“Tail number two coming up fast,” I announce calmly.
“I’ll worship you forever if you kill those fuckers for me, lover.”
Smiling at her comment, I throw a smoke grenade out the window. Startled by the billowing red fumes, the driver behind us veers to avoid it and ends up in a waterlogged ditch.
“We lost that one, but they’ll just call in friends,” I tell Neri.
Ahead of us, the blue truck levels up with the Suburban. I can’t see the gunfire flashes. Jake, though, must unload on them because the truck veers off the road and slams into a railing.
We slow while passing the crashed vehicle, and I take a quick note of no movement inside. Neri hits the gas pedal and speeds to catch up to Kai.
I use the camera at the back of the Yukon to search for approaching threats. There were only three cars at the gas station when we passed it.
Checking the map for any upcoming roads or possible ambush spots, I mutter, “We’re clear in the rear, but they’ll be on our asses for at least a hundred miles.”
“Then let’s break every speed limit and kill every threat.”
Though I smile at Neri’s cool tone, she isn’t fooling me. Fear radiates off her as we catch up to her brother.
“Are we good?” Kai asks over the radio.
“Always,” she responds.
“Then let’s make quick work of the next hundred miles and pray that no cops pull us over for speeding.”
Wearing a look of determination, Neri looks more like herself as both SUVs accelerate. Worrying over the last two days left her weak, but this morning’s attack reawakens her killer instinct. The expression on her sexy face means my erection won’t be going anywhere.
NERI
I’m hyper-alert in a way I’ve never been in my life. I refuse to let my family die on this road. I will see my home again. Cobain will find peace. These things must happen. Nothing will stop me.
The skinheads don’t give up, but they’re woefully underprepared. When one tries to block the road, Papa shoots up the car long before we reach it. Our SUVs blow past the disabled vehicle with a dead driver and a passenger I veer to the right to run over.
“I don’t want him chasing us,” I tell Cobain, who smirks.
When another group of idiots attempts to catch up to us, I tell Cobain to hold on. Hitting the Yukon’s brakes, we slow quickly enough to startle the drivers of the two tailing trucks. They struggle to stop and end up colliding. Neither is completely disabled. Cobain finishes them off by tossing several grenades in their direction before I hit the gas and return us to our former speed.
The next hour is quiet, and I almost grow complacent. Just until I imagine myself on my family’s back porch. My favorite people surround me as we enjoy a wonderful meal cooked by the sexy beast currently in the passenger seat. We’ll listen to music and dance. We’ll exist alone in the world. I can make that happen if I stay focused.
Twenty minutes from the airport, we end up with another tail. These men hold back, and I don’t waste time hitting the brakes. We’re so close to our destination.
“They’ll attack once we stop,” Cobain says over the radio.
“No,” Papa replies. “Either they’ll back off, or they’ll die at the airport. They know what’s waiting for them, but they’re bald men with no brains.”
Cobain waits until Papa is off the comm to say, “Your father claims the man flying out us of the country is trustworthy.”
“He’s the son of Papa’s mentor. I thought Raz was working out of Mexico.”
“Is this a person I’ll need to remember in the future?”
“Yes,” I say, smiling at his aggravated tone. “Raz’s father Flame is one of the few people we ever allow in our house. He and his wife visit at least once a month.”
“Great.”
I pat his hand resting on the butt of a rifle. “If we have people over, you don’t have to involve yourself. Just stay at our house while the rest of us hang out at my parents’ place. No one will force you to be their friend.”
Cobain looks at where my hand strokes his. He frowns when I pull it away so I can better hold onto the steering wheel.
“Flame has several kids with women he met before Lidvina. Those relationships never lasted because loving a man in his business isn’t easy.”
“Yet here we are,” he grumbles.
“Those women didn’t know what they were getting into. I can’t claim the same thing. Now stop pouting, you handsome jerk. We’re about to reach the airport, and I have no clue what those foul idiots tailing us plan to do.”
“I am handsome,” he says, fighting a grin. “It’s how I enslaved you.”
Sharing his smile, I focus my gaze on the road and mentally picture how I want the rest of today to go. Enter the fenced airport property, drive up to where Raz will be waiting, move our bags to the plane, and prepare Mama, Sunny, and Anika for the flight. Soon, we’ll be in the air, and one step closer to home.
But first, we must deal with the people in the two black trucks. We leave the main highway and drive onto a paved road. We’re only a few minutes away from the airport, but the skinhead men continue to follow. What do they hope will happen when we stop? Will they kill the people working at this small airport? I decide I’m not qualified to understand the thinking of such morons.
“Allies heading this way,” Papa says over the radio. “Stand down.”
Ahead of me, I see the faint outline of a tall fence. The airport is just ahead. We’re so close
“The gate is opening,” Cobain says in a voice devoid of emotion. “Assholes behind us are speeding up.”
Though he’s telling me something I can plainly see in the rearview, I remain silent. We’re on the verge of reaching our destination. I’m afraid to speak or even breathe. I can both visualize us safely home and my family dead by the side of the road.
“Neri, I love you,” Cobain says without looking at me. “So, stop white-knuckling and keep your cool.”
“I’m always cool,” I whisper in an unsteady voice. “But we’re so close.”
Just then, a jeep speeds past the Yukon, heading straight for the trucks. The driver swerves to block the road, and the passenger opens fire on the approaching vehicles.
I don’t know if they kill the skinhead men or the trucks manage to flee. I keep my mind on the road ahead and follow Kai to where he parks near a hanger.
Cobain runs his fingers over my knuckles, and I remember to finally let go.
“I might have lost my cool a little at the end,” I admit while turning off the Yukon.
His gaze studies me, and I think he might say something dismissive. Cobain clearly feels awkward after his big declaration. It’s the first time he said the words when I wasn’t “nagging” him.
Instead, he glances in the back and sighs. “That dog is going to puke during the flight. Probably more than once.”
Rather than imagine Robin miserable for hours on an airplane, I cautiously leave the Yukon. Cobain follows me, gun out despite Kai greeting Raz.
“Don’t shoot anyone, lover,” I whisper and walk around him to say hello to Raz.
“Lovely Neri, I hope you’re ready to get in the air,” he says as his black skin shines in the early afternoon sun.
“When do we leave?”
“As soon as possible,” Raz says and gives Mama a gentle hug. “The fine people at this airport have agreed to scare off the Aryans for the time being. However, I got the impression if enough skinheads show up that they’ll let them enter and take us on. Let’s not wait around to find out.”
“Did you get my message about the sedatives?” Kai asks Raz.
“I did and also the information about your canine friend. I have the doses ready, but they’ll crash fast, so let’s wait until we’re ready to take off before we drug any humans.”
Cobain would prefer to sneak away and avoid making a new friend. Though Raz might be outwardly the most agreeable man, he’s a hardened profession
al and insists on knowing who is on his plane. After I make the introduction, the men make small talk in Spanish.
Much like Cobain, I worry Robin might die from the sedative or stress during the flight. With no other option, he helps the dog out of the Yukon.
While I take Robin, Sunny, and Anika for a short walk, Cobain helps the men move our supplies to the plane. Mama wants to go with me, but she can’t stop following Papa around. It’s what she does when she’s agitated.
“We need to avoid being seeing from the road,” I tell Sunny as Anika bounces around. “People might be watching.”
“I’m afraid to fly.”
Sunny’s terrified tone freaks out Anika, who immediately wants to be carried.
“You’ll take medicine, and all the fear will go away. Anika will get sleepy, and you probably will too. Next thing you know, we’ll be landing.”
Sunny holds her daughter and stares at me. She needs Kai’s attention. Like Mama, Sunny reacts best to her man’s soothing. Still, she follows me around the grassy area as Robin sniffs, urinates, sniffs a bit more, and growls at a nearby man working on a car.
Finally, the dog looks ready to take a nap, so I head back to the hanger. Cobain exhales roughly at the sight of me. The fear I felt during the final part of our drive now grips him. We’re so unbearably close to leaving this place and starting our new life. Yet a million little things—or a few violent bald ones—could ruin our beautiful future.
≫NINE SPENT SHELLS≪
SUNNY
After Jake shoots the men and their truck crashes, Kai says Mia and I can sit up. We push back the blanket and settle in for hours on the road.
Mia holds my hand as we listen to Spanish music. “Hearing a language makes it easier to learn,” she tells me. “It still took me a long time. Right, Jake?”
I suspect Mia’s question is just a way to get her husband to acknowledge her. That’s when I realize she’s afraid too. Squeezing Mia’s hand, I focus on calming her. In the process, I calm myself.
Anika sleeps with her head resting on the pillow in my lap. My baby is blind to the danger we’re in today. A few times during the next few hours, I wish to be a kid and notice only the edges of what’s happening. Except my childhood ended long ago, and I need to be a grownup today to help Kai and everyone else.
Halfway through the drive, Anika wakes up and helps distract Mia. We watch videos and eat crackers.
Then I notice Jake get tense. People are following us again. Earlier, he got the same look when Neri and Cobain were dealing with trouble.
“Sunny, we’ll be there soon,” Kai says as we drive so fast that I don’t know how he can control the SUV. “Make sure to fill your stomach with crackers and juice. That way, you’ll be ready to fly.”
I’m so scared to go on a plane that I forget to answer. Kai asks his mom if she’s eating and drinking, and she talks to him in Spanish. Jake being tense is making her upset again.
He speaks on the radio with people—Cobain at one point and then someone named Raz later. Jake finally turns around and smiles at Mia. She immediately calms down.
“We’re almost there,” he tells her.
Anika doesn’t mind hiding this time. We crouch under the covers with Mia and watch a video of Kai and Neri playing on the beach. Anika doesn’t understand who the kids are, but she says, “Mia,” when their mother walks into frame.
“That’s me,” Mia tells Anika. “I’m going to make so many videos of you when we’re home.”
Mia’s voice holds so much longing. She wants to be back in Playa Cielo with her family. Even though I’m terrified of flying, I need to be strong for her and Anika. Kai too. He worries about us and hates when we cry.
The airplane is small, and I don’t think it’ll stay in the air. I want to tell Kai how it’s not safe, but I remember to be strong. Inside, the plane isn’t what I expect. There are two couches facing each other and a TV hanging from the ceiling. There’s even a bathroom. Kai shows us everything and tells Anika to pick a show to watch.
Cobain carries a plastic box with Robin locked inside onto the plane. The dog doesn’t growl at anyone, and I wonder if he’s sleeping.
“This will help keep you calm,” Kai tells me and smiles at Anika. “Open your mouth, sweet Ani.”
She immediately obeys, despite all the strange things happening around her. The drops in her mouth make her shake with disgust, but a little cup of apple juice makes the taste better.
“Now Mama’s turn,” Kai says, smiling at me.
When I open up, Anika stands on the couch so she can better see how I’m also drinking from the dropper. It tastes weird, like the purple medicine I remember from when I was a kid.
As I drink apple juice, Mia gets her turn. “Jake, you won’t leave?”
“Never, baby.”
Anika holds Mia’s hand while she drinks the medicine in the dropper.
“Do you have everything?” Raz asks Jake and Kai.
Once they nod, their friend pulls up the stairs. Everyone settles into the plane. The couch has seat belts that Kai fastens around Anika and me.
“Are you feeling sleepy yet?” he asks.
I shake my head, but Anika whines and wobbles next to me.
“Is she going to die?” I ask, feeling lightheaded.
“No, Sunny,” Kai murmurs in his calmest voice. “I’m going to watch over you both. That medicine will help you stay calm and keep your stomachs settled.”
“Don’t leave me,” I whisper, sounding like Mia.
Kai tells Anika to hold onto Duck and rest against me. She falls silent, and I can’t see her face. Across from me, Neri leans her head to get a better look at Anika.
“She’s just chilling.”
Nodding, I struggle against my rising panic. The plane’s engine sounds so loud, and I look at Kai for reassurance.
“We’ll be home soon,” he says, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and caressing Anika’s head.
The urge to cry is stuck behind my eyes. I feel my breath catch when the plane begins to move. My gaze searches the people around me. Jake holds a dazed Mia against him. Neri smiles at a tense Cobain. I think he’s worried about Robin because he keeps looking in the direction of the box. Finally, I focus on Kai, who smiles like he’s never been more relaxed in his entire life.
“Do you remember when I first spoke to you?” he asks in a voice that sounds far away.
I feel the plane lift off the ground, and a little whimper leaves my throat. I don’t think the medicine is working enough. I’m still scared.
“Do you remember when I first kissed you in the hotel?” he asks, and I think I nod.
My body feels weird. I want to cry, but there are no tears. The sensation of floating makes me imagine falling from the sky. I need to get back on the ground.
Then my fear separates from me. Though it’s still there, I can breathe easier now. I smile at Kai.
“I thought you were an angel,” I whisper as my lids feel heavy. “I don’t know why you love me.”
Kai’s golden-brown eyes study me, and a soft smile lingers on his lips. “You will one day.”
My eyes close and open as if I’m blinking very slowly. Somehow, after a few blinks, we’re landing. Anika whines when the plane bounces on the ground. She looks up at me, and I stare down at her. How did we go from the homestead to flying in a plane? The world feels wrong.
I don’t know how long we’re in the state of Texas. Kai speaks to his father, who remains with a sleeping Mia. Neri and Cobain disappear. I see Raz walk past me a few times. I think the TV is playing “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and I open my mouth to tell them to change it before Anika gets upset.
“Drink this,” Kai says and lifts a cup to my lips.
I do as I’m told and realize my throat is painfully dry. Anika lifts her head and drinks.
“Duck?” she asks, not realizing she’s holding her toy.
Kai reminds her of how we’re going to the beach home. Anika just needs
to be patient for a little longer. Then he talks her into eating a cracker.
My stomach gets upset when we take off again. I don’t want to be in the air. For a few minutes, my panic returns. Neri and Cobain sit together, but they’ve changed positions from the first flight.
Mia is awake and eating a banana. She gives Jake a bite. They take turns eating it before she returns to napping.
Kai watches over Anika and me during the rest of the flight. Someone changes the channel to a cartoon movie called “Tangled.” Did I ever watch that with my mom?
My mind is still wondering when I feel the plane bouncing again.
“We’re almost home,” Kai says and kisses my lips gently. “Just a little longer.”
Anika cries when we get into another car. She wants to stop moving.
“Please, Kai?” she says as he carries her down the stairs.
Neri helps me remain steady on the walk from the plane to a black SUV. I notice Raz speaking to Jake. Mia is already in the SUV, waiting for us.
“I’m almost home,” she says and then shakes her head. “We’re all going home.”
“Home?” Anika whines, too tired to understand.
“Kai’s home, baby.”
I nearly throw up during the drive. Anika gets a little sick too.
Kai sits in the passenger seat while his father drives. I don’t know where Neri, Cobain, or Robin went. Is Raz coming home with us too?
“Don’t be afraid,” Kai says, reaching back to comfort me when I begin to cry.
His words do no good. Anika and Mia start crying too. I’m so afraid that his home will be bad or not real. My head feels messed up, and I think maybe I’m sick with a dream. Kai never saved me. I’m back at the homestead with my crying daughter. We’re going to be punished if we aren’t quiet, but I can’t stop the tears.
The car finally parks, and Kai helps me out. He carries Anika as I follow after him, terrified to wake up.
I smell something weird in the air. It’s the dream ending. I can’t go back to the homestead. My baby won’t survive there. I need Kai to be real. I want to feel love. I can’t wake up.
Shellshock (Spent Shells, #2) Page 17