Hard Escape (Notus Motorcycle Club Book 2)

by Debra Kayn

  She walked out of the kitchen to the living room and looked behind the drapes. The street empty of traffic, she scanned the area looking for the Notus member who guarded her. Her heart raced not finding anyone. She moved to the other side of the window and peered down the street. Her head hit the glass in relief.

  Thad sat on his motorcycle behind a parked car. She could barely make out his head, but it was enough.

  "Ingrid?" The urgency in her mom's voice pulled her away from the window.

  She walked back into the kitchen. "Yes?"

  "You didn't come back into the kitchen." Her mom caressed Ingrid's cheek. "I was thinking we should have a root beer float. Remember how we used to have one every Friday night?"

  The float had been their special treat for making it through the week and an excuse to sit down with her mom and talk about how school was going. She smiled and patted her stomach. "I couldn't eat another thing. I'm stuffed. I think I'll go in my room for a while."

  "We could watch a movie." Her mom wiggled her fingers in the direction of the living room. "Anything you want. You can pick. Even a comedy."

  "Not tonight." She kissed her mom's cheek. "I don't think I could sit that long."

  Her mom's forehead wrinkled. "Are you feeling okay? Should I make a doctor's appointment for you? You know, it might not be a bad idea to have everything checked over after living on the street. I know...well, it would be okay. Dr. Schwinner is still—"

  "Mom." She placed her hands on her mom's shoulders. "I'm fine. Once I left Evan, I wasn't hurt physically anymore."

  Earlier she'd answered her mom's questions about how she survived in more detail, knowing her mom needed the answers to accept what happened. She'd been truthful. It'd been hard, and she'd struggled through some of the questions.

  "I just need some time by myself. Being back here is new to me." Ingrid softened her words. "I'm tired."

  "It's your home. Your room is yours forever."

  She hugged her mom to her chest. "I'll come out in a bit before you go to bed. Okay?"

  Her mom nodded and grabbed on to her with more force than she'd expected. "Promise me that you'll be here in the morning. That you won't leave."

  "Absolutely. I'm not going anywhere," she whispered.

  "I love you," her mom said.

  "Love you, too." She stopped, needing to know one more thing before she escaped to her room. "Mom, what happened to Daisy?"

  Her cat wasn't the first thing on her mind when she was dealing with telling her parents what happened. But, when she'd gone to wash her face before dinner, it dawned on her that the litter box wasn't sitting behind the door of the bathroom, and she hadn't seen the cat since she came to the house.

  Her mom shook her head sadly. "About a month after we received the email that you'd arrived in New York, Daisy escaped out the door when the visiting nurse came by to sit with your dad while I did the grocery shopping. I left food out for her and called and called her name, but she never came back. I couldn't leave your dad to go look for her and..."

  "It's okay. I understand." She left the room.

  Plopping down on the bed, she hung her head. She wasn't the only one who'd run away. Daisy probably went looking for her. Unused to living outside, the inside-only cat probably suffered before ultimately meeting her ninth life, and it was another unforgiving thing she'd done to someone she loved. She couldn't fault her mom. Her dad's care came first, and she never expected her mom to go traipsing all over St. John's looking for a cat.

  She only had herself to blame. She should never have moved in with Evan. If she had continued living with her parents, she'd be graduating from the local cosmetology school. Daisy would be home. Her parents would be safe.

  Her body vibrated from exhaustion. Everything was closing in on her. She hadn't expected her return to be easy. But, she had hoped she'd handle it better.

  If she went to the bathroom, her mom waited in the hallway. If she looked out the windows, her mom called her attention away from what was happening outside. If she wasn't smiling, her mom fed her. If she stopped talking, her mom asked questions. If she showed any concern for her dad, her mom pretended everything was fine.

  The constant supervision and fear in her mom's eyes rubbed her the wrong way. She moaned, rubbing her tired, dry eyes. It made her highly aware of what she'd put her parents through. Thank God, Evan lied to them and made it appear as if she was in constant contact with them. At first, she hated Evan even more for tricking her parents for two years. The more she thought about it, she realized what a blessing it was after seeing her mom fall apart while learning the truth.

  She'd equally broke her heart and disappointed her that the story about her building a career wasn't true. If her mother had two years to suffer through what she'd done, she probably wouldn't have survived. At least this way, she was here to help soften the news and show her mom that she would be okay.

  She still doubted her mom understood the amount of danger that Evan could bring into their lives. As long as her mom was preoccupied with her, she wouldn't take Evan seriously. Maybe she was rushing things. She'd need to be extra vigilant until her mom adjusted to having her home and the added dangers.

  Standing, she stepped over to her bedroom window. In the privacy of her room, her mom couldn't pull her away from looking. She had to find out where Glen was and if he was okay. Not once during the last twenty-four hours had he relieved the other Notus members of watching out for her and her parents. She'd tried calling his phone several times and left messages, but he hadn't called her back.

  At her window, she could see Thad better than from the living room. There were still a couple hours of daylight left. After that, she wouldn't be able to see which club member would take Thad's place.

  She pulled the phone out of her pocket and dialed Glen's number again. It only rang once before going to voicemail.

  "It's me again. Ingrid," she whispered. "Please call me. At least let me know you're okay. I'm wor—"

  She pulled the cell away from her ear. His voicemail must be full. The automatic message system cut her off before she could even finish talking. Why wouldn't he be answering?

  Placing her hand on the window, she watched Thad. She couldn't tell if he was in a good mood or a bad mood from inside the house. She fingered the window latch. It would only take her two minutes to run to the end of the block, ask about Glen, and get back inside her room. The whole time, Thad would be aware of her outside, and she'd remain protected.

  She could be in and out without her mom stopping her.

  It wouldn't be the first time she'd snuck out of her bedroom. Lou, her next-door neighbor, and former best friend would often meet her after her parents went to sleep, and they'd sit out in the yard talking about boys, school, graduation, college, dreams. Not making a sound, she slid the window open and removed the screen, setting it against the wall of her room before she could change her mind. The late-night escapes ended when Evan came into her life, and she lost all interest in keeping her friendships going. At graduation, Lou went off to college somewhere back east, and she'd moved in with Evan.

  Throwing her leg over the windowsill, she slid her lower body out the window and let herself fall the twelve inches to the ground. Determined to get answers, she peered around the overgrown bush in the flower bed and found the street clear of traffic. She sprinted across the yard and ran down the sidewalk toward Thad.

  She only made it halfway down the block, and Thad intercepted her, grabbing her arms to stop her forward motion. "What's wrong?"

  Ingrid shook her head. "I've been calling Glen since last night. He's not answering. Can you check on him?"

  He turned her around and nudged her back in the direction of her house. "You're not supposed to be outside."

  "I need to find Glen, and I can't do that from inside when he's not answering his phone." She jogged to keep up with Thad's longer strides. "Have you even seen him today?"

  "He's fine." Thad grabbed her upper arm and
propelled her across the street.

  She dug her sneakers into the grass when he led her toward the front door. "I can't go in that way."

  "Why not?" asked Thad.

  "Because my mom is already freaked that I'll disappear on her and if she finds out I left through my bedroom window, she'll hover over me more and I...I don't know what I'm doing." She put her hand on her forehead. "I need to talk to Glen."

  "I'm sure he'll contact you—"

  "No, I need him now." She panted. Her body tingled as if she wasn't getting enough air. "Please. Call him and prove to me he's okay."

  "Not until you take a big breath for me and calm the fuck down." Thad waited until she drew air into her tight chest and let it out. "Again."

  She rolled her eyes. If she had to jump through hoops and do a sobriety test to find out about Glen, she would.

  Thad grabbed her arm again and led her toward her bedroom window. "Show me how good you are at hiding."

  She stepped behind the rhododendron bush. Thad acted like she wanted to be outside or she wasn't afraid of Evan driving by. She was. More than she wanted to be, but Glen had promised to be with her. Someone needed to look out for him, too. Because of her, he had a target on his back.

  Thad watched her and lifted his cell to the side of his head. After several seconds, he said, "Yo."

  She stepped forward, and Thad pointed his finger, sending her back against the house.

  "I haven't seen a thing, except Ingrid running down the street and demanding that I call you."

  She caught her lip between her teeth. Thad didn't have to repeat her behavior to Glen that way, making her sound like a psycho with head damage. She'd made sure it was safe.

  "She's concerned about where and what you are doing?" said Thad, raising his brows at Ingrid. "Claims you won't return her calls."

  Thad looked down at the ground. "Gotcha. I'll tell her."

  She thrust her hand through the bush, wanting to speak with Glen, and watched Thad disconnect the call.

  "You've got to be joshing me?" She slapped at the branch. "Would it have been so hard to let me talk to him before you hung up?"

  "He wants you inside your bedroom, the window closed, and then he'll call you on your phone." Thad motioned her to climb into the house.

  "Do you swear it?" she said.

  He dipped his chin. She turned, put her foot on the side of the house and hoisted herself to the window edge and climbed into her bedroom. Scrambling to her feet, she quietly put the screen in, closed the window, and flipped the latch.

  Thad walked away putting his cell to his ear again. She laid her hand on the glass wanting to knock and get his attention but knew any noise would bring her mom to her room. He better not have lied to her about Glen calling her.

  Grabbing the phone Glen had given her out of her back pocket, she held it in her hands and sat on the edge of the bed. The Notus members obviously could get ahold of each other when needed. A benefit that wasn't extended toward her.

  She swallowed. Since leaving Glen and coming home, she'd struggled with worrying about losing the closeness she'd had with Glen and the knowledge that his priorities seemed to push her away.

  Her phone vibrated. She answered. "Glen?"

  "Yeah, it's me." His deep voice settled over her. "You need to stay in the house for a few days until we have a better grasp of how Kingsley is going to react to you being back home."

  Maybe because she was tired or maybe because she missed him or maybe because he'd promised she could call him whenever she needed and he refused to answer or maybe because they'd had sex and there was no doubt that what they'd shared together was special, she started crying.

  She clamped her lips together to keep Glen from knowing he'd angered her enough to reduce her to tears. She hated not having control of her emotions.

  "Ingrid?"

  She inhaled through her nose. "I heard you. I have no problem staying inside if I can see you or at least talk to you."

  "Is everything going okay with you and your parents?"

  "Yeah." Her spine gave up the fight, and she flopped onto her back. "No. I don't know."

  "What's going on?"

  "It's the way they look at me." She stared up at the ceiling. "I've disappointed my mom. She's afraid of what I'm not telling her and I know she's imagining me standing on a street corner for the last two years fucking every man who hands me twenty bucks and sharing needles to escape the damn rain. It's even worse seeing what I've done to my dad."

  "Ingrid..."

  "I know what he's thinking, Glen. I can see it in his eyes. Dad's angry at himself for not being able to protect me. My returning home pushed him back into hating his condition, the wheelchair, the oxygen...life. He can hear everything I say. It hurts him. I've hurt him. He was such a proud man before his accident, a-and if he weren't paralyzed, he would've killed Evan the moment I came to him for help. He was always my hero. H-he would've protected me in a heartbeat if..."

  "Blue, stop." Glen blew out his breath. "Is your mom going to let me in if I come to the door?'

  She sat up and sniffed. "Of course, she will. Are you coming over?"

  "I'll be there in twenty minutes. Stay inside." He disconnected the call.

  She put her phone on the bed, rubbed her face, and her gaze fell on an old picture of her and Lou on her dresser. Running the palm of her hand over her head, she breathed through the heaviness in her chest. Would Glen like her with long hair? At least, longer?

  She'd had it shaved at the homeless shelter after a required health inspection to qualify for a bunk with fifty others, and they found lice in her long hair. Shocked and new to living on the street, she allowed the female volunteer to shave her head in exchange for a warm, dry cot. The drastic change in her appearance destroyed all her self-esteem. She'd kept the look because it was one more thing that helped her hide from Evan and it also kept her from getting lice again when she bunked in the shelters, which were filthy.

  Now, she wished she looked prettier. For Glen.

  Chapter 27

  Ingrid shut her bedroom door and sat on the bed, patting the mattress with her hand. Glen remained standing at the edge of the room, holding his gloves. When he'd asked her if he could come over, he expected to sit in the living room with Ingrid's mom close by. Not in the bedroom with the door shut and Ingrid looking prettier and more tempting than ever.

  She'd put makeup around her eyes and wore hoop earrings that almost touched her bare shoulders. Even her clothes seemed different. Not ones he bought her, but they somehow fit her personality. Booty shorts that were a little too big and a T-shirt that hung off her shoulder and dipped dangerously low, showing the swell of her breasts.

  "Have you seen Evan?" she asked.

  He slapped his gloves against his palm and then shoved them in the pocket of his vest. "He's laying low this weekend. Goes from his apartment to his dad's house, and then back. Chuck's there watching him. He's not going to go anywhere that we don't know about."

  "Stewart's okay?" She crossed her legs on the bed and leaned forward, which only thrust her breasts out more.

  Warmth heated his body. "Far as I know. He came home from his shift last night and has stayed home."

  "I feel like I should talk to him. Stewart, I mean." She ran her finger around the inside of her hoop earring. "Since I'm back and my parents know why I was gone—after believing I was off on some once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity thanks to Evan, maybe it'd be best if Stewart hears my side of what happened. He probably thinks I was in New York, too."

  "He knows the truth. It was all in the report," said Glen.

  "But, he won't believe it." She groaned. "I just feel...unsettled."

  "You need time. Don't expect everything to feel comfortable or like it used to be before you hooked up with Kingsley. Things have a way of working out, eventually."

  Her gaze traveled from his boots to his eyes. "Does that include us?"

  For how street smart, mature, and strong Ingrid
was before he learned how young she really was, she either couldn't mask her feelings for him or his own was reflected back at him. He couldn't forget what they'd started or how he'd wanted her in his life.

  She asked the question he asked himself all day and night long.

  He walked over to her window and looked out at Thad at the end of the street. It was unfair of him to let her continue believing that what they'd done would happen again in the future. He needed to force her to check her emotions before she ended up hurt even more. What they both wanted was impossible, and he was responsible for making sure she moved on without him.

  "You need to concentrate on rebuilding your life." He leaned against the wall. "You've gone through something not many people have done, and you've got a second chance."

  "I know," she said quietly standing and walking over to him. "But, there's still Evan out there, and I don't know what he's going to do. I worry about my parents and Stewart and you and—"

  He framed her face with his hands unable to keep from touching her. "You lost two years of your life trying to take care of those you loved. We get this shit cleaned up, make your world safe again, and you have your whole life ahead of you."

  She was close. He was here. She looked damn good, and he wanted her.

  Then, he kissed her. God damnit.

  Her lips eagerly accepted him, parting when he tasted her. He groaned and pulled away without letting her go. His damn breath came heavy and fast. What the fuck was he doing?

  Ingrid rocked to her tiptoes and captured his lips before he could find the strength to leave the room, leave the house, leave her.

  Taking her cue from him, she mimicked his kiss, and he was helpless to stop her.

  Hell, he'd taught her what he liked, and she responded as if he gave her life.

  He pulled away and stepped around her. His cock hard and uncomfortable in his jeans, he needed to go cold turkey.

  "There is no us, Blue," he said, turning back around and looking at her. "You're twenty years old."

  "So," she said.

  "I'm forty-three." He took out his gloves, needing something to keep his hands busy and to keep from touching her. "Tomorrow, a man named Hanley will be watching the house while we're at Port Loaders since Evan doesn't work on Mondays. The rest of the week, we'll verify he is at work, so you'll know you're safe. If you need help, you call 911 during the day. Then, between the Notus members, one of us will protect you through the night. That I can promise you."