17.

E LIZABETH

“I’m not going to argue with you about it anymore, Dub. Go play with your friends, and then come back to me when you're finished. I will be just fine here with the girls.”

“But . . .”

“I know how much it annoys you when I use that tone of voice, so I’m trying my hardest to resist, but I’m not sure how much longer I can hold out, Kevin. ”

“At least let me help you with the kennels before I . . .”

“If you don’t leave right now, you’re gonna miss the last out and have to meet up with them at the second stop.”

Dub sighed and looked over at Mary who was lying on the couch and then at Laura who was in the recliner. The girls were sunburned from their time in the pool yesterday, and even though I was kicking myself for not making sure they put on more sunscreen, there wasn’t anything I could do about it now except to make them as comfortable as possible. They were already less red than they’d been this morning and swore that the aloe vera plant Dub brought over from his house was helping to soothe their skin.

However, our plans to take them on the annual bike run that was part of the reunion would have to be scratched because neither of the girls needed to be out in the sun for a few days. At any other time, we could ask Charlotte if she’d let them stay with her, but she’d taken her kids to Denver for the weekend to enjoy a short vacation before the new baby arrived. Dub had already taken care of the horses for the morning and was itching to go on the run but felt bad about leaving me at home with the girls.

“Dub, please just go. We really will be fine, and I want you to spend time with the guys before they leave.”

“You’re way too good for me, sweetheart. I hope you know that.”

“I do, but I love you anyway,” I sassed. “Now, get out of here. I’m going to put some pies in the oven and then play with the dogs before I make dinner.”

“I love you, too, Elizabeth,” Dub said before he pulled me into his arms for a heated kiss. “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

“I knew what I was signing up for, and this is part of it.” I shrugged before I said, “Besides, taking care of whiny sunburned kids will give me some good practice for when we have a cranky baby around.”

“You’re still considering it?”

“I haven’t thought of anything else since you mentioned it, but I’m still not quite there.”

“As long as we can keep practicing until you are, I'm fine with that.”

“Bye, sweetheart,” I said as I nudged him toward the door. “Ride safe.”

“Always.”

I watched out the window as Dub scratched Hercules between the ears and then mounted his motorcycle. I finally turned away from the window when Dub turned onto the road and found Laura and Mary watching me.

“You two are so gross,” Laura complained.

“I think it’s sweet,” Mary argued. “Someday I’ll find a person who loves me like Dub loves you.”

“Yes, you will, but you still have a lot of life to live before you find him,” I reminded her, knowing in my heart that I’d do anything to make sure she had that choice even though her future was uncertain with Aleta still on the fence about their custody and how much it would cost Dub to get her to sign them over. “Are you girls up for helping me get some things prepped for dinner?”

“I want to make the pie crust!” Mary said as she slowly got up off the couch.

“Can I go play with the dogs?”

“Let’s do that in a bit when there’s some shade out behind the barn,” I suggested. “I’d like for both of you to wear long sleeves if we’re going to be outside, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am,” they chorused as they joined me in the kitchen.

Without thinking, I blurted, “Do you know how much I love having you here?”

“We can kind of tell,” Laura said with a shrug. “You’re really nice to us.”

“It’s because I love you.”

“We love you too,” Laura said. “If I could choose a mom to have for the rest of my life, I’d choose you.”

“So would I,” Mary agreed.

I took a deep breath and did my best to keep my voice steady when I said, “I’d love to be your mom.”

Laura laughed before she said, “I think you already are.”

◆◆◆

I waved one more time as my client and her dog, Zoey the boxer, slowly made their way down the driveway. For the first time since I’d opened my business, I had an open kennel, but that wouldn’t last for long. I’d gotten word from the shelter in Springblood that there was a litter of puppies that had been found abandoned near the highway. As soon as they got their immunizations and had their basic physical needs attended to, they’d be moving into the empty kennel.

Part of my long-term plan was to give shelter dogs training that might make them more adoptable. It seemed perfect to start with some puppies that someone had thrown away. During their initial training, I’d test them to find any with the temperament to be a good support animal and then go from there.

Sadly, there was a long list of children and adults who needed support animals but couldn’t afford the training required. Part of my mission and a large part of my business plan was to make it possible for someone who needed help to get it without breaking the bank. Shelter dogs seemed like the perfect way to start that process.

I was about to go back to the barn when I saw movement in the bushes at the end of the drive. I watched for a few more seconds until I convinced myself I was imagining things and then walked into the barn. I could hear the girls talking out in the pen, so I grabbed each of them a bottle of water and another dose of pain relievers to help with their sunburn before I walked out the back door into the main corral I used as a play area.

The girls had taken my advice and put on long-sleeved T-shirts to cover the worst of their sunburns and were also wearing loose joggers with their running shoes so that the rest of their skin was covered. It seemed an odd way to dress in the heat of the summer, but I knew it would help protect them from more pain and make for a quicker recovery if they didn’t add to their current burns with more time in the sun.

Once I’d given each girl their meds and water, I pulled out my phone. After I selected a playlist, I set the phone on the post and walked over to the back fence to give Hercules the apple I’d brought out with me.

When I heard the first scream, I thought it was the music playing behind me but went on high alert when Hercules tensed and let out a warning huff. I spun around to find Laura grappling with a silver-haired man while Mary was trying to get out of the chokehold Aleta had on her.

As I ran across the corral, I assessed the threat both people posed and decided to go for Aleta first since she was the weaker link. I never slowed down as I pulled my arm back. My fist hit her nose with all the power of my arm along with the momentum from my sprint. As I spun toward the man holding Laura, I saw Aleta falling backward out of the corner of my eye and Mary scrambling to get away from her.

“Run to the spot!” I yelled at Mary right before I hit the man tugging on Laura’s arm with a quick jab to his solar plexus. He let out a pained grunt and lost his hold on Laura, and as I cocked my arm pack to punch him in the face, I saw her take off toward the woods.

Before he had time to recover, I rained blows on his face, happy to hear his nose crunch when I broke it. I heard a man’s angry shout and then hoofbeats as Hercules ran past me. The dogs were all barking frantically from the pen where they were trapped, but I could hear Charlie’s deep growl right before he snarled and a man shouted in pain.

As the silver-haired man fell to the ground from my rapid punches to his face and torso, I looked to my left and found Hercules and Charlie fending off two men who were powerless against their hooves and teeth, but three other men climbing the fence to get into the corral and come to their aid. I looked toward the woods and saw a flash of color disappear into the dense foliage and took a split second to assess the situation in front of me.

The men had seen the girls run into the woods and two of them sprinted in that direction as soon as they cleared the fence. I could tell by looking at them that they were soft and not used to physical activity but understood the limits of my strength, too, and knew that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t fight off six grown men. Instead of standing my ground, I scrambled over the fence and ran across the grass toward the opening in the trees where Laura and Mary had disappeared.

I caught up to the first man and rammed into him from behind, causing him to fly forward with barely enough time to put his hands up to protect himself. As I pushed myself to catch the second man, I heard Aleta scream and then a crash of sound before thundering hoofbeats let me know Hercules was following me. I was gaining on the man when Herc flew past me and barreled into him, trampling him beneath his large hooves before he turned around and ran back toward the corral.

I didn’t stop running and hit my stride as I heard men yelling behind me over the sound of Hercules’ angry whinny and Charlie’s barks and growls. The second I got into the tree line, I veered to the right to get to the meeting place I’d shown the girls when we talked about this exact scenario.

Of course, when we went through the possibilities, we didn’t consider that there would be an entire group of men following us and had just assumed it would be Aleta they would be hiding from. It didn’t take long for me to decide how to counteract this new threat. The second I came to a stop in front of the dense brush where I knew the girls were hiding, I whispered, “We have to go deeper into the woods, girls. Come on!”

Laura and Mary scrambled out of the foliage, and I realized there was no way we’d be able to hide ourselves with their brightly-colored shirts shining like a beacon for anyone following us to see. Once they were on their feet, I did my best to ignore the tears streaming down their cheeks as I nudged them in front of me and said, “Keep up with me, but stay as quiet as you can.”

I heard Mary sniff just as Laura whispered, “Hurry. They’re coming!”

I grabbed Laura’s braid and stuffed it into the back of her shirt in the hopes that would help it from catching on the branches and leaving a trail of bright blond hair for our pursuers to follow and then pushed past them and started jogging, happy to hear them close behind me. I zigzagged through the dense trees, counting to twenty before I reached up and stripped the leaves off the nearest branch and dropped them on the ground at our feet. I did that again and again as we ran, never slowing, but leaving a trail that I’d be able to follow in case we got lost.

I aimed at one of the packs that I had hidden in the woods but could still hear the men behind us in the distance, calling out for us to stop amid threats of what would happen if we didn’t. I knew that they were probably able to see us because of the girls' clothes and was glad that, as usual, I was wearing black. I wished with all my might that I’d had the forethought to consider their clothing choices when I had them get dressed earlier.

I found the opening I was looking for and darted down the natural path toward the stream I knew was at the bottom of a small ravine. Once I was at the edge, I sat down and slid to the bottom and then stopped at the water’s edge to wait for the girls. As soon as they were beside me, I scooped up a handful of mud and smeared it across Laura’s chest.

“Cover your clothes as much as you can.”

“Fuck this,” Laura hissed, sounding so much like Dub that I’d laugh if I wasn’t so scared. She yanked her shirt off and then reached down and grabbed a handful of mud. She smeared it up her sunburned arm with a wince and then across the tank top she was wearing before she got another handful and did the same on the other side.

Mary had an even better idea and dropped to the ground next to her sister. She laid down on her back and wiggled around for a second before she turned to the side and did the same thing. As the girls covered themselves in mud, I did the same, hoping to camouflage myself at least a little until we could get to my pack where I had other clothes and supplies that would help if we had to stay out here more than a few hours.

“Shhh,” I whispered when I heard voices in the distance. The girls heard them, too, and worked furiously to cover themselves, even going so far as to put mud on their bright blonde hair to help it blend into our surroundings.

Suddenly, it struck me where I was and what was going on, and I felt like I’d been transported back in time to the forest where I’d been held. It was no longer strange men I could hear in the distance. Their voices had melded into one - that of Troy Black, the man who had kidnapped me and held me captive for almost a year.

I didn’t know which way to turn or where to go. All of the trees looked the same, and I didn’t know how to find my way out. I could hear him getting closer and knew that . . .

My head jerked back a split-second after I felt a sharp sting on my cheek. I blinked my eyes and found Mary standing in front of me with a wild look in her eyes and realized that she’d just slapped me.

“We don’t have time for a meltdown right now, Elizabeth. They’re getting closer.”

“Shit,” I hissed as I reached up to touch my cheek. I looked around to get my bearings, reassuring myself that it wasn’t Troy coming after me, although the fact that there were multiple men trying to find us didn’t make the situation any more comfortable.

However, I’d been working my ass off for years to make sure I was never helpless again. I knew I could get away and hide from anyone who was looking for me and even survive for days out here alone. But during all my training and preparation, I’d never once thought about having to protect two young women from a fate that was way too similar to what I’d experienced myself.

“I need you to listen to me and do exactly as I say,” I started, making sure I had the girls’ attention. “Here’s what we’re going to do . . .”

◆◆◆

“She launched off that treadmill like she’d been shot out of a cannon and hit me in the nuts so hard that I’m surprised I was able to father children,” Luke, one of the men from the Texas Kings MC, who I’d developed an almost instant rapport with said through his laughter, talking loud so he could be heard over all of ours. “I’ve been in love ever since.”

Grunt, another of Elizabeth’s friends from Texas, laughed before he said, “My old lady found me lying on her bathroom floor delirious from a gunshot wound.”

“That’s a little more dramatic than a nut shot,” Luke admitted.

“How did you meet your old lady?” I asked Bear. He’d seemed leery of me at first, but as we got to know each other yesterday, he’d seemed to lighten up a bit. Since he was very important to Elizabeth, I hoped that we might become friends someday. “Gunshot or nut shot?”

“It was a dreary day, and I looked up into the sky just as the clouds parted and saw an angel floating down on her gossamer wings . . .” There were groans all around, and Bear’s smile was nearly hidden by his full beard.

The men surrounding the table laughed, and I looked around the bar where we’d stopped for some refreshment and realized that even with as much fun as I was having right now, I would really rather be home with Elizabeth and the girls. I’d met a lot of new people over the last few days and knew that some of them would become lifelong friends, not just because of my connection to Elizabeth who had known them forever, but because we had so much in common.

Since the group of riders at the meeting place was so large, the women there split everyone into groups so we didn’t overwhelm the businesses on the planned route as we stopped in to get the next card for our hand in the poker run. Luckily, the organizers had the forethought to keep my club brothers with me, but they also added a few men from the Texas Kings MC and a couple of the local men to ride with us.

When I saw Fain, one of the Texas Kings and a brother of the local group of riders, coming our way, I didn’t think much of it until I saw the look on his face. He wasn’t approaching us to stop and chat; he was on a mission and clearly filled with rage. The two young men walking with him, Sway and Sobie, looked just as upset.

“I got a call from Sin. There’s a problem at your place, and we need to go back right now,” Fain said as he stopped next to our table. I stood up suddenly and saw that the rest of the men around the table had done the same. “We don’t know what’s happening exactly, but her contact said that a woman and a group of men invaded your property and tried to take the girls. They fought back and took off into the woods, but that’s all we know right now.”

“Fuck!” I said as I tried to maneuver my way around Fain.

“Wait a second. We need a plan here. They’re off in the woods, and there are a . . . select few of us who might be better at hunting than the others. My brothers would be best, but they’re not all in this group.”

“I’m not worth shit when it comes to nature, so I’ll ride ahead and find them. I’ll send them your way,” Grunt said as he pushed in his chair. “Go do your thing, and I’ll take care of this side.”

“I’m in. It’s been a while, but I’m sure all that training I got years ago will come in handy,” Luke said as he picked up his glass to drain it. “Let’s go.”

“Sin’s got help on the way,” Fain assured us as we all took off for the exit.

“Not the cops. Call her and . . .”

“My sister is not calling the boys in blue. They’ll just get in the way of what needs to be done,” Fain said angrily. “She’s got people who know their way around those woods better than anyone else. They’ll be a help to us, not a hindrance.”

I didn’t give a shit who showed up. All that mattered right now was getting back home and finding Elizabeth. Her nightmare had again become reality. She was being chased through the woods by men who meant to do her harm, but at least this time, people who cared knew where she was and could come to her aid. I just hoped that she and the girls could manage to stay ahead of the men following them until we could get there and eliminate the problem. I was going to kill every man I found between me and the family I’d created with Elizabeth.

And when I was finished with them, I was going to put an end to my mother because if it wasn’t for her, none of this would be happening in the first place.