by Marla Monroe
Jessie crossed to the shower and turned on the water, making it as hot as she thought she could stand, then stripped out of her T-shirt and panties to step into the poor excuse of a spray. She quickly cleaned up before turning off the water and grabbing a towel. After drying off, she noticed her pack sitting on the floor by the door. Vernon had opened the door and shoved it inside without her noticing.
Fifteen minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom dressed with her hair mostly dry. Rhodes, Vernon, and Ginger were standing around the desk eating sausage and biscuits. Ginger smiled at her but didn’t say anything about her desertion in the middle of the night. Rhodes held out a breakfast sandwich.
“There’s coffee for you, too.” Vernon shoved an unopened insulated cup toward her.
Jessie took the sandwich from Rhodes with a smile and grabbed the cup off the desk.
“What’s next?” Ginger asked between bites.
“We keep driving. I made some calls, and we’re going to meet up with some people who will help us get back to Reo in a roundabout way.” Rhodes sipped his coffee without looking at anyone.
“Who’s coming?” Jessie asked.
“You don’t know them. They’re from another arm of The Ghost Riders.” Vernon pinned her with his stare. “Stay out of their way, Jessie.”
She bristled at the order in his voice. What did he think she was going to do, throw herself at one of them? She started to snap back at him, but something in Rhodes’s eyes stopped her. There was a warning there that she knew better than to cross. She clamped her mouth closed and glared at Vernon instead.
They quickly finished their meal and cleaned up. Then the guys checked the area around the car and the bikes and loaded their gear before escorting them back to the car.
“Remember, stay between us. If you need to stop somewhere, flash your lights a few times and one of us will notice.” Rhodes closed the door once Jessie had fastened her seat belt.
“Are you okay?” Ginger’s soft voice made her jerk.
“Yeah. Why?”
“You spent the night with them last night, but you don’t seem very relaxed.”
“We just slept, Ginger. Nothing happened. I had a bad dream.” Jessie didn’t know why she was trying to explain herself. She hadn’t done anything wrong.
“I sure as hell wouldn’t have just slept if I’d been with them. What is wrong with you, girl?” Ginger shook her head.
“My life is a fucking mess right now. I can’t afford to get mixed up in a relationship when I don’t know if I’m going to die or go to jail. Right now, either of those are a good possibility.” She sank back against the seat.
Ginger didn’t say anything for a long time as they sped down the highway. Jessie could almost hear the wheels in the other woman’s head grinding. When she finally spoke, it wasn’t about anything they had been talking about.
“I’m thinking I might move back to Reo after this.”
Jessie jerked her head toward her friend. “Why? I thought you didn’t like living there.”
“That was before. Now that I’m on my own, I can do what I want to do, and I missed you.” She glanced over at Jessie then returned her gaze to the road ahead of them.
“I may not be around, Ginger.”
“Oh, I have a feeling you’ll be there. I’d suggest that we share an apartment, but I don’t think your men will like that idea much.”
Jessie didn’t bother telling her they weren’t her men and they didn’t have anything to say about where she lived. Right then, she didn’t feel like she had a future to argue about. If she didn’t end up getting killed once this was all over with, she still had a date with the police concerning Eddie. Even if it had been self-defense and an accident, she had no proof now. There was no way Tussler would let that slide when she’d defied him and run away. She’d rather go to jail than have anything to do with Ray. He was a monster through and through. He terrified her in more ways than one.
She glanced out the window on her right and watched the scenery fly by without really seeing it. The only thing that kept her from reliving every terrible thing she’d gone through was thinking about Vernon and Rhodes and how good they made her feel. She let the memories of their hands and lips carry her away for a few more hours.
Chapter Eight
A little after one that afternoon, Rhodes followed Vernon and the women into a truck stop about two hours on the other side of Reo. They had skirted around the town to come at it from the opposite side, hoping to throw off anyone trying to follow them. He climbed off the bike and looked around before removing his helmet and walking over to Ginger’s door. Vernon stood next to Jessie’s side of the car. They nodded at each other over the roof of the car.
Rhodes looked down and knocked lightly on the window. Ginger rolled it down some.
“Come on. We’re going to eat here and meet up with our escort.”
Ginger nodded and rolled up the window before she unlocked the doors. He opened her door and noticed Vernon already had Jessie out of the car and was closing the passenger door. He helped Ginger out of the car, steering her toward the others.
He and Vernon put the women between them and headed toward the diner side of the building. Vernon opened the door, and the women filed inside ahead of them. He and Vernon hurried in behind them and resumed their places. The smell of grease permeated the air, and the pungent scent of onions punctuated it. They walked across the room and settled into a round booth at the back where they could sit on either side of the women and still see the entire room.
A waitress hurried over to take their orders. “What can I get you?”
They all ordered sweet tea and pored over the menus. They hadn’t eaten since around seven that morning. Food was on everyone’s mind. When the waitress returned with their drinks, they ordered and had just settled down to wait on their meal when the doors opened and two men walked into the room. Rhodes watched as they scanned the area before settling on them. The taller one stood around six foot three and probably weighed around two thirty. He looked to be solid muscle. His light-brown hair hung just past his collar, and a short beard covered the lower half of his face. He nodded at them before turning to walk their way.
The other man stood an inch or so shorter than his companion with spikey black hair and equally dark eyes. He looked as if he hadn’t shaved in a couple of days, but it wasn’t quite a beard yet. He had a looser gait with less muscle and more sinew to his build. Neither man smiled or appeared to show any expression at all. They stopped a few feet from their booth. Both men wore leathers with The Ghost Riders’ M.C. patch on the front.
Vernon stood up and looked at them before offering his hand. The big dude finally stuck his out as well. They all shook hands, and the two strangers took a seat on either side of the booth near the edge.
“I’m Murdock, and this is Ajax.” He nodded over at the guy with spiky hair. “Any trouble so far?”
Rhodes shook his head. “Nothing yet.”
The waitress returned, eyeing the two newcomers nervously. “Can I get you anything?”
“Coffee. Both of us. Nothing to eat.” Ajax answered her in a hoarse voice.
Rhodes wondered if he actually sounded like that or if there was something wrong with his voice. He didn’t ask. Instead he turned and introduced the women.
“This is Ginger, and this is Jessie.” Rhodes indicated the two women.
He noticed Vernon wrap his arm around the back of Jessie’s shoulders in a possessive move. Good. He didn’t want either one of the guys to focus on her for anything other than keeping her safe. When he’d contacted Dominic about needing some backup, he had trusted his leader to provide someone he could count on. Now he wasn’t so sure. They looked closer to being killers than backup.
Both men nodded at the women without saying anything. He noticed that Murdock eyed Ginger with a gleam in his eye before turning back to thank the waitress for his coffee with a grunt. Rhodes would have to watch them around the other woma
n as well. She was Jessie’s friend. She wasn’t fair game.
“What’s the plan?” Murdock asked as he sipped his coffee.
“We’re going to get a couple of rooms here to hold up in until we can figure out what’s going on. We need you to help us keep them safe while we do some digging.” Rhodes eyed the two men, hoping they would leave it at that. He didn’t want to go into details with the women within earshot.
“Understood.” Murdock eyed his partner before leaning back in the booth looking as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
Vernon’s eyes continued watching the two men as if he didn’t trust them to behave. Maybe he didn’t either. They looked entirely too dangerous from where he was sitting. He nearly chuckled. He could remember when people had said that about him and Vernon. Did they look that bad to everyone else? Maybe that was why Jessie hadn’t come to them when she needed help.
The waitress returned a few minutes later with their meals. He watched as Jessie took a bite from the hamburger after pouring ketchup on her plate for the fries. She didn’t seem to be too bothered by the other two men. Ginger, on the other hand, was eyeing them with a great deal of curiosity. He caught Vernon’s gaze and nodded discreetly toward the other woman. His brows lifted when he saw her staring at Ajax. He just shook his head and glared at the other man.
Murdock started a conversation about bikes as if sensing the building tension in the air. Everyone settled down to eat after that. Rhodes kept an eye on the two men as they appeared to be keeping an eye on Ginger. Since Ginger was Jessie’s best friend, she fell under their protection. He glanced over at Vernon. Yeah, his partner had noticed as well.
After finishing their meal, the group grabbed some drinks and snacks before heading to the hotel where they would be spending the night. Rhodes had opted for a nicer place since the women would be spending more time there while they figured out how to solve Jessie’s problem. As far as Rhodes was concerned, they could have just kept on driving and left the mess behind, but Vernon had been right when they’d talked earlier. Running didn’t solve anything, and eventually it would come back to bite them on the ass.
Rhodes and Ajax stayed with the women in the parking lot while the other two men secured their rooms. When the men returned, they drove around the back to access the back door with a key card since all the rooms where inside the building. They didn’t want anyone to see the women. This way there was less chance of that.
“We’ve got adjoining rooms on the second floor. The stairs are directly next to the outside door, and the rooms are at the end of the hall by the stairs,” Vernon explained to them.
They divided up the luggage between all of them and headed inside. Once they made it to the second floor, Vernon and Murdock checked out the two rooms before they all walked inside. They opened the connecting doors.
“Murdock, you and Ajax take that room. The four of us will stay over here. We’ll leave the doors open.” Vernon glanced toward the women as they began unpacking. “We’re going next door to talk. If you hear anything or need something, just call out. With the doors open, we can hear you.”
Rhodes walked over to Jessie as she stored her backpack in the closet. “Everything okay, baby?”
She shrugged, worry etched across her face. He could tell there was something on her mind, but she didn’t elaborate.
“What is it? You know you can talk to me.”
“I can’t help but worry. I don’t see any way out of this that doesn’t either lead to jail or…” Her voice trailed off as she turned away from him.
Rhodes wrapped an arm around her and pulled her back against him. It was obvious by the way her shoulders shook that she was fighting tears. It tore at his gut that she was afraid and uncertain. He wanted to promise that everything would be fine and that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her, but she wouldn’t accept it even if he could offer those promises.
“Don’t give up on us, Jessie girl. I need you strong. Why don’t you and Ginger try to get some rest. We’re right next door.” He kissed the top of her head and dropped his hands.
He turned and walked toward the other room to help the others figure a way out of the mess that wouldn’t end up with anyone dead or in jail. Inside, he cursed Jessie’s brother for being the worthless bastard that he was.
* * * *
Jessie and Ginger turned on the TV with the volume set low and located a movie that was halfway interesting. It almost succeeded in keeping her mind occupied enough that she wasn’t dwelling on the problem as much as before. Still, a part of her couldn’t accept that there was any way out of her situation that didn’t involve blood or handcuffs. She didn’t want Rhodes and Vernon mixed up in all of it, but they weren’t listening to her. Maybe she should just turn herself in and take her punishment. It would keep the guys from getting in trouble because of her.
She glanced over at where Ginger had sprawled out on the other bed and was sound asleep. Not only were they at risk, but she had gotten her best friend involved as well. Guilt and a big dose of shame washed over her. Somehow she had to make sure that Ginger didn’t lose everything because of her. She had worked hard to make a life for herself. She didn’t deserve to have it all destroyed like this.
After a little while, Jessie must have drifted off, because the next thing she knew, Rhodes and Vernon had gotten in the bed on either side of her at some point and were snoring lightly. She had already taken off her shoes, but they had obviously removed her jeans before tucking her in between them. It was too dark to see much of anything in the room, but she knew that she was turned facing Vernon’s back with one arm draped over his side. Rhodes was at her back with an arm wrapped around her waist and a heavy leg on top of hers.
“Go back to sleep, Jessie. Everything is fine.” Rhodes’s voice startled her.
“I didn’t mean to wake you up. I need to run to the bathroom.”
He rolled away from her, then she felt his hands helping her up. She let him steady her once she was standing up but pulled away from him to walk to the bathroom by herself. Her eyes had adjusted enough that she could make out the ends of the beds so she wouldn’t run into anything. She hoped.
After washing her hands, she returned to find both men sitting up in the bed whispering. She glanced over to make sure that Ginger was still asleep as she eased past her bed. Rhodes stood up and waited for her to climb back beneath the covers before joining her.
“I’m sorry I woke you guys up,” she said.
“We’re light sleepers anyway. Don’t worry about it.” Vernon had eased back down in the bed again.
“What’s going to happen tomorrow?” she asked.
Rhodes took one of her hands and laced his fingers through hers. “We’re going to ride back to Reo and talk to your brother.”
Jessie’s mouth flew open. She couldn’t believe they were going to do something that stupid. Tussler would kill them if they just showed up at his place.
“You’re crazy!” She nearly yelled it but quieted down when she remembered that Ginger was in the next bed. “He’ll kill you without even letting you say a word.”
Vernon chuckled next to her. “You don’t have much faith in us, do you, baby? We’re not going to give him a choice. Tomorrow is Sunday. Like you told us, he drinks till nearly dawn and then sleeps till after noon on Sunday. We’re going to surprise him and get his undivided attention.”
“Maybe I should go with you.”
“No. You’re staying here with Ginger, Ajax, and Murdock where we know you are safe.”
Rhodes squeezed her hand again, “Listen to Vernon, baby. We’re going to take care of this. Your job is to stay here and stay safe so we can concentrate on what we have to do.”
“I don’t like it, Rhodes. Tussler may be my brother, but he and Ray are both crazy. They don’t think like most people.”
“We know that.” Rhodes brushed a finger across her lips. “Try and go back to sleep, baby.”
Jessie struggled to hold back the
tears that threatened to fall. If anything happened to them, she would never be able to live with herself. They were putting their lives on the line for her. She’d never been able to count on anyone outside of her parents before they died. While Ginger had been around, she knew the other teenager had her back, but she had moved away, and it left her totally alone. Now Rhodes and Vernon seemed to have claimed her and were taking on her problems. It touched her in a way that nothing ever had before.
She closed her eyes once the urge to cry had passed, and she prayed, something she hadn’t done in a very long time.
* * * *
Jessie opened her eyes and realized two things right away. One, the guys were gone and two, Ginger wasn’t in the room with her either. She jumped from the bed and grabbed her jeans. As soon as she had them up and zipped, she checked the bathroom and not finding her there, eased around the edge of the connecting door to see the other woman sitting on the foot of one of the beds talking with Murdock. Ajax was nowhere in sight.
“Ginger?”
The other woman’s head snapped up. She smiled. “Hey! You’re awake.”
Jessie walked farther into the room. “Where’s Ajax?”
“He ran to score us some breakfast.” Murdock had been sitting on the other bed.
“How long ago did the guys leave?” Jessie asked.
“They pulled out around eight. Wanted to be at your brother’s place by nine or so.”
She looked over at the bedside table and noticed the time. It was nearly ten now. What was going on there? Why had she slept so late? A knock at the door startled her. Murdock instantly shoved her farther into the room behind him and stood by the side of the door with a gun in his hand. She hadn’t even realized he was carrying one.