“Where’s Jimmy going in such a hurry?” Kayla asked as Mitchell opened the car door.
“He’s towing Harley’s Camaro from the swamp. Apparently, the Judge drove it down there, and Evan’s waiting on him.”
As they walked toward the SUV, Kayla’s steps slowed and she rubbed her hands down her thighs. Mitchell stepped in front of her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms.
“Baby, there’s nothing wrong with your car. Jimmy checked it, and he kept it under lock and key. It’s the first time you’ve been behind a wheel since that night in my truck, so only drive as fast as you feel comfortable.”
Kayla looked at him then the SUV then back to Mitchell. She hadn’t driven her little red SUV in about two months; not since the challenger tried to run her over, and then found out her brake fluid line had been tampered with.
“Are you sure it’s safe?”
Mitchell placed his finger under Kayla’s chin and tilted her face so he could look into her eyes. “Mak, I wouldn’t let you in the vehicle if I didn’t think it was. You know that. Ginger will be right beside you, and how many times have you told me that y’all have each other’s backs?”
“I know. Maybe she should ride with you, just in case,” Kayla said with a shaky voice.
Ginger gave Mitchell a nod that said she had this when he flashed her a doubtful look. She shook her head from the uncertainty in Kayla’s voice. She could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times she’d seen Kayla this worried. Exactly two. When her parents’ property was on fire, and now.
“Do you want me to drive?” Ginger asked.
“No. If there’s something wrong, I don’t want you behind the wheel,” Kayla said with panic in her voice.
The good thing about a friendship as close as theirs was that they knew when to push each other and when to back off. This was a time to push.
“Okay. Well, I’ve got to pee, so can we move this along?”
Kayla sighed. “Fine.” She climbed into the driver’s side with her hands shaking as she pressed the button to crank the vehicle.
As Ginger walked around the car, Mitchell thanked her with a kiss to her temple. “I’m right behind you.”
Ginger lifted her thumb and smiled. As she fastened her seatbelt, she looked at Kayla, who was staring out the windshield. “Kayla, put this baby in gear and let’s go home before I pee my pants.”
“What if the brakes go out?”
“Jimmy fixed them. I don’t think he’d want Mitchell and Evan’s wrath if anything went wrong with this car. You can even test them on the way home, but please, let’s just start in that direction. Drive slowly if that will make you feel better.”
Kayla put the vehicle in drive and eased on the gas. When they got to the curb to pull out of the parking lot, she slammed on the brakes. “Sorry. That was bad.”
“At least we know they work.” Ginger giggled as Kayla pulled into traffic.
4
Mitchell followed right behind the girls, not allowing even a car’s length between them. It was bad enough that he was nervous as hell, but just wondering what Evan would do if something happened made it worse. They had been on the long stretch of road out to the ranch for about two miles when his phone rang. He took a deep breath before he picked it up on the Bluetooth.
“Hey bro. Heard you’ve had a busy morning,” Mitchell said.
“Hey. Why doesn’t Ginger have her phone?”
“Yeah, we’ll explain that when you get home.”
“Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s good.”
“Where are y’all?” Evan asked.
“Road trip.”
“What the fuck, Mitchell?”
Mitchell laughed. “On the way home, man. Calm down.”
“Can I speak to her?”
“Um, that’s not possible right now.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Well, because she’s with Mak in her car and I’m following them.”
“You’re what?”
“Jimmy called and said Mak’s SUV was ready, so I thought it would be good to get the girls out. I’m right behind them.”
“You better not let a car between y’all. I swear to God, Mitchell—”
“Evan, we’re doing a whopping thirty-five miles an hour. Twenty miles under the speed limit. Someone on horseback could pass us.”
Evan chuckled. “At that rate, I’m liable to catch you before y’all make it to the ranch. I just dropped Ben off at his car, and I’m on my way home.” Evan paused a moment before he said, “Fuck! Someone has been blowing up my phone for the last couple of hours. I figured the newspaper has already gotten wind of what went down today. I’m trying to ignore them, but damn.”
Mitchell looked in his side mirror and saw a motorcycle coming up fast. “Um, Evan, I need to go, but don’t look at your texts, okay?”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“We may have company, so it’d be nice if you’d hurry the hell up. I’ll talk to you later.” Mitchell disconnected the call before Evan had time to say anything else.
Kayla looked in her side mirror and saw the motorcycle coming fast. Oh, God, not again. She gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles were white. “Ginger, can you see a motorcycle?”
Ginger turned to look out the back window. “No, I just see Mitchell.”
Shit, shit, shit. The exhaust sounded closer. Did she go faster or slower? As they topped the hill, she couldn’t see him anymore. He had to be on Mitchell’s tail, so she relaxed. Surely, he’d stay there on the hill. She checked her mirror again and saw him swerve into the other lane and back. “What the hell is he doing?”
“Who?” Ginger asked.
“The guy on the motorcycle.” Just as the words left her mouth, he pulled out and rode right beside them. Kayla kept her eyes on the road. “What’s he doing? There’s a truck coming!”
Ginger leaned forward enough to see the guy’s head turned toward Kayla’s window. “Oh shit! That’s the guy, Kayla! The guy I saw at the drugstore in North Carolina! Go faster, go faster!” Ginger was swatting her hands at Kayla and bouncing in her seat. “Blue lights are coming. Please be Evan,” she whispered.
“Dammit, Ginger! I can’t do this again!” Kayla slowed just as the truck in the oncoming lane laid on the horn.
The guy on the motorcycle got into the gas and went around them, just missing the truck. “Oh God, Ginger. Did you see that?”
“Yes! I think I might have peed. Oh, Kayla, please hurry.”
By the time they pulled into the driveway of Riverton Ranch, Kayla was shaking from head to toe. Her legs couldn’t hold her weight, so getting out of the vehicle wasn’t happening. Mitchell opened her door before she tried to move.
“Mitch,” Kayla cried, “why do people do that when I’m driving?”
Mitchell helped her out of the car to carry her inside. “I don’t know, baby, but you did great. At least he didn’t try to play chicken. You’re safe.”
Kayla wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder, calming from his touch. His touch had always calmed her, but this time she couldn’t help but wonder if any of them were truly safe until Ginger’s stalker was caught.
5
Would someone please open the damn door?” Ginger asked as she danced around trying not to wet her pants.
Evan had caught up to them before they pulled into the driveway, so he jogged to the door and opened it for Ginger, who ran into the house.
“Did you see that fool on the motorcycle?” Kayla asked as Mitchell released her and her feet hit the ground.
“What fool?” Evan asked with raised eyebrows.
“We’ll tell you everything. You didn’t look at your texts, right?” Mitchell asked.
Evan furrowed his brows. “No.”
“Good. Give me a few more minutes. Let’s wait on Ginger, and then I’ll tell you about this morning.”
When Ginger walked out of the bathroom, Evan opened his arms for her.
Mitchell said, “I suggested Ginger leave her phone here this morning after she received a few texts.”
“Why? What did they say?” Evan asked.
Ginger slid her phone to him so he could see the text messages she received that morning.
After Evan scrolled through the messages, he looked at Ginger. She looked more frustrated than insecure, so he pulled her tighter. “Darlin’, she came to the station while I was talking with Ben, and she gave us information that led to us finding Frank Smith and Judge Bishop. Ben was with me when I escorted her out. She went in one direction, and we went the other.”
Ginger nodded. “I trust you, but I just want this to stop. When will they leave us alone?”
“I don’t know, Gin. I’m sorry.”
“You may want to think about changing her number, bro,” Mitchell said.
“Yeah, if I need to, I will.” Evan nodded toward Mitchell.
“It’s not your fault,” Ginger said. The look on her face said she wanted to say something more, but decided against it. Evan slightly narrowed his eyes making a mental note to ask her later.
“So what happened with Frank and the Judge?” Mitchell asked.
“I can’t go into many details, but they’re both in custody.”
“What?” Ginger asked.
“The Judge lured Frank into the swamp where Harley’s body was found to get him to confess to killing Harley. Frank finally confessed at the station once we told him what Curtis had given us.” Evan looked at Mitchell. “The Judge put the noose you saw in Harley’s trunk around Frank’s neck and tightened it. Even though he was just trying to scare him, I had to take him in for attempted murder.”
“Damn,” Mitchell mumbled. “Now, look at your texts. I imagine it was the grapevine blowing up your phone after our first stop today, not the newspaper.”
Evan unwrapped an arm from around Ginger and pulled out his phone. There were twelve text messages. Nine were telling him Ginger and Kayla went into the dress store on Main Street, two of those actually said they saw the girls looking at wedding dresses, three messages begged him not to marry her, and the final one being a woman telling him to come to her house because she’d change his mind.
He smiled wide. “You went shopping for a wedding dress?”
“Yes,” Ginger replied with a twinkle in her eyes.
“But it was short lived because Ms. Morris politely reminded Ginger that you’ve been seen with Ruby twice.” Kayla wiggled two fingers in the air.
Evan watched the twinkle fade from Ginger’s eyes. This shit had to stop! He tilted her face up as he bowed his head to kiss her. “I’m so sorry.” His lips gently touched hers before his teeth grazed her bottom lip. “So sorry.” He rested his forehead against hers. “I swear, Gin, I’ll find a way to stop this.”
“I know you will.”
“So, if you’ve arrested Frank, does that mean we get our wedding in the town square?” Kayla asked.
Evan turned toward Mitchell and Kayla. “I’m afraid not. The evidence only connects the last picture of Ginger and the one of Harley to Frank. Ginger’s other admirer is still out there, so I’m not about to tell y’all what to do, but Ginger and I will be exchanging vows privately. With extra security, we may be able to do the street dance reception, but the wedding itself will be here with just family and close friends. Sorry.” As Evan spoke, he felt Ginger’s body relax. She didn’t want to disappoint anyone, so she would have gone along with whatever was suggested, but this is what she needed.
He turned back to her and asked, “You okay with that?”
With a demure smile, she said, “Yes, thank you.”
Evan was grateful she agreed because he didn’t want his wedding to be a spectacle for the masses. He never liked people knowing his business, and this was no different. It took him a few moments before he took his eyes off Ginger.
“I love you,” he whispered before he did.
“I love you, too.”
Evan looked back toward Mitchell and Kayla. “Sorry y’all. I can’t risk it.”
Mitchell looked at Kayla. “Baby, what do you think? It’s kind of a compromise, and I’m good with it if you are.”
“I’m sorry, Kayla. To be honest, I’d been thinking the same thing for a few days anyway. With everything that’s been happening, I’m seeing how my life is going to be in the public eye, and I just want this to be mine, ours,” Ginger said, pointing between herself and Evan. “I don’t want to share that with the town. I hope you understand.”
Evan was so proud of her for saying how she felt, even if she was hurting her friend because she normally wouldn’t. Evan kissed the top of her head letting her know he approved of what she’d said.
Kayla surprised them all when she said, “I’ve been having second thoughts.”
“What do you mean second thoughts?” Mitchell asked cautiously as he narrowed his eyes.
“I want our wedding private, too. The more we’ve talked about it, the more I don’t want someone causing an issue.” She glanced at Mitchell.
“Baby, no one on this planet is going to stop me from marrying you. I’ll beat the shit out of anyone who tried, and I don’t care who they are. You’re mine, and I’m yours.” He pulled his shirt up to show his tattoo. “And I’ve got the ink to prove it.” His smile spread wide.
They all burst out laughing.
“I hate to change the subject,” Evan began, “but tell me about this motorcycle.”
Mitchell told Evan how the guy came from nowhere. “He rode directly beside the driver’s door and looked at the girls. The bike could’ve only been beside them for less than a minute before the oncoming truck showed up, but it felt like an eternity.” He ran his hand through his hair. “When he went by them, he got into the gas pretty good. He was out of sight before you flashed your lights at me.”
Evan’s eyes furrowed. “Did either of you get a good look at the bike or the rider?”
Kayla shook her head. “No, I was too scared to take my eyes off the road.”
“It was the one I saw in the mountains,” Ginger said. “Up close, the bike looked custom. It was all chrome and black with a funky design on the gas tank. The rider had a black helmet with a dark face mask, so I couldn’t see through it.”
“Did y’all see the bike in town earlier today?”
“No,” all three said at the same time.
“Well, this just affirms our decision about the wedding,” Evan said as he held Ginger. “So how’s my boy?”
“The baby is fine,” she said as she shook her head. “God, I hope you aren’t disappointed.”
Evan chuckled. “I won’t be.” He rubbed his hands up and down her back. “Did you find a dress today?”
“We really didn’t have time to look. I think I’d like to get my dress somewhere else, though. I don’t want the whole town knowing what it looks like. Plus, I’m afraid someone will send you a picture, and then you’ll know, and I want you to be surprised.”
“You could show up in a feed sack, and you’d still look beautiful,” he said. “What about you, Kayla? Did you find anything?”
“I didn’t really look because I know I want my dress from Savannah.”
“Savannah, huh? There are a lot of good bars there. We’ll make a weekend of it. We’ll drink while y’all shop. How’s that sound?”
“When are we doing this? I’ve got a house renovation I need to check on there, anyway,” Mitchell said.
The girls looked at each other with joy in their eyes. “Friday,” they both said.
The guys nodded in agreement then they all separated. Kayla went to call her mother to explain the change in wedding plans while Mitchell went to put Shelby in the garage beside Betty, Evan’s black Camaro. Evan led Ginger to their room.
6
As soon as they closed the door, Evan pulled Ginger in close. He needed their connection after the morning he had, so he buried his face in his spot on her neck for a few moments.
“Are you su
re you’re okay?” He moved back to look her in the eyes.
“The guy on the motorcycle freaked me out. How did he know we were back here?”
“Dammit, Ginger, I promise we’re gonna figure out who he is.” He released her from his hug and walked her to the sofa in their room. “I spoke with Marcus today.”
“Anything new?”
“Maybe. He said the person who retrieved the picture of Nathan and me was from Ft. Gordon. Do you know anyone stationed there?”
“No, but what does Ft. Gordon have to do with ATF?”
“That’s where the US Army’s Signal Corp and Cyber Center of Excellence are located. This group does a lot of intelligence gathering. That’s how they knew what they were doing and had clearance to get that photo.”
“So, they’re military?”
“Not necessarily. Civilians work there, too.”
“I can ask my dad, but I don’t know anyone. What about the other picture? Do you think it was the same person?”
“My gut says yes.” Ginger snuggled closer as he wrapped his arms around her. Evan lazily stroked a finger up and down her arm. “When we were talking with Mitchell and Kayla earlier, you looked like you wanted to say something, but didn’t. What were you thinking?”
“I was afraid Mitchell was going to say something to you about the text messages, but I wanted to talk to you about them first.”
“Okay, let’s talk. What do you wanna do?”
“If the wedding doesn’t stop the texts and phone calls, I think we ought to look into changing my number.”
“I agree. Anything else?”
“I don’t know. Can you make a public announcement that you’re not interested in Ruby?”
Evan chucked. “I wish it were that easy.”
Ginger pulled back and looked at him. “What did your text messages say?”
“Most of them said you and Kayla were at the dress shop, and a couple said they saw y’all in the back looking at white dresses, but a few…” He shrugged and let his voice fall.
“No secrets, Mr. Riverton. That’s what we agreed to, so spill it. A few what?”
Unexpected Guest: A Riverton Crossing Novel - Book Three Page 2
