The Way Home

by Shannon Flagg

  “I know.” The rules of The Strays had been drilled into both of them. They were many and none without reason. “The Vikings are headed here. It's too dangerous to start moving people, so we're having everyone stay locked in.”

  “That's smart. What can I do to help?” It was the last thing that Houdini expected her to say, and he didn't know how to answer her. If she helped, she wouldn't be safe, and he wanted her to be safe. Susan sighed at his silence. “Houdini?”

  “This could be dangerous, Susan.”

  “I'm able-bodied, and members of our pack are missing. People who probably helped look for me. There's no way that I don't return the favor and do something.” Something flared in her eyes; he wasn't sure what it was, but it didn't fade. “So, what can I do to help?”

  “No one is going to think any less of you for sitting this out.”

  “I will, and trust me, I don't think that I can think much less about myself than I already do, so sitting this out is not an option.” She walked over to the dresser, started to pull out clothes. “So, what do I do?”

  “Help me get the guns ready,” Houdini replied. “We don't have much time.”

  Susan dropped the clothes on the bed. “I need two minutes to change.”

  “I'll give you some privacy.”

  “You need to change too. It's fine.” She turned her back towards him and pulled off her shirt. The sight of her bare skin did something to him. Houdini grew hard, there was no way that he couldn't. He loved her skin, so soft and silky. Golden and sprinkled with freckles and birthmarks.

  Houdini looked away as she reached for her sports bra. He needed to focus, and not on Susan's perfect skin. The thought of her skin made him remember something he'd forgotten with everything that was going on. “I've got something of yours.” He moved over to where his cut hung, reached in the inner pocket and took out the small bag he'd tucked in it.

  “What is that?” Susan eyed him skeptically. She was fully dressed now, actually wearing one of his shirts.

  Houdini removed the necklace from the bag. It made him feel clumsy to handle it, which was why he'd tucked it away carefully. He held it out and closed most of the distance between the two of them. “I forgot all about this. I'm sorry for that. You've probably been missing this.”

  “I thought it was gone forever. I don't remember them taking it or them taking my clothes, but they were gone. How did you get it?”

  “It was with your clothes at the house with the body we thought was you. It's why I believed that you were gone.”

  “It's why you packed me away.” Susan reached out and ran her hand over the necklace. “Why didn't you pack this away?”

  Houdini knew that one day this conversation would come. He'd have just much rather it happened on any other day, at any other time, especially as he heard the approaching rumble of an engine. “It kept you with me, that's why. I'll help you put it on. We need to get a move on. Someone is almost here.”

  “Forget the necklace. We don't have time.” Susan moved past him and yanked the door open. He slipped the necklace back in the bag, put on his holster and cut and followed her out. She was walking over to the bay door, used the switch to send it open and let whoever was idling outside in.

  He didn't recognize the bike, but he definitely recognized the rider. Houdini drew his gun as Fire took off his helmet. “Shut the door, Susan. Now. Get off the bike, you son of a bitch. You've got a lot of nerve showing up here.”

  “You going to let me talk or are you going to shoot me?” Fire got off the bike, hung his helmet and took off his jacket. He wore only a black tank top beneath it and turned. “I got a piece in the lock box on the bike. It's not for you.”

  Houdini heard the door clink shut and then the sound of a shotgun being racked, he glanced over to see Susan standing there. “You were with them. With The Hunters! With Rick!” Her voice shook. “And you just stood by, watched them...” Her voice cracked. “I should shoot you right now.”

  “I had no choice. He had my kid.”

  “Your what?” Houdini demanded. “Your kid, you had a kid and none of us know about it? That's real convenient.”

  “Wasn't anyone's business but mine. He lived with his Ma over in Maryville. She didn't want any part of my life. Can't blame her for that. I'll tell you the story, but now ain't the time.” Fire looked towards the bay door as the sound of engines filled the air. “Michael's here and I know what he's planning.”

  “And why should we believe you?” Susan still had the shotgun pointing at Fire, and it was clear she meant business. Houdini would have never used the word bloodthirsty in association with the woman he loved until that exact moment; the look in her eyes said it all. “How do we know that this isn't some sort of trap?”

  “Susan,” Houdini spoke in a low tone. “If they had his kid...”

  “If he even had a kid!” She replied. “Wouldn't you have known? Wouldn't he have slipped up and said something at some point? How could he have a kid and no one in the club know?”

  “I get why you're skeptical and why you're pointing that gun at me.” Fire began to walk towards Susan. “If you're going to shoot me, at least promise me first that you will make sure my boy is taken care of and away from that bitch.”

  “What bitch?”

  “Minnie Redmond, Rick's mother.”

  Susan lowered the gun so abruptly that she nearly dropped it. “Chase is your son?”

  “And you risked your life to save his, so I owe you.”

  “What the fuck are you both talking about?” Houdini demanded. “Someone needs to fill me in, now.” He assumed Chase was the boy that Susan had spoken of during her outburst the week before, when she'd ended up on the floor in a puddle of tears.

  “The night of the full moon, when Rick intended to have Susan as the main hunt she refused to...”

  “Shut up.” Susan's voice trembled as she cut him off. “Don't you talk about that night. Don't you dare talk about any of it. Not one word.”

  “Have you told him any of it, Susan?” Fire frowned, but the expression softened when Susan shook her head. “Your man needs to know.”

  “Shut up. Just shut up. We've got work to do. Things to get ready and someone is nearly here. I'm going to look out the other door first, need to be sure who we're letting in.”

  Houdini waited until she was out of earshot and then shot Fire a look that could kill. “Give me the cliff notes version, right now.”

  “Rick was obsessed with her. Kept her like a pet for a while, until she tried to run. He stopped her and when it was obvious that she wasn't as broken as he thought, he made sure that she was. I wanted to help her, but the chance didn't come up. I couldn't risk it if it would only get all three of us killed, so I waited until I could help.”

  “And how did you do that?”

  “Rick didn't shoot and tie himself up.” Fire met Houdini's eyes. “I followed them into the woods, caught Susan's trail right away and did what I could to throw him off of it. When he finally did catch up and found her, I thought he'd killed her. I shot him, disabled him and realized she was still breathing.”

  “You left her there?” Houdini felt anger rise inside of him. The urge to punch Fire directly in the face was too strong to resist, so he did so. He took a great deal of pleasure at the blood that bloomed from his former friend's mouth.

  “I was getting ready to move her and then I heard you coming. I knew if you saw me, none of you would have given me a chance to speak, so I took off. Left and went to find my son.”

  Houdini knew that if Fire hadn't shot Rick, Rick would have finished Susan off before he'd ever arrived. She'd be dead, really dead this time, and he would have followed her. Eating a bullet was a cowardly way out, but without Susan, there wouldn't have been anything left to stop him.

  The whir of the bay doors opening killed any further conversation, and Deacon nearly put his bike down in his haste to get off of it. “You son of a bitch.” He launched himself at Fire, and the two h
it the ground as he lunged. Houdini let them fight, figuring it'd be best for Deacon to get some of his anger out. When he heard the sound of more bikes approaching, he moved forward and broke them apart.

  They were both bleeding, breathing heavily. Deacon didn't look happy, he glared at Houdini and turned to Fire. “Give me one reason why I shouldn't end you right here, Traitor.”

  Fire bristled at the word. “That's the thing Deke, I'm not a traitor. Yeah, I voted with Master because it's the club that means the most to me, not who is at the head, and I knew that if he was left to his own devices, he'd destroy everything we'd worked to build. And I was right. You think the warehouse is standing because of him?”

  “It was you, and you're the one who saved all the memorabilia.” Houdini has suspected it but now he was sure of it.

  “I did what I could.” Fire shrugged.

  “What the fuck do you want?”

  “Michael is here, in Center City, and he's gone completely off the reservation. Before, Rick had him on a leash, not a tight one, but it held him back. Now, there's no one to keep him in line. He's here, and he wants Vera.”

  “He's not going to get her.” Deacon stood straighter. “I sent Vera and Adelaide out of town, no one knows where they're going, and no one will. It's too dangerous for them here in their conditions.”

  “Susan should have gone with them.” Anger flooded through Houdini that Deacon hadn't thought of or suggested it. “This is no place for her, either.”

  “Wait a minute,” Fire looked around. “Where is Susan?”

  “She was right there when I came through the doors.” Deacon replied.

  The air filled with the sound of more bikes approaching, but all Houdini could think about was Susan. As the rest of his brothers pulled in, the air of urgency grew. “Shut the door, give us some coverage if Michael shows.” Deacon ordered. “Houdini, go and find her. We've got this.”

  Houdini found her in the first place he looked, in the room that she'd so carefully set up as her exam room. In the time that had passed since then there were other items shoved in. It was a mess, but she'd shown no interest in it whatsoever. “Hey.” He spoke from the door. “You okay?”

  She let out a laugh with no humor to it. “No. I'm not alright.” It was the first time that she'd admitted that. “I just want this to be over. All of it.”

  “It will be,” Houdini stepped in the room, closed the door. “Come here.”

  “What?”

  “Come here.” He repeated. She did what he asked, warily, with an expression of confusion and suspicion on her face. “There's time for this.” He took the necklace out of his pocket. “Turn around so that I can put it on for you. Please.”

  “There's not time for...”

  “There is time,” Houdini shifted so that he was standing behind her. He draped the necklace over her neck and somehow managed to fasten the delicate clasp on the first try. “We still need a hand with the weapons if you're up to it, and I've got a feeling that we might need a doctor, so maybe you could set up, just in case?”

  “I will.” Susan whispered the words, and Houdini sucked in a deep breath as Susan took a step back so that her body was against his. Instinct brought his arms around her and held her tight. She placed her hands on his arms and leaned her head back. “What's going to happen to Fire?”

  “I'm not sure, Baby.”

  “He helped me. He saved me. If... if he hadn't shot Rick....”

  “I know. Don't worry about him. Deacon isn't going to kill him.” Houdini didn't know why he made the promise, but he did.

  “Thank you.”

  Chapter Sixteen.

  Susan took comfort in reorganizing the treatment room, her mind finally able to go quiet for once and give her a few moments of peace. Most of the time there was so much happening in her head that she just wanted to scream to make it stop.

  It was strange to be back in Center City, strange to be alive, and utterly terrifying to realize how much Houdini loved her. Sure, she'd known it before. He'd always been patient with her, never pushed or pressured her. Realizing that she'd taken that for granted had made her feel worse than the things that were happening to her.

  Rick was a sadistic son of a bitch, but Michael had been worse. Once Rick rescinded his protection, she'd been fair game. He'd sure loved to play. And now he was in Center City. He was after Vera and there was no doubt in Susan's mind he would do to Vera what he'd done to Jane, poor Jane. The idea of Vera suffering hours of assault after assault had her stomach churning.

  Susan got sick for the second time that day in the trash bin near the door. Seconds later there was a knock on the door. “You okay in there, Doc?” Mike spoke from the other side. He and Nate had been left behind with her to keep an eye on the warehouse and on her.

  “Yeah, I'm good.”

  “Want a soda or something? We got Sprite, or at least I think we do.”

  “Sounds good.” She called back, even though she had no desire to drink anything. She doubted her stomach would take it. If she'd known that all of this was going to go down, she wouldn't have eaten pizza and garlic knots with Houdini earlier. It was hard enough to keep it down without taking nerves into account.

  Mike returned to the room a moment later with Sprite and a box of crackers. He gave her a look that told her the rumor she was pregnant would be rushing around town, no matter how dire the situation they were in, within hours. There was no point in telling him that she wasn't pregnant. She couldn't be pregnant. Fate couldn't be that cruel.

  The time that she'd been held by Rick had seemed unending, days blended into nights and there was no real concept of time. There was only the feeling of being helpless, tied down like an animal and completely at the mercy of Michael and Rick. There were times when she was sure she was going to die just as Jane had. There were times when she wished for it, wished for any end to her own personal hell on Earth. At some point she'd learned how to simply switch herself off, her body present but her mind far away. In those moments she let herself think of Houdini, imagine the type of life that they could have had.

  It had never occurred to her that she'd survive and that they could truly have the life that she'd pictured. It was starting to dawn on her now that they could, if not for her. It was always her holding them back, just like it had been because of her that they'd wasted so much time when they could have been together. All it would take was her letting go of what happened to her, as if that were an easy task.

  If she was being really honest with herself, Fire's arrival had scared her. At first she'd thought he was there to hurt her, to hurt them all, which was terrifying enough, but the fact that he was there to help was even scarier. He'd obviously been there, he obviously knew what had happened to her and she couldn't be sure that he'd keep it a secret. It needed to stay secret.

  Just as Houdini hadn't wanted her to look at him with pity after he told her of his past, she didn't want him looking at her that way because of what happened. Pity was the best that she could hope for if he knew. It was more likely that he'd be disgusted by what had happened to her. Either way, she couldn't risk it. She wouldn't risk it. Houdini could not know what she'd endured.

  It was time to push it back down, shove it in the small space in her mind where she wouldn't think of it, where she couldn't think of it. Even tucked deep down there, it would reemerge, most often late at night when she should be sleeping. Susan would stay in bed, stay still and silent as events replayed over and over in her mind. It brought both comfort and pain to know that Houdini was sleeping only a few feet away, uncomfortable in a chair nearly too small for his large size. Comfort because she knew that no one was actually going to be able to hurt her, and pain because she couldn't just bring herself to tell him he could sleep with her. She was too scared that he'd touch her and she'd flinch.

  Just her thoughts were enough to exhaust her, and Susan wanted nothing more than to just return to the apartment, crawl into the bed and stay there. It was the easy way
out, even if she'd never forgive herself for it; she needed to be present for whatever happened, because it was what was right.

  No sooner had she'd made the decision than was she forced to act, as the sound of shots cut through the otherwise quiet night. Mike shouted for her to stay in the room, keep the door locked but there was no way in hell that was going to happen. Instead Susan walked over to the closet, pulled out the bag where Houdini kept their personal weapons. In under a minute she was as armed and ready as she could possibly be.

  The shots had been multiple and rapid at first; they were now more sporadic. If she had to guess, whoever was still alive had taken cover. She could only hope that there would be more of her guys than the other guys still standing. Cautiously Susan opened the door. Stealth wasn't her strong suit, and she listened long and hard before letting it open all the way. She crouched down, moved forward and almost immediately caught sight of Nate.

  He motioned for her to come over to where he was crouched behind several pallets of wood and other materials for the rooms that were being added on. “There's only two left now but Mike's down. Please tell me that you can shoot that thing and it's not just for show.”

  “I'm not a commando, but I know how to shoot.”

  “Ever shoot a person before?”

  “No.” Susan hissed the word, crouched down lower as a bullet hissed by them too closely for her comfort. “You really want to talk now?”

  “I want to kill them. I don't want to have to worry about watching your ass. You get killed and I'm as good as dead when Houdini finds out. If you're even a little sure that you can't handle your shit, stay here.” With that Nate rose from his crouch, fired off several rounds. A man screamed, and he smirked in response. “Now, there's one left.”

  He looked so proud of himself that Susan couldn't help but smile. The smile turned into a scream a second later, as a shot hit Nate in the neck. He fell to the ground, blood gushing, and she knew that there was nothing she could do for him. She knelt down next to him anyway, finding his hand through all the blood and holding it.