Bluegrass Undercover (Bluegrass Brothers)

the clock as they went over the game.

Chapter Fourteen
     
    Annie changed out of her jeans and into her black, winter running pants. They were soft, comfortable, and perfect for a crisp night like this. She pulled on her Keeneston High sweatshirt and headed for the kitchen. She opened the small microwave and took a sip of the hot chocolate she had made.
    It normally took Cade about an hour to finish up after a game, so she expected him any minute. She grabbed her Florida State fleece blanket and headed for the porch. She would just snuggle up in one of the chairs outside and wait for him.
    She took a seat on one of the two chairs and took a deep breath of the clean air. The smell of turning leaves and lit fireplaces was so different from that of the sea air, pollution, and fruit that was Miami. The stars were bright in the dark sky and for once she felt at peace.
    Headlights turning into the parking lot drew her gaze from the stars to the speeding black Escalade that squealed to a stop in front of her cottage. Seriously? She was finally feeling peace, dammit!
    The doors opened and the three men who had attacked Cade on the sidewalk a couple of months ago jumped out.
    “Can I help you boys?” She was so not in the mood for this. That just went to show how the slower country lifestyle was affecting her. She had always been in the mood for a fight in Miami.
    “You pissed off the wrong person, lady,” the one with the receding curly hair and the Playboy Bunny tattoo on his forearm said. Of course they weren’t wearing coats. They had two hundred and fifty pounds of muscle to keep them warm.
    “Me? I don’t remember pissing anyone off. Hmm, I did cut off old Mr. Lyons the other day, but he was going twenty-five in a fifty-five, and I really didn’t want to drive all the way to Lexington behind him. Are you boys his great-grandsons?”
    Clearly not knowing what to say, they paused in their approach and looked at each other. “Um, we got a message for your boyfriend.” Larry tried again. It was hard to take him seriously. He really needed to cut his hair.
    “Oh, should I get you a piece of paper to leave a note on?” she asked sweetly. She took a sip of hot chocolate to hide her smile. She watched over the edge of her mug as the one she called Moe tripped over the Virgin Mary statue and fell face first into the bald one she called Curly.
    Annie stood and shifted toward the railing and the small garden gnome dressed as a priest that stood in front of a large fern. Larry had turned and glared at Moe and Curly who were stumbling their way up the stairs towards her.
    “Oh dear. I would take that as a sign.”
    “A sign?” Moe asked
    “Sure. I mean, you were tripped by the Virgin Mary. You may want to go to church or something.” Annie went ahead and crossed herself for good measure. The action caused the men to pause and stare at the statue. She pulled her cell phone out and hit the record function. She set it on the rail and reached out to grab the gnome priest. She had him hiding behind her back before the men turned around.
    “As I was saying, we got a message for your boyfriend that we need to give him.” Larry tried again. This time he was doing a pretty good job at his intimidating scowl, but the clear lack of intelligence in his eyes just made her think of a bad off-off-Broadway actor.
    “And that message would be?” she asked politely.
    “That he needs to remember the agreement he made and keep his mouth shut. Now, this will only hurt a minute. Sorry about this . You seem like a nice enough lady,” Larry told her as he advanced toward her.
    “It’s okay. I guess you’re just doing your job for….” She arched her eyebrow questionably at Larry.
    “Mr. Gaylen.”
    “Shut up!” Moe hissed as he hit Larry.
    “What? How is she supposed to know who the message is from if we don’t tell her?” That caused Moe to pause, and he looked to Curly who nodded as if it made all the sense in the world.
    “Is Cade going to remember this agreement? I mean, he does all this work at school and then with the team and on his farm. He makes agreements all time. Maybe you should tell me what the agree ment is so I can remind him. I’m sure he didn’t mean to forget it, but he just has so much going on.” She watched the guys look at each other again and shrugged. This was going to be easier than she thought.
    “Tell him to keep his mouth shut about the drugs or his mother’s next. Now, come here and