“These phones don’t get viruses, Mav. Let me see what you’re talking about.” I pointed to one of the messages that had been bombarding my phone over the past twenty-four hours.
Unknown caller: Dogs are capable of understanding up to 250 words and gestures, can count up to five, and can perform simple mathematical calculations. The average dog is as intelligent as a two-year-old child.
Thank you for signing up for All About Canines. To Unsubscribe reply “Unsubscribe”
Me: Unsubscribe
Unknown caller: Message unrecognized
Unknown caller: It is a myth that dogs are color blind. They can actually see in color, just not as vividly as humans. It is similar to our vision at dusk.
Thank you for signing up for All About Canines. To Unsubscribe reply “Unsubscribe”
Me: Unsubscribe now!
Unknown caller: Unable to retrieve messages at this time
Unknown caller: A dog’s mouth exerts 150-200 pounds of pressure per square inch.
Thank you for signing up for All About Canines. To Unsubscribe reply “Unsubscribe”
Me: Stop fucking texting me!
Unknown caller: Are you sure you want to stop your subscription of All About Canines. You know they are Man’s best friend.
Me: Yes
Unknown caller: Command not recognized.
“See what I mean? I can’t get this shit to stop, and there are at least six different sites sending me these fucking messages,” I shouted with frustration.
“Are you sure you didn’t sign up for something?” he asked laughing. “There must be some reason they are sending them to you.”
“No, I didn’t sign up for shit! Just fix it or get me a new damn phone!”
“Give me a few minutes, and I’ll see what I can figure out,” he told me as he plugged my phone up to his computer. After a few clicks, he turned to me with a knowing smile on his face.
“Looks like someone was messing with you, man,” he chuckled as he handed me back my phone.
“Who the fuck was it?” I demanded to know. “I’ll wring his fucking neck!” I looked down at my phone and was tempted to throw it against the damn wall.
“Maverick, I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it. It was just…” he started.
“She? Ahh… fucking hell. Henley! It was Henley, wasn’t it?” I growled, turning to leave before he responded. He didn’t have to answer. I knew it was her. Just thinking about all those damn messages about dogs and cats made my teeth hurt.
“Henley!” I shouted as I headed down the main hall towards her room. “Hen… ley!”
I banged on her door and continued to shout until Guardrail came up to me and said, “Hey man, she’s out back with Cassidy. What’s going on?”
“Nothing I can’t handle,” I snapped.
“You got a minute? Cotton wants to see us in his office.”
“Yeah,” I answered, just as my phone chimed with another fucking text message.
Unknown Caller: A group of cats is called a clowder, a male cat is called a tom, a female cat is called a molly or queen while young cats are called kittens.
Thank you for subscribing to Funny Facts about Cats. To unsubscribe reply ‘Unsubscribe.’
Me: Henley… knock it off!
Unknown Caller: Response Not Recognized
Me: You are going to pay for this shit
“What’s that all about?” Guardrail asked as he looked down at my phone.
“Don’t ask,” I groaned as I shoved it into my back pocket and followed him into Cotton’s office. Cotton was sitting at his desk, sorting through all the papers that were scattered around him.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“We had some trouble on today’s run,” he grumbled as he dropped the papers on his desk. “The guys were ambushed. Even with the extra manpower, we almost lost the shipment.”
“What the fuck?” I asked. “What happened?”
“Boozer said they were loading the crates into the SUV when one of the prospects saw several men watching from one of the empty warehouses. At first it seemed like they were just watching, taking pictures or some shit like that. But then shots were fired, and everyone scattered. Thankfully, no one was hurt,” Cotton explained.
“Was it the same guys?” I asked.
“Possibly. Boozer said he’d never seen them before. They were wearing all black, no patches or cuts, but several had the same snake tattoo Henley mentioned.” Cotton rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the tension growing in his shoulders as he continued.
“What’s with the pictures?” I asked.
“I’d say, for whatever reason, they’re gathering intel on us. I’m calling church tonight. We’re going to buckle down and find out who these fuckers are once and for all.”
“I’ll let the guys know,” Guardrail told him. “Are you calling for a lock down?”
“Not yet, but I don’t want anyone taking any unnecessary chances. Until we get a better idea of who is coming at us, we need to be prepared for anything. I have a feeling that these guys are just getting started,” he continued.
After leaving Cotton’s office, I followed Guardrail out to the parking lot. He hadn’t been around much, and I wanted to see what was going on with him.