Sudden Independents (21 page)

S
cout caught a whiff of the ascending smoke column illuminated in the early breaking dawn as he and Hunter approached Independents. Dread rode above him in the mobilizing clouds and when they stopped at their house, it plummeted down on him like another curse from heaven.

“What the hell happened to our house?”

Stifled laughter sounded from the rear of his motorbike. He twisted backward and scowled at Jolanda. Her bonds and the gag suppressed her from pretty much everything, so she employed her only option—waggling eyebrows.

Scout propped his Suzuki on its kickstand and lurched over to the smoldering desolation. He stumbled at the edge, woozy from the sight and the scent. His second-story bedroom and all his stuff were reduced to a pile of charred rubble strewn along the ground. The brick fireplace stood alone, towering, sturdy and totally unsupported. Metal pipes leftover from the plumbing zigzagged in the sky.

“What happened to all my stuff? How does a house just burn to the ground?” He turned on Hunter and narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t leave a candle burning, did you?”

Hunter raised his hands. “No way, we left in the middle of the day, remember? Maybe a spark from the fireplace shot out and landed on the sofa cushions.”

“Maybe!” Scout’s voice cracked from the jump in octave. “Maybe!” He clenched his fists. His skin tightened over his body. “What about all my stuff! I’ve been collecting for years. I planned on using that stuff someday and now it’s all gone, all of it. I don’t even have a baseball glove anymore. And you think a spark
maybe
set fire to a couch cushion!”

Hunter plucked the non-simmering end of a two-by-four off the concrete path that used to lead home. He hurled the survivor into the black destruction that they used to call home.

“It’s just a theory.”

They stopped speaking with little more to say to each other. Scout searched the mess with his eyes, hoping to find something salvageable of his belongings. After a while he realized the inspection was pretty much pointless. All the sorrow of loss he felt six years ago returned and dragged him down again. He concealed his tears with a quick swipe before Hunter saw them.

The sound of running feet approached them from behind. Samuel scooted to a stop, took a second to catch his breath and then smiled. “You guys are all right. How’d you escape?”

“How’d you know we were captured?” Hunter asked.

“They took Catherine about an hour ago. Said they had captured you, and that they’d kill you if we followed.”

Hunter jumped on his bike. “Where’s my brother?”

“Over at Ginger’s house.”

“Get on,” Hunter said.

Samuel followed the order without hesitation and looked over at Scout’s bike. “Who’s the tied-up chick?”

“She’s one of them. Her name’s
Jolanda
,” Scout said, getting back onto his Suzuki.

Hunter broke out a grim smile when she tried to scream through her gag. Jolanda’s torment even gave Scout some small amount of pleasure. Samuel scratched underneath his stocking cap without comment.

“How did they find out about Catherine?” Scout asked. “I thought you were watching over her.”

“After they locked up Molly for torching your house—”

“Wait a minute.
Molly
burned all my stuff? Why?” Scout asked, and then he considered Hunter and added everything together. “
You
dumped her and she sets fire to
my
stuff.” He started rubbing a hand over his face, but stopped short because of the scratches from his recent scuffle with Jolanda. Instead, he shook his head in disbelief.

“I’m glad I wasn’t here when she came over,” Hunter said.

“I’m not. Maybe she would have stopped with you, instead of torching the whole place.”

Hunter frowned and closed his eyes. His head pitched forward like he was going to pray for forgiveness. They’d both lost their home, Scout reminded himself. At least Hunter wasn’t smirking about this. Scout didn’t think he could handle it if Hunter played this off with his hotshot attitude.

“So how did Chase and his crew find out about Catherine?” Hunter asked.

“That’s what I was trying to tell you,” Samuel said. “They broke Molly out and she led them right to Catherine. Jimmy and Ginger were there and after Molly whacked Jimmy in the head that kid Patrick beat the hell out of him.”

Hunter sat up and turned back toward his passenger. “Is Jimmy okay?”

Samuel looked at him. “Barely.”

Hunter started his big orange bike, gunned the throttle, and the engine roared. Samuel’s eyes widened as he grasped for Hunter’s waist before Hunter shifted into first and patched out.

Scout waved off the dust cloud that engulfed him from their departure. He gazed at the scorched debris that was now his stuff and grappled with emotions that threatened to turn him into a blubbering mass. The tears returned, rolling down the fresh scratches on his face.

He looked over his shoulder and found Jolanda studying him. A shudder walked through his body. He leaned over his fuel tank until his inner turmoil settled.

“Raven, why does God continue to punish us?” He started his Suzuki and sat. The idling engine rumbled softly. “I’ll tell you what I believe. He isn’t out there to help us. No one is out there. It’s just this messed-up world and us. Soon, it’s just going to be an empty rock ’cuz we’ll all be dead.”

He waved one arm towards his house in a grand gesture. “Welcome to Independents.”

•  •  •

Scout pulled up to Ginger’s house and slipped off his bike, careful not to kick Jolanda. Hunter was already inside, leaving Samuel by the front porch.

“Looks like you got into some trouble,” Samuel said.

Lightly, Scout touched the scratches and felt his sore nose. “I’m all right.”

Samuel motioned towards Hunter’s orange KTM. “Is that a new motorbike?”

“Yeah, it belonged to one of the dudes that kidnapped us. Hunter crashed his old one so many times that he decided to make a trade. He thinks the bigger bike will make him a better rider.” Scout forced a weak smiled. “Here, help me with Jolanda.”

“Why does she scream like that when you say her name?”

“Because she thinks she deserves some cool name like Cardinal or something, but she’ll always be Jolanda to me.” Scout untangled the diamond hitch that strapped his captive to his bike and tore away the excess duct tape. “I can’t wait ’til Vanessa gets hold of you.”

Jolanda’s eyes bugged out. She rocked on top of the bike like she really needed to get off and go pee. Scout caught her before she landed face first on the ground. He propped her upright with her arms still tied and the gag in her mouth.

“That’s right,” he continued. “I’m giving you over to my big sister. She’s still angry about the time you stole her bike. Let’s see how tough you get when
she’s
up in your face.”

The front door of Ginger’s house burst open. “Thank you, Lord! David!” Vanessa leaped the steps of the porch and embraced Scout with an emotional rush of love and tears. “First I thought you had burned alive and then I heard you were captured. Then I prayed and you came! You came home to me just like I asked. Thank you, Lord!”

Scout hugged her back with everything he possessed. This time he didn’t care who saw his tears. “I know, ’Nessa, I know. It’s all right. I’m all right. I’m here.”

Vanessa’s hand pressed the back of his head, holding him tightly cheek to cheek. She was there for him like always. She would protect him. He closed his eyes, wanting the hug to continue forever with his sister that had become his mother in this world of children.

“Why is that girl tied up?” Vanessa asked when she finally pulled away, wiping her tears.

Scout reluctantly let her go and introduced his hostage. “She’s one of our captors.”

“She’s not very good at it,” Vanessa said.

“She had unreliable help. Remember when we were little, a girl stole your bike and her big sister said it was hers?” Scout smiled at Jolanda and returned her earlier eyebrow waggle.

Vanessa tilted her head. Her eyes regarded Scout’s captive. “Jolanda Lewis?”

Scout made extravagant hand gestures like a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat. “Here in the flesh. And she’s
dying
to help us rescue Catherine.”

Vanessa stepped up to face Jolanda while Samuel struggled to hold the frightened girl upright because her knees kept collapsing. “Take her to Catherine’s room,” she said. “And Samuel…”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t play with the dolls.”

Scout chuckled, but could tell there was more to the story by the way his sister bounced with laughter, and how Samuel’s face flared into a bright crimson.

“I can’t believe you’d joke like that now.”

Vanessa shrugged. “It’s been a long night and I needed the laugh or I might have started crying again.”

Samuel walked Jolanda onto the porch and guided her into the house.

Vanessa inspected Scout’s face and brought her palm to his cheek. “Are you okay?”

He nestled in her touch. “I am now.”

Mark hung in the doorway. His face carried that faraway look of someone not ready to believe part of his life was now altered forever. He hid his hands deep in his coat pockets and his chin was ducked below the collar. His eyes were misty from the cold, or sadness. Scout decided not to guess which.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Mark said.

“Thanks, man. How are you doing?”

“Fine.” Mark sighed. “I guess you’ve heard already.”

“Molly? Yeah, I heard.”

“I just wish I knew why she did it. I keep thinking it’s my fault.”

Scout placed his hand on Mark’s shoulder. “We’ll find her. We’ll get Molly back. I promise.”

“Why would we want to get her back?” Mark turned to go inside. Vanessa took Scout’s hand and they followed Mark out of the cold morning air.

Jimmy lay on the long dining room table, his head resting on a roll of royal blue fabric while Luis tended to his various injuries. Ginger’s pale face glanced up with worry set in her features. She held Jimmy’s hand. Scout checked off another slot on his matchmaking card.

Hunter spoke in hushed tones to his brother. The fear in Hunter’s eyes disturbed Scout almost as much as losing all his stuff. Maybe Hunter did care after all.

Jimmy slowly turned his head toward Scout and nodded. His face resembled a rotten prune. One eye was swollen shut. A white strip of tape bandaged his nose, but the shine in his good eye said everything. You can’t keep a guy like Jimmy down.

Scout nodded back.