Liberated by Dez Burke Read Free Book Online Page B

buddy, show some hustle,” he said over his shoulder as he headed back out. “Everybody will be here soon, and you know how this crowd gets when they’re hungry.”
    “So does the crowd get unruly if you don’t feed them?” Kendra asked with a laugh.
    Flint made a face. “I guess you could say that. It’s more a matter of they tend to drink too much and the alcohol goes straight to their heads without something in their stomachs. That’s why we like to keep them fed, fat, and happy.”
    “Good to know! Thanks for the warning.”
    ****
    I t didn’t take Kendra long to realize she shouldn’t have been so worried about the cookout. The few members of the Steel Infidels who had met her before greeted her like an old friend with kisses on the cheek, and the new ones Flint introduced her to seemed genuinely glad to meet her. They all wandered into the kitchen to say hello to Flint and to check her out, she suspected.
    To her relief, nobody mentioned anything about the Liberators or the safe house. If that was the way they wanted to handle things, it would work out just fine with her.
    Before long, someone cranked up the stereo and an old rock song started playing. Kendra handed Flint the last plate of hamburger patties to take out to Jesse.
    “Somehow I didn’t see the Steel Infidels as being a Southern rock kind of biker club,” she teased. “And what’s with the stereo? What is this, the eighties? And vinyl records for God’s sake! I didn’t realize those things were still around anymore. At least ones that weren’t scratched all to pieces.”
    “The Steel Infidels are a little bit of everything,” Flint explained. “Rocco and Tom are pushing forty-five years old on one end and then we have Sam, our youngest member in his mid-twenties. So you’re likely to hear a mixture of all kinds of music when we’re together, even an occasional Willie Nelson country tune. We all learned a long time ago not to criticize each other’s taste in music. Caused way too many fistfights.” He laughed at the memory. “Now everybody gets their turn. The only thing you can count on is that the music will be consistently loud.”
    He leaned down to kiss her cheek. “I’ll be right back. Stay put while I run these burgers out to Jesse,” he said.
    While he was gone, Kendra covered the platter of lettuce, tomatoes, and onions with plastic wrap then wiped down the counters with a paper towel. She didn’t notice the two women who had walked into the kitchen until she turned around to open the refrigerator. She jumped slightly.
    “Sorry! Didn’t mean to startle you,” one of the women said. She was clearly the older of the two and looked to be in her early forties, with long brown hair that was turning grey around her face. She stuck out her hand and gave Kendra a warm smile.
    “I’m Myrtle and this is Sarah,” she said, pointing to the younger woman. “We heard rumors that Flint had a woman hidden back here in the kitchen, so we had to come meet you.”
    Kendra smiled back and shook both of their hands. “Kendra Shaw.”
    Myrtle studied her face a moment. “You look so familiar. Have we met somewhere before?”
    “I’m a veterinarian with the Shaw Wildlife Clinic,” Kendra explained. “Maybe you brought an animal in to the clinic?”
    Myrtle nodded. “I know where I’ve seen you before. You helped out at one of the dog vaccination clinics, didn’t you? My Mama couldn’t afford to get all the shots for her little Lhasa Apso so I took her to one of the annual clinics you offered at the Civic Center. She sure did appreciate that by the way. Living on a fixed income, she really couldn’t afford to pay out three to four hundred dollars for her dog’s shots. Fifty dollars was a very reasonable amount for everything y’all did.”
    Kendra was pleased to know someone who needed it had taken advantage of the low cost vaccination clinic. It was one of several community events she held throughout the year, an easy way