Kade: Santanas Cuervo MC (22 page)

Kade heard the roar of an automatic weapon, a sound he hoped he’d never hear again, as he began to loop the bike in the road. He banked the big bike over so hard he could feel parts scraping on the pavement, but he had to get Winter out of there as fast as possible.

She looked behind them as they began to accelerate away. There were several bikes down, but two other bikes with lone riders were turning to follow them as the truck turned in the road, one of its rear tires billowing smoke as the driver tromped hard on the accelerator. Winter holding tight to Kade, the Harley bellowed as it strained for speed. The bikes could accelerate much faster than the truck and they pulled well ahead as they sprinted away.

She yelped as Kade suddenly braked hard again then swerved right, leaving the pavement. There was another truck approaching that had pulled into their lane as it bore down on them. Kade pushed the front tire against the rickety-looking fencepost and revved the engine causing the rear tire to spin in the loose dirt.

“Fuck!” he shouted as he kicked the bike back, then raced the engine again, hitting the post much harder this time. The bike stopped briefly, almost tossing them from their seats, the engine screaming as the rear tire kicked up a rooster-tail of dirt, but then the post pushed over. The two brothers arrived as he held the wire down with his feet and inched the bike across the fence, then gassed the hog, the bike weaving and sliding as it scrabbled for traction.

Kade rode fast as he dared, the Softail suspension banging and bottoming over the rough ground. The Harleys were road bikes, ill-suited to this type of work, and with a passenger weighing him down, his brothers soon caught him and began pace him. As they weaved and crashed through the brush and scrub, he glanced behind him. The two trucks had forced the fence down and were giving chase muscling aside brush as they came. He was at his limit and the trucks were closing. He’d finally made a mistake and Winter was going to die. He swerved right, heading for an open patch of ground, frantically searching for any advantage. The trucks were nearly on them now, not more than fifty or sixty feet behind and were slowly reeling them in as his bike struggled.

She clung to him, holding desperately tight as the bike skidded and bounced. She didn’t know how they hadn’t already crashed, Kade catching several near-falls with a foot and shoving the bike back upright. She kept her face in his back, the bushes slashing at her painfully as they battled their way along. She thought about throwing herself from the bike, allowing the men in the trucks to capture her so Kade could escape. She knew she was going to die, the only question being would she take three more good men with her and would they leave her and escape if she sacrificed herself.

They burst from the scrub onto a dirt road. Kade knew they could ride faster here than in the scrub, but the trucks would be faster, as well. He hauled the bike left, sliding and slipping, the rear tire spinning as he kicked, keeping it under them until he gathered it up. They raced ahead, gaining some ground on the trucks.

She looked behind them as they raced down the dirt road, the bike chattering and shaking like a paint stirrer. It was a twitchy ride and she sat as still as possible, sensing Kade was riding beyond his ability to fully control the bike. They opened up a good lead on their pursuers but couldn’t get away, the trucks no longer losing ground once they turned onto the road, but also unable to close.

Kade glanced behind him as Tryst and Ricky began to slow slightly, allowing him and Winter to creep ahead. They were obviously planning something but he didn’t know what.

Winter twisted to watch behind them as Kade’s brothers continued to gradually slow, then braked hard, their bikes skidding and sliding before they two men dumped them, sliding and tumbling along the ground before scrambling franticly for the side of the road. The trucks were on them almost instantly, crashing into the two bikes as the men scrambled. The first truck reared into the air, jerking sideway as the bikes tangled underneath, the second truck crashing into the first. Tryst and Ricky were running, pulling their weapons as they did, firing into the trucks. As she watched they reached the first truck, Ricky running past as Tryst opened the driver’s door and fired several shots into the cab, Ricky pausing to fire several through the windshield of the other vehicle before racing to the driver’s door, tearing it open, and firing several more shots into the interior.

Kade and Winter rode along the dirt roads, afraid to stop. He was navigating by dead reckoning, trying to work his way toward a highway, any highway, but with the sun nearly directly overhead he had little to work with.

Finally, with the Harley running on fumes, they pulled to a stop by a wind-driven pump. At least they had water. “Thirsty?” he asked as they dismounted and removed their helmets.

“Not that thirsty,” she replied as she eyed the large tank of brackish water.

Kade chuckled and pushed the float down to engage the pump. After a moment water began to flow into the tank. Winter dipped her hands into the shockingly cold water and drank deeply before holding it down for him to drink.

“Now what?” she asked.

“We’re all but out of gas. I think we should stay here, where we have water, and wait for rescue. Please tell me you have your sat phone.”

She grinned and sauntered over to the bike, pulled her purse from the leather bag, and after a moment, waved the phone for him to see.

“I think I’m in love,” he chuckled as he took the phone from her and began to dial. It took six tries before he got an answer. “Big Dick! Everyone okay? What’s happened?”

“Eight injured in the crash, nobody serious. Nobody shot, thank God! All the old ladies are shaken up, obviously. Are Tryst and Ricky with you?”

“No, not anymore.”

“Where are you?”

“Beats the hell out of me. We’re in the middle of fucking nowhere, by a windmill, but we’re about out of gas. We had to go cross country.”

“Are Tryst and Ricky…?”

“I don’t think so,” Kade replied. “They’re on foot, though. We need to—”

“On foot? What happened?”

“They dumped their bikes to stop the trucks that were chasing us. Concentrate on finding them first. At least we have water, and they don’t.”

“Jesus! Trucks? There was more than the one?”

“Two.”

“And you don’t know where you are?”

“Haven’t a clue.”

“How are we supposed to find you?”

“Go north about three miles. You should see were we pushed a fence down on the right. Follow the tracks. The trucks probably made a big-ass hole in the desert, so it shouldn’t be hard. When you reach the road, turn left. If Tryst and Ricky are smart, they’ll stay with the trucks. Maybe they can even drive one out. I don’t know.”

“What about you?”

“I wish I could tell you, man. Keep taking the first road on the right. You should eventually get here. I think.”

“It’s going to be several more hours before we can get organized here. We have to take care of the injured and old ladies first.”

“I know. We can hold out until tomorrow without much trouble. But bring gas. I’m going to hang up and save the battery on the phone.”

“Got it. Hang in there. We’ll find you guys.”

“Tryst and Ricky first!”

“We’re getting everyone. Don’t worry.”

“We’re stuck?” she asked as he hung up the phone.

“For a while. We have eight injured in the crash. They have to deal with that first.”

“It’s hotter than hell out here!”

“I know,” he said pulling off his jacket and tossing it over the bike. “I don’t suppose you brought any cards, did you?”

***

“They’re not coming are they?” Winter asked as they sat in the shade of the water tank, the sun touching the horizon.

“They’re coming. Just be patient.”

She was used to roughing it, and they had water, so she wasn’t worried about survival, but she didn’t relish the idea of sleeping on the open ground. There were too many no see-ums that bite.

“We’re going to have to deal with this you know,” he said quietly.

“What?”

“Your father.”

“You don’t think he put the cartel onto us do you?”

“That’s exactly what I think.”

“Kade, you’re crazy! My own father?”

“Who else knew?”

“Maybe he told someone!”

“You told him not to, and you told him why. Why would he risk telling someone else?”

“I don’t know, but I know it’s not him!”

“How do you know?”

“I just know, okay? He wouldn’t do that!” He nodded but didn’t say anything. “You don’t believe me do you?”

“Everything points to him.”

“What possible reason could he have for doing that?”

“I don’t know, but I think we should ask him. Tomorrow, or whenever we get out of here.”

“Ask him, how?”

“Just that. Ask him if he told anyone. If he didn’t, then you need to start facing a tough reality.”

“I’m telling you, he didn’t do it!”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I am. I know I am.” He didn’t say anything else, but she had a cold lump in her stomach. Despite her protestations, Kade was right. All the facts pointed to her father, but she couldn’t get her mind around why he’d want her killed. It made no sense!

He sat, staring at the ground. He hoped he was wrong, for Winter’s sake. To be betrayed by her own father would be a devastating blow. Hayden clearly loved his daughter, he could see that in the way he looked at her, but nothing else made sense.

He pulled her into his side. She was stiff and resisted his tug, clearly upset with him over his accusation. “Hey. We’ll figure it out when we get to Houston, okay? Maybe there’s another explanation. If there is, we’ll find it.”

“I know he wouldn’t do this to me.”

“I know. I’ve seen how he looks at you. Maybe your phones are tapped.”

She felt a ray of hope. “You think that’s it?”

“I don’t know the answer, but I won’t stop until I find it.”

“Why do you keep doing it?”

“What?”

“Saving me. Why haven’t you kicked me out on my ass and told me to get lost?”

He looked at her for a long time. “Because I can’t.”

“Can’t what?”

“Can’t kick you out on your ass.”

“Why not? I’ve been nothing but trouble for you since you showed up.”

“I just can’t!” He swallowed hard. “I think I’m falling for you,” he said more softly.

She stared at him. “Falling for me? As in love?”

He watched her eyes. “Yes.”

She couldn’t have been more shocked if he were to start flapping his arm and fly around the windmill. She knew she was getting sweet on him, but she had no idea he was feeling the same way. “When?”

“When did it happen? I don’t know. It just sort of happened. After that guy broke into your house, I was sick with how close he’d come. Even though I was hurting, all I could think about was how glad I was you were okay. Then today, when I thought we were going to die, all I could think was how I had let you down. Sitting here, I’ve been thinking about how glad I am we got away. Not because I’m still alive, but because
you
are, and I get to spend a little more time with you.” He looked away as he picked up a clod of dirt and tossed it into the sun. “I want to find who is after you and kill them so you’ll be safe, but I realize if I do, you may not want to see me anymore, so I want the job to continue forever. It’s stupid, I know, but…” He shrugged.