Blake looked at him inquisitively; she knew him too well now and judging by the look on her face, she could see straight through his façade. “What’s up baby?” she asked.
“It’s nothing—really. We’re getting close to shore. Do you think you can give me a hand before we enter the marina?”
“Fine… Blake said before darting below deck.
* * *
They approached the harbour of Clam Bay and Harry slowly steered the vessel into the mooring stall.
Blake dropped the anchor and tossed the ropes to the awaiting customs agent. It wasn’t too much later when they were cleared for all the formality’s, leaving them to head into town for some fun and shopping.
Blake noticed Harry eying off one of the bars nestled directly across from the mooring bay and she asked. “It’s a little early for alcohol isn’t it?”
He cocked an eyebrow and chuckled softly. “Baby… I’m just checking out the place and getting supplies for later. Don’t worry about me. You go and do what women do and have fun.”
They kissed briefly. “No worries, I’ll meet you back here in an hour. I’ve got some errands to run and then we can do whatever you want to do.”
Harry checked his watch and they then separated for the first time since being on the run. Blake had a million dollar contract out on her head and Harry’s was double that. They both knew they had to get on with their lives no matter how nervous they were about leaving each other’s side.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
As Blake casually strolled along the boulevard stopping to check out the craft and food market stalls which were set up on both sides of the street. She noticed the drugstore to the left and hurried in to get a pregnancy test kit.
As she paid the bill she could hardly contain her excitement and it mustn’t have gone unnoticed when the young woman behind the counter asked with a smile, “first one? You are absolutely radiating you know!”
“Thank you! Is there a public bathroom nearby?” Blake asked.
Still grinning she said, “Yeah… just out the back. You can go through this corridor. It leads to the mini mall.”
Blake entered the bathroom, followed the instructions and waited patiently for the results. Okay… a plus sign for a positive and a minus sign for a negative kept running through her head.
The time was up and the results slowly appeared before her on the digital indicator.
She felt like a teenager again and her whole body began to shake when it read positive.
Still with some shopping to do she knew the news could wait just a little while longer so Blake headed back out to the markets with the biggest smile on her face and she thought nothing was going change that.
The serene ambiance made it easy to get caught up in this place she considered as she wandered from stall to stall when at first she failed to notice a tall masculine man following her.
Quickly her mood changed from placid to agitated and she hoped to god she hadn’t been discovered.
The guy was obviously a fed or a wise guy and these days it was hard to work out the difference. The mob had cleaned up their act since the nineties and now everyone was a suit. However the shirt and shorts he was wearing still looked out of place. With his white pasty skin and the bulge in the front of his shirt was a dead giveaway, suggested he was definitely packing.
Okay… I need a disguise and a change of clothes, she thought as she spotted a clothing boutique stall to her right.
Quickly Blake glanced in his direction and luckily he wasn’t looking, so she darted inside. To her left she pulled a couple of dresses off the hanger. To her right a scarf and just before entering the dressing room she grabbed a large brimmed hat. Without stripping she pulled a dress on over her head, then wrapped the cotton scarf around her hair and tied it into a knot at the back of her neck.
Safely she took a quick peek through the curtain before proceeding to the checkout where she threw a couple of hundred dollar bills on the counter and then snuck out the back behind the stall.
Almost all the locals were dressed the same she noticed so she hoped it was going to be easy to merge through the crowd discreetly and disappear out of her adversary’s view.
Once every minute or so Blake glanced around as she rushed cautiously toward the docks and to the bar where she hoped to find Harry.
Blake’s heart pounded hard against her chest making it unbearable to breathe. And her empty stomach began to churn like a washing machine on the spin cycle, close to launching like a projectile out of her mouth.
Steadily she slipped in through one of the side doors to the bar and scanned the place for Harry.
The bar was totally packed with tourists and locals, drinking and dancing to the live music which spilled out onto the deck overlooking the bay.
Finally she saw Harry leaning up against the bar chatting with a bunch of tourists, noticeably having a wonderful time and oblivious to the predicament they were in.
“Harry…,” Blake yelled attempting to be heard over the noisy crowd, but… still not too conspicuous.
The fumes of the alcohol were evident on his breath as Harry’s slurred, “Hey… sugar… This is my better half… isn’t she a babe?” To his new found male buddies who looked as if they had had a few too many to drink as well.
And she felt like a prized trophy as one of the middle aged guys looked her up and down.
Blake couldn’t hold her frustration any longer. “Harrison King, she yelled once more in disgust.
Well… you could have heard a pin drop at that moment. The live band stopped. The crowd stopped chatting and Blake quickly counted around nine disguised patrons cock their weapons and all were pointed in their direction.
Distraught Blake gazed into Harry’s bloodshot eyes knowing he wasn’t going to be any help in this hostile situation. Do I fight? Do I give up? What about the baby? I can’t give up! She thought as all the opinions kept running through her head.
Her stomach churned once more reminding her that she had a life growing inside her and had to do whatever it took to survive. And just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, the most bizarre event began to unravel right before her eyes.
Within seconds a shootout began and the exchange of gunfire occurred. It wasn’t just her and Harry that appeared to be ambushed, but it was apparent that the FBI and the mob were facing off against each other and they were stuck right in the middle of it.
Surprisingly, Harry grabbed Blake’s arm and yanked her to the floor before they were struck during the raid.
Glass and booze sprayed across the room showering everyone that had hit the floor. The defining screams of innocent customers and gunfire ripped through the near crowded bar which had left the public running for cover.
And yet Harry’s drunken stupor didn’t seem to deter his courage at all. Blake had to stop him from being a fool when he pulled out his gun and began to stand up to try to be the big hero.
Blake’s quick actions had saved his ass once again and she thought there’s no way she could keep this up forever.
They both crawled slowly toward the back of the bar and past a few bloodied bodies. With bullets flying past Blake’s head, she wondered if they were going to get out of there alive. The timber bar to their right was just hit from a high powered rifle sending splinters flying in their direction.
Blake quickly covered her face with her arm just in time before shards of airborne pieces narrowly missed her eyes.
She glanced back at Harry who was hot on her tail and nodded briefly to say he was okay.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” he blurted.
Blake didn’t need any encouragement there. Every direction they moved it was like a mind field, but gradually made it closer to a door leading to the kitchen.
Suddenly there was silence, except for the yells of the FBI in the back ground. Blake lead the way through the abandoned kitchen and finely they slipped out the back entrance unnoticed and out to a lane way.
> “Are you okay?” she asked.
Harry rubbed his head and noticeably looked un-nerved at this stage. “I’m so sorry baby… I’ll make it up to you, I promise. I must have been drugged because I only had one drink, I swear.”
Tired and frazzled they stopped at the corner of the building. Blake checked for any looming cops or thugs. “We’re not out of the woods just yet. If we get out of this one, then maybe… you might be able to make it up to me. Just… maybe,” she responded angrily.
They could see the marina from where they were standing and there was no hope in hell they were going to escape as easy as they would have liked. The cops had swarmed the yacht and Blake knew they’d have to find some other way of transport out of there and Harry’s behaviour didn’t help at all.
“How’s your skills for breaking into vehicles?” he asked, looking obviously about to fall down where he stood.
She didn’t answer, she just did as he suggested. Slowly Blake crept along the quiet street bobbing her head up and down, searching for the right car while Harry waited slightly out of sight against a vacant building.
Although Harry was beginning to sober a little, he did seem to sound sincere in his apology and it is possible he could have been drugged. If she hadn’t turned up when she did, things could have been a disaster. She still felt a little angry toward him, but deep down in the pit of her stomach she knew she couldn’t tell him about her news. Not now at least. It was going to have to wait.
** *
Blake waved him over as she opened the car door to an old Mitsubishi station wagon and jumped into the passenger side.
As Harry climbed into the stolen car, he looked at her with sad and sorry eyes. He obviously sensed her hurt and betrayal toward him, but couldn’t find the right words to say.
“I know,” she announced as she glanced his way, and then pulled out onto the quite road.
With only the clothes on their backs and a bit of cash in his pocket everything they owned was left on the yacht, including credit cards, visa’s and weapons. He searched randomly for some answers in his weary mind. But the poison in his blood made it too hard to think. “Stop, I need to puke,” Harry barked.
Blake quickly pulled the car to the side of the road and Harry emptied his stomach. Not once, but five times. “I’m getting a little slack in my old age,” Harry said flippantly. Then sat back in the car seat and blacked out.
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
Fatigue had set in as Blake drove inaudibly along the quiet highway a couple of miles from Braxton, a small village east of Clam Bay when a warning light flashed on the dashboard. “Great… that’s all we need,” she hissed. Ugh… I’m so tired and hungry and now this stupid car’s about to breakdown.
Blake quickly pulled over to the side of the road and just in time. On its last legs the old car gave out one last splutter and jerk, then died. Totally frustrated she turned the key, but the engine wouldn’t turn over.
Harry woke to say, “It sounds like the motor’s seized. I’ll jump out and have a look.”
But just as he was about to open his door the sounds of a car had pulled up behind them, shining the headlights directly through the back window.
“Shit… it’s probably the cops, the owner or worse… Deak’s’s guys,” Blake snapped.
Harry glanced at her with a look of dread in his eyes. It’ll be fine, just leave it up to me,” he said, still slurring his words a little.
She needed him to take over and be the man he was supposed to be. “What do you want to do baby? You’re the professional,” Blake asked.
With only a second’s pause as he glanced back. “Fight—like you’ve never fought before.”
Blake gasped when unexpectedly the passenger window was smashed in, spraying glass through the dark night air. And before she could react, a large arm reached in and grabbed Harrison around the neck and pulled him out through the broken glass.
His shoes disappeared out of sight as Blake hurtled herself toward him, but unfortunately she was too late.
With no time to waste she reached for the door handle and tried desperately to open the darn thing, but it wouldn’t budge and all she could hear were horrible gargling sounds slowly disappearing into the night.
When Blake finally managed to free the sticky door handle, she flung it open and jumped out, but the attacker was gone and so too was Harry.
She noticed the thug’s car door had been left wide open and the motor still running. Shit, shit, shit, shit. Horror was realized when she could see no one in sight and both had disappeared into thin air.
There was only one thing to do and that was to follow the trails of blood that lead into the dense forest which outlined the road.
Without haste Blake entered the dense bushland, brushing the thick branches as she stepped past. The long grass was knee high, causing her to stumble a few times before finding her footing again.
Suddenly a gun shot was heard up ahead echoing in the gloomy still night, so she picked up the pace only to fear the worst.
She could sense that danger was near. Cautiously listening for all sounds around her she was aware that Harry had to be close by, but so was his attacker.
Step by step Blake carefully progressed deeper toward her objective when she heard a twig crack directly behind her. She spun around sharply to see one hell of a monster of a man standing before her. “Oh shit.”
Slowly her eyes met with his, noticing the top of her head only came to his waistline. And as Blake gaped back into his dead black eyes, she couldn’t help feeling that she was certainly out matched with this one.
A glimpse of something shiny caught her eye which flickered in the passing moonlight. And in the palm of his right hand Blake noticed it was a blooded hunting knife.
Suddenly a wave of panic hit her hard. “Harry…” she yelled and with every ounce of effort she could muster up, she held back the tears.
Blake took a deep breath and waited, hoping for the adrenalin to take over. With her heart beating hard against her chest the brute of a guy abruptly took a step toward her and swung the blade at her throat, missing her by millimetres.
Shit… she thought that was close.
He took another powerful swing.
And as Blake swerved left to miss his blow, her foot caught and she tumbled to the cold hard ground.
But just in time she rolled quickly to the side, before detecting his size thirteen shoe lunge just inches away from her head.
She managed to get back onto her feet just as the monster came at her again. With full force she then kicked the guy fair in the nuts, but that didn’t even stop him.
Quickly Blake swung underneath and through his open legs as the beast hurtled toward her.
But unable to stop his momentum in time, the giant stumbled and plunged into a low lying branch. Fortunately for Blake the unforeseen branch had revolved as a weapon and had pierced straight through his chest, impaling him against the tree.
As the giant tried to free himself from his detainment, Blake watched as he gradually began to drown in his own blood and ultimately to his final demise. To hear the sounds of his last gurgled breaths, oddly enough she felt a little sorry for the beast. Why… she didn’t know! But Blake’s remorsefulness toward him was soon forgotten when she heard a light muffled grunt a couple of metres away and knew it had to be Harry.
Eagerly Blake ran to his side and found him bunched up in a ball. “Are you okay?”
He groaned and looked up at her surprised. “Yeah… I think so. What in the hell was that thing?” he asked.
“I don’t know, I’m still questioning that myself. Can you walk or do I have to carry you?” she asked in a concerned, but mischievous tone as she leant down over him to check for any kind of wounds. There was a large gash to the side of his neck and a few bruises, but other than that he looked okay she thought.
“Are you offering to carry me?” he joked with a little chuckle.
“Well… I see you’re back to yo
ur normal self,” Blake responded and pulled him up off the ground.
“You’ve got a few moves of your own baby. Maybe you could teach me a few things, unless you’d rather be my bodyguard?” he said teasingly.
“You think—?
“So do you think you could stay out of trouble long enough for us to get the hell out of here?” she asked.
With a bruised ego, all Harry could say was “Fine…”
Blake clutched Harry around the arm to give him support. “So… it looks like that bounty on our heads is still current. By the looks of it they want you dead more than alive,” she presumed.
Harry hobbled along beside her as they began to trek back through the forest. “So do you think I’m still worth the trouble?” he asked with a noticeable worried look.
More than Blake cared to admit, she knew she loved him. It was certain they were destined to be together no matter the circumstances. And the baby growing inside her who was conceived with love, she knew soon… she was going to have to tell him. She just didn’t know how or when…
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
By the time they reached the road and the two abandoned cars, Blake was noticeably spent. Not only did they have the mob after them, but they had the FBI after their necks as well. The last few hours had been extensively demanding and he knew that if she didn’t get some rest soon, she was ultimately going to crash.
Luckily the other vehicle still had the keys in the ignition and no one had stopped. They could now use their attackers transport and get out of there.
“You drive… I’ve had it!” Blake stated.
Harry jumped into the driver’s side and started the car. Any suggestions,” Harry asked.
“Not really, you…?”
“Yeah… but it means going back to Datton,” he replied.
Blake gave Harry a despondent stare before turning onto the road, “You’re kidding… right?”
The Eternal Defiance Page 9
