Tank

By Harley Wylde

Emmie -- I overheard my father promise my hand in marriage to a man who is so cold I’m not sure he even has a heart. So I did what any young woman would do. I ran. My sister, Federal Agent Lupita Montoya, gave me sanctuary in the US and helped me file the

• Language: English
• Publisher: Changeling Press
• Release date: Feb 1, 2019

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wife.

Prologue

Emelda

I pressed a hand to the glass separating me from my sister, the only person who had ever cared about me. I clutched the phone to my ear with my other hand. Lupita didn’t deserve to be locked up, but I understood why she’d done it. It was wrong on so many levels, but she’d wanted the Dixie Reapers to owe her a favor, and she hoped by association that Casper VanHorne would as well if the Reapers couldn’t protect me. The kind of trouble I was in wouldn’t be solved easily, so my big sister had taken it upon herself to guarantee I’d have help when I needed it. And that time had come.

Lupita, why couldn’t you have just asked them for help? I asked.

I’ve told you before, I couldn’t take a chance they would deny my request. You need protection, Emmie. Not even my connections could save you. Besides, it’s more like a resort here. I get to watch TV, get free food, and there’s a gym. What more could I want?

Freedom? I eyed the glass separating us, and I wasn’t convinced she was telling me the truth about the resort quality, but I knew Lupita was hard as nails and a complete badass. If anyone could handle themselves in prison, it would be her. I just hated it had come to this. She’d been locked up for too long already, and I worried she’d never get out.

I’ll be out of here before you know it.

They think you killed all those men, I whispered. You’re never getting out of here. It’s been two years already! Nearly two and a half!

Sure I am. She flashed her teeth in a smile that looked downright predatory. Just have to have dirt on the right people and it’s amazing what you can accomplish. I’m out of here in about three more years, maybe less. A lot less. In the meantime, go find Tank. The compound is in Alabama, a small town not too far from the Florida panhandle. I left the directions in our secret place. The man’s a total man-whore, but I don’t think you’re his type. He seems to like tough women.

I looked around, making sure no one was listening.

Lupita, what if they turn me away?

Then you come back here and tell me. I’ll make their lives a living hell, she said, her voice flat and hard. I knew she meant it too. One in particular would never see his woman and kid again, and I know they’ll do whatever it takes to keep that from happening. When you leave here, don’t stop until you’re out of the state. Go straight to Tank, and only stop for short breaks. They’ll be watching you, Emmie.

I know. I pressed my lips together. It’s not fair, Lupita.

Life never is, she said, and as women, we’re often dealt a shitty hand. Rise above, Emmie. Rise above. I’d tell you to stand and fight, but you’ve never been much of a fighter. I don’t think I’ve even seen you kill a bug before.

I smiled faintly. My sister had always been fierce and I loved that about her, but it just wasn’t who I was. She’d tried to train me to fight, but I’d never mastered the skills as well as she had. I could hold my own for a brief time, but Lupita could take a man down and keep him down. I’d barely give myself enough time to run away.

Go, Emmie, she said, her voice hard again.

I’m going. I love you, Lupita.

This isn’t goodbye forever, she said, smiling. Just bye for now. Take care of yourself, kid. And whatever you do, don’t fall for a Reaper’s charm. They’d chew you up and spit you out.

I hung up the phone and pushed my chair back. The guards eyed me as I left, and I signed out of the prison that housed my sister for who knew how much longer. Just like her resort comment, I wasn’t sure I believed her about the three years either.

It was a hot rainy day, spring having bled into summer. Two years and nearly six months. My sister had been in that place for too long already. She’d turned herself in right before Christmas two years ago, and it hadn’t taken long before she transferred to this horrible place. Since she’d pled guilty, the trial had moved at a lightning pace. My gut clenched when I thought about her being stuck here. She’d never tell me if it was as bad as I imagined.

I got into my car and stared at the prison one last time before driving away. I checked my mirrors often, the way she’d trained me to do, and hoped no one was following me. I knew my life would be over if my father, or Ernesto Lopez, got their hands on me.

Growing up, I hadn’t realized my father was a bad man. I knew he was busy and didn’t have time for me, that our family was far from normal, but Lupita had always been there. At least, until she’d turned eighteen and moved to America. She’d attended college here and pushed herself, excelling at everything she tried, and eventually landed a job with the FBI. She was a lot older than me, and I’d always looked up to her, which is why I eagerly moved here to be with her after I overhead my father. Selling me.

Maybe selling was a bit harsh of a description. He’d actually been negotiating a marriage contract, to a man who was old enough to be my grandfather. I’d peeked into my father’s office after hearing their discussion, and the man signing the papers had made my stomach turn. It wasn’t that he was ugly, even though he was far older than I’d have preferred. No, it was the coldness that seemed to seep from him and permeate the surrounding space. His eyes were flat and dead, and I knew his soul was too. It hadn’t taken much for me to learn who he was, or who my father was for that matter. Anyone with an Internet connection could read the articles on either man, and none were good. So, I’d run.

Lupita had kept me safe as long as possible, but with her locked up, no one would stop my father or my husband-to-be if they came for me. I didn’t know how Lupita had kept them away for so long, but she’d managed it. Even while she’d been incarcerated, they’d kept their distance, but I knew they would come sooner or later. It was only a matter of time before my freedom was gone, and my life would be over. I’d read every article I could find on Ernesto Lopez, and what I’d found made me sick. He was a cruel, vicious man, and I knew I would only feel pain if I married him.

I didn’t understand why Lupita had waited so long to send me to the Dixie Reapers. If she’d thought Tank could help, why hadn’t she mentioned him sooner? All this time, and barely even a mention of the Reapers, other than how they pertained to her case and getting locked up. It made me wonder if she’d heard something, even in prison, and knew my father was closing in. Or maybe her connections who had kept me safe so far were backing off? I had so many questions I wanted to ask her, but with prison guards listening in, it hadn’t seemed wise.

My sister’s home office of the FBI hadn’t been far from the Dixie Reapers, but they’d incarcerated her in a special federal women’s prison up north. I had a long drive ahead of me, and I tried to hum along with the radio to pass the time. Lupita’s words stayed fresh in my mind, and no matter how tired I became, I kept driving. I stopped long enough to retrieve the directions she’d left me at our secret place, and found an envelope with a little cash, then got back on the road. Ever vigilant about just how long a car remained behind me. It took me over twenty hours, having to stop for breaks to stretch my legs and chug enough caffeine to stay awake. Finally, I approached the Dixie Reapers compound, and I couldn’t shake my fear. Whatever happened next would decide my fate.

And if they did turn me away, I knew I couldn’t go back to Lupita. For one, I didn’t have enough cash. For another, I was worried about the man who had the family, the Reaper my sister had mentioned. Lupita wouldn’t hesitate to ruin him if she thought it would help me in some way, and that was the last thing I wanted.

I rolled down my window when I came to a stop, and a man wearing a leather vest that said Prospect came toward me.

Are you lost? he asked.

Um, I don’t think so? This is the Dixie Reapers compound, isn’t it? I asked.

His gaze narrowed. You related to Diego?

No. I’m looking for Tank.

His eyebrows shot upward. Tank? He expecting you?

Probably not, I said. My sister sent me. She said Tank would protect me.

And who’s your sister? he asked.

Ex-Federal Agent Lupita Montoya. I’m Emelda Montoya. Emmie. My hands trembled where I gripped the steering wheel and I just knew he would send me away. Then I’d be left to fend for myself with no money, and no one to keep the monsters from taking me. Well, almost no money. I could probably get a room at some rundown motel, but how long would that last? There was very little left in the envelope.

You can leave a name and number. I’ll have Tank call you. He’s not here right now, the man said.

My shoulders slumped and the fatigue of the last day pressed down on me. I knew the funds I had left wouldn’t be enough for me to last very long. As much as I hated to do it, I needed that motel room I’d just been thinking about. No matter what happened from this moment forward, I would need rest to face whatever it was. I pulled a napkin from the glove compartment and a pen from my purse, then I scribbled my name and cell number down and handed it to the man. I didn’t know if Tank, or anyone here, would remember my sister. She’d gone to jail for them, but that didn’t mean anything. Maybe that happened in their world all the time.

Please. It’s really important that I see him, I said, pressing the napkin into his hand.

Sure. I’ll make sure he calls.

I knew my sister would have argued with him, insisted on being let inside the gates, but I’d never been a fighter like Lupita. Maybe the Tank person she’d said I should see would have listened, but the one at the gate wasn’t letting me get that close. I didn’t know if I believed him when he said Tank wasn’t available, but what good would it be to call him a liar?

I backed down the drive, and right before I turned onto the road, I saw him toss the napkin into the trash. If I couldn’t even get past the guy at the gate, how did I have a prayer of getting to see Tank? As far as I knew, there was no other way inside. And if this guy, who had seemed friendly enough at first, wouldn’t help me, why would Tank or any other Dixie Reaper? Tears blurred my vision as I pulled away. If the Dixie Reapers wouldn’t help me, then I had no one. I couldn’t use the money in