Chapter 5 Mountain
Sweat drips down my brow as I use the sleeve of my shirt to wipe it away, preventing the salty liquid from stinging my eyes. I’ve lost count of how many logs I’ve split in the last two hours, preferring to focus on the task at hand instead of letting my mind drift to Cami.
The fatigue in my muscles proves I’ve pushed harder than necessary, but I don’t stop. I can’t. Exhaustion is the only thing that keeps me sane right now.
A truck door slams by the front of the house, alerting me to one of my brother’s arrivals.
It’s probably Tyre or Wyatt since Alder is the Fire Chief, and he’s currently investigating the arson case with Braden.
We all have jobs within Coleman Lumber, but Tyre and Wyatt are the most hands-on.
Tyre is the office manager and goes into the office daily.
Wyatt oversees the logging crews and supervises the employees.
It’s Tyre that saunters my way, shucking his suit jacket as he watches me lift my ax and heave it over my shoulders, expertly cracking another piece of wood in half.
“Haven’t seen you split logs in months,” he observes, laying his jacket over the top of the wooden fence post.
I grunt in response.
“What’s troubling you, Rex?”
“A 5 foot eleven beauty with a sharp tongue.”
He grins like it’s funny. “Cami is back.”
“Yeah. Cami is back.”
He whistles like it’s all he needs to know. “She still hates ya?”
I send him a glare. “What the fuck do you think?”
It’s common knowledge among my brothers that I fucked up with Cami. It’s also a source of amusement among them.
The bastards get off on teasing me about it.
“Maybe she’ll forgive you this time.” He tries to sound sincere, but Tyre finds it too funny to make it work.
There’s another vehicle approaching, and it sounds like Wyatt’s Jeep. Great.
I shoot Tyre an accusing look. “You knew about Cami already.”
“Yep.”
“And you told everyone.” By everyone, I mean all the Coleman brothers.
“Yep,” he says a second time, putting extra emphasis on the “p” as he replies.
Since I’m the oldest, I live in the main house that’s also our childhood home.
After the fire, I rebuilt the wing that was destroyed, and I’ve added onto it over the last eight years, remodeling it into a place where someday our children and grandchildren can come for holidays or whenever they need a place to stay. It’s what our mother wanted.
Braden still lives here. Tyre, Wyatt, and Alder all have their own homes, but that doesn’t stop any of them from showing up nearly every day of the week. There’s always food because someone will cook or bring pizza, and that suits all of us just fine. We aren’t fancy around here.
Wyatt strolls around the corner, seeing all the logs I’ve split, and he shakes his head. Pulling out his wallet, he reaches for a twenty and slaps it into Tyre’s hand. “Fuck. You’re right.”
“Right about what?” Alder asks as he joins us. He scans the yard. “Fuck, Tyre.” He hands over a twenty, the same as Wyatt.
By now, I’m gettin’ grumpy. “The fuck?”
When Braden is the last to join us, smirking as he pays Tyre too, I end up throwing my ax into the nearest tree. “You’re all a bunch of assholes.”
They bet on my reaction to Cami’s return to Raven’s Crest.
“I’m hungry. You all owe me dinner,” I announce as I grab my shirt, slip it over my head, and stomp up the stairs to the porch. We keep a fridge out here stocked with beer. I grab one, pop the top, and take a long pull.
“Guess it’s my turn to be generous,” Tyre laughs. “Pizza and wings?”
No one ever turns that down.
I sit at the round table I erected years ago so we could relax out here and play cards or board games when the mood warrants. It’s still the most popular place in the house. My brothers join me as we wait for the pizza and wings.
I’m not interested in a discussion about Cami, but I know it’s coming. For now, I want to know what Braden has found out. “Tell me what you know about the fire.”
I could have asked Alder, but he’s been training Braden, so this is the type of arson experience my youngest brother needs to hone his skills. Alder will correct him if he gets any of the facts wrong. I don’t expect him to, though. Braden has always been detail-oriented. It’s a good fit for him.
“First degree,” Braden begins. “We looked at the charring and shapes left behind this morning. The “V” patterns don’t lie. It was deliberate, accelerated by the use of a Molotov. We found the gas bottle and cloth soaked with kerosene.”
“Fuck.” My fist pounds the table. “Who the fuck did this with Granny Jo inside the bakery?”
Alder shakes his head. “I don’t know, Rex, but they must have watched her to know when she was there. The arsonist didn’t just want to burn down the bakery. They wanted to hurt a sweet old woman, too.”
“Or hurt Cami,” Wyatt suggests.
His words send a cold chill down my spine.
My gaze swings in his direction. “What do you mean?”
“It’s easy,” Tyre interjects. “Anyone who’s been around Cami knows that Granny Jo is the most important person in her life. Hurt her grandma, and you hurt Cami.”
Son of a bitch. He’s right.
“I can’t sit on this. I need to talk to Scythe.”
“What’s this got to do with the club?”
I turn to Tyre, not bothering to hide my irritation. “Because she’s family and I’m the V.P. of the club. This just got personal.” Not like it wasn’t already. “Watch your backs. If someone was watching Cami, they could have been watching all of us.”
That’s the thought that pisses me off—the vulnerability. We didn’t know this weak spot before today. Now that we do, we tighten security and travel in pairs.
I pull my phone from my pocket and dial Scythe’s number. He answers on the third ring.
“Mountain. Need you to come to The Barn.”
I don’t ask what’s going on, just obey my pres. “On my way.”
SCARECROW IS INSIDE the chapel with Scythe when I arrive at the clubhouse. It’s odd not to see Phantom, but he’s with Granny Jo and Cami. I haven’t heard from him yet, which means there hasn’t been any trouble.
Scythe called me here for a different reason.
“Pres,” I greet him as I shut the chapel doors. “Scarecrow. Fill me in.”
Scythe sits back as I take my seat. “I’ve learned more about that fucker Johnathon Allen.”
Allen tried to kill Scythe’s ol’ lady, Lottie. If not for our connection with the scarecrows in the cornfields of this town, she might not have made it.
“What about him?”
“You know about his nephew being one of his victims.”
“Yeah, you told me,” I remind him. The guy dismembered his own flesh and blood.
“Well, he’s also a distant relative of the Hillside Stalker.”
Woah. I sit back against my seat, absorbing that information. The Hillside Stalker terrorized Ohio in the 1970s, particularly here in Raven’s Crest. “Wait. You’re saying that he became a serial killer because it’s in his DNA?”
“Not sure, but it fits.”
“Okay, so he came here for what? To pick up where his relative left off?” I don’t know. It seemed more personal than that. “He went after Lottie more than you. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Exactly,” Scarecrow agrees.
“I think it’s more complicated. Maybe it’s because Lottie is a Bishop.”
A Bishop female. One of the original families persecuted in Salem who fled to Ohio and helped form the city of Raven’s Crest. The witches made a home here—a safe place to practice their craft.
“It’s a possibility,” I admit.
Scythe stares at me, and I don’t know what he wants until I make the connection. “Cami is a Parker.” Another Salem bloodline. “Fuck.”
“I don’t know if Granny Jo and the bakery were targeted because of Johnathon Allen, but it’s a possibility we can’t ignore.”
“Then we need to keep protection on Granny Jo and Camille beyond the hospital,” I point out. “It doesn’t end until we figure this out.”
Scarecrow’s gaze bounces between us. “But Allen is dead. He can’t rise from the grave to fuck with the club or our families.”
“Maybe someone close to him who knew his plans,” I suggest.
“Fuck. I don’t like this.” Scythe ticks his chin at me. “Phantom will stay with the women.”
It fucking sucks, but I nod my agreement. Cami doesn’t want me to do it, so I have to trust that Phantom will protect her and Granny Jo.
“Scarecrow, I need you watching the carnival and attractions for any enthusiasts who seem overly eager about the Hillside Stalker at the Fear Farm. If Allen’s name comes up or his connection to this town, I want to know right away.”
“Done, Pres.”
“I’ll speak to Virus. Have him dig into the Allen bloodline and see if there’s shit on the internet we don’t know about.”
Good call. Virus is an expert hacker. There’s nothing he can’t find, no matter how deep it goes into the dark web.
“What do you want me to do? Alder and Braden ruled the fire as arson.” I tell Scythe and Scarecrow what I learned from my brothers. “They’re still investigating, but that fire happened intentionally. We just don’t know the reason.”
“Yet,” Scythe adds. “I don’t want taken by surprise. Stay in town, Mountain. Visit the shops and the Fear Farm. Try to find out what our employees and the other businesses have heard. We might find out something useful.”
It’s a chance. Not a big one, but worth the effort. “I’ll go before it’s dark.”
In a few hours, downtown will be swarming with tourists.
“This is our town. Granny Jo got hurt on our turf. I’m fucking pissed,” Scythe seethes. “It’s our obligation and duty to protect the people of Raven’s Crest. We solve this as quickly as possible.”
“And when we find the motherfucker responsible for the arson and hurting Granny Jo?” I ask, hoping he’s as determined to spill blood as I am.
“Then we show him what happens when you fuck with the Kings.”
I slam my fist on the table in agreement. “Good.”
After meeting with Scythe, I’m antsy. I haven’t seen Cami since this morning, and I want to check on her and Granny Jo. Just because I’m not their protection choice doesn’t mean I can’t help with whatever they need.
I stop for coffee and decide to bring Granny Jo’s favorite hot tea along with hot chocolate with whipped cream for Cami. I’m nice enough to snag a black coffee for Phantom.
When I arrive at the hospital, I carry the drinks inside and head immediately to the information desk to get my visitor sticker. I’m balancing all the hot beverages as I step inside the elevator and push the button that’ll take me to Granny Jo’s floor.
The doors begin to close when a hand shoots through, prompting them to open.
I don’t pay attention as the stranger nods a greeting.
He glances at the floor lit up and doesn’t request another, so I assume he’s here for a patient on the same floor as Granny Jo.
In his hand, he’s holding a vase with a dozen red roses.
It’s not the usual hospital flowers, but maybe he’s visiting a girlfriend or wife.
The oddest sensation prickles the back of my neck, and I glance at the guy. There’s nothing significant about him. Average height and build. Dark hoodie and jeans. Sandy blond hair, no beard or mustache.
It’s his eyes. They hold my gaze boldly, almost hostile. I frown as he turns to the doors as they open, leaving without a backward glance. Something about him rubs me the wrong way. Since I doubt I’ll ever see him again, I dismiss it as nothing important.
Juggling the drinks, I make my way toward Granny Jo’s room. There’s a smile on my face because I’m about to see both the women I care about.
Phantom notices me first, snatching up the coffee with a nod. “Thanks, brother.”
It’s stupid, but when I see the grin he tries to hide behind the rim of his cup, I get annoyed. What’s his deal?
I figure it out when Cami sees me. “Oh. It’s you.”
Granny Jo gives her a disapproving look before beaming a smile at me. She’s not wearing an oxygen mask anymore. “There’s my favorite biker.”
Phantom slaps a hand over his heart. “I’m wounded, Granny Jo.”
She snorts, shifting her attention to me. “Did you bring me a treat?”
“Of course. Hot tea with lemon and honey.”
“You’re always so sweet to me.”
I hand it over and then reach for the hot chocolate. “Got you something, too,” I tell Cami.
She accepts it, taking a sip without saying anything.
A nurse walks in, carrying a vase of red roses. She’s smiling as she sets the flowers on the table beside Gran. “Special delivery. Aren’t they lovely?”
Granny Jo blinks. “For me?”
I can tell she’s confused. Who would send her red roses?
The nurse shrugs. “You must have a secret admirer.”
She leaves us, shutting the door behind her. That’s when I notice Cami’s expression. She looks pale, almost afraid.
Something spooked her, and I need to find out why.