Red Creek Renegades

Trigger Warnings Please be aware this book deals with abortion, pregnancy loss, infertility, and death. Please read with care. Laramie Chapter 1: Hawk One hundred and twenty seconds. Two minutes. That's typically the time I have in order to pull off a job for my club. It's more than enough for me. I've been honing my talents since I was a thirteen-year-old, desperate to be anywhere but within striking distance of my dad's fist. The job is simple. I get in, get the car, and get out. The way I do it sometimes varies, depending on what's happening in this tourist trap town, but the one thing that doesn't change? I get my mark, every single time. "Drop me off up here." I point to the corner of the parking lot at River Road. It provides me privacy to get my s**t together, and enough space to walk in order for it not to look like I've been dropped off. "You sure that's gonna give you enough room and time to get the job done?" my brother, Dominic, asks as he glances over at me. He's older by three years, and I've followed his footsteps in everything he's done, including joining The Red Creek Renegades and using my talents to steal cars from parking lots in Gatlinburg and the surrounding towns. "Plenty of time," I reply and give him a grin. "Meet you back at the clubhouse?" "Do you want me to hang around for you?" he asks as he comes to a stop at the corner I pointed at earlier. "Nah, bro, I got this." In the past year, I've gotten much more confident in my abilities. I don't doubt myself at all anymore. "You know the plan if you get in trouble?" I sigh heavily. "I'm newly patched, but you know I've been doing s**t like this my entire life. Was taught by the best," I remind him and hit him on the shoulder. "I don't know whether I should be proud or ashamed of myself," he jokes as he pulls to the curb. "Get outta here. See you later." Quickly I give his hand a shake before I exit the truck, and keep a low profile as I enter the lot. "What do we have?" I ask the attendant, an informant for the club. "Sedan in the back, right next to the exit." He discreetly points back while I get some money out of my wallet, acting like I'm paying him. Nice. This particular model is one that's in high demand. It also doesn't have an RF transmitter, so there shouldn't be a problem with me quickly cutting a key if need be. "Got it." I hand him the money, keeping my head down as I move to the back row. Trying the door, I smirk. It's not even f*****g locked. People here trust way too easily, especially in a tourist town. They don't think anything can happen to them while they're on vacation. Part of me feels bad, but the rest of me knows this is what I have to do in order to survive. Carefully I go through my trusty key ring, where I have a plethora of master keys. With any luck, the one I have for this brand of car will work. Putting the key in, I crank it, smirking when it starts right up. Checking the parking lot and surrounding area I make sure I don't see anyone watching as I carefully pull out of the lot. When I hit the main road, I check my cell phone. One hundred and twenty seconds. Damn right I'm good at what I do. Getting out of Gatlinburg proper isn't hard since I know all the back ways, and within ten minutes, I'm heading northeast towards Red Creek. There, this car will be stripped for parts by other members of our club while I go to our garage to actually put in a day s work. If anybody asks, I'm a mechanic, which makes it easy to steal cars and to have an alibi. * * * An hour later, I'm pulling into Red Creek, Tennessee. It's what most people would call picturesque. It's the type of town that's on the cover of those family magazines. It's the type of place everyone says they want to live, but no one wants to stay which works out well for us. This small town has less than three thousand people living here, and we run it all. Nothing happens here that we don't have our hands in. Someone comes here to start some s**t? We shut it down. Coming to the intersection of Spring Street and Pondsville Road I hang a left, taking the bridge over a creek that runs straight through town. Small storefronts line the shopping district, cars parallel parked along our square, and kids run around in the early winter air. They have no fear, no worry. They know we're taking care of them. In return, they take care of us. Life as I know it is set. I'm a Creeker what everybody calls full-patched members and my spot is secure. We have two rules: don't get caught doing anything illegal outside Red Creek, and don't f**k Banner Clark the club princess; the only daughter of our president. I'm good on the not getting caught doing anything illegal. It's the not f*****g Banner Clark I'm having a problem with, and as I pull into the gravel lot of our chop shop, I'm greeted with her smiling face. "That was quick, Hawk," she says to me with a grin as she catalogs the car for her dad's records. Taking my box of Marlboro's out of my pocket, I beat it on the heel of my palm before I reach in for a lighter. Within seconds, I'm taking a blessed pull of nicotine into my lungs before blowing it out. Giving her a grin back, I let my eyes travel down her body before I lick my dry lips. "That's about the only thing I do quick, darlin'." "Hmmm, that right?" she teases as she looks back at me. I don't miss the way her eyes travel my body, just like mine did with her. We're both playing with fire, and it's more than obvious one of us is going to get burned. "That's right."