Page 160 of Cody

“Oh, since I have you on the phone. Once you get rid of those tenants, I have someone lined up to rent the place.”

I chuckle. “That’s fast.”

“Well, Madison’s current lease ends in a couple of months, and I talked her into renting one of your properties.”

And there it is. “We can talk about this when I get back.” I pocket the phone and take a deep breath.

“Bad news?” Rover asks.

“Yeah, I have to head home tonight, unfortunately. But I do want to thank you for inviting me out for this. I needed it.”

“Hey, anytime you’re in town, you’re welcome to join us,” Rover says as he claps my shoulder.

Peaches is giving me a funny look. I haven’t figured that guy out yet. He’s quirky, that’s for sure.

“You all right?” I ask him.

He shakes his head. “How did you get your call name?”

Well, I wasn’t expecting that. “My ring tone,” I say, holding up my phone. That’s bullshit, but I’m not in the mood to share stories. I have to get going.

“Why does he get the cool ring tones, and I get all the songs about peaches?” the man grumbles as he walks away.

I say my goodbyes and eventually make my way to the airport with my bag. I was fortunate to find a flight that will get me in late tonight. At least I can get some sleep before I check out the trailer in the morning.

* * *

When I pullup at the rental, I’m immediately angry. I was expecting some nice trailer and that this would all be a misunderstanding. When I rent out my properties, I meet with the tenants personally, and this couple seemed like an honest, straight-forward pair. But what I pull up to looks more like a scene out ofBreaking Bad. There is no way that trailer could make it down the block, much less on a camping trip.

I park on the street and walk up to the house. The lawn needs to be mowed. I knock on the door and ring the doorbell. No answer. Then I check out the trailer. There is a padlock on the outside. I try to look in the windows, but they’re all covered with cardboard. Well fuck. There’s only one way I’m going to get the answer I need.

I go back to my car and grab my toolbox. I fish out my bolt cutters and return to the lock. My brother will be here any minute. I should probably wait for him, but the sooner I get this lock off, the sooner I’ll know what the fuck is going on here. Because it doesn’t look good.

“Hey, who the hell do you think you are?” A voice comes from behind me.

I roll my eyes, ready for this confrontation. I turn as I say, “The fucking land—“

Then something painful jolts my chest. The next thing I know I’m on the ground writhing uncontrollably. They fucking tased me.

One of them rolls me onto my stomach. Cold metal grips my wrists as the sound of handcuffs clicking shut tells me I’ve been bound. This isn’t good.

This must be a misunderstanding. “I wasn’t trying to steal anything. I’m the landlord. I got a call from the police to clear the trailer off or they will.”

Apparently, they don’t believe me because they shove me into the trunk of their car. Where is my brother? Damn it Deck, today is not the day to be late.

The engine turns on and the car is moving. I spend the entire drive trying and failing to get my cell phone.

The sound of seagulls squawking tells me we are near the water. Where the hell are these guys taking me? I roll over a bit more and my hands connect with my phone.

Thank fuck. I try to call anyone I can without seeing the screen, but before I can, the trunk pops open.

They haul me out of the trunk. All I see is water in front of me as they walk me down a pier. We pass several boats but there are no people. Where are the people?

The men taunt me but all I’m thinking is how will I get out of the water wearing handcuffs? Shit. The water here is cold. It may be early Spring, but we haven’t had warm weather yet this season. Before I can finish that thought, I’m pushed from behind. I fall in. The men are standing on the dock staring down at me. Well, fuck me. How the hell am I going to get out of this one?