Beautiful Bounty (The Bounty Hunters: The Marino Bros. Book 1)

by Nightingale, MJ

  Again, he stopped and surveyed his surroundings, smiling all the while. After a minute, he began to walk again. In another minute he was in the house.

  Ronnie moved then. She didn’t know how much time she would have. She went the fifteen paces to the edge of the trees, looked at the house, and watched the curtains for a moment before heading to the shed. Her grandpa left the door wide open. She saw her dirt bike right away. On it was a folded sheet of paper weighted down by a rock. Her helmet sat on the seat clean as whistle.

  Hands trembling, she picked up the note. She opened it.

  Chipmunk,

  I’ve been all up morning sweets, and gave her a really good tune up for you. The gas tank is full. Your mom called me this morning and told me to be on the lookout for you, and to try and stop you if you showed up here. So, anyhow, my little chipmunk, you know how well I listen to your grandma and your mother, which is not very well. l love you girl. Be careful. I taught you everything I know so I am not too worried. But a little worried. I know you’re innocent and if you need anything at all just call me.

  Love, Gramps.

  PS Give him hell. I never liked him for you anyway. And Grandma went shopping, so let me hear that engine roar.

  Tears sprang to Ronnie’s eyes. She loved that man. She grabbed the pen he left on his work table, and tore the bottom of the sheet of paper off. She wanted to keep his note and the rock. She slipped them into her pocket.

  Gramps,

  I love you. Soooo much. You are the best. Mom is pregnant by the way.

  Love always, your chipmunk

  PS I’ll give him more than hell. I’ll kick him in the arse.

  Ronnie put the note on his table, picked up his small whittling knife, and stabbed it into the paper and into the wood.

  Picking up her helmet, the one he lovingly cleaned for her that morning, she put it on over her head, and pulled her bike out of the shed. Her grandpa was in the window watching her. She waved. He waved back, and then gave her a thumbs up sign. Getting on her bike before she lost her nerve, she kicked started it, and the engine started right up. The man was a blessing. One more wave, tears in her eyes, she floored it, giving the bike a full three hundred and sixty degree spin in the yard before she headed to the trails just beyond the rear edge of her grandfather’s property. She rode into the trees knowing her grandfather was watching her the entire time. Yes, that man always had her back. She had always been able to count on him.

  ***

  Ronnie settled into the hotel room in Spragueville which wasn’t far from Quaggy Joe Mountain and Echo Lake. Spragueville was a sleepy town for half the year, but come summer the lake and Aroostook State Park attracted many tourists, and during the winter the ski trails were quite popular for both cross country and downhill. Luckily the town was pretty busy right now with the campers and she could easily blend in and become lost in the crowd so to speak. She’d been here a couple of times before with Gary and some friends on small vacations, but she needed to be safe and keep her wits about her. She didn’t want to be recognized by the locals, so she would steer clear of the most obvious places, and the local hangouts she had been in before.

  For her hotel she chose one of the larger establishments figuring the workers would turn over more quickly and she wouldn’t be recognized. She’d stay away from the quaint restaurants and the bars, places she went with Gary and their friends just in case. After arriving here, she hid her bike in a deer blind she and her grandfather used once in the Aroostook Forrest that would not be used since it was not hunting season.

  She walked the three miles into town, and went to the local radio shack located in a strip mall. It was a small town, far enough from Bangor, but still when Maine people made news, it made the news. So she wore her disguise hoping it would be the last time. She picked up a throw away cell phone, one with voice and video recording capabilities. She also got an external microphone so she could put the phone in an isolated location, but record good quality voice without risk if she had to block the device or move away from it.

  She also needed to call Gary on it, stroke his ego a little, and then maybe her mom too, so she didn’t worry. Her grandfather had probably informed her mother she arrived safely and took her bike, but she felt confidant her mom wouldn’t report her missing to anyone just yet. Her mom was probably worried, but would give her the time she asked for to try to get Gary to confess his role in this entire mess. The phone was necessary too because she couldn’t use her own as it could easily be traced. Even the one she purchased could be traced if they figured out she was using it. She didn’t want to think about the fact that the police might be tracing Gary’s phone now that they were looking into his whereabouts. But she had to end this. She needed to move on from under this dark cloud. She needed to get on with her life without Gary, without these charges, and without Nikko too. The first two thoughts made her angry. The third made her sad.

  After radio shack, she went to a convenience store to purchase a few food items. She was hungry, but didn’t want to risk a restaurant or grocery store where people tended to be more watchful and observant. In and out was her plan. These stores, like the Seven-Eleven she chose, saw numerous tourists all day long, as people came in to purchase their gas and head back on the road. The attendants and cashiers wouldn’t be looking as closely, she hoped. She had to be careful. She couldn’t afford a misstep now. She was so close.

  She was back in her hotel by four PM. She made herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, watched the local news, and drank the milk she purchased. She was relieved to see no news reporting anything about her charges and or disappearance. She took that as a good sign.

  Her motel room was pretty nice, but it wasn’t equipped with a refrigerator. She finished her sandwich and tidied up. She was glad she hadn’t purchased much, just some bags of nuts, granola bars packed with protein, and more water, all light and easy to carry. The loaf of bread, and small jars would stay here in the room. A local paper and a charger for her phone rounded out her shopping.

  Exhausted, Ronnie decided to sleep until eight or nine that evening, and then make her first call to Gary. She hoped she could pull this off, and was counting on his overzealous ego to believe she was still in love with him, and needed him to keep her out of jail, and hidden. That was her plan. Throw up the offer of sex slave, in return for hiding her, and she would never tell anyone it was him who planted the drugs. But, and this was part of her plan, she needed to get him to confess his part in the drug smuggling, explaining why he had done it and how, get it on tape, and then present it to the authorities. She knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but she had to try. She just hoped she didn’t have to sleep with him before he spilled his guts because she really didn’t think she could do it. Not now. After Nikko. The thought of how he used her stung anew. And as she tried to settle into her bed and get some rest, it didn’t come easy. Nikko was on her mind, and how he would react to what she had done kept torturing her. And even though she knew she shouldn’t care if he was all right, she did.

  Nikko’s head was pounding. He couldn’t even open his eyes. His temples felt like someone was trying to drill holes in his head with the cruelest of all power tools. He commanded his hand to massage them, ease the tension and had to concentrate on that action just to raise his hands. But instead of his temple, and hairline as he expected, he felt something sticky instead. His eyes flew open thinking the worst. He had been shot. But try as he might, he couldn’t get off the ground. His head pounded and he briefly wondered where he was and what happened. He forced himself to breathe and think despite the pressure in his head. He focused. He was looking at a ceiling, and felt his temple again, and then put his hand in his line of vision, squinting to see what it was. When he saw the thick red paste, he nearly panicked again until the smell hit him. Barbecue. It was barbecue sauce. What the hell?

  He then focused on pushing his upper body off the carpet with his hands still trying to recall the night’s events. He had been
having a drink with Ronnie. Sweet Ronnie. He had felt dizzy, and then that was it. He looked down at his body to see if he’d hurt anything in the fall, and his eyes flew open even wider. He was covered from head to toe in barbecue sauce. It just didn’t make sense. And then another thought hit him. Where was Ronnie?

  “What the fuck,” he growled, as he pushed past the pain in his head to force himself into a standing position. He took two steps back gazing down at the mess on the carpet. It did look like a murder scene. He wobbled a bit until he regained his balance, and turned to go into the bathroom. Flicking on the light, he was met in the mirror by a horrible sticky mess. He was covered in the stuff. Not only did his appearance shock him, but there was a message scrawled on the mirror. His heart began to hammer in his chest. Ronnie. Where was she?

  Because his head was still pounding he had to squint to read it. The letters squirmed like snakes. Soon his fear turned to shock, and then dismay, and then great disappointment. The message was from Ronnie. He had to read it twice. He couldn’t believe this was her work.

  N –

  Thanks for your support and friendship. But you have enough friends at Jimbo’s to keep you more than satisfied. Enjoy the barbecue.

  Out, R

  What the fuck? His head continued to pound as he tried to make sense of it all. Ronnie had done this to him. Why? His mind screamed. Then it came to him slowly as he read the message a third time. The waitress from Big Jimbo’s. He had run into her in the lobby yesterday. Ronnie must have seen them both leaving at the same time. It had been a coincidence. But obviously to Ronnie too many coincidences proved too much for her to believe.

  Linda had been applying for a job here. And it had been just that, a coincidence, and nothing happened between them. The brunette had been polite, and they chatted a bit in the lobby, but there had not even been mild flirtation. He hadn’t even felt the usual urge, which struck him as odd. He knew he was known for his flirtatious ways, but since being with Ronnie again, he never even noticed other woman around him. And as for Linda, she was on her best behavior with the manager looking on as the two walked out together. In the parking lot she even apologized for her behavior at the restaurant. He apologized as well and explained he had done it to make Ronnie jealous, but realized it had been wrong to toy with her that way. But, Ronnie, who may have just been driving by, wouldn’t have heard their conversation. She would have seen two people leaving a hotel, talking, and he’d even given her a brief hug as he walked her to her car because he felt so guilty for his part in the flirtation and how it led to her actions.

  Fuck! He couldn’t believe his goddam luck. But Ronnie, ugh! She could have just asked him about it. The girl had some serious trust issues. He couldn’t blame her after what she had gone through with Gary, the fucking scum bag. But with him, he thought they were learning to trust one another.

  As he began to wash the barbecue off his face and neck, he realized last summer must have crossed her mind too. This did not bode well for them. And frankly, as mad as he was at her, and he wanted to put the girl over his knee, he was seriously worried she wouldn’t give him a chance to explain. And that bothered him most of all. She still didn’t trust him. And he could lose her over another stupid misunderstanding. Turning to the shower, he put the water on full blast, and began to strip. He needed to clean himself up and go see her. He had no choice, and neither did she. He was going to demand she listen to him, and then threaten to slap her little naked backside until she apologized and promised to talk things out before over reacting if something like this ever happened again.

  Getting in the shower, and leaving his pile of ruined clothes on the floor, Nikko used the hotel soap and began to vigorously rub the sticky mess that penetrated through the fabric of his nice new cotton shirt. God, he still fumed. What had she been thinking? Apparently the ice princess, or so she seemed to him in the beginning, was hot blooded. And she had a vengeful streak. Not good, not good at all. An apology alone wouldn’t do. He might have to return the favor, he smiled mischievously as the hot water did wonders for his pounding brain. But maybe something a little more flavorful than barbecue sauce, he thought. Mmm, chocolate syrup maybe? He imagined drizzling the stuff across her breasts and nipples. Now that was a mess worth cleaning up.

  And then again, Nikko had another sudden thought. How had she done this to him unawares, and what was with the lingering headache? Had she drugged him? Holy shit! He needed an explanation. And she definitely deserved a spanking. He imagined it. And despite his anger, and the fact she basted him, and drugged him to do it, he had a raging hard on just thinking about her. Fuck man, he told himself, you need to get your act together when it comes to this girl. Nikko knew he was falling for her, and falling hard. The thought terrified him.

  ***

  Two hours later, he was even more terrified. Arriving at Louisa and Jay’s place by taxi, still fuming, he expected to find his car sitting in the driveway. After his shower, he realized with even more fury that she jacked his car. He was tempted to put her over his knee even if he had to do it with an audience. But his heart pounded thunderously, when he found only Louisa home.

  ***

  With more morning sickness, Lou had taken another sick day. Even though it had eased up some, she also called in because she wanted to be near the phone in case Ronnie called. She was sick with worry for her daughter ever since she discovered her missing this morning. Ronnie usually joined her for breakfast and when she had not heard her stirring in the room, she peeked in on her only to discover her bed hadn’t been slept in and a note tented in the center. After reading it she immediately called her father to let him know what was going on and to try to convince him to stop her. Then twenty minutes ago, she’d called again to ask if he had seen her. Her mother answered saying he was outside in the yard. She hadn’t mentioned anything to her mom. She hadn’t wanted to worry her. Her mom said he would be in soon for lunch, but he walked in at that moment and she was able to speak to him. He’d been pretty tight lipped with her mother in the room. He said he hadn’t seen her.

  She was just about to call her dad again when she heard the pounding on the door. It made her jump. Her first thought was that it must be the police. But then she heard Nikko’s angry voice through the door. When she opened it, he flew inside brushing past her.

  “Where is she?” he demanded to know.

  When he asked where Ronnie was and Lou couldn’t meet his eyes, his stomach sank. When he asked a second time, Lou looked furtively behind her, and stuttered when she finally answered.

  “She . . . she went shopping.”

  “How? With what car?” he asked quickly putting her off guard, counting on her not telling her mother she dumped a vat of barbecue on him, or stole his car. “Jay went to work, and your car is here.”

  “Um, she went with a friend,” she murmured, beginning to shut the door.

  “What friend?” he put his arm against the door blocking her attempt.

  “Nikko, please. The neighbors,” Lou begged with her eyes.

  He moved his arm guiltily, but as soon as the door was firmly shut behind him, he pounced again. He wanted answers. His eyes swept the room and Ronnie’s open bedroom door. He saw her bed. She hadn’t slept in it. His heart sank with his suspicions. “Lou, I know she took off,” he announced. His eyes narrowed to look past her. “You have to talk to me and tell me everything. If the police find out she’s gone, her bail will be revoked, you could lose your house, Jay his bike. But if I find her, bring her back, before they realize she is missing, then I can keep this between us. My brother’s will be quite upset if they lose their bond,” he warned her.

  He saw Lou’s shoulders visibly sag, and she stepped back. Shit. He was right. Again, he pushed past her further into the house, and stood tall in the middle of the living room.

  “What happened Lou? Why did she run?” He was hoping it wasn’t just their misunderstanding, and seeing Lou’s fear, felt now more than ever it wasn’t. When Lou didn
’t speak he went on.

  “The more I know, the quicker I find her. I’ll keep her safe. I love her, Lou.”

  He didn’t mean to say that. But he knew it was true the moment the words left his lips. She could be in serious danger. He had to help her. Who knows what this whacko Gary is capable of or even if he was acting alone. A thousand scenarios were running through his head.

  Lou’s eyes went wide at his words. “You love my daughter?”

  He hadn’t meant to say it, it just slipped out. He nodded, and met her eyes.

  “I haven’t told her yet, and I’m not sure I will for a while after the stunt she pulled last night, but I do. I want her here and safe, just like you do,” he added. “So please, tell me everything I need to know to find her.”

  Lou looked into the younger man’s eyes. Could she trust him? She did want Ronnie home with her. God knew what she was getting herself into. She saw the fear in his eyes and made her decision.

  “Um, let me get you the note.” Lou turned towards the kitchen and went towards where her purse sat on the counter. “She went to Maine. I talked to my parents twice this morning. Once to tell my father I thought she would go there first, then again, just twenty minutes ago. I know he lied to me when I called the second time, said he hadn’t seen her, but his voice sounded strange, but proud. So, I knew he was lying. She probably went to get her bike as I suspected she would.”

  “Maine? Her bike?” he questioned. “Already! How the hell . . .” he stopped as she placed the note in his hand. He scanned the few lines.

  “Lou . . . this is not good. This guy, Gary, he could be dangerous if she tries to corner him. He could . . .”

  He felt like he swallowed a lead ball. Fear for Ronnie, and the situation she was putting herself in, gutted him like a fish. He looked to Lou, and he saw his words were scaring her as well. He remembered Ronnie revealing she was pregnant, and immediately felt guilty.