by Lisa Ladew
Beckett chuckled. “Sure are.”
Cerise peered at the sky, not liking the darkness of the clouds, and the way errant snowflakes were starting to whiz past them. “Looks like a storm.”
Beckett changed the radio station, finding an all-weather one. The announcer droned on about winds and snow and eighteen inches overnight in a bored voice.
Cerise swallowed hard, realizing she hadn’t thought about what they would do if they had to stop, then realizing the storm wouldn’t be the only thing that would force them to. Beckett needed to sleep.
“Eighteen inches. That sounds bad,” she said. “Will we be able to drive in it?”
“We gotta stop this evening anyway so I can rest.” He glanced at her. “Unless you want to drive for a bit.”
Drive? “I-i.” She tripped over her words, then finished lamely, “I don’t know how.”
Beckett looked at her appraisingly for a moment, then said, “Oh.” He patted the dashboard of the truck. “Cooter’s got snow tires, and they’ll plow and de-ice, so we can keep going for a while, but we should decide on a city to stop in for the night. I’m partial to Hiltons, myself. I’ll bet we can find a pool for li’l bit to play in.”
Cooter? She almost laughed that his truck had that name, Kaci would love it, but then she picked apart the rest of what he had said. Hotel. Stop for the night. Pool. She was in way over her head and there was no way out but through.
***
Beckett could feel Cerise’s sudden agitation and it bothered him immensely. It was like every new development floored her, made her have to rethink her plan over again. Like she’d never traveled, never been in a car, never been to a McDonalds, never stayed in a hotel. What kind of a life had she lived?
He’d seen a documentary once, called True Stories of Feral Children, which had documented nine children who had little to no contact with human society, no awareness of social cues, and no ability to speak a language. Trent had insisted on watching it in the break room one day at work, because one of the children had been lost in the forest and raised by wolves. Beckett had scoffed at first, but then been fascinated by the stories. Three of them had been from the United States, one abandoned in the woods by kidnappers, the other two victims of mentally ill parents. Cerise and Kaci were obviously not that bad off, but Beckett had been in their home, and he had smelled that Myles Pekin had certainly been an alcoholic and a drug addict. It wasn’t hard to draw parallels between the stories.
What he wouldn’t give to know her, to learn her story. And Kaci’s, too. But he would have to be careful. She didn’t trust him, neither of them did. He was surprised they were in his truck at all, regardless of how few choices they’d had.
He decided to risk a question, just to let her know he was open to talking. He felt certain she would deflect it, and then he would talk about himself. Lie about yourself? Eh, he would just steer clear of what he did. Let her think he was a doctor for a little while longer. He’d never said that he was, she’d assumed it.
She was in your house.
The thought hit him between the eyes. She had been. He’d almost forgotten in the wake of everything that had happened since he’d woken up in his own bed, her scent in his nose, yesterday morning. He frowned, remembering that his first thought when he’d scented her had been about Crew telling him he’d already met his one true mate. He snuck a look at her. She was looking out the window, chewing on one fingernail, one hand on Kaci’s back, her long strawberry blonde hair looking adorably messy around her shoulders.
Could she be his one true mate? And why wasn’t he thinking clearly around her? Why could he not seem to connect thoughts and occurrences in a coherent manner when she was around? Did something about her mess with his memories? Could he possibly have met her six weeks ago, then forgotten?
Hope surged in his chest. If she were his mate, everything would make sense somehow. He’d be forgiven for breaking her out of—
Beckett shook his head, as fat snowflakes began to fall outside the truck, making him flip on his wipers. Another thing he’d forgotten. He was now-he looked at the clock-six hours late for work and he hadn’t called in to explain why. Wade would have his ass.
He peeked at Cerise again, still looking out the window. She was worth it. Worth all of it. He’d figure it out.
Back to sparking a conversation with her. What could he say that wouldn’t put her on the defensive too much?
Where you in my house yesterday? No, too aggressive.
Have we met before? That wouldn’t work.
So, I know Kaci killed Myles. I didn’t see it, though, I smelled it. Absolutely not.
How about, want to see me shift? I’m a lot cuddlier in my wolf form than I look. Beckett snorted, then saw Cerise look at him from his peripheral vision.
Without thinking, he said, “Tell me about yourself.”
The finger she’d been chewing on shook and she shoved her hand under her leg to hide it. “Me? I’m boring.”
Beckett nodded, knowing she was anything but. “What are you headed to Las Vegas for?”
She shifted in her seat, then looked out the window for a moment, then back to him. “Kaci’s mom is there. She’s going home.” Her voice wavered.
Beckett nodded again, trying to make sense of that. Wouldn’t Kaci’s mom be Cerise’s mom, too, if Cerise thought they were sisters? But the fear in her voice told him not to ask another question. He wanted to find something to put her at ease. “I could teach you to drive. Want to learn?”
“Really? You would do that?” Her sweet scent flared.
Beckett grinned at her, taking in deep breaths through his nose. He would do anything to excite her like that again. A female had never smelled so good to him. A light flashed in his brain, seeming to say, she’s your mate, dummy. “Yeah, I would.”
She peered out the windshield at the snow, coming down quicker now, the flakes sticking together and trying to cling to the truck before the wind or the wipers flung them away. “Not in the snow.”
“Nah, we’ll wait till it stops. In the morning, maybe.”
She still seemed doubtful. “Not on the highway.”
“No, a parking lot. You’ll pick it up fast, but you shouldn’t drive on the highway till you’ve had plenty of experience on empty roads.”
She peered at him. “Is that… legal?”
“Don’t worry, Cerise, as long as you’re with me, I’ll keep you out of trouble.”
Chapter 20
Cerise leaned forward, trying to see out the windshield, but all she could see was a swirling white mess. They would have to stop soon.
“There it is,” Beckett said, maneuvering into the exit lane. “Grand Island.”
It had taken longer to get there than Beckett had expected because Kaci had woken up with a sore tummy, and they’d had to stop at bathrooms three times in the last two hours. But they’d made it. Beckett had already called ahead and made reservations at a hotel. Cerise swallowed hard, nervous about the arrangements, not sure how he thought they would be sleeping. If she had to, she would push him to sleep on the floor, then stay up all night.
Beckett found the hotel easily, parked, and surveyed the Target store next door with satisfaction. “Perfect,” he said, then turned the truck off. “I can carry Kaci, if she’s ok with it.”
Kaci’s hand snuck into Cerise’s and she squeezed. “I’ve got her,” Cerise said.
Beckett nodded, then jumped out of the truck and rushed around to their side before Cerise could open the door. He pulled it opened, then waited, ready to lend a steady hand as Cerise climbed down. Once Kaci was in her arms, they made their way through the blowing snow to the front door, which slid open automatically when they got close. Cerise held her breath, hoping Kaci wouldn’t notice, or she’d want to trigger it again and again, like a toddler who sees an automatic door for the first time. That’s what Kaci was, sometimes, when it came to technology. A toddler in a body too big for that age, but too small for the age she r
eally was. Kaci’s head was down, laid on Cerise’s shoulder, her arms and legs wrapped around Cerise’s body. She didn’t notice the doors.
They followed Beckett to the front desk where the man there spoke to them all kindly, had Beckett sign something, then gave him three cookies and a small envelope. Kaci’s head came up at the smell of the cookies.
Beckett took a cookie out of its wrapper and handed it to Kaci with a smile. Her hand floated up, snatched it, then routed it to her mouth where she took a sniff, then a small bite, her eyes locked on Beckett. Her face twisted in pleasure at the taste, but still she didn’t smile back. Beckett didn’t seem to mind.
He tried to hand Cerise a cookie, but she waved it off. Her tummy didn’t feel great either.
“You want it later?” Beckett asked.
“No.”
Beckett made a more-for-me face, pressed the two remaining cookies together in a kind of sandwich, and ate them in two bites. “Mmm,” he said, winking at Kaci, who was just finishing hers. She put her head down on Cerise’s shoulder slowly, not responding to Beckett, but not turning away from him, either, as Cerise had expected her to.
Beckett held up his envelope. “I have the keys, but I say we head to the store before the snow gets worse. We all need clothes.”
Cerise nodded her assent, trying to ignore the guilt that filled her. Was she really going to let him buy them clothes? No choice, Cerise. Just go with it.
Within a few moments, they were at the Target. Beckett led them inside, snagging a cart. “If she gets too heavy, maybe she’ll sit in here,” he said, indicating the open section of the cart. Cerise checked Kaci’s mood, then put her in it when she nodded. She wrapped her arms around her bent knees and tried to look at everything at once, again seeming more like a toddler than her age.
Cerise pushed the cart, following Beckett to the middle of the store. He stopped smack in the middle of multiple displays of cute, colorful clothing around Kaci’s size.
“Anything you want, Kaci, what size do you wear?”
Cerise shook her head. “One outfit, that’s all we need. And shoes for Kaci.”
Beckett flashed the grin that she was beginning to realize meant he was about to charm her into whatever he wanted. “Two,” he said. “You both need two outfits, shoes for Kaci, and swimsuits.”
Cerise put up her hands, stopped her protest when her gaze landed on Kaci. Kaci was staring at a purple shirt with white ruffles on it, and the raw want in her eyes gave Cerise painful pause. She swallowed her guilt and nodded. “You want that shirt, Lemon?”
Kaci climbed over the side of the cart to the floor, drifting to the shirt. Cerise glanced at Beckett, surprised to see him watching Kaci with an expression that looked both sad and thrilled, like he understood their situation somehow.
She gripped the cart handle tighter. Could he possibly?
No. He couldn’t.
An hour later the cart was full, Kaci walking alongside in her new purple shoes and purple socks. Beckett had assured Cerise it would be fine if Kaci wore them now as long as they paid before they left. Cerise held Kaci’s hand, eyeing everything in the cart. There were two outfits for Beckett, both the same: dark pants with lots of pockets, dark tshirts and pullover sweaters. Next to them were two outfits for her. A pair of jeans with a simple red top and a pair of leggings with a scooped red top. He’d insisted on getting her a pair of new casual shoes, also picking up two swimsuits, like he’d promised, and buying both of them a light jacket. She’d said they wouldn’t need them in Las Vegas, almost letting California slip out, but he’d just grinned at her and said Las Vegas was cool in the winter and if he couldn’t spend his money on them, he’d just waste it on the slots when they got there. She couldn’t think of an argument for that, so there they were, with two jackets, their hangers hooked over the side of the cart.
Beckett maneuvered them to the grocery section, picking out bottled water, fruit, bags of chips and popcorn, cookies, beef jerky, and something called trail mix. Road trip food, he called it.
Kaci’s eyes never left him and Cerise wanted to ask her what she was thinking, but she didn’t, almost afraid of the answer.
When they finally reached the register, Cerise held her breath. The bill was $492.62. She squeezed her nails into the palm of her free hand at the amount, pressing her lips together to keep another protest pinned inside her. Almost all of the money they had stolen to finance their trip, and Beckett was spending it on them in one trip to the store. He didn’t even look like it bothered him at all.
He grabbed up the bags and strode to the front of the store purposefully, glancing back at them a few times as they both walked slowly toward him, like in a dream.
He dropped the bags and fished out their coats, ripping off the tags and handing them over. “It’s cold out.”
Kaci’s was a pastel purple that Cerise had thought wouldn’t look right on her, but when she pushed her arms into it and zipped it up, then looked to Cerise for approval, Cerise could only nod and smile. It softened her red hair, her freckled cheeks, made her look even sweeter and more innocent. Younger.
Kaci smiled back at her, then looked to Beckett for just a moment, the smile still on her face.
Beckett grinned and flashed her a thumbs-up. “That coat looks finer on you than a frog’s hair split three ways,” he drawled.
Cerise giggled, then cut it off when Kaci’s eyes went wider and her smile faltered for a moment. Kaci turned and buried her face into Cerise’s side, but not before Cerise saw that her cheeks were flushed a bright red. Cerise wondered if Kaci hadn’t discovered her first crush.
Me too, Lemon, me too.
The thought scared her so badly she squashed it violently. Life wasn’t a game and men couldn’t be trusted, no matter how much they bought you and how cute their grins were.
She’d have to work harder to remember that.
***
It only took them a few moments to get back to the hotel. Cerise felt doubly nervous as Beckett led them into an elevator. They’d seen elevators on TV, of course, but neither had ever been on one.
“Press number seven, li’l bit,” Beckett told Kaci. She did, running her fingers over the plastic first, then pressing hard enough to light up the number, smiling when it worked. The slight jerk as the elevator began to rise bothered Cerise a little, but Kaci looked positively excited about it. She pulled on Cerise’s hand and looked up into her face, smiling so widely that Cerise could see all her even white teeth.
The doors opened and Beckett stepped out, leaving Cerise to pull at Kaci, who obviously didn’t want to leave the elevator. Cerise knelt. “Kaci, we can’t stay in it,” she whispered, leaning close. “Come on, we’ll ride it again tomorrow.”
Kaci set her face in a mulish expression Cerise had seen a hundred times before and pulled on Cerise until Beckett noticed and returned to them.
“She wants to ride it again?” Beckett asked her. Cerise nodded. “What a fun idea,” he declared, getting back in the elevator. Cerise felt tension for a moment, but she relaxed and let herself be pulled back in.
Kaci pressed 14, which was the highest button. When they got there, she watched the doors open and close, then pressed 12, 11, and 10 before Cerise stopped her.
Beckett dropped the bags on the floor next to him, then waved a hand like it was no big deal. “There’s two elevators, don’t worry about it.”
Kaci gave her a look that would have been triumphant if there hadn’t been so much pain in it from years of deprivation, then pressed all the remaining buttons. Beckett leaned against the mirrors on the back wall and crossed his big arms over his chest and his right ankle over his left ankle, looking straight ahead with a contented smile on his face, like there was nothing better in the world to do than ride the elevator up and down, stopping at every floor.
On floor nine, when the doors slid open, a man stood there, a frown on his face. He wore a black uniform with a nametag on it and Cerise knew immediately he worked there. She p
ulled Kaci closer to her, knowing they were about to get in trouble. He stepped inside, looked at the floor lights lit up, all of them again, and frowned, then swung around to face them.
Cerise tensed. Beckett stepped between the man and them. “Sorry, bud,” he drawled, his accent the thickest Cerise had heard it. “I ain’t never been in no elevator before, I reckon I done gone a smidgen overboard.”
The man looked up at Beckett, who stood a full foot taller than him, swallowed, then took a step back. “It’s no problem, sir. We like our guests to be happy.” Beckett bobbed his head, then leaned against the back wall again.
When the elevator doors slid open on the eighth floor, the man got out, taking quick half-steps, his shoulders bowed as he hurried away.
Cerise breathed a sigh of relief, not daring to look at Kaci, knowing she would probably see that little crush turn into hero worship if she did.
After they’d ridden up and down the elevator from bottom to top to bottom to top again, Kaci finally pressed number seven, then looked back at Beckett as the elevator lowered.
He quirked an eyebrow. “You sure?”
She didn’t answer for a minute and Cerise held her breath. When Kaci nodded at Beckett, slowly, but purposefully, Cerise felt like crying. A weight rolled slowly off her chest, the one that had been placed there over the last decade, brick by brick. Cerise had never seen Kaci respond to anyone before. Not Myles or Sandra, not the cops who had picked them up when they’d run away twice, not anyone. Myles had written her off by the time she’d turned three or four, calling her retarded, and too stupid to go to school, even though Cerise had never gone to school either. Sandra had mostly ignored her.
Kaci squeezed Cerise’s fingers, then turned around to face the front of the elevator, leaning bodily against Cerise, waiting for the doors to open.
