Chapter 7

Lane comes back with the food, "Where is the girl?"

Mick a little miffed, "She is in your room cleaning up. You were too harsh on her."

"I was too harsh on her. She is lucky I didn't kill her."

"I know where you are coming from brother. But, she didn't kill your brother. Her only crime was loving him. Where is the macaroni and cheese?"

"Sorry bubba, I forgot you don't like potatoes very much. I am going to go check on her."

"Don't forget to apologize."

"Yes sir."

Lane walks back to his bedroom. He quietly opens the door and sees her asleep on the end of his bed. He turns down the covers. He goes to her and takes off her wet towels. He picks her up gently and places her under the cover. He turns out the lights.

"She is asleep. Let's eat." After they finish eating, he says, "Luke can you take care of our guest until we get back?"

"Sure Lane, I will take care of her."

"Ya'll don't bother her until she wakes up," Mick tells them.

Both boys answer at the same time, "Yes sir."

Mick drives him and Lane across the border. He heads in to Miami, Oklahoma.

"Where are we going bubba?"

"Brandon's mom's house, his sister will tell us where he is at?"

"She is family. Why would she give him up?"

"He beat his mom almost to death. Then he beat and raped her. She will give him up."

"If you knew this why haven't you taken him out?"

"None of my business."

"Bullshit."

"It didn't concern me or the kids."

"But it should have," he is quiet the rest of the trip.

They pull up to an old trailer house. Mick gets out by himself. He walks up to the house. An old Indian woman opens the door. A few minutes later, he returns to the car.

"He is staying in Tulsa tonight. He is suppose to be in Denver tomorrow."

"Crap, we haven't got time to go get her. Will just take care of it. Do you know exactly where he is?"

"Yeah he is at the casino's hotel. She didn't say what room."

"Knowing him, he is in the presidential suite."

"I don't like it."

"Not much of a choice bubba. If we don't take care of this now our little birdie is going to fly the coup."

"Ok already."

He starts the car and heads to Tulsa.

"Stay in the car. They know you already be back in a few minutes."

Lane walks through the casino to the hotel. He walks up to the front desk.

"Hi, I am trying to get in touch with Mr. Ford. Could you tell him that Mr. Hammer is here to see him about the job he offered."

The receptionist replies, "No problem sir."

She punches the number on the phone six, two, seven. She smiles at him and he smiles back.

"He said have a seat. He will have someone come get you in a few minutes."

"Thank you very much."

He walks over to one of the lobby chairs and sits down. He waits a few minutes and dials Mick on his cell.

"Be ready I am going to have him running out of here in about ten minutes. If I don't make it before he leaves. Your going to have to take care of it."

"All right."

"Call you when I am done."

He hangs up the phone just as soon as one of Brandon's goons walks up to him.

"This way Hammer."

"You first dumb shit."

The man gets riled up. He almost attacks Lane, but remembers what happened the last time. Lane gets up quickly making him flinch.

"Move on stupid."

"One of these days Hammer I am going to kill you."

"Not today bucko."

He leads Lane in to the elevator. He pushes the button for the sixth floor. They are met by two more goons. One of them starts to frisk him. He kicks the man in the knee. He elbows his escort in the side of the head and takes his gun away. He aims it at the third man.

"Open the door and back away."

The remaining guard opens the door and backs up. Lane walks over to the door and peeks in no one at home. He walks down the hall to room six-twenty-seven. He kicks the door handle and the door pops open. Several shots are fired at the door. He runs back down the hall and grabs his escort. He pulls the man back down the hall. He hoists him up and shoves him in to the room. He follows him into the room diving behind the man and shoots the two men firing. They riddled his escort with bullets all three men fall to the floor dead. He pops up from the floor trying to find Ford. Gone, seems he escaped in all of the shooting. The goon left in the hallway comes rushing in with his gun drawn. Lane doesn't waste any effort and puts a bullet between the man's eyes.

He calls Mick, "He is on the run. Have you got him?"

"Yeah, I have him. Looks like he is headed to his moms."

"Ok I will leave him up to you. I have a mess to clean up."

He hangs up the phone. He takes the weapon over to the bed and rips the sheet off. He wipes the gun and throws it in the middle of the carnage he walks out to the hall and grabs the last remaining goon. The man starts begging for his life.

"Shut up your going to help me or your going to end up like your buddies." He drags the man in to the hotel room. "Call security and tell them I am going to be down to pick up all the video surveillance for the last hour. Then you get some people to clean up this mess. I don't care how you do it. If this makes the news I will be back to finish this. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

He drags the man over to the phone. The man does what he is told. Lane slaps him on the back of the head and rips out the phone cord as he leaves. He heads down to the security office and gets the tapes. He goes out the kitchen so he wont be seen. In the alley, he finds a car that is unlocked. He pops open the glove box and rifles through the papers. The car is licensed to the casino. He finds a spare set of keys in the armrest. He gets out of town as quickly as possible.

Mick follows Ford all the way to his mother's house. Ford sees him pull up and runs towards the front door. He opens the door and is blown back fifteen feet from the trailer. Mick walks up to him and sees the gaping wound in his chest. Ford is still breathing. Mick reaches down and snaps his neck. He walks toward the trailer.

He calls out, "Its Mick. He is dead. I am coming in."

He enters the trailer. The old woman is soothing her daughter on the couch. Mick takes the shotgun out of her hand and nods his head to her. He goes back outside.

He calls Lane, "Its done."

"How did you do it?"

"I didn't have to. Mary shot him when he entered the trailer. Where are you?"

"I am on my way back. I have a car I need to get rid of. Have any suggestions?"

"Yeah, get here quickly. I have the perfect place."

They throw ford in the car and drive it to an abandon mineshaft. They push the car in to the shaft and head home.

"What are we going to tell her?"

"The truth just don't tell her everything."

She wakes a few hours later under the sheets. How did she end up under the covers she wonders. She notices it is still very early in the morning. She puts on panties and a t-shirt. She walks to the living room. The television is on. She walks over to the couch and sees the two boys asleep. She turns the television off and searches for Mick and Lane. She does not find them. She goes in to the bedroom and grabs one of the blankets. She puts it over the boys.

The oldest one slightly wakes up, "There is chicken and soda in the fridge."

"Thank you. Go back to sleep."

She walks in to the kitchen. She grabs the chicken and a soda out. She sits down at the table and starts eating. Mick and lane walk in waking up the boys. Mick rushes them off to bed carrying the youngest one. Lane enters the kitchen. He does not say a word and opens the refrigerator pulling out a bottle of water. He sits down across from her. He opens up the water and grabs a piece of chicken. She gets up and grabs a couple of paper towels. She hands him one and sits back down. She sits studying the man. She sees in him grief and weariness. She notices the blood on his sleeves. She knows her problem with Ford have been nullified. Mick comes in the room breaking her study. He sees her and is astounded at how lovely she looks.