If I had to see the inside of a prison cell again, so be it.
“My baby girl just called me, and she needs help. She’s leaving her shit bag of an ex, and I’m out of town running a load to Montana. Fermin, Roosevelt and Kenny are all out running loads, too. The girls are visiting a school in New Mexico that she’s thinking about going to for college, and my other girl needs help now. I’m scared what’ll happen if I leave her there alone. She’s breaking.”
I knew a lot about Shad’s family.
There’d been nothing but time when we were behind those prison walls.
He’d shared all about his kids, his wife, and his life.
He’d been out five years longer than me, and though he’d come for a visit or two since then, and we’d kept up via snail mail while I’d been inside, then text and phone calls after I’d gotten out, I didn’t know every aspect of his life any longer.
I did know that his middle girl, Baker, was with a shit bag of a human being, and Shad had hated the kid since he’d first showed up in Baker’s life.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Listen to this,” he said, and then went on to describe everything that had gone down in Baker’s life in the last two years.
He ended it with, “She went back to him after he did her dirty at the hospital. He apologized, claimed it was a crazy lapse in judgment that would never happen again, and he was just scared. But we’d kicked up a big stink about everything, and Baker kind of backed off from us. We had no clue that it’d gotten this bad. And that’s us being selfish, thinking that she would talk to us when clearly she wasn’t going to. She’s been suffering bad from postpartum depression, and she needs someone lookin’ in on her, helping.”
“What, exactly, do you want me to do?” I asked. “Get her shit and get her out? Or do you want me to kick him out?”
“She needs to get out,” he grumbled. “The lease is in his name, according to the leasing office. But everything in there is hers. It was ours before she moved out, and we got all new stuff and gave her the old stuff. I want everything emptied and put into storage for when she next needs it. And I know this is a high ask, but can she stay with you until one of us gets back? Likely it’ll be Kenny or Roosevelt, they’re traveling the closest to home. But there’s still a possibility that they’ll have to pick up another load when they get there and drive it to the next place.”
Shad had started a hot shot business that took loads like truckers do, only on a smaller scale. Shad started out with a single truck and had grown it into a business that his entire family had become a part of.
From what I understood, the female Ritters had gone to school for business. They now ran the huge operation, while the men drove around where they were told.
“She can stay with me,” I said. “I have an extra room, and a big place that I’m barely ever at.”
I’d had a cat, but that cat had moved to my buddy’s place when we realized he needed way more work and attention than I could offer it.
I was all alone in a big ass apartment, so it made logical sense for her to stay with me.
Shad blew out a long breath. “Thanks, man.”
“And I’ll get the club with me to get over to Baker’s place,” I offered. “Can you send me her address?”
“Absolutely.” He sounded relieved, which made me grin.
“I’d do anything for you, Shad,” I told him.
“Good. Because this is going to cause some fireworks,” he admitted. “Cops’ll probably be called. Joey’s a little bitch and is scared of everything. He’ll probably call the cops the moment that you get there.”
“Well, if he’s in a room with the door closed, how’s he gonna know that we’re moving shit out if he doesn’t ever come out of his room?” I questioned.
Shad was quiet for a long second before he said, “I wish I was a fly on the wall to see when he came out and found everything gone.”
“Maybe I’ll record it for you,” I offered. “Send me her number. I’ll text her my address and get her to my place. Then I’ll go grab a truck and a trailer and get it all moving.”
After ringing off, I instantly called my friends, ending with Webber.
Webber answered immediately.
“Hey.” He sounded wired. “What’s up?”
“Two things,” I said. “One, how’s Reign?”
There was a slight pause, and then, “She’s doing fine. Got the kid back to Reign’s brother, Sonny. Reign’s brother is staying in my guest house.”
