Chosen

by Denise Grover Swank

  “Where are you headed?”

  “Tell him,” Jake said.

  This kid was really starting to freak him out.

  Her face contorted with outrage and she whipped the car into a deserted strip mall parking lot. She jerked to a stop and turned to Will. “Excuse me, could you step out for a minute?” she choked out. “I need to talk to my son. Alone.”

  He put his hand on the door handle. “You’re not going to leave me stranded here, are you?” Will was afraid to get out of the car. He knew she didn’t want him with her and if she ran off, it would be hard to track her down again. Not to mention all the money he’d lose. He still hadn’t even convinced her to let him go with her.

  She flashed him a tight smile. “No, of course not. Scout’s honor.” She held her hand up with three fingers pointed up in pledge.

  “Somehow I doubt you were ever a Girl Scout,” he mumbled as he got out of the car.

  “I heard that.”

  Will leaned down and stuck his head in the window. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t leave me stranded out here in the middle of Nowhere, Texas. What would I do if those bad guys came back and found me defenseless?” His words oozed the seductive voice he used to get what he wanted.

  She looked at him for several seconds. “You expect me to fall for that bullshit? I promised I wouldn’t leave and I don’t break my promises. Now get the fuck away from the car.”

  He couldn’t help but chuckle as he walked to the front of the car and leaned against the hood. There was no way in hell he’d let her out of his sight. The pocketknife he dropped on the ground and kicked into the front passenger tire was going to make sure of it.

  * * *

  As soon as Will walked out of earshot, Emma whipped around and glared at Jake. “What are you doing? We can’t trust this guy!”

  Jake watched her with his vast blue eyes. “You have to.”

  “Why? Why do we have to?”

  His head leaned against the side window, watching the cars passing by. He sighed, sounding weary and despondent. “You need him. Our lives depend on him.”

  “What aren’t you telling me, Jake?” The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

  His eyes pierced hers. “You know what you need to know.” He looked away again, his shoulders slumping.

  Emma started to panic. He never withheld information from her. Her voice raised an octave. “What aren’t you telling me, Jake?”

  “Is everything all right in there?” Will called over his shoulder.

  Jake sat up, now looking like a scared five-year-old. “Mommy, you need to trust him. You need him. Please.” A tear rolled down his cheek. “Please.”

  Her eyes filled with tears as her throat constricted in fear. “What aren’t you telling me, Jake? You have to tell me.”

  Will’s head popped in the window and looked from Emma to Jake. “What’s going on in here? A touching family moment?”

  Jake closed his eyes and Emma knew he wouldn’t tell her anything else. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. The last thing she needed was to let this asshole see any sign of weakness. “None of your business. Get in the car.”

  Will hopped in and buckled up. “Let’s get back to the motel and get my stuff. Where are we headed?”

  She cast a glance at Jake in the back seat. He nodded his head. “We were originally on our way to Austin when the Honda broke down. We got stuck here.”

  “Austin, huh? That’s a good distance from here. Plenty of space for your friends to find you out in the open highway. What about Dallas? It’s closer and bigger. I presume you’re hoping to get lost in a big city.”

  Emma hesitated and tried to stuff down the irritation creeping in. “We came from Dallas. It’s not a good idea to go back there.”

  “I disagree. They might not think you’d go back there. You know, I might be of more help if I knew who these guys were and why they were after you.”

  She appraised him. He was tall, his long legs stuffed under the dashboard of the Honda. He looked strong, which should have scared her, but she could take care of herself. “What makes you qualified to help us?”

  “I used to be in the Marines, Special Forces. I have some skill sets that might come in handy.” He winked and she suppressed a snort.

  “What do you do now?” she asked skeptically.

  “Oh you know, this and that. I’m a consultant. I’m currently between jobs.” He flashed his cocky grin.

  “That smile work for you much?” Living among the dregs of society made her well acquainted with guys like him. Lesson number one: Stay away from his type. “You still haven’t answered why you’re helping us.” She saw Jake’s disapproval in the mirror. “I deserve to know that much, Jake.”

  Will looked at her like she had lost her mind, but quickly recovered. “I told you, you know, the whole damsel in distress thing.”

  “You really expect me to believe that?”

  Will cleared his throat and suppressed a laugh. “Okay, let’s just say my duty to ‘serve and protect’ is deeply ingrained.”

  “I thought that was police officer’s motto. Isn’t the Marines’ motto Semper Fi?”

  His eyes widened in surprise. “Yeah, but it seems more appropriate than Always Faithful.”

  “How can I believe you were in the Marines? You could easily make that up.”

  “I can tell you a few stories no one wants to hear before bedtime. I’ve seen a shitload of bad things brought about by a lot of ugly people. Want me to tell you a few?”

  She had enough of her own nightmares. “No.”

  They were almost to the motel when the car began to pull to the right. “Crap.”

  “What?”

  “I think we’ve got a flat tire.” Emma turned into another deserted parking lot. Will got out of the car and walked to the front tire. It made her nervous to get out without her gun, but she didn’t want Will to see it. Emma pulled it out of the side panel and stuffed it in her purse. She got out with a sigh and walked to the front of the car where she was greeted by a flat passenger tire.

  “Got a spare?” Will asked, his hands stuffed in the back pockets of his jeans.

  “No.” Her heart sank.

  “It probably happened when you did your cool street-car move. That’s pretty hard on tires, you know.”

  She threw him a look that would make lesser men run in fear then kicked the tire. “Son of a bitch! I don’t have the time or money for this.”

  “Good thing I’ve got a truck we can use.”

  His casualness irked her. “What about my car? What am I supposed to do? Just leave it here?” She paced the length of the Honda. Could this evening get any worse?

  “No one’s going to be open at this hour to fix your flat. We could stay the night somewhere and get it fixed in the morning or we can leave tonight in my truck.”

  She’d rather take the bus.

  “We need to leave tonight.”

  Emma and Will turned, startled by Jake’s voice.

  He stood by the open back door. “They’re coming.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Damn, this kid is freaky. “Who’s coming?”

  Emma was already pushing Jake back in the car. “How close are they?”

  “Who’s coming?” Will asked again, but Emma and Jake didn’t answer.

  “They’re close. We don’t have much time.” Jake’s eyes were wide with fear as he clutched his stuffed dog.

  She buckled him and shut the back door. Will still stood in the parking lot, trying to figure out what was going on.

  “Are you coming or not?” She leaned against the back door looking at him.

  He knew she hoped he’d say no. He wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction.

  “What is he talking about? How does he know they’re coming?” Will opened the car door and Emma walked around to her side and got in. “Are you planning on driving on the rim?”

  “Have you got a better idea?” She turned the key.
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  They were only a few blocks away and they were ditching the car anyway. It seemed like a good plan. “Who’s coming?”

  “Who the hell do you think? Are you always this dense?” She scanned the road, probably looking for signs of new pursuers.

  This whole situation seemed ridiculous. “How does he know they’re coming?”

  “He just does, okay? I don’t have time to explain this to you. Do you want to help us or not? Because if you changed your mind, I’ve got to figure out what we’re going to do.”

  It took more than this to shake him up. “No, I’m still at your disposal, Princess.”

  Her mouth pursed in a grimace. “We don’t have much time and I sure don’t have time for your shit. How long will it take you to be ready to go?”

  Will didn’t see a problem, but he could tell she was spooked. He knew there was no way those guys in the SUV were going anywhere, but there could be others, especially since he didn’t know who they were. “A few minutes. I don’t have much to pack.”

  “Okay, we’ll park in the parking lot of the bar next to the motel and wait for you.”

  “No, I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to split up. Just park outside my room.”

  “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. Just get your stuff and come meet us.” She pulled into the bar’s parking lot and drove around to the back.

  The low setting sun hid behind the dilapidated motel units next door. Will reached for the door handle. He glanced back at Emma, who wrung her hands on the steering wheel, her lips pinched together. “You’re not going to leave me, are you?” It wouldn’t surprise him if she drove off and left him, flat tire and all.

  Tilting her head, her mouth broke into a slow smile that didn’t quiet reach her eyes. “I wouldn’t dream of leaving you.” Her voice was sugarcoated and punctuated with a fake Texas drawl.

  That was all the answer he needed. He reached over and pulled the keys out of the ignition before she realized what he was doing. Emma grabbed at his hand as he pulled the keys away, trying to pry his fingers open.

  “Give those back.” Her eyes were wild and desperate and her nails dug into his palm.

  He grasped both of her squirming hands in his. He was careful not to crush her with the keys as he held them in a tight grip. “Calm down, Emma. You can’t go anywhere anyway. We’re taking my truck, remember? This is just a little insurance to make sure you don’t go and do something stupid.” Will turned to Jake in the backseat. He watched the scene with only mild interest. “Jake, will you tell your mother she needs to wait for me and not run off?”

  Emma pulled frantically, still trapped. “Don’t talk to my son,” she seethed. “Don’t you bring him into this.”

  “It seems to me we’re running because of him, which means he’s already in this.”

  She stopped tugging and gave him a blank stare. “What are you talking about?”

  Will thought she looked like she’d been caught in something, but damned if he knew what it was. “Isn’t he the one who said, ‘They’re coming?’ And you freaking believe him and start running around like they’re hot on your ass.” Will waved his arm outside the window. “Guess what? There’s no one here. But fine, we’ll leave ASAP because Jake says we need to, but...,” Will narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice, “don’t tell me he’s not part of this, Princess, because he most certainly is.”

  Will let go of her hands and she slowly pulled them back as the anger returned, the shocked expression quickly replaced by rage. “Don’t ever touch me again.” She spit the words out through gritted teeth.

  A smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “You touched me first.” He got out of the car and pocketed her car keys. “I’ll be back in a minute. Don’t miss me too much.”

  He jogged across the short parking lot. The motel had four units to a building with a gap between them. He turned back to look at the car before he slipped between them. She wasn’t looking at him, but he could see the boy’s passive face watching. What was up with that kid? And what had caused Emma to freak out?

  Before going around the front of the building, he paused and looked for signs of anyone watching, but saw nothing unusual. The same tired, worn-out cars littered the parking lot from the day before. His new black Ford pickup truck stuck out in this dejected junkyard. He pulled his room key out of his pocket and edged his way to the door, checking the parking lot again before letting himself into the room. As he started to pack his belongings, he pulled out his cell phone and called his contact. Someone answered on the second ring.

  “Who else is working this job?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Someone tried to grab my mark tonight. What do you know about that?” His suitcase already lay open on the other bed. He threw in the items scattered around the room without paying attention to how they landed.

  “You’re the only person working this case.” But Will noticed the moment of hesitation before his contact answered.

  “So what aren’t you telling me?”

  “There is another party interested.”

  Will paused with his hand in midair. “Go on.”

  “Another group is involved and has been known to make attempts to capture her in the past.”

  “And you didn’t think this was something I needed to know? I almost lost her tonight because they showed up and she took off.”

  “If you had grabbed her the first day you found her this wouldn’t be an issue at all.”

  “Are you a fucking idiot? You want me to drag a woman almost a thousand miles across the country against her will? Like no one’s going to notice the screaming woman in the back of my truck? I told you it would take a couple of days and I could get her to go willingly and I was right. She’s waiting for me right now.”

  He couldn’t tell if it was a sound of relief or satisfaction. “She must be here within three days, sooner if you can. Our board would be most appreciative.”

  The other end went silent and he stuffed the phone in his pocket. He had second thoughts about this whole job. He couldn’t figure out why anyone would want her, let alone two different groups. At first, he suspected an unpaid loan, but they wouldn’t have him drag her a thousand miles for that. They’d have someone here take care of it. And that someone wouldn’t be him. He delivered people; he didn’t beat them up. He sure didn’t beat up women. He might be a lowlife, but even he had his boundaries.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, he inhaled deeply as he rubbed his forehead with his hand. Something about all of this reeked and his instincts told him to run like hell. But the money called him back. It was a lot of money, another warning sign. Why would someone pay that much money for a woman who seemed like she was nobody? Just a mother with a kid. He’d grabbed a few women before, but they were criminals. Then again, Emma could be a criminal. But his instincts told him different, and Will’s instincts were usually right. They had saved his ass time and time again in Iraq. He let out a string of curses. It pissed him off he’d thought of Iraq twice within the last hour. That shit was better left in the past.

  Will heaved off the bed. He pushed aside the cheap sliding closet door and pulled a heavy metal case. The box dropped on the bed with a thud and the bed shook from the weight. He opened the combination lock and popped the lid open to reveal a small arsenal of weapons. Will liked to prepare for the unforeseen and this situation screamed for it. If Emma’s friends came back, he was going to be ready. He scanned the contents of the case, grabbed a handgun, a rifle and some ammunition then stuffed them into a duffle bag. His pistol was still strapped to his ankle. He was grateful he didn’t need to pull it out earlier. He had no doubt she’d never agree to go with him if she knew he had a gun. Let alone more than one.

  Will slung the duffle bag over his shoulder and picked up the two cases. Cracking the door, he looked outside and found a black SUV idling at the back of the parking lot across from Emma’s unit. Holy shit. He hadn’t expected that
. He shut the door and peered out the side of the cheap blinds. The setting sun cast deep shadows across the parking lot fringed with spotty streetlights. Most were burnt out and the remaining few pooled light on the entrance, casting the SUV in the shadows. He saw two figures in the front seat.

  With his back against the wall, he weighed his options. Chances were they didn’t even know he was involved. He could walk out to his truck and they might be none the wiser, although it was going to look suspicious leaving this late with his luggage. But the chances were that they did know. The other guys must have seen him get in her car and come out of this unit. Shit. This job was becoming a huge pain in the ass. He bent down and pulled the rifle from the duffle bag, along with a bulletproof vest. Stripping his shirt off, he put on the vest and then his shirt back. Better to be prepared. Will thrived on being prepared. He wasn’t worried about getting away, but he worried Emma might change her mind if he drove up while playing Gunfight at the OK Corral. But he might not have a choice in the matter.

  He pulled the keys out of his pocket, cocked the rifle, and hid it behind his back. The SUV was parked on the driver’s side of his truck. Will’s plan was go to the passenger side, load his gear, assess the SUV occupants and then determine his next move. Best-case scenario, he got lucky and they didn’t notice him. Worst-case scenario, he wasn’t and they started shooting. Will wasn’t feeling very lucky.

  Opening the door slowly, he glanced at the SUV as he walked casually to the passenger side, the rifle hidden behind his leg. The SUV’s engine idled as he opened the passenger door and tossed the bags in the back seat. Will laid the rifle on the front seat, then saw the passenger window of the SUV slide down. He reached for the rifle again, pondering his next step. The idea of walking around to the driver’s side and getting shot didn’t appeal to him, but getting in on the passenger side looked pretty suspicious. Then again, looking suspicious was a whole lot better than getting shot.

  Will ducked down and climbed up into the truck while watching the SUV. He laid the rifle in his lap and started the engine. Jerking the truck into reverse, he lowered the window just as he heard a gunshot. God, sometimes I hate it when I’m right. He grabbed the rifle and stuck it out the window. The truck was parallel to the SUV, and slightly forward of it. He aimed the rifle low and shot several rounds, hoping to hit a tire. More gunshots filled the humid night air, and he shifted into drive and floored it. The back window shattered as he turned left onto highway and passed the bar parking lot. He sure as hell wasn’t leading them directly to Emma. He only hoped she didn’t run off.