17. Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
Sophia checked over Pudding. He and his lady were the last animals for her to examine.
The fire had been started on the back side of the barn that butted up to the tree line—one of the few places that she hadn’t requested cameras.
The fire department was still here checking for how it started, though even she could smell the accelerant that had been used to start it.
She was angry that her animals had been threatened, and she was freaking furious that her date with Tack had been cut short. She still wasn’t sure if this was Rufus and Jolene or someone else, but when she figured it out—someone was going to pay.
Stinger had left for a little bit and returned with one of those carports with the metal roof and some of the orange temporary fencing with the poles that could be pushed into the ground to make a temporary pen.
He was constructing it under the large tree to the side of the house, positioned with a line of sight from two of the cameras on her house. Sophia worried about Pudding because he’d left all the men alone when he’d been brought out. He was staying right beside the female donkey she’d rescued.
Tack was in the barn with the fire department, chatting with his club brother Retread, who Tack had introduced as his club’s Road Captain and a fire investigator in his day job.
Once she confirmed Pudding was okay, Sophia had entirely too much time to think and get angry.
No one had the right to hurt her defenseless animals.
If Tack hadn’t left a couple of the club’s Prospects to patrol the property, the fire wouldn’t have been seen until it reached the side or front of the barn.
By then, the animals could have been dead from smoke inhalation or burned in their stalls.
Maybe it was time to take the offensive and figure out if it was Jolene and Rufus.
She looked around the yard to make sure Tack was still in the barn and headed inside.
She’d stood up to Jolene and Rufus, and it was time to take it a step further.
Ruthy was in the kitchen, sitting at the table, sipping a drink.
Sophia paused, staring at Ruthy. Should she involve Tack’s mom in what she planned?
“You look like you’re ready for some retribution. Do you need an accomplice? I’m always up for some excitement,” Ruthy revealed, standing up.
Sophia stared at the diminutive woman who was Tack’s mother. If Sophia hadn’t seen her with a gun, she’d dismiss her as a non-threat.
Ruthy chuckled, slapping her thigh. “Oh sweetie, sometimes looking older is a gift when people underestimate me. Now, are you thinking you want to scare them, chat with them, or something in between?”
Sophia bit her lip, thinking through her options. Rufus was a jerk and had hurt her multiple times when they were married, from pinching her lips when she spoke aloud to when he and his mom hurt her back. That didn’t even count the emotional hurt he’d inflicted with his words.
“Is it horrible if I want to scare them?” Sophia asked.
“Oh, who are we scaring, and can I go too?” Lake asked, walking into the room.
Ruthy stared at them for a second, “Let me grab some items from my car. You ladies head for Sophia’s room, and I’ll meet you there.”
Sophia headed upstairs with Lake following behind.
“What exactly are you planning?” Lake asked.
Sophia opened her closet, looking for some clothes that were dark. She didn’t want anyone to notice her walking across the street.
“I want to talk to Jolene and Rufus when they’re not expecting it and ask them what they are doing,” Sophia replied.
Ruthy slipped into the room, carrying a large duffel bag. “Lake, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but I think you might be better causing a distraction so we can sneak over and surprise Rufus and Jolene,” Ruthy shared.
Lake rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. If I’m the distraction this time, can I go along the next time?”
Ruthy grinned. “Oh, I think we can arrange that. Let me run in here and get changed,” Ruthy explained, pulling some items out of her bag. “Black or dark clothes, Sophia, and I’ll have something to cover your face.”
Sophia stared at the door where Ruthy had gone. Her future mother-in-law was a little scary. Sophia was glad that Ruthy was on her side.
“You and me both,” Lake murmured, flopping onto the bed. “I wonder what type of distraction I get to be. Oh, maybe I could take all my clothes off and streak around the farm. The first man that catches me gets to have me. Hmmm, that would be awesome,” Lake sighed.
“I thought you and Stinger were together,” Sophia prodded, slipping into her black jeans with a black long-sleeve top. Her hair was still braided from the motorcycle ride.
“He made it clear it was a one-time thing. Though after I graded him down for saying he was too tired when I was horny from hearing you and your man that third time, he might need to give me another night if he wants a higher score,” Lake mused.
Sophia slid on her boots as Ruthy walked out of the bathroom, decked out in black.
“All right, Lake. You’re going to go out the clinic side door so you’re in the driveway.
Start screaming and pointing toward the woods that you saw a man running with a gas can in his hands.
Make sure you don’t describe him all in black.
We don’t need them going after us. We’ll turn the front porch light off before you scream, then slip out the front door, across the lawn, and we’ll go behind Jolene’s house.
I think her back door would be the perfect place to go in,” Ruthy confirmed.
Sophia tilted her head, wondering when Ruthy had seen the back of Jolene’s house.
“Oh, I checked it out when I realized what a problem she was,” Ruthy replied.
Well, Sophia guessed once again she’d said that out loud.
They headed down the stairs. Lake headed through the kitchen and then through the door to the clinic. Sophia followed Ruthy to the front door where she flipped off the front porch light and the light in the front room.
“Oh, come on. I just sat down,” Shield whined. “Ruthy…”
Ruthy held up her hand toward his face.
“Okay, Ruthless, I can guess where we’re headed.
I’m assuming that you’re letting me go with you and that once again, I’m not supposed to share this with my President, VP, or Sgt at Arms?
You know I’m a full Brother now and could get in trouble for this,” Shield muttered, holding the door open for them.
Ruthy pulled the mask over her face and handed one to Sophia to put on.
After it was in place, Ruthy led them outside and off the porch just as Lake’s screams echoed from the side of the house.
For being older, Ruthy, or Ruthless as Shield had called her, seemed to glide from tree to tree.
In no time, they’d crossed the street and arrived at Jolene’s back door with no one the wiser.
“When we get inside, let me take the lead,” Ruthy instructed.
Sophia stepped softly behind Ruthy with Shield bringing up the rear.
After they checked no one was on the main floor, Ruthy led them upstairs.
She paused at the top of the stairs at the sound of voices.
Sophia shadowed Ruthy, stepping where she stepped because Ruthy made no sound. They stopped outside a bedroom.
“What’s all the screaming about?” Rufus asked.
“I can’t see everything, but one of your screw-up’s housemates is screaming about a man with a gas can,” Jolene snapped.
“It wasn’t me. I left the gas can over in the barn to melt, but the bikers caught the fire too soon,” Rufus whined in his nasally voice that made Sophia want to throw up.
“Well, if you’d done your job while you were married to her, then we wouldn’t be in this predicament,” Jolene countered.
“Really? You’re going to blame me? You’re the one who screwed up when her parents wouldn’t let you buy the land. I was brought in to clean up your mess. He wants results soon,” Rufus warned.
Ruthy turned back and motioned to Shield.
“Grab him and tie him up in another room. We’ll take care of her,” Ruthy insisted so softly that Sophia had to strain to hear her.
Shield nodded and passed Ruthy to walk in first, pulling something from his pocket.
Ruthy had pulled something out too. If Sophia hadn’t seen it, she wouldn’t believe it.
Before Jolene or Rufus even knew they were in the room, Shield and Ruthy had slipped bags over their heads, yanking them back and pushing them to their stomachs on the floor.
Zip ties were on their hands, and Shield was shoving Rufus in front of him out of the room.
Jolene was wiggling and cussing at Ruthy, saying that they better let her go because she was someone important.
Once she had zip ties on Jolene’s hands and feet, Ruthy motioned Sophia to help her move Jolene to the bed.
Tossing her on her back, Ruthy pulled off the bag and stared at her.
“You better let me go or you’ll be sorry,” Jolene threatened.
Ruthy pulled a huge knife out of her pants, which made Sophia wonder where she’d been hiding it. She walked close to Jolene, leaning over her.
“You’ll be sorry if you don’t tell me why you’re keeping an eye on the house across the street,” Ruthy whispered menacingly.
Jolene spit at Ruthy. “You don’t scare me. You better leave me alone or he’ll come for you.”
Ruthy placed one knee on the bed by Jolene’s hip. “I don’t know who he is, but you’d have to be around to tell someone I was here. Did you think you were leaving this room alive?” Ruthy asked.
Sophia shuddered a little at Ruthy’s tone. If Jolene wasn’t scared, then she was an idiot.
“You’re bluffing. You don’t have it in you to kill someone,” Jolene bragged.
“Oh, you mean like you. You killed the couple across the street, didn’t you?” Ruthy asked.
Jolene glared at Ruthy. “You can’t prove anything.”
Sophia gasped. She’d never considered that Jolene was behind her parents’ accident.
“I’m going to need to know why you want the property across the street and who you’re working for. Last chance,” Ruthy threatened, leaning her knife close and sliding the blade down Jolene’s arm—not breaking the skin, but the threat was there.
“You’ll have to kill me,” Jolene vowed.
“So be it,” Ruthy shot back, pulling a syringe from her pocket, grabbing Jolene’s arm to inject her. Sophia stared, wondering how the heck she’d ended up here as she watched Jolene’s eyes slip closed.
“She’s not dead. I just knocked her out. I think the boys need to have a chat with her. Are you okay?” Ruthy asked, sliding her arm around Sophia.
“I ate dinner and fixed meals for the woman who killed my parents. How could I do that, and why did she kill my parents?” Sophia wondered.
Ruthy led her out of the room. “I’m not sure, but we’ll figure it out.
I drugged her because I figure it’s better for her and Rufus to be guests of the Saint’s Outlaws MC until we figure out what they are doing and who they are working for.
I want you safe. If he’ll try to burn a barn, what’s to stop him from setting the house on fire?
” Ruth urged, pausing outside the room Shield was in with Rufus.
Sophia had always thought she was a law-abiding citizen, but if it was up to the law, Jolene might actually succeed in killing her. She didn’t have any qualms about the Saint’s Outlaws MC taking them somewhere for them to be detained.
Footsteps pounded up the steps.
“What the heck is going on here?” Tack shouted.
“Just a little reconnaissance. We have two packages that need to be detained and interviewed,” Ruthy replied.
Sophia hadn’t seen that look on Tack’s face before, but if she had to describe it, he looked like those cartoon characters where their jaw dropped to the ground. He looked toward the floor, rubbing his temple.
“And you thought it was a good idea to bring Sophia with you, why?” Tack asked.
“She’s part of the family, and I wanted some bonding time with her.
Plus, she had some anger she wanted to work out, though I don’t really think me threatening Jolene actually let her expend any.
Sweetie, do you want to beat on Rufus a little bit before he’s transported?
I have some brass knuckles in my bag. That might be fun,” Ruthy offered.
Sophia chuckled, trying to frame the right words to reply to Ruthy’s offer. “You know, I think I’m good, but I appreciate the offer. I’ll keep it in mind for later.”
Tack shook his head at them. “The fire department’s going to be here for at least a couple more hours. Shield, you good with staying here until we can move them? I’ll send Stinger over to help.”
“Sure,” Shield replied.
Sophia wondered if he’d get in trouble for not telling Tack where they were going, but man, Ruthy was scary when she was—what had Shield called her? Oh yeah, Ruthless.
“Let’s head back, ladies. Maybe slip the masks off before we walk across the street,” Tack directed. Ruthy slipped hers off, kissed Tack’s cheek, and hurried down the stairs.
“You have fun?” Tack asked, smiling at her after she pulled her mask off. She nodded as he slipped his arm around her waist. She knew later, when she thought about Jolene and her parents, the tears would come, but for now, she was safe because Jolene and Rufus couldn’t hurt her.