After about a minute with her easily negotiating the machine, Joe increased the speed. Again, she adapted, and Ethan was impressed at how loose she kept her upper body. He didn’t know if she remembered the pointer from their afternoon horseback riding or if it was an innate motion on her part. He suspected the latter, remembering how easily she’d adapted to Dottie’s movements that day. She truly was sensational, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her, even when Boone said something to him that he hadn’t quite heard.
Everyone present cheered Zoë on, and he joined in, proud of how well she was doing, and truly enjoying watching her. Always stunning, somehow she seemed more beautiful now, her hair bouncing around her shoulders, the lights from the dance floor picking up bright highlights in it, her body moving with the machine. Snatching the hat from her head, she waved it at him and smiled, before her eyes widened when the bull suddenly spun. He laughed at her shock but again marvelled at her ability.
Joe increased the difficulty level and she struggled right away. Alas, her first ride was about to come to an end, but she’d been masterful during it. Wincing a little with how she just managed to stay atop the bull on this level, he knew she wouldn’t be on it much longer. When it spun and then instantly reared, he knew she was going down. She hadn’t adjusted fast enough and pitched too far forward. Hoping she wouldn’t land awkwardly, his jaw dropped when she pulled her free arm across her chest and then tucked and rolled out of her fall, finishing in a crouched position.
“Holy Mackinaw!” Boone exclaimed beside him. His peripheral vision caught his friend staring at him. “Tell me you’re not curious about how she learned to do that.”
He was, but he couldn’t tear his eyes from her to address Boone, or even move his head enough to acknowledge he’d heard him. Laughing, Zoë bowed deeply to the cheering crowd and then carefully made her way over the inflated mats to where he stood. She threw her arms around his neck, and, holding her hips tightly, he lifted her up and over the side of the enclosure. Then he embraced her properly, and delivered a quick but sweet kiss on her lips before pulling back to see her face.
“You were amazing,” he told her.
Smiling, she placed his hat on his head, tugging it down in place. “Your hat brought me luck.”
“Oh, darlin’, I know that was all you. You are absolutely amazing.”
She kissed the tip of his nose, making him chuckle as it did each time she did, and then took his hand in hers.
“Dance with me.”
Glad a slow song had started, he followed her to the dancefloor, interlacing his fingers through hers, ignoring the feel of Boone’s eyes upon his back.
43
Nino swirled the rare cognac in the balloon glass he held, admiring its bright vermillion colour. Holding it under his nose, he blissfully inhaled the silky decadent aroma. At close to fourteen-hundred dollars a bottle, it truly was something to savour and he intended to, if Sally ever got around to the blowjob he desired. It was a true indulgence, cognac and head, a perfect combination, and one he needed tonight, more than desired. With a mind full of irksome issues, he needed a release, and her theatrical prelude was irritating him.
Kneeling between his spread legs as he sat on the buttery-soft Italian leather sofa, she cooed as she alternately stroked and nibbled at his still-clothed erection. It had zero effect on him and his frustration was mounting, both with his troubles and with her. She smiled sexily but, rendered with too-red lips set in a makeup-caked face that would put a two-bit hooker to shame, the gesture annoyed him further. What he wouldn’t give to have a conversation with a woman who understood words with more than two syllables. Unfortunately, they asked questions, and so the stupid ones were easier to deal with. Sally was as vapid as the rest of the women who adorned his house and had lasted longer than most merely due to her lacking a gag reflex.
Noticing how tightly her cocktail dress fit, he frowned. “Jesus, Sally, cut back on the pastries, you’re getting fat.”
Her forehead scrunched in the instant before she apparently remembered her place, and she giggled. “It’s Cindy, silly, and I’m not getting fat. I’m a size six, same as I was when I met you.”
She might be wearing a size six but if the bulging seams were any indication, she wouldn’t be for much longer. In fact, now that he was paying attention to her attire, she looked like a tick ready to pop. She’d definitely gained weight and he’d be damned if he had a fat fuck-toy in his stable.
When Frank entered the room, Cindy looked to him and then turned back to Nino as she pouted. It was a ridiculously over the top rendition of a pout and he wanted to smack it off her face. “Send him away,” she clucked in a cloyingly sweet voice, “you work too hard. Let me take care of you, Daddy.”
He almost shivered at her address. What in the world was going through her head? Glaring at her, he saw how glazed her eyes were, red, too, and he narrowed his. If the dumb bitch was scoring weed on the street when she had access to the best coke in his house, he’d toss her out so fast her painted head would spin. It would explain her eyes though, and her sudden appetite. In disgust, he shoved her back and she toppled onto her ass. Her wide eyes slowly returned to normal size and she looked to the floor before her as she pulled herself into a kneeling position again.
“Don’t tell me how to run my business,” he hissed nastily. “Get out of here but you better be back to finish what you started when I’m ready for it.”
In silence, she got to her feet and, head bowed, headed for the door.
“Close it behind you,” he called after her, “and for Christ’s sake, stay the fuck out of the fridge!”
She left and, although truly a moron, was smart enough not to slam the door in response to what he’d said. Frank drew closer and the look on his face told Nino he had good news to share. Not that Frank was expressive, but the years spent with him gave Nino the ability to read the always-reserved man.
“Pour yourself a cognac and then join me.”
While Nino was good to his men, wine flowing freely during the meals they shared, only Frank was treated to the expensive vintages Nino normally reserved for himself. Then again, Frank was much more than just one of his men. The huge man prepared his drink and then sat in the chair that was kitty-corner to the end of the sofa Nino sat on. He lifted his glass to Nino.
“Salute,” his deep voice sounded.
“Cent’ anni,” Nino responded, and meant it. He would greatly welcome a hundred years of Frank’s company. Then he leaned forward, engaging Frank’s eyes. “You have good news, I take it?”
“Carmine found Kathryn Matthews. He had facial recognition software running on all popular social media sites and got a hit.”
Nino fist-pumped the air. “Grazie a Dio. Where is she?”
“Some backwoods town in Alberta. I’m leaving tonight with a few of the men. She’ll be dead by this time tomorrow.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Frank nodded, and Nino knew his announcement hadn’t surprised the man. Not one to shy from getting his hands dirty, even if Frank willingly did the rough stuff, Nino regularly doled out punishments himself. When it came to Kathryn Matthews, he wanted to pull the trigger. After all the trouble the bitch had caused him, he wanted to watch her die.
44
Almost at their destination, Ethan grasped Zoë’s hand and lifted it to his lips, keeping his eyes trained on the road as he drove. He’d planned to head out early in the morning, already having asked Skip to tend to the chores by himself, but had awakened to a horny Zoë. They’d snoozed again after, had brunch, and then headed out. The provincial park would be crowded with families by now but he hoped the hiking trails, his intended destination, would be fairly empty.
“I know you said you wanted a change of pace,” she told him, “and to do something new, but well, shit it’s just more prairie.”
He couldn’t suppress a chuckle. That it was, prairie as far as the eye could see. Still, the park had a lake and some gorgeou
s views from the trails. “Well, if I turned the truck around, I could have you in the Rockies in around four hours or so.”
“Now that would be a date.”
He laughed. She made him laugh often, enough for him to realize how he normally wouldn’t do so. Her appearance sparked many changes on the ranch, the way the men ate, certainly, but the changes in him were the truly profound ones. He hadn’t seen what a stodgy man he’d become. She’d changed him, dramatically in some ways, and he embraced each one as readily as he did her. Moments like this made it easy to forget she’d lied to him, and was still hiding her past from him.
Checking the rearview again, he scowled. The cars were still behind him, the first one since he and Zoë had first left Bison Bluffs, the second joining in shortly after.
As he slowed down and signalled to pull into the parking lot, the cars slowed too. He drove through the lot to a fairly empty section and pulled the truck into a space. Sure enough, the cars drove past him and parked down the aisle from where he’d stopped the truck. He’d left the engine running and noted they did, too. Something wasn’t right, and the feeling had been gnawing at him for most of the journey, ever since he noticed the car behind him was clean but had a license plate completely coated by mud. Getting a better look at the vehicles now, taking in the tinted windows and the muddy plates on the second car, he reached into his pocket for his cellphone.
“What are you doing?” Zoë questioned.
“Phoning the police. Those two cars,” he motioned in their direction with his head, “were behind us the entire way here. Heading in the same direction on the highway is one thing, having the same destination, is another, and I don’t like the look of them.”
She leaned forward to see around him, and paled considerably. “Leave. Now. Just drive.”
“What?” He dropped the phone back into his pocket as he turned to face her. The raw fear in her eyes had his heart racing. “Do you know who they are?”
“Ethan, please, just drive. As fast as you can, you have to lose them.”
Her voice was so panicked, he instantly reversed the truck, turned it, and sped to the exit. The cars followed, not that he was surprised. At the exit, he waited until approaching cars were close and then shot out in front of them, hearing blaring horns, but knowing he’d delayed the two cars from following them, at least for a minute or two. Picking up speed on the highway, he glanced at Zoë to see her rifling through her purse.
“Who are they? Is that who you’re running from?”
Ignoring him, she opened her wallet and he saw her thumbing the edges of a wad of cash. It was a lot of money to have on hand.
“Zoë? Who are they?”
“Did you lose them?”
He glanced in the rearview and swore. “They’re still behind us.”
“Lose them, and then take me to a bus station.” Her voice was shaky with fear.
“What? Who are they?”
He floored the truck, passing slower vehicles when he could. The cars stayed the same distance behind. Then he slowed down considerably.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a terrified voice. “Go! You have to lose them!”
The cars slowed down, keeping the same distance behind him. Convinced they wouldn’t try anything in public and were intent on following Zoë and him home, he knew he couldn’t return to Bison Bluffs with them tailing him. Driving at the speed limit, he scanned the road ahead, seeing Zoë’s astounded face in his peripheral vision.
“Ethan, please, speed up. You have to get away from them.”
“And drop you off at a bus station, right? So you can run again?”
Angry, he stole a glance at her before training his eyes on the road again. She looked absolutely petrified, and it hurt him to see it, but there was no way he was letting her run.
“Please, you don’t understand. You don’t know what they’ll do. Just speed up. You can outrun them in this truck, please, just go!”
Spotting a sign for an upcoming RCMP division, he drifted into the turn-off lane and heard her breath hitch.
“What are you doing? You have to stay on the highway!”
Ignoring her, he pulled off the highway, and, a few moments later, into the parking lot of the division, bringing the truck to a stop near the front doors. Turning in his seat, he watched the two cars slowly drive by the entrance to the parking lot. Knowing they wouldn’t attempt to engage him in front of an RCMP building, he then pulled out his cellphone.
“Who are you calling?”
“Myles.”
“You can’t. Ethan, please, please, you can’t involve the police.”
“I can, and I will.”
Her shoulders slumped as she dropped her head. She nervously twisted her fingers in her lap and the sight stung his heart. His wondrous, brave Zoë was so frightened. She wanted to flee again, obviously terrified by whoever was in the cars, but he couldn’t let her. If he needed to, he’d haul her kicking and screaming into the division and have them deal with the problem.
“Hey, Ethan, what’s up?” came Myles’s voice over the line.
“I’ve got a problem here. Zoë and I are being followed by two cars.” He outlined the makes and models of the vehicles, including the description of the tinted windows and obscured plates.
“Mafia?” came Myles’s astounded guess.
“I think so.”
“Shit. Okay, are you two safe right now?”
“Yeah, we’re parked in front of a division. I’m not coming back to town until I know it’s safe to, though.”
“No, don’t, stay there. I’m going to make some calls. You two should go into the building, to be safer.”
“We will, but Myles, I have reason to believe law enforcement might be involved. How large a net can you cast discretely, without going through proper channels?”
“Fuck.” Myles’s weighty sigh came over the line. “Okay, my constables only then, and I’ll recruit the guys. I know Boone’s in town, he’ll be my first call. We’ll get lots of eyes out there and look for these people. I’ll call you back as soon as I can. Stay safe.”
Myles disconnected the call, and Ethan slipped his phone back into his pocket. He glanced around again but couldn’t see any sign of the cars. Zoë hadn’t budged during his call and when he looked to her, his throat went dry. She looked lost.
“Tell me who’s after you,” he demanded, a little rougher than he’d intended but his patience was wearing thin.
“I can’t. I can’t involve you in this.”
“I’m already involved, Zoë, or whatever your real name is.”
She jerked her head up and looked to him with wide eyes. “What did you just say?”
“I know your name isn’t actually Zoë Pennell. It’s time you told me exactly what’s going on here.”
“I can’t. I won’t involve you. Just, please, take me to a bus station.”
He snorted angrily. She wouldn’t talk, not even now, when they were both obviously in danger. Despite her assertions about not wanting him involved, he was deeply involved now, and would see this through to its conclusion, and ensure she stayed safe. It would be easier to do so if she’d tell him what the hell was going on, but she was shutting down more by the minute. Even her voice wasn’t scared any longer. Now she sounded dull and listless. He understood her fear, but she wanted to run again, this time away from him. Had all they shared meant nothing to her?
“We’re going into the building.” When she opened her mouth, he held up a silencing hand. “You don’t have a choice. We’re going in, and you’re going to paste a smile on your face and pretend to be my loving girlfriend, got it? You’re good at pretending, this should be a breeze for you.”
Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them away. The sight sliced through his heart, never having seen her this upset before. Forget it. It’s over between you and her and you know it. Just do what you can to keep her safe until Myles comes up with a plan. Exiting the truck, he slammed his door and the
n rounded the truck to hold hers open. She stepped out and he examined her face. Before his eyes, her lost, frightened look turned to a stony one. Not exactly the smile he’d requested, but a far cry from a face that would raise questions in a police division.
“Okay, I’m going to go in, identify myself as a retired officer, flash my ID, and then ask them for a tour of the building. See you, my girlfriend, just found out about my career with them and are extremely interested to know what I did. They may not have time for a tour, but I guarantee they’ll end up chatting to us for a while. We just need to kill some time until Myles calls me back, and this is the safest place to be. Understand?”
She nodded. Assured she’d go along with his plan, he took her hand in his. It was limp and he closed his eyes with what it signaled. It was truly over between them.
45
Ethan parked his truck in front of his house, beside Boone’s truck, and Myles’s cruiser. After receiving word that no one had spotted the cars, they’d returned to Bison Bluffs and spent the rest of the afternoon at the diner while Myles and some men scoured the town looking for signs of the people and the cars. Kit and Zeke Carson had stayed with them, in case anything happened, not that Ethan was pleased with the occurrence. He didn’t want them involved but Myles had already recruited them. When a few hours went by with no sign of the cars, they decided it was safe to return to the ranch. Myles and Boone were already there, along with several men, including Myles’s constables, guarding the property.
Done a Runner (Wanted Men of Bison Bluffs Book 1) Page 16