“It’s bad, isn’t it?” The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place and she realized it was worse than she thought. If Jay had called Coal to get her out of the city, her brother wasn’t coming home anytime soon. But it wasn’t even that; it was the caution in the way Coal acted. He hadn’t turned on any lights and he stuck to the shadows as if expecting someone to be lingering around the house, watching for her. “They’re going to kill me because of him, aren’t they?”
“No, baby.” He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her tight against his body. “I’m going to protect you, but we’ve got to go. Do you have everything you want? Anything that’s not important we can replace once we get where we’re going.”
When she nodded, he stepped back, grabbed her duffle bag, and slid it over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
She reached back to the dresser, her hand brushing against the butt of the gun when his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her away. “Wait.”
“No.” He tugged her toward the door and when she fought him, he pushed her up against the wall. “Can you guarantee me that gun isn’t stolen? That it hasn’t been used in a crime? Damn it, Syd, I know what Jay’s been doing all these years. Tim…your dad…do you want to end up like them? Getting caught with a stolen gun…using the fucking thing…what the hell are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about staying alive. Just because they’ve done those things doesn’t mean I’ve done anything wrong.”
“Still so naïve.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and shook his head. “The police know you. They know you’re connected to Jay. With him out of the picture, they’re going to be wondering if you’re picking up where he left off. Just like Jay took over from your dad. In the twenty minutes I’ve been here, I’ve seen two police cruisers. Do you think that’s a coincidence? Every single officer who knows your family is wondering if you’re in on it, too. They don’t have any proof, but you’re the last one left and look where you’re living. They’ll be watching you.”
“But I’ve never…” She tried to argue but he was right. Three months earlier, Jay was dropping her off at work and they were pulled over for speeding. The car was searched and Jay had drugs on him. He was arrested and she was questioned as if she was guilty by association. That was when she started putting money aside, with the intent on getting the hell out of town. Everyone who knew her family thought she was no good, just like them. “Why come back if you think I’m just like them? Surely you don’t want to tarnish your perfect appearance. Mr. Millionaire with it all together, what are you doing here? Slumming?”
The sound of glass shattering stopped him from giving an answer. Instead, he took her hand and pulled her down the stairs, toward the front door. “Stay behind me.”
“You don’t go toward the noise. That’s how everyone ends up dead in a scary movie. Shouldn’t we go back upstairs?” Upstairs they’d find them, but there, she had the gun. They could protect themselves. “I can’t run forever. Maybe I should just face them.”
“Bullshit.” At the bottom of the stairs, he glanced out the window next to the door before opening it. “Let’s go.” He pushed her out the front door, keeping her close to him, as a figure came out of the kitchen.
“Don’t fucking move!” the figure in black hollered at them as Coal slammed the front door behind them.
“Move!” He pulled her down the deserted street as bullets rang out behind them. They ran toward the car he pointed to, clicking the universal remote “Get in.”
As she climbed into the passenger side, she chanced a look back at the house in time to see a man lumbering off the porch, his weapon pointed in their direction. Coal got in the driver’s seat and started the engine. Moments later, gunshots echoed through the stillness of the night. Terror filled her, stealing her breath from her lungs.
“Coal!”
Chapter Two
As Coal sped through his hometown, he didn’t have time to take in the changes. He was focused on getting them out of town safely. When he’d arrived in the area, he’d noticed signs of people lingering there, but when no one seemed to be around the house, he couldn’t be sure any of the ones he’d seen were those Jay was tangled up with. Thankfully, he’d found the spare key hidden in the same spot they’d kept it in when he was a child, hidden above the backdoor; so he’d let himself in, getting easy access to the house. Without that, it would have taken him longer and they might not have been driving out of the city now. They might be lying dead on the floor in her bedroom or worse.
“Coal…” Sydney’s eyes were wide as she stared at him, her body shaking with fear. “I’m…”
“Come here.” He pulled her across the bench seat, thankful he’d made arrangements for an older car that would blend into the surroundings of his old city. No middle divider to keep them apart. Taking her hand in his, he brought it to his lap. “It’s okay, babe. You’re safe now.”
“You could have been shot!” Tears sprang to her eyes as she cuddled against his side. “We could have died!”
“But we didn’t.” Hitting the highway, he pressed the gas pedal harder, needing to put distance between them and the people looking for her. “You’re going to be fine. Try to rest; we’re going to be on the road for a while.”
“Where are we going?”
“Minnesota.”
“What?” She pulled back from him. “You can’t be serious. I have work in a few hours.”
“You’re not going.” He shot her a sideways glance and raised an eyebrow at her. “Do you really think you could show up for work and they wouldn’t be waiting there for you?”
“I don’t know, but my boss—”
“Will find someone to cover for you.” He tried not to get angry. She was young, and her life had been suddenly tossed into a blender on high. Everything was changing for her and fuck if he wasn’t in the middle of it all. Seeing her again sparked circuits within him that he’d thought were dead. She had drawn his attention back in the days before he’d left town, but she was fucking gorgeous now. “They were willing to kill us tonight. Whatever Jay owes them is bigger than I first thought. Your only chance is to leave town.” He wasn’t sure how but he’d figure out what mess Jay was in and make sure Syd was safe.
With a huff, she leaned back and stared out the window. “Jay screws up and I’m the one to pay.”
“It’s going to be okay,” he reassured her.
She pulled away from him and brought her legs up onto the seat, hugging them to her chest. Her long blonde hair hid her face from view, making him want to reach over and brush it back, so he could see her. Fighting the urge, he kept his attention on the road and off her. His best friend’s baby sister was off-limits. More than that, she was just a kid.
“You always tried to protect me but even you can’t keep me sheltered from them. You have to realize that, Coal. They’ll find me and you don’t need that kind of trouble. It will screw up everything for you, Tanner Cycles, your brothers…there’s too much to risk.”
“Don’t, Syd.” He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, when all he wanted to do was reach over and take her hand into his again. “Let me worry about that. Right now, you need to get some sleep. It’s going to be okay, I promise. Trust me. Have I ever let you down before?”
“Never.” Her voice was whisper quiet but he caught the sadness to it, which made him want to question things further but his phone rang, interrupting him, before he could. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket to see Cayson’s name—the next oldest of the Tanner brothers—displayed on the screen. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t ignore the call, so he hit answer and brought the phone to his ear.
“Cay, I thought your partying days were over. What are you still doing up?”
“I’m up because you’re neck deep into shit you have no idea about. What the fuck are you doing, bro?” Cay was the no-nonsense brother. While most of the time he only had Cal and Cyrus to bitch at, he’d try to kick Coal’s ass into line if
he needed it.
“How did you find out?” He wasn’t even sure why he asked. It had to be Knuckles. He was the only one who knew Coal had taken off in the middle of the night. When his brothers came to the shop in the morning, they’d have found the note he’d left behind, but it didn’t explain anything.
“Yeah. I woke up to the sound of the engines but you were gone before I could get out there. I left a message and he just called me back. He’s concerned because you went in alone. Why didn’t you let him back you up?”
“This doesn’t concern him.” Knuckles had experienced brushes with the law in the past, but he’d turned his life around and Coal wasn’t going to be the reason their pilot got twisted up in the legal system again. “Now instead of bitching, why don’t you go to my office and order the parts that are listed on a printout on my desk?”
“You’ve got to be joking.” Cay huffed. “Have you found her?”
“Yes, and I’m bringing her home.”
Cay went silent for a moment, putting Coal on edge, waiting for his brother to say something. “Is that a good idea?”
“It is what it is. You know I’m not going to leave her some place where I can’t protect her.” He chanced another glimpse at her and found her staring at him, tears glistening in her eyes.
“Do you want me to call Anderson? Maybe he could recommend a criminal lawyer in the area.”
“No.” The answer was out of his mouth before he had time to think it through. Years of bailing his friend out had worn thin. He was tired of coming to his rescue, pulling him out of whatever muddle he’d gotten into. It wasn’t the money. He had more money than he knew what to do with. But Jay wasn’t going to learn, and this time had been the final straw. Risking Sydney had burned the last bridge between them. “You want to make yourself useful? Find out what the fuck he’s into. It’s more than money for drugs. Those fuckers were ready to kill us tonight.”
What am I doing? Can I really tangle him up in this? Sydney considered her options and as much as she wanted Coal to ride to her rescue and save her like she was six years old again, it wasn’t his responsibility. As of a month ago, she was an adult, and that meant she had to dig herself out of this mess. She wasn’t a child, needing someone to come to her rescue. Jay had screwed things up for her worse than he had ever before and she wasn’t even sure if he’d make it back out of jail anytime soon. Although she appreciated that Coal had come for her, she couldn’t shove him into this situation.
While he was on the phone with Cayson, she tried to put together a plan to convince him she’d be fine on her own. By taking her to Minnesota, Coal wouldn’t just be risking himself but his brothers’ lives, too. She couldn’t allow that. She might have accepted his offer if she hadn’t heard Cay’s anger through the phone speaker. Family discord because of her would only make the situation more dangerous.
“We’re on the road now but we’re going to have to stop and get some rest in a few hours, once we’re out of the state. I’ll send you a text when we stop and once we’re back on the road. But if things go well, I’ll be back in time. Just make sure Cal gets to work immediately on the bike Knuckles is picking up in Texas. The timeframe is tight. He wants it finished for his son’s sixteenth birthday.” With that, Coal ended the call and dropped the cell into his lap.
Seeing that as the only opportunity she’d have before her courage fled, she unfolded her legs from in front of her and turned to face him. “While I appreciate your offer to help, I can’t—”
“Don’t, Syd. Nothing you can say is going to make me pull over and let you out. If you must, think of this as a kidnapping. You’re going to Minnesota, whether you like it or not, so let’s not fight about it. Okay?”
“Coal, you can’t just walk back into my life and demand I listen to you. I’m not a little girl anymore. I have a job and a life. I can’t just leave town.” She didn’t have much of a life. Work and taking care of Jay, but Coal didn’t need to know that. Things hadn’t turned out as she’d always hoped but at least she hadn’t followed her brothers into the family business of drugs.
“I can see you’re not a little girl any longer but that doesn’t change things. I’m not going to stand by while you get yourself killed because of your fucking brother.” He reached across the seat to where she retreated and placed his hand on her leg. “Just relax. We’ll fix this and when it’s safe, if you want to go home I’ll deliver you personally back to that hellhole we just left. If you want to start over anywhere else in the world, I’ll help you. You don’t need to go back there. What’s there for you?”
Instead of answering him, she stared out at the window. What was there for her? She couldn’t think of a single thing. Her father had a lengthy prison sentence in front of him, Tim was serving a life sentence, and now Jay would be joining them. With her family behind bars, she was alone. Eighteen and alone. She should be starting college with her friends, her whole life ahead of her. Instead, she was wondering if she even had anything to hope for and dream about. What was her life worth?
Staring out the window, she let her head rest against the back of the seat. Things were so complicated and anger boiled within her. She wanted to scream at Jay for putting her in the middle of the situation; she wanted to push Coal away so he wouldn’t get hurt, while at the same time she wanted to let him wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly.
She'd read every article printed about him and Tanner Cycles over and over. Pictures of him filled her memory box. While Jay had put up with her wanting to tag along with him as a child, Coal had been sweet and protective. She’d had a crush on him back then, wanting to be around Jay because Coal would be there. It wasn’t until a week before he’d left for Minnesota that she’d learned his true feelings for her. I’m going to miss you the most, Syd. You’re like a little sister to me.
At thirteen, she’d had her first heartbreak. She didn’t want to be a little sister to him—she wanted him to love her like she loved him. With tears streaming down her face, she’d stood on the porch of the same house he’d just rescued her from and watched him hop onto his motorcycle to ride out of her life. Something inside of her had shattered that day. She’d retreated into her room, letting Jay do his own thing without her tagging along. The first time she’d heard from him, she felt anger for him leaving her. She wasn’t his responsibility but she’d needed him. He’d been the one good thing in her life. The one thing that kept her sane as everything else around her was falling apart.
The wind ripped through her hair as she ran and tears streamed down her face. She didn’t know where she was going; all she knew was she couldn’t stay in that house any longer. If one more person wrapped their arms around her and told her they were sorry for her loss, she’d scream. It was all too real, when all she wanted to do was deny it ever happened. The pain and bruises along the right side of her body weren’t something she could deny. Every time she looked into the mirror, the gash above her eye wouldn’t let her forget.
She dropped to her knees behind the trees that skirted the edge of the playground. “Why…why did you have to leave me? Everything seems so much harder without you here. Daddy’s always drinking. Tim…Tim’s gone.”
“There you are.” Coal strolled toward her, his usual t-shirt and jeans were replaced with a suit, and his hair was tugged back into a hair tie. His change in appearance was another reminder of the events that had unfolded in the past week. “Everyone is really worried about you. Why don’t you come back to your house with me?”
“He killed them! He took everything from us.” She slammed her fists onto the ground, sending the dirt flying through the air. “I hate him! I wish he was dead.”
He dropped to his knees beside her and wrapped his arms around her. “I know Syd, I know.” Comforting her, he kissed the top of her head, allowing her to bury her face against his chest and let the tears flow freely.
“How can you not hate me?” She clung to him, wishing they could somehow change things.
; “Syd! Wake up.” Her eyes fluttered opened to find Coal leaning over her, his hands on her shoulders, shaking her. “Syd…”
“What?” Her eyes were heavy and gritty with the weight of the past.
“Shit, you scared me.” He leaned against the doorframe and she realized they were still on the road.
She looked around, trying to determine where they were, but the nondescript motel in front of her, held little clue of that. The peeling paint and empty lot told her they didn’t do much business, or they didn’t care. A roadside motel was the last place she expected to find Coal at but something about it seemed to fit him. He never started Tanner Cycles with the goal of making it big, or for the money; he did it because he had a love for motorcycles.
“This car isn’t you. Why didn’t you bring your bike?”
He let out a lighthearted chuckle and squatted down next to her. “Leave it to you to make me laugh after that.”
“After what?”
“Oh, Syd.” He reached in and cupped the side of her face. “You were screaming.”
“Oh.” She looked down at her hands, suddenly embarrassed that her dream had been overheard by him. They had shared that time together but that was the past. “Is that why we’ve stopped?”
“We stopped to get some sleep. Both of us need it.” He held his hand out to her and when she took it, he pulled her up until the front of her body was inches from his. “Are you okay now?”
Even as she nodded, she knew she wasn’t. The effects of the dream lingered, making her feel uneasy. She thought that would be the worst part of her life, but after her mother died, things had continued to get worse. Her mother had been the glue that kept the family together, and without her, they seemed to fall apart. She’d give anything to go back to that time, to be young and full of hope.
He raised his eyebrows at her as if he didn’t believe her but he didn’t question her further. The desire for him to wrap his arms around her again burned within her but he stepped back from her and opened the backseat car door to grab their bags. With their bags in hand, he nodded toward the motel again. “Let’s get some rest.”
Until Sydney: A Tanner Cycle Novel Page 2
