“I wish this was the piece I did your boys with,” Grayson said.
“Let her go!” Ike roared. Grayson’s eyes flicked toward him.
Buddy Lee launched the knife at Grayson with a vicious underhanded throw. The blade impaled itself in his neck with a wet sucking sound. Grayson pulled the trigger of his gun in a wild, rapid succession of shots. Arianna tumbled from his arms. Ike surged forward, dropped to his knees, and caught Arianna and pulled her to his chest. He rolled to his side and kept his body between her and the gunfire.
Grayson staggered around in drunken concentric circles. The .357 slipped from his hand. Blood as slick and whispery as mercury poured from the wound in his neck. In his desperation and fear he pulled the knife free. This just hastened his demise, as the blood now poured forth like a geyser. He pitched forward and landed face-first in the dirt even as blood still bubbled from his neck.
Ike got up with Arianna in his arms. She wasn’t crying. She wasn’t making any sound at all. Ike thought that was almost worse than her cries. There was no need to check on the biker to make sure he was dead. The blood trail that followed him was all the proof Ike needed.
Instead he went to Buddy Lee. He was sitting on the ground leaning his head against the truck. He had his hands pressed against his abdomen. Ike placed Arianna on the hood. He went down to his knees and put his arm around Buddy Lee’s thin shoulders.
“Get up. We gotta get you to a hospital,” Ike said.
“I … don’t … think … that’s … gonna … cut … it…， hoss,” Buddy Lee said. He moved his hands. His gray shirt was so wet with blood it looked black in the moonlight.
“Shut up and let’s go,” Ike said. He started to rise and Buddy Lee grabbed his arm. His palm was cold and clammy. His hand was covered in his own blood.
“I … ain’t … gonna … make … to … the … victory … party,” Buddy Lee said.
Ike went back down to one knee. Buddy Lee’s breathing was becoming shallower and shallower.
“Stay … with … me,” Buddy Lee said. Ike shifted his weight until he was sitting next to Buddy Lee. He put his arm around the man and felt the brittleness just under his skin. It was like hugging a baby bird.
“It’s cancer, ain’t it? All the coughing and shit,” Ike said. Buddy Lee nodded, his head moving at a snail’s pace.
“You … think … I’ll … see … the … boys?” Buddy Lee asked. Ike had to strain to hear him. He bit his bottom lip so hard it nearly bled.
“I hope so,” Ike said.
“Me too,” Buddy Lee said.
Then he slumped against Ike’s chest. His head lolled to the side and he was still. Ike wrapped his arm around him and pulled him close. He sat that way until Arianna spoke.
“Him tired?” she asked. Ike wiped his face. He carefully lay Buddy Lee on his side.
“Yeah, but he gonna rest now,” Ike said.
FORTY-FOUR
“Ike, somebody wants to talk to you.”
Ike looked up from his invoices.
“Alright, Tangy. Give me a minute,” he said. He got up from his desk and walked out front. The crew was already out for the day. Right now it was just him and Tangy at the office. She’d been on for two weeks and was catching on quick as a hiccup. Jazzy stopped by every now and then to check up on them, but Tangy was doing just fine.
“As soon as I get on my feet I’m gone,” Tangy had said. Ike had told her he didn’t blame her but he still hoped she would change her mind.
Det. LaPlata was waiting for him in the lobby.
“Detective LaPlata,” Ike said.
“Mr. Randolph, do you have a moment to talk?”
“Sure,” Ike said. He reached under the counter and grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler he stored there.
“The funeral for Mr. Jenkins was nice,” Det. LaPlata said.
“Yeah,” Ike said.
“I was glad to see your wife and your granddaughter there. Mrs. Culpepper, too. She took it pretty hard, didn’t she? I don’t think my ex-wife would cry that hard over me,” LaPlata said.
Ike didn’t say a word.
“It’s incredible. No one knows who burned down your house, kidnapped your granddaughter, and tried to kill your wife and Mr. Jenkins, but apparently they had a change of heart and dropped Arianna off at your office. Simply amazing,” LaPlata said. Ike sipped his water.
“Miracles happen every day,” Ike said.