Rich Blood (Jason Rich #1)(71)

At that moment, a rusty sedan pulled into the station and parked by the pump behind the Raptor. A man got out of the truck and started putting gas in the car. He walked to the trash can between the pumps, spat a wad of gum into it, and picked up the briefcase.

“Gracias,” he said and trudged back to the sedan, putting the case in the trunk. A minute later, he was gone. Jason and the Tonidandel brothers gathered around the tailgate of the truck. Jason was about to thank them when his phone rang. He didn’t recognize the number, but he knew who it was.

“Yeah,” he said, putting the call on speaker.

“Good for you, Counselor,” Cade said.

“We’re done, Cade, you hear me? No more money. No more deals. You come after my family, I’m coming after you.”

“Threats are so weak coming out of your mouth,” Cade said, sounding like he was eating something. “And we both know you have one very important promise to keep or all bets are off.”

“And I’ll keep it,” Jason said. “But all bets are definitely off if you harm a hair on the head of any member of my family.”

“Relax, Jason. No one’s going to get hurt, and I didn’t even kill your security person. You’ll find Max walking down Highway 68 coming from the Fort Payne direction right about now. You’ll probably want one of your folks to pick her up. I think she’s pretty hungry.”

“Is this all some kind of game to you?” Jason asked, glaring at Satch, who was watching the phone like it might be a poisonous snake.

“No games, Jason. I told you. That’s not my style. On the contrary, this is war. If I get through your sister’s trial without being touched, I win. You understand?”

“Yes.”

“And if I win . . .”—he trailed off—“ . . . you survive. Victory isn’t going to taste very good if you, Niecy, and Nola are in coffins. Be sure to think about that if you ever ponder going back on your word and putting that crazy bitch on the stand. And tell those Tonidandel rednecks they don’t scare me one bit. I crap bigger than each of them, and they’ll all end up in pine boxes, too, if they cross me. Full military funerals in Guntersville. Now that would be some shit.” He chewed some more of whatever he was eating. “It makes no difference to me who you have in your corner, Jason. If you screw up, they’re all going—”

“Hey, Cade.” Satch’s voice was so low and firm as he grabbed the phone that Jason’s heart fluttered.

“Who’s speaking?” Cade asked.

“Colonel Satchel Shames Tonidandel. One hundred and first Airborne Division. Screaming Eagles. If you’re so lucky as to knock me and my brothers off, both of whom were captains in the same division, we’ll be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Twenty-one gun salute. Horse-drawn carriages. Definitely be some shit. But if you get out of line and lay a finger on any of Jason Rich’s family and we’re forced to squash your skinny runt ass with one of our boots, we’ll mix your ashes with some ground beef, put the meat on the grill, and have us all a nice well-done Cade burger. Then we’ll shit you out the next day, and you’ll end up as turd fragments at the bottom of our septic tank. Then you, son, will quite literally . . . be some shit.”

Satch ended the call and flipped Jason the phone.

Jason looked at the device and back at Satch. He wasn’t sure whether to be angry or in awe. “You think that was smart?”

“No one threatens us, boy.”

As they got back in the truck, Satch grunted. “That prick has one thing right,” he said, turning the key and bringing the truck to life. “This is war.”

“But he’s definitely lying about one thing, brother,” Chuck said, taking a long sip of the twenty-ounce Mountain Dew he’d bought in the store.

Satch gave a wry grin. “Yep.”

“And what’s that?” Jason asked.

“He is scared of us,” Mickey said, rubbing his mustache. Then, squinching up his face, he mimicked his older brother. “Then you, son, will quite literally . . . be some shit.”

The cab of the truck rocked with the cackles of the Tonidandel brothers.

As Satch turned back onto Hustleville Road, Jason looked around the cab at each of the three bearded men, all of whom had killed before in combat and wouldn’t hesitate to kill again, and a thought enveloped him like a warm blanket.

Cade would be crazy not to be scared.





55


Tyson Cade gazed at the phone for a long time after Satch Tonidandel had ended the call. He knew he ought to be pleased. His scheme to scare Jason Rich into paying off his sister’s debt had worked. He’d been made whole. But he was anything but pleased.

When was the last time someone had hung up on him?

Never, Tyson thought. No one’s crazy enough to do that.

He’d gotten what he wanted, but perhaps hurting the girl had been too much. He’d scared the lawyer, and Rich had proven to be resourceful. He might not know how to fight with Tyson, but he’d recruited some help.

The reputation of Satch, Chuck, and Mickey Tonidandel was well known throughout Marshall County.

But that didn’t matter anymore. The colonel had disrespected Tyson. He’d have to be dealt with. Maybe not immediately, but one day, after the immediate crisis was over, Tyson would get payback.