Keeping 6 (Rock Point Book 1)

by Freya Barker

  “Nah,” she says, her face softening. “Just be yourself: in your face, brutally direct, painfully honest, and...” she pauses for effect, “...irresistibly handsome. You should go see her now.” I hook her around the neck and give her a noogie with the knuckles of my other hand.

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence, brat, but I’m tired, hungry enough to eat a horse, and eager to spend some time with my favorite sister. Tomorrow, when I’ve had some decent sleep and am not crotchety like an old bear, I’ll see what I can do.”

  I grab my car keys from the counter, grab Bella’s hand, and drag her to the door. “Come on, sis. Let me show you the Durango bustling nightlife.”

  ONE OF MY GUILTY PLEASURES since moving to Durango permanently is listening to old Clive play the piano. The man is at least eighty years old and his body is twisted with arthritis, but his gnarly fingers still manage to draw the sweetest jazz and ragtime notes from the old piano at the Diamond Belle Saloon. Not exactly my youngest sister’s style, who is more into contemporary pop, but I figure it won’t hurt to try to convert her to the more ear-friendly classic melodies Clive masters.

  “Seriously?” Bella skeptically eyes the dated interior before looking at me. “It looks like Durango’s senior citizens have all come out to play,” she hisses under her breath. “Do they cart them in by the truckload?”

  I elbow her playfully in the ribs to shut her up when one of the scantily dressed servers greets us just inside the door. “Is the booth on the far side of the stage available?” I ask her. It’s my favorite spot in the restaurant; a corner booth, out of the way, giving me the privacy to observe the entire place while still close to the music.

  As luck would have it, nobody’s snatched it up yet, despite the fact they have a decent crowd here tonight. Clive spots me and gives me a wave, and when I have Bella seated in the booth, I excuse myself to go have a brief chat.

  “Tell me she’s your sister,” he stage-whispers when I walk up. “I might have to fight you for her otherwise, but I’m not liking my chances.”

  I throw my head back and laugh heartily. The old charmer never passes up an opportunity to flirt with any and every female that walks into the joint. “Rest easy, Clive. That actually is my sister. My baby sister needs to be shown the light, she is rather narrow-minded when it comes to her pop music, and I come to you in hopes you can guide her way.”

  This time it’s Clive cackling his dry chuckle. “Sure thing, my friend. I’ve worked on a few alternative arrangements for some recent hits. I’ll bring them all out in full force tonight. Let’s see if we can’t convert that delicious creature.” He leans back so he can look around me and throws Bella a suggestive wink. I just shake my head and move back to the table where Bella is staring at me, her mouth open in disbelief.

  “Did that old relic just flirt with me?”

  “Don’t let it get to your head. He flirts with everyone sporting the right equipment. Ignore him and concentrate on what you want for dinner.”

  It doesn’t take long for the food to get here once we order. I’m getting a kick out of watching Bella’s reaction when she recognizes some of the songs Clive plays while we eat.

  “He’s really good,” she mumbles around a bite of her San Juan burger.

  “Told ya,” I smugly fire back, ignoring the stink eye she’s shooting my way. I love the easy ribbing we get into. Bella makes me forget the weight of responsibilities resting on my shoulders.

  We talk a little about the options she has for housing, and I promise her I’ll help her cart her stuff from Farmington when she finds a place. In the meantime, I assure her she’s welcome to stay with me as long as she likes.

  I’m about to show Bella the historic Strater Hotel lobby and we head in that direction, when the first notes of “The Entertainer” hit my ears. I turn my head around to smile at Clive, who knows that’s my favorite piece, and resume moving toward the lobby, throwing my arm around Bella.

  “Fine,” she concedes with a scowl. “I’ll admit I enjoyed that.” I burst out laughing at her reluctant admission.

  I’m not sure what causes me to turn around, but my eyes zoom in on a flurry of movement toward the front door. I’m shocked to recognize Kerry’s unmistakable shape darting around a table, and I automatically start moving in her direction, leaving Bella standing there. Kerry throws a look over her shoulder when she gets to the door, and I know she sees me coming when her eyes widen, but it doesn’t stop her. Pulling the door open, she slips through before I can catch her.

  She’s just stepping into the street when I make it outside. I break into a run while calling her name. That’s when I hear loud honking and the squeal of tires, and without thinking I launch myself forward, make a grab for Kerry, and roll with her in my arms out of the way of an oncoming car.

  “Jesus, woman!” I bark in frustration, my back sore from the impact with the asphalt. I feel her body start to shake and I sit up, taking her with me and pulling her on my lap so I can check her out. “Are you okay?”

  Kerry is blinking furiously at the tears filling her eyes, but her chin lifts up stubbornly. “I’m fine,” she says, struggling to get up off my lap. I try to hold her down, but when the driver runs up from where his car is pulled off to the side to check on us, I reluctantly let her go.

  “God, you gave me a scare. Everyone all right? Anyone hurt?” The poor guy looks worried.

  “I’m fine,” Kerry repeats to him as she straightens up. “I’m sorry, I...”

  “We’re good,” I cut her off while getting to my feet, directing my words to the man who is nervously wringing his hands. “Sorry for giving you such a scare, and thanks for checking on us.”

  “Well, if you’re sure,” he asks, looking at his car and then back to us, making it clear he wants the hell out of here.

  “Positive,” I confirm, adding a smile and a firm nod.

  I’m aware of Kerry brushing off her clothes as the guy scurries back to his car, and am about to confront her, when I hear my name called from the other side of the street.

  “Damian!”

  Bella manages to cross the street without incident and immediately walks up, buries her head in my chest, and wraps her arms tightly around my waist.

  “We’re fine, Bella,” I tell my sister, pressing a kiss to her head. “Kerry, this is...” I turn my eyes to her and watch as she forces a pained smile on her face.

  “I’ve got to go,” she mutters, already reaching behind her for the car door. “Sorry for the...for this.”

  Bella pinches my waist, which spurs me into action. “Wait.” She’s already slipping behind the wheel when I catch the top of the door and keep her from shutting it on me. “Gypsy,” I growl, leaning into the car. “Fucking stop running from me.”

  The stubborn minx keeps her eyes fixed straight ahead, staring at nothing through the windshield, but I can see her chin wobble.

  “What I was saying before you tried to escape, I’d like you to meet my baby sister, Bella.” I throw a quick look over my shoulder to find Bella right behind me, an understanding smile on her face.

  “Hi, Kerry,” she says to the woman looking up at her with eyes as big as saucers. “Damian’s told me all about you.”

  The chin wobble on her face grows more pronounced, and Kerry’s resorted to chewing her bottom lip. Without hesitation, I shove my sister out of the way and duck back inside the car, running the back of my fingers over Kerry’s soft cheek.

  “Don’t cry,” I say gently, and as if turning on a tap, her eyes immediately fill and spill over.

  “I’m not,” she snaps, wiping agitatedly at her eyes. “I’m just a little shaken up.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t drive then,” is my rather curt response. She glares at me from the corner of her eyes, and I raise my hands defensively, softening my tone. “What I’m trying to say is let me take you home. It’d make me feel better, and besides, I think we need to have a talk.”

  “I’m okay,” she insists. “I can
drive myself home. I just want to crawl into bed.”

  The mention of her in bed does unspeakable things to my body. Unspeakable in the presence of my baby sister, that is. I’d almost forgotten about her. “Okay,” I concede, knowing better than to force the issue when she obviously feels a bit brittle. “But I’m coming over tomorrow, and we’re gonna clear the air.”

  She flicks her eyes at me, and the hint of a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. “Can’t,” she declines. “I’ll be in Cortez tomorrow. Likely won’t be home until late.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Give me a call when you get in. I don’t care what time.” Leaning in, I shock her by giving her an innocent peck on the cheek. “Drive safe,” I caution her before I back up and close the door.

  Bella steps up beside me as we watch Kerry pull away from the curb.

  “Oh yeah...” she smiles, never taking her eyes off the disappearing taillights. “You’re so gone for that one.”

  I don’t bother arguing.

  CHAPTER 11

  Kerry

  “No, you can’t take him with you!”

  I chuckle at Kim’s disgruntled protests when I get in the car, still holding the warm squirmy little body of Asher, who has been safely snuggled in my arms all afternoon. I love that little boy.

  I once wanted children of my own, but after a few years of trying early on in my marriage, I resigned myself to the fact motherhood was not in my future. Until the waning days of my marriage, when in a blowout shouting match with Greg, he let it slip that he’d had a vasectomy before we even got married. After years of trying to get him to consider fertility treatments, or change his rigid views on adoption, that had been the ultimate betrayal.

  Any maternal instincts I might have are momentarily satisfied each time I get my hands on this little boy. I take what I can get. Which is why I nuzzle Asher’s little neck, and breathe in his baby scent for a last fix, before reluctantly handing him over to his mother.

  “Sorry, Asher,” I mumble with my lips against the palm of his pudgy little hand. “Your momma is a greedy bitch.”

  “Kerry! Don’t swear in front of the baby,” Kim scolds me through the open window, pressing Asher’s ear against her chest, her hand covering the other. I roll my eyes as I plug my phone into the hands-free system—it’s not like the little guy understands what I’m saying.

  The afternoon was a good one. Kim had taken the day off and was waiting with a fabulous lunch that included muffins from my favorite coffee shop in town. By the time Asher woke up from his nap, we were ready to walk off the copious amounts of food we’d just scarfed down. So with Asher strapped in a carrier on her back, Kim and I headed out for a hike on the mesa; Kim’s gigantic dog, Boo, turning circles around our legs. We walked for miles through the sage grass and down the canyon; we ended up at the edge of a creek, where Asher played under our watchful eyes and we had time to catch up on all the goings-on in our respective lives. By the time we got back home, it was late afternoon and the baby was ready for his dinner. Kim’s husband, Mal, called to say he was held up with work, so she and I resorted to finishing this afternoon’s leftovers, neither of us very hungry. I wanted to try and get back to Durango before dark and was already in the driveway when Kim remembered the box. She handed me Asher while she ran back in to get her keys. While I was contemplating taking the gurgling little boy and running, she transferred the box from her car to mine, apologizing profusely for the fact she kept forgetting to open it. Something I’ll do the moment I get home.

  “Love you,” I yell as I back my car out of her driveway. I watch her in my rearview mirror, holding Asher’s little hand and waving as I drive away.

  After filling up and grabbing a coffee to keep me awake at a gas station, I head back to Durango. With my visor flipped down to block the low-hanging evening sun, I belt along with Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.” I love this drive. Love how the sparse but stunning landscape of the mesas and canyons morph into the lush, majestic swells of the Rockies. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

  The sun has slowly set behind the mountains, and I keep my eyes peeled against the waning light for any wildlife along the side of the road. This time of night often sees deer or elk coming up from the valleys to dart across the highway. I’ve had one or two close encounters on this stretch before. Just as I’m coming up to the cutoff to Hesperus, the interior of my car brightens with the glare of headlights right behind me. I can’t see much in my rearview mirror other than a grill and headlights. I’m guessing it’s either a truck or SUV, something that is clearly higher up than my Subaru. Almost everyone here drives big vehicles, so that’s not a shock. What is, though, is the fact the damn thing is way too close to my tail for comfort. Almost on top of me.

  In an attempt to get out of his way, I let up on the gas and inch my way toward a widened section of the shoulder, keeping a close eye on the far edge, where the road gives way to a sharp drop to the valley below. A quick glance in my rearview mirror shows the damn truck still riding my ass. In fact, it appears to be following me to the side of the road. Suddenly, my irritation is replaced with fear. It’s almost dark, traffic is sparse, and I don’t know what the hell this guy wants. My hand automatically reaches for my phone as I slow to a stop, the truck still behind me. I keep my eye on him in the rearview mirror as I hit 911 on the phone.

  “Nine-one-one. What’s your emergency?”

  “Yes, hi,” I respond sheepishly when the dispatcher picks up my call. “My name is Kerry Emerson, and I’m sitting on the side of Highway 160 to Durango, just west of the cut off to Hesperus. There’s a truck that was riding my tail and pulled up right behind me when I pulled off to let him pass. I’m getting scared.”

  “Ma’am. Are your doors locked?”

  “Yes,” I confirm with a shaky voice.

  “I’m dispatching State Patrol on the other line as we speak, hon. Stay calm. Can you give a description of the truck?”

  I watch as suddenly the vehicle behind me starts backing up, and I let out a sigh of relief.

  “Ma’am? Are you there?”

  “Yes. Sorry, he just backed up.”

  No sooner have the words left my mouth when the squeal of tires on gravel has my head snap around. It only takes a nanosecond for me to recognize the truck barreling toward me.

  “Ma’am? Ma’am...?”

  I barely hear the voice of the dispatcher while I watch in horror as the truck tries to swerve around me at the last second. The rest plays in slow motion. I hear the loud honking of a transport truck coming up from behind. I see the smaller truck swerve to avoid a collision. And I can feel the impact as it sideswipes the front end of my car, sending the Subaru spinning toward the edge of the road. I think I’m screaming as my car moves out of control, and I see flashes of the deep drop into the valley.

  When the car finally stills, I can hear the woman on the phone still calling out.

  “I think I’m okay,” I manage to squeak out. I’m hyperventilating and my heart is going a mile a minute. “I think I’m okay,” I repeat, as if I can make it so just by saying it again. The front of my car is pointing perpendicular to the road. I watch through the windshield as the driver of the big transport truck parked a little down the road comes walking around his rig and stops in his tracks. He suddenly starts running in this direction as the dispatcher starts talking.

  “Don’t move,” she instructs me. “State Patrol will be there soon.”

  I just manage to answer her with, “Okay,” when a metal groaning sound shudders through the frame of the car.

  “Not okay!” I scream when the approaching driver suddenly disappears from view and instead I find myself staring at the stars.

  DAMIAN

  I hear it on the scanner.

  I don’t why I know it’s her, but I do.

  “—10-54, Highway 160 west of the 140 exit in easterly direction. Requesting 10-52. Watch for suspect or suspects last seen heading west in a black or dark green newer model extended
cab—”

  That’s all I hear when I walk into my office. But it’s enough.

  I’ve been struggling with an unexplained feeling of impending doom ever since I watched Kerry run blindly across Main Street last night. My heart pounding in my throat, I snatch my phone from my desk where I left it. I notice my hand shaking as I scroll through my contact list to find her number. My jaw locks with tension as I mindlessly count the number of rings. Finally, after seven, her voicemail kicks in.

  “Hi. You’ve reached Kerry. Leave me a message and I’ll get back to you.” The recording is simple, no nonsense and to the point, just like the woman herself. As I tuck the phone in my pocket without leaving a message, I pause a moment, wondering if it is the last time I will hear her voice.

  With a sharp shake of my head to dislodge the fatalistic thoughts that paralyze me, I finally get my feet to move out the door. I ignore Jasper’s call behind me as I storm out of the office and head for my Expedition. In the distance, I can hear the sound of the ambulance sirens on their way out of town and guessing their destination, I climb behind the wheel, slap my portable siren on the roof, and speed off to catch up.

  Against the darkening night, the flashing blue lights of emergency vehicles are a clear beacon. The road is closed by two State Patrol cars, but the ambulance in front of me easily swerves around. I follow suit and stick my hand holding my badge out the window for the officer standing guard to see. He waves me through, too.

  All I can see is a large semi parked on the side of the road and beyond it a fire truck and more patrol cars. Three State Patrol and one Durango PD. The ambulance moves around the tractor trailer, and I pull my vehicle in on this side of the big rig. I’m already half out the door by the time it rolls to a stop. I take off on a run, rounding the trailer, my eyes already scanning the scene for Kerry’s Subaru. It’s not there. With the ambulance blocking part of my view, I move to the edge of the shoulder so I can look behind it, seeing only a group of officers and a big burly man in a baseball cap standing on the edge of the drop. One of them is shining a flashlight down the mountain.