Highway Don't Care (Freebirds) (29 page)

  Cheyenne watched as she got into a BMW with an older man
at the wheel.  They took off shortly after, and we made it about three
seconds after that before we started out laughing again.

  Gabe just watched us all laughing with a bemused
expression on his face.  He helped me to the car (more like dragged me to
it, and then threw me in it) before straddling his bike and taking off.

  The next three hours consisted of two potty breaks, three
diaper changes, and a food stop.  We pulled into the hotel just as the sun
was setting.  We unloaded all of our various items, and settled into our
rooms for the night.  All exhausted from a day of travel.

  I’d just laid Cora down in the far corner of the room
when I slipped into the shower with Gabe.  He gave a satisfied grunt as I
wrapped my arms around his waist from behind.

  I rubbed my face along the muscles of his back. 
“She goes down really easily.  I read her a book and rocked her for all of
two minutes before she fell asleep.” 

  His voice vibrated his back as he spoke.  “She’s a
good baby, but there’re a few things about her that have me puzzled.  Like
when I hold her, she holds on as if she never wants me to put her down. 
Or when I give her a kiss, she looks startled like she’s never gotten one
before.”

  “Gabe, honey.  I don’t want to start anything, but
it occurs to me that Sidney isn’t the best parent in the world.  Just from
what I’ve seen before, she doesn’t look like she actually cares about her, only
that she has her as a trophy.  She wasn’t even torn up about letting us
have her, she was pissed.  Seems to me like she may not actually care for
her, only tolerates.”

  “That’s possible.  Makes me want to never give her
back.  I’d feel horrible if anything ever happened to her.  It’s like
the moment I saw her, she became a part of me.  Like a part of my heart is
walking around outside my body.”

  I nodded in agreement, and kissed his back.  I got a
little distracted by the clenching and unclenching of his muscles as he shaved
his bearded stubble.  I don’t know why he bothered since it grew back so
quickly.  By morning, it would look like a 5 o’clock shadow all over
again, and he hadn’t even started his day.

  He must have sensed my shift in moods because he turned
around and had me pinned to the wall in three seconds flat. His big body
pinning mine against the wall.  I watched as a droplet of water slid down
his chest to curl around a tightened nipple before falling off. 

  My mouth watered.

  He raked his gaze over me, pausing at my nipples, and
then continuing down to my mound.  He ran the hand not holding his razor
down my stomach, and then clenched my pubic hair with his fingers, tugging
softly.

  I opened my legs a little wider to give him easier
access, and he took advantage, running his long fingers through my folds. 
Taking the razor from his hand, I finished the few parts he missed on the
underside of his chin before placing it on the shower ledge.

  He just started thrumming my clit with his expert finger
when a shrill cry rent the air.  Cora was crying from the next room, and
nothing could have been more effective at cooling us down.  It was as if a
bucket of ice water was thrown over the both of us.  Leaning forward he
gave me a peck on the lips in apology before rinsing the rest of the shaving
cream from his face, and stepped out of the shower.

  I washed my hair with Gabe’s shampoo, and then used his
razor to shave my legs before exiting the shower.  I dried off, and went
into the room to find Gabe on his back in the bed with Cora laying on his
chest.  Both were sound asleep.

  Deciding to leave them as they were, I got dressed, turned
off the lights, and curled onto my side next to him.  My heart swelled in
my chest, and I didn’t think I’ve ever felt so full.  Now if we could only
get our other little one here happy and healthy everything would be perfect.

Ω 

  The joke was on us.  Cheyenne and I had never been
to a bike rally before.  It rather reminded me of a rock concert. 
There was a large open area, and every square inch of that area is a mass of
people, bikes, booths, food, tents, and porta-potties.

  It took only one look for Cheyenne, Blaine, Janie, the
twins, Cora and I to get right back into the Suburban and head back the way we
came.  There was no way that was a small child friendly place.  You
would have to have eyes on them 24/7.  Otherwise, you could look away for a
mere second and they would be gone. 

  Gabe and Blaine didn’t quite understand why we refused to
go, but after Sam explained the problem in man terms, they conceded the
point.  Once the bike was off loaded, we were off.  Trailer and
all.  Cheyenne drove, and we only ran over four curbs by the time we made
it back to the hotel.

  The weekend ended on a high note with Free raising
$98,000 from the chopper they made for Dougie.  Tears sprung to my eyes
when I heard the news.  College was an expensive endeavor, and we wanted
Kayla to get her life started right when she came to be an adult.  Dougie
would be so proud of these men.  Just as I was.

Chapter 15

Ever notice how sometimes you come across someone you shouldn’t
have fucked with?  That’s me.

-Gran Torino

Ember
 

 “Are you sure?”

  Gabe was speaking to someone on the phone while he
twirled a piece of my hair around his finger.  His arm rested across my
stomach that was still quite small for my seventh month of pregnancy. 
Really what it looked like was I gained weight, and was packing around a muffin
top.  I could still fit into all of my jeans, as well as still wear all of
my t-shirts; I just looked fatter in them. 

  I was told that some women just don’t show the same way
as other’s do.  Our boy was growing well, and exceeded all expectations at
each sonogram. 

  If Cheyenne and I stood next to each other, you’d never
be able to tell that I was pregnant, and just a month behind her. 

  Gabe’s tone of voice had gone from lazy happiness to
tense readiness when he heard what the person on the other end of the line had
to say. 

  He eased my head off his lap before standing up. 
“We’ll be there in ten.  Is she alright?”    

  I got off the couch and hurried to our bedroom to get
some shoes on.  I was in my usual of yoga pants and t-shirt, so I was
ready as soon as Gabe hung up the phone.

  “That was Sidney.  Cora was at daycare when she fell
and hit her head on a metal toy.  They think she needs stitches, and she
can’t go pick her up.  We’ve got to go get her and take her to the
ER.”  Gabe said as he jammed his feet down into his boots.

  “Not that I’m complaining about this, because I’m
actually really happy she called us instead of someone else, but isn’t this a
little out of left field?  I mean, in the last three months since you
found out about Cora, when has she ever done anything to help us?”  I
questioned.

  “She must really be in a bind to call me.  I’m just
glad I know beforehand, and not this weekend when I go pick her up from school
and see the cut.”

  I nodded in agreement, and waited for him to finished
lacing his boots.

  We were out the door minutes later and headed to Cora’s
school.  Pulling out of Free, we were minutes from Cora’s daycare, just
about to pass an intersecting street when the blue car pulled out in front of
us.  We didn’t have enough time to stop.

  When you hit someone, time seems to slow.  You know
you’re going to hit them.  You know that it’s going to hurt.  You
have just enough time to brace yourself before the collision happens.

  Gabe’s truck hit the blue car with the ferociousness of a
train barreling into a stalled car on the tracks.  He had no time to
brake, only enough time to throw his arm out, pushing me back against the seat.

  The sound of crunching metal, popping, and hissing filled
my ears.  The airbag blew out, cushioning my head and chest.  The
powder burned my eyes and face, but that was the least of my injuries.  My
legs were numb, and everything hurt so bad that I passed out from the pain.

  I woke sometime later with the sound of voices filling my
ear.  Tuning my head, I got my first good look at Gabe.  He was still
in his seat, head slumped forward, chin resting on his chest.  He had a
thin line of blood running down his temple.  I looked for signs of
breathing, and saw his chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm.

  Some of the tightness eased from my chest, but not all of
it.  It returned the next second as I watched Gabe’s door being pulled
open, followed by a man with tattoos on his face, neck, arms, and hands cut his
seatbelt with a knife and yank him out of the car.  He fell to the
pavement with a hard thump

  My door yanked open the next second, and they did the
same to my seatbelt.  They were able to hold me up though.  The
jostling of my body sent pain radiating up my right leg and left arm. 
Nausea rolled over me and I threw up all down the shirt of whoever had a hold
of me.

  A blow to my face knocked me back into
unconsciousness.  Just as I passed out, I heard the OnStar come on and ask
if we were all right. 

  Fuck no.  Nothing was even remotely right.

  Ω

  Water poured down my face, blindingly cold.  “Wake
up, bitch.”  

  My eyes open slowly, and met the eyes of a young Hispanic
male who looked to be all of thirteen.  I took stock of my body, I was
sore, bleeding somewhere on my leg if the blood on my pants was any indication,
and I was tied to the chair with my arms behind my back.

  I closed my eyes slowly, trying to see if I could feel
the baby move, but couldn’t feel even the slightest movement.  Horror
consumed me, and a tear leaked out of my closed eyelids.

  My eyes snapped open as his taunting voice filled the
air.  “Awww, look at the little woman, such a pussy.” 

  Looking past him at my surroundings, and found Gabe in a
similar situation as the one I was in.  However, his arms and legs were
bound to the chair, as well as a gag stuffed into his mouth.  His eyes
were blazing with a scary light that sent a shiver down my spine.

  When he got loose, he was going to kill them all. 
There was no doubt in my mind.  They would be lucky to be in one piece
when he was through with them.  They’d still be dead though.

  Gabe had blood drying on his neck, and blood dotting his
face where shards of glass hit his cheeks and forehead.  His nose had a
trickle of blood leaking out of it as well.  He was wearing no shirt, just
his jeans and boots.

  We looked to be in a large warehouse.  There were
hooks on the ceiling, kind of like what they’d use for a meat packing plant to
transfer slabs of beef around.  It looked dusty, and worn.  Trash
decorated the floor.  Discarded beer cans stood in a pyramid tower in the
far corner.

  A younger man, with dark brown hair, dark eyes, and olive
skin walked through the door and stood in the middle of Gabe and me.  He
regarded us slowly, and I wondered if he was the head honcho.  He was in a
nice pair of slacks, and a black polo shirt, so I assumed he wasn’t just some
random gang banger.  His brown hair was slicked back on the top of his
head, making him have a greasy look about him.

  He smiled a creepy smile.  “It’s so very nice to
finally make your acquaintance.  You both have been at the top of my list
for over seven months now.  Well not anymore, because we’re going to kill
you both.  I will save you, bitch, for last because I want to enjoy you
first.”

  Gabe strained at his bonds, muscles bulging, veins
standing out against his arms and neck.  The bonds didn’t budge
though.  However, if looks could kill, the man would be dead right now.

  “Now, I would like you to sit very still.  Although,
if you feel like fighting, just remember I haven’t had a woman in a few
days.  She’s a little fat, but I could just flip her over and do her from
behind, that way I wouldn’t have to see her.”  The man said.

  My heart skipped a beat, but I tried to keep a neutral
expression on my face.  Gabe was anything but neutral.  He was livid.

  Two other men walked into the room, each carrying a
length of chain.  My heart pounded as I watched them both walk up to Gabe
and wrap it around each of his arms.  He sat calmly, and stared into my
eyes as they attached the two chains with a nut and bolt, and then hauled him
to his feet. 

  Gabe’s ankles were bound together, so they had to carry
him backwards until they were directly underneath one of the hooks in the
ceiling.  Looping the chain onto the hook, one went to the wall and raised
him up until only his tiptoes touched the concrete floor.

  I was crying silently at this point.  I wasn’t sure
what they were going to do, but I could guess.  They were going to beat
him, maybe even kill him, and I was going to have to sit here and watch.

  Once Gabe was secured, the two men left the room, and
Greasy walked up to Gabe.  Slipping his hand into his pocket, he withdrew a
pair of brass knuckles, and slipped them into place on his right hand.  My
breath caught in my throat at the first strike of the brass knuckles meeting
flesh.

  Gabe didn’t cry out though.  He watched my eyes with
an inner calm that I wouldn’t have believed if I hadn’t of seen.  Over and
over again, he was hit in the face, chest, stomach, and back.  I didn’t
let my eyes stray from Gabe’s.  It was the only thing I had to offer, and
I would do that for him, because I could do no less.

  Leaning over as far as I could, I emptied the contents in
my stomach onto the floor.

  “I had hoped to hear you scream.  Perhaps you would
scream if I went lower.”  Slick mused.

  Crouching down, he used a pocketknife to free the bonds
from Gabe’s legs.  He was standing from his crouch when he smiled.

  Except that, he made a fatal mistake.  He took his
eyes off his target, and got too close.  Gabe’s legs flashed out
lightening quick, and wrapped around the Slick’s neck and face.  He thrashed
for a good thirty seconds, trying to pry Gabe’s legs from around his neck, but
his body gave up the fight and he went limp.

  Gabe didn’t release him for a while though.  Mainly,
I’m assuming, because he wanted to make sure he was actually gone and not
faking it.  Slick’s body hit the floor like a brick.  Gabe did a
stomach curl and lifted his legs up and over his body.  Wrapping his hands
around the hook with his hands, his legs curled over the chain at the top.

  I stared amazed at Gabe as his muscles worked and
bunched.  Using an unbelievable amount of strength, he gave one good heft
and disengaged the chain from the hook.  He dropped down to his feet with
a clink of chains, and hustled to me.

  Just as Gabe crouched down, a young gang banger with his
pants around his ankles walked into the room trash talking to someone behind
him.  The other young man followed behind, and they laughed about whatever
they were saying.

    They got about six feet from me before
noticing that something wasn’t right.  Seeing Slick’s body on the floor
and no Gabe, they went into a flurry of motion.  A length of chain hitting
him square in the face silenced him from calling out.  Moaning, he went
down hard clutching his face in his hands. 

  The other tried to swing a punch at him, but Gabe was
just too good.  With one well-placed punch, he took the kid down. 
The kid’s body hit the chair Gabe had previously occupied, and crushed it to
pieces.  Walking over to his prone body, he bent down and twisted the
kid’s neck, breaking it swiftly.

   “Gabe, watch out!”  I croaked when I noticed
the first boy.

  The first boy stood on shaky feet to come after Gabe, but
he was on a rampage.  He took the kid out with two hits, one to the
kidneys and one to the temple.  I closed my eyes as I saw him bend down
next to the kid’s fallen form.

  Another audible crack filled the air, but I wasn’t
upset.  Far from it, actually.  Opening my eyes, I watched as Gabe’s
chest heaved.  He dropped down to his knees beside me and started untying
my hands.  The chain clinked against the side of my chair, but he got me
loose quickly, and I threw myself into his arms.

  Tears streamed down my face, and I shook as I sobbed into
his t-shirt covered chest.

  “Come on, we’ve got to go.  There’re more, and I don’t
want to be here when they find out.”  Gabe said as he eased me slowly to
my feet. 

  Gabe went to Slick’s body, dug into his pockets.  He
produced a pair of keys, and a brand new iPhone.  Pushing him onto his
stomach, he wrenched the pistol out of the waistband of his jeans, and palmed
it expertly.  He checked the clip, and slide making sure it had bullets,
and was loaded before we moved.  We went to the very edge of the room,
hugging the wall.  He put my hand to the waistband of his jeans, and started
our progress forward.

  “Call Sam.”  He whispered.

  Taking the phone, I dialed the number for Free since I
didn’t know Sam’s number. 

  Jack’s terse voice filled my air.  “Hello?”

  “Jack.”  I whispered.

  “Ember.  Is Gabe with you?  Where’re you at?”

  “We’re at some sort of meat packing plant.  We were
in an accident, and a few of the gang members took us.  Gabe says there
are more, but we don’t see any as of yet.”  I explained.