The Hitchhiker

by Kathy Coopmans

  I grab her by the wrist, tugging her to my front. She collapses onto my lap, looking exhausted after the day’s events. Admiration fills me from head to toe; there’s no way in hell I could handle the shit she’s gone through, and I’ve been through some heavy shit. Yet she fights to stay strong every single second of the day.

  “You okay?” she asks, running her finger over the ink on my chest.

  I nod, because right now I can’t go into this shit. Might be a dick move, but I can’t stand to see her fucking hurt anymore. The reality of the pain about to strike her will happen soon enough. It’s going to fucking break her.

  Caitlin reaches up, taking the cigarette from my fingers. I watch in awe as she places it between her lips and inhales. Her mouth slowly moves close to mine as she blows the smoke and I inhale. There’s no way my cock should be enjoying this right now, but it sure the fuck is. Her cheeks hollow as she inhales again, smoke floating into the air over her head like a halo. I chuckle inside over the fact that this woman is about as close to an angel as anyone could get. She could have given up by now. Destroyed herself over all the lies and betrayal from her father. The manipulation and deceit that rotten son of a bitch has thrown her way. She’s a goddess in my arms.

  “Make sure you check in with your secretary tomorrow. If word gets out that the woman found is your mother, then it will stir up a whole other pot of shit.”

  “Okay. You do know the last time I called her, she had all kinds of questions. Everyone is getting a little suspicious.” I’m sure they are. Don’t give two fucks, either. I’m not trusting anyone.

  “You don’t owe anyone an explanation. Just tell her you’re checking in. Ask her if everything is okay and hang the fuck up.”

  “Fine.” She takes another drag. Her mouth curling around that filter has my cock twitching.

  “You gonna share that?” I ask.

  “No. They say a cigarette after sex is good for the soul,” she smirks.

  “Bullshit.”

  “Sounded good, though, didn’t it?”

  She doesn’t stop smoking, doesn’t stop ceasing to amaze me. Always fucking shocking me.

  Caitlin wiggles in my lap, clearly recognizing the growing hard-on under her tight little ass. “You’ve fucked me raw today, Katch.”

  “I haven’t even begun to fuck you the way we both want. You ain’t raw. You’re fucking satisfied.”

  “God, you’re a beast. An arrogant one at that.” She flicks the cigarette down to the cement patio and then leans her head back on my shoulder.

  “Not arrogant. I just know how to please you. Don’t have any notion to stop, either,” I say, grab the Jack, and take a long, deep pull. Any other circumstance, and I’d be drunk off my ass.

  The sun is teasing the skyline with its setting beauty. We both watch the colors wash over the sky in silence for a long time. When she shudders with chills, I wrap her closer to my body.

  “What if she hates me?” Her question is barely a whisper.

  That question guts the hell out of me.

  “She won’t hate you, baby. If anything, you’re what’s kept her alive.” I have no fucking idea if that’s the right way to answer her; it’s all I got. I’m sure as hell not going to give her false hope if something happens to her mother.

  “I’m not leaving your side through any of this,” I reply. I want her knowing I’m not going anywhere. Not until this is all over.

  She strums my forearm holding her. “Thank you. I can’t quit thinking about the hell she’s been through and how she got there.”

  “I’d bet my ass it was your dad.”

  “I know it was. I just can’t understand why.” I feel her first tear fall on my arm.

  “A lot of evil fucks out there, babe.”

  “I’m glad he’s dead. I know I shouldn’t be, but justice was served.”

  And that right there is the key to this problem. He’s dead, so hopefully, for reasons more important than this, her mom pulls out of it, and we hope she can give us the answers. The way I see it, that’s the only thing that’s going to ease her mind.

  “I can tell you one fucking thing. If he weren’t dead, I’d be the bastard who kills him, and I wouldn’t make it quick.”

  “I know.” She pauses for a tick. “What made you turn into a killer. That’s what you are, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it is,” I tell her the truth.

  We can have this conversation now, but there will come a time when I’ll have to tell her she ain’t asking any more questions about my life.

  I inhale deeply, not wanting to drift back to that place in time. “Lots of dark shit.”

  She gasps. Body going tight in my arms. “How did you escape all that dark, Katch?” I wonder if she’s asking us both that question.

  I reach over for the joint on the table. Immediately regretting the loss of our skin-to-skin contact. I light it up and take a deep pull before I can even tackle this question. She peers up at me without the judgmental stare I was expecting, those talented lips forming a quirky smile.

  “Need this, babe, if we are going there.”

  “It’s fine.” She twists around until she’s facing me and wraps her arms around my neck. “Talk to me, Katch. Tell me what made you the man who is saving me.”

  “The streets,” I reply, inhaling on the joint. That sweet aroma starts to fill my senses.

  Caitlin doesn’t push for more. She waits until I’m ready.

  “Had a shitty upbringing. My dad is in prison for killing my little brother. Choked him to death when he came home drunk and started beating on my mom. I wasn’t home, but my brother was. He was ten. Tried to stop him, or so my mom says. Hell, I don’t know. All I know is, that crazy bastard took my brother Kenner from me and my mom lost it after that. Began to worry about her next fix. It was a fucking parade of men and drugs after Dad was locked up.” An evil chuckle vibrates off me. “The men weren’t only interested in my mom, but me. Some would smack me around, but it was the one who tried more when I was fourteen who learned his lesson the deadly way. Guess my mom wasn’t enough to satisfy him.”

  “Katch,” she whispers.

  But I don’t stop. “He had me face down on the bed trying to rape me. I decided at that moment I was done with that life, so I reached under the bed, grabbed the knife I had hidden there, and killed him. I ran that night. The streets were my home and crime became my need to survive my favorite game of life. I was a fucking mess until I met your uncle Chet. He took me in, let me find a path in life worthwhile. It’s not a fucking perfect one, but Hollywood, every single time I kill a man who has crossed the club or fucks with a child, it’s like killing him all over again. It’s how I survive.”

  She stares at me for the longest time. I have no idea what’s going through her mind. Not until her next words strike me deep.

  “Oh, Jesus. It seems we were both trapped in a life full of hate and abuse. I’m so sorry, honey.” Caitlin clutches my face, peppering sweet kisses everywhere.

  I don’t do sweet, gentle, or any of this deep-talking shit. With her, though, I feel as if I could do anything, except change my desire to kill the evil from this world. This woman is the law, and here she sits comforting a known killer. Christ, I’d be a fucking fool not to see what’s happening here. I’m falling in love with her.

  There’s no sign of sympathy or disgust on her face, either. All I see is appreciation and gratitude directed toward me. My head swims with emotions I’ve never fucking felt.

  “I’ve never told that to anyone, not even Chet or Curtis.”

  “Katch.” Her grip on my face tightens. “No one needs to know. Thank you for giving me that. You make me stronger.”

  “You aren’t giving yourself enough credit, woman. You may not have done or witnessed some of the shit I have. What you’ve been through is some brutal shit. There aren’t many people I know who would still be standing after all that’s been tossed at you. Now, come on. Let’s get some sleep.”

  I
stub out my joint, lift us both off the chair, carry her into my bedroom, pull back the covers, and lay her on my bed. Tug off my jeans, climb in next to her, adjust the covers, and pull her into me.

  “Sleep, Hollywood.”

  13

  Caitlin

  “I’m not sure if I know what to say to her.” I’m in tears, and for the first time since my life spiraled out of control, I feel as if I’m going to break down completely.

  My head is buried in Katch’s chest. It’s been the worst two days I’ve had since the day my father told me my mother had died.

  I’ve done everything I can think of to keep myself busy and out of Katch’s way while he digs to find the source who helped my father put my mother and my life through hell.

  And Katch. I don’t even know where to begin to describe my feelings for him. It’s as if he knows when I’m going to fall to pieces. He’s there. Right there holding me and telling me everything is going to be alright.

  For the first time in my life, the fear of the unknown is wrecking me. It’s twisting my gut from the inside out. Churning my head and stealing my soul with the worst possible thoughts.

  “Hey, Hollywood.” Katch lifts his head, taking my comforting place with him.

  I widen my legs for him to nestle in and he does but doesn’t stop there. He presses me back into the mattress with his large body now acting as my shoulder.

  “What’s worrying those emerald eyes?” He kisses my lips and then rears his head back to stare into my stinging eyes.

  “I’m freaking out, Katch. I don’t think I can do this.” I pet his scruffy beard, finding solace in him.

  “You can and you will.” He kisses me again. “Your mom wants to see you.”

  “You don’t know that. She’s going to be angry and bitter, or at least I would be. These last two days I’ve rolled it over and over in my head. There’s no way I could have survived that.”

  “Baby.” He catches my tears with the pad of his thumb. “I’ve told you everything we know, which isn’t much. Curtis had to fight like hell to get to her and pay off the club doctor to get her released without the cops knowing. I’ve kept you informed each step of the way.”

  “I’m scared.”

  “I know,” he chuckles.

  “Dick! Why are you laughing?”

  “Because you’re fucking adorable.”

  I slap his shoulder and fight to press him up and off me. A losing battle at best.

  “No, you don’t.” He seals his body closer to mine. “Curtis is on the way here now with her. He called about ten minutes ago. He said she’s not talking but keeps repeating your name over and over. She wants her daughter. And she’s going to get her. The real her, not some beaten-down version who thinks she can’t handle it. This is a Goddamn miracle. You have your mom back, and if you don’t quit acting as if she isn’t going to like the woman you’ve become, then I’m going to blister your sweet little ass. ”

  “Whatever. You did that last night. If you’re going to threaten me, then make sure it’s something I won’t get off from.” I smile lightly.

  I close my eyes, letting the tears fall freely now. I want to see her so badly my chest aches. It’s just…this is all unbelievable. A girl should feel safe and loved by her father, yet even in his death, I feel that man’s chokehold on me.

  I keep waiting to wake up from a twisted nightmare. That I’m still at that party having fun with my friends, but it doesn’t happen. Even sicker and darker is the fact that if I did wake up, it would pull me from Katch, and I’ve fallen for this man. Fallen so hard that I would fight with everything I have in me not to wake up. But I’m awake. He’s real. He’s here, and regardless that we are so unlike one another, he’s perfect for me.

  “Make it all better, Katch. Get me my life back. Find every one of those fuckers who helped my father and make it so I can put them away for the rest of their life.” I open my eyes and stare up at his face.

  This dark and dangerous man smiles down at me. “The most important mission of my life, Hollywood.”

  Katch stands and lifts me from the bed. I keep my legs wrapped around his middle and my face buried in his neck, inhaling his woodsy, smoky scent. My shelter. I hear the water begin running and then comply while he undresses me. In moments, we are bared to each other under a stream of hot water. His hands roam over my skin, washing me and relaxing my body from the inside out with each touch.

  His hard cock bobs at my ass, making me smile. While he’s washing my back, I bend over just enough for his dick to be at my entrance and then push back. And Katch makes good on his promise taking care of me as he thrusts hard and fast into me.

  We manage to make it to the living room with about fifteen minutes to spare before they are supposed to get here. Katch starts a pot of coffee as I stare down at my worn-out jeans and off-the-shoulder navy-blue t-shirt that Rachel bought me at Target. Katch loves the leggings, but a woman can only wear them so much. I asked Rachel to go shopping for me at my new favorite store: Target. It’s funny how a pair of fifteen-dollar jeans and an eight-dollar shirt can feel and look just as good as a two-hundred-dollar outfit. I may never shop at an expensive department store again. Well, that’s a lie. I miss my silk nighties and my La Perla bras and panties.

  I glance up and eye him where he’s leaning up against the counter watching me. I glance at his bottle of Jack. He smirks, reading my silent message loud and clear. He pours a large amount of it along with my creamer into a cup, mixes it with the coffee. I’m going to need it. The shower and Katch taking care of me managed to do some magic soothing my nerves. I never would’ve thought this would be happening. She was buried with a headstone and everything. And now what if...it’s all the ‘what ifs’ that are killing me.

  Katch slides my coffee mug over to me. Tentatively, I take a sip and then recoil.

  “Damn, that’s stiff.”

  “Heard you like them stiff.” Katch winks and takes a seat across from me.

  “Oh, God.” I throw my head back in laughter. “Katch Sterling doesn’t do the cheese factor well at all.” See, he knows exactly when I need to lighten up.

  I take another drink of the numbing liquid, and it slowly does the trick of relaxing the rest of me.

  “Tell me everything you know again.” I grip the mug tightly. “I need to hear you talk.”

  “I could talk about your sweet pussy,” Katch replies.

  “I’m serious, motherfucker.”

  “Fuck, I love it when you talk dirty to me.” He smiles. I glare.

  “Okay, fine.” He holds up his hands in surrender. “Curtis had to prove he was blood-related to your mother through his dad’s death records and identification. The cops now know your mother has ties to the club if they didn’t before. It appears she was in good living conditions for the majority of the years until these last six months. Something in your father’s plan went haywire. Could’ve been his death?”

  I interrupt him. “Do you think the men who held her captive killed my dad?” We’ve been through this all before. The lawyer in me needs to hear it again.

  “One of the puzzle pieces we’re still figuring out. The charter down in the L.A. area had a doctor at the hospital who is on their payroll. It took a lot of extra cash to get your mom out of there. She’ll be staying here, since this is a safe house and the cops will be looking for her at the hospital. We’ll have a doctor checking on her daily.”

  My lawyer brain goes into overdrive trying to piece the puzzle together. It’s what I do best. Take the evidence I’m given and prove a point.

  “I want to see everything you have on this. I need to read it, process it to see if I’m able to put anything together.”

  He reaches over, placing his large palm on mine. “One step at a time, Hollywood. Get through this with your mother, and then I promise I’ll get you the information. I need to keep you moving forward and strong.”

  I turn my palm over and lace my fingers through his. “Cheeseball to Prince C
harming, what’s gotten into you, Katch Sterling?”

  “Blaming your sweet pussy.”

  Our silly laughter is interrupted by the slamming of the door. I stand on shaky legs and walk into the living room, where Curtis is holding my mother cradled like a newborn baby in his arms. She’s so fragile-looking; I’m afraid he’s going to break her. She probably weighs ninety pounds at most soaking wet.

  It’s when he carefully sets her down in the recliner that I notice her hollow cheeks and sunken eyes, but just like during the breaking news flash, I know it’s my mom. Katch comes up behind me, pressing his front to my back, wrapping me up in his arms. This makes me feel strong even if I’m nothing but a mere mess.

  I stare at her for a long time, while Curtis gets her settled and a woman I didn’t even see checks her vitals. My mom doesn’t turn her head but continues mumbling something so softly that I can’t make it out.

  “It’s time, baby,” Katch whispers in my ear. “Go to her. I’ll be right here.”

  Katch lets me go, nudges me forward. My first three steps are wobbly at best. It takes everything inside me to move. I freeze when I finally hear her sweet, raspy voice.

  “Caitlin. My Caitlin. Caitlin. I need to go get her. Caitlin.”

  Those words fuel me and rip me wide open. All fear and hesitation fly out of the window. Nothing in this moment could keep me from her. I’d tear any obstacle standing in my way limb from limb to help her.

  “Mommy.” I crash to my knees before her. “I’m here, Mommy.”

  The tears spill over, and my fingers tremble on the top of her bony kneecaps. Her eyes open a bit wider, and her jaw drops, cutting off all her rambling.

  “Cait-Caitlin,” she stutters, then reaches out to grab a lock of my hair. “My baby.”

  Her tears flow, followed by her body wracking with sobs.

  “It’s okay. Calm down, Mommy. We’re safe. No one is going to hurt you anymore.”