“Donna! You need to calm down!” Cale said. There were cops everywhere trying to get a handle on the situation, and Donna’s histrionics weren’t helping.

 

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” she screamed. “You said you could protect us! You said we would be safe!”

 

“You need to go,” Randy said firmly.

 

“Randy,” Dix said, drawing him away. Cale wasn’t getting anywhere so he thought he’d try. Not that the Cutthroats had a leg to stand on. If someone had ridden up and shot up his house, he’d be pissed off, too. “We’re doing the best we can. Rog took a bullet for you tonight. What else do you expect us to do?”

 

“I don’t know, but what you’re doing isn’t enough!”

 

“If you want to take your family and leave town for a few days, I understand. But if you knuckle under now, the Firechrome will know they’ve gotten to you. If they organized a hit, they have to be in town. We’ll find them.”

 

“You’ve been saying that for two fucking weeks!”

 

“Don’t you think I know that?” Dix barked. “We’ve been following up on every sighting that could even remotely be the Firechrome!” He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself. “Look, I know this shit isn’t supposed to happen in Douglas. But this is what it’s going to be like if the Firechrome move into town. You know that. So unless you plan on selling your house and relocating your business, you need to work with us on this.”

 

“You expect me to sit around and do nothing while thugs are shooting at my family?”

 

“I expect you to man the fuck up and help protect not only your family, but the families of your friends and neighbors. That’s what we’re trying to do!”

 

Randy glared at Dix. “What do you expect me to do?”

 

“Get your wife calmed down and have her stop making wild accusations to start with. I’ll talk to Cale. You’re obviously their prime target, so we’ll put an escort on you and your family. But we have to start locking your family down as much as possible. No more piano lessons and dance recitals until we get this problem resolved, okay? If Roger getting shot trying to protect you isn’t proof of our commitment, I don’t know what will be.”

 

Randy glared at him a moment then sighed. “Okay. I’ll talk to her. How is he?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“When you find out, let me know?”

 

Dix slapped Randy on the back. “You got it.”

 

“Let’s go,” Dix said as he walked past Cale.

 

“We need to—”

 

“We need to go!” Dix said, talking over him.

 

Cale followed Dix out to the curb. “What the hell’s your problem, Dix?”

 

“Look, Randy’s scared, Donna’s scared, and Libby and Melissa are scared. How would you like it if someone came by your house in the middle of the night and shot it full of holes? I talked to Randy and he’ll come around, but not with us in there stirring up the shit with his wife.”

 

“Goddamnit, this isn’t our fault! What does he expect from us! Roger got shot because of them!” Cale snarled.

 

“I know it, and Randy knows it, and Donna probably knows it, too. But they need time to calm down before they’ll see that, and you trying to convince them everything is going to be okay is only pissing everyone off because it not fucking okay!”

 

“Don’t you think I fucking know that?” Cale yelled, getting into Dix’s face, before backing off. “Sorry, brother. It’s not your fault either. We’re overmatched here and I don’t know what to do. They have unlimited resources compared to us and they have us on the defensive. We don’t know when, where, or how they’ll hit next.”

 

“This will wake up the cops,” Dix said. “Maybe they’ll start taking us a little more seriously now.”

 

“The Firechrome are turning us into the bad guys,” Cale growled, “and I don’t know how to stop it.”

 

“I know, but we better figure out something, and fast, before somebody breaks. Once that happens, and they get a toehold, we’re going to be in a world of shit.”

 

***

 

After Dix returned in the wee hours of the morning she hadn’t gone back to sleep. Leo’s call last night had upset her to the point she’d slept little, and after he went to sleep, she spent the rest of the morning, sitting in the dark, thinking. She knew Dix and the Cutthroats were trying, but it was time for her to step up. Dix had told her to believe in herself and act when the opportunity presented itself. As she heard the alarm beeping in the bedroom she made up her mind. If she were going to get Riley back, it was up to her.

 

While Dix and James worked, she drove into Douglas and bought a prepaid phone, then sat in her car as she called Leo. She knew what she was doing was stupid, but she had to see Riley and this appeared to be the only way.

 

She did as Leo asked, and begged to come back to him, playing her part to the hilt. He’d agreed to meet her, but she was to come alone, he’d be watching, and he’d call her on the way and tell her where they were meeting.

 

She’d just crossed the Siuslaw River Bridge when her phone rang. “Turn into the motel on your left then stop in front of the office,” Leo said then hung up. She barely had time to slow and make her turn. She did as instructed and a moment later, Leo rode up.

 

“Nice car,” he sneered as she rolled down her window.

 

“Is he here?”

 

“Phone,” he ordered holding out his hand. He took it then threw into traffic.

 

“I just bought that, you asshole!”

 

“Follow me,” he said as he moved off.

 

She followed him as he wound and weaved through town before arriving at a slightly seedy motel on the west side of town. As he dismounted she stepped out of her car.

 

“Give me a kiss,” he ordered and she did as he demanded, though the feel of his tongue in her mouth was almost enough to make her gag.

 

He opened the door and Riley was there, alone, lying on the bed watching cartoons. “You left him alone in the room? Are you stupid?” she cried as she moved to Riley.

 

“He’s fine,” he said waving off her concerns.

 

He smiled when he saw her, but he wasn’t his normal boisterous five-year-old self. “Mommy!”

 

“Leo, he’s burning up!” she said as hugged him.

 

“It’s just a cold.”

 

“I don’t feel so good,” Riley said then barked out a wet sounding cough.

 

“I know, baby. Leo, we need to get him to a doctor.”

 

“I’m not taking him to the fucking doctor over a fucking cold.”

 

“This is more than a cold, Leo!”

 

He gave her a dismissive wave. “He just started coming down with it a couple days ago. Jesus, stop being such a pansy ass. We can take him to the doctor when we get to Eugene.”

 

“Eugene?”

 

“Yes, Eugene. You and Riley can stay at the clubhouse until I get this thing in Douglas finished. This is my big break, baby. I get this done and I’m a shoe-in for the VP position.”

 

She had to work hard not to roll her eyes. It was the same shit all over again. “Leo, let’s just take Riley to a doctor and have him looked at, then we can talk about Eugene, okay?”

 

Leo shook his head. “You think I’m stupid? Is that it? The minute we get to a doctor, you’ll start screaming your head off. I’ll have the club doctor look at him at the clubhouse. He can give him a shot or something.”

 

She turned her attention back to Riley. She didn’t like the slight wheeze when he breathed. “Leo, this is more than a cold, and I wouldn’t trust that quack to treat my dog, much less Riley.”

 

“Just shut up about the fucking doctor! The answer is no, and I don’t want to hear another fucking thing about it!”

 

She could see the rage coming and cringed back. “Okay, anything you say. But when we get to Eugene, right?”

 

“Yeah. When we get to Eugene.”

 

“Can we go now? Riley can ride in the car with me.”

 

Leo smiled, an ugly, cruel, smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “There you go, thinking I’m stupid again. He rides with me.”

 

“Okay, Leo, okay. But can we go now, before it gets dark? I don’t want him out in the night air.” She decided to lay it on with a trowel. “That’ll give us, you know, more time for other things, too,” she said as she sauntered up to him.

 

“What’s the matter? Dixon not enough of a man for you?” he asked as he pulled her in for a hard kiss.

 

“Nobody can satisfy me like you did,” she cooed. “If you’ll get Riley ready to travel, I’m going to go pee.”

 

“You got it, baby,” he smiled, slapping her on the ass. She always hated that, but said nothing. She didn’t really have to go, but she wanted the time to think of a plan. Finished, she flushed. “Riley, you want to pee-pee before we go?” She waited while Riley did his business, getting her keys into her hand.

 

“I’m going to go, then we can leave,” Leo said.

 

The moment she heard the sound of running water she grabbed Riley and dashed for the door. She had to unlock the safety chain and the deadbolt before the door would open.

 

“What are you doing?” Leo roared, rushing out of the bathroom as she jerked the door open and ran for her car.

 

She made it to her car and threw Riley inside, slamming her door and locking it just as Leo arrived. Riley was crying in fear as she tried to get the key into the ignition with shaking hands. The door window shattered when Leo smashed it with his gun, shards of glass flying into the car. She shrieked in terror, trying to turn the key as he grabbed her hair and banged her head against the steering wheel, which left her seeing stars, then unlocked her door and dragged her out.

 

“You thought you could steal my son, you bitch?” he snarled as he backhanded her hard across the face, before squeezing her face painfully tight. “I’ll show you what I do to someone who tries that shit!”

 

She tried to tear his fingers from her face, kicking and scratching at him as he slammed her backwards into the side of her car. He grabbed her by the hair again and hauled her off the car before slapping her with his open palm. She went hard to the ground, sobbing.

 

“Please! You’re hurting me!” she sobbed as she crabbed against the car.

 

He hauled her to her feet by the hair, putting his face only inches from hers. “I’ll do a lot more than hurt you if you try something like that again,” he snarled before shoving her to the ground again, then kicking her once in the ribs for good measure.

 

As she sobbed, covering her aching ribs, Leo reached into the car and picked up the sobbing Riley. “Why are you hurting Mommy?” he asked as he cried, coughed long and hard, then began to cry again.

 

“Mommy was being bad,” Leo replied, bouncing Riley slightly. “But everything will be okay when we get home. Stop crying now, okay?”

 

Riley nodded as he began to cough again.

 

“Please, Leo, I just want to take him to the doctor. Please, let me take him to the doctor,” Daisy sobbed as she struggled to her feet.

 

“When we get to Eugene, I told you that!” She nodded, and sat down in her car, wincing at the ache in her ribs. “No, wait! I have a better idea,” he said, his face breaking into a smile. “Go back to Dixon and let him see what happens when someone defies the Firechrome. I’m done fucking around. It’s time for me to explain what the Firechrome can do. Tell him to come alone to that little park thing at the south end of the bridge. If I see anyone other than Dixon, you’ll never see Riley again. Nine o’clock tonight. Got it?”

 

She nodded, wiping the blood from her face.

 

“You better convince him and his club to start playing ball if you ever want to see your son again.”

 

***

 

“My God! What happened?” Dix cried as Daisy stepped painfully into the trailer. It had been several hours since she left, and he’d been getting worried.

 

“Leo,” she murmured, her mouth already swelling painfully.

 

“Leo! He did this to you?” Dix asked as he carefully looked at her face. She had a cut on her forehead that had left a bloodstain, and both sides of her face were beginning to bruise and swell.

 

She nodded.

 

“How? We need to get you to a doctor!”

 

She shook her head. “No, I’ll be okay.”

 

“How?” he asked again as he helped her to the couch.

 

“I called him. I had to see Riley. He’s sick, Dix. He needs to see a doctor, but Leo wouldn’t let me take him. He wanted me to go back to Eugene with him. I tried to take Riley and run. He broke out my window and then beat me. He sent me back to you, as a warning, to show you what they’re capable of.”

 

“That bastard! I’ll kill him!”

 

She put her hand on his arm. “He wants to meet. He said there’s a park at the south end of the bridge and to meet him there alone, tonight, at nine o’clock. He said he wanted to explain what the Firechrome can do. He said if you don’t start playing ball, I would never see Riley again.”

 

He thought. “There’s a parking lot there. That must be what he’s talking about.” He smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”

 

“Don’t go. I’m sure it’s a trap.”

 

“Maybe, but this will give us a chance to find out what their game is. But I’m not stupid. I’ll have backup.”

 

“He said come alone.”

 

“And you think he’ll be there alone?”

 

“No.”

 

“Neither do I.” He pulled his phone from his pocket, dialing a number then looking at her as it rang. “Where did you meet him?”

 

“Some motel. The Sand Lot? Something like that.”

 

Dix nodded. “Cale. We need to check out The Sand Lot Motel, like now. Daisy just met Leo there and got the shit beat out of her. He may still be there.”

 

“I’ll round up some brothers and get there as soon as we can!”

 

“Cale…Riley is there.”

 

“Got it. How is she?”

 

“Beat all to hell.”

 

“We got this. Take care of her,” Cale said before he hung up.

 

“Do you really think he’ll still be there?” she asked.

 

“No, but we maybe we’ll get lucky.” He looked her over again. “Jesus, he really did a number on you. What were you thinking, going there alone?”

 

“Stupid, I guess.”

 

He tipped her head down and kissed her on top of the head. “Don’t be stupid again, okay?” She nodded, and he tipped her head down for another kiss on the head. “Wait here while I get a wet cloth.”