by Cox, Carrie;
I had to take this opportunity because I didn’t know when another one would come along.
Nick was working on his bike for the rest of the morning, and I hung around for a while. The sight of him with his shirt off and his muscles straining as he tightened and loosened parts of the bike was a very attractive way to kill time. But after a while, I managed to drag myself away.
“I’m just going for a walk,” I announced.
Nick looked at me, and his eyes narrowed. He wiped away the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, leaving behind a small smear of engine grease.
I wanted to reach out and wipe it off, but I stuck my hands deeper in my pockets and smiled at him, trying my best to look innocent.
“Don’t go far,” Nick said.
I laughed. My voice sounded suspiciously bright as I said, “Sure. I mean, where would I go?”
I gestured at the empty desert around us.
Nick smiled. “Fair point.”
He turned back to concentrate on his bike.
I walked slowly, circling the perimeter of the club. I’d seen something the other day that I thought could be very useful this evening, and I wanted to check it was still there.
There was a large outbuilding at the back of the club. A couple of the windows were cracked, and the place was covered in cobwebs. It clearly wasn’t used much at the moment.
The other day, as I was passing, something had caught my eye.
When I reached the outbuilding, I looked around and turned in a slow circle to make sure no one had followed me and no one was watching me from the club.
When I was sure I was alone, I shaded my eyes and peered into one of the dark, dusty windows.
It was still there — an ancient, rusty bicycle.
I might not be able to ride a motorcycle, but I could ride a bike. And it would be a hell of a lot faster than trying to walk into Blackthorne town.
I felt excitement spiral in my chest. I knew I shouldn’t get my hopes up, but I couldn’t help it.
I checked the door of the outbuilding to make sure I would be able to get in later, and to my disappointment, the handle was stiff and wouldn’t turn. I glanced down to see if it had a lock.
There was a keyhole, but it looked rusted and neglected. I couldn’t tell if the door had been locked or whether the handle was just stiff.
I walked slowly around the outbuilding, hoping that there would be another entrance. I looked at one of the large windows. I could probably force it open and climb through, but that wouldn’t be much good if I couldn’t get the bike out.
I continued to walk around until I got to the back of the building and saw that somebody had left a pile of bricks. They’d obviously been there a while and were covered by a layer of sand.
If someone had wanted to hide a spare key, they may have left it there, I thought. I crouched down, again quickly looking behind me to make sure no one was watching, and then I lifted one brick after another.
I didn’t have much luck. The only thing I found was a tiny scorpion that sent me reeling back onto my ass when I spotted it.
I wiped my dusty hands on my jeans and carried on walking. On the far side of the building, further away from the door, there was another smaller pile of bricks.
I cautiously leaned down. My hand was shaking as I lifted the first brick. I could really do without finding another scorpion.
I grinned widely. I was in luck. This time, instead of a scorpion, a rusty old key had been hidden beneath the bricks.
I snatched up the key and quickly walked around to the front of the outbuilding to try and fit it in the lock.
It fitted perfectly. Despite the rusty lock and equally corroded key, it turned smoothly as if it were brand-new. I tested the door and pulled it open a few inches.
Perfect.
I locked the door again and shoved the key into the pocket of my jeans. Everything was going according to plan. I would be out of this place tonight.
The afternoon passed agonizingly slowly. It was so hard to wait. I was sure that Nick was going to realize something was off because I was so jittery.
6
“Everything okay?” Nick asked me just before he left to see Victor.
“Sure,” I said, smiling brightly.
“You won’t miss me too much tonight?” he teased.
I tried to match his tone as I replied, “I’m sure I will manage to keep myself occupied until you return.”
“Well, I would say don’t wait up…but even if you do go to sleep, I’m going to wake you up…”
He leaned forward to whisper in my ear, and his breath tickled my neck. “Because when I get back, I want to explore every inch of your gorgeous curves.”
I felt a rush of blood to my cheeks and a pulse of heat between my legs. I licked my lips, but I knew it wouldn’t happen tonight. By the time Nick got back, I would be gone.
***
I forced myself to wait until it was dark so I could leave with less chance of being seen.
I pulled on a black sweater — one of the items of clothes Teresa had loaned me. Unfortunately, I only had blue jeans, but they would have to do. I would have preferred black — anything to make me less visible tonight. The last thing I wanted was for someone to spot me and have to think up an excuse. There really wasn’t a decent excuse I could use for being outside at this time of night.
The noise from the bikers in the bar was raucous, drowning out the loud music as I snuck out of my room. I felt guilty for leaving Nick without an explanation. But it couldn’t be helped. I had to get home. I wasn’t safe here.
My heart was pounding as I quickly walked down the corridor towards the kitchen. I decided to go out that way as the kitchen door was never locked until after the bar closed.
I kept walking quickly, hoping no one would notice me. I didn’t want anyone to stumble out into the corridor as I passed or come to the kitchen for a snack and catch me leaving.
I walked swiftly through the kitchen, passing the stainless steel worktops and then paused with my fingertips on the door handle.
This was it.
If I left now, there was no going back.
I tried to imagine Nick’s reaction. How would he feel? I swallowed hard. Nick would be fine. This was his life and he was used to it. It would probably be easier for him here without me to worry about.
I stepped outside and shivered. The night air was cooler than I’d expected. There was just a thin crescent moon in the sky, which I was thankful for. The less moonlight the better tonight as far as I was concerned. It meant I had less chance of being spotted.
It seemed everything I did made more noise than usual. My shoes crunched against the sandy gravel beneath my feet and I winced.
A light was on in one of the rooms facing out onto the courtyard. I licked my lips nervously and ducked down so if anyone was inside they wouldn’t see me pass. I wasn’t exactly a natural at this escape stuff and felt a bit silly creeping around the building.
I had no idea what I was doing, but I had a pretty good idea what would happen to me if I got caught.
When I reached the outbuilding, I grabbed the key from my pocket and leaned down to try and locate the keyhole.
The low level of moonlight was good in one way, but it made it really difficult for me to see the lock. I finally inserted the key in the hole and heard the lock open with a click as I turned the key.
I exhaled a long breath in relief and pulled open the door. It creaked loudly, and I froze, guiltily looking over my shoulder.
I waited a few seconds, but there was no sign of movement and no indication that anyone had seen me or heard the door opening.
I was trembling now, and my hand shook as I shoved the key back in my pocket. I stepped inside and something grazed my cheek.
I stifled a scream, and I didn’t feel much better when I saw what was responsible. A long, grey, twisted cobweb. Luckily I couldn’t see its eight-legged owner, but I didn’t stick around to look for it.
I grabbed the bicycle by the handle bars and dragged it outside.
I propped up the bicycle against the wall while I locked the door. Then I quickly skirted around the outside of the building to put the key back in the pile of bricks where I’d found it. I slipped it in a gap, unwilling to move any bricks tonight and risk finding another scorpion.
I grabbed the bike, swung my leg over and planted my butt on the very uncomfortable saddle. I put a foot on one of the pedals and pushed off.
At first, it was a little tricky. It had been a while since I’d last ridden, but what was that saying? It was like riding a bike? I wasn’t so sure about that.
It was hard to keep my balance, and it was even harder to peddle at the same time. It definitely wasn’t as easy as I remembered.
The muscles in my legs were protesting from the effort. Then I had a horrible thought. Did the bike have a flat tire? I hadn’t checked. Why hadn’t I thought of checking something so obvious?
I planted my feet on the floor and then peered down to inspect the tires. It was hard to see in the dark, but they both looked okay, so I figured it must be hard going just because the sandy surface was difficult to ride on.
I gritted my teeth and began to move again. It didn’t matter how hard it was. I had to do it. Once I reached the town, I would be safe, I told myself, pushing down hard on the pedals.
When I got off the track and onto the main road, it made it a little easier. With the cool night breeze rippling through my hair, I began to feel more confident.
The sound from the bar had faded behind me, and I could see the lights from the town of Blackthorne in front of me. I could do this.
I wasn’t sure how long it would take. But it could only be a maximum of five miles. A few more miles on this bike and I would be safe. I tried to keep up the positive thoughts to encourage myself to go faster.
I’d only been cycling for a few minutes when I saw lights up ahead. They were too close to be from the town, and from the way they jumped and moved, I guessed it had to be a car going over bumps in the road.
I felt a wave of absolute terror, and for a split second, I froze.
What should I do now?
7
I decided to get off the bike and move it to the side of the road. There wasn’t exactly much to hide behind, but I managed to get myself and the bike mostly covered by a prickly shrub. I sat there, praying that there were no scorpions nearby, until the car roared past.
I waited, expecting to hear the squeal of breaks when I was spotted. But the sound from the engine grew distant.
I waited a minute or so, to make sure that they weren’t coming back, and then I freed myself from the shrub, which had decided to catch onto my sweater with its prickly spines.
I hauled out the bicycle and wheeled it back up to the road.
I guessed I was about midway between the club and the town of Blackthorne. Halfway, I thought. I could do this.
I got back on the bike and cycled hard, keeping my head down and praying I wouldn’t meet another car on the road at this time of night.
Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on my side.
This time, I didn’t even notice the truck until I was almost on top of it.
Its black paint, kept it well hidden in the moonlight. The headlights were off, and it was parked at the side of the road. I didn’t dare look up. I hoped that the owner had run into engine trouble and left it there to walk into town.
“Please, please,” I muttered under my breath, “Just let me get to the town safely.”
The tall figure came out of nowhere, forcing me to squeeze the brakes tightly. The bike skidded to a stop, jolting me forward and nearly throwing me from the bike.
What the hell?
I pushed my hair back from my face, looked up and found myself gazing directly at Nick.
What was going on? What was he doing here?
At first I couldn’t speak, I was too shocked. I was too surprised to be disappointed that I wouldn’t make it to Blackthorne now.
I shook my head at him. “What are you doing here?”
Nick gave me an exasperated smile. “I could ask you the same question, Ella.”
It started to sink in that I had just lost my chance of escape. My legs ached, my butt was sore from the saddle, and I was thoroughly fed up. I clambered off the bike and threw it down on the ground.
“What do you think I was doing?” I yelled. “I was trying to get out of here.”
Nick stared at me with conflict in his eyes, as though he was deciding what to do next.
Maybe I still had a chance…
“Maybe, you could just let me go and pretend that you never saw me.”
Nick reached out his hand towards me, but then thought better of it and hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans.
He sighed. “I know you’re not going to believe me but going to the sheriff in Blackthorne is not a good idea. I will help you get out, Ella. I just need more time.”
I shook my head in disbelief. I wasn’t some little girl that needed saving. I was trying to save myself. And I would have been successful if he hadn’t been standing in my way.
The slow realization dawned on me that Nick could be out to save his own skin. Maybe he didn’t want me to go to the sheriff because he would get in trouble.
“I won’t mention you.” I chewed my lower lip. “I don’t even have to mention the Blackthorne club…or Victor.”
Nicked frowned.
“I’ll say I got lost, or my car broke down and I ended up here…” I said, improvising wildly. “So you don’t have to worry about getting into trouble.”
Nick’s face was a mask of disgust. “Is that really what you think of me? You think I’m worried about myself?”
If he wasn’t worried about himself, I couldn’t think why he wouldn’t let me go. So I shrugged.
Nick turned away and ran his hand through his dark hair before letting the strands fall back against his forehead.
I held my breath. I knew what happened next would determine my future.
He turned back to me eventually and said in a quiet voice, “Let’s go back, Ella.”
“You’re taking me back to Victor?” My voice was high-pitched and verging on the hysterical. I couldn’t believe he was going to betray me like this. “You’re choosing Victor over me? Just so we’re clear, you’re choosing a man who murdered someone you cared about over me?”
Nick’s face hardened, and when he turned to me, anger blazed in his eyes. “Don’t say that. It isn’t true.”
“No? Well, that’s what it looks like from where I’m standing. Let me go, Nick, please. No one will ever have to know.”
I gazed up at him, searching his face for some sign that he might take pity on me and relent, but his eyes met mine with determination as he grabbed my hand and led me back to the truck. He opened the door to the passenger side and nodded for me to get in.
My cheeks were burning, and tears prickled at the corners of my eyes, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he’d hurt me.
I had never felt so betrayed by anyone in my life than I did at that moment. To think that I had cared about him… I must have been crazy.
But I knew I had run out of options, so I climbed inside the truck and yanked my seatbelt on while Nick walked around the other side and climbed into the driver’s seat.
“You have to be careful who you trust around here, Ella,” Nick said as he turned on the engine.
I leaned back against the seat and turned my head so I was looking out of the window rather than at him.
“Please, Ella, just give me a little more time. I know you think the town of Blackthorne is somewhere where you will be safe, but Victor has connections… And if he found out you tried to escape, which he would…” Nick shifted in his seat to look at me, but I kept my gaze stubbornly fixed on the window. “When Victor found you again, he wouldn’t treat you so well.”
Nick’s voice sounded so sincere that I al
most believed him. Was he really worried about me? Was his concern genuine? Or was I just being played again?
When we pulled into the Blackthorne parking lot, I reached out to open the door, but Nick put a hand on my leg. “Wait, Ella.”
I turned back to face him. “Yes?” I snapped.
I sure as hell wasn’t ready to forgive him yet.
“I know this is really difficult for you. So I’m going to make you a promise. Come hell or high water, I will have you out of here within a week. I will keep you safe, I promise. And I take my promises seriously.”
My eyes searched his face for some kind of sign he was telling me the truth. I could feel myself begin to melt. My resolve was weakening. Should I trust him?
I didn’t really have much of a choice. Despite my plans, I wasn’t leaving there tonight, so now Nick was my best chance of getting out of there.
“One week? You promise?”
He swallowed hard and then nodded.
“Ok, then,” I said, slowly nodding. “If you promise, then I believe you, but if you back out of this you have to know that you’re going to break my heart.” My voice wavered as I spoke.
Nick flinched as if my words hurt him, but he nodded and gave me a half smile. “Okay, now let’s try to get you back inside without anyone noticing.”
We climbed out of the truck and I’d just shut the door behind me when I heard shouting.
“There they are! Grab them!”
I felt a pair of strong arms grab me from behind and I screamed in terror.
8
“Ella,” Nick called out to me.
But when I turned, I saw he was being held back by the two heavies that usually guarded Victor’s door.
They didn’t restrain him for long, though. He wrenched an arm free and used it to elbow one of the men in the face, giving him a cut lip. Then he turned and punched the other one, making the guy’s head jerk backwards.
“Son of a bitch,” the guy with the cut lip grunted.
But suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, more bikers appeared, piling on top of Nick until they held him so tightly he couldn’t move.