“What do you mean guards?”
The words had barely left my mouth when a young man came up to my car and tapped on the window. He had thick blonde hair and intense dark eyes, and he was wearing a black leather jacket just like the one Widow always wore. As soon as I rolled down my window, he asked, “Can I help ya, ma’am?”
“I’m here to see Widow.”
“He know you’re coming?”
“Yes. He just called me a few minutes ago. He has my son with him.”
He nodded. “Hold on a sec.”
The man stepped away from the car as he pulled out his phone. I was trying to eavesdrop when Sean said, “You think Widow will let us come inside?”
“You are not going in that place, Sean.”
“But Mom...”
“Don’t even start. You’re going to sit in this car until I get your brother.”
Sean started grumbling but quickly stopped when the man came back to my window and motioned his hand towards the door. “Pull on up. Widow will be right with ya.”
“Thank you.”
I eased forward and parked next to the building. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to stay in my car or go inside, but I was simply too impatient to wait. As I opened my door, I looked over to Sean and said, “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
“And lock the doors and keep them locked until I get back. Understood?”
His brows furrowed with concern. “You’re kinda freaking me out, Mom.”
“It’s going to be fine.” I gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “Just stay put until I get back. Okay?”
“Okay.”
After I got out of the car, I closed the door, then pointed to the car lock. When I heard the locks click, I turned and rushed for the door. I tapped on the door. When there was no answer, I knocked a little harder. I could hear the low rumble of music coming from inside, so I opened the door and stepped inside. As soon as the door closed behind me, I knew I’d made a grave mistake. There were several tattooed and oh, so scary looking men sitting at the bar, and they were all glaring at me much like a predator would look at its prey right before it snatched its head off.
“I’m...ah...looking for Widow.” Sounding more like a question than a statement, I muttered, “He told me to meet him here?”
“Well, that’s a first.” One of them looked me up and down, then asked, “You got a name?”
“Frankie...Frankie Sullivan.”
“Never seen you around here before.”
He crossed his arms and scowled like I was some kind of intruder. I was waiting for the man to say something more when Widow walked in with Corry. The man nodded his head over in my direction as he announced, “Your girl Frankie is here to see ya.”
Widow didn’t respond. Instead, he walked over to me and asked, “You find the place okay?”
“I found it just fine.” I looked over to Corry as I asked, “You want to tell me what is going on?”
“Nothing, Mom.” He nodded his head towards the men sitting at the counter. “Widow just gave me a ride.”
“A ride from where?”
His eyes dropped to the ground—a clear sign he knew he was going to be in trouble as he answered, “The park.”
“What were you doing at the park, Corry? You know you’re grounded.”
“Yeah. I know.” He turned and glanced over his shoulder, grimacing when he saw that the men were watching us. “Can we just go? I’ll explain everything when we get home.”
“We can go, but you might as well get ready. You and I are going to have a very long talk.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I looked over to Widow and shook my head. “I don’t even know what to think about all this.”
“Talk to him.” He showed not so much as a sliver of emotion as he continued, “If you have any questions about anything, you have my number.”
“Okay. Thanks.” I gave Corry a nudge. “You ready?”
“Yeah. Let’s get out of here.”
I glanced back at Widow one last time, then headed back out the door. As we walked towards the car, I was surprised to find someone standing next to the passenger side door. As I got closer, I saw it was the man who was standing guard at the gate, and he was talking to Sean. “I started off with a Honda dirt bike, and then I worked my way up to a Yamaha. Had that for a few years until I finally managed to get my hands on my Harley. She still needs a little work, but she’ll be badass when I’m done with her.”
“That’s awesome.” Sean didn’t seem to notice when Corry and I got in the car next to him. “I’m gonna try to talk Mom into getting me a dirt bike for my birthday.”
“Not a chance, bud.”