by Carly White
“You got it boss.”
He sighed. “Don’t call me that. Just let me know when it is done. I have more important things to worry about than Maxwell Grindle and the ghosts from the past.”
David hung up and still there was a sinking feeling in his gut. There was no doubt that he deserved what Maxwell had in mind for him, but David would do anything to prolong the inevitable. He had faith that something would happen to change it all. It was not going to be the end for him. He refused for it to happen.
He pushed play on the video one last time, taking in the man’s features. They were so similar to the ones that he seen every day in the mirror. What was he going to do and why didn’t he ever see it before. The man who wanted to see him locked up for the crimes he didn’t even know about, was his own son and he didn’t even know it. David never wanted him to know, because then there would be so many more questions that were going to be impossible to answer. Maxwell had been unable to give the boy up when he had lost his mother, keeping the secret.
Chapter 5
Namadi followed Andre deeper into the tunnel and now that she knew where she actually was, she was almost shaking with fear. Andre took her hand at some point and convinced her to keep going. He wanted to show her the way out and when she finally breathed in the fresh air around her, she could help but smile back at him. They were on the bluff that he had talked about half a mile from his small house.
“Wow, it is a nice place to go.” He had gotten what he wanted anyways and Namadi was just as taken with him as she was the view. There was a moment when she was looking up at him, that she had thought he was going to kiss her. She leaned in slightly, reading herself, but it never happened. Instead his phone ringed and he was soon cursing into the small device.
Namadi tried to keep up with the conversation, but some things became clear. There was something going on back where they had come from. The voice on the other end was sharp, but Andre’s was sharper. “I don’t want any fighting, no guns!”
He listened for a minute and looked back into the tunnel. There was no way that he was going back to get arrested. Andre’s men had gotten into a brawl with some of the bikers from Colorado and now the police were moving in. His father had been clear of nothing more specifically than violence, knowing that once the police got involved, everything would be shut down. If they fought back, there side would always be tarnished.
It was already too late though, so going back would do nothing but secure himself a prison cell. There would be no telling what he would be charged with as the ring leader and Andre didn’t want to find out. It was then that he remembered who was next to him and who she was. “Just get all of mine back in the house. Close up the back entrance and cooperate.”
“You heard me. Call me back and let me know if they get my dad.”
Andre hung up and shut the heavy door behind him. Pushing the vines back to cover the door, he looked around for a minute to get his bearing. IT had been some time since he had been out that way and he was worried that the police had the place surrounded. After a few moments of no moving or sound, he figured that they were safe. He grabbed her hand. “I have to go. You can go back to your mom, but I have to take off.”
“Why, what has happened?” Namadi had been quiet through it all, but she had to know that her mother was okay.
“There was a fight between some of the bikers and the police are moving in. It could be dangerous and I don’t like the idea of you walking into that. If you come with me, I can make sure that you are safe until it all blows over.”
She could hear sounds from behind her and it sounded like some kind of gunfire. There was no way that she wanted to go back there and she moved towards him. “Where are we going to go?”
He wasn’t sure, but Andre lust started off towards where the small stand of trees hit the road. He had a friend that he could get transportation from, but he hated to think of what was going on behind him. Andre didn’t want to leave his father in the grips of the police, but he didn’t seem to have another choice. Maxwell wouldn’t want him to get arrested and there was nothing that could be done at the moment. At the moment, it was going to be a mad house and the cops would come through and arrest everyone. It was just easier for them and then they would sort it all out after it was done.
Namadi looked scared next to him and though he had wondered about her, she seemed to resolve herself to the situation. He tried to imagine her on the back of his bike and when he finally got to his friend’s house, Gavin’s bike was all there was around.
She looked even less sure of her decision when he told her to get on. “Let me guess, you have never rode on one before.”
Namadi shook her head. “There are statistics that make it one of the most dangerous forms of travel.”
Andre just shook his head. “Come on now, it’s not so bad. It’s either this or on foot and there is another couple of miles until I can get to another place to get something else.”
He looked at her with aggravation. There was a moment that he debated just leaving her where she was. There was more to do and he needed to get away from the police. She was not helping the situation, but holding them both up.
When she didn’t answer, he got on and started it up. “You either get on or stay here and go back. I have to go Namadi.”
Andre wasn’t sure if he actually would have left her, but he didn’t have to find out. She sighed loudly and gingerly got on the back of the bike. Her arms closed around him in a vise grip and he moved her down so that he could breathe. “You on?”
She clenched him as he laughed a little, Namadi had more courage than he had given her credit for. Taking off, the hands around him hugged tighter, while the girl behind him said a prayer.
Namadi was sure that she was going to fall off and die. Her eyes were shut for several moments as she felt the uneven ground underneath them change to a smooth ride. She finally looked over his shoulder at the road ahead. They were leaving Waterton a few minutes later as the green sign declared they were finally out of the town. Another several minutes had passed and though she was starting to enjoy the ride and the feel of the hard man in front of her, there was no way that she could look beside her at the ground rushing underneath them.
One thing that she hadn’t anticipated was how fast he was going. It was clear that he was at home on the machine and it was also clear that she was not. Namadi was careful not to move much, afraid that she would tip them over. She wasn’t sure how it all worked, but she hoped that the ride wouldn’t be that long.
When she finally felt the bike start to slow down, she sighed to herself. It was the best feeling in the world and when he stopped, she got off before he could say anything. The ground made her feel a little wobbly, but she wanted nothing more than to kiss it.
Andre watched her for a moment, giving her a shoulder to grab onto when her legs didn’t want to cooperate. “It gets better when you ride more. You did pretty good for your first time. It was your first time, wasn’t it?”
She nodded, but wouldn’t meet his gaze. Namadi was starting to feel the chill from not having him no longer next to her. She wanted to feel him against her again. There were so many things that she had never done. There were so many things that she desperately wanted to do and when Andre looked down at her like that, Namadi decided that she didn’t want to go on without doing one of them.
As she had done before, she leaned in. He was already touching her arm gently as he had tried to steady her and neither one had found it necessary to break the contact. Now the grip on his shoulder turned him to face her and she waited for him to make a move. When he didn’t, she leaned in the last few inches to have him the rest of the way. Groaning against her as their lips met, Andre pulled her in roughly against his solid chest.
Only when she could no longer think of nothing else but him, did Namadi finally feel him move away. Her eyes were still closed. Her lips still felt the wet heat of his lips on hers, long after they were gone. As her dark eyes
met his blue ones, there was something new in them. When he moved back in for a kiss, she was more than happy to oblige him. There was something about the way he felt, the way his kiss was so soft, yet had such a powerful effect on her senses.
Namadi melted into his arms and it was only when she felt the hands moving down her back and cupping her backside that she realized what they were doing. It was too much, too fast for her and her senses balked. “Sorry Namadi. You just had this look in your eyes like you needed another kiss.”
She did, but to want something and to be able to handle it once you got it was two very different things. “It’s okay.” She wanted to say more, but it was the look in his eyes that made it impossible. She moved back so that there was some space in between them. “Where are we?”
“A little town I know where we can lie low. I want to see what they are saying on the news, if anything has been found out.”
“You really don’t know what all of this is about, do you?”
He shook his head and Namadi almost laughed. All of it had been done to get information and it would seem that he was as out of the loop as everyone else was. She didn’t ask any more about it, just followed him towards the small cabin in the middle of an open field. It was picturesque if they weren’t on the run. If she wasn’t saddled to a man that knew less than she did about what they were doing there.
Andre found a key where he left it and though the place hadn’t been used in some time, he knew that he would find everything that he needed there. It was a place that the gang used when heat got to be too much on any one member. It was also the place his father had retreated with his young son when his mother died. There was a mix of emotions as he heard the familiar sound of the key turning in the lock. Andre didn’t know if he was happy to be back or not, but it was nice to have somewhere to call home while he figured out what was going on.
Setting down his jacket after he pulled it off, he showed Namadi where the bathroom was after she asked to go. Andre grabbed a beer from the fridge and took a long drink. He had known that all of it was a bad idea, but he hadn’t seen it turning out so poorly without any results. He had never even seen the man that he was protesting and he didn’t even know why he was doing it, but his father had asked it of him and that was enough. With him at the hideout and his father more than likely in prison, it didn’t feel like the choices made were the right ones after all.
Chapter 6
“Things took a turn for the worse in the Waterton saga as my own daughter, Namadi was taken as a hostage before the gun fight that cost five members of the police force, as well as twenty-two bikers from various gangs their lives. While no one is for certain how it all started, one thing is for sure, the leaders promise of peace was not maintained.
The former leader of the gang, Maxwell Grindle was taken into custody without any problems, but there is no word on his son who is suspected to have the hostage. As a mother, I beg you to please let her go. She doesn’t have anything to do with this. Take me instead.”
Andre shut off the television in disgust. The last thing he had thought about was how Namadi’s disappearance would have been construed. He hadn’t thought about them thinking she was kidnapped and when he looked over, he could tell that she was just as surprised.
“Take me instead? Can you believe her?”
He was confused by her reaction. Her mother was in tears on the television and she looked towards the blank screen in disgust. “Out of everything going on, I bet all she is worried about is another exclusive.”
What Andre didn’t get was why there was nothing on the Sheriff. Everything that had happened that day had overshadowed the whole point of the demonstration to begin with. The number of people killed rattled off in his head and he couldn’t believe it. Andre had to know if it was any of his guys, but they weren’t releasing names. He didn’t know who was in, who was out or who he could trust at the moment and now he was stuck with a young girl that the country thought he had kidnapped for nefarious reasons surely.
“You shouldn’t talk about your mother like that.” He thought of his own and took back ever bad thing he said the short time he had with her.
Namadi noticed the change and didn’t say anything more about it. “Well I am sorry that everyone thinks you took me. This can all be fixed.”
He nodded, but he still wanted answers. Maxwell had not done this all for no reason. The man was too smart and if he knew his father, he knew that he had somehow thought about this. Andre wasn’t sure that Namadi was to have been involved though and he hoped that there were some people out there, the right ones that would not be distracted by all of the talk of the shooting.
“It will be, but not tonight.”
“So what are our plans?”
He liked to hear it called that. Ours. For someone that didn’t like to have a woman around for more than what they were useful for, Andre found that he liked having Namadi around. She was so open with her feelings and emotions, it was like reliving everything for the first time. He remembered the look he had given her earlier that day and wondered now if she really was as innocent as he had first thought.
“I don’t know. I have to take a shower. You are welcome to anything in the fridge or cupboards. I don’t have any clothes your size, but I am sure you can find something to wear if you need to change.”
Andre left out the part that was on her mind. Where she was supposed to sleep? It had been a long day and the last thing that she wanted to do was stay up even later, but she was unsure. While the place seemed to be stocked well and had the latest technology, far from roughing it, the cabin was rather small. There was only one bed in one of the two rooms.
But he didn’t see her dilemma, his mind on other things. Andre went into the shower without another word and after a few minutes, she sat down on the bed and laid back. She had told herself that it was just going to be for a few minutes. She just needed to rest her eyes, the darkness helping the pounding in her head.
When Andre got out of the shower though, he found the woman lying on top of the covers on her side, fast asleep. He had thought of the main things he had wanted to do to her and the kiss between them had made him hope for something more, but his ideas of romanced were dashed when he saw her. She looked worn out, much like he felt as well. Getting an extra blanket from the closet, Andre covered her up and lay down next to her gently in the bed.
***
One night turned into several more. Maxwell had finally broken, telling his side of the story and what he had learned about the newly appointed Sheriff. David had been back in Waterton before all of the police tape was removed, back at the helm of his small little empire. It couldn’t have worked out better, though he hadn’t expected so many casualties. It didn’t matter though. All that mattered was that no matter what Maxwell said, they wouldn’t listen.
He was so sure of himself, that after a couple of quiet days back at home and at his new post, David had much of the product he had been selling back into the city. It wasn’t just drugs that he made money on, but guns as well and once Maxwell’s gang was off the streets, his area just grew by another town. It had been Maxwell keeping him from taking the town to begin with, but now that he was behind bars and would stay there for some time, all he had to worry about now was the son still lurking around. Andre would be found though, David was sure of that. He shouldn’t have taken the young daughter of the reporter. There was no way that he was going to get far.
David had slept well since being back in his home. He was sure that nothing was going to happen, the worst was over. Production and distribution had already begun. When he went to bed a week later and heard the doorbell at such a late hour, he didn’t think anything of it. He figured he was going to have to yell at someone, but as he swung the door wide, he wished he had put something more on than the robe barely covering his thick middle. There were several police officers at his door and they didn’t look like his own.
“Mr. Thompson, you are under arrest for the m
urder of Estelle Grindle.”
David looked at him with a slack jaw and tried to pretend that he didn’t know who he was talking about. “Just come with us Sir. You can give your story to your lawyer.”
David tried to close the door, still in half disbelief that it was happening. How could they have known when he had been so careful? His mind went to all of the stuff in his house and David knew then that even if they couldn’t prove that he had killed Maxwell’s wife, he was going away for a long time. Clamping his mouth shut, he was escorted out of his home like a common criminal. David blinked his eyes at the flashing lights in front of him.
Chapter 7
“Andre, get in here. You have to see this!” Namadi couldn’t believe what was on the screen. It was what they had been waiting to hear for a week and she couldn’t wait to see his face.
“If it is another special with your mother Namadi, I am really not in the mood.”
She saw his scowl and smiled. “You are going to want to see this one sourpuss.”
Another look, but then he saw footage of David being taken away. What Namadi didn’t realize was the name of his victim on the screen was actually his dead mothers. He sat down next to her and by the look on his face, Namadi realized that something was wrong. She had not expected him to look so devastated. “Andre?”
“My father knew all along.”
“Knew what?”
“That he killed my mother and he didn’t tell me.” Andre was stunned and though he couldn’t hear what the television was saying passed the pounding in his ears, he saw an old photo of his mother pass on the screen. It didn’t matter what was said. He was stuck on the fact that his father hadn’t told him. Why had he kept it a secret?
“I don’t understand. That woman is your mother?” She looked aghast and felt that way. “I am sorry Andre.” Her heart went out to him. The man looked devastated and no amount of muscles or tattoos could hide the look of pain in his face. He was just that young boy that had lost his mother and she found herself holding him. They had become close in the last week that they had stayed in the cabin. They had never been so close since that kiss, both holding off on physical contact.
