A small chuckle escaped him, “Henry, of course. You can’t tell me you didn’t know. We look so much alike.”
She lifted her gaze to meet him in the eye. She had suspected they were related, but had not guessed they were that close. She blinked at him slowly, her face no longer angry. It had become twisted, in a contortion of pain, and she licked her lips nervously before she began.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice barely a whisper, she dropped her focus to stare at his lips as she spoke. “Eddie and Henry got into a fight, over a year ago.” She swallowed, and flicked her tongue over her lips again. “Eddie was looking for something, and Henry wouldn’t tell him where it was. Eddie killed him and searched his body before we left him, in a field, next to the road.”
Michael stared at her; his brain wasn’t fully comprehending what he had heard. Henry is dead. A mixture of emotions cascaded over him and he snapped his gaze to the front of the bus, not wanting to look at her. He clenched his fists, thinking about the last time they had spoken.
He had been playing the waiting game about three years when the call finally came. Henry had said he had things worked out, and the girl would be coming to him shortly. Now he was sitting with her, a year later, and his brother was dead.
Michael felt the tears in his eyes, and tried to wipe them away before they fell. His brother had been his hero when he was young. The man he always wanted to be. It had been pure adulation that drove him to join the army, to go Special Forces, and to take the job watching some guy for Eddie Farrell.
It had also been his devotion that made him promise to take care of the woman who sat next to him. He nodded slowly and pushed for more, “Ok, so maybe now you can tell me how you got away from them.” His voice grew anxious, “Are they looking for you? Are you in danger?”
Tori sat in silence, knowing the answers to those questions would not come easy. He watched as she took a labored breath, waiting impatiently for her to begin. She looked around nervously, not wanting her words to be overheard.
Remembering his brother’s group and their use of languages, he whispered to her in German, “Whatever you prefer.”
She gazed at him, surprised he knew what she was thinking. But he was Henry’s brother, so of course he knew. Grateful for the cover, she began her tale.
In a quiet tone, she explained how she had been raised in the camp by the group, and he recalled what little his brother had told him about it. Nodding, he encouraged her to go on. She continued, explaining very briefly how she had taken her place among the Dragons, skipping over all but the most essential details. Michael felt he already knew the things that mattered, and he did not pry for more.
The bus rolled along through the dark, and within a couple of hours she had shared everything that she dared with him, including the farmhouse, Chicago, and LA. Reaching the end of her story, she stared at him, her crystal blue eyes wide with anticipation of his reaction. He only nodded at the moment, letting it all sink in.
The Dragons are dead, but The Organization lives and breathes. Her position was precarious, and he could feel the tension in her body, aware of the danger that lay around her. He could not help but wonder how much of what she said had been true.
“So, why’re we going to Denver?” he finally asked.
She explained, sounding somewhat annoyed, “I have some things I need to do there. Then I can pick a nice quiet town to hunker down in. Alone.” She emphasized the word alone. “I can take care of myself, and I don’t need supervision. Besides, becoming involved with other people only brings unnecessary risks, both to me and to them. I can’t allow that to happen.”
He gathered her meaning; she had just told him to get lost. But Michael had already promised two other men he would take care of her, one of them the most important person in his life. As a man of his word, getting lost was not an option. His eyes dropped to look at her perfect pink lips. She won’t ever be your lover, he told himself, but you’re damn sure gonna do your best to keep those promises.
“We better get some sleep,” he stated, and laid the seat back a bit to close his eyes. He could feel her watching him for several minutes, but he didn’t respond. He would let her think she was in charge if that’s what it took, but he knew the truth, and there was no way he would let anything happen to her; or let her get away.
A few hours later, the bus pulled into the station in Denver, and the couple gathered their things. “So, where will you go from here?” her voice sounded light and cheerful, and in an instant he knew it was an act. She wanted to know his intentions, and she was a cunning little wench. He didn’t bother to reply, and simply made his way down the aisle and out the door.
Tori took a deep breath as she watched him go. Men were usually easy for her to manipulate when she put her mind to it. Why is he being so difficult? Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she followed and exited the bus.
Michael stood to the side, waiting for her. They were almost the same height, and she looked him easily in the eye. He nodded his head, and then turned to walk, clearly expecting her to follow.
For a moment, she thought about heading the other direction, but he paused to wait for her to catch up, and she realized it wasn’t going to be that easy.
“Let’s take care of your business,” he spoke with calm authority, “And then we can look around for a quiet little town.” He could see her eyes flash with anger.
She didn’t want him coming with her, and spit her concerns at him in venomous protest. “You know, seriously, I don’t need your help.”
Stopping, he faced her squarely. “Look. I don’t care if you want to be alone,” his German perfect, “I’m coming with you and staying with you until I know you’re going to be safe. I promised my brother I would do that. Honestly, I don’t give a rat’s ass about you. But Henry, he meant the world to me. And he loved you.” He stopped abruptly, the emotion heavy in his eyes, cracking his voice.
Taking it down a notch, he continued, “So, I’m going to keep my promise to him, and make sure you’re cared for. After that, I’ll move on, and you can be alone.” He emphasized the word alone, as she had done. He could see his words had stung her, and he knew she had feelings, even if she pretended to not care. But he wasn’t going to allow himself to be manipulated by her. I’m too smart for that.
The two walked on without speaking, leaving the station. Making their way to a small café, they ordered breakfast and dined in an edgy quiet. Michael watched around them as they ate, half expecting to be interrupted at any moment by some new enemy that had presented itself. They remained there, drinking coffee until the sun came up. When they left the diner, he followed her to the bus stop.
Pouring over the map, she found the location she needed to visit. Standing for several minutes, the bus arrived, and they climbed aboard. Taking their seats, he realized she hadn’t spoken a word to him since his outburst.
Stealing a sideways glance, he wondered if she were still pissed and how long she could keep it up. Most women would be bursting after having gone so long without talking.
Exiting their transport in front of a large storage facility, Michael looked at her in bewilderment. Glancing at him coldly, she directed in a curt voice, “Go inside and tell them you are Henry. This unit was his. Tell them it’s been so long you forgot the number, and ask for a pair of bolt cutters in case we can’t get the lock open.”
He stared at her incredulously. “And when they ask for ID, what should I do then?” stupid bitch he added cerebrally.
“They won’t,” she replied flatly. Michael only nodded, unimpressed, and stomped off towards the entrance.
A few minutes later, he returned with no tools in sight. He handed her a piece of paper, “It’s this way.” When he had gotten inside, to his surprise, they in fact, did not ask for ID. He gave them his name, and they pulled up a black and white picture of him in their system file. Michael matched his sibling so closely, they didn’t even look twice. Giving him the code for the new digital locks that
had been installed, they were home free.
Tori followed him, her sneer almost gloating at her assessment of the process. He cut his eyes to glare at her, but said nothing. It occurred to him, looking after this infuriating woman would be the hardest job of his life.
Standing back, he watched her enter the code in the keypad next to the entrance, and the door began to rise on the small 5’ x 5’ cubical. Inside the tiny room stood several crates and boxes. Leaning forward, he pushed the lid up on one before she grabbed his arm and hissed, “Stay out of that!”
He let the lid slide back into place, but not before he recognized the contents of the dark container. Searching around for a moment, she spotted a metal tool box on the floor along the back wall. Kneeling down, she lifted the padlock on the front and peered at the keyhole. Allowing it to drop with a clang, she picked up the obviously heavy case and shuffled out into the hall. He offered to carry it for her, but only got an angry scowl in return.
Hitting the close button on the key pad, they waited for the door to be secured. Then they turned, strolled down the hall and exited the building. Taking the bus again, they made their way to a small motel, where she instructed him to get them a room.
So much for me being in charge, he thought to himself as he obeyed, while she waited outside. Returning with the key card, they crossed the asphalt parking lot to the correct entrance. Sliding it, he opened the door for her, and she stepped inside, placing the heavy box on the table with a thud.
The girl walked around the room, checking it anxiously. Michael pulled his jacket off and dropped it on the double bed, tired from their late night of conversation while they had ridden the bus from LA. Placing his hands on his hips, his tone sharp with disgust, “Ok, now what?”
Without a word, Tori reached inside her jacket’s inner pocket and removed a lock pick kit. Opening it, she laid it on the table beside the box and selected the tools. Inserting two of the small devices, she popped the lock open in a matter of seconds, much to Michael’s surprise.
Sliding the ring out of the hasp, she lifted the lid and allowed it to fall back on the table, staring down at its contents. For some reason, he had been expecting to see tools inside the tool box. What he did see took his breath away.
Reaching over slowly, he laid his hand on top of the stack of bills, his jaw hanging open in surprise. She looked at him, emotionless as ever. “Jesus Christ!” he exclaimed, his eyes darting to meet hers. “You knew this was in there?” he inquired dubiously.
“Of course,” she replied calmly. “I told you that unit belonged to Henry. All of the Dragons had one; all but me. That’s twelve men, twelve lockers, scattered across the country. They put stuff in there like the money, for safe keeping until we needed it. They always paid the rent for years in advance with cash, so there would be no paper trail to follow.”
Michael stared at her incredulously. “Is that why there were guns in the crate?” he could not resist the question.
Tori only nodded in reply. The other crates held even more ominous equipment, but she need not go into details. However, she knew the Dragons could have easily started a small war, if the need ever arose.
Snapping the box closed, she looked around the tiny room. “This is what we came for,” she stated flatly. “We should decide where we go from here.”
Realizing she had clearly given this a lot of thought, Michael knew he would have to continue to defer to her leadership. So be it. As long as she didn’t try to ditch him, he would allow her to lead the way.
Taking a seat in one of the chairs, leaning his forearms onto his knees, he looked up at her with an upturned palm, “So, what’s your plan?” He listened attentively while she explained they would take the money and get on another bus.
She had been researching some locations down in Texas, and thought that might be a good place for them to head, where there was lots of open road dotted with small towns in the middle of nowhere. Besides, that put them close to the border, which also could come in handy. Nodding his agreement, he remained silent.
She further outlined how they were going to purchase a building of some sort to convert into a shop, where she intended to rebuild motorcycles for a living. He raised his eyebrow at this piece of news, not realizing she actually knew anything about them, other than riding on one.
Again, bobbing his head lightly, he found no flaw with her designs. Looking over at the container, “How much is in there?”
“$500K,” she didn’t even flinch when she said it.
He sat staring up at her. Her face blank, a cold chill ran down his spine. Last night, she had confessed to murdering eleven men in one night. The most fearsome group of eleven men he had ever encountered. He slowly realized, if she wanted him dead, he might not have the power to stop her.
Turning away, she announced, “I’m getting a shower.”
“You just gonna leave this sitting here?” he asked in surprise, pointing a thumb at the metal case.
Lifting her bag, she headed into the bathroom. “I’ll let you keep an eye on it,” she called out from the other side of the wall, and then peeked at him around the door frame, “I don’t think you’ll cross me. And if you do, there will be no place on earth you can hide.” She closed the door, and a few minutes later he heard the water spraying lightly, and the sound of her voice as she sang in her clear, distinctive tones.
Long Road
Michael sat listening to the girl for several minutes, running his hands through his hair while he considered the last twenty-four hours. Rising from the chair, he checked the lock on the door, then walked around to the far side of the bed and pushed it out from the wall about a foot so he could make his way down beside it.
Kicking off his boots, he stretched his tired frame out on top of the covers and allowed his eyes to close. What the hell have I gotten myself into? His thoughts raced.
He knew the money in the metal box was dirty. Blood money, no doubt. He would never touch it if he could help it. Hearing the shower cut off, he lay still, breathing deeply and pretending to be asleep. A few minutes later, the door opened and a puff of steam escaped out into the room.
The girl emerged, hair still dripping, and surveyed the space without making a sound. He expected her to take the other half of the bed to rest before they moved on. After a long silence, he could hear her breathing and realized she was asleep, but not beside him.
Sitting up, his gaze swung around anxiously. Straight in front of him stood a corner where about two foot of the wall was exposed between the small dresser and that of the bathroom. Crouching, she was leaning with her face pressed into the paint, her shoulder in the corner, sound asleep.
Michael had never seen anything like it. Lying back, he allowed himself to doze off, his head still spinning from the chaotic turn of events.
When he awoke some hours later, the sun had almost set. The girl still sat in her corner, but faced out into the room, watching him patiently. Seeing him rise, she stood and prepared for them to leave. He noted the fresh makeup on her face and realized she had been awake long before him. Sneaky little bitch.
Picking up the metal tool box, she suggested they find a different case to carry it in, like a suitcase or tote bag. He had to agree that was a good idea, as it would draw far less attention. Leaving the room, they turned in the key card at the office and made their way to the bus stop.
Getting off at a large chain store, the girl sat on a bench out front with the box, instructing him to get a backpack. Staring at her for a moment, he considered if he could trust her to be there when he returned.
At his failure to move, she looked up at him, somewhat annoyed, “It’s ok, you can go. I’ll be here when you come out.”
“And how do I know that?” he quipped, “I don’t really have any collateral. And we both know you wanna get rid of me,” he breathed heavily as he spoke.
Tori’s jaw dropped slightly. “I didn’t say I wanted to get rid of you, I said, ‘I don’t need you’.”
/> “Yeah, that’s it, means the same thing in my book.” Not seeing a way around it, Michael marched into the florescent glow of the sales floor, half expecting her to be gone when he got back.
A few minutes later, he exited the structure, a dark blue backpack in hand. A bit surprised, he found her still seated on the bench, watching the movement of the parking lot with an unwavering glare. Standing when he approached, she met his gaze briefly before turning to lead him to their next stop.
Making their way across the street to a convenience store, Tori took all of the items into the lady’s room. Michael ambled over to inspect some of the maps available on a round carousel next to the door. Finding one of Texas, he made the purchase, thinking it might come in handy for their journey, and slipped it inside his jacket’s inner pocket.
A few minutes later, she returned, carrying all of the bags and box in an awkward manner. Reaching to help her, he swung her large bag over his back, and realized it carried the money. Eyeing the smaller backpack, he surmised it held her possessions and the box most likely empty. Climbing back onto the city bus, they rode to the bus terminal, and when they made their way down the aisle, she left the toolbox under the seat.
Heading into the station they had only arrived at a short sixteen hours before, they purchased tickets to Dallas. Their ride didn’t leave until nearly midnight, so they made their way over to the waiting area and stretched out on a couple of benches to pass the time.
Tori tossed the pack on the bench, and then lay across it so she could keep a low profile, but still monitor the comings and goings of other passengers as they entered and exited the station. He chose a bench where he could monitor her.
Michael lay over on the bench across from her, bringing his right foot up beside him and placing the sole of his boot flat on the bench. His left foot hung off the side, and he kicked it periodically in an absent minded fashion while taking her in.
A New Life Series - Starter Kit Page 34
