He left his laptop bag sitting by his desk and headed up the steps to his place. While his brothers shared a house on the other side of the landing strip, he preferred his privacy, so he’d turned the third floor of the warehouse into his own private condo. It had been used for storage but with some time, money, and a lot of cleaning, it had turned into a sanctuary where he could get away from work, at least as much as he would allow himself. He’d gather a few things in case he got tied up in Pennsylvania and once they were in the air, he’d arrange for a rental car.
Flying out of Pittsburgh’s airport with Syd would be too risky. Too many people could see them traveling through the terminals. He’d need to get her out of the city, possibly out of the state, before they could risk Knuckles flying them back to Minnesota. By then it would be easier to just continue the trip back by car, rather than wait for Knuckles. Especially if she’s fighting me every step of the way.
Every step Sydney Manor took in the old house produced a creak that seemed more sinister now that she was alone. It wasn’t the first time in her life she had been home alone, but this was the first time no one would be coming back to her. She was alone in the world and finding someone on the porch when she arrived home from work had left her uneasy. It was a friend of Jay’s but his cryptic warning told her he’d be trouble.
Terrified, she made sure every door and window was locked, before escaping to what had once been her sanctuary—her room. She needed to figure some things out. With her father and two brothers behind bars, how was she going to pay the bills, handle whatever legal fees they needed, and everything else? She needed to come up with a plan. Instead, all she could think was that she was the last Manor standing. All of the males in her family had ventured down the wrong route in life, while she’d vowed to stay out of trouble and away from the drugs that had ruined her family.
Maybe she needed to leave the area. The part of town they lived in had become so consumed by drugs and crime, it wasn’t safe there any longer—especially not without Jay or someone there. At eighteen having just graduated from high school a couple of months ago, surely she could find work somewhere else. A hundred bucks was all she had to her name, but there had to be something in this shit hole they called home that she could sell.
A fist pounded on the door, and fear rose within her. Without turning on a light, she reached over to her nightstand and grabbed the handgun she had placed there. The gun was her father’s, but he’d taught her how to use it years ago. He must have known he was going to prison and she’d be left with Jay. This had been his gift to her, so she could protect herself if the time ever came. Her brother had been into the same shit as her father so he had to realize that one day this would be her fate. They’d sheltered her, protecting her from the worst parts of their lives. Now, something about this whole situation screamed that she had been tossed directly into shark infested waters. What was she supposed to do?
The pounding on the door stopped, then resumed; whoever it was had gone to the back door. She wanted to creep out of her room and see who it could be but whoever was there in the middle of the night hadn’t come for a visit. They were coming because of something Jay had done. She didn’t want to die because he owed someone money, or someone wanted drugs. The hundred dollars she had in her purse was all she had. She couldn’t pay someone off.
The noise subsided and her breaths came easier. The person at the door would be back, though; she wasn’t going to get rid of her problems that easy. Knowing that she needed to get out of there, she eased off the bed and began to throw things into a duffle bag. There was no place to go but she couldn’t stay. She had to do something.
“Sydney.” The male voice was unfamiliar.
The stairs creaked and she pressed her back to her bedroom wall. She held the gun out before her, knowing she needed to relax, focus on the target, and be ready when he entered her room.
“Syd…” The soft, husky voice drifted through the door.
It can’t be. Maybe it was her ears playing tricks on her but she swore that voice belonged to someone she knew. Someone she could trust. With the gun at the ready, she couldn’t stop the dash of hope from blooming within her. Could he have known and come for her? All these years later, would he be her saving grace again?
Without a sound, the bedroom door handle turned and the door drifted open. Could she do this? Could she really pull the trigger? She didn’t know but her finger hovered over it. Give me the strength…
“Syd…” A man stepped through the open door and her heart skipped a beat.
“Coal!” Tears streamed from her eyes. She wanted to go to him and have him wrap his arms around her, but fear rooted her to the spot. How did he know she needed him?
“Damn it, why didn’t you answer me!”
“What do you want?” Suspicion crept into her words. Was he tied into the mess Jay was in? She knew he and his brothers had left the state and made it big but it didn’t stop the misgiving from tainting her thoughts. What was the big man behind Tanner Cycles doing slumming in her neck of the woods? Now that he was a rich man, he never came back to their old stomping grounds.
“Syd.” He stepped farther into the room. “I came for you. Get your stuff. We’re going somewhere safe.”
“I can’t…” She didn’t know why she said that. While she had dreamed about him coming and rescuing her from the mess she called her life, now that he was here, she was scared. But did she fear leaving everything she knew behind or her feelings for him? She wasn’t sure. He could have any woman he wanted. Why would he want her?
“Can’t?” He tipped his head toward the half packed duffle bag on her bed. “It looks like you were considering just that when I arrived.”
“They’re after me.” Her gaze drifted toward the window as she wondered if they were outside. Were they out there waiting for her to come out? Would they eventually make their way inside and find her? She couldn’t stay cooped up in the house forever. She’d have to go grocery shopping; after all, there was nothing left in the refrigerator expected a sour container of milk and Chinese food from three days ago. Damn you, Jay!
“I know. That’s why I’m here.” Watching her intently, he inched closer to her. “How about we put down the gun?”
“Huh?” She followed his gaze and realized she was still pointing the gun at his chest. “Shit!” Carefully moving her finger away from the trigger, she lowered it. In her heart, she knew she couldn’t shoot Coal, even if it turned out he was part of Jay’s mess.
“Give it to me.” He held his hand out for it.
“I might need it.” There was no safety on the gun and she already had one round ready in the chamber, just in case. “They were already here.”
He closed the distance between them and with one hand, he cupped the side of her face, while with the other, he reached for the gun that she now pointed at the floor. “Do you trust me, Sydney?”
“Yes.” The single word came out more like a squeak as she could finally take in the man before her. Before the darkness and shadows prevented her from getting a good look at him. The pictures in the magazines and online didn’t do him justice. His broad shoulders and thick biceps made her feel small. She wanted to reach around his neck and unravel the tie that kept his shoulder length, dark brown hair out of his face. In the years since he’d left the city, he’d transformed from a young man with an attitude to a man who was beyond sexy.
“Syd, are you listening to me?” He took the gun from her hand and placed it on the dresser.
“What?” She blinked away her thoughts and the anxiety rushed back. “I, umm…”
“Finish packing. We’re leaving.” He stepped back from her and she had to wrap her arms around herself to shake off the chill.
“I don’t have anywhere to go.” Even as she argued, she went to her dresser, pulling out the few things she wanted to take with her.
“You’re coming home with me.” He stepped to the window and glanced out at the street. “Take everythin
g you need. You won’t be coming back here for a while, if ever.”
She tossed the last of her clothes into the bag before grabbing her purse and the money she’d hidden from Jay in her nightstand. “Maybe Jay will get out and…”
“I doubt it.” He stepped back from the window and nodded to the bag. “Ready?”
“Why do you doubt it?” While she could take a guess, she wasn’t even sure what he’d been arrested for. “He has to come back.” If he didn’t get out of jail and take care of whoever was looking for her, how would she be able to move on with her life? Wouldn’t they continue looking for her, until he squared things with them? She wasn’t sure if he owed them drugs or money but she had no doubt he owed them big for them to already be at the house looking for him.
“Syd…” As his gaze fell on her, the words faded away, and sadness shined back at her when she looked him in the eyes. “Fuck! I could kill him for putting you in the middle of this.”
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place and she realized it was worse than she thought. If Jay had called Coal to get her out of the city, her brother wasn’t coming home anytime soon. But it wasn’t even that; it was the caution in the way Coal acted. He hadn’t turned on any lights and he stuck to the shadows as if expecting someone to be lingering around the house, watching for her. “They’re going to kill me because of him, aren’t they?”
“No, baby.” He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her tight against his body. “I’m going to protect you, but we’ve got to go. Do you have everything you want? Anything that’s not important we can replace once we get where we’re going.”
When she nodded, he stepped back, grabbed her duffle bag, and slid it over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
She reached back to the dresser, her hand brushing against the butt of the gun when his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her away. “Wait.”
“No.” He tugged her toward the door and when she fought him, he pushed her up against the wall. “Can you guarantee me that gun isn’t stolen? That it hasn’t been used in a crime? Damn it, Syd, I know what Jay’s been doing all these years. Tim…your dad…do you want to end up like them? Getting caught with a stolen gun…using the fucking thing…what the hell are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about staying alive. Just because they’ve done those things doesn’t mean I’ve done anything wrong.”
“Still so naïve.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and shook his head. “The police know you. They know you’re connected to Jay. With him out of the picture, they’re going to be wondering if you’re picking up where he left off. Just like Jay took over from your dad. In the twenty minutes I’ve been here, I’ve seen two police cruisers. Do you think that’s a coincidence? Every single officer who knows your family is wondering if you’re in on it, too. They don’t have any proof, but you’re the last one left and look where you’re living. They’ll be watching you.”
“But I’ve never…” She tried to argue but he was right. Three months earlier, Jay was dropping her off at work and they were pulled over for speeding. The car was searched and Jay had drugs on him. He was arrested and she was questioned as if she was guilty by association. That was when she started putting money aside, with the intent on getting the hell out of town. Everyone who knew her family thought she was no good, just like them. “Why come back if you think I’m just like them? Surely you don’t want to tarnish your perfect appearance. Mr. Millionaire with it all together, what are you doing here? Slumming?”
The sound of glass shattering stopped him from giving an answer. Instead, he took her hand and pulled her down the stairs, toward the front door. “Stay behind me.”
“You don’t go toward the noise. That’s how everyone ends up dead in a scary movie. Shouldn’t we go back upstairs?” Upstairs they’d find them, but there, she had the gun. They could protect themselves. “I can’t run forever. Maybe I should just face them.”
“Bullshit.” At the bottom of the stairs, he glanced out the window next to the door before opening it. “Let’s go.” He pushed her out the front door, keeping her close to him, as a figure came out of the kitchen.
“Don’t fucking move!” the figure in black hollered at them as Coal slammed the front door behind them.
“Move!” He pulled her down the deserted street as bullets rang out behind them. They ran toward the car he pointed to, clicking the universal remote “Get in.”
As she climbed into the passenger side, she chanced a look back at the house in time to see a man lumbering off the porch, his weapon pointed in their direction. Coal got in the driver’s seat and started the engine. Moments later, gunshots echoed through the stillness of the night. Terror filled her, stealing her breath from her lungs.
“Coal!”
Preview: Different Sides
Murder? One call is all it takes to shatter Elise Dalton’s heart. Her father’s been murdered and the accused is none other than the man she had given her heart to. Though he’d cut himself out of her life years earlier, being the daughter to the chief of police, she has heard enough gossip to let her know that the choices he’s made have lead him down a path of self-destruction. He isn’t the same man she’d fallen in love with but a part of her doesn’t want to believe he could kill her father in cold blood.
Gun carrying, motorcycle riding, bad boy Flash Arquette has done some terrible shit in his life. He’s even taken the fall for someone, and every time he’s done the time for his crimes. This time, though, he’s innocent and no one’s listening to him. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him except Elise. She had to know the truth. He’s hurt her enough in the past, but he would never have done this to her. The only problem is the convincing evidence against him and his inability to give them proof of his innocence without breaking the contract he signed.
Their lives have taken opposing paths, but as the steel bars close around Flash, Elise realizes she’s lost him for good. The small ray of hope that he could change dies and the grief doubles. When those around Flash come forth with information that he’s been set up, she’s not sure she believes them, but she has to find out the truth. Nothing will bring her father back but she might be able to save Flash from death row.
Chapter One
Law and order had been drilled into Elise Dalton’s head since she was old enough to understand what it was. According to her father, being the daughter of the chief of police left her with a bigger responsibility. She was supposed to set an example. Live her life on the straight and narrow—and for the most part, she did. The only time she took the detour road was for the man she thought she’d spend her life with—Flash Arquette.
During the freshman year of high school, the Arquettes had moved down the block from her and shook up the once quiet, small town. Mr. Arquette was a drunk who thrived on trouble and violence. If he wasn’t causing a disturbance at the town’s only bar, he was at home beating his sons, Rocco and Flash. How many times had her father locked Mr. Arquette up? Each time, his sister, who lived a couple of towns over, would come and take care of the boys until he was released, only to have the cycle repeat itself within a few weeks.
Now, standing in the front yard of the house she grew up in, she glanced toward the old Arquette place. Twilight was quickly turning to dark, making it hard to see anything except the outline of the house. No one had lived there in years and in the day, the neglect was clear. Tall grass, weeds growing through the cement driveway and around the walkway, the broken window, and missing siding made it clear to anyone that it had been abandoned for years. Just glancing at it made her wonder why her father hadn’t done something all those years ago. Maybe if he could have locked Mr. Arquette up for longer than a few days, the boys would have had a fighting chance. Maybe their aunt would have taken them in and raised them right. If only her father had acted more on the situation, maybe he’d still be alive.
Silent tears rolled down her cheeks while inside, her temper rag
ed. She wanted revenge but she could almost hear her father’s words in her ear. Let the justice system do what it’s intended to do. It takes time but it works. Did it really? If so, it would have saved the Arquette boys. It would have given Mrs. Arquette justice. And Flash…
“Ms. Dalton?”
Hearing her name spoken brought her out of the past. She glanced in the direction of the sound. A sleek black town car was parked at the end of the driveway but it was the man getting out who caught her attention. His sun-kissed skin and black wavy hair reminded her of someone she couldn’t place—though the perfectly tailored suit, and the fact he was being driven by a chauffeur, told her he didn’t belong there.
“Ms. Elise Dalton?”
“It’s a bad time. You’ll need to come back…” She wanted to say ‘never’ but she doubted that was an option. Whatever this man wanted, she didn’t have time for it. She had just come from the funeral home where she’d made plans for her father’s funeral. Right now, all she wanted was to be alone, not to deal with people. She took a step back toward the house, quickly finding her key.
“I only need a moment of your time.” His voice sounded closer, nearly right behind her, but she didn’t turn back to look.
“I don’t know who you are, but right now I don’t care. I’ve asked you to leave once and if you’re persistent I’ll have to call my fa…” Tears sprang to her eyes as she slid the key into the lock. Silently, she fought back the tears, refusing to cry in front of him.
“Elise—”
“I told you, now’s not a good time.” The door opened and she stepped into the doorframe, forcing herself to look at him. His brown gaze caught her attention and for a moment she thought she was looking into someone else’s eyes.
Road to Kaytlyn Page 7
