And twenty all-but-wordless minutes later, they were standing together, staring up at an eight-foot fence that bore a sign that read Jake’s Storage.
“It’s not staffed on Sundays,” Jordynn told him.
“Looks like they’ve got a few security cameras, though,” Dono replied, pointing up.
Jordynn shook her head. “None of them work. The guy who runs this place has a grandfather at the care home. Last week, he was complaining that the system has been broken for a month, and apparently can’t be fixed without upgrading the whole thing.”
“Hmm. So you want to climb over?”
“Nope. I’ve got it taken care of.”
Jordynn grabbed Dono’s hand and pulled him toward the numbered panel at the end of the fence. She keyed in her code, ignored his surprised look as the gate slid open, then led him into the yard. She tugged him up the aisle to a rolling metal door.
“There,” she said, and released his hand.
He raised an eyebrow. “It’s a...storage unit.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s my storage unit. But the keys are in my purse at home, so you’re going to need to work some B and E magic or something.”
“Oh, really?”
“It’ll be worth it. Trust me.”
“Putting aside the fact that you’re almost gleeful and that’s making me worry a bit for your sanity...” Dono shrugged. “Okay.”
Jordynn watched him turn and jog back up to the path, then disappear in the direction of the car. Her stomach flipped with nervous excitement. Truthfully, she hadn’t opened the storage unit since she put down the first month’s deposit. Instead, she paid an extra premium to have the manager check in on its contents a couple of times a year, accepted what he reported, then otherwise ignored it. She hoped now that everything the storage manager had told her was true.
Guess I’ll find out in a minute, she thought.
Dono was back, the hot-wiring scissors in his hand. He flashed them Jordynn’s way, then bent down. It took him less than ten seconds of fiddling with the lock before it popped off.
“You want me to open it up?” There was a hint of a twinkle in his eye. “Or is that something you need to do yourself?”
Jordynn resisted an urge to stick out her tongue. “You do it. I want to stand back here and watch your face when you see what’s inside.”
A smile tipped up his lips, and he obediently bent again. Jordynn watched as he rolled up the metal door. As he stepped back and peered into the storage unit, a frown etched itself into his forehead. It disappeared quickly, though, and shock took its place.
His eyes flipped back and forth between the concrete room and Jordynn for several seconds before finally settling on her. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yes.”
She stepped into the eight-by-eight room and brought her hands to the big object at the center. A motorcycle. Well, in name, anyway. Dono had pieced the thing together using bits salvaged from scrapyards and generous mechanics, and Jordynn had watched as the bike went from a hideous pile of unrecognizable metal to the shiny silver-and-black vehicle in front of them now. He’d always told Jordynn he was going to make it street legal, but he’d never actually gotten around to doing it.
Jordynn tapped the bike’s seat, then lifted her face and smiled. “Your third love, you always said. Me. Then math. Then this bike.”
Dono joined her, his hands running over the handlebars. “That was a bit of a lie.”
“It was?”
“It was always you, then the bike. Then the numbers.”
“Why would you lie about that?”
He kissed her lightly, then slung a leg over the bike. “Thought maybe you wouldn’t want to be married to a grease monkey.”
“Seriously?”
“I was a kid.”
“A kid who thought numbers were sexier than motorcycles?”
“A kid who was more worried about providing a stable environment for his future wife and their future kids than he was about being sexy.”
Tears pricked at the back of Jordynn’s lids and she blinked them back forcibly. “Hey, Dono?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m pretty sure that was sexier than a grease monkey or an accountant.”
“Damn. Sappy is sexy? No wonder I always felt like I fell a little short.”
“Sincere is sexy. And I promise you, you never fell short.”
He grinned. “Wait. Does this mean we aren’t going to take the bike after all?”
“I didn’t say the bike wasn’t sexy,” she replied. “Just that your words were sexier.”
“Hmm. And what about the math?”
“I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me.”
Dono chuckled, and his hands snaked out to pull her into an embrace. Jordynn leaned into him. He was warm and safe and smelled delicious. She inhaled deeply, wanting to savor both the feel and scent of him.
Not just those things, she realized as he stroked her back. Everything.
Little moments and big moments. A shared past and a shared future. The things she’d long given up on. It seemed utterly unreal that she could have them all again.
“Is this a dream?” she asked softly.
Dono leaned back and lifted her chin, his hazel eyes showing a mix of amusement and concern. “A dream? I thought I was the one with the head injury.”
“I’m serious. It’s what I thought when I first saw you in my yard,” she told him, then shrugged. “So I guess I keep waiting to wake up.”
He cupped her face with both his hands. “This isn’t a dream, honey.”
She swallowed nervously. “I’m really scared.”
“I know. And to be honest, I am, too. But I’ll keep you safe, Jordynn. I won’t let Ivan or his men anywhere near you.”
Jordynn shook her head. “Not of that. I’m scared that things will go wrong and I’ll lose you all over again. That I’ll never get to tell you I never stopped loving you, either.”
There was a beat, and she knew he was digesting her words.
“Is that true?” he asked, his voice thick.
“It is, Dono.” She swallowed again. “I love you. Enough that I’m willing to let go of everything that happened. Which I already told you. But...I don’t know if I can go through it again. Wait. Scratch that. I do know. I can’t lose you a second time. I can’t second-guess every move, wondering if you’re going to disappear again. I just—”
“You won’t have to.”
“You say that now, but what if it’s a choice between my life and you leaving?”
“I’m not going to let that happen.”
“Did you ever think it would happen in the first place?”
“Listen to me,” he said, his expression as intense and serious as his tone. “I will not let it happen. You’re not the only one who can’t do it again. We’re going to finish this, and when we do, the only thing we’ll have to do a second time is plan our life together.”
Jordynn stared at him, reading the sincerity in his eyes. Seeing that he really believed what he told her, truly meant every word. And she knew she had to take a leap.
She nodded. “Let’s hurry up and get the damned bike running, then.”
“Anything you say, honey,” Dono said, then climbed off the bike and got to work.
* * *
Whoever’d been looking after the bike on Jordynn’s behalf had done it right. Tank drained, but a full, sealed gas can on hand. Battery kept in a separate cabinet in the corner of the storage room—clean and charged regularly. A couple of helmets and jackets ready.
Donovan took care of things quickly, reattaching the battery to its connections under the seat, checking the wires and going over each hose to make sure he saw no brea
ks.
“I seriously can’t believe you managed to keep this,” he said as he looked the bike over, inch by inch.
“It was the same as your dad and the bridge,” she told him. “I couldn’t let it go. Holding on to it was like holding on to a piece of you.”
“A bunch of pieces,” he corrected teasingly. “Ugly ones.”
“Are you kidding? I loved every bit of that thing.”
“You know what I loved? Having you ride behind me, screaming for dear life.”
“I never screamed for dear life.”
He stood up and smiled. “I guess we’re about to see which of us remembers correctly. Got the key?”
She grabbed it from the cabinet and held it out. “You think it will run?”
“I know it will.”
He climbed onto the bike and went through the steps of bringing it to life, careful not to miss anything. He stuck the key into the ignition. He pulled the choke all the way out, then turned the key to the on position. He checked that the kill switch was off, that the gear shifter was in Neutral, then squeezed the clutch lever. Finally, he pushed down on the start button. The starter turned over, but the engine didn’t come to life. Not at all discouraged, Donovan tried again, and this time, he was rewarded. The bike hummed roughly, then smoothed to a light rumble.
“See?” he said. “Good as it ever was.”
He cut the engine, then dismounted and moved to the cabinet to retrieve the protective gear from inside. The helmets, leather pants, and jackets were the same ones they’d used years earlier, and Donovan couldn’t quite decide whether seeing them made him feel bittersweet or just plain sweet. He pushed for the latter as he handed the smaller set to Jordynn.
“This’ll be perfect,” he told her. “Even if Ivan and his men are watching the care home, they won’t be looking for a bike. I put this thing away long before they ever showed up in Ellisberg. And assuming it’s been in here for the last ten years...”
“It has.”
“Good. We’ll just look like another couple, out for a Sunday cruise.” He paused. “At least until we’re right there and have to get off.”
“We won’t be bringing the bike in that close.”
“We won’t?”
“Nope. That secret way in that I mentioned? It’s on foot.”
“Car to bike to feet. This is getting more complicated by the second.”
“Just you wait.”
Donovan held out his protective gear. The pants were a no-go—a perfect fit for his younger, scrawnier self, and not at all suitable now. His crisp leather jacket, though, was workable. He’d swam in the damned thing as a kid. He slid his arms into the sleeves.
No swimming now, he thought.
Sucking in a breath to force it closed, he smiled at Jordynn. “I’m all yours.”
“Good. Take Sandstone to the old highway, and I’ll guide you from there.” She planted a kiss on his lips, slid the helmet onto her head, then straddled the bike. “Ready when you are.”
And minutes later, as they were whipping across the outskirts of Ellisberg on a roundabout route to the care home, Donovan was damned glad Jordynn had taken the lead. The familiar hum underneath him and Jordynn’s warm body pressed to his own were a pretty big distraction. His brain was happy to settle back and follow her signals.
A squeeze on his left arm meant to turn that way. A tug on the right meant to go that way. If she hugged his waist a little tighter, she wanted him to drive on. Donovan took that as a sign that he should go faster. Right that second, she was holding on very tight.
Behind his face shield, he couldn’t help but smile.
For him, this was the second-best thing about riding on the bike. The way it screamed of freedom, but demanded control at the same time. The first-best thing, though, was the way it made Jordynn tuck her body close behind his, her arms wrapped around his waist, her face buried in his back. It had been a rush, when they were younger, to drive faster and faster through the back roads, making her squeeze more tightly with every turn. He’d loved making her squeal, while knowing he kept her safe the whole time.
Ten years later, it didn’t feel any less exhilarating.
He couldn’t believe he’d ever put the bike aside in favor of a book full of checks and balance. Of course, it had seemed worth it. A small sacrifice to make on the road to becoming the kind of man a woman like Jordynn would want to marry.
He’d never have considered the motorcycle to be something she’d hang on to. He was glad she had. Not just because it was a convenient way to get where they were going, either. It felt good to know she’d embraced and valued the part of him he’d always believed wasn’t quite good enough for her.
Another reason to love her, he thought as he slowed to round a corner.
The back side of a tidy row of three-story buildings came into view on the horizon. Jordynn squeezed, and Donovan followed the curve of the road to take the next left. The turn swung them around and away from the buildings, then took them into a pocket of high-density residential houses. Jordynn squeezed a few more times, and Donovan obeyed each of the silent commands. And after a few more navigational twists, he found himself facing a long, narrow alleyway.
He slowed even more, then brought the bike to a stop at the corner, and Jordynn spoke into his ear, loud enough to be heard above the purr of the engine.
“Four buildings up,” she said. “It’s a medical office with an underground lot. Go in, then go all the way to the end. There’s a big column. Park beside it.”
Donovan nodded his understanding, then pulled the motorcycle forward. He guided it down the ramp, spotted the column in question, then rode toward it and parked. Jordynn was right. It was a good spot. The bike would be out of direct view of the entrance and it was right across from a stairwell, too. Easy to get to, if they needed an alternate escape route.
He waited for Jordynn to climb off, then lifted his helmet and faced her. She pulled her head out of her own helmet and shook her hair free.
“Told you I didn’t scream,” she said.
“I’m sure I heard at least one yelp,” he countered.
“You definitely didn’t.” She shoved her helmet at him. “C’mon.”
Donovan tucked both helmets into the rear storage container on the bike, then followed her to the corner of the parking garage.
“What am I looking for?” he asked.
“There,” she said, and pointed straight ahead.
“Is it...a magic portal?”
“Ha, ha. No. A magical grate.”
She put a finger on his chin and forced his gaze up a few inches. There it was. A piece of crisscrossed metal, painted white to blend in with the wall, and no more than two and a half feet wide by two and a half feet tall.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” he muttered.
“Nope.”
“Have you got a bottle of baby oil hidden somewhere? Because no way am I going to fit through there easily.”
She grabbed his hand and pulled him nearer to the wall. “You will.”
Donovan eyed the grate dubiously. “Doubtful.”
“I know for a fact that you will, for the same reason I know where it leads.”
“Do I even want to ask?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Fine. How are you so sure I’ll squeeze through? And where does it go?”
“Six years ago, we had this patient who kept escaping. Poor old guy was turning up all over Ellisberg, but no one knew how the heck he was getting out.” Jordynn moved closer to the grate, then pushed on it until it made a popping sound and fell into her hands. “Turned out this was his exit point. And he had about fifty pounds—and fifty years—on you. So I’m pretty sure you won’t have a problem.”
Donovan leaned against the concrete wall
and peered into the exposed opening. He couldn’t see anything past the first few feet.
“Be easier with a flashlight,” he observed. “At least I’d know what I was getting myself into.”
“Don’t be scared,” Jordynn teased, then slipped under his arm. “Ladies first.”
Before Donovan could protest, she lifted herself in and slid out of sight. There was the sound of her leather pants skidding across the metal ducting, then her voice carried out from the hole.
“You coming?”
“Not because I want to.”
“Don’t forget to close the grate.”
“Right. Would hate for any rats to get in. Or is it out?”
“Ha, ha.”
Donovan positioned himself on the edge, lifted the cover and pulled it up and secured it, then rolled to his back. He took a breath and pushed forward. His shoulders protested against the square edges of the confined space, and he suppressed a groan. He had no idea how a man bigger than him could possibly fit inside, let alone make his way up and out. When he pushed again, though, the passage widened.
“You’re going to come to a split,” Jordynn called from somewhere up ahead. “Go right or you’ll get stuck in an airway.”
He obeyed, inching along and ignoring the claustrophobia that threatened to overtake him as the walls tightened again. He was far enough in now that the light from the parking lot was nonexistent.
“Almost there!” Jordynn’s voice echoed a little, like she was speaking from within a cavern. “I can see your boots!”
“I don’t know how you can see anything,” he called back.
“Give it a second.”
With a grunt, Donovan gave himself another shove along the slight downward slope. He overshot, though, and when the ducting ended abruptly, he flew out of the end, dropped down about two feet and landed on the damp ground with a thud.
“Could’ve given me some warning,” he said.
“Sorry.”
As he stood and inhaled, a thick, unpleasant scent filled his nostrils. He blinked, his eyes working to adjust to the small beam of yellow light illuminating the area. And even with the ache of his bruised rear end, he recognized the moss-covered room for what it was.
Last Chance Hero Page 19