Page 53 of Hard Corps (Selected Sinners MC 7)

“I live in a black and white world. It’s either right or it’s wrong. That’s stealing. It’s wrong. I guarantee you, that money was intended for someone, and they’d not only want it, but need it. Even if the reason behind it was dope, it’s part of the cycle of life for that group of people. And for that group of people, the money would buy more dope, which would eventually get more bad guys killed, and the cycle would continue until the end. But no, I wouldn’t take it,” I explained.

“Wow,” she said. “I ask everyone. And so far, everyone I’ve asked would take it.”

I found it interesting she would ask everyone such a question. Now it was my turn.

“Would you?” I asked as I held the bottle of water up.

She shook her head. “Oh hell no.”

“Hell no on the water or hell no on the money?” I asked.

“No on the water, and hell no on the money,” she said.

“Why not?” I asked. “They’re all dead. Dead men don’t talk. It’d change your life.”

She reached back with both hands and adjusted her ponytail as she glared at me. After shaking her head and satisfying herself it was as she wanted it to be, she responded.

“Damned right it’d change my life. For the worse. Karma. Or whatever you want to call it. If you do bad stuff, bad things happen to you. If you do good things, good things happen to you. I’m not interested in doing bad, being bad, however you want to look at it,” she said.

“Good to know,” I said.

“You know, in Baghdad there were several Marines who happened onto a lot of gold. I mean a lot. So, quite a few of them tried to ship it home in drums and boxes and however they could devise a way they thought would work. And every one of them got caught. Every damned one. And they were all sent to prison. Money makes people greedy. I’d much rather be poor and happy,” I said.

“Same here,” she said. “I’m glad you said you wouldn’t take the money.”

“I lead a simple life. You know what? As much as I’ve been through, and as much hatred and killing as I’ve seen, I still live every day happy. Some are tougher than others, but every day above ground is a good day,” I said.

“I agree,” she said as she stood. “Are you ready?”

I didn’t have to convince myself I enjoyed my time with Katie. For once, I felt that I was truly where I should be, and I didn’t have to worry about how I acted or reacted to situations. She seemed to accept me as I was, without explanations or excuses. It was refreshing to think a woman was interested enough in who I was to accept me without reservation.

I shoved the bottle of water in the pack, pulled it over my shoulder, and stood from my rather comfortable rock.

“You want to follow the river?” she asked as she pointed along the exposed edge of the cliff.

“Sure,” I responded.

As she began to walk along the rock formation I adjusted my pack. A few more steps toward her, and she froze.

“Alec…” she whispered as she raised her hands in the air.

“What?”

“Rattlesnake,” she whispered.

She no more than spoke, and I could hear the rattling of the snake’s tail. As far as we were from the truck, and as long as it would take for us to get to a hospital, the possibility of dying was pretty probable if one of us were bitten.

Fuck.

Standing behind her and with the snake in front of her, I couldn’t see it, but I could hear it, and it didn’t seem to be interested in going away. It wasn’t uncommon in the latter part of the summer when the days began to shorten and the nights became cooler for rattlesnakes to lie on rocks and absorb the warmth. When startled, they coiled, raised their heads, and prepared to strike at whatever they thought was a threat.

But in all actuality, the snake was just as scared as the human.

“How close?” I asked as I began to quietly make a large sweeping circle around where she stood.

“Five feet,” she whispered.

“Don’t move,” I said as I walked around her.