I couldn’t respond. How could I believe anything he said, even if he was saying everything I wanted to hear? How could someone so wrong be saying words so right? I couldn’t let my guard down; I couldn’t let my heart be shredded to pieces again. I fell back onto the bed and buried my face with my hands, trying to think.
“Lift my shirt up.”
“What?” I sat back up and stared at him incredulously.
“At the back. I can’t reach properly because my ribs fucking hurt each time I try and twist. Lift up my shirt.”
“Is this a trick?”
“Just do it.”
I leaned over and lifted up his shirt expecting him to show me more bruises. I gasped as I saw what he’d taped to his back. His cell phone. “Oh my god.” I ripped it from his skin, the tape still attached to the phone as I began to dial my father’s phone number.
My father answered on the second ring. “Hey Cara, how’s the trip going?” His tone was casual. He didn’t know I’d been kidnapped yet. That was good because I’d got to him first before the thugs. I quickly told him everything and Colt filled in the details of our precise location. “Stay safe. I’ll have someone there as soon as I can.” I hung up, a huge sense of relief rushing over me.
“Do you believe me now?” Colt seemed so sure of himself.
“I don’t know.” I couldn’t tell whether Colt was still playing me.
“I’ve got your guitar too. Couldn’t save the car though.”
“You’ve got my guitar?”
“It’s at the guesthouse. You can pick it up when we get out of here.”
My mind spun in all directions and it was dawning on me that perhaps Colt was on my side after all. It made no sense that he’d be here with a phone or save my guitar unless he was really trying to help me.
The anger I’d built up was quickly disappearing as I examined the facts. He’d bought me a phone; he’d saved the one thing that mattered to me. And he was here with me instead of outside the room with his motorcycle club buddies.
I had to take a chance that he was telling the truth.
“I didn’t know their plans,” he said. “Not until I got back to my place and took the call. They ordered me to keep you there so they could come get you. That’s why I needed you gone and away from them.”
“You got the phone call before we had the shower.”
“I was going to tell you straight away, but the hot water cascaded down over your breasts. I was weak. I wanted you and I took you. I can’t control myself around you. You’re so fucking gorgeous Cara, do you know how much? Then I felt like an asshole and couldn’t face myself. Thought you’d be safer without me.”
I shook my head. “I wasn’t safe. I was alone.”
“I fucked up and now I’m trying to make it right. And when they said they’d kill me if I didn’t get you back.”
“They were going to kill you?”
“I figured my life wasn’t worth anything compared to yours. I was trying to buy time.”
“Don’t say that.”
He laughed. “It’s not as dramatic as it sounds. Dusty always makes threats he never carries out. Not the big bad he makes himself out to be. All talk and not a lot of action. Never killed anyone in his life and I didn’t think he’d make an exception with me.”
“He roughed you up, pretty good.” I sat down and traced my finger over the gash on his arm.
“Didn’t say he was a saint.” He shrugged as he smirked. “Besides, I needed to get caught so I could find out where they took you. Clubhouse. Not very smart of him, it’s the first place they’ll search.”
I grinned. “And he thought he was so clever.”
Chapter 16
I paced the small room, nervously looking out of the window and cursing that we were at the back of the property and I couldn’t see anything from this angle. It had been fifteen minutes since I’d made the phone call to my father although it seemed like hours. “How long do you think the police will take to get here? I thought they’d be here by now.”
Colt reclined on the bed with his eyes closed, but I knew he wasn’t asleep. His breathing was slow and I could see it hurt to inhale too deeply. “Don’t know,” he said. “But the cops around here aren’t going to rush in with guns blaring like some TV show special. They’ll be making a plan to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible so no one gets hurt.”
“I wish they’d hurry.” I wrung my hands together and walked over to the locked door. I couldn’t hear anything.
“They’ll get here. Just chill.”
I rolled my eyes. “I hardly think this situation is the best for chilling out. Your thug friends are still outside that door and could come in here at any time.”
“Told you, they aren’t my friends. Not anymore.” He turned his head to the side so he could look at me directly.
“I remember you telling me that you belonged to them, that you needed their strength to make you whole, or something like that.” I knew I was blaming him for the situation but I couldn’t help myself.
He sat up and rubbed the side of his chest. “Things change.”
“Not all the time.” I sighed. “Maybe they change for the tiniest of moments, but then everything goes back to how it was before. You just become older and hopefully wiser.” I think about what will happen after we are rescued. There is no way my father will allow me to continue the vacation, yet even now after everything that has happened, I’m not ready to go home.
“I’m not going back to the club. This is over for me.” He looked serious.
I sat down next to him. “My father won’t let me stay here in Parton’s Creek, I’ll be taken home and will have to start the job early. From one prison to another.”
“Why don’t you just tell him that you don’t want that life.”
I laughed. “It isn’t that simple.”
“Sure it is. Everything is as simple or complicated as you make it.”
“Right, just like you deciding that you don’t want to be a part of your stupid club anymore. You said that was complicated.”
“It was. I’ve been with these guys for so long they were my family, but family shouldn’t turn on you like that. They shouldn’t beat you down if you don’t follow their rules. As soon as they threatened to hurt you and kill me, it was over. Simple decision. One of the best I’ve made in the last few days.”
“I can’t tell my father that I’m not joining the company. It’d hurt him too much. I’m all he has. My mother died when I was young and Dad vowed to protect me at all costs. He’ll see this kidnap as a failure. I can’t do that to him.” I neglect to add that I’m not ready to stand up to him, that I don’t think I’m strong enough.
“He loves you.”
“Of course he does.”
“Then he’ll let you go. He’ll let you follow your dreams. When you love someone, you’ll do anything to make them happy, even if it means you get hurt in the process.”
I could see the hurt in his eyes as he looked through the window and realized he wasn’t not talking about us anymore. “Who was she?”
“Sorry?”
“The woman you were in love with. The one that you’re talking about now.” I knew I was prying but I thought I would understand him better if I knew why he’d gotten to this point in his life.
He looked down at the ground. “Doesn’t matter. She’s gone now.”
“It matters. I can see it matters.” I sat down next to him on the bed and placed my hand over his.
He jerked it away and stood up. “Fuck, I need a smoke.” He walked over to the bare wall and leaned casually against it. “Yeah, I was in love and yeah, she’s dead.”
Even though I’d guessed that’s what had happened, it still shocked me. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He threw his hands up in the air like he didn’t care anymore. “Wrong place, wrong time. We needed cash. Thought it would be easy to hold up a small gas station in the middle of nowhere. No one was supposed to get
hurt. Fuck, all I had was a small knife. Didn’t know the guy behind the counter had a gun until he pointed it at her head. I jumped at him to stop, but he panicked and pulled the trigger. She was dead on the spot.”
“Oh Jesus, Colt.”
“Gas attendant turned the barrel at me next. I got it away from him, but in the struggle he got shot. He got shot.”
I swallowed to keep my voice from wavering. “Did he die?”
“No. Found out later that he lived.” He laughed, a strange hollow laugh.
“That’s good isn’t it? That you didn’t kill him?”
He looked at me like I didn’t understand the gravity of the situation. “The Snakes got there before the cops did. I was messed up, they helped me get it together and get out of there.”
I nodded slowly. “You feel responsible for her death.” I see him wince at the words. “And because you never got caught, you feel you own them.” I tried to understand.
Anger flashed across his face. “I don’t owe them anything. They used me. Ever since that day they’ve used me to get them money, steal it or con it, and I let them because I thought that was all I was good at. That I wasn’t worth anything more.” He moved back to me and took my hand again. “Things are different now. You see beyond the crap. It’s time I did too.”
I didn’t push him further. I could see it was a struggle to tell me this much. I didn’t need to know more. All my instincts were pushing me to tell him that everything was going to be okay now, help was on it’s way. My father knew where we were, and any minute now the police would rescue both of us. But it would have been a lie to say that and we both knew it. This experience had changed both of us and I wasn’t sure yet if it was for the better.
The realization of what being here meant for Colt, that he’d given himself up for me - not only from the thugs outside that he used to call friends, but also to the police that would work out who he was and arrest him over the robbery. Knowing this made me ache for him. This bond, or whatever was drawing us together, was getting stronger every moment and I wasn’t sure I wanted to give it up.
He’d given up his life for me and I needed to decide what I was going to give up for him.
I rested my head on his shoulder and when he wrapped his arm around me I could almost feel the burden he was carrying.
It was in that moment that I knew I couldn’t leave him. I didn’t have any idea what future we would have, if we could even have any given our lives so far, but it was worth fighting for whatever it might be and take a chance.
Chapter 17
The door burst inward and Dusty stormed into the room followed by two other members. “Where the fuck is it?” Dusty’s neck was a tight mess of veins and red blotches.
“Where’s what?” said Colt, as he leaned casually back against the wall as if nothing was wrong at all.
Dusty’s massive frame hovered over Colt’s, his fists ready to swing. “You ratted on us. That ain’t the Snakes way, Colt. You’re a fucking idiot to have crossed us.”
He swung at Colt’s head, but Colt blocked the hit and pushed Dusty back, which only made the veins in his neck look thicker.
“Take the girl,” ordered Dusty almost spitting out the words. “Get them out of here before the pigs arrive.”
One of the men came over to me, but I jumped away from him as he reached out his thick grubby hand and he swiped the air instead. “Don’t make this harder on yourself, love,” he said, as he advanced again.
“I’m not your love.” I spat at him and he recoiled, wiping the wetness away from his face.
Dusty turned to see why I hadn’t been restrained yet, taking his attention away from Colt toward me. “Feisty one, she is. I can see how you like fucking her.”
Colt pulled him back and as Dusty turned, Colt’s fist collided with Dusty’s jaw. A loud crack made everyone freeze and wait to see what happened next. But before Dusty could return the punch, a shrill ringing of the phone we’d hidden under the mattress rang out.
Dusty rubbed his jaw and spat out blood as he lifted the mattress and retrieved the phone.
“No!” I yelled, but it was too late. Dusty threw the phone to the ground, the screen cracked and blacked out. Then he lifted his heavy boot and bought it down hard. Electronics crunched under his boot and when he lifted his leg, the phone had shattered into a mess of glass and circuits.
He glared at me but turned his attention back to Colt. The two men grabbed Colt’s arms as Dusty punched him hard in the stomach. Colt doubled over and groaned as Dusty hit him again.
“Stop. Please stop.” My pleading did no good.
“Shut the bitch up,” ordered Dusty.
The man on the left dropped Colt’s arm and stepped toward me. An evil glint in his eye made me cower thinking about what he might do to me.
Suddenly everything changed in an instant. We all heard the police siren in the distance getting closer and closer.
My heart leaped with joy. We were going to be saved. They dropped Colt to the ground as they all hurried out of the room.
He groaned and I ran over to him. He was struggling to breathe so I helped him sit. “Help is here. We’ll get you a doctor. Everything will be all right.” I hoped that would be true.
Colt’s expression was a mixture of relief and fear. He knew that the nearing sirens meant we were no longer in danger from the Snakes, but after he was healed, he’d be sent to jail.
Even though I wanted him to get the help he needed, I couldn’t bare the thought of him locked up. “You could leave. Make a run for it. I’ll tell them that you fled with the rest of them.”
Colt twisted on the spot, wincing as he did so, and pulled me to his chest. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not leaving you alone.”
“You could still make it. I’m not in danger anymore.”
“No. I have to face my crimes sometime. Now is as good a time as any.” He took my hand in his and I helped him to his feet. He struggled to walk, but I did my best to hold him upright as he leaned onto me.
The club was deserted. A lit cigarette still smoked in a glass ashtray the only evidence that a group of men occupied this area only minutes ago.
We made it to the front door. The sun blinded me for a moment as the police cars pulled up, tires screeching to a halt and flicking up a cloud of dust. Behind them was my father in his black Mercedes. The police were out of their cars first, guns drawn.
One of the police men tried to hold my father back, ordering him to stay put until they secured the area, but my father didn’t listen to him, and got out of the car, pushing past the officer and making his way over to me and Colt.
“Are you okay? Did they touch you?”
I let Colt go as I hugged my father. “I’m fine. I’m really okay.” I looked back over my shoulder. “I want you to meet someone.”
My father grunted and pulled me away, trying to lead me toward his car. “You’re coming home. Right away.”
“She’ll need to answer questions first,” said a police officer.
“There’s plenty of time for that,” said my father. “She needs to be taken home first.”
“No wait,” I said, as I pulled away from my father’s grip. “I’m not going anywhere. Not yet.”
“Cara, you’re not thinking straight.”
“I am. For the first time, I’m thinking exactly right.” I turned back to Colt. He was being helped into the back of the police car. “He’s hurt.”
“We’ll get him medical attention right away,” said the officer who was in charge.
“I need to speak with him.”
“Hurry up,” said my father. “Go say your thank you so we can get out of here.”
“No. I want to stay with him, make sure he’s okay.”
“Cara, you’ve had your fun. You experienced the freedom you so desperately craved, and look where it got you.”
I turned on my heels and faced my father. “I’m not a child anymore.”
“So you keep saying.”
“For christ sakes, I’m days away from twenty four. I’m an adult and can make my own decisions. You need to let me.”
“And how have those decisions worked out for you? You may be grown by age, but you’ve still got a lot of learning to do.”
I softened and held his hand. “That’s right I do. And I can’t do it with you watching out for me all the time. I wasn’t ready for any of this because I’ve never really lived. I’m stuck in a perfect world where nothing bad ever happens, but that isn’t real. This has shown me just how much I need to experience more of the world. Both the good and bad, so I can become whole.”
“I’m your father, it’s my job to protect you from the bad.”
“And it’s my job to be everything I can be.” I took a deep breath. “I love you so much, but I can’t work at Westwood Enterprises. I can’t let you protect me anymore. I need to figure out my life on my own terms.”
He paused as if contemplating my words then nodded curtly. I knew he could see I’d made up my mind. “Okay, you don’t have to take the job, but I’m still going to look out for you and protect you. I’ll always do that. No matter where you are.”
“I know you will.” I kissed him on the cheek.
“What’s so special about him anyway?” asked my father. “Why do you want to change your life so much for him?”
I shook my head and smiled. “I don’t want to change my life for him, I want to change it for me. Something about him has changed the way I see my life and myself. I really like him and I want to find out if whatever is between us is real. This is a big risk for me, but it’s one I’m willing to take. One I need to take.”
“I don’t like it Cara, not one bit. But you’re right, it’s time I trusted your judgment.”
“Thank you. Dad, I love you.”
He turned his head so I couldn’t see his face. “I love you, too.”
Chapter 18
The Biker Page 6
