CONVICT

by Callahan, Kelli

  “Yeah. The lake.”

  * * *

  “I don't like this,” I growl pacing back and forth at the end of the pier. Charlie stands beside me, bundled up in my coat and sweats. “It's too open.”

  “I guess,” she says, looking around.

  “We should have stayed by the tree line. No one would see us there. Might as well light up a fucking sign saying ‘hey we're over here! Come get us!’”

  “I think you're being a bit dramatic,” she sighs.

  I turn to look at her.

  “What? Seriously, I don't think he'll be out here.”

  “God, I hope not,” I say, glancing back around. Turning, I see Jake, Lucy, and Kenton arriving at the same time. Raising my arm, I wave, and Lucy runs at me full speed ahead and jumps into my arms.

  “Dad!” she gushes. “I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried about you and Charlie! Oh my God, Charlie, look at you!” she says, stepping toward her friend to hug her. Then, pauses, she sees the bruise on Charlie's forehead, now purple and green, and her hand bandaged. Her lip is less swollen than it was yesterday, but still she looks like a mess. A beautiful mess, but still.

  “Baby.” Kenton walks over, pulling her close to him and kissing the top of her head lightly. “Oh my God, I was so worried about you. When I got the call from the sergeant saying that they found your blood all over the scene and you were nowhere to be found... Christ, do you know what that did to me?” he pleads, his voice low and his eyes desperate.

  I understand what he's feeling. It's the same thing I felt when my father threatened my children, and I was afraid that I would lose them. I feel it now, seeing Lucy here, fully exposed. Raising my arms, I pull her in for another hug, holding her close. “God, Lucy, you should have stayed in California,” I whisper. “It's not safe here.”

  “It's fine, Dad,” she says, looking up at me. “Why didn't you call? We were so worried.”

  “I didn't call because I didn't want you to come,” I say, looking back at Kenton. “Do you have any idea the amount of danger you brought my daughter into by bringing her back here?” I ask, my voice low and dangerous.

  “My kid’s in danger too.” Kenton curls his arm around Charlie.

  “Yeah, she was safe in hiding. Just like Lucy was in California,” I argue.

  “You seriously thought that I was just gonna stay in another state while my child is being hunted by a deranged psychopath?” Kenton snaps.

  “No, I thought you would use your brain and keep safe the one person you can,” I say. Nodding toward Lucy.

  “Dad, come on,” she whispers. “Don't be like this.”

  “Be like what?” I growl. “He's put us all at risk by coming back to this town and dragging us all together.”

  “Oh, for fuck sake,” Charlie interrupts. Everyone pauses to look at her. “This is ridiculous. There's no point in us arguing. We have to figure out what we're going to do.”

  “She's right,” Jake adds, speaking for the first time.

  Kenton turns and sizes up Jake.

  This is definitely a strange collaboration of minds. The holier-than-thou-art police chief, the drug lord, the drug lord’s right-hand man, and the children whose lives are so entangled. It's hard to separate them, our fates are so intertwined.

  “We need a safe place where we can lay low,” I say, looking around the lakes. “It’s okay for the moment, I guess. We can't stay the night here. We should camp,” I say, squinting into the tree line.

  “Camp,” Lucy echoes. “Why would we camp in the winter?”

  “Because every hotel employee would snitch,” I advise.

  “Why would they do that?” Kenton frowns “Don't you have some kind of reputation?”

  “Of course I do,” I say, my back stiffening. “But so does Raul. The question is, which one does the person fear more? Raul is vicious and cannot be reasoned with. I can be, so of course, they are going to do what the bigger bully wants.”

  Nodding and understanding, Kenton looks around. “Well, I guess we know these woods better than anyone,” he says. “Do you have your cold-weather camping gear?”

  “Yeah, I brought it. It's in the back of the Impala,” I say.

  “Awesome. Mine is in my storage unit.” Kenton looks back behind him towards town.

  “Okay. How do you want to do this?”

  “We can have Jake watch the girls while we go get the gear.”

  Lucy cries out in irritation. “Like hell I’m staying here and being babysat. No offense, Jake,” she says, turning to look at the only man I trust.

  “None taken,” Jake nods, and I notice a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

  I would much rather see Lucy with Jake, but no matter how many times I tried to push that with her, she always shot me down. The man is too much of a brother to her.

  “Lucy, it's dangerous,” I try to explain.

  “So what? It's dangerous for everyone. I'm not staying here and neither is Charlie,” she says, throwing a glance at her friend. “You don't get to decide what we do. We're adults.” The girls nod at each other, clearly forming an alliance and standing in solidarity.

  I look back at Jake for help who only shrugs, clearly not wanting to be involved in the argument. “Okay,” I relent, turning to my daughter. “Then what do you recommend?”

  “We stay in the groups that we've been in the entire time. We don't want to raise suspicions. I'm going to go with Kenton to the storage unit. We'll get our camping gear and hope that no one sees us. You already have yours. You guys should just set up camp here. I say we camp on different parts of the lake. We’re less conspicuous separated, but we're still close enough that if there is an issue, we're able to hear screaming.”

  “That makes sense. Still,” I say, turning to Jake, “I want you with her.” I gesture towards Lucy. “I’ve got things covered over there.”

  Kenton opens his mouth to speak and I turn to look at him. “I've taken care of her this long Traverse. I can keep her alive for a few more days.”

  “Fine, but I want Jake to stay with you,” he argues.

  “Jake,” I say, turning to the man who towers over all of us by at least five inches, “are you gonna listen to me?”

  “You're the Boss,” Jake glances between the two of us and smiles, and I already know the answer. Jake is the most loyal man I know. And for that reason, I trust him with something more precious than my own life. I trust him with my daughter’s.

  “Make sure you grab rations too,” I say.

  “Alright, I can eat anything,” Kenton says, turning away from me and walking down there now.

  “I got us covered,” I call after him, as Lucy smiles back at me, her hand in his.

  “Okay,” Charlie sighs, inhaling deeply and looking up at me, “that went better than I thought it would go.”

  “Yeah, me too. Not bad for two men on opposite sides of the law brought together to save their daughters.”

  “So, where do you want to camp?” she asks, walking beside me and looking through the fog.

  “Over there,” I say, pointing to the far side deeper into the woods. “I will be able to tell if he's coming...”

  “I don't think he'll come tonight.”

  “No, I don't think so either. But all the same, I'd rather be safe than sorry.”

  She nods her head, understanding. “Okay, so let's go get the rest of our gear,” she says.

  We walk in silence for a moment, reaching the end of the pier.

  “Okay, so what are we going to do?” she asks. Her words seem loud over the rush of the falling snow.

  “I'm not sure yet,” I admit. “I don't know how we're going to stop him.”

  She nods and says nothing, and I can tell she's thinking. “I guess we'll have to figure that out soon,” she says glancing behind us. “Like the cabin, we can't stay here forever.”

  “No, we can't. I agree.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Charlie

  We stand
around the campfire near my father's tent waiting for the macaroni and cheese to finish cooking.

  “I think we should just go out and find the bastard,” my father says, glaring down into the fire. “We could go right now and leave the girls here. They'll be safe. Find him and haul him in.”

  Lucy gasps. “There's no way I'm gonna stay here while you go out and save the world. Seriously,” she says, tapping him on the shoulder. “What kind of girl do you think you're with?”

  He looks down at her then and smiles. “You're right. I forgot who I was talking to,” he says with a roll of his eyes and leans down to kiss the top of her head.

  “That's better,” she says, turning back to the fire and finishes mixing up the macaroni and cheese. After we all pitch in to dish it up and start eating the conversation starts back up.

  “What if we set a trap?” I offer, looking up at Noah.

  “What kind?” he asks.

  “One involving bait?” my dad says, his voice critical. “But what exactly do we use as bait?”

  I shrug. “I will be the bait.”

  “Absolutely not,” Noah and my dad say in unison. They look at each other.

  “Look, I'm the one that he wants first, right? If we leave me out in the open and he comes for me, you will be able to arrest him now,” I plead, desperately wanting them to understand that I don't want any of them to get hurt.

  “No, that's not gonna happen.”

  “Out of the question,” Noah agrees, nodding his head.

  “Wow, it's like having two dads,” Lucy says, looking at me and I lift an eyebrow in agreement.

  Noah and my dad stand awkwardly for a moment, looking back and forth between the two of us and then at each other and Jake.

  “Okay, well I think we should call it a night,” Lucy says, looking back to the tent. “We should get some sleep and then we can figure out a plan tomorrow,” she says, resting her hand gently on my dad's arm and nodding in agreement.

  He looks over at me. “Are you gonna be okay tonight? If you want, you can sleep in the tent with us,” he offers.

  “No, that's fine,” I laugh, looking back across the lake. “I'm comfortable.”

  “I’m sure that Jake would trade places with you if you want your own tent.”

  I notice Jake's lips stiffen for a moment, his only sign of discomfort before I smile back at my dad and decline the offer.

  “That's okay. Dad, I'm fine. We’ve spent enough time together already. What's one more night?” I say, looking back at Noah.

  “That's the spirit,” he says sarcastically, and I laugh.

  My dad raises an eyebrow and opens his mouth to speak. When Lucy pulls his arm down and whispers something in his ear, it causes his expression to change quickly. His eyes drop down to her lips for just a second. I don't think anyone notices what that is, and it makes me smile and gives me an idea.

  “You guys have a good night,” I say. “We'll be okay. Are you ready, Noah?” I ask.

  “Yeah, I'm ready.” He knows I'm watching his daughter and my father together which makes his mouth set into a firm line, the same as Jake, and it makes me smile. I think he’s trying to be more accepting of things between Kenton and Lucy, but it must be hard. More than the age gap, no man wants to think of his daughter having sex, which, I’m sure, Lucy is about to do.

  “Come on. Let me hold on to your arm so I don't fall,” I say, sliding my arm into his.

  “Yeah, okay,” he says, looking at Lucy one last time. “Goodnight, Lucy,” kisses her forehead, “Kenton,” he says with a nod.

  “Noah,” my dad mimics the tone and motion, and I stifle my laughter.

  God, this is painful.

  Walking together in the darkness across the lake. “Are you doing okay?” I ask, looking up at him. His eyes seem distant.

  “No. Yeah, I'm fine,” he says.

  “Are you thinking of Lucy?”

  “Maybe,” he sighs, giving me a sheepish smile and looking down at his feet.

  “It's a little weird for me sometimes too,” I admit, looking up at him.

  “Just imagine their reaction when they find out about us,” he teases, his voice a little distant and my heart skips a beat.

  “There is an us, isn't there?” I say unsure now.

  “Yeah, I mean, if you want there to be, I do too.”

  “I mean I already assumed that we were together. But if you aren’t ready...” I say, sliding my arm out from his.

  “No, come on, don't be that way, I'm ready,” he says, and then his eyes widen as if he is surprised by the words.

  “Good,” I say, smiling up at him. “Are you ready for bed?”

  “Yeah,” he says. “We should probably get some sleep.”

  Sleeping is the last thing on my mind right now as I watch his lean body bend down and unzip the tent and climb in before me. Closing the tent behind me, I unzip my jacket.

  “You know, I was thinking... it's gonna be pretty cold tonight. We should probably zip our sleeping bags together to conserve body heat.”

  He looks up at me for a moment. His lips part and then, blinking quickly, he looks down. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” he consents, turning away from me and zipping the zipper back together.

  I can't help but smile as I slide off my sweatshirt and jeans. Then I take off my bra, letting my hair fall in front of my boobs. By the time he looks back around, I'm completely naked. I crouch under the low light from the moon coming in through the tent roof.

  “What are you doing?” he growls, his eyes running up and down my body as he bites his lower lip.

  “I sleep naked,” I tease with a smirk while crawling into the sleeping bag and covering myself.

  “You're joking.”

  “Nope,” I chirp with a smile. “Are you going to get in or what?”

  He stands still and continues staring at me.

  “Come on, Noah. Get in here.”

  “Well... I...,” he stumbles over his words.

  “I'm not a child, Noah. It's okay.”

  His lips part as if to speak but no sound comes. With a growl, he slides off his jacket while watching me. As he pulls his long sleeve shirt over his head, his skin glows slightly in the moonlight.

  My breath catches in my chest as I hear him unbuckle his jeans and slide them down. I’ve been with a man before. Well, I've been with more than one, but never anyone like him. Never someone that I wanted so strongly.

  Sliding into the sleeping bag he slides down and covers himself. I roll to face him. The space between us is mere inches but it feels a mile wide.

  I can tell I'm gonna have to be the one who initiates this before he takes over. Having to initiate only makes me want him more though. He’s sweet, considerate, and I know that when he’s with me, he truly cares. There’s a nobility to him, and it makes me think of his last name, “Knight,”. I think it suits him well. My Knight, I think scooting closer to him. I press my naked body against his thighs, and he groans with need as I feel his erection already pressing between my legs.

  “You’re naked,” I whisper and I feel his body stiffen. His hands are on my back and his fingers start moving as if they want to roam and explore but he is still fighting it.

  “Don’t you want me, Noah?” I whisper, moving closer against him and pressing my lips softly to his.

  “I feel like I've always wanted you like I was born to be here with you right now,” he says.

  I smile as I press my lips gently to his throat. “Is that so?”

  “Yes,” he says and groans as I slide my hand down his chest, over his firm abs, and grasp his hard cock.

  “I want you too,” I whisper, my lips a breath away from his. Shadows play across his face as the trees sway above us with a white winter breeze. “I want to feel you,” I say. “I want to feel you inside of me, moving within me.”

  His breath hitches as his eyes watch my face and then roll back as I massage his cock.

  “I want to taste you on my lips,”
I whisper, sliding my tongue along the side of his throat and up to his ear. He moans and I push him onto his back. “I want to feel you all around me. I want to smell you on my skin. I want you to fill me so that all I can think, taste, smell, and see is always you.”

  “Charlie,” he whispers, his voice uneven as I rise above him, and slide my wet pussy over his hard cock.

  “Tell me you want me, Noah,” I whisper as I slide back and forth. Each stroke causing the head of his cock to punch my clit.

  “God, do I want you,” he groans, rubbing his hands up my legs and fastening them around my hips as I grind myself against him some more.

  “Wait,” I say, reaching behind me and tearing open a condom packet.

  “Where the hell did that come from?” he asks.

  “A girl should always be prepared,” I say. “Especially when she's spending the night with a man who looks like you.”

  “Lucy,” he admonishes.

  I giggle. “Maybe Lucy’s always packing. She's not going to miss out,” I admit.

  “You know what, can we not talk about her right now?” he says quickly.

  I snort back laughter while sliding the condom over his erection. He groans, leaning back again into the pillow.

  “Sorry. Maybe I should start over,” I say, bending down and placing my warm mouth over the head of his cock.

  He groans with pleasure, and I smile to myself. Slide up and down his length I suck on the tip while I rub his heavy orbs between his legs, causing him to hiss. “That's more like it,” I say.

  Rising above him again, I take his body into mine and groan in pleasure as I feel myself close around him.

  “Charlie,” he growls as I move my hips against him and feel him pulsing inside of me. “Oh my god.”

  I start moving quicker, enjoying the way his body stiffens under my touch. I gasp as his hand slides up, cupping my breast. Rising beneath me and sliding my legs around him, he brings my breasts to his mouth and I groan in pleasure as he softly nips my nipple before sucking as much of it as he can into his mouth.

  Noah gasps as he pulls my hips hard against his, guiding me in a slow and agonizing pace against him as his face stays within my breasts. Throwing my head back and letting my hair fall down, I sigh with pleasure.