by Kate Morris
“Oh, well, whatever you guys work out,” Derek says. “I know Herb wants to go to Fort Knox again soon with Reagan. He said not to let you tire yourself out because he wants to know if you can work at our clinic in town with Simon while we’re gone. I’ll also be going with them.”
“Sure, Derek,” Sam answers amiably but sends a quick glare across the table at Simon. “I’ll help out.”
“Great, thanks,” he says with a smile.
Everyone smiles at Sam. She’s just that kind of person, the kind that brings joy to people’s lives.
“When will we be going?” Cory asks.
“Not until after this thing with the highwaymen is over. We need to eliminate the threat of them first,” Kelly says.
“Won’t be long now,” Cory suggests as an ominous hush falls over the dinner table.
“No, it won’t,” Kelly confirms.
Huntley runs into the dining room as if he’s out of breath, “Derek! Derek, come quick. On the radio!”
They all look at one another for a split second, which is then followed by the scraping of many chairs against the hardwood floor as they leave the dining room together and rush to Herb’s office.
“What is it, Huntley?” Derek asks and leans his weight on his cane.
“Sergeant Winters,” Huntley answers.
“Dave’s on the radio?” Kelly asks and gets a big nod.
Derek calls to their friend using code names only, who immediately responds. “Mechanic, here. We’ve got a problem at the ole Hotel California.”
“Sit rep?” Derek asks.
“Looks like it’s moving day,” Dave answers. “Got a tail on ‘em.”
“They’re all moving?” Derek asks.
“That’d be affirmative, Major,” he answers a second later through static. “Looks like the eviction notice finally came through.”
“What the hell?” Derek asks himself rhetorically.
Nobody answers. They are all just as confused. The Gaylord was their second base of operation.
Derek then asks, “How many are moving, over?”
“The whole kit and kaboodle. Women, kids, and the asshats, over,” Dave answers.
Cory fires off a theory, “Spooked after they found the body? Maybe they found some of the others?”
Derek shrugs.
“Think they knew we were getting ready to make a move?” Derek asks Dave next.
“Not sure,” the Mechanic answers. “But they’re movin’ out like the Devil’s on their heels, and I suspect we’re the devil in this scenario, Rangers. I’ll let you know when they stop.”
“Don’t lose them,” Derek orders firmly. “We may not find them again.”
“Roger that,” Dave returns.
They all stare at each other in silence for a moment.
Cory breaks that silence by saying, “Looks like we get the night off. Want to catch a movie, Red?”
He laughs and leaves the room to Simon’s comment of, “Idiot,” at his back.
When he looks back at Paige, though, she seems relieved and perhaps just a bit like she wishes she could take Cory up on that date. When he glances at Sam, she sends him a nasty look and leaves the room limping.
He was looking forward to helping those women and kids tonight. At least that would’ve been one thing that he’d done right, had succeeded at because, lately, he feels like he is striking out on every front in his life.
Chapter Fourteen
Sam
“Do you need anything before I turn out the light?” Paige asks her from the other twin bed in the room. “Want a glass of water or anything?”
She smiles at her friend and says, “No, I’m good. Thanks.”
“How’s your leg feel?”
“Just a little sore. It’s getting a lot better. Grandpa did a great job.”
“And Simon,” Paige adds. “I’m glad they were able to be there for you. I can’t imagine what we would’ve done if they were up at Fort Knox at the time.”
“Yeah,” Sam says, thinking about that for a minute.
Paige reaches up and turns off the small, low wattage bedside lamp on her table.
“Everything ok with you and my brother?” Paige asks her in the dark.
Outside, the wind beats against the windows, causing them to rattle. Sam pulls the worn, soft quilt up closer to her chin. She is thankful that she is not out there somewhere trying to survive, especially not at this time of year.
“Everything’s fine,” she lies to her friend. “Don’t worry.”
“It didn’t seem like it at dinner,” she notes. “What’s going on with you guys?”
“Nothing,” she lies again. “There’s absolutely nothing going on. I want to live with my uncle and move on.”
“What do you mean by ‘move on’?”
She doesn’t know how she should answer that. Apparently, Simon hasn’t told his sister about the letter she wrote him ending things between them.
“I felt like my life was on pause here,” she says. “I want to live with my uncle. He’s the only family I have left.”
“We’re your family, too. Heck, Simon and I only have each other, too. I know what it’s like. When I first came to the farm, you were so friendly to me. Now you’re my sister.”
This brings tears to Sam’s eyes. “I feel the same way, Paige. It’s just that I need to live with my uncle. He wanted to start the clinic over there. It’s important. We need a medical clinic.”
“That’s true. It’s a good thing, too.”
She lies in her bed hoping Paige will go to sleep and forget about the problems she’s having with Simon.
“But what about Simon?” Paige presses. “There’s something going on between you. What happened? Has Simon done something stupid again?”
Sam chuckles. “No. Well, not really. Not exactly. He’s just Simon. I needed to leave here.”
“If you have feelings for Simon, you should tell him.”
Sam would like to laugh. “No, we’re just friends.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“Like I said, don’t worry. Everything’s fine. Besides, I’m hoping to go back tomorrow.”
“I wish you didn’t have to, but I understand why you feel like you need to. I wouldn’t want to be separated from Simon, not ever again. I’ve done that already. My little brother’s all that matters to me now. Other than the family, of course.”
“Of course,” Sam concurs.
“If something were going on between you and Simon, you’d tell me, right?”
“Probably not,” Sam admits, getting quiet laughter in response.
“G’night, Sam,” she says, to which Sam repeats.
She tosses and turns while Paige falls to sleep very quickly, although Sam doesn’t blame her. She’d worked all day helping clean stalls and the chicken coop with Huntley and Gretchen.
Finally, around two a.m., she quietly slips from her bed, takes her discarded clothing from earlier that she’d left at the foot of the bed, and tiptoes out without waking Paige. She changes in the bathroom on the second floor and leaves her pajamas there to change back into later. The floor creaks a few times as she makes her way downstairs. Once there, she heads to Grandpa’s office to look for a book to read and take her mind off the situation with Simon.
She does not understand why he tried to kiss her and definitely didn’t comprehend what he was trying to say. He mostly seemed frustrated and a tad angry. There is so much regret on her part where Simon is concerned, but she can’t keep living her life in limbo waiting for him. He said something about being more than just friends, but she does not kid herself by thinking he meant to profess his love for her. He isn’t capable of that. He is still admittedly carrying guilt over their time with his aunt’s group. She needs more time away from him for her heart to fully heal. Being around Simon, who tried yet again to kiss her, only leaves Sam feeling melancholy and confused.
Pressing inward on the door to Grandpa’s study, Sam suppresses a
scream when she walks through and sees a man’s shadowy silhouette standing behind his desk.
“Oh, my goodness!” she does screech.
It’s only Parker as he turns to face her with the same surprised expression.
“Samantha!” he exclaims. “What are you doing down here? I thought everyone went to bed.”
She steps cautiously closer and asks, “What are you doing in here?”
“Just giving the general my daily report,” he explains and walks toward her.
“On the radio?”
“Yes, that’s how I communicate with him every night.”
“This late?”
“Of course. It’s the general. He expects daily reports every night. I don’t mind, though. He’s done so much for all of us. It’s not a bother.”
She eyes him suspiciously and asks, “What sorts of things do you tell him?”
He turns off the low wattage lamp on Grandpa’s desk and says, “The usual, what we did for the day, where we went, anything new that comes up. Tonight, I told him that his doctors will be coming back soon and that the sickness with those children in town is getting a lot better.”
“Oh,” Sam remarks, looking at his pale hair and matching skin. Even his eyebrows are so fair they practically blend in with his skin. The light blue of his eyes appears almost silver from the dim light coming from the hallway.
“And that the highwaymen have moved their base of operation, of course. It’s important that he is kept abreast of everything that’s going on. We have some of our men here.”
“But we don’t know where they’ve gone yet, do we?”
“No, the men are still tracking them,” he explains. “It seems they’ve stopped for the night. Their caravan has stopped alongside the road to camp for the night. We’re not sure where they’re headed, but I’m taking my men out at first light to join the trackers.”
“That could be dangerous,” she comments as they leave the room together.
“We’re used to such tasks.”
“Really?” she asks the strange man, wanting to know more.
He smiles in a way that is meant to be reassuring but mostly comes off as odd and creepy.
“Oh, of course,” he tells her as they walk down the hall. “The general sent us on many missions just like this. We had to scout for new members of our city, track down people who meant us harm, and forage for supplies.”
“And you went on those runs?”
“Sometimes. Once it became clear that the general needed me with him to delegate, then I stayed close to him.”
Sam frowns at this.
He mistakes her downturned mouth as worry for him and quickly says, “Don’t be too concerned, Samantha. We know what we’re doing. The general and I both have a lot of experience running things like this.”
“Hm,” she observes without committing. He isn’t running anything. If anybody is in charge of this whole operation against the highwaymen, it’s Derek and Dave the Mechanic. Parker somehow thinks he’s in charge. She’s not sure where he got that impression, but she’s heard from others what a high opinion he holds of himself. Paige has repeatedly told her how much she dislikes the man. Sam is starting to understand why her friend, who usually is so kind, would judge him severely.
“You never answered my question,” he says, startling her as they walk into the kitchen.
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you up so late? Surely you aren’t on watch duty,” he states with a touch of chauvinism.
If Cory was saying something like that, he’d exaggerate the tone to seem as if he were genuinely chauvinistic, which she knows he is not. If Simon said it, he’d truly be worried to the point of giving himself an ulcer. Cory just jokes, though. He likes to get under Paige’s skin with the macho act. Cory is just protective, but he’s certainly not a pig about it. Simon isn’t, either. He’s just overly protective to the point of being annoying. But Cory has told her many times he’d trust his life in her hands. She respects that about him and feels the same. Cory may be like her big brother in so many ways, but he is also a fierce protector of the family, the entire family, not just the women. He’d do anything for the children, Doc, or the men, especially his brother. His love for Kelly is the only love he displays openly, except for his feelings for Paige now. He isn’t so good at hiding those, either.
“I just couldn’t sleep,” she tells Parker, who pauses at the back door.
“I have some pills if you’d like one,” he offers.
Sam couldn’t be more surprised at such an odd suggestion if he’d said it with a peacock perched on top of his head.
“Pills? Sleeping pills? Where’d you get those?”
He shrugs. “Just confiscated some.”
This comes off as even stranger knowing what she does about Parker. From what she’s heard from Simon and Cory, the man does not go on runs. He says he used to, but he doesn’t seem like Cory or John or even Henry. He seems like the kind who would’ve been seated at a computer and not out in the trenches before it all started.
“Are they actual prescription drugs, not something herbal you guys have concocted up there at the Fort?”
“Yes, absolutely. They’re safe. I wouldn’t offer them if they weren’t. As a matter of fact, my family was the main investor ironically enough in the drug manufacturer who produced them before this all started. Strange how confiscating something so simple like a bottle of sleeping pills reminds me of my former life before all this.”
“What was your former life like?”
He shrugs and opens the door. “A lot different, that’s for sure. Just come and see me if you want something for sleep.”
“Sure,” she says, knowing full well tonight she’s not going anywhere near his cabin, which is Derek and Sue’s house. “Thanks.”
“You should think about coming up to Knox,” he says and gives her a look that makes her skin crawl. She inches closer to the counter where the block of carving knives is resting. “You’d like it up there. I could put in a good word for you, get you a good job, something…easy…with perks.”
He pushes the storm door open and nearly smashes his face into it as it connects with Simon’s boot on the other side.
“Damn it!” he curses.
“Shh,” Sam warns. “You’ll wake the children.”
Simon yanks open the door and immediately goes on the offensive. He does not move out of the doorway but blocks Parker’s exit. He doesn’t cower from the man, although Simon is just slightly shorter.
“What are you doing in here?”
Parker chuckles, “That seems to be a popular question tonight.”
Simon’s left eyebrow rises as if he is growing impatient for an answer.
“Using the radio to call the general,” he answers.
“You have one in the cabin now,” Simon points out.
This is not something of which Sam was aware. Now she feels even more uneasy that Parker was in Grandpa’s office.
“It’s not coming in,” Parker answers. “I think it’s the weather, too many big trees back there. The signal is shit out there. I’ve been using this one.”
“Does Herb know that?” Simon asks.
“Of course,” he says. “Look, kid…”
“I’m not a kid. You’d do well to remember that, Parker,” Simon warns. “You may be Robert’s right-hand man, but you’re not ours and you sure as hell aren’t a McClane. Your story of Herb knowing you’ve been using his radio better come back clean, or you and I will have a problem.”
“I’m not gonna be threatened…”
Parker’s warning and the heated escalation of their voices are interrupted as Cory bounds onto the porch behind Simon.
“What’s up, brother?” he asks and slaps Simon on the back of his shoulder.
“Parker was using Herb’s radio. I want to make sure he’s supposed to be in the house doing that in the middle of the night.”
Sam leans back against the counter and slide
s her hand onto it in case she needs to grab a knife.
Cory looks at Parker who nods. “I have his permission. I have to call in a daily report to the general. He expects it every night.”
Cory nods, but Sam can see a certain level of the same disbelief in his eyes that Simon obviously feels.
“Cool,” he says quietly and continues to nod and speculatively stare at Parker. “Maybe you should do it before everyone turns in.”
“Fine. I was leaving to join my men,” he explains.
Simon steps back to let him pass. The men enter the kitchen as Parker walks down the stairs of the porch and disappears into the misty darkness blanketing the farm.
“Coming in for a snack?” Cory teases Simon.
“No.”
She looks at Cory and says, “He’s creepy. I can see why Paige doesn’t like him.”
Cory stops rummaging the fridge and stands erect, “Has she said he’s done anything, anything I need to know about and handle?”
Sam shakes her head and says, “No, I don’t think so. She just doesn’t like him. I’m not…”
“I heard what he said to you when he was leaving. That’s why I didn’t let him go. I wanted to confront him about that. You interrupted me,” Simon says, accusing Cory with a stare.
“What’d he say?” Cory asks.
Sam shrugs. “I don’t know. He’s just weird.”
“I agree,” Simon counters. “He was making a lewd suggestion about Sam staying at Knox and how he could get her special arrangements and a job or perks. Asshole.”
Sam flinches.
“Sorry. It’s just that we,” he says, indicating himself and Cory, “know this guy’s game. He gives out perks to women up there at the camp for favors. I’m sure it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to figure out what those entail.”
“Gross,” she says with a grimace. “Now I need an antacid.”
“Like gettin’ it on with Casper’s much creepier and less friendly cousin,” Cory jokes, making Sam laugh loudly.
She presses her palm over her mouth to keep from waking the entire household.
“Don’t be disgusting,” Simon reprimands his friend as Cory gnaws on a slab of ham, a very big chunk that the girls probably had plans for using in another recipe. Simon grimaces as if he finds Cory even more disturbing than the prospect of women having to sleep with Parker for special perks.