Shade(215)

“Well?” he asked impatiently.

“All done. I took care of the problem. The motor that keeps the freezer cold had a clog in the coolant line. I flushed it out, and your freezer should be cold enough to freeze your balls off before you get back inside.”

“Thank Christ. I lost my bonus this month and had to run a meat sale the last two days to get rid of the meat in the freezer.”

“Well, it’s all fixed now.” Shade reached in his pocket, pulling out a pre-made bill then handing it to him. “You can pay that online if it’s easier for you.”

“Thanks. I will.”

“Have a nice day.” Shade placed his metal box in the back of the borrowed truck before climbing inside then shutting the door. He would clean it down and dump it not far from the owner’s house. They would think it had been taken out for a joyride, and it had.

* * *

Shade held his rifle steady, slowing his breathing one heartbeat at a time, focusing only on the woman sitting at the picnic table. Watching her smoke the cigarette, he let her take six puffs before he pulled the trigger. It was the longest shot he had ever made at almost three hundred meters.

When her head hit the table, he knew he had succeeded in making the kill. Loosening his legs which had been gripping the tree trunk for sixteen hours, he slid the strap of his rifle over his shoulder then climbed down the tree to land on his feet.

Hurriedly, he broke down the rifle, placing it carefully in the canvas bag as he heard the loud blasting of the sirens.

He took a brief glance at his wristwatch before smoothing out the leaves beneath the tree. Jogging in a zigzag pattern through the wooded area, he increased his speed, jumping over the water to land on the other side of the creek. Once on the other side, he walked downstream several feet before deftly jumping sideways into the creek. Turning in the other direction, he began walking upstream.

He was two miles up before it started getting deep. Shade pulled on the straps of his bag so it would ride higher on his shoulders. When the water became waist-deep, he came to the tree he had been looking for. Jumping up with all the strength in his legs, he managed to grip the low-hanging limb and climbed up onto it until he could reach the trunk of the large tree. Shimmying down, he took off running through the woods for three miles. As he turned the bend, he came to a campfire with two men sitting on the riverbank, fishing.#p#分页标题#e#

“What took so long?” Rider asked, taking a hit from the joint in his hand.

“Kiss my ass,” Shade said, going inside the tent where he took off the canvas bag and placed it in a trash bag, zip-tying it closed before placing it inside the cooler. The fish inside were four days old. Shade had to hold his breath when he opened it. Anyone opening it would puke their guts out from the smell, assuming it was rotten fish inside the trash bag. If the dogs did track him there, the fish inside the cooler would throw them off the scent.

Shade slammed the cooler shut then took off his camouflage pants and shirt. He dressed in jeans and a T-shirt before packing his wet clothes back outside, throwing them into the campfire after dousing them with lighter fluid.

Placing a metal grate on top, he set a frying pan with fish in it onto the fire. It didn’t take long before the smell of frying fish filled the air.

Shade stood up, stretching before walking toward Rider. He crouched down next to him, taking the joint held out to him.

Cash tossed him a cold beer, which he caught with the other hand.

“We heading home in the morning?” Cash asked.

“Yes.”

“What are you going to tell Lily if she smells weed on your clothes?” Rider joked.

Shade grinned back. “I’ll tell her I didn’t inhale.”





Chapter 76



When Rider pulled his truck to a stop in The Last Riders’ parking lot, Shade opened the passenger side door and got out as Rider and Cash hopped out alongside him. Shade opened the back door, reaching inside and pulling out his canvas bag, looping it over his shoulder before slamming the truck door closed. He then moved around to the bed of the truck, helping Cash pull out the big ice cooler.

“You go ahead. We got this.” Rider grinned, coming around the back of the truck.

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Have fun.” He smiled mockingly as he reached inside the truck bed for the fishing poles.

“Later,” Shade said to both men, turning toward the path which led to his house.

He was halfway there when he saw her running toward him down the path lined with spring flowers she had planted, her purple dress and black hair blowing in the breeze.

His somber expression broke into a smile as he came to a stop, lifting his shades to the top of his head so he could see her clearly. When she got close, he held out his arms and Lily jumped into them, her mouth already turned up for his kiss. He gave her the kiss he knew she wanted; he’d take his when he got her inside their home.