by S I Taylor
Either there was a long wait to get this Six person or they were speaking without letting McKinley speak because he just stared ahead in silence until he suddenly spoke.
She wanted to know what the other end was saying, but all she could do was sit and listen to a one-sided conversation. She wanted to know who this Six person he needed to speak to was, considering that he was still driving as fast as when they were being chased.
“Yo, Six! We have a problem. We need to lie low for a few days. We’ve been chased down by two unknown vehicles on Ronald Freeway I-4 East bound between Exit 10 and 30 right outside Huntersville. Can you send a crew there to investigate and send me the intel? I’m driving towards the safehouse. Did you make sure that it was fully equipped? Good. I’ll be there in about an hour,” he said.
An hour? Fuck! She slumped further into the seat, trying to make herself small and disappearing within the cushioned seat. She was no closer to getting rid of this agent and further from delivering these jewels. She was under suspicion of murder and she needed to speak to Nixon.
“Why are we going to a safehouse?” she asked.
“Didn’t you seen the chaos we left behind? That wasn’t an ordinary chase. They were trying to kill you! Don’t you understand?”
She didn’t have anything else to add to his comment and simply looked away. Why does fucked-up shit happen to me? she thought.
After several minutes of silence she finally thought of something somewhat clever to say. “I’m not a child. I don’t need your protection. I’m capable on my own.”
“I’m not only protecting you from them, I’m protecting myself as well. I’m sure by now that they presume that I’m your accomplice and also want me dead. Besides, you’re needed for questioning and for your reckless driving,” he reminded her.
There went her so-called clever comment. It got shot down by reality, but she wasn’t about to let him win this conversation that bordered on an argument.
“You also drove like a maniac out there. You would have killed me if I didn’t persuade you to remove these cuffs and give me the gun. Which are still hanging from my wrist.” She wiggled her arm in front of him so he could see.
He slowed, reached behind him, and yanked her arm. He took the gun and handcuffed her hand to the metal tube supporting the headrest.
“Awesome. Just great. I’ll make sure to file a complaint against you for police brutality,” she told him.
Bam!
Her body hit the center console as he came to a complete stop.
“You can add that one to the list as well,” he said, and the sound of screeching tires and dust was left behind.
“Fuck you!” she told him. And the little bit of whatever was developing between them faded away.
Chapter 30
They were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees from all angles. If they received any signal in this remote area it would be a welcome surprise.
What is it with him and secluded areas? she thought. At least the cabin looked pleasant and should be stocked with supplies, food, clothes, and amenities compared to the shabby motel room they’d left hours ago.
He opened the door to the SUV and walked out of sight.
“Hey, you’re forgetting valuable merchandise in here.”
“Fuck!” he cursed. He looked around the vehicle and saw the extensive damage to it. “This is another ruined car in less than a week.”
“And I’m the one with the reckless driving charge?”
“It’s not even like that.”
“If you say so. Now can I get out of this car? I’m bleeding and tired of having my ass on these shards of glass.”
He secured the cuffs around her wrist in front of her and again carried her. He placed her down on the front steps and opened the door.
“This is more spacious,” she said.
She looked around the room from where she stood. They entered the front door and the scent of pine caressed her senses. The place was small but had character. The floors were a dark wooden color and the walls were actual logs in a high-gloss light brown color. The walls had several generic picture frames of oceans, parks, and city scenes. A large couch sat in front of a fireplace, while a large rectangular coffee table, two end tables each on the side of the couch, and two love seats decorated the living area.
From where she stood she could see the kitchen since the cabin had the open-concept floor plan. The kitchen was equipped with the essentials and had a sit-in round dining table. And to the right three steps led to a hallway.
“There are no windows here, why is that?” she asked.
“For protection,” he said. “It wards off bears or any wildlife scouring for food. Besides, having light reflect from the outside at night will attract their attention.”
She nodded at the new piece of information and looked around once more.
“Oh, interesting,” she said. An animal she did not want to encounter whether night or day. She had enough bears in her life to deal with.
He nodded as he walked toward the kitchen.
“An upgrade from that motel room,” she said.
“Yes, but I’m not letting you out of my sight. You’re still under arrest and in my custody until I bring you in for questioning.”
“I’m tired of that same line. I’ve memorized your dialogue and quite frankly I’m not sure how you can entertain anyone but yourself,” she said, annoyed.
He glanced at her and proceeded to the kitchen, ignoring her comment. She wasn’t sure if she’d offended him or not, but she didn’t care at that point.
“Are you going to stand there, or are you going to follow me?” he said.
“I’m going to stand here. I’m tired of following your commands.”
“Suit yourself. I’m getting food. Feel free to join me. If you want,” he added.
The thought of food made her realize how hungry she was. But her stubbornness wouldn’t let her follow.
The acids in her stomach were making her rethink her decision to stand there. The sweet aroma of pasta sauce and the steam flowed through the air to her nostrils, begging her to eat. She didn’t know if she was teaching herself a lesson or him, but she had been standing there for forty minutes for no reason at all.
He watched her hop toward him holding onto furniture.
“So, you decided to follow,” he said.
“I was hungry, and I haven’t eaten since yesterday—no thanks to you,” she retorted, “and I’m not following you. I have no choice. You dragged me in here. I could’ve been home, but you had to arrest me.”
He looked at her and turned his attention to the plate in front of him.
“You have a funny way of pissing people off and yet making them feel compelled to laugh. That tough exterior you are trying to portray is not you.”
Somehow, he’d known she was coming because he laid out two plates on the kitchen table.
But his words were so far from the truth. She had to prove her point. She had to tell him. Even though she wanted to keep every detail of her personal life private, she had to tell him something.
“Everything I do was because of my surroundings. Pretty boys like you don’t know how it feels to be raised around crime.”
“You’re wrong. I know exactly how it felt. It haunts me every day. I just choose a different path than you.”
She didn’t understand what he meant but he seemed rather hurt by her comment. She must have hit a nerve. But she was also was hurt both physically and mentally as the events of the day flashed through her mind.
“Sit unless you want to stand and eat,” he commanded.
“I would gladly eat standing, but my wrists are still bound by these cuffs and my ankle impedes me from balancing myself while my hands are preoccupied holding a plate, handcuffed, and trying to eat at the same time.” She raised her hands high so he could see and be reminded of the cuffs.
“You love to shove that in my face,” he said.
“Every chance I get
until I’m free from you,” she retorted.
“Fair enough,” he said, “but I’m not taking them off. You can eat with them on.”
“Fine,” she said through her clenched jaw.
She wobbled to the kitchen table and plopped on the chair.
She quickly grabbed the fork and positioned her left hand on top of her right. She leaned closer to the plate and started to shove food in her mouth without breathing.
“Slow down. You’re going to choke,” he said.
She looked up and realized that she wasn’t eating alone on her mattress in her basement room. She slowed down and chewed her food the way her father had taught her.
“I need to call my friend and let them know that I’m all right. I am entitled to a phone call, right?”
“As soon as I clean up and activate the Wi-Fi you can make that call,” he responded.
She nodded, not making eye contact.
He cleaned the dishes, wiped the table, and walked over to a room, all while she sat there waiting like a child being punished. She hated the feeling of vulnerability and helplessness but currently she had no other choice.
He returned with a smug look on his face. He looked like he’d just discovered a new piece of technology.
He triumphantly approached her, sat across from her, and handed her a wireless phone.
“Cell phones don’t work too well in this area, so we keep a landline active here. Make your call. You have five minutes.”
She reached for the phone and thought twice before the idea of snatching it out of his hands became real and the opportunity to make that call was taken away. So instead she politely took it and flashed a fake smile.
It was always five minutes with him. Doesn’t he know any other number besides five? she thought.
“Can I get some privacy? Please,” she added.
“Yeah, you have five minutes,” he repeated.
“I got it, five minutes, you said that already. Jesus!”
She looked at her watch and searched through the contacts Nixon had placed on there and found his number. She dialed it on the phone and on the second ring he answered.
“Hello,” he said suspiciously.
“Nixon, it’s me, Barbara.”
“Are you all right? Where are you? Do you need me to come for you?” he asked, concerned.
“Yes, I’m fine, no, you don’t need to come for me. But wait, Nixon.” She looked around to make sure McKinley had left the room, but he just stood there. She looked at him and placed her hand over the receiver. “Are you leaving or what?”
“Yeah, sorry,” he said and walked toward the living room.
She whispered some of the details to Nixon. She didn’t want him to get alarmed. She told him to contact Iggy and to let him know that she would need two more days. He knew what to do and she didn’t trust these phone lines, so she made the call quick and short.
“McKinley! I’m done,” she shouted.
He came strutting in the kitchen still wearing the same bloody clothes from earlier. He grabbed the phone.
“We have an agent about your size, and she stocked this place with new clothes. I laid out some clothes for you in the bedroom,” he said.
“I could’ve done that myself.”
“Of course, hopping on one leg and carrying clothes from the closet to the bed would be great exercise,” he responded, “considering you didn’t want to balance the plate and eat at the same time earlier. I figured you could use the help.”
She looked down and snorted. “Whatever, but I’ll have a strong leg in the process.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, well, next time, I know.”
“I will make sure that there isn’t a future encounter with you, let alone like this one.”
He stared at her. “You’re right. If I do see you again it would be under different circumstance.”
She wasn’t unsure what he meant since she saw a smirk appear across his face but brushed it off as she didn’t want to entertain his cryptic statement. “Anyway, where’s the bedroom?”
“It’s across the cabin up those three steps. I can help you.”
“No, thanks. I got it.”
She hopped on her good leg, holding on to the couch along the way. She managed to hold on to everything she could grab. She looked around, sulking. Damn, the furniture trail stopped. Since there was nothing else to hold on to, she kneeled and lay on the wooden floor and started to drag herself toward the hallway that led to the steps.
She stopped as loud laughter erupted from behind.
“You’re the most prideful person I’ve ever met,” he said. He scooped her up, carrying her to the bedroom.
“Let me go,” she said. Her voice was low and sultry and even though her voice said one thing her body said another.
“My manners wouldn’t let me continue watching you drag yourself across the floor. Consider this my repayment for saving my ass back there,” he said.
She was forced to wrap her arms around his neck, looking into his deep brown eyes. His lips were inches from hers. He stood there and stared back at her.
The room was getting warmer and the silence longer. The pain in her ankle reminded her of her situation and she had to say something. “This doesn’t come close to a repayment. When that debt needs to be repaid, I’ll remind you,” she said.
Everything about this situation screamed no to her, that this was not the time or place, but if the circumstances were different, she wouldn’t have hesitated to devour his lips.
Her words cut through the tense sexual moment and he proceeded to walk her to the bedroom. He placed her on the bed and stared at her.
“Are you going to watch me get undressed or what?”
“I was going to tell you that there’s towels and toiletries in the bathroom shelves. I’ll be in the living room waiting. This is the only bedroom, hence the only closet, so if you need anything just let me know.”
“I’ll be fine. The bathroom is not too far from the bedroom. I can manage. Thanks,” she said. “Are you going to sleep in here too?”
“I’ll be sleeping on the couch in the living room.”
“You’re not going to watch me sleep?”
“There’s no need. We’re deep in the woods and you won’t be going anywhere.”
“Great.”
He glanced at her waggled the handcuff keys in front of her and a wide smile peeked across her face like a kid with their favorite toy. She held out her arms as he slowly removed the cuffs and walked out of the room.
She rubbed her wrists massaging them as she looked around the bedroom. It was a nice place considering the size. The walls were painted pastel purple. The floors were carpeted. The bed sat in the far wall of the bedroom. The linen sheets were cold and soft to the touch. Two nightstands were at either side of the bed with a small lamp on the right side. The closet was next to the bathroom. It smelled like pine trees in there, just as it did throughout the house. It was a nice scent that reminded her of the holidays and the parties she used to enjoy.
She disrobed and hopped over to the bathroom. She got in the shower and welcomed the hot water, even though the scrapes and cuts on her body throbbed from the pain and sizzled from the heat.
The shower was exactly what she needed. She hadn’t had a relaxing shower in a long time.
She kneeled in the tub to get out of the shower, but she slipped and landed on the tile floor with a loud thud. Her grunt must have been louder than the fall because suddenly, like her knight in shining armor, she felt strong hands hoist her up.
“Why didn’t you take a bath instead of a shower? It would’ve been easier to crawl out,” he said.
“I was wet and slipped.”
His bare chest heaved as his eyes lingered on her soaked, naked body marked with scars. She called them scars of wisdom as she had to learn the hard way to fend for herself.
“What are you doing in here anyway?” she said.
“This is the only closet, remember? I also h
ave clothes in there and was going to use the shower in the hallway, but I needed some towels and a clean set of clothes. So I took the opportunity when you were in the shower to get it,” he said.
His eyes lingered on her body and she realized that she was naked. She wasn’t ashamed of her body but she was not about to give him a free show either, so she used her hands to cover herself. “Well, can you knock before you enter? I could have managed on my own,” she said.
He looked away, as if ashamed of staring for that long. “Yeah,” he said.
“Can you at least hand me the towel since you’re standing there?”
“Right,” he responded.
“I can handle it from here.” She wrapped herself in the white fluffy towel.
“Yeah, right after I carry you to the bedroom. Two falling incidents is enough, and your ankle needs to heal,” he said as he carried her to the bedroom.
He laid her on the bed while his face was inches away from hers. He looked intently at her features and quickly moved away.
She cleared her throat. “I need to get dressed,” she said as she fidgeted with the hem of her towel.
“Yeah, I’ll see you in the morning. Good night.”
“Yep, in the morning.”
He turned and left the room.
She was experiencing that same new feeling she had from the motel. It excited her and she felt flushed. She knew that if she were to stay confined with McKinley she wouldn’t be able to contain herself. “When is this nightmare going to end?” she whispered. She wanted to consider it a nightmare when in fact she felt a small smile spread across her lips.
Chapter 31
McKinley took a long, hot shower. His mind drifted from seeing Wolf’s naked body and the scars that adorned it to the murder case. He knew she’d lived a hard life, but he didn’t know to what extent. He was having weird feelings about her and he didn’t like that he couldn’t control his emotions. He didn’t know if it was the mere fact that they had spent two days together or that he hadn’t slept with a woman in a few months. Regardless, he needed her out of his system. And he needed to get her into the sheriff’s office.