Johnny's bravado wilted at Sam's tone. “Whatever. I'm taking Kelsie out to the car.”
Molly and Sam exchanged cellphone numbers and despite the dire circumstances, he felt a rush of pleasure knowing he could contact her. “Sorry about that scene with your brother.”
Molly sighed. “I can't figure out what he's so touchy about. He should be happy—after all, he's constantly trying to set me up with his biker friends.”
Sam didn't like the sound of that, but didn't have time to pursue the topic.
Five minutes later, he tucked the blanket around Kelsie as Molly and Johnny got in the front seat of Molly's SUV. He gently shut the door and moved to Molly's window. “Give me a few minutes to walk the bike up towards the road. I want to take a look around and with a little luck, nobody is waiting. If everything looks clear, I'll call you and let it ring once then hang up. No need to answer. I'll take a right out of here and do the same at the next intersection. If I feel the way isn’t clear, I'll let it ring twice. That will mean stay put until I do the one ring call again. I'll try and draw them away. If I can’t, I’ll come back and we’ll think up something else.”
Molly nodded and gave him a half-wave as she rolled up the window. Sam limped to Johnny's bike. It was a sportster and he didn't think he'd have any problem wheeling it to the end of the drive. Its speed might come in handy too. His own bike was heavier, but would be more comfortable on a long ride. No matter, this would do. The rustle of gravel under the tires made him cringe and wish the driveway was paved. As he came to the end, he paused every few feet to listen. All he heard was the chirping of crickets, the far off sound of a dog barking and the zing and crackle of bugs flying into the bug zapper in the front yard. All clear. He let out a deep breath and tried not to get his hopes up. Sitting right at the end of the driveway probably wasn't something even boneheaded Johnny would do. He straddled the motorcycle, and pulled out the cell, hitting the quick dial for Molly's phone. He clicked end after one ring and started the motorcycle and hung a right onto the road.
The country highway was empty and dark at this time of night, only the moon's glow competing with his headlight. He rode slowly, partially to make sure nobody was following and also to get used to Johnny's bike. Stretching for the handlebars tugged at the wound on his back, but it was bearable. Rolling his shoulders, he grunted as the muscles loosened and the pain decreased. At the first intersection, he stopped and examined the crossroad for any sign of a trap. Nothing. He sent the signal to Molly's phone.
It would take them a few minutes to catch up to him, so he drove a few hundred feet down each side of the crossroad. The cornfields hugged the road, and Sam hated how they seemed to close in over him. The fields would be the perfect hiding spot for a few bikes, but as far as he could tell, it was clear in both directions.
When he returned to the intersection, Johnny was just pulling up. Sam waved and took the lead. They drove for ten minutes without incident. The highway was just ahead and Sam turned onto the frontage road to get to an entrance ramp. He slowed as they approached. The ramp appeared empty but something about the shape of a bush just off the shoulder seemed off. At the last second, he swerved back onto the frontage road. He couldn't have pinpointed exactly what it was if someone had asked him, but he'd learned to trust his instincts, so he swerved and hoped Johnny would follow.
The kid must have been paying attention for once because he stayed to the frontage road. In Sam's mirror, he saw two lights head the wrong way down the ramp and turn onto the road going in the same direction as Sam was heading.
“Shit!” Sam crossed the center-line and waved for Johnny to pass him. No way was he going to let those guys come up behind Molly and Kelsie. He swerved back into his lane, glad that Johnny had sped up, but worried about Johnny getting in an accident. It wouldn't do much good to stop the bad guys if they got killed in the process.
Sam slowed, allowing Johnny to create a large gap between them. The guys tailing them would have to make a decision to either follow him, or the car. For all Sam knew, they weren't even interested in the car. If they didn't know what kind Molly had, they might disregard it.
Just as he'd hoped, Johnny took the next exit. Sam stayed on the frontage road and watched the riders behind him hesitate at the entrance ramp but then pass it by. They gunned their bikes and he did the same. Sam couldn't help the thrill that shot through him. The speed and the danger was intoxicating. It was his vice. His weakness. If he was a normal guy, he'd be content with a desk job.
The motorcycles giving chase were choppers, and while cool, they were no match for the crotch rocket Sam rode. He didn't want to get too far ahead though. Not until Johnny had a chance to put some highway between them.
Ten minutes later, Sam allowed the choppers to get close, then he headed towards a boarded up gas station and pulled in. Running was fine when there was no choice, but now that Molly and Kelsie were safely away, he had to take a stand.
He made a U-turn around the capped gas pumps and faced the two choppers as they pulled into the station. Gun ready in his hand, but pointing down, he waited to see what they would do. He had no doubt he could pluck them off their bikes with a shot to the chest if need be. If they got him in return, then so be it. These guys may not be the ones who ordered the hit on his mother and son, but they worked for him.
The bikers seemed confused at Sam's sudden switch from running to standing, and they stopped about ten feet from him. He hoped he'd recognize them from his time in the gang, but they were strangers to him. One wore a dew rag and sported an impressive gut. The other had a scraggly ponytail and even in the dim light from a half-moon, showed evidence of an ongoing battle with bad skin. Buddha and Pimple.
Buddha pulled closer, squinting at Sam before shaking his head. “Look, dude, we thought you were somebody else.”
“Flea?”
Buddha's eyes opened wide. “Yeah.”
Sam nodded. “Well, your surveillance or whatever the hell you’ve been ordered to do, ends now.”
Pimple laughed. “We don't take no orders from you, asshole.”
Sam forced a laugh. “Yeah? Well, I don't blame you. That scumbag you take orders from wouldn't hesitate to murder your firstborn if you disobey.”
Pimple appeared to think about that, as though puzzled. “I ain't got no kids.”
Sam rolled his eyes. “Okay, so that leaves your mother, siblings, hell, even your dog, but I don't give a shit about that.” And idea hit him and he went with it. “I'm giving you a message to take back to Howard.”
Buddha’s uni-brow raised in surprise at Sam’s use of the enforcer’s real name. It wasn’t something commonly known, but this guy obviously was part of the inner circle. Good. That meant Howard would get the message for sure.
The surprise changed to belligerence and Buddha opened his mouth, but Sam cut off whatever he was going to say. “You tell him that Flea's debt is paid in full. If he doesn't accept that, tell him that Sam Brennan came to collect a debt, but I'll take the forgiveness of Flea's debt and call it even.” It killed him to let Sean's killer off so easily, but if it saved Molly and Kelsie, it'd be worth it. “If he declines the offer, tell him I'll find him and collect what he owes me. The only currency I'll recognize will be his blood.”
Before either could respond, Sam aimed his gun at Buddha's back tire and pulled the trigger. Both Ravens ducked as Sam fired another shot at the ground. As much as he wanted to kill them, they had an important message to deliver. Satisfied by the mass of rubber that had been Buddha's tire, Sam gunned the throttle and roared away.
* * *
Molly nudged Johnny, while keeping one hand tight on the wheel. “Hey, wake up!”
Johnny groaned and turned away. “I'm tired.”
He was tired? Molly rolled her eyes. She'd been driving the last three hours while her brother had snoozed. She shoved her brother's shoulder. “You need to watch for the cabin.” Luckily, Kelsie had slept most of the drive, but she'd be waking up in th
e next few hours, and Molly wanted to find the cabin and get at least a little sleep before Kelsie woke up for the day.
Johnny stretched. “Fine.” He sat up and took the paper Molly thrust in his face. “What's this? The address?”
“Yeah. Look for that road Sam said we needed to turn onto.”
He leaned forward and squinted up at a passing sign. Moonlight danced through a canopy of treetops, the light and shade making it difficult to read the signs. “Naw, that's not it.”
It wouldn't be long before the sun rose but she'd hoped to find the house before that. Once sunlight hit Kelsie's eyes, she was awake for the day. She felt Johnny watching her and glanced at him. “What?”
Johnny got a sly look on his face. “So, what's going on with you and Sam?”
“Nothing.” Her answer had been too quick and she knew it. The heat of a blush warmed her cheeks.
“Yeah. Right.”
Molly decided that she didn't owe her brother an explanation, but she didn't want to appear ashamed either. She was a grown woman. She certainly didn't need her brother's approval. “Sam and I talked last night. I learned some things about him and see him in a different light. That's all.”
“Is he a cop?”
“Why would you ask that?”
Johnny shrugged. “The way he was back at your house. He's bossy, just like a cop.”
“Bossy? By that, do you mean he took charge? Then yeah, I'd agree he did that. Somebody had to.” She was tired, scared and way too cranky to attempt any semblance of politeness. “Johnny, do you ever think of anyone but yourself?”
He sulked with his head against the window and then pointed ahead. “I think that's the road.”
Molly turned her attention to driving and made the turn. The trees hugged the gravel road, and she wondered if they should have just stayed at a motel for the night and met Sam here later. Well, it was too late for that now. “Is this it?”
Johnny looked at the paper in his hand. “Yeah. Looks like it.”
After parking alongside the cabin, Molly took Kelsie from her seat, and steered the sleepy child up porch steps. Johnny took the flashlight out of the glove box and retrieved the key exactly where Sam said it would be. She wished he was here. It felt strange to go into someone else's house even though he'd sent them there.
Five minutes later, they had electricity as Johnny found the circuit breakers. The house had a closed-up odor of mustiness, but otherwise appeared clean and well-kept. Molly led Kelsie to the bathroom, and afterwards, checked out each of the three bedrooms, feeling a little bit like Goldilocks as on the third try, she found a room with a twin bed instead of the queen beds she'd found in the previous two rooms. The bed was made up with a blue comforter decorated with red rocket ships. Sean's bed? She hoped it was okay to use, but Sam hadn't put anything off limits.
She tucked Kelsie in, praying her little girl would sleep a few more hours. It was the only way she'd get any sleep. She and Johnny had traded driving for a little while, so she'd caught a catnap, but she was exhausted. It was one of the longest nights of her life.
Johnny helped himself to one room and shut the door. That left her with the one remaining room. She cast a glance at the sofa, and decided to sleep there for now. When Sam came in, he'd be tired too. She glanced out the window, hoping to see him ride up, but the woods were pitch black as if someone had dropped a black velvet curtain around the house.
Was he okay? Had he been able to shake the Ravens following him? Her cell. She had his number. She grabbed her purse and found her phone and the paper with his number. It went to voice-mail on the fourth ring.
The clock on the stove said it was almost four a.m. In another hour, the sun would be up. Thoughts of sleep vanished in her worry for Sam. What if the Ravens caught him? Would they hurt him? She sat on the edge of the sofa, her hands folded over the phone and her elbows on her knees. Her back ached and she sighed as her muscles, stiff from driving so long, finally demanded relief. She leaned back against the couch, but didn't intend to fall asleep.
* * *
Sam parked the bike and trudged up the steps to the door. It was locked. Shit. He rattled the doorknob and peeked in the window beside the door. Molly's hair was visible on the end of the couch, but she didn't budge when he tapped softly. It hadn't occurred to him that everyone would be asleep and the house locked up. He couldn't remember ever being in the house when the door was locked.
There was nothing else to do but knock again, harder this time. Just as he feared, Molly shot off the couch like a cat with its tail on fire, and he chuckled at the sight of her hair sticking out in every direction. It took her a moment to get her bearings before she stumbled to the door, blinking out at him through the window before opening the door.
Sam stepped into the house. “You made it. Have any trouble?” He tucked a wayward curl behind her ear, happy for an excuse to touch her.
She shook her head but her eyes met his and welled with tears.
Still touching her hair, he slid his hand behind her neck and pulled her against his chest. She trembled, her face pressed against his throat. He kneaded the tense muscles at the base of her neck. “Shhhh…it's okay.”
It had been a helluva night and he understood her need for a few minutes to compose herself. He was bone-tired, his back ached and his leg throbbed, but he hadn't had to pick up and leave his home without a clue where he was going. By meeting him here, she'd offered up her trust to him. Trust that he'd keep her daughter safe.
Molly pulled back and put her fingers to the corners of her eyes, swiping the lingering tears away. “I was worried and I tried to call, but you didn't answer your cell. The last time I saw you, guys on motorcycles were chasing you down the highway.”
Sam took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It's fine. I gave them a warning—that's all, but just in case they had others looking for me, I took a couple of detours. That's why I'm late.” He limped to the sofa and sat heavily, biting back a groan.
She nodded and crossed her arms. “Sorry about…that.”
He paused in the act of rolling his shoulders to work out a kink. “What?”
“The…tears. I'm just tired, I guess.”
“You've had a crazy night. There's no shame in spilling a few tears.” He swung his legs up and pivoted to lie down, crossing his feet, boots and all, on the opposite arm of the sofa. “Why don't you go try to get some sleep for a few hours.” It felt so good to stretch out and his eyes started closing of their own volition.
He started at a squeak from the rocking chair a few feet away. He tilted his head to see Molly leaning back in it. “Aren't you gonna get some shut-eye?”
She shook her head. “I'm tired, but too keyed up to sleep.” Both hands gripped the arms of the chair as it rocked gently. “This has to be the craziest twenty-four hours in my life.” Her lips pressed together as she took a deep breath, slanting him a look. “What happened last evening…that should probably never happen again.”
Sam pushed up to a sitting position, not caring if the thump of his feet hitting the hardwood floor awoke the others. He hadn't forgotten what they'd shared. The memory had carried him through the hours riding the black ribbon of highway to the cabin. “Are you sorry you slept with me? Because I'm not sorry. Not one little bit. No matter what happens from here on out, what we shared meant a lot to me.” He ran a hand through his matted hair, flattened from his helmet. Being with Molly had been the best thing that had happened to him since before his son died.
She held his gaze for a moment before breaking eye contact. “I'm not sorry, Sam. It’s just…I have Kelsie to think about. I can't get involved with a man who is going to ride out of my life as suddenly as he rode into it.” One shoulder rose in a half-shrug. “I'm not blaming you. I wasn't thinking last night but now I've had time to realize that it would never work between us.”
Sam opened his mouth with an assurance that he wouldn't ride out on her poised on the tip of his tongue, but he snapped his mout
h shut. It wasn't a promise he could keep. With so much up in the air, he didn't even know what tomorrow would bring let alone a month or two down the road. His weariness seemed to triple as if a lead blanket had fallen over his shoulders. He scrubbed his hand down his face and nodded. “I wouldn't intend to do that, but you're right, it could happen.”
Molly stood. “I can sleep with Kelsie while we're here.”
Sam nodded reluctantly. “Did you put her in the big room with the queen-sized bed?”
“No, she's in the one with the rocket ships.” Her voice took on a worried tone.
He saw the unasked question written on her face. “Yes, it was Sean's room, and it's fine that Kelsie is sleeping there.”
His son had been a generous kid and would have volunteered his bed if he'd been here. Sean would have thought it an adventure to sleep on the couch instead. The familiar pain settled in Sam's chest. For a little while, the ache had faded, but now it rose fierce and strong, twisting his heart as if punishing him for forgetting about it. He cleared his throat before speaking again, “It's okay to sleep there, but you would be more comfortable in the big bed in my room.” He hurried to add, “I'd sleep in Sean's room. You and Kelsie can have the big bed.”
Molly nodded. “If we're still here tomorrow night—” She broke off, her brow creased in confusion. “Or I guess that's tonight…anyway, next time we go to sleep, if we're still here, we'll take the big bed. I don't want to wake her now.”
“Fine.” Sam rose, wincing at the various aches and pains as he shuffled to his room.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Mommy, I'm hungry.”
Molly groaned into the pillow. It seemed like she'd just shut her eyes. “Okay, honey. Just give Mommy a sec, okay?”
Kelsie shook her shoulder. “Can I go play on the beach?”
That got Molly's attention. “No, not yet. You have to wait until I can go out there with you.”
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