by A. R. Ford
“I don’t want Dreven’s room. Who knows what sort of filth is crawling around in there. You go get us a room. Something nice, and you stand in the hotel lobby until we get there. You can show us up and make sure everything is the way it should be, for my lady here,” Luca said. “And make sure you get me a beer. I’m not much on wine.”
Nyssa waited until he slid the flannel shirt over his broad shoulders. She hefted the backpack over one shoulder and followed at his side. The woman manning the betting booth called out to Nyssa when they appeared in the first room.
“We have your winnings ready, ma’am..”
Nyssa approached the window. She smiled when the woman opened a side door, a backpack carried in one hand. “Thank you. Should I count this?”
“No, ma’am. Everybody was so happy to hear that Dreven lost the fight that we counted it already. We made sure you got everything you were supposed to. Drained the till.” The woman bobbed her head before disappearing through the open door.
Luca waited until they found the hotel and Pritchard showed them to their room. It was a single with a king-size bed. The worn carpeting and faded, peeling wallpaper did not detract from the cleanliness of the room. At least something in Walden was done right regardless of Dreven’s evil influence.
Just like he asked for, a bottle of wine, a bottle of beer, and two covered dishes sat on the round table near one window. “Sandwiches,” Pritchard offered. “Nothing fancy. Just fried venison. It’s all I could round up given the late hour. I’ll see you in the morning, boss.”
“It’s Luca, not boss,” Luca muttered. Pritchard bobbed his head again before disappearing. Luca’s attention turned to Nyssa and the backpack. “How much money did you win betting on me?”
Nyssa opened the backpack before handing it to him. “Enough so we never have to worry about being okay.”
Luca counted the bills, eyes wide when he realized the risk Nyssa had taken in betting the little money they had. He realized the blessing the winnings represented. Not only was Nyssa free of threat from the Snake Eyes and Dreven, their future together was financially secure. He pulled her onto his lap, wine and sandwiches forgotten.
“I remember a promise you made earlier,” he muttered, easing the shirt over her head. She shivered when his lips found her neck.
“I never welch on a bet with you, Luca.” Her fingers traced the outline of taut pectoral muscles and each rib.
He laughed and picked her up. She felt like a feather in his arms. He felt a sense of freedom. The sense of future and purpose he had with Nyssa was comforting. The moment she confessed her love to him he knew everything would be okay. Better than okay.
“How about we start working on that family,” he said while pulling her jeans off.
“We’re three quarters there,” she laughed. A hand came to rest on her belly. “I haven’t had my monthly cycle in two months now, Luca.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. I guess it’s time to start working on an extra room for the cabin.”
Chapter 12
Luca
The room was still dark when he woke. He disentangled himself from Nyssa’s arms and legs which clung to him like a loving vine. His body ached from the fight.
Dreven was no lightweight. Thankfully the man would never threaten Nyssa or the town again. He emptied his bladder, sighing with relief, and chuckled when water swirled in the commode. It had been years since he’d seen a real flushing commode.
Nyssa sought his warmth the instant he returned to bed, her arms and legs twining around him again. He buried his face in her hair which had grown a few inches longer. His hand found her belly, resting gently on there.
The thought of having a child with her made him feel whole. He slept. When he woke a bright ray of light fell through the curtains onto the floor. His stomach grumbled and Nyssa’s round ass was pressed right against his groin.
Luca kissed her neck, covering her body with his own. He wanted her again, already, even after having her twice last night. There would be time for that later. “Wake up. We have business to attend to.”
The warmth of her petite body and the pressure of her arms about his neck brought a smile. Luca realized he smiled more since Nyssa came into his life than he had in years.
“I’m sleepy,” she yawned.
“Let’s turn things over to Pritchard so we can go home,” he replied. Almost immediately he nuzzled her neck and ear. The action elicited Nyssa’s moan.
“You know what that does to me.”
“Yep, every time. Come on, get up.”
The changing of the guard was an informal ceremony, if it could be called that. Luca and Nyssa stood on the hotel’s porch with the Snake Eyes gang and every resident in Walden gathered in the street. Pritchard stood at Luca’s side.
Luca wasn’t much for speeches, so he opted to keep the changing of the guard short. He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other but calmed when Nyssa’s hand came to rest against his lower back.
“Look, I’ll be honest, folks. I’m not much on being in the limelight. Pritchard is in charge from this point forward. I’ll drop by a few times a year to make sure things are going okay. Dreven is not allowed within town limits. Anyone found aiding or colluding with him will be ostracized just as he was. If you have problems Pritchard can’t handle, send a messenger to One-Eyed Jack’s farm about three hours west of here. He’ll find me.”
There was a rumble of conversation before the crowd dispersed. Pritchard shook his hand. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, boss. I won’t let you down. You take care of this lovely lady here.”
“I plan on it,” Luca laughed. “Take care, Pritchard.”
Walden, its memories, its people--all faded behind them as they walked to the east. They made it back to the cabin before the sun crested its zenith in the sky. It was cold, but not the bone-chilling cold that usually came with winter. The sun graced a cloudless sky. It was a good day to start building an addition to the cabin.
Chapter 13
Nyssa
The extra room was complete at last. Luca and Jack worked hard to get the room under roof before the first hard snow fell. It took them a few days of work from sunrise to sundown, but at least the job was done. Nyssa and Mary helped as much as they could. It was a collective effort that brought them all closer.
Mary stood with an arm around Nyssa’s shoulders. “It’s perfect, honey. Now you make sure you eat enough and drink plenty of water. You’ll start showing before long.”
“Thank you for everything, Mary. This is my home now.” Nyssa turned and hugged the woman who felt like a mother and friend wrapped into one. “I guess you and Jack will be heading home now. We’ll see you soon.”
Luca stood at her side watching Mary and Jack walk into the sunset along the path leading to their home. “You and I will be like that one day. Happy with the life we’ve shared and still so much in love that it hurts sometimes.”
“It already hurts when I think of how much I love you,” Nyssa murmured. “It’s getting colder. I bet it starts snowing tonight.”
The interior of the cabin was warmer than the woods swept by wind that grew bitter cold as day merged into night. Luca stoked the fire. Nyssa sliced potatoes for the evening meal. In a smaller cast-iron pan coated in grease, she poured cornmeal batter.
Luca knelt beside her, content to wait at her side until the evening meal was ready. They ate in companionable silence. And as was their habit for the past months, they undressed and lay beside each other in bed. Luca held Nyssa gently, a finger tracing patterns over her belly.
“It’s a boy,” Nyssa offered. “What will we name him?”
“You’re certain?” Luca chuckled. “It could be a girl.”
“I’m certain I’m having a boy. He’ll look just like you but with my eyes. He’ll be strong, solemn, and a hard worker. I love him already, Luca.”
“Tristan means love. I’d like to name him that.”
Nyssa curled against his side, head pillowed on
a massive bicep, and smiled. “That’s perfect.”
“Promise you’ll never leave me, Nyssa. I don’t know what I would do without you,” Luca murmured.
“Why would I ever leave you?” Luca did not answer. Instead, he held her so tight it almost hurt to breathe.
*****
Winter’s grasp eased with the coming of spring. With the first shoots of green marking limbs as healthy, people arrived with an urge to settle the land around Jack, Mary, Luca, and Nyssa. They came from Arkala, Walden, and places beyond.
The first settlers were a couple with two boys. The couple, Elijah and Mary, told their story. Threatened by the Snake Eyes a year after the birth of their oldest son, the couple had moved into the wilderness.
Word spread that Dreven no longer ruled the gang, that his defeat came at the hands of a man named Luca. In search of peace and prosperity, the family came to the valley after hearing where Luca lived. The men joined together to build a cabin with plenty of room for the family.
One day as they sat on Jack and Mary’s porch, a woman and boy appeared on the path leading to Arkala. Nyssa thought nothing of it as travelers in the area were common.
The woman stopped just short of the porch. She stared straight at Luca. Luca stood up, glanced at Nyssa, and stepped off the porch.
An icy finger of dread filled Nyssa’s gut. She knew. She knew this was not good. His words from weeks earlier echoed in her mind. Promise you’ll never leave me, Nyssa.
“Luca?”
“Stay with Jack and Mary,” Luca snapped. The tone of his voice brought a gasp from her. He had not spoken to her like that in months. And now, now that this woman and boy were here, it all changed.
The memory came from the woman’s mind, roaring through hers. It hurt and it ached and it destroyed her heart. Luca and the woman in bed together. Kissing. And doing so much more.
Nyssa shut the memory off before it could hurt worse. She watched as Luca talked with the woman. The boy was his son. Her heart burst into a million pieces and scattered in the wind.
No one said a word when she walked away. Or did they simply fail to notice she was gone? Once inside the cabin she packed a backpack with everything she would need for a long trip. It was different this time. He taught her how to survive. Without a backward glance she took the path toward Walden.
Nyssa stayed only a few hours in Walden. There was no need to think of staying permanently. She needed to be very far away from the place that hurt so much now. After stuffing the supplies in the backpack, she pulled it over one shoulder and started walking.
By nightfall she found a cave that offered shelter. No ignorant girl made camp that night. She knew how to survive the cool nights and build fire. At least Luca gave her something that was of use. His love was certainly worthless.
Every day she walked until a few hours before nightfall. Each night she camped in a place hidden from the eyes of the world.
Luca was an excellent tracker. That much she knew for certain. At times the path was so faint it was invisible. Still she forged onward. Days turned into a week, then two weeks. The land was beautiful. Winter morphing into spring brought life with it. At least for the land.
When the path ended, Nyssa looked at the decaying town looming before her. It was no different than Arkala or Walden. The buildings had seen better days, just like the people.
It was dusty here, as if the rain forgot to grace the land. West was always hot and arid, at least she gleaned that tidbit of information from someone’s mind.
A wizened old man sitting in a rocking chair on the porch of an ancient post office smiled when she approached. “Howdy. You lost, little lady?” His eyes lingered on her round belly.
“I’m not lost. What is this place?” Sweat ran into her eyes. She wiped it away with the back of one hand.
“Crossroads. We see a few folks traveling through, not many stay though,” he replied before spitting a stream of brown tobacco juice a few feet from where she stood.
“I need a place to stay. Is there a motel here?”
“Keep walking thataway,” the old man grinned while pointing to the west. “My name is Barnaby.”
“I’m Perdita,” she replied. He didn’t ask and she sure wasn’t telling him that the name meant lost. And was she ever lost, in more ways than one.
The room the motel offered was a cramped space with a twin bed. Nyssa wondered where a crib might fit in the room if she stayed.
Sleep did not come that night. She tossed and turned, memories of Luca coming unbidden. Tormenting. Teasing. Hurting. Yet she refused to cry.
He hurt her when they first met. Then he made things right by pretending to love and care for her. And when she needed him most, he betrayed her. Again. Betrayed their child.
A deep ache pierced her heart and her womb at the same time. She gasped, hands cupping her belly and it eased. Mary told her there would be odd aches and pains through pregnancy. Mostly due to the baby’s growth.
At dawn Nyssa rose, stood by the window, and watched the sun rise. The painfully beautiful colors blooming against the morning sky brought no joy. Pink, rose, crimson, tangerine, and a faded grey lilac.
None of it brought joy. Because she was dead inside.
The first sounds of life in the town filled the air. People talking. A hammering sound. Nyssa walked downstairs to the front desk to ask for information. The clerk gave her a few options for possible work. The general store needed a clerk. The motel needed someone to clean rooms. She could take her choice. General store it was.
Backbreaking labor was her reward. Day in and day out. Stock shelves, arrange the stockroom. A few weeks passed while her belly grew larger. Soon the baby would be here. A couple of months at most. Nyssa stood with a hand against her lower back, eyes fixed on the horizon. Of course, he wasn’t there. He would never be there.
There was no loving or saving coming her way.
With a sigh of finality, Nyssa returned to the cramped, lonely room. And for the first time in weeks, she cried.
Chapter 14
Luca
He was furious when Eden appeared. The bitch who had ruined his life before, during the final years of his time with the resistance. It was a painful memory he kept locked away, even from Nyssa. When he faced Eden, he regretted keeping secrets from Nyssa. It would come back to haunt him. He knew it. But first he had to deal with Eden and the boy she wanted to saddle him with.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he muttered. Once he thought she was pretty. Big blue eyes and blonde hair. Wasn’t she everything any man would want? No. He knew that from experience. His eyes fell on the boy who bore the same blonde hair and blue eyes as his mother.
“I had to come. You...you should know your son,” she whined.
Luca laughed long and loud. “Good one! Which one of the men in my company does he belong to?”
“He’s your son!” she screamed.
The fragile control over his emotions snapped. Before he could stop it, he had Eden by the shoulders. He shook her hard, face inches from hers.
“Don’t forget, Eden, I caught you with several of them. After the first one I used condoms the few times we had sex.” That got her attention. She backed away, eyes wide. “And the funny thing about all this, Eden, is that every one of those guys told me. They told me how many times, the positions, what you asked for. So, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this boy isn’t mine. Who is his father?”
Eden backed away, her hand covering her mouth. The gesture told him all he needed to know.
“You don’t know who the father is, do you? But you damned sure know he’s not mine. The only child I have will be born in a few months. See her? She’s the only one to be true to me, ever.” He gestured toward the porch where Nyssa stood.
“The girl that was standing there when I got here? She’s gone.” Eden glanced behind him at the porch. “I’m sorry, Luca. I had nowhere else to go. I hope you find her.”
Luca whirled, furious tha
t Eden would use this tactic. He froze as the horrible truth came crashing down upon him. Nyssa knew, but she only knew part of the truth.
“Don’t be here when I get back,” Luca growled. “I won’t be responsible for what happens.”
The path grew cold within days. Nyssa was no longer a novice. He trained her well. The Hunter knew ways of exposing the trail even when it grew cold. He circled, spiraling outwards. He knew she would find shelter near water.
A break came when he happened upon a cave with the remains of a fire. A small footprint just outside the cave’s entrance brought a grin. She was close. He would find her.
He stopped in Walden briefly. The general store sometimes carried items he could barter for, such as the tea infuser traded for a few years ago. He scanned the glass-fronted display case until his eyes fell on a matching set of gold wedding bands.
The urge to settle down with Nyssa grew stronger with each passing day. Her disappearance left a jagged hole in his heart that ached with the need to see and hold her once again. When he found her this time there would be no questions. He moved toward the trail and a reunion with Nyssa with the rings tucked safely in a pocket.
The path disappeared at one point. He circled until the faint trail leading west appeared. Each night when he camped, he thought of her. The sweet taste of her lips, the roundness of her belly. Tristan would be here soon. A roar of rage came when he thought of missing the baby’s birth.
“I will find you, Nyssa. And you will not doubt me again.” He would lay his heart and mind bare to her. Nothing would be hidden. She would know everything about him. And he would repair the damage done when Eden appeared spewing lies.
*****
At dawn a few days later, the trail led west into a town that appeared. It looked as if it might dissolve into the hot, arid soil that surrounded it. Crossroads. He knew the name.
The rickety remains of a post office graced only by a rocker on its lopsided porch was the first building he passed. Luca glanced at the buildings, eyes scanning for any sign of a person he could speak to. The streets were empty. It was too early.
