She stared up at him for a moment. Silent for what felt like a lifetime, and then she nodded. “Okay.”
He nodded once and released her face.
Grabbing her hand in his, he linked their fingers. “Together?”
“Together.”
“Good.”
He saw a new determination shine in her eyes, something he’d never seen there before. And as they crossed the street and headed toward their destination, he could almost feel her strength increasing. He would like to think that it was him, finally showing her a bit of his own feelings that caused the shift, but in all fairness, Tinker knew better. Whatever had come over her, he just hoped it stayed. Because Keily would need it to get through the rest of their journey.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Keily
Anger.
That’s what filled her. Every cell, every vessel, in her body pulsed with it.
Williams had taken the one thing that Keily couldn’t live without – her daughter. And she would make him pay for that. One way or another.
Love.
That’s what fueled her. A mother’s love. A mother’s need. A mother’s desire. And Keily would be damned if that SOB continued to deprive her of what was rightful hers.
She and Tinker jogged across another intersection and continued down the street. She could see their turn up ahead and with a new sense of determination, Keily pushed on. She was tired and her feet hurt, but she just reminded herself that each step took her closer to Emily. And that was enough to keep her moving.
They took their turn down Saint Helens Avenue as another cop car slowly crept by them. Keily’s heart was about to beat out of her chest, but on the outside, she remained calm. She and the officer made eye contact and the car slowed to a stop against the opposite curb.
“Keep walking,” Tinker said from the corner of his mouth. “Act natural. Just two people out for a walk.”
Keily started to breathe heavily and fan her face. She lifted her legs high, pretending to be doing high steps.
Tinker gave her a confused looked.
She stopped walking and bent down at the waist to touch her toes. “You said act naturally.” She stood up straight, then bent back down. “Exercising people stretch, right?”
She really had no idea what she was doing. Keily didn’t exercise. She had always been more of a yoga person, and still, she barely did that correctly.
But to Tinker’s credit, he caught on quickly. Lifting one foot, he bent it and held it against his butt.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and he immediately did the same. Together, they both did several squats before shaking out their limbs and continuing down the street.
The entire time, the police officer stayed in his car, watching them. But when Tinker and Keily started to walk off, the officer pulled his car back into the street.
Keily’s heart sank. Shit! Her eyes scanned the area looking for a place to run to. Something that would allow her to hide.
But then, the officer cut a sharp U-turn and took off in the opposite direction. She remained focused on walking until he was completely out of sight. Then she did the only thing she could do. Keily collapsed against the wall of a boarded-up business. Relief washed through her.
“Holy shit,” she breathed.
Tinker started to chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” she asked, brows furrowed.
“That was great!” His chuckle turned into full-on laughter. “I say, ‘act natural’ and you suddenly have us doing calisthenics in the damn street!”
“He was staring us down!”
“Way to think on your feet, sweetness.” He continued to laugh. Tinker put his arm over her shoulder again and pulled her against him as he started walking.
“Next time, you come up with a plan then,” she huffed, which only made Tinker laugh more. “You’re an ass.”
“But I’m a lovable ass!”
“That’s debatable,” she commented drily.
“Stop pouting,” he teased. “You did good. Really.”
Even though she wasn’t done pouting, she smiled at his praise. It was nice to do something good for once. And maybe, if Tinker saw that she could hold her own, and be useful, he might open up and let her in on what exactly was going on.
“So where to now?” Tinker asked.
“In three miles, we’re going to take a right,” Keily answered, looking down at the phone in her hand. “Then it looks like a straight shot out of the city.”
“How long is it showing?”
“Until we’re out of the city?” she asked. “Four hours and eight minutes.”
“Guess we better get to moving.”
“How in the hell are we going to get around that?” Keily asked, eyes wide as they hid behind a large outcrop of rocks.
They had finally made it to the city limits but less than a hundred yards ahead was a major problem. Williams had set up a roadblock. A legit roadblock. Police, state and local, were stopping cars, one by one, and IDing the occupants. Other officers walked around the area, some chatting, others keeping watch.
“This is ridiculous,” she sighed. “You’d think they were searching for a hardened criminal, a murdering serial killer or something – not an innocent woman trying to save herself from a crazy fucktard.”
She looked over at Tinker when he still hadn’t said anything. Other than his eyes, the man was unmoving, like a stone. He looked from one area to another and then back again. She tried to follow his line of sight, to see what he saw, but she had no clue what she was doing.
So, she decided to remain quiet and just let him think.
Several minutes later, Tinker reached for her hand. “Let’s go.”
Keily stumbled behind him, her toe catching a rock.
“Shit, are you okay?” Tinker asked.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Okay.”
They started walking again, this time Keily tried to watch the ground at her feet for any more trip hazards. She and Tinker moved closer to the barricade, using the trees along the side of the road to hide behind.
“Stay here,” he told her, pushing her back against a tree.
“What?” Keily shook her head. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll be right back.”
“Take me with you.”
“No,” he said firmly. “Stay here. Stay out of sight. And I’ll be right back.”
Tinker turned to walk away, but Keily grabbed his hand. “Promise?”
He looked at her for a moment. She could see some type of emotion fly across his face, but before she could figure out what it was – it was gone. In normal Tinker fashion, he grabbed her face, and before she could process what he was doing, his lips crashed against hers. His tongue forced its way between her lips. The kiss robbed her of all her breath so when Tinker pulled away, Keily was gasping for air.
“I promise,” he told her, right before he kissed her again, this time softly.
She watched, with her heart in her throat, as Tinker quietly walked away from her. She had no idea where he was going or what he was going to do, but at that moment, she realized something important – she couldn’t make it out of this without him.
The phone in her hand vibrated, causing her to jump. She fumbled for it as it tumbled from her hand and smacked against the ground. “Shit!” Keily grabbed it and flipped it over, relieved there wasn’t any noticeable damage.
The phone vibrated again, but this time it didn’t frighten her. She looked at the display to see that it was Sledge calling. She raised her eyes to look for Tinker, but in the fumble, she’d lost track of him. She didn’t know what to do.
Should she answer it? she wondered. Or just wait for Tinker to get back and tell him about the call?
The phone vibrated again. This time with a text message - Answer the fucking phone, Dickhead! Which was immediately followed by another vibration – Sledge calling back.
With a heavy sigh, Keily answered. “This
isn’t Dickhead. He’s not here at the moment,” she whispered.
“Keily?” Sledge answered.
“Yeah.”
“Where’s Tinker?”
“I don’t know,” she told him. “He told me to stay put and walked off.”
“Where are you?”
“Saint Helens Avenue. Trying to get out of the city,” she explained. “But we’re kinda stuck at a roadblock.”
“Okay. Hold on.”
Keily waited as the other line became incredibly quiet, so much so that she looked down at the screen to make sure the call was still connected.
“Hello?” she whispered.
“I’m here,” Sledge said. “Just trying to figure something out. Give me a sec.”
“Okay.”
Keily looked back at the barricade, trying to find Tinker, but he either wasn’t there or had an incredible ability to blend in. The longer she waited, the more her nerves started to get the best of her.
What if something happened to him? she thought. What if they caught him and were torturing her location out of him, at this very moment? What if he was…
Stop it, Keily! she told herself. You got this. You’re a badass.
She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly.
“Okay, Keily?” Sledge’s voice came back in her ear.
“Yes?”
“I am sending someone after y’all,” Sledge replied. “Get to the corner of Hinkley and Rhymes.”
“Okay. As soon as Tinker gets back, I’ll let him know.”
“Alright.”
“Hey, Sledge?” Keily needed to ask the question, and she was sure the only person who could honestly answer it, was the man on the other end of the phone.
“Yeah?”
“Is Emily okay?” she asked, her heart in her throat. “Have you heard from Kailyn?”
“Emily is fine, Keily.” Relief washed through her with such force that she leaned against the tree to stay upright. “They should be here within the hour.”
“Thank you,” she replied around the tears that were clogging her throat.
“I’ll message Tinker when they arrive,” Sledge offered. “Okay?”
“Please!” She smiled. “That would be amazing.”
“Consider it done.”
Without another word, Keily hung up the phone. She was safe. That was all that mattered.
Keily had done the right thing. As much as she hated being separated from her daughter, she had done the right thing. Now, she just had to get back to her.
Excited, she continued to search for Tinker. Her eyes scanned the area for Tinker again. Once… Twice… but still, she didn’t see him. Butterflies took flight in her stomach as fear worked its way into her heart.
What if Williams really had caught him?
If he had, Keily didn’t know if she could make it through this. So far, Tinker had been the one to help keep her steady. Whenever Keily would get lost in her head, he always seemed to pull her out of it.
Stop! she told herself, again. You can do this. With or without him.
She pushed out the doubt. Keily had to stop allowing it to control her. She had to start believing in herself. Once she did, she knew everything would fall into place and her emotional state would level out. As it was, the ups and downs were starting to wear on her. More than anything, all it accomplished was exhausting her.
No more, Keily told herself. It was time for her to take control back. There wasn’t any other choice. She had to get back to Emily. So, with a deep breath in, and a slow, steady breath out – she made a promise to herself. No more being a titbag! No more being a bystander! You are in control.
The snap of a tree branch caused her to jerk around. “Holy shit!” She slapped a hand over her mouth. “You scared the crap out of me.” She smacked his arm.
“Sorry, sweetness,” he replied, pulling her into his arms. He rubbed his hand up and down her back. “I didn’t mean to.”
“You were gone forever.”
“It was less than ten minutes,” he countered.
“It felt like forever.”
“I’m sorry.”
He stood there, holding her against his chest. Keily should have told him that she was fine, but she liked being in his arms. So, she decided to keep her mouth shut – for now. Eventually, she pulled back slightly and said, “Sledge called.”
“Did you answer it?”
“Yeah. He wants us to meet up with some people,” she relayed the message. “At the corner of Hinkley and Rhymes. Said they would get us out.”
“Did you look on GPS to see where it’s at?”
“No.”
Tinker grabbed the phone from her hand, and she watched as he typed in the two streets. The screen lit up and the mapping route recalculated.
“Half an hour,” Tinker said. “Let’s go.”
“Wait.” She held his hand to prevent him from walking away. “Where did you go?”
“To see if I could find a way around the roadblock,” he replied.
“And?”
Tinker shook his head. “Nothing that wouldn’t get us caught. Farther south on this side, it opens up to miles of nothing. We’d be sitting ducks.”
Keily nodded. “Oh. Okay.”
Without another word, they headed back the way they came. Sticking to the trees for cover, they remained hidden as they followed the road. This time, Tinker led the way and Keily was fine with that. All she could think about was each step taking her closer to Emily. Her mind filled with plans for the future. Once this was over with, she was taking a long vacation.
Maybe they would go to the ocean… She pictured them playing at the edge of the water and digging in the sand.
Or maybe, a mountain cabin next to a huge crystal-clear lake… She imagined them sitting on the bank with their toes in the sand, fishing the day away.
Or maybe, a camping trip in the woods somewhere. She visualized them surrounded by peace and quietness and the image was almost enough to soothe her tired soul.
Oh! Disneyland. But then she re-thought that idea because Emily was still too little.
She was probably too little for everything, but that didn’t mean that memories couldn’t be made. Anything to overshadow the mess they were currently in. One day, she told herself.
“You okay?” Tinker asked.
“Huh?” She blinked.
“I’ve been trying to talk to you, and you’ve zoned out.” He looked worried. “You okay?”
“Oh, sorry!” she apologized. “I was just thinking about all the places I plan to visit when this is all over.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yep!” She smiled. “I think Emily and I will just load up the car and travel the country.”
Tinker nodded but didn’t say anything else.
Keily looked at him curiously, but he turned his face away from her and continued walking. She didn’t know why she’d upset him, but she knew she had, somehow.
Story of my life, she thought. Somehow, she always upset Tinker.
They continued walking toward their destination with no other words between them. Tinker was silently lost in his own head, while Keily mentally planned out all the places she would go and sites she wanted to see; completely blind to the turmoil that she had just unleashed in the man walking beside her.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Tinker
She was leaving.
Of course, she was. Why in the hell would she stay?
He cursed himself for caring. This is what always seemed to happen to him. The moment he got interested in a girl, she left. They always leave…
This was why he avoided relationships or attachments of any kind. Tinker was always the one left holding the bag, alone.
Sadness started to fill his heart, but he pushed it away and allowed his anger to fill it instead. Anger hurt less.
He continued walking, silently allowing the feeling to consume him. To feed him. If Keily wanted to leave, then so be it – leave. He
told himself that he didn’t care. He didn’t give two shits. And that’s what he was sticking with.
They made the last turn, and just up ahead, several bikes lined the street. Tinker smiled. He saw the bikers standing along the street, and his smile grew even bigger. Their cuts matched his, except for the bottom rocker. Where his said Texas, these guys’ read Colorado. Tinker quickened his steps causing Keily to have to jog to keep up with him.
“Why are we running?” she asked.
“Rescue is here,” was all that he replied.
As he got closer to the group, he whistled.
Several heads turned his way, and then three of the club members stepped off the curb and started toward him. Hound, Skeeter, and Show Boat – the chapter’s President, Vice President, and Enforcer.
Hound stepped against Tinker, giving him a brotherly hug and slap on the back. “Didn’t even know you were in town.” His tone was more curious than annoyed.
“Spur of the moment thing, brother.”
Hound nodded. He turned his gaze toward Keily, looking her up and down. “This the girl the Feds are after?”
“Yep.”
Hound nodded. “We got you a bike.” He jerked his back toward the rest of the group.
“Thanks,” Tinker replied. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Good idea,” Show Boat interjected. “Feds drive by, and we’re sitting ducks out here in the middle of a damn street.”
“Oh, hush it.” Hound waved a hand dismissively. “I’ll stand where I please.”
“Mhm,” Show Boat mumbled.
Tinker chuckled.
Together, they walked over to the others, and one by one, the ones that knew Tinker came over to slap him on the back and say their hellos.
“Right here.” Skeeter, the chapter’s VP pointed at a flat black Panhead.
“Damn!” Tinker whistled low. “That is one sexy bike.”
“You wreck it,” a deep voice rumbled behind him. “And I’ll wreck you.”
Tinker turned, and his smile grew even bigger. “Kane! My brother from another mother.”
“Good to see you too, fucker,” Kane replied. “But I meant what I said.”
Tinker's Dilemma: Devil's Henchmen MC Next Generation, Book One Page 21
