Dinner with the Blakemores (The Blakemore Files Book 5) (10 page)

Victorío arrived on Thanksgiving morning to find a table full of hung over men. Well, everyone but Dusty and Bobby Ray.  Those two were bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and getting the fires started for roasting the pig in the pit.  Dusty stood by the fire, using a long hot poker to dig in the coals, mix in the wood chips along with mesquite chunks to get the fire ready for the meat.  Another grill was fired up for ribs so that Bobby Ray could show off to his new best buddy, Big Sarge, his famous bar-be que sauce.

Unfortunately, after spending much of the night on the hallway floor, Big Sarge was not only hungover, but stiff, sore, and bordering on cranky.  Lucy had the cure all as she doled out her hangover remedy and passed everyone a glass. She stopped in front of her eldest son, staring at him.

“Saxton, it is good to see you this morning with clothes on. I don’t know why you decided to come find me in the middle of the night to talk about the meaning of life, butt raving naked,” she told him.

Saxton only mumbled under his breath. “My clothes were hot.”

There were many other items on Lucy’s mind to discuss with her son. At the top of the list were all the bullet holes in his body.  Tears flooded her eyes when he walked away from her last night and guilt took over. 
Had I been a better mother, he would have never run off into danger to prove himself.
This morning, a new feeling had taken over Lucy, and along with the celebration of the holiday, there were many things for which to be thankful. Her son was home and she was going to be a grandmother.

Odessa was past grateful when Ryanne walked through the back door around 9:30 am.  It was obvious to all that the Ryanne who walked through the door in the morning was not the one who walked out last night. The version that came through the doorway for breakfast was full of spark, seemed sated, and was carrying a great deal of confidence – confidence that shone through when a call came in from Dwight’s mother.

Ryanne took the call at the kitchen table as she ate like a woman who had not seen food in a month. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Dobbins, but I am not in Corpus Christie.  I am in Houston. I have been in Houston since Monday.”

There were questions flung at her along with accusations through the phone. “I did not kill your son.  Yes, I shot him, but I didn’t kill him.”

Screaming could be heard through the line. “You want answers about his death?  Start with his bank accounts.  Whomever was paying him all that extra money is who you have a fight with, not me,” she told her very upset mother-in-law.

“No, that is not true, Mrs. Dobbins. I found out about the bribes at 3:30 in the morning from a phone call he was having in the kitchen.  When I would not play along is when he decided to beat me into acceptance.  I will tell you the same thing I told him, my father doesn’t hit me, and neither would he … which is why I shot him,” Ryanne told her.

Mrs. Dobbins was still yelling. “I’m sorry your son is dead but whomever was paying him is probably who killed him….  No, not necessary. I will have the body released to you as well as everything in his bank accounts.  I will have my things out of the house by Saturday and I want nothing else to do with him.”

Dwight’s mother was still talking when Ryanne hung up the phone.  She looked around the table. “Can someone pass me those grits?”

She was smiling as she guzzled down a glass of orange juice. “I am so thirsty this morning!”

Renteria was deep in a conversation with Connard about airplanes, when Odessa spoke to her husband.

“Saxton, the oddest thing happened yesterday in the mercantile,” she started to say to her husband.  “This man took a selfie with me.  He took one with Ms. Patsy as well … wait,” she said.  Odessa darted up the stairs, or as fast as she could move with a small bowling ball for a belly.  She returned a few minutes later with her phone.  “I took a selfie with him too.”

Odessa turned the phone to Saxton. “Have you ever seen this guy before?  He said his name was Eddie.”

Ryanne’s head came up slowly. 
How does she know Eddie
?

The phone was floating about the table as others took a peek. Saxton, who could almost hear a rat urinate on cotton, was having trouble drowning out ambient sounds.  Everything sounded loud to him. Especially when Renteria came into the room, saw the selfie, and dropped his glass.

“
Ay Dios Mio
! Do you know who that is?” he asked.

Everyone, including Ryanne, all asked, “Who is he?”

Renteria legs were giving way under him as he fumbled to get to a chair, trying to sit while talking at the same time. “That is Eduardo Delgado!  The head of the Zeta Cartel! He is Hugo’s younger brother and the man who sent Mateo to kill you.”

Saxton was stone cold sober now. He sat up alert and staring at the photo. 
I have not been paying attention.  I let my guard down and he got this close to my wife and son
.

Ryanne remained quiet.  Big Sarge could not. “He doesn’t seem like that big of a bad ass to me.  That Mateo guy was more intimidating than this dude.”

“Well, Mateo is dead.  This dude …” Renteria paused.  He pointed at the pic of the man in the phone, “… sent me Mateo’s head in a box yesterday.”

“Say what now?”  Ryanne asked. It was all too much for her, as she tried to stand, lost her footing, which caused her plate to flip off the table, a plate that also served as a receptacle for the vomit that also flowed from her mouth. Dora was trying to console her as shots could be heard in the distance.

“Where is Roget?” Saxton asked.

“Where is Kevin?” Odessa wanted to know.

“Where did the shots come from?” Renteria asked.

Dusty came into the kitchen. “The shots came from the stables.”

“Odessa, ladies, you stay here.  Grandma, arm the women folk, we will be back in a jiffy,” Saxton said as he darted out the back door, each footfall reminding him of his pounding head.

It was indeed a beautiful horse.  As a lover of horse flesh and all things fine, Eduardo appreciated the regal bearing of the black stallion. His intention had been to simply take a photo with the animal. Longshot was not having any part of it.  As Eduardo leaned against the stall, the horse clamped down on his shoulder and bit him. “You son of a bi-…” Eduardo swore at the beast.

Longshot had learned early how to open his stall.  This was also a surprise for Eduardo when the horse bent his head, lifted the latch, and came out of the stall at him.  All Eduardo could see was black muscle coming at him with hooves, teeth, and anger.  His hands were up defensively when Roget came into the stables.

“What in the hell?” Roget asked.  When Eduardo turned, Roget knew immediately who he was.  “How the fu-…” was all Roget managed to get out, as Eduardo pulled his gun and flipped off the safety, firing three shots.

One was a warning to the horse, who did not slowdown in his attack.  The second went into the horse’s head and third one went into Roget’s leg.  The big man dropped.  The blood was spurting from his leg as Eduardo looked at him, raised his gun in the air, and fired another shot.  The horses went into a tizzy as he heard footsteps coming his way in a hurry.  Eduardo opened the doors of the rear stalls, setting those horses free. He made a point of steering them away from Roget as he ran out the back entrance using the horses as cover.

Roget was losing a lot of blood and Longshot was dead. And that was only the start of Thanksgiving Day.

Saxton arrived in the barn to find Roget bleeding out.  At that rate, he was not going to survive until the ambulance arrived.  Everyone in the barn knew it, but Saxton was home, he wasn’t in the field.  On the ranch, there was nothing his daddy couldn’t fix and make better. He yelled at the top of his lungs, “Daddy!  Help!”

Bobby Ray had made it to the barn when he saw Marecus on the ground and all the blood. “Holy shit balls, they got an artery!”

Without saying a word, Bobby Ray turned and took off running.  Dusty was in the barn locating a piece of leather to tie off Roget’s leg. The hot poker that was jutting out of the pit, Bobby Ray pulled, turned on his boot heel, and started running again for the stables.  At 65 years old, the patriarch was in great condition.  At 6’3, a solid 225 pounds, it was impressive to see the grey-haired version of Saxton moving so deftly.  It was uncertain how smart it was to run with a red-hot poker in his hands, but a life was at stake.

Winded, but focused, he said, “Hold him down!”  Dusty had already torn away Roget’s pants leg as the hot poker sizzled as it made contact with flesh. 

Saxton’s gloved hand had been inserted into Roget’s mouth for the man to bite down on while Bobby Ray cauterized the bleeder.  The agent’s limp body was cradled in Saxton’s arms.  Saxton refused to let anyone touch Marecus until the ambulance came. Roget’s dark skin had taken on an ashen hue as everyone stood around waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

“Saxton,” Bobby Ray spoke softly. “I stopped the bleeding, but he has lost a lot of blood.”

“I’m O negative, we can transfuse him here, just pump some of my blood into him, Daddy!”  Saxton’s insistent voice made Bobby Ray want to try, but he didn’t. He watched with interest the visual of his son cradling the fallen agent. It was obvious the love his son had for his friend.

“I think I got that vein sealed up in time son, we just have to wait,” he told him.

“He’s my friend, Daddy.  He is a good friend.  I can’t let him die on my watch,” Saxton insisted.  His eyes were full of tears as he looked over at Longshot. He wasn’t certain if he was crying for his horse, his friend, or for allowing the enemy inside of the gates.
Eduardo was standing next to my wife. That bastard was posing with her and my grandmother
.

“Don’t you die on me, Roget!  If you die, I am going to be really pissed at you!” Saxton yelled at the limp body that he was cradling in his arms. His emotions were overtaking him, unraveling him at his core.

Bobby Ray spoke to his son. “I know you are his friend, son, but what he needs right now is for you to be the agent in charge.  You need to go to work, Agent Blakemore,” Bobby Ray said.

Agent Blakemore was back at work. He used his father’s phone to call into the office.  The ambulance arrived alongside a special detail to keep Roget secure as he was transported to the hospital. The stables were locked down.  Dusty and the crew gathered up Longshot’s remains as Saxton tried hard not to look at the horse as it was taken away. 
What kind of man kills a horse
?
A sadistic one that’s going to die a horrible, painful death
.

Inside the house, the women were fretful as Saxton walked in covered in blood.  Ryanne’s face was grey as she looked at all the blood on her brother-in-law.

“Saxton?” Odessa asked with the lightest of voices.

“I don’t know yet.  Daddy cauterized the bleed, but we don’t know.  Eduardo shot Roget and nicked an artery,” his voice was brimming with emotion. “He also killed Longshot.” The collective gasps almost sucked all the air from the room.

Ryanne’s phone rang and it was Eduardo’s face on the screen.  Saxton looked at her in confusion.  She answered the phone, “Hello?”

“Please put me on speaker, Mrs. Dobbins,” Eduardo said into her ear. He was not using the American accent.

With a few swipes of her finger, she placed the phone on speaker as her late night lover came over the line. “Good morning, Blakemores.  It seems that on this Thursday American holiday, you have a great deal for which to be thankful.”

Saxton was furious.  “You should be thankful that I didn’t get to that barn in time.”

Eduardo clucked into the phone. “I do admit, Agent Blakemore, I thought you would be far more formidable. It has been a bit of a disappointment.  You have offered me no real challenge.”

“So you took it out on my horse instead?” Saxton asked.

“And your wife killed my brother!” Eduardo exclaimed.

“But that was a magnificent and good horse,” Saxton responded.  The line was quiet. Eduardo exhaled.

“I want and need you to understand, Blakemore, that I have touched everything near and dear to you. I can get close any time I want to and take away everything that makes you stand upright,” Eduardo said.

That weird feeling that had been bothering Odessa was back. “Kevin … where is my brother?”

Eduardo laughed. “He is in the barn.  He is unhurt.”

Saxton was beyond furious. “You come into my home, touch my family, and you expect me to do nothing?”

The cartel leader raised his voice. “You will not do a goddamned thing!  You should be very thankful today that the only thing I did kill was your fucking horse!”

The line was quiet.  Eduardo was tired of all of them. “You stay away from me and my operations and I will stay away from you. If you make one move towards anything I own and operate, next time it will not be your favorite animal.”

He clicked off the line.

The family stood stunned.

Lucy was the first to speak. “Sobriety is grossly overrated.  I need a damned drink! Somebody bring me a frickin’ highball!”