Betrayals of the Heart

by Melissa Ohnoutka

  What rotten timing. Their stops needed to be brief and few. They couldn’t risk being spotted at a local gas station or fast food restaurant before they reached the ranch where he planned to hide out for a few days and collect his money for the last shipment. Then, if everything went as planned, it was on to California, to his new and improved life with his new and improved family.

  Steven pulled his cell phone from his pocket and eyed it anxiously. They needed to reach their destination by 6:00 the next morning. The locked doors were scheduled to open for only a brief window. His contact was expecting his call from the private estate phone. Miss the rendezvous time, or use any other number, and it was all over. His contact would assume the plan had gone awry and bring the entire arsenal within a ten-mile radius to take them down. If that happened, they’d revert to plan B—go out in a blaze of glory.

  ***

  Makayla couldn’t bring herself to watch anymore. Nicholas talking so easily to Steven tore through her like a devastating tornado. What on earth was wrong with her son? He knew better. He’d even run away from Steven the first time. Did he understand that Steven was behind his kidnapping? She thought about that for a moment.

  Sure, he did. The mention of the nonexistent candy the girl accomplice had promised proved that. So what was going on in his head?

  As Nicholas’ head fell between his knees, she couldn’t for the life of her figure out his actions.

  Steven buzzed the driver about that time, but Ricky used his ear buds to keep her from hearing Steven’s side of the conversation. Ricky’s answer gave her a tiny clue.

  “Yes, boss. Next stop.” They would be making an unplanned pit stop and by the expression on Ricky’s face it needed to be fast. She looked back through the dark glass at her son. His feet playfully pounded the seat as they dangled in midair. Maybe he had to go to the bathroom? But he’d never acted this way before. Nicholas wasn’t one to be patient. If he needed or wanted something, the entire car would be impatiently waiting right along with him.

  Her son was up to something and the thought sent an entire new cluster of worries rushing over her. Steven didn’t like nonsense. Wouldn’t stand for it. And if he figured out Nicholas’ childish game before she could tell him to stop there would be serious consequences.

  Maybe she was wrong. Maybe being with strangers was causing Nicholas to act peculiar.

  “The boy’ll be fine.” She felt Ricky’s eyes on her before he spoke and she lifted a defiant chin. The last thing she wanted was to give her suspicions away.

  “As long as he doesn’t throw up right on the boss, that is.” A snicker escaped his lips, but she barely heard it.

  Makayla’s heart lurched. Sick? Not a chance. She swallowed hard.

  Nicholas’ actions proved her worst fears. Her son was no more sick than she was. He was playing a very dangerous game. One he wouldn’t win. Steven and vomit didn’t mix. Never had. Most pregnant women dreaded morning sickness. Yet, during her pregnancy with Michael, it had been a welcome deterrent. Her gags sent Steven over the edge and running in the opposite direction every morning.

  Lord, help her son, if Steven realized he was joking around.

  ***

  The car door flew open before the vehicle came to a complete stop and Steven bolted out, his hand over his mouth. The mere thought of the boy getting sick all over the back seat and him must have sent his stomach swirling dangerously close to losing his own undigested food.

  “Yet another reason I never wanted kids.” Makayla heard him mumble under his breath and then gag. “But this one’s different. This one has potential.”

  Steven moved to the back of the car and kept chanting these words over and over as he paced back and forth.

  “Makayla! Get the hell out of the car and tend to your son.” Steven gagged once again then pounded the trunk, making a knowing nod at Ricky before hurrying off to find the restroom.

  “Yes, sir. I’ll take care of them.” Ricky watched over his shoulder as the boy opened his door slowly and then slid from the seat until his feet touched the pavement.

  “You feeling better, youngster?” he asked, looking over at Makayla to figure out why she hadn’t moved from her seat.

  “Nicholas, stay right there.” Makayla worried he might try to run away again. Almost hoped that was what he was planning all along with this little sick charade.

  “Makayla, you best get out of the car. You heard Steven. He’ll be back shortly.”

  “I can’t open my door with my hands tied.” This guy really was a piece of work.

  “Right,” he said. Heavy steps followed as he made his way around the car to open her door.

  “Nicholas, come here, sweetie.” She couldn’t get her legs to move. The fear of what Steven would do after he found out Nicholas had been goofing around paralyzed every inch of her. She closed her eyes, listening to the shuffle of tiny feet. Nicholas clearly understood she was on to him by the way he walked. He was dragging out every agonizing second.

  “Come on. I just want to see if you’re all right.” She softened her voice, pushing back the panic and urge to tell him to run. Steven was walking around the corner of the convenience store, his hand still at his mouth, a look that could kill blazing in his eyes.

  Ricky gave her a once over and then moved to see if he could help his boss.

  A smirk eased over her lips at Steven’s weakness. Some things never changed. She almost felt sorry for him. Now that was a haunting thought.

  She looked Nicholas straight in the eyes. “What are you up to, young man?” She kept her voice low.

  “I don’t feel well,” Nicholas repeated. And then he rubbed his tummy for good measure.

  “Too much candy?” She’d humor him. See if she could get the real reason out of him.

  He nodded his head in an eager response. Too eager. The candy idea never crossed his mind she felt certain, but he liked it and planned to use the excuse she’d provided for him.

  “Do you need water? Or do we need to hurry to the bathroom?”

  Nicholas bowed his head. She could almost see his little brain working hard to figure out what the next play should be.

  “Nicholas, honey. This is not a game. You understand what Mommy is saying?”

  He nodded again. And his eyes watered.

  For the first time, Makayla saw the fear on her son’s face and she had to choke back a sob. She didn’t understand. If he knew they were in danger, why would he risk upsetting Steven?

  She wanted to hold him, to assure him everything would be okay. But Ricky hadn’t untied her. Throw in the fact she had no idea what to do next and frustration tore through her like a runaway locomotive.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart.” She leaned forward kissing the top of his head and then rested her head against his. “Daddy will find us.”

  Nicholas’ head snapped up, a wide smile stretching across his chubby cheeks. “I know,” he whispered back.

  Makayla stared at her son perplexed. The mere mention of his father lifted his spirits. The remnants of tears still glistened in the corners of his eyes, but they were fading fast. Her son was hiding a special secret. A secret she desperately needed to know, and fast.

  “Honey…”

  Steven’s intense steps stirred the dirt behind them, and she tried to shield Nicholas with her body from the tiny dust particles now floating in the air.

  “How’s the boy?” Steven said, his dry tone grating her nerves as he pushed her aside.

  “The boy has a name.” She lifted her gaze in a challenge.

  “His name doesn’t suit him. But I plan to change that.” She fought to keep her mouth from falling open. What did he mean? Why would he need to change Nicholas’ name?

  “But I don’t want a new—”

  “Shhh…” She quickly stopped Nicholas from finishing. “No.” The one word slipped breathlessly from her lips and she shook her head. Leaning closer to Nicholas, she said. “Be good. Do as he says.”

  Steven w
atched her, but said nothing. Then he bent down keeping one hand hidden behind his back. “How’s my little buddy doing? Do you feel any better?”

  The uneasiness she’d sensed from her son only minutes before vanished. It was as if he were playing some kind of role. He held his head high, looking Steven eye to eye.

  “Yes. Better now.” Nicholas nodded his head for clarification.

  “Good.” Steven straightened, bringing a soft drink around and placing it into Nicholas’ little hands. “Just in case you’re thirsty.”

  “Wow. Thanks!” Her son’s face beamed liked he’d just received the best gift ever. Soft drinks were not on his daily menu for a reason. They made him even more excitable and zipped through his tiny body to his bladder like lightning. Boy, were they in for a fun car ride.

  “That’s my boy.” Steven’s chest swelled with what resembled pride and Makayla cringed. Just hearing Steven use the words “my boy” in reference to Nicholas sent her heart racing.

  Nicholas didn’t like it either. As quickly as his excitement surfaced, it disappeared. He started bouncing from one foot to the other holding the front of his pants.

  “Oh! I gotta go!”

  “Now? You need to go now?” Makayla watched as steam seemed to rise from Steven’s brow. He didn’t like this erratic behavior. Or the fact that Nicholas had waited till he returned to make his needs known. They were clearly working on some kind of timetable. But oddly, after a very long deep breath, Steven held his temper.

  “Ricky, take our little man to the restroom.” Ricky stuck his head inside the car to retrieve his phone and Steven added, “Quickly!”

  “Yes, boss.” Ricky hurried around the car and shuffled Nicholas off in front of him. “Come on, boy. You better learn your place fast. Boss isn’t gonna put up with this crap.”

  “I live at 20723 East Park Lane,” Nicholas said smiling up at him.

  “Huh? Oh, yeah, right. That’s your address.” Ricky shook his head. “Don’t know what kinda plans the boss has for ya, but I sure hope it ain’t nothing long term. He clearly doesn’t know what he’s getting into.”

  “Huh?” Nicholas said cocking his head to the side and staring up into the large man’s face.

  “Never mind. Let’s get going then.”

  Makayla watched the exchange as her son walked off with Ricky and gulped back the bile at the sight of his small form so close to the man she’d watched end lives as easily as he breathed. A million thoughts flooded her at once. None of which were good.

  “Myka. This boy,” Steven said lifting his head in Nicholas’ direction as the pair passed through the glass door, Ricky right behind her son. “He yours and that filthy cop’s?”

  The sound of her tormenter’s voice sent electrical shockwaves through her system. “Yes, but he’s not a cop.”

  “Sure, he’s not.” Steven nodded, an eerie look in his eyes. He slid into the backseat without another word, his cell phone in one hand as if he were expecting a call, his other hand fishing out the cigarettes she hated so much. Closing her eyes, she forced the memories back of the pain always accompanied by those cancer sticks. Those physical scars would never heal.

  Worry bit at her insides. Steven was so cruel. He didn’t differentiate between child and adult. How much did Steven know about Ryan? Did he have any idea he was the man who’d helped her escape that night at the airport?

  The most burning question—had revealing this truth about Nicholas just signed her son’s death warrant?

  Chapter Twenty

  Ryan’s head pounded in his skull. The thought of Steven laying a hand on either Makayla or Nicholas made his gut roll, not to mention his rage flare. If Michael wasn’t sitting next to him in the truck, he’d have let loose with a string of very inappropriate curses. For the boy’s sake, he kept his frustrations in check. The last thing he wanted was to react like Steven. He needed Michael to trust him now more than ever.

  “What do you know about your father, Michael?” Ryan didn’t take his eyes off the road, couldn’t relax his fingers on the steering wheel as dread swirled the air. Steven held Ryan’s future, his treasures in life, tightly intertwined between his lethal fingers.

  “Only that he’s the spawn of Satan. And I’m his son.” Michael cleared the knot from his throat and stiffened up, shifting his gaze to his lap.

  Ryan’s breath caught. Michael’s pain filled words ricocheted off every nerve ending and pierced his heart.

  “Michael, you’re nothing like your father. You haven’t a mean bone in your body.”

  Michael hung his head lower. “But if you hadn’t stopped me back at the warehouse, I-I’d have killed him. I’d have shot my father in cold blood.” His tone cracked at the agonizing realization. “I wouldn’t have any regrets about it now either.”

  The honesty of Michael’s words chilled Ryan to the bone. He peeled his left hand from the steering wheel, rubbing the back of his neck where the tension gathered.

  “Sometimes we let our anger get in the way of our common sense. That doesn’t make us bad. You’re only fifteen. Have so much more to learn about life, about how to deal with people and problems.”

  Ryan wanted to convince him the only thing he and Steven shared was a few genetics. Not behavior, not morals or spiritual beliefs, not the things that mattered in life. But he knew if Michael met Steven face to face, these facts would be hard to believe. Michael looked so damned much like Steven, Ryan often wondered how Makayla could look at her son without feeling resentment. A mother’s love for her child really did overshadow even the worst life had to offer.

  “You have your entire life ahead of you. And your mom and brother will be there through it all.” His gut twisted. Making promises he wasn’t sure would be kept didn’t sit well with him.

  Michael glanced in his direction, but Ryan couldn’t read his expression. The young man was fighting one hell of a battle—a battle against good and evil.

  “Let’s focus our efforts on getting them back safely. Then we’ll deal with Steven.”

  Michael nodded. But his face remained unreadable.

  “Keep checking with Agent Harrington for the signal.”

  “Signal? What kind of signal?”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll know it when it comes.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  This was so not what Ricky signed up for all those years ago. Only a few weeks passed after he accepted Steven’s job offer before he realized his mistake. The large salary should have been his first clue that Steven’s business wasn’t on the up and up. But damn, he was young, needed cash fast to pay off a few not so lucky gambling debts. He was still paying for his greed.

  Quitting or not showing up for work was not an option. Not after Steven made him his right hand man, let him in on horrifying secrets. Ricky knew all too well what Steven did to those who betrayed him and the family. Their little set-up was as close to a mob ring as you could get without actually being one.

  Nicholas followed Ricky into the store and headed to the small restroom in the back corner under the sign labeled, RESTROOM. Ricky was glad the kid could read.

  “You have to come,” a little voice said when Ricky stopped to look at the snack aisle.

  “What?”

  “You have to come.” Nicholas waved him toward him.

  “Why?” Ricky growled.

  “Because I’m only five, silly.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Nope, this was not what he signed on for.

  “No, I’m not kidding. You have to come too,” Nicholas said. Then the boy’s eyes raked over Ricky’s heavyset form as if he were assessing his strength or searching for something and Ricky didn’t like it. Not at all. Surely the kid wasn’t thinking about trying to take him on, or slip away? That last thought he hadn’t considered. With quick steps, he made his way over to Nicholas, scanning the store for exits just in case.

  “Hurry up,” Ricky grunted, leaning against the wall where his phone made a loud whack.

  Nicholas
smiled.

  “I’ll be right back.” The boy closed the door and Ricky had a bad feeling something weird was going on. When Nicholas emerged again, he was whistling. The sound grated on Ricky’s nerves like no tomorrow. He needed to make the nonsense stop before they went back to the car. Steven would blow a gasket for sure. “That good, huh?”

  “No, silly. It stinks in there.” Nicholas held his nose and spun in a circle. On the second go around, the boy grabbed Ricky’s hand and pulled him with him. Then with a boyish giggle, he actually wrapped both chubby arms around Ricky’s waistline.

  “Oh, no you don’t. No hugging. Ever. Now stop that!” Ricky huffed. “Pull yourself together, man. We don’t hug. Steven won’t put up with that stuff and neither will I.”

  “Okay,” Nicholas said with a pout. “No fun. You’re no fun.” And with that said, the little rugrat took off skipping out of the small hallway and back into the main lobby of the store. Ricky stared after him in bewilderment, having to sprint out of the store without his snack to keep up. Not happy. Not happy at all.

  “Kids.” He mumbled under his breath. “Nothing but stinkin trouble.”

  ***

  Makayla’s heart lurched the moment Nicholas skipped through the glass door. A huge grin spread over his face as he saw her and he bolted toward the car. Anxiety hung heavy in the air. She could barely breathe. Thankfully, the car helped her keep her balance. Her knees felt like jelly.

  Where the heck was Ricky? What had Nicholas done?

  “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours, Myka?” Steven now stood on the outside of the car, looking over the door and trying to gather information from her profile.

  She swallowed back the knot rising in her throat. Pull it together. Don’t risk sparking Steven’s suspicions.

  “You tell me, Steven. You’re the one in charge, right?” She lifted a defiant chin, goading him, and praying her attempt to shift his attention back on her wouldn’t set him off right then and there.