Pleasant Extortion (The Extortionists 1)

“It’s bad, man. I’d tell you to leave your lady inside but you won’t be able to protect her. This shit happened on her turf.”

Sometimes listening to Kurt was like trying to work a puzzle with too many missing pieces. Randon hurriedly dressed with his phone in hand. “Are you here?”

“No, man, I caught a flight to Cozumel. Heard the weather was good and all that. Where the fuck do you think I am? I’m standing in Pageant’s front yard. Get your ass out here!”

Randon tried not to wake her. He glanced at the clock and noted the time before he tiptoed out of the room. It wasn’t even five-thirty yet. They’d been in bed a few hours, but hardly long enough for a good night’s sleep.

As he walked toward the front door, Randon could hear the commotion beyond the entrance. The high and low beams from approaching cars flashed in front of the windows. “Shit.” He rushed outside and came to an abrupt halt, unable to believe his eyes.

He couldn’t see the bodies for the investigators, street cops, and onlookers, but he knew the victims. A sudden sickness left him doubled over a bush, losing his lunch and dinner from the day before. He’d been inside claiming his woman while other Bold and Free riders had been fighting for their lives, doing their best to protect them!

By the time Randon returned to an upright stance, Sheriff McKinney was in sight, rushing his way. He pushed several people aside before he reached him. “Like I said before, you seem to be everywhere these crimes occur.”

“I didn’t have anything to do with this.”

“Want to tell me why three of your buddies are dead and you’re the only one alive?”

Kurt appeared then, too. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” He turned to the sheriff. “Wait a minute. Did you say three?”

“Three not enough for you?”

He looked at Kurt. “Who’s missing? When I went inside with Pageant, there were four Bold and Free riders out here.”

“Four?” The sheriff jotted down some notes. “You’re sure?”

“Positive.” He pointed at the motorcycles parked under her carport. “Who rode with Mac last night?”

“Fellow from Boston. He lives in the South now and has a Nouthern twang.”

“Nouthern?” Sheriff McKinney shook his head. “Is that a new language?”

Kurt frowned. “Have you ever heard a Southerner talk after they’ve spent a few years in the North?”

“No.”

“No point in explaining right now,” Kurt said, focusing on Randon and tilting his chin toward the house. “Everything taken care of in there?”

“Yes.”

“Good to know.” Kurt slapped him between the shoulder blades. “I’m never disappointed when a brother hooks up with his life mate. Just more babes for me.”

“Try to show some respect, Kurt. These men were our friends.” Randon dragged his fingers around his mouth. “How could this have happened?”

“Apparently our guy doesn’t make a lot of noise.” Under his breath, Kurt quickly added, “Either that or you and the little lady made enough to drown out whatever was happening out here.”

To an outsider, Kurt would’ve appeared insensitive, but Randon understood Kurt’s demeanor. The man came into this world with death surrounding him and thanks to a volatile childhood that followed him into his later years, he hadn’t seen too many months without losing someone close to him.

One of the other bikers approached them and thumbed the air over his shoulder. “Couple of prospects from one of the local chapters stopped by to see if there’s anything we need.”

The sheriff stormed off as soon as the television news van with bold lettering on the side pulled in the driveway. WRBV-TV hadn’t wasted time. Perhaps someone should’ve told them that a soul-stealing vampire was still running around on the loose. Maybe then the majority of the spectators, potential victims, would sense the dangers in groups and return home.

“That’s it,” Randon muttered, realizing speculation at this point was just that, but also pretty certain he was on to something. “Our guy prefers to attack in numbers.”

Kurt shrugged. “It’s plausible, I guess.”

Randon turned to the other biker. “Find out who else was here with Mac. Send the prospects to find him. And pass the word along to the others, when we ride together, we ride in a loose formation. Everybody spreads out.”