As he studied the coffee cakes, a flyer taped to the front of the glass caught his attention. The colorful poster showed a motorcycle and heralded a coming rally in the next town over. It boasted food and music along with vendors selling all kinds of classic bikes on display. Sam read the date. It was this weekend. It was bound to attract a ton of bikers. Maybe even Howard. From his undercover days, before Sean had died, Sam had attended rallies as part of the gang. While most who attended were just weekend bike enthusiasts, there were always some less savory characters who attended as well. He’d hated that while he was deep undercover, he had to act like the other members of the gang. The regular folks usually avoided Howard’s group as gang members swaggered around the rallies. People would pass them, their eyes never quite meeting any of the bikers, as if hoping to not call attention to themselves. It worked for the most part, as Howard had no interest in people who weren’t looking for what he had to sell.
This rally appeared to be one of the bigger events in the region, and he had a feeling it would attract the Ravens. It would be well attended, but the town wasn’t near a big city, so police presence would be light. Sure, there would be hired security, but they never posed much of a problem.
Sam’s turn came and he placed his order; his anticipation for seeing Kelsie’s face dampened as his quest for revenge resurfaced. At least there was a chance that he wouldn’t have to leave town to find the enforcer. If his suspicions were correct, the enforcer would practically waltz uninvited into Sam’s turf, and like a wolf protecting his territory, Sam had no qualms about doing whatever it took to rid his world of the threat. Howard would pay his debt and now Sam had a collection date he could stamp on the bill.
CHAPTER NINE
As expected, Kelsie squealed when she saw the pink doughnut, and Sam pasted on a smile. It fooled the little girl, but Molly looked at him, one brow raised in question. “What’s wrong, Sam?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. I just forgot to get the juice at the grocery store.”
She looked doubtful, but accepted his lie. “Well, there’s some iced tea. It might not go with doughnuts, but I can make up a pitcher for later this afternoon.”
“That would be great.” He smiled again, feeling like a louse for lying to her, but she couldn’t know about the rally. If she found out, she’d worry that Howard would come for Johnny again. Sam worried about it too. Johnny had been making a name for himself at the local bars already, and people would remember him. Word got around in small towns and even though the rally was in the next town over, Sam was sure Johnny’s reputation had already spread. Just the fact that he was hanging out with Victoria probably stirred gossip. Everyone knew she was newly divorced. The problem was, if Howard was going to look for Johnny, Sam had to make sure he didn’t come anywhere near Molly and Kelsie. That meant Sam had to deliver him to Howard at the rally—give the gang leader no reason to look for Sam’s cabin. Johnny would be bait and he wouldn’t even realize it. Sam felt a stab of guilt at the cruel scheme, but it wasn’t as if Johnny would stay away from the rally. He’d go with or without Sam so it was better that Sam would be there to cover his back.
“I’m going to go see about putting the boat in the water. I’ve been promising Kelsie for a few days, and I finally have it water-ready. We can go for a ride around the lake later, if you’d like.”
Molly grinned. “Oh, that’d be wonderful!”
Sam grabbed an éclair and headed down to the dock. He’d readied the engine but hadn’t started it yet. It had been over a year since he’d been on the water with it. He jumped in, and checked the engine as he mulled over the rally. The problem was how to keep the rally a secret from Molly? How was Sam going to explain his disappearance for an evening? He could say he was going to visit some old buddy or something. Maybe Victoria’s brother, Tony.
That afternoon, Sam took Molly and Kelsie on a tour of the lake, all but killing the motor to go through a narrows into a back bay.
Molly’s eyes shone as she looked around her, her arm draped around Kelsie who sat beside her. “Oh, Sam, it’s beautiful!” She gasped and pointed. “Look, Kelsie, I think that’s a beaver!”
Sam smiled. “Yeah, beavers like it back here.”
Kelsie’s eyes became huge as she watched the animal, only its head visible, swim thirty yards away. She turned to Sam, but only grinned before searching out the beaver again. She and Molly had a whispered conversation about it, and he thought it amusing that they whispered as though they were in church. Looking around at the still water, almost calm now that their waves had spread wide enough to dissipate, he decided it did seem natural to want to speak softly. Sound carried on the water and even normal voices sounded almost like shouting. Kelsie wore Sean’s life jacket and when he’d catch a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye, he could almost imagine it was Sean sitting in the boat with him. For just a few moments, he indulged in the fantasy, closing his eyes and letting it wash over him. And then Kelsie giggled and the fantasy ended. He blinked a few times, grateful for the sunglasses, cleared his throat and took a swig from his water bottle.
“This was always my favorite part of the lake. There aren’t any homes on the shore, and it’s so quiet. Sometimes I’d come out here to fish, and I’d feel like I was the only person for hundreds of miles. Water skiers don’t come back here because it’s not deep and hard to get into the bay, and most prefer to stick to the main part of the lake.”
“Think I’d love to float out here with a good book to read and cold drink. It would be pure heaven.”
“Well, next time, you can read while I fish.”
“What about me?” Kelsie looked from Molly to Sam. “What can I do?”
Sam stood and moved over to the cooler they’d packed and offered Kelsie a pouch of fruit juice while he dug out another bottle of water. “I can teach you how to fish. Before you know it, you’ll be a good little fisherman,” Sam joked, then realized that he’d spoken as if there were going to be a next time—enough next times to teach her how to fish.
Molly must have come to the same conclusion because the smile dropped off her face. “Sam, I’ve been thinking. We haven’t seen any of the people you’re worried about.” She spoke in vague terms for Kelsie’s sake, but Sam knew she meant Ravens. “And I just think it would be okay for us to go back home now. My boss was okay with me taking emergency time off, but he’s not going to go for me staying up here indefinitely. And I don’t have that much vacation saved up anyway.”
At her words, a wave of sadness crashed over Sam, catching him by surprise, and he sat on the seat opposite Molly and Kelsie. Of course, they couldn’t stay here forever. Molly had a life to get back to. Sam sighed. He wished that things were different. He wished that he could teach Kelsie to fish. Most of all, he wished his son was in the boat with him, too. So many wishes, and none of them could ever come true.
* * *
Sam threw a light jacket on to conceal his shoulder holster, but felt almost naked without his leather jacket. He should have bought a new one. He hoped Molly wouldn’t notice the firearm, but there was no help for it. No way was he going unarmed.
Johnny walked out of the spare room, twirling a key ring around one finger. “Hey, Sam. What’s up?”
He canted his head towards the front of the cabin. “Can you step out on the porch with me? I have to ask you something.” Sam checked to make sure Molly was still busy helping Kelsie with her bath. He’d made sure they spent most of the day at the beach. With any luck, they would both go to sleep early, and by the time they woke up, this whole thing would be over.
“So…what’d you wanna tell me?”
“We have someplace to go tonight.”
“We do?”
“Yeah. We’re heading over to the bike rally. It’s over in Kendall.”
Johnny grinned. “All right!”
Sam shook his head. “Quiet. I don’t want your sister to know. We’re not going to have a good time, we’re going to find Howard, the
enforcer in the Ravens.”
The grin withered and his face blanched. “But…why? We haven’t had any trouble since we left Molly’s house.”
“Exactly. Do you think you can stay here forever? You may not have much of a life, but Molly does. She has a job and she has classes in the fall. As much fun as this has been, it can’t go on indefinitely, and the only way to make it safe for her to go home is to finish this. As long as the Ravens are hunting you down, she can’t go home.”
Johnny bit his lip. “I guess so, but if they’re going to be at the rally, I can’t go. If they see me, they’ll kill me!”
“You have to go. You’re the bait.”
“No way! I…I can’t. I can’t do it.”
Sam clenched his jaw and strode up to Johnny, grabbing a handful of his shirt as he jerked him close. “Listen, you damn coward. Your sister—hell—your precious niece—are in danger because of you. You led those assholes right to her door and now you have to fix it.”
Johnny gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t thinking, but—”
“But nothing.“ Sam pushed Johnny against the wall, rattling the screen door beside him. He balled Johnny’s shirt in one hand and jabbed a finger in Johnny’s face, close enough to make the younger man flinch. “Listen up. You either play the bait, and have me covering your sorry ass, or I’ll turn you over to Howard myself. Either way, it’ll fix this. Your call.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Okay. I’ll do it.”
“Good.” Sam released him and stepped back, glancing into the cabin. He heard Kelsie singing in the bathroom. “Now, here’s what we’ll do…”
Just as Sam finished outlining his plan, Molly opened the door. “Hey guys. Why so serious?”
Sam smiled. “Nothing. I was just warning Johnny about Victoria, but he told me he’s a big boy and doesn’t need my advice.”
Johnny nodded. “Yeah, I can handle her. In fact, I’m going out with her again tonight.” He lifted his chin as though defying Sam’s advice. At least the kid was playing along even though he was scared spitless.
“I see. This sounds like it’s getting serious.” Molly crossed her arms, her eyes dancing as she sent Sam an amused look.
Johnny shrugged. “Anyway, I’m gonna get going. Can I use your car, Molly?”
“I guess so, since you already have the keys.” Molly laughed. “Have fun.”
“I will. See you guys later.” He jumped to the ground, ignoring the three steps, and Sam hoped he’d show up at their meeting spot.
After Johnny pulled out of the driveway, Sam turned to Molly. “I hate to leave you ladies alone tonight but my old buddy, Tony, called me. He’s in town and heard I was here. He wanted to hang out tonight.”
“Is that Victoria’s brother?”
Sam nodded.
“Well of course you have to go. You certainly don’t need to ask my permission.” She said the right words, but Sam could see the disappointment in her eyes, and he couldn’t help feeling a little bit of joy that she would be sad he wasn’t going to be here tonight.
“Be sure to lock the doors. I may be gone all night—Tony’s quite the party guy—so don’t expect me until late, and maybe not until morning.”
“Oh.” This time, she made no attempt to hide her disappointment and it was clearly written on her face. “Okay. See you tomorrow.”
Sam should have turned and left right then, but couldn’t bear to see her walk away like that. “Molly, I’m sorry. If I could stay here with you, I would.” He leaned in, cupping her cheek with one hand as he kissed her. She accepted it, but pulled away after a moment.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
* * *
Molly shut and locked the door as Sam rode off. She scolded herself that she had no right to expect him to be with her every second. After all, what they had was temporary. They both knew that. Molly had to go back to work soon, and Sam was still intent on hunting down Howard. While she understood why Sam felt he needed to inflict vengeance on Howard, she was torn. As much as she agreed that Howard deserved everything he had coming, he was still Kelsie’s father. There was a chance he’d change his ways, and someday when Kelsie was older, she might want to get to know him. People changed. She thought of the man Howard had become, and thought of him ordering the hit on Sam’s son and mother, and shook her head. Could someone who did that ever change enough to matter? Probably not and he had to pay for his crime. On second thought, she hoped Sam did find him, but her biggest worry was that Sam would end up dead or in prison and Howard wasn’t worth it.
“Mommy, where did Mr. Sam go?” Kelsie wore one of Sam’s old t-shirts as a nightgown. It was huge on her and hung almost to the floor, but she looked adorable in it, and Molly scooped her up and blew raspberries in the crook of Kelsie’s neck, much to the little girl’s delight. The move didn’t distract her though, and as soon as Molly set Kelsie back on her feet, she repeated her question.
“Well, tonight, Mr. Sam is going to meet up with an old friend of his.”
“He’s not going to be here to tuck me in?” Sam had stood in the doorway the last few nights while Molly read to Kelsie, and then her daughter had insisted that Sam give her a goodnight kiss, too. Molly had known Sam was both touched and torn at the request. It had to have triggered memories of his son.
After finally getting Kelsie settled down and sleeping, Molly plopped onto the couch. She didn’t feel like watching a movie and the selection was pretty much limited to Disney movies that she had already seen a dozen times each. She glanced at the bookcase beside the fireplace. It was well-stocked and she got up to peruse the titles.
It was a good mix of thrillers, historical, classics and, Molly giggled, romance novels. Somehow, she couldn’t see Sam reading the bodice rippers. She sobered when she realized they probably had belonged to Sam’s mother. Molly found a book that looked interesting and took it back to the couch. After an hour, she tossed it aside. It was okay, but she felt restless and couldn’t concentrate. She was about to head to the kitchen to get a snack, when there was a knock on the door.
Molly froze for an instant then crept over to the fireplace and removed the poker from the bin of utensils. It was heavy, and was at least something to use as a weapon. She drew back the curtain of the window beside the door and let out a sigh of relief. It was just Victoria. She lowered the poker and unlocked the front door.
“Hello, Victoria.” It suddenly occurred to Molly that if Victoria was here, where was Johnny?
“Molly. Can I come in for a second?”
“Sure.” Molly held the door open for her, then closed it, locking it again. “What’s up? I thought you were out with Johnny.”
Victoria gave her a look of confusion. “Johnny? No. We didn’t have plans tonight. Isn’t he here?”
A sick feeling of dread coiled in Molly’s stomach. “He told me he was going out with you.”
“Dammit. I knew he’d go without me.”
“Go where?”
“The Bike Rally over in Kendall. I called him a few hours ago and said I wanted him to take me, but he said no, he was beat and was just going to hang out here with you and Sam.”
“Well, Sam isn’t here. In fact, he’s out with your brother.”
Victoria put her hand to her forehead, and then drew it through her hair, shaking her head with apparent frustration. “My brother? He’s not even in town.” She crossed her arms, her lips thinning. “Molly, I think our men are up to something.”
Our men? “Well, Sam’s not exactly my man, but I think you’re right. The guys lied to us about who they were going out with, but why?”
“I have no idea. If it was just Johnny, I’d chalk it up to him being a typical biker and out playing the field. A Bike Rally is a great place for a guy to pick up chicks.” Victoria gave a sarcastic chuckle. “But I don’t see Sam like that. You say you and Sam aren’t together, but every signal I’ve seen you guys send to each other says differently.”
Molly felt heat rush to her face and her first impulse was to deny it, but instead, she said, “Yes, I suppose all the signals are there, but it would never work.”
Victoria looked confused. “Girl, if I had a guy like Sam looking at me like he looks at you, I would make it work.”
Shrugging, Molly turned to go into the kitchen. “It’s complicated. Come on in and have a seat.” She motioned towards the table. “Want something to drink? We have beer, iced tea, and lemonade.”
“See? You’re already playing hostess in Sam’s cabin.”
“I’m not playing hostess. If Sam was here, he’d be the one offering, so I’m just doing what he would do.”
“Whatever. I’ll have a beer.”
Molly took a beer, along with the pitcher of iced tea, and withdrew two glasses from the cabinet, adding ice to her own. “Here you go.”
Victoria poured her beer, setting the bottle nearby. A small amount remained in the end, not quite filling the glass. She took a long swallow. “So, tell me what’s so complicated about it? You’re attracted to Sam, and he’s attracted to you. It’s a no brainer.”
Molly wished she could tell someone, but she didn’t know how much Victoria knew about Sean’s death and it wasn’t her place to talk about it. “Let’s just say that there’s someone in our history. If Sam knew about my background with this person, he’d hate me and worse, he’d hate Kelsie. I have to protect my daughter.” She took a sip of the iced tea and it wasn’t nearly strong enough to dull her emotions.
“Listen, Molly. I don’t know you very well, but I’ve known Sam since I was a little girl.” She gave a short, harsh chuckle. “Hell, I’ve been crushing on him the whole time, even when I was married to my sad sack of a husband. In all that time, I’ve never known him to be cruel to anyone, let alone a child. What kind of man do you think he is that he could hate a sweet little girl?” Victoria took another drink of her beer, but the look she gave Molly was filled with resentment.
Seeking Vengeance Page 15