by B. B. Hamel
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re tracking her phone.”
“Tapped it a while ago. I probably shouldn’t have told you, but, fuck, I do love to brag.”
I made a note to destroy her phone as soon as I could. “Why did you show up if you didn’t think she’d come?”
“I wanted to meet the guy she ran to.”
“You don’t want to meet me.”
“No? I guess not. You’re some hotshot Navy SEAL, right?”
“Something like that.”
“Well, Mister SEAL. Listen to me.” He leaned forward and grinned. “My guys are on their way to grab her right now.”
“What?”
“That’s right. We figured out where you lived. If she’s there, she’s ours.”
I stared at him, heart hammering. I knew he wasn’t lying. I didn’t sense any deceit in his words, and besides, I could tell that he was the type of man that needed validation. He needed me to know all about how plans and how smart he was. He couldn’t handle being a normal guy and winning a normal way.
I could see what had scared her so much. She saw past his mask and got a glimpse of the real terror that was Tony.
I’d met many guys like Tony in my time. Some of them even were on my side. They were cold, calculating, and fucking dangerous. I knew the kind of man he was, and that meant I knew the kind of man I had to be if I wanted to win.
I stood up. “Nice meeting you, Tony.”
He laughed. “Stay and drink. You’re too late to save her.”
“The next time I see you, I will kill you. Understand?”
Tony grinned huge at me. “You don’t disappoint, Gates.”
I turned and walked quickly out of the restaurant.
There was no time. I jogged across the street, jumped into my car, and started the engine. I peeled out, heading back to my apartment.
Tony definitely sent those guys in the parking lot. I didn’t see their car as I drove past. That meant they didn’t have that big of a head start. If I drove fast and they were overconfident, I could make it.
I clenched my jaw and broke every law imaginable as I sped back to my apartment. I couldn’t lose Piper, not now, not so soon. I couldn’t fucking let her down already.
Tony was a sick bastard, but I had underestimated him. That was my mistake. Next time, I wasn’t going to make that same mistake. I wasn’t lying when I said that I’d kill him if I ever saw him again. Part of me hoped it would come to that, because killing was something I did very, very well.
I turned onto my block, the Mustang’s wheels churning up gray smoke. I spotted that same car from the parking lot out front of my apartment building, the engine on, the doors open.
That meant they just got there and were in the process of grabbing her.
I stopped my car right in front of theirs, pulling back until my rear bumped hit their front. I jumped out of the car, drawing my weapon, and stormed inside.
I charged up the steps. My place was the third door on the left, and it was hanging slightly open. I heard muffled grunts and the sound of someone struggling. I slowly pushed the door open and slipped inside, silent and deadly.
The two guys were standing over Piper. She was being held down by the one man as the other wrapped rope around her, tying her up and immobilizing her.
“Hurry up,” the one guy said. “I left the car running.”
“I didn’t tell you to do that.”
“Fuck you, man. We gotta get out of here quick with this bitch.”
“People will notice either way. It doesn’t matter.”
“That’s what you always say, but it does fucking matter. I don’t need no more time on my record, you get it?”
“Don’t be such a pussy. Hold her tighter.”
“Bitch can really struggle.”
The men were distracted as I came in behind them. The man holding Piper down was younger, maybe in his thirties, with thin greasy hair. He was skinny, and his suit looked too big. The other guy was older, in his forties, with graying hair. He was wearing a tracksuit.
I stopped behind the skinny one. The older guy looked up at me just as I brought the butt of my weapon down onto the skinny guy’s skull. He collapsed forward with a grunt, the sound of my weapon against his head a wet thud.
“Fuck,” the older guy said, going for his gun.
I kicked him in the face. I felt his jaw crack and saw a tooth break free as he was knocked down to the floor. I followed that up with three more swift kicks to his skull, cleanly knocking him unconscious, or maybe killing him. I wasn’t sure, and didn’t care to find out.
I bent down and quickly untied Piper.
“Gates,” she groaned, throwing her arms around me.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m here.”
She hugged me tight and I pulled her against me, holding her. The men were bleeding and unmoving, which was exactly how I wanted the fucking bastards.
“Come on,” I said, standing and helping Piper to her feet.
“Where are we going?”
“We have to leave here. Grab your things.”
She stared at me. “How did they find me, Gates?”
“Tony tracked your phone. We’ll need to leave that here.”
She shook her head. “This is insane.”
I took her by the shoulders. “You’ve done great so far. Please, Pipes. Trust me. We have to go.”
She paused and then nodded. She turned and began to gather her few possessions.
I went into my room, grabbed my go-bag and another duffel. I had food, water, camping gear, an extra weapon with ammo, and other essentials pre-packed. I threw some toiletries, clothes, and a few other things into the other bag. I was ready in three minutes.
Piper was standing in the kitchen, staring at the two men. “What were they going to do to me?” she asked me softly.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “You’re with me now.”
She nodded and followed me out the door.
I wasn’t sure where we were going. But I knew that we couldn’t stay at my apartment anymore. Greg and Lauren were in danger, which was my next concern.
But for now, I needed to get the two of us far, far away as fast as I could.
13
Piper
I was shaking for the first hour of the drive. I couldn’t stop seeing those men pressing me down against the floor so easily and callously tying me up. No matter how hard I struggled, they simply held me down harder and kept going.
I couldn’t believe this was really happening. But it all sank in when Gates came back and stopped those two sick fucks. I wasn’t sure if he killed them or not, but I found myself not really caring one way or the other.
That thought alone terrified me. I should care if men were dead or not, but I really didn’t. They were sick fucks that wanted to hurt me, and that was really all that mattered in my mind. Still, I didn’t want to become a person that didn’t care about human lives.
Maybe that was what I needed to be if I was going to survive.
After an hour of driving, we were clear of the city. We were on a highway heading southwest, doing at least seventy the whole time. We barely spoke, and I could tell that Gates was upset, though I didn’t know why.
He saved my life again. He saved it once when he picked me up, and again when he stopped those men from taking me. It wasn’t his fault that Tony was an insane creep and knew how to track my cellphone. Tony probably planted a bug inside of it or something the second we started dating.
Gates still managed to get back and save me. We didn’t talk about what happened at the meeting, and I knew it wasn’t a good idea to press. Still, the silence had lasted long enough.
“Where are we going?” I asked him.
He glanced at me like he was coming out of a trance. “Michigan,” he said.
“Why Michigan?”
“I know a place there we can lay low.”
“What place?”
“My father left me a cabin. W
ell, he left it to my grandmother, but she said he wanted me to have it. It’s not much and probably in bad shape now, but we can stay there for as long as we want.”
“Is it safe?”
He shrugged. “I really don’t know. For a few days, at least.”
“A few days,” I said softly.
“I don’t know if Tony is going to back down,” he answered. “I met him, at the restaurant. I saw what kind of man he is, and I don’t think he’ll let us go no matter what.”
“He seemed so nice,” I said numbly.
“That’s not a shock. He clearly can hide who he really is very, very well. You’re probably not the first woman he’s lied to this way.”
“Think I’m the first he’s tried to kill?”
“No,” he said simply. “I doubt you are.”
“What are we going to do then? We can’t run forever.”
“No, we can’t. But Tony works for someone, I’m sure of that. We need to contact those people and offer them something in exchange for our lives.”
“Our lives?”
“I’m in this, Piper. No matter what happens.”
“You don’t have to do this,” I said. “You can just drop me off somewhere and disappear. This is my problem.”
He sighed. “Stop saying that.”
“It’s the truth.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
I nodded, marveling at him. I couldn’t imagine how I could be so damn unlucky and lucky all at the same time. On the one hand, my ex-boyfriend wanted to murder me, but on the other, I had this incredible strong man to keep me safe. It was a horror and a blessing.
We drove for another half hour and I let myself get lost in my thoughts. My mind ran through the whole spectrum of time, trying to figure out where everything went wrong.
Maybe it was back when I first met Gates. Maybe even before that, on the airplane. Or maybe it was more obvious, maybe it was when I met Tony and decided to go out with him. I should have been smarter, should have asked questions.
But that just wasn’t worth the time and effort. I could obsess about it all I wanted, really beat myself up over it, but none of that mattered. I was in this situation, driving across the country with Gates, and nothing was going to change that.
He already fought for me. Probably killed for me. I had no clue what else Gates was going to do, but there was a strange excitement in my core. This was a man willing to do whatever it took to keep me safe. There was no stopping him.
He suddenly put on his turn signal and got off at a rest stop exit. We were in Pennsylvania, heading down I-76. “Where are we going?” I asked him.
“Need to make a call.”
“Is that a good idea?”
He shrugged. “Tony mentioned Greg. That means Tony knows about Greg, and I think they could be in trouble.”
“Shit,” I said softly.
“It’s okay. Greg can handle himself.”
“But their house. Their kid.”
“Greg can handle it. I just need to warn them.”
“Okay. Yeah.”
He pulled over the car, then collected some coins from his central console. He climbed out. I followed him over to the phone. He deposited the coins into the payphone then dialed Greg’s number.
It rang and rang. Finally, Gates perked up.
“Greg,” he said.
I couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation.
“Listen to me carefully,” Gates continued. “You’re in danger. I can’t talk long, but this isn’t a prank call or a joke. You need to go dark for a while. It’s about Tony. I’ll contact you through the base. Understand?” He paused. “I know, man. Please, just do as I say. I promise I’ll give you more info soon.” Another pause. “Okay, brother. Good luck. Stay safe.”
He hung up the phone and looked at me.
I frowned. “Well?”
“He’s unhappy. But I think he listened.”
“Good,” I said, feeling relieved.
“Now we need to get back on the road. I’m guessing Tony tracked that call.”
“You really think so?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know how many resources he has at his disposal. I think it’s best if we assume that he has the whole mob helping him.”
I shuddered. “That can’t be true.”
“It could be.”
We climbed back into the car and he started the engine. It roared to life.
“How long?” I asked him.
He grinned at me. “Like twelve hours. So get comfortable.”
My face fell. “Twelve hours?”
“Just be thankful we’re safe.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”
He put the car into gear and we pulled out into traffic. I leaned back into my seat, getting comfortable.
He was right. I’d trade twelve hours in a car for safety any day.
The ride was long, but it was uneventful. We drove straight through the night and the sun rose as we crossed through Indiana and into Michigan. Gates drank coffee after coffee, and although I offered to drive, he refused.
“Nobody drives her,” he said to me.
“Her?”
“My car.”
“Of course it’s a her.”
He grinned at me. “I can’t help it if I get all the ladies revved up.”
I rolled my eyes but his stupid joke did make me feel a little bit better. I looked back out the window and tried to imagine all the people we were passing. None of them had to worry about the mafia trying to kill them.
I must have closed my eyes, because one second I was imagining all those people, and the next I was sitting in a still car with sunlight streaming in through the windows. I sat up slowly, looking around, blinking away the confusion.
The windows were open, and Gates wasn’t in the driver’s seat. There were tall trees all around, and ahead there was a small cabin. I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the door, climbing out.
My legs were stiff as I stretched the long trip from my sore muscles. I looked around and took a deep breath. This must be the cabin.
“Gates?” I called out and headed toward the front door.
It was pretty, but remote. There was nothing but woods all around. I felt like I was in the middle of a vast, deep forest and there was nobody nearby to save me if something went wrong.
Actually, that probably was the case.
“Gates?” I called out again, walking up the front steps. I suddenly felt a stab of fear and panic. I didn’t know where he was, and if he was gone then I was screwed. I didn’t know where I was or how I’d survive out here alone. Worse than that, if Gates was gone, that meant the mafia caught up to us.
“Gates?” I called one more time, really feeling the fear coat my stomach.
“Hey,” he said, pushing open the door. “You okay?”
I blinked at the gun at he was holding and the way his eyes scanned the tree line.
“Yeah,” I said. “I didn’t know where you were.”
He relaxed slightly. I could tell that he was still on high alert, though. “We got here maybe ten minutes ago. I was letting you sleep while I got this place in order.”
“Oh.” I paused, feeling silly. “Thanks.”
“Sure. Come on, come in.” He stepped aside and I walked past him.
It looked like any other cabin I’d ever seen in my life. There was a kitchen to the left, a small living room to the right, and a hallway leading toward the back. I assumed the bathroom and bedrooms were back there.
“It’s not a palace, but it’ll do,” he said. “There’s propane in the tank outside, so we’ll have heat. And there’s gas in the generator, so we’ll have electricity if we need it.”
“Good,” I said, nodding. “How far into the woods are we, anyway?”
“Far,” he said, laughing. “The nearest town is a half-hour drive, at least.”
“Wow.” I shook my head. “I’ve never been so secluded before.�
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“Well, it’s the perfect place to hide. There’s even some canned food here, if you don’t mind that sort of thing.”
“Beats starving to death.”
“Sure does.” He gestured at the place. “Go ahead and get settled.” He turned back to the kitchen and I sat down at the table.
“Not much to settle,” I said.
“Good point.” He started fussing with the stove and eventually got it lit. He opened a can of soup and poured it into a pot, stirring as it heated.
We sat there in silence for a few minutes while he stirred. I could tell he was thinking about something, but I didn’t know how to bring it up and pull it out of him. Gates wasn’t exactly the forthcoming type, and I suspected that he didn’t respond well when someone pressed him too hard.
I was beginning to feel like I had a picture of Gates, even if it was in broad strokes. It was a sketch of him, but it was something. He was loyal as hell and serious, but he was also funny and cocky. He had a grin that drove me insane, but he had the attitude and the abilities to back it up. He held something deep inside of him, something that he wasn’t going to share with me anytime soon. But it only made me want him more, despite our insane situation.
He finished heating up the canned soup and placed a bowl in front of me, along with a spoon. He got us two glasses of water and sat down across from me.
“You’re not eating?”
“Not hungry,” he said.
“Come on. Eat something.”
He shook his head. “Had too much coffee. I’m going to crash soon.”
I took a bite of soup. It was plain and boring but exactly what I needed in that moment. I began to slowly eat.
“I think I owe you an apology,” Gates said after a minute or two.
“You definitely don’t.”
“I do.”
“Whatever you think you did, we’re more than even,” I said, laughing.
“I never responded to your letters.”
I stopped eating and stared at him for a second, the painful memories of those ignored letters rushing back to me. I looked away from him and out the kitchen window.
“I didn’t think you got them.”
“I did,” he said. “You can’t imagine how they made me feel.”