by Erin Osborne
I’m not saying Sam and Caleb are in any danger, but they don’t need to leave the family either. Sam and Caleb have been adopted into the family, whether they like it or not. They quickly went from victims of abuse to two people we all love and care about. Especially Gwen. Gwen loves Sam and Caleb. And Sam loves Gwen too. She’s sees a lot of herself in the younger woman and wants to help her do what she wants to do to live her life.
I start forming a plan in my mind. The next time Killer comes in to see me, I’m going to have to talk to him about having Gwen go over and spend some quality time with Sam and Caleb. If anyone can figure out what’s going on with her, Gwen can. She’s so innocent and sweet you can’t help but open up and talk to her.
Gwen will also be the one to make Sam understand she’s perfect for me. I’m definitely not good enough for her, but I’m a selfish fuck, and I’m going to take what I want; Sam and Caleb are the only two I want.
With a plan in place in my mind, I pull my shirt off and begin my daily workout from the inside of my cell. It’s the only thing that even remotely makes me feel calm and not want to find someone to beat the shit out of while I’m in here. It would be too easy to get caught up with more charges because I let the anger and rage I feel prompt me into beating the fuck outta someone.
Chapter Eight
Sam
IT DIDN’T TAKE me long to figure out Caleb and I weren’t gonna be able to get very far from Benton Falls. I don’t have the money to do much of anything, and Caleb hates being in the car for extended periods now. This really started once he started seeing the guys on the motorcycles. Now, that’s what he wants to do.
We managed to make it four hours from Benton Falls when Caleb was getting too wound up to be in the car. So, I got off the highway and drove until I found a truck stop. As soon as I was parked, Caleb unfastened his seatbelt and waits for me to open the door.
“I’m hungry,” he tells me.
“I know, baby. We’re gonna get something to eat right now,” I answer, grabbing my purse and getting out.
Opening up Caleb’s door, I stretch and try to relax the muscles in my aching body. I grab his hand and close his door before we head to the restaurant in the truck stop. First, we’ll be hitting the bathroom because I’m in dire need of it. Hopefully, they have a family one we can use.
A man coming out of the building holds the door open, and I see a cut on his body. Instantly, I tense up because I don’t know if anyone in the club knows we’re gone yet. He doesn’t even look at us as we brush past him.
“Thank you,” I tell him on our way past.
“You’re welcome, ma’am,” he responds, a southern drawl to his deep voice.
Once we’re through the doors, I look around and see a store on the right of us, the restaurant on the left of us, and straight back is the bathrooms and a game room. I know we’ll be making a stop in there before we head back out on the road because Caleb will need something to do before getting back in the car.
Caleb and I head into the family bathroom, and he keeps his face buried in my phone as I head behind the short wall to take care of business. We quickly head out, and I direct him toward the restaurant as he keeps glancing behind us toward the room filled with games. Honestly, I just want to sit down and rest. I don’t want to drive anymore or play games. But that’s now how life works.
There’s a sign at the entrance of the restaurant saying to seat yourself. So, I lead Caleb toward the back of the area designated as the diner. We take seats in a booth where the backs are high, and no one can see in. I place Caleb in the seat with his back toward the entrance of the truck stop while I face the same area. If anyone did find us in here, he’d yell out to whoever he saw come in. Not exactly what I need to happen when I don’t want to see them.
“Welcome to Torrino’s. Do you know what you’d like?” an elderly waitress asks, walking up to the table.
“Um, no, we haven’t had a chance to look at the menu yet,” I respond.
“Are you okay, honey?” the woman asks me.
“Just tired,” I respond automatically.
“How about I bring you over milk for the little man here and a coffee for you if you have more traveling to do?” she questions me again.
“Oh, um, well, I can’t have coffee right now,” I tell her.
“Gotcha. Are you just passing through or hanging around for a bit?” she asks.
“I’m not sure yet. Don’t really know where we’re heading,” I respond.
“Are you running from someone?”
“No, ma’am. Just need a change of scenery. Just been on the road a few hours, and my son was getting antsy in the car, so we stopped,” I say.
“Well, if you have no destination in mind, I know we’re looking for help here. The money isn’t too bad, but it’s not great either. Enough to pay the bills, I suppose. Carson has an apartment for rent. He’s been looking forever for someone to take it,” she says. “Carson is the boss man here while I’m just the waitress. My name is Edna, by the way.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Edna. I’m Sam, and this is my son, Caleb. Maybe I will talk to Carson about the apartment and the job. I don’t have any experience, though,” I warn her.
“Oh honey, that’s not a problem,” she assures me. “I’ll grab some milk and water for you while you look over the menu. And I’ll get Carson to come out and talk to you.”
“Thank you.”
Edna walks away, and I take a deep breath. Maybe this is our starting over point. I pick up the menu from the stand at the back of the table and look over the food. It all sounds so good, but I better stick to something cheap for me, and I’ll make sure Caleb has a good meal. I need to save money if I’m going to get this apartment and buy things we need for it.
I settle on chicken fingers, french fries, and apple sauce for Caleb and grilled cheese for me. It’s not much, but it will hold me over for now. Placing the menu back in it’s stand, and I look at my son. He’s got the crayons from the cup on the table and is coloring on one of the placemats.
Caleb is concentrating on his drawing. There’s a crease in his forehead, and his eyes are zoned in on the paper in front of him. His little hand is moving with deliberate movements, and I want to take a picture of the moment. So, I pick up my phone and capture Caleb as he colors furiously. He doesn’t even look up or anything when I snap a few pictures of him.
When Edna comes back over to the table, there’s an older gentleman following her. He’s wiping his hands on a towel, and I’m guessing this is Carson. The man is smiling in our direction, and it fills his entire face, including his eyes.
“Carson, this is Sam. She’s looking for a job and a place to stay,” Edna says, introducing us.
“Nice to meet you, Sam,” Carson says. “Have you ever waitressed before?”
“No, I haven’t. We were just leaving Benton Falls and looking for somewhere to start over. Four hours in a car was enough for my son,” I answer honestly.
“That’s not a problem. Any reason you can’t be on the books?” he asks me.
“No.”
“Alright. I’m gonna hand the keys over to Edna. When you guys are done eating, she can show you the apartment. It’s just down the road from here. Not even a half-mile,” Carson says. “It may not look the best, but it’s warm and will put a roof over your head.”
“Thank you so much,” I tell him.
“One last thing. You’ll start the day after tomorrow so you can get settled in. I’ll put you on opposite shifts of Edna if you want to talk to her about watching your son for you,” Carson tells me.
Carson tells me what the monthly rent is, and my mouth drops at how low it seems to be. I have more than enough in my purse for the rent and down payment. Plus, I’ll have money for food and anything else Caleb and I may need. He lets me know if I want it, just to give Edna the money, and he’ll go over the lease with me when I come in for my first shift.
I nod my head and wipe away the stray tears
. These people don’t even know me and yet they’re willing to take a chance and offer me a place to live and a job. That’s more than I got from the applications I submitted in Benton Falls. No one would even talk to me because they knew I lived in a home owned by the Phantom Bastards and believed I was one of their whores so I could work for them.
Edna takes me to the apartment once Carson and I are done eating. It’s a small house, smaller than where we were in Benton Falls. I guess this is why they call it an apartment. There’s only one story, and it doesn’t look like much from the outside. The paint is peeling, and the shutters are missing from the windows.
There’s a small lawn that’s mowed and looks as if it’s taken care of regularly. I look around and can easily envision Caleb and the new baby playing out here and having a good time. The only person missing is Playboy.
“Let’s take a look around the inside,” Edna says as I grab Caleb’s hand.
I nod my head, and we follow her up the three stairs leading to the small porch. She unlocks the door and lets us step inside before her. We walk into the living room, and there’s a full set of furniture and a TV already in the room. I pass the room and head to the kitchen that’s separated by a low wall. It’s got a stove, refrigerator, and dining table already in the room. There’s even dishes and glasses in the cupboards when Edna opens them up for me to see.
“There’s two bedrooms down this hall over here,” she tells me, pointing to the left of the kitchen.
I walk down the hallway and peek into the open doors. Both rooms are clean but on the small side. I’m not worried about the size of the rooms, though. As long as we have somewhere to lay our head at night, Caleb and I will be good. We’re not picky, and we don’t need much in our life to make us happy.
Walking back to Edna in the living room, she points out the laundry room and bathroom off to the right of the living room. After looking at the rooms, I decide we’ll take the place.
“I’ll take it,” I tell her.
“Are you sure? I’m sure you could find someplace better than this,” Edna tells me.
“I’m sure. There’s things I can’t do, but there’s things I can to make improvements if Carson doesn’t mind,” I respond.
“I don’t think he will. He just doesn’t have the time to get here to work on the place. Between the restaurant and other places, this one has just kind of fallen to the background,” Edna tells me.
Looking around again, there’s peeling paint and wallpaper has been ripped in places too. There’s a small hole in the wall toward the laundry room as if someone ran into it with a washer or dryer as they were moving it in. There are stains in the carpet, and a few spots where it’s fraying and holes are starting to appear. The house definitely isn’t much, but it’s better than nothing. Nothing in this house can’t be fixed.
“Okay, well, I’ll take the money back to Carson and let him know you’re staying here. There’s a grocery store right down the road so you can get some things. A larger store is about twenty minutes away. We can go one day if you want to,” Edna says as I hand over the money to her.
“I’d like that,” I tell her honestly. “Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome, honey. Welcome to Torrino,” Edna says as she hands me over the key and leaves the house.
Once she’s gone, I bring all the bags into the house and see what all I need to get when Caleb and I go to the store. So far, it appears we need to get towels, food, and storage containers. I’ll also need to get cleaning supplies while we’re shopping too.
With my list in hand, Caleb and I head out to get our things so we can head home and I can make us some dinner. It’s been a long day and I’m more than ready to lay down and go to sleep. Hopefully, Caleb will go to sleep easy tonight and won’t want to be up half the night because he’s not worn out.
Chapter Nine
Playboy
TODAY I’M ON my way down for another visit with my dad. Killer came with him this time, so I can put my plan in motion regarding Gwen and Sam. I’m just hoping the damn plan works and we find out what’s going on with my woman. Even if it’s not official, Sam is mine and so isn’t Caleb.
The guard leaves me in the room and I take a seat across from my father and Killer. Neither one says a damn word for a few minutes and it’s making me uneasy. Especially not knowing what’s been going on with the club.
“What’s goin’ on?” I ask them, looking between the two men.
“Well, not much with the club. How are you doin’ in here?” my dad asks me.
“I’ve been goin’ crazy tryin’ to figure out what’s goin’ on with Sam. Have you guys heard anythin’?” I question.
Killer and my dad look at each other before turning their attention back toward me. They’re not telling me something and I want to know what it is. My gut tells me it’s about Sam and I’m going to have to pry it out of them.
“So, I’ve been thinkin’ about things,” I begin when it’s clear they’re not going to answer me. “Killer, can you get Gwen over to Sam’s? I want her to talk to her and see if she can figure out what’s goin’ on with her.”
“Well, there’s a problem with that,” Killer begins. “Sam’s not at the house. We’re not sure when she left, but she’s gone. No one knows where she is right now.”
“What the fuck?” I yell out, pain swallowing me whole as I realize she took off like I knew she was going to. “Why hasn’t Fox tracked her phone or car?”
“He never put a tracker on her car and her phone’s off. The last time he got a hit was just outside of town. It turned on a while later but not long enough for him to get anythin’ on where she is,” my dad tells me.
“So, she’s just gone. Vanished without a trace and no one knows where she is?” I question, my voice rising with each word slipping past my lips.
I slam my hands down on the table in front of me. The chain on the cuffs rattles as I pull my hands back ready to hit the table again. Rage boils in my veins and if I thought I was looking for a fight before now, that has been blown out of the water. I want to beat the shit out of someone to calm down and get this rage back under control.
A red haze fills my vision and I can’t see much more than that at the moment. I’m ready to break the fuck out of here and find Sam and Caleb myself. Before I can do anything else, my dad puts his hand on top of mine. I look up into his eyes and see him silently telling me to calm down before the guards come in and take me out of here. So, I take a deep breath and release it.
“Son, she’ll be in touch. There’s a reason she chose to leave and there’s a reason she’ll come back. Sam will come back when you’re out and free. For now, she’s got to live life on her own and find her own path,” my dad says.
“Considerin’ we don’t know what’s goin’ on with her, or Caleb, I want her found. Now!” I tell them, looking from one man to the other.
“What are you talkin’ about?” Killer asks me.
“Shy told me she felt as if Sam’s hidin’ somethin’. I’m not sure what, but just after that, Sam gave her my card for the account I put her name on and now she’s gone. Somethin’ happened to her or Caleb and now she’s gone,” I inform them.
“I’ll look into it,” my dad responds. “You have my word I’ll find out what’s goin’ on and where she is.”
“Thank you. I need to get out of here,” I tell them, my voice almost pleading with my dad and Killer.
“I’ll get with Anderson and see what he has to say. Dependin’ on what he says, I’ll look into gettin’ a new lawyer. Might not happen for your case though, Playboy,” my dad says.
“Let me know when you find her. Please,” I beg him, not caring what anyone thinks of me right now.
This isn’t about me, it’s about Sam and Caleb. I need to know what’s going on and that they’re okay. If I don’t, I’ll go fucking crazy in here and I’ll end up with more damn charges than I have right now.
“We’re gonna head out. I’ll get with
Fox and have him look over the footage at the house and then we’ll figure out where to go from there,” my dad says.
I nod my head and stand from the table. Turning my back on my dad and Killer, I walk to the door and the guard opens it for me. We head back to my cell and my mind is reeling with the thought of Sam being gone. What would make her leave with no word to anyone about why?
Once I’m back in my cell with the handcuffs off me, I pick up the letter I started to Sam this morning. Ripping it from the notebook, I ball it up and toss it on the bunk next to me. This is one letter Sam’s going to get somehow. I’m not sure how yet, but I’ll get it to her.
Dear Sam,
I know something is going on with you. You ran from Benton Hills with no warning or letting anyone know where you are. What’s going on to make you run like that? Are you and Caleb okay?
Sam, we used to talk about everything and now things are so fucked up with me being in here. I want to be the man you confide in and the man you lean on for strength. The man Caleb turns to when he has a problem you can’t solve for him.
I want to be your best friend, your lover, and your protector. I’ll be a mentor, friend and father to Caleb. The only thing I want is to love you and whoever joins our family along the way.
When I told you I loved you, I meant it with every bone and fiber of my being. I have never once said those words to another soul and I never will. Sam, you came in and burrowed your way into my heart. I can’t imagine a day without you and Caleb and I don’t want to begin to try.
Please, I’m begging you, let someone know where you are and if you’re okay. You have an entire club at your back and they’ll help you out in any situation you find yourself in. If something is wrong with Caleb, your family, the Phantom Bastards will help you get him better. Or just be there for you until I can get the hell out of here.
I wish nothing but the best for you and our son. When I get home, we’re going to have a long talk about what that means, including you going back to school to finish your degree. And we’re going to talk about why you gave Shy my card when that money is for you and Caleb to use. You know this and still haven’t touched a penny of it. Well, other than the money for the pharmacy.