“No, not yet. I mean, I’ve had some ups and downs with it, but we’re just getting started.”
“We’re? You got a partner?” Riley asked.
“I got Tate.”
“Your dog.”
“Hell yes, my dog! He’s my partner. But yeah, I had plans, but I got something that’s kind of come up, and I think it’s going to ruin all that, at least for this season anyway.”
Riley grabbed his lemonade, took a long sip, and then left his hands balanced on his knees. “So what’s up?”
The lack of smile on his old buddy’s face and a marked twinkle his eye showed Riley expected it would be something good to see his old friend after no contact for several years.
“You remember that dude Esquivel?” asked Brady.
“Well, he’s a guy who’s hard to forget, wouldn’t you say?”
“That’s a fact. Turns out, he’s in California.”
“How’d you find out about that?”
“I can’t rightly say. I got a strange phone call from a rather official-sounding woman who told me that she had a job for me. And she was going to give me a lot of money to capture him.”
“Dead or alive?” asked Riley.
“It’s got to be alive, but she even told me we could carve him up some. I think accidents could happen. The main thing is I’d like to see this cretin off the street.”
Riley studied him carefully, as if wondering whether he should bring a certain subject matter up. Instead, he nodded slowly. “You up to face all that, Brady?”
“I haven’t thought of much else. I go to bed at night and hope to God I can dream. If I dream, it’s all about Maggie.” He hesitated to go further because the back of his throat was choking up, and again, he didn’t want to show any form of weakness. But he’d just been talking to Tate and nobody else, so this conversation got to him a bit. He looked over at his truck. Tate was sitting in the driver’s seat, his nose poking out of the rolled down window, staring right at him. He was watching guard over his master.
“And if it’s a nightmare, it’s Esquivel. Am I right?”
“Bingo.” Brady began to relax.
“All right then. So you left off where she was going to pay you some money to go get this guy and turn him in… where?” Riley asked.
“We didn’t quite get that far. But I do have some money in the bank, thanks to her. With the promise of more.”
“How much more?”
“One million dollars, Riley. And I’d like to split it with you and anyone else we decide to hire. I can’t do it alone. If you say no, of course I’ll try. But it wouldn’t be smart. I think we need five, six guys maybe?”
“Are you sure about this? I mean, is this legit, legal?”
“She says she has the capacity to make it go away—the kidnapping, that is. No one would have to serve any time for it. Not that that makes any difference to me. And the money’s just gravy, but I could use it.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of money. But that’s too much of a job for the two of us. I agree with you. We need about five guys at least.”
“So are you in?” Brady asked his friend.
Riley’s lady came out, bringing a plate of cookies. She laid them down on the stump, leaned over, gave Riley a kiss on the cheek, and then stood behind him, rubbing his shoulders. “The kids want you to come inside. They have something they want to show you.” She briefly looked up at Brady and smiled, rather demure. Brady realized she was probably less than twenty-five years old.
“Just give me and Brady here about five, ten more minutes, and then I’ll be in. Okay, sweetheart?”
“Brady, you’re going to stay for supper?” she asked.
“No, I got to get back to Healdsburg before it gets too late. Tate’s got a real funny stomach. If I don’t feed him on time, he’s irregular for the next week and a half. And I didn’t bring any food with me, so I think we’ll be headed home. But thanks for the invite. Maybe next time.”
He was surprised that he even mentioned a next time. Things were changing in Brady’s world.
As Riley watched her attractive rear end make its figure S’s on the way to the back porch, it was Brady’s turn to study his friend. “Riley, it’s a big decision, and I know I’m asking a lot. I probably have no right to even ask you. You’ve got a nice life here. I’m not so sure if I was in your situation that I would trust an old fart like me who’s more than likely going to get you into trouble.”
Riley continued to stare at his lady until her frame disappeared behind the screen door. He looked directly into Brady’s eyes. “Yeah, you are asking a whole lot more than you deserve. But fuck, wouldn’t it be cool to nail that son of a bitch? If we can’t kill him, maybe we could cut off one of his fingers and bury it in Maggie’s grave. I’d do that with you. Hell, I’d cut off his foot and bury it there.”
Brady stood up. “Nope. We’re not going to desecrate her grave at all. But I got your meaning. So I guess I can count on you then?”
“You didn’t even have to ask. Anything for you. And for Maggie.”
Chapter 3
The two former teammates agreed that Riley should say his goodbyes at home and then head over to Brady’s house to gear up and strategize. That way, he’d be out of earshot of the woman and children who probably would be worried if she heard what their plans were. Also, Riley would be less distracted. Brady hated for Riley to have to be re-reminded as the seconds and minutes ticked by of what he was going to be missing and perhaps risking, for the next few days.
But hopefully, they could wrap all this up in a week, if they got the right people to help them, and that’s what they were going to discuss today.
Before Riley arrived, Brady checked his grows, repaired some camera angles and motion sensor lights that were working intermittently, and made sure that anybody who happened to come across his little patch would be met with a lot of scary stuff, like recordings of gunfire and sounds of growling alligators, coyotes, and bears. He even had a couple small explosive charges set up—not too over-the-top. He didn’t want to make it sound like the whole mountain was going up in an explosion, which might attract local police and fire crews, or get complaints from the rural neighbors, who mostly tolerated Brady.
But everybody on the mountain knew he was eccentric as hell. Even when he came to town to get supplies, the good people of Healdsburg, who were used to tourists coming up from San Francisco and the Bay Area or places east, knew this particular mountain man, with his arms covered in tats, his hair usually uncombed and disappearing like the pelt of an old animal, and smelling like Tate—this guy was not to be messed with.
That was just fine with Brady.
He prepared some steaks to barbecue when Riley arrived and picked some zucchini and lettuce for a salad and some steamed vegetables. He got out some lean hamburger meat for Tate and mixed it with his kibbles, giving him an early supper.
“I don’t want you begging for steak, Tate. Tonight, we got to be nice to our guest, okay?”
Tate dutifully looked up and then went right back to his eating.