The Way Home (Chasing #3)

by Linda Oaks

  The road forked, but which way from here? Did I keep going straight or take a left?

  The weeds in the field were knee high. There wasn’t anyone around. The place was deserted. The sun overhead beamed unmercifully down upon us, and I shielded my eyes as I took in our surroundings. The road was nothing more than some forgotten country backroad in the middle of nowhere. It was the perfect place to hide or to set a trap.

  “Which way?” I finally asked.

  Here I was eating crow, and it tasted like shit.

  As much as I hated to admit it, I had to listen to him for now. When he started around the side of the truck, I leaned forward and slid my hand underneath the seat to grab a hold of the holster that housed my loaded nine millimeter. After checking the gun’s safety, I tucked it into the waistband of my jeans.

  “What about me?” Cecil asked, and I turned around to find him standing less than a foot away watching me.

  “What about you?” I questioned, eyeing the phone he held in his hand. “Mute your cell. We don’t want it ringing.” He fiddled with the phone, and then slipped it into his pocket. “Which way?”

  We’d already wasted enough time as it was.

  “Straight ahead,” Cecil said, and I took off walking. That was all I needed to know. I didn’t bother waiting for him. “You have to trust me,” he stated, falling into step beside me. It was all I could do not to laugh.

  I shot him a glare. “I don’t have to do anything.”

  We walked the remainder of the way in silence. A faded, white wooden fence ran along the edge of the property, corralling the herd of cows lazily grazing in the distance. It was peaceful and serene unlike my current thoughts. All I could focus on was Miley. She had to be all right. The not knowing was fucking agony.

  If Ryder had hurt her, no one would be able to save him. I would kill him. I didn’t care if I went to prison. It didn’t matter to me. I only cared about her, and wished it were possible to go back to last night, to the time we’d shared together, where I’d held her safely in my arms. I wished I could have said those words. The same ones that were now playing over and over in my mind. I should have told her… I was in love with her.

  She was my home, my way, and right now, the uncertainty of it all left me spinning out of control. I was a compass without a needle. My path unclear. My heart clenched at the real possibility of losing her. I needed to concentrate. Now was not the time to be filled with regret, but it left a bitter, vile taste in my mouth and a vise around my heart, squeezing my emotions. I needed to keep my head on straight. Thoughts like these could get you killed. Both of my girls needed me.

  From the corner of my eye, a flash of red caught my attention. A cardinal had lit upon a nearby fence post and sat curiously watching us. At that moment, I felt my gran’s presence. It was as if she were here with me and pointing me in the right direction. It was a sign. Some would call me a fool for believing in such things, but deep in my gut, I knew Miley was here. She had to be.

  When we rounded the curve in the road, the gravel gave way to dirt and it billowed beneath my boots with each step I took. Up ahead was a rundown warehouse, nothing more than an abandoned metal building with half of the roof missing. It must have been one hell of a storm that had come through here. The rusted tin was peeled back like a discarded sardine can. I caught Cecil’s eye and raised my hand, motioning to the trees alongside the road. We were out in the open. We didn’t need to be spotted. Right now, all we had going for us was the element of surprise, and I wanted to keep it that way as long as possible.

  “Let’s head around to the side of the building. I want to see if there’s another entrance. I saw a window. If Miley’s inside, you fall back and call the sheriff’s office. We may need reinforcements.”

  Cecil nodded in understanding. Droplets of sweat beaded his slick head. He was a big guy, and if he decided to turn on me and side with his brother, I may not have a chance unless I managed to shoot them both first. If push came to shove, you can damn well guarantee I would.

  “Can I trust you, Cecil?” I asked, eyeing him.

  “With your life,” he answered without a moment’s hesitation.

  Maybe, just maybe… Cecil wasn’t such a douche bag after all.

  “Follow my lead,” I instructed him, silently praying Miley was safe and that I could really count on him. He better not let me down.

  Making my way through the trees, my eyes remained glued on the building ahead. When I reached the edge of the tree line, I glanced over my shoulder. Cecil was right where I’d left him. He nodded and raised his hand, motioning me forward.

  With my heart pounding, I took off at dead run darting out from beneath the cover of the trees. I managed to reach the building without hearing the sound of gunfire. So far, so good, I decided and crept alongside the building, edging closer and closer to the window. Trying to remain undetected, I cautiously peered inside… but all thoughts of my own safety deserted me when I saw her.

  Miley was here, and there was no sign of Ryder. I struggled to remain calm, but it was so fucking difficult when everything inside of me was screaming. Run. Hurry. Claim what’s yours before it’s too late. Miley was mine, and I’d be damned if Ryder Blade or anyone else came between us. It wasn’t fucking happening. Come hell or high water she was leaving here with me today.

  With a simple hand gesture, I let Cecil know that he needed to stay put. Hopefully, he remembered the plan and was calling the sheriff right now. We could use the back up. There were no signs of anyone else around, but I believed in taking precautions. For all I knew, Ryder could very well have the entire Retribution MC heading our way.

  In the far corner of the room, Miley sat in a straight back chair. Sunlight spilled through the overhead rafters, highlighting the hints of the red in her thick blonde hair. She was impossible to miss. That hair was like a fucking banner, and she was so damn beautiful it hurt my eyes to look at her. I longed for a glimpse of her face, but her hair hid her features from my sight. Her head was bent. Her chin rested against her chest. She wasn’t moving. Then I happened to notice the even rise and fall of her chest. An overwhelming sense of relief momentarily held me captive as I stared at her through the dirty window.

  She was still alive.

  With silent steps, I ducked beneath the ledge of window and moved quickly. There was no time to waste. When I peeked around the corner of the building, I discovered Ryder’s bike was nowhere to be seen. Had he parked it elsewhere or had he actually left? There was a service door at the back that at one time may have been used for shipments of freight. I hadn’t even been aware that this fucking building existed and had no clue as to what it had been used for before the Retribution MC had claimed it.

  There was no one lurking around, and for a moment, a hint of a smile curled my lips at my good fortune. I turned and headed straight for the service door. Shit, it was locked! I couldn’t be that fucking lucky. I’d never been one to put too much belief in fate or chance. Both were fickle bitches. There was a muffled noise from inside. More than likely Miley had heard me.

  Taking a deep breath, I decided to try this again and rammed my shoulder into the door. Son of a bitch! Pain ricocheted up my arm; low, throbbing and bone deep. It was a shame my big ass wouldn’t fit through the window.

  Giving my all one more time, the door groaned loudly when I hit it again. The lock snapped. The door swung open, crashing in to the wall. The sound resembled a gunshot and took me completely by surprise. I wasn’t expecting it to give so easily. I could have gotten my foolish head shot off when I almost fell inside. It was such a rookie move, but thank fuck, the building really was as empty as I’d suspected. Well, all except for Miley, who was now anxiously twisting in her seat trying to see what in the hell had just happened.

  “Miley, it’s me.”

  At hearing my voice, her shoulders sagged with relief. I hurried toward her, dodging the debris from the collapsed roof. My eyes scanned every corner of the building trying to detect any
movement within the shadows. I couldn’t believe the son of a bitch had just up and left her here all by herself. He may have gone for supplies or back-up. He might at this very moment be in route and returning to the warehouse with a contact or other members of the MC.

  There wasn’t any time to waste.

  Miley’s face was dirty, streaked by tears. With wide eyes, she stared back at me over the cloth gag in her mouth. That fucking bastard had hit her. There was dried blood along her chin. A cut marred her forehead. Her eyes were puffy and swollen. There was the hint of a bruise on her right cheek.

  Rage swelled inside me. I tried to school my features, to keep my expression relatively calm as I studied the damage Ryder had inflicted on my girl. I didn’t want to scare her any more than she already was.

  When I got my hands on Ryder Blade, I’d fucking kill him.

  Quickly tugging my knife from my pocket, I knelt before her feeling the weight of her stare. It was impossible to miss the tears trickling down her cheeks. I cut the rope at her feet first and then moved to free her hands. My finger skimmed along her cheek as she pulled the gag from her mouth. “Nate,” she cried urgently.

  The sound of my name spilling from those gorgeous lips of hers was one of the best fucking sounds I’d ever heard in all of my miserable life. I’d never tire of hearing my name falling from those lips. I’d always felt a little lost, more so after losing Natalie, but Miley had managed to change all of that for me. Because of her, I’d finally found my way. Her love was my guide.

  “Are you all right?” I asked, and she nodded in reply. Her expression anxious. Her eyes flickered from mine to dart to the door.

  “We have to hurry. He won’t be gone long. He said something about arranging transportation for us.”

  “Miley, I… uh…”

  The sudden lump in my throat made it difficult to speak. Tears welled in my eyes and I clutched her against me. I was such a pussy when it came to her. She made me feel, made me think, and everything I’d ever managed to keep buried beneath the layers of grief, mistrust, and betrayal were all set free with a single touch from her. She’d managed to split my walls wide open. I had fallen, and I’d fallen hard for the woman in my arms. There was no going back. My hands moved to cup her face. She trembled beneath my touch. “Baby, I’m so fucking sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault, Nate.” She covered my hands with hers. The next thing I knew, our mouths met. I consumed her, greedily and whole heartedly. I took and took from my woman. Then, I gave it all back to her. I couldn’t get enough, and doubted I ever would. This woman held my heart in her hands. She was it for me, and I couldn’t wait to put all of this shit behind us.

  The sounds of an approaching motorcycle echoed in the distance. I pulled back, staring down at her. “We have to move. Can you run?” I asked, and she nodded her head. With her hand in mine, I reached for my gun.

  “Nate?” she questioned, her fear and uncertainty reflected in her expression.

  “Just in case,” I assured her. “It’s going to be fine.” I didn’t voice my concerns out loud or tell her that I would shoot that bastard without thinking twice. He would die if he tried to stand in my way. I would gladly send him straight to hell if it meant keeping her safe. I wouldn’t lose one night’s sleep over it either.

  It had grown quiet by the time we reached the exit. No sign of Ryder, and I didn’t hear his bike. Where was he? All of the sudden, there was a loud pop. It was gunfire, and it wasn’t far away. Miley gasped and jerked against my side; her body bumping into mine. “Oh my God!” her voice trembling.

  “Miley, I need you to focus. Follow me.”

  I checked the exit before stepping outside. Together, we crept along the side of the building, heading in the opposite direction than I’d originally come. It wasn’t my plan, but then things were not going as expected. In a perfect world, we’d have already escaped and be tucked away safely with Ryder behind bars. I peered around the side of the building with Miley crowding against my back. No sign of Ryder anywhere, but I did happen to spot the bastard’s bike parked down the road. The Harley was impossible to miss with sunlight gleaming off the chrome. I didn’t see Cecil.

  “There you are.”

  That deep growl belonged to none other than Ryder Blade. Acting on instinct, I spun around and tugged Miley behind me. She stumbled, almost falling. I moved to stand in front of her, shielding her body with mine and trained my gun on Ryder.

  “Were you just going to leave, sugar, without even saying goodbye?” he asked, wearing an evil smirk. His gaze was focused entirely on my girl instead of on me or the gun that I currently held aimed directly at his chest. Unlike him, I couldn’t look away from the gun he held in his hand. It was pointed at the both of us.

  Fuck! Where in the hell was Cecil? Why hadn’t he warned us, and where was the sheriff? Backup should have been here by now.

  “Answer me, Miley,” Ryder demanded, then the bastard started moving toward us.

  “Take one step closer and I’ll shoot.”

  It was only then that Ryder seemed to realize he had company and focused his attention on me. A menacing smile curled his thin lips and he laughed out loud. His eyes remained locked on mine as his chest shook. The blue of his irises was obliterated by the darkness of his pupils. He was higher than a fucking Georgia pine.

  Shit, it was one thing to deal with a hardened criminal, but it was completely another to deal with drugged out psycho wielding a gun.

  “I don’t think you’d want to do that, Mr. Bounty Hunter,” Ryder smirked. “If you shoot, then I’ll have to shoot too, and at this range… a bullet can do a lot of damage. What if I missed and hit Miley instead of you?”

  Sweat trickled down my brow. At that moment, I was aware of every small detail; the warmth of the sun, the sudden stillness in the air, and the dead quiet all around us. Miley shifted behind me, her fingers were cold as she curled them into the waistband of my jeans. Even though my body shielded hers, there was always the possibility of a stray bullet hitting her, especially at this range.

  “What do you want?” I asked.

  “I want the bitch,” Ryder growled. “We have unfinished business.”

  My grip tightened on the gun. The urge to make him eat those fucking words consumed me. “That’s not an option,” I informed him, coldly.

  “Nate,” Miley whispered, but I ignored her and kept my eyes trained on the threat standing in front of us.

  “It’s the only option,” he replied, smugly. “You have until the count of three.”

  The deafening pop of the gun barely registered in my mind. White hot pain ripped through my shoulder as I staggered back into the body behind me. It was Miley, I thought vaguely. The sound of her screams filled my ears. My finger contracted; automatically squeezing off a shot as I sank to my knees.

  It was as if I were watching a movie in slow motion. The gun flew from Ryder’s hand seconds before his body landed on the ground in front of me. The smell of gunpowder filled my nostrils. My mind clamored to make sense of what in the hell had just happened.

  That motherfucker hadn’t even bothered to count.

  My hand automatically reached for my shoulder and came away wet with blood. It ran down my chest and arm. There was so much of it, and it was everywhere.

  Miley, where was Miley? My vision blurred. Shit, I was going to pass out.

  I half turned on my knees, twisting around, and toppled over onto my side hitting the ground. The impact jarred the breath from my lungs and drew a gasp of pain. It was then I spotted Miley. She was lying on the ground not far from me.

  “No!” I screamed, over and over.

  She wasn’t moving.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  THE FLUORESCENT LIGHT hurt my eyes. Squinting, I gasped, a soft cry parting my lips. My brain commanded me to move. I really wanted to, but my muscles refused to cooperate. They were heavy like lead, and fucking useless. My shoulder hurt like a son of a bitch.

  Where in the hell w
as I?

  Then in the blink of an eye, it all came rushing back with the force of a sledgehammer.

  Miley, where was she?

  With a groan, I opened my eyes once again, but it was so damn hard to focus. Everything was blurry. I tried to push myself up, but surprisingly, a sudden weight landed on my chest holding me in place. There was also the gentle touch of a hand now holding mine. Blinking furiously, I managed this time to focus.

  “Lie still, man. You’re okay.”

  It was Devon McGraw, and his hand was the one currently planted in the center of my chest holding me down. As if with that very thought, the weight suddenly vanished. My mouth opened and closed without a sound passing from my lips. That small movement was an effort even in itself.

  “Shush,” a soft voice whispered, penetrating my groggy thoughts. Slowly, I turned my head toward the direction of where the voice had originated. Kara McGraw’s blue eyes stared back at me. She looked tired. Her eyes were red rimmed as if she’d been crying.

  “You’re at the hospital,” she told me, squeezing my hand.

  At that exact moment, Ryder Blade flashed through my mind; the crazed look in his eyes followed by the deafening sound of gunfire. The last sight I’d seen before blacking out was of Miley. She had been lying motionless on the ground.

  If I lost her…

  An annoying beep echoed within the silence of the sterile room, growing louder. My body was stiff and sore. It hurt to blink. It hurt to think. I was… helpless, feeling hopeless and confused. “Miley,” I whispered, my throat hoarse. She had to be all right. It hurt to speak even though I wanted to scream her name to the top of my lungs.

  Where in the hell was she?

  “You need to stay calm.”

  Fuck calm!

  If Devon were lying in this hospital bed without knowing where his woman was or even if she were still alive, I’d like to see how frigging calm he remained.

  “Miley?”

  Commanding my muscles to move, I exerted every ounce of strength I possessed and managed to rise halfway up from the bed, only to have Devon place his hand back on my chest urging me down.