’ll be safe,” I reassure her and lean in just enough to press a soft kiss to her lips, and then her cheek before burying my face in her neck and taking in her scent.
Even sick, Magnolia still smells sweet, like fresh flowers after a first rain.
“Don’t stay all night in here, please,” I rasp against her skin as her hand tangles in my hair at the nape of my neck.
“Another hour?” She whispers, haggling with me.
“Another hour,” I rasp and pull back to kiss her again, tapping my knuckle softly on her chin, “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Maggie nods. “Bring pancakes.”
I laugh as her smile widens. “Pancakes, got it,” I promise and kiss her one last time before pushing to my feet and heading towards the stall door.
She starts humming again to Wanda, and I can’t help but stare at her as I close the stall.
Tonight has to go right. It has to. Because leaving Maggie alone in this world is not an option.