by Paula Cox
Miranda gathered her false sense of bravado. “Those losers? No clue.”
“Losers? Come now,” Baldie's features flashed to Miranda's face. Behind his sunglasses, she could see the lurid glint in his eye, “You don't have low self-esteem.”
He had lost her. “What?”
“Well, I know for a fact you stayed the night at a dinky little motel room with Red.”
Miranda pursed her lips, her cheeks bit with a blush. She tried to will the embarrassment away. Of course she had sex with Tyler; that was a given. Yet, she didn't want this stranger to know the extent of their relationship.
She turned her back on him as she grabbed the laptop and a handful of papers. As a second thought, she also snagged a folder, wrapping it around the computer. If he saw her take a laptop, warning bells would surely go off in his head. She closed the cabinet, but not the faux wall.
Baldie swaggered into the office, the room temperature falling with his every step. He leaned his hip against the desk and peered over his sunglasses at them. His eyes shone sharp and merciless like a hawk leering at prey. “What are you doing now?”
“Why should we tell you?” Naomi huddled close to Miranda's elbow. Waves of frustration and uncertainty emanated from her. Caught between self-preservation for her unborn child's sake and her own temper, Miranda knew Naomi struggled.
“Now, now, now,” Baldie raised his hands as his level voice filled the air, “I don't want to see anything bad happen to you, but, well, Pete wants all loose ends severed, if ya know what I mean.”
Miranda didn't like the smile that quirked at his lips. Obviously, he didn't have many qualms with fulfilling Pete's wishes. Even if that meant offing two women. She suppressed a shudder, wondering what else he might do to them. She steeled herself against the thoughts. Tyler and Jack wouldn't let anything like that happen. Well, while they were alive, at least.
Naomi's eyebrows furrowed, though. “Who's Pete?”
“Playing dumb isn't cute, sweetheart.” Baldie scowled and Miranda could hear his eyes roll. For a tense moment, with silence bubbled between them, they stared each other down. Finally, he tore his gaze away, sighed, and shrugged his huge shoulders. “Well, your only options are to stick by your guys ‘til the bitter end or help me, really.”
Miranda wanted to scoff. Did this guy never hear of passports or foreign countries? Or was he trying to take advantage of their flustered state? Whatever his reason, she didn't need to let on her third option. She teased her voice with faux hope, “Help you?”
“You dolls are close to them. Help me corner them and freedom is yours,” the man said, grinning like the Cheshire cat.
Miranda refrained from pursing her lips. “Why?”
“I'll tell Pete you don't know anything and we'll all be on our happy way.” Baldie gave them a gracious smile, as if he were offering them a bit of charity. “I'll take those nasty boys out of your lives and you'll stay here in this,” he rolled the word off his tongue as if it were bile, “charming town.”
“How do we know you're telling the truth?” Naomi stepped up, but didn't get too far from Miranda “You could double-cross us.”
He raised his hands to his forehead and jerked his fingers in salute. “Scout's honor.”
“That doesn't mean jackshit to me,” growled Miranda. A prickly burr stuck to her thoughts. He had come very close to insulting Legacy, but the intention was there. Still in the air, still in her thoughts.
“Look, I'll be too busy taking those boys back to Pete that you two could do any damn thing you want,” he said as he turned toward Miranda's desk. She tensed, her stomach roiling as he invaded her personal workspace. He rummaged around, tugging a piece of paper from her notepad. The sound of it tearing shrieked through the air. He pulled a pen from a container and scribbled something down. “Get out of town, go somewhere foreign – your family is rich, Ms. Groves – and enjoy your lives without those deadbeats bringing you down.”
Miranda paused, her stomach coiling unhappily. He knew about her family and her third option. Not that it would have taken much to figure that bit out, or find out they were well-off. The fact he had dug so far sent a sick swirl into her stomach. They may not see eye-to-eye with Miranda, but her family was still hers.
He crossed the distance between them, note outstretched. Miranda clutched at the papers and hidden laptop in one hand. Naomi returned to her side, almost glued to her hip. Her gaze dipped from the man's face to the paper he offered. She weighed the options, briefly, before reaching for the note.
Her fingers clasped around the paper, just as the man spoke, “My number. Give me a call if you'd like to wise up.”
As soon as Miranda relieved the information from his hand, he backed away. Despite his size and strength, he apparently thought the two women weren't helpless enough to turn his back on them. As he opened the door, he tossed them a lazy wave and a half-cocked smirk. Soon, he crossed the lobby and disappeared out the front door.
The two women stood in the office, staring at the man as he left. People cast curious glances into the room, looking away quickly as they saw the expressions on their faces. Miranda stared down at the piece of paper. Baldie's presumable cellphone number stained the paper.
She turned sharply back to the cabinet, tucking the paper into the folder with the rest. After securing the cabinet, she gently pushed the fake wall back into place before Naomi spoke. “Do you think he was telling the truth?”
“Which part?”
“About Pete wanting loose ends severed.” Something shook in Naomi's voice.
Miranda's tension eased. Her friend didn't just have her own safety to worry about. She had her child's. Even if all of this ended, would her child be safe? Miranda tried to force a reassuring smile to her lips. “He probably said that to scare us, Naomi.”
Naomi stared out the doorway. Her brows furrowed and her face pale. She swallowed and shook her head, her own halfhearted smile to her lips. “You're right. Do we have everything?”
Miranda nodded, relieved to escape the bank. She waited for someone else to come barging in and threatening their plans, like her father. “Let's go.” She threw one last glance at her office before flicking the light off. Mingling emotions clashed in her head – uncertainty for the future, comfort in the familiar, and sadness having to say goodbye, even temporarily. She tightened her grip on the laptop still hidden in her hands. If she didn't help Tyler, he and Jack would die. Where would that leave her and Naomi? Where would that leave Naomi and Jack's child?
With a sense of purpose, she cut the power to the office and closed the door.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The four had made it to Miranda's late grandfather's hunting cabin without incident. Taking back roads, it had taken them little over two hours to reach the lodge. The entire ride was silent, save for the wind whipping against their helmets. Throughout the ride, Miranda hugged Tyler tightly, debating with herself.
Naomi's fears warbled through her head. She still hadn't told Jack about the baby. He should really know, before he did something everyone regretted. Miranda’s fingers tangled into Tyler's shirt like the thoughts that tangled up her synapses.
He could feel her uncertainty. Worry and concern dotted his thoughts, but they all had to get to the lodge. Old Man Groves had been a good man. It was a pity the spitfire finally passed. A small bead of regret and woe squeezed at Tyler's thoughts. Miranda's grandpa was the only one in her family who liked him.
As they rolled up to the cabin, the engines cut out. Silence drilled into her ears, startling her from her thoughts. She wrenched the helmet off, the twittering of birds and sounds of the forest filling her ears. Sound resuming settled her frayed nerves.
The cabin was rather large and, from the front, housed six windows. A veranda wrapped around the squat building. Miranda knew, in the back, a small smoking house loomed above what counted as a 'backyard.' Wisps of memories teased and taunted her thoughts. The sound of a rocking chair, long sold. The vague
ly cherry-scented pipe smoke. Her stomach churned, as she hopped off the motorcycle.
They didn't speak until they got through the front door. Thankfully, Miranda had a copy of the key. After setting down their bags of supplies, Jack turned to the women, “What's the plan now?”
“This laptop lets me work wherever and gives me access to accounts,” said Miranda as she hefted the laptop, still hidden among useless papers in a folder, onto the closest table. She lifted the computer from the papers and powered it on. Even though it would have a charge – and a long battery life – she had brought her extra charger. She hoped electricity was still siphoned to the cabin. “I'll go through Pete's files with a fine-toothed comb.”
Naomi piped up, from the chair she perched atop, “What about Baldie?”
Tyler paused from putting away some canned goods. His heart trembled as he turned to the women. “Did he see you guys again?”
“He visited us at the bank.” Miranda stared at the computer as it loaded. Her lips curved into a scowl, but Tyler had the impression she was avoiding his gaze. “Said he didn't want to do us harm but Pete doesn't like loose ends.”
“Really?” Tyler sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Fuck.”
Silence danced among the four of them. Jack and Tyler putting away their freshly bought goods and the hum of the laptop were the only sounds to punctuate the air. Tension joined the silence, concocting a heavy mix.
“Maybe one of us should just give up, Ty,” Jack muttered, breaking the heaviness. All eyes snapped to him, rue coloring his face and pinching his brow. “I mean, I'm the one who found the issue in the books. It's my fault this happened to you all.”
Miranda's stomach churned at the very prospect. Naomi jumped up from her chair, almost knocking the stick of furniture over in the process. Her blue eyes were wide and bright with fear. “You can't give yourself up!”
“I'm just causing you all a headache, Naomi.” Jack shook his head, his shoulders hunched.
“No, you're not!” Desperation caused her voice to turn into a squawk of dismay.
“Yeah, I am,” Jack muttered, his head hanging further. “If I hadn't come around, none of you would be in danger.”
Her lower lip began to wobble. Tears brimmed on her lashes as she struggled to get the words out of her throat, “If you hadn't come around, Jack, I wouldn't have known–”
She broke off, unable to finish the sentence. Her cheeks colored as tears trickled from her eyes.
Jack's heavy footfalls followed him as he slowly approached the blonde. He reached out a hand, but fell short of touching her. “Naomi?”
“I wouldn't have known.” Naomi reiterated in a mutter. Her hand pressed to her stomach and she stared down at her feet. Miranda and Tyler watched the two, their eyes swinging back and forth. Her attention latched onto Jack, trying to gauge his future intentions from his reaction.
Jack stared at Naomi for a breath, eyes wide and shock painted across his features. A realization sunk into his head like an anchor. “What?”
“I don't want to raise this kid on my own, Jack.” Naomi jutted out her still trembling, bottom lip. But she set her shoulders with a new sense of determination and strength. Both of her hands drifted to her stomach. Despite the fact she wasn't even showing, she gave the air of an expectant mother.
Jack's mind seemed unable to keep up with the flow of conversation. “Wh-what?”
Naomi's expression hardened and, finally, she shrieked, “I'm pregnant!”
Dust jostled free thanks to her decibel and floated down to the floor. Something on the roof skittered in fright. The sounds of the forest seemed to pause in the wake of Naomi's frustration. Everything leaned inwards, trying to catch his reaction.
Jack's eyes widened and the color drained from his face. Tyler winced. Even though the suspicion had been passed back and forth between the two of them, the shock still pounded through Jack's thoughts. Still, he tried to valiantly reply to the woman, “Naomi, I didn't-”
“I'm sorry.” Naomi turned and tromped off through the cabin, racing to the first room she found. Jack didn't even hesitate, chasing after her. His pounding footsteps echoed behind him, the whole cabin shaking under his force.
Tyler sighed and watched the two disappear down the hall and into a room. He shook his head and turned a morose gaze to Miranda. A strange look quirked at her face, her expression unreadable and foreign. Pain knotted through his chest. “You should get out of town. You and Naomi.”
She turned sharply to him. Something flared with anger in her green eyes. “No way!”
“Mir-” he started, an apologetic expression pinching at his face.
“I have work to do,” she sniffed, clenching the note Tyler had written her earlier concerning Pete's information. She snatched the laptop up in her arms and paced down the hall. Tyler didn't follow her like Jack had done for Naomi. Her heart flapped sadly at the fact while her head was thankful. She needed time to think.
Miranda stepped into her usual room, ignoring the scent of dust and stale air as she slammed her door shut. She dropped her burden on the dresser and angrily stormed across the room.
Men! What were they thinking? Self-sacrificing fools!
She punched her bed, a flurry of dust pluming from the mattress. Coughing, she waved the dust away from her face, considering the fact they'd have to air out the cabin a bit. They weren't supposed to stay long, though. With Baldie on their tail, it'd only be a matter of time until the cabin was found. Pacing the room, she tried to spur on some thoughts. Miranda's hand dug into her hair, considering what few options they had. Nothing came to mind.
As she rounded the room, her eyes fell on the laptop sitting on the dresser. Maybe the accounts would give her some intel. Dusting off a chair and pulling it up to the dresser, Miranda opened the laptop. Moral qualms battled in her head, briefly.
Pete's right to privacy was revoked when he threatened people she loved.
Conviction in place, her fingers flew across the keyboard. The tapping of the keys filled her room as the background of forest sounds wafted in through the walls.
* * *
Tyler cursed as Miranda disappeared down the hall. He had to fight his feet against following her. This wasn't a situation like Naomi and Jack's. This was entirely different. She could save herself. She had no reason to stick her neck out for him. His feet scuffed along the floor of the cabin. He needed something to keep his mind off her and everything.
He began to air out the cabin, shaking out dusty blankets and opening a few windows. He wasn't going to completely open it up, though. Someone could have followed them from Legacy. Though, he doubted it, it paid to be safe, especially with a pregnant person under their roof.
He jumped as his phone chimed in his pocket. Swiping it out, he didn't even bother glancing at the name. Only one person had this number. He flipped the phone open and held it to his ear, “What's up, Lloyd?”
“Have you gotten any more proof?” The voice on the other end crackled. In the background, Tyler made out the sounds of a raucous bar scene. The connection crackled with static. Or maybe there was interference from something on Lloyd's end.
Tyler sighed and shook his head, even though the man on the other end couldn't see the action. “Not yet, man.”
“Jeez,” hissed Lloyd. He made a sound like he was sucking a popcorn kernel out of his molars. “Ty, you're putting me in a tough spot.”
“I know, I know,” Tyler paced around the living area. Frustration tinged his thoughts and tinted his words. “Just shit has been happening on this end.”
Lloyd was silent for a moment. Tyler could hear the gears turning in the man's head. He was trying to figure out what could have gone wrong. Last time he saw them, they were bruised and battered, but in gracious and good spirits. “Shit? What kind of shit?”
He took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. Finally, after a beat of hesitance, Tyler muttered, “We went back to Legacy.”
“Aw, dammit, Tyle
r!” Lloyd cussed under his breath and the sound of crunching rocks indicated he paced around on gravel. Or maybe he was power-walking to his hog, ready to track down the doofuses he let go.
“No, it's not what you think,” assured Tyler, though the words came out clipped. He knew he wasn't telling the full truth, but Lloyd didn't need to know that. “I'm not here for Miranda. Well, kind of. She's a bank manager and her family owns a ton of banks across the nation.”
The crunching gravel ceased on Lloyd's end. His voice dropped down to a deadpan grunt, “I'm listening.”
“She has access to tons of accounts. I thought she'd be able to help me get proof of Pete's transgressions against the Bandits.”
