Chosen (12 page)

“You’re so predictable.”

She grunted in frustration and jerked her hand from his as she stormed off toward the truck. Against her better judgment, she looked back over her shoulder only to see him walk toward the main road.

Will resisted the urge to run. There was no way in hell he could let Emma see how much she affected him. He walked about twenty feet down the gravel road and turned around to see her leaning against the tailgate, clearly upset.

Why did it bother him so much to hurt her? She was nothing to him. A job. Nothing more, nothing less. Women came and went in his life. There was never any hint of permanency and definitely no thoughts of a relationship. But even more disturbing was the sentimental bullshit that still burned in his gut. Last night he chalked it up to temporary insanity. But this morning, here it was. It was bad enough he couldn’t resist touching her last night and resorted to sleeping under a tree, but when he heard her crying his impulse was to go comfort her.
What the hell?
Holding her in his arms was nearly his undoing, but thankfully, some deep-seated self-preservation instinct stopped him from kissing her just in time. Even if he hurt her in the process.

The sooner he got rid of Emma, the sooner his life got back to normal.

Emma leaned over the tailgate trying to calm down. The truck bed was damp and greasy under her hands, matching the slimy feeling that coated her soul. How did she let that happen? Memories of a night from long ago replayed in her head, memories she’d tried so hard to shove to the recesses of her mind. She groaned and shoved herself away from the truck, irritated she let herself get distracted by him. She laughed wryly.
Distracted
. That didn’t quite cover it. Her son’s life was being threatened and she was about to make out with Will. Riddled with self-disgust, she fought to focus on coming up with a plan to survive.

It’s going to be okay Mommy
. Jake’s voice said in her head.

Emma jerked around. Jake’s head popped up in the back window. She gaped at him, numb with shock. How could he do that?

Things are changing
.

“How do you do that?” She had forgotten that he had spoken in her mind in the restroom the night before. Visions of the man she shot, the surprise on his face and the blood smeared on the wall, snuck into her mind, startling her with their vividness.

You had no choice
.

The scene replayed in her head. In the stark daylight, she was no longer so sure. “That’s what Will said,” she whispered.

He’s right
.

She shook her head in frustration. “Stop talking in my head. You’re freaking me out!” On top of everything else, it was too much.

“It’s okay, Mommy. I’ll stop.”

Emma was on the verge of losing it, a feeling she was not acquainted with, and it terrified her. Everything grew fuzzy. As she fought to regain control, she realized Jake had gotten out of the truck and stood next to her.

He reached out and put his hand into hers. “I’m sorry, Mommy.” His eyes were glassy with unshed tears and he looked so devastated Emma reached out and pulled him into a hug.

“Oh baby, it’s okay.” Her love for him washed through her. Emma sat down on the ground and pulled him onto her lap, resting her cheek on his head. She held him tight, breathing in his little-boy scent of baby shampoo and sweat. This was what was important, the little boy in her arms. “When did you find out you could do that, talk in my head?” she asked.

“Yesterday, in the bathroom.”

“But how did you know?”

He leaned back, looking confused by her question. He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just did.”

Was he telling her the truth? Part of her didn’t think so and she wondered if he would ever tell her everything he knew.

Only what you need to know
.

He was right. Things were changing.

Will stopped and turned around after he walked about a quarter mile. He sure as hell couldn’t walk away from Emma, so there was no point in going any further. His irritation settled into a palpable level and he developed a plan. Get back to the truck, drive to South Dakota and drop Emma and Jake off as soon as he possibly could.

By the time he got back to the truck, he convinced himself he overreacted and that Emma meant nothing. That is, until he saw her sitting on the ground, holding Jake on her lap. The way she looked at Jake reminded him of her softness the night before.

Son of a bitch
.

Will walked up and cleared his throat. “Well, now that everyone’s up, we should take off before a farmer shows up and prosecutes us for trespassing.” He climbed up into the bed, wadded up the blanket and stuffed it in the box. Jake glanced at Will over his shoulder, his mouth pinched in a brooding pout.

Jake was quite the enigma. Will had to admit he was cute, but something was off with that kid. Sure, he was freaky, seeing things in the future one minute, talking about wanting a dog the next. But Jake seemed to know more than he let on, apparently even to his own mother. Will worried what he knew and didn’t share would get them killed. Will shook his head and groaned. This was another reason he didn’t do kids. They always messed with his head.

Will had all the glass cleaned off the back seat by the time Emma and Jake returned from going to the bathroom. Jake climbed in while Emma waited outside, her back to the truck as Will climbed out and walked around to the driver’s side. Emma got in, sitting at the far edge of the seat looking out the window. Will headed for the road, eager to get this trip over with.

They drove in silence for almost an hour before they came to a town that offered any type of facilities open before eight o’clock. Will pulled into a McDonald’s for breakfast and Emma took Jake into the bathroom to change clothes. She turned around to see Will standing next to the truck as he watched them. His face was stoic but quickly shifted to a smirk before he turned and walked to the back of the truck.

Emma and Jake walked out of the bathroom to find Will waiting for them wearing a different shirt. They ordered breakfast and sat in silence as they ate. Will kept watching the truck through the window.

“How do you feel?” he asked Emma, finally breaking his silence.

“I’m fine.” Her answer was short.

“Are you sure? Will you tell me if you feel anything?” He turned, his eyes guarded yet holding a hint of a glare.

She nodded wondering why he was mad at her when she was the one who should be offended. She tried to shake it off. He wasn’t worth the effort. Instead, she focused on the questions he raised. Why Jake didn’t have more notice the day before? Maybe his new mind-reading talent was the reason. With her head lowered, she glanced from Jake to Will and wondered if Jake could read Will’s thoughts. Could he talk to Will, too?

No
. Jake said in her mind, taking a bite of his hash browns.

“Stop it!” she hissed.

Will turned and stared with a dark expression. “Stop what?”

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

His eyes narrowed with uncertainty. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“I’m
fine
.” She gave him the nastiest look she could muster, then returned her attention to her food.

After they finished eating, Will pulled into a gas station for gas and disappeared inside, coming out with several bottles of water and a bag of snacks. He handed the sack to Emma.

“I thought Jake might get hungry on the road. The stops might be sparse in Kansas.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I need to replace the window again. I want to head up to Great Bend. It’s a bigger town and we’ll have more luck getting it fixed sooner.”

She wasn’t about to argue with him so she nodded and stared out at the passing scenery. The drive to Great Bend was only thirty minutes, but Will grew even moodier with each mile, not that she thought it possible. He found a repair shop and pulled into the lot, leaving Emma and Jake in the truck while he went into the office.

As soon as Will started walking across the parking lot, Emma spun toward the backseat. “Jake, why didn’t you know the Bad Men were coming yesterday?”

Jake’s mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. “I did. I told you when I saw them.”

“As soon as you saw them?”

“Yes.” The earnestness in his eyes told her he spoke the truth.

This was definitely bad news. They had lost their advantage.

“But Mommy, you knew they were coming.”

“What?”

“That sick feeling was a warning they were coming. You have it now.”

Emma shook her head in disbelief. “No, how can that be?”

Jake shrugged and seemed unconcerned. “You’re the one who knows they are coming now.”

Emma’s eyes widened in horror and she covered her face with her hands. “I don’t understand. I’ve never sensed them before.” She turned to him. “I felt bad twice yesterday, but we only saw them once. Why did I feel bad in the morning?”

“They must have been watching us.”

Her mouth dropped open. “What? How do you know that? Why didn’t we see them?”

“Because they were just watching us. We weren’t in danger.”

“But we were the second time!”

“And you felt bad. Plus, I told you they were coming.”

“Not soon enough, Jake! We could have been killed.”

“But we weren’t. I told you as soon as I knew.”

Emma narrowed her eyes and glared. “Jacob, I order you to tell me when you know
anything
about the Bad Men.”

Before Jake could answer, Will walked back to the truck. He cocked his head. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Emma didn’t mean for it to sound so hateful.

He looked from Jake to Emma and scowled. “There’s a whole lot of nothing going on this morning.”

Emma pursed her lips in a glower.

“You both can get out. They can take in the truck right now and you can wait in the waiting room.”

Cars filled the parking lot. Emma expected a longer wait. “How’d you get us in so quickly?”

“Money talks,” he grunted.

A game show played on TV, barely holding Emma’s attention. Her nerves were too far gone. Not only did she have to worry about how they would survive on less than fifty dollars, but how they would survive, period, especially in light of the news that she was the warning system now. Emma got up a few times and checked out the window. Will paced in the parking lot, in spite of the heat. He must really be irritated with her if he wouldn’t even come inside. Her anxiety increased. That was just something else to worry about, his exasperation with her and her sudden attraction to him earlier.
It was nothing
. She had felt weak and vulnerable and she simply fell into the damsel-in-distress mentality. That was all. It was a moment of insanity. Besides, in the scheme of things, it seemed the least of her worries.

An hour later, Will came in and told them it was time to go. He ignored them, driving in silence until they reached Russell, the town bordering I-70, when he announced they were stopping for lunch.

“But we just ate breakfast,” Emma said.

“I don’t know how long it will be before we find civilization again in Kansas, so we better eat while we can.” He pulled into a restaurant’s half-empty parking lot.

“But…”

Will gripped the steering wheel, staring straight ahead. “Jesus Christ, Emma. The only goddamned thing you can say today is
nothing
and
but
. Get a fucking dictionary.” He got out of the truck and slammed the door.

Emma turned to Jake, who stared at her with softened eyes while he patted her shoulder. “He’ll be fine, Mommy. He’s just confused.”

“Confused about what? And how do you know?”

“Don’t worry, he’ll figure it out,” he said as they got out, ignoring her second question.

Will stood in front of the truck, wringing his hands through his hair. Emma was afraid to approach him, but Jake walked over and pulled down Will’s arm, tucking his little hand into Will’s before Emma could stop him. Emma’s insides twisted. Jake had begun to idolize Will and that was a problem. She didn’t need any more problems.

They sat in a booth by a window. Jake scampered into the seat next to Will before he could protest. Will slid to the far edge and hunched over the table, studying the napkin dispenser as though it held the secret to life.

An attractive young waitress walked to the table, bringing them menus. She asked for their drink orders, keeping her eyes on Will. She suddenly caught his attention and he sat up straight, plastering on his grin.

“Good afternoon, darlin’.”

Emma looked at him in confusion.

“What can I get for you and your…” she glanced at Emma’s left hand, which lay on the table. “…wife?” she finished, uncertainty in her voice.

Will gave a throaty laugh. “You’ve got it all wrong, sweetheart. She isn’t my wife. She’s just a friend. I’m doing her a favor. That’s all.” He topped it off with a wink.

The waitress’s smile widened and she leaned closer to him. “Well, aren’t you the nice guy, helping out a poor woman like that?”

“That’s me, Mr. Nice Guy.” He cocked his head to the side and smirked.

“I’ll have an iced tea and Jake will have milk,” Emma interrupted.

Will lifted his eyebrows at Emma with an amused expression. “I’ll have water.”

The waitress turned to get their drinks and Will ogled her as she walked away. Emma’s eyebrows rose.”What the hell is that?”

“Just appreciating the view.”

“Yeah, I can see that. Maybe you could wait until I leave the table next time.”

His eyes narrowed. “What’s it matter to you?”

She glared at Will and they locked in a momentary staring contest. Anger boiled in her chest and she broke the gaze first, turning to Jake, who played with his toy car and seemed unmoved by the discussion. He was right. What did it matter if Will flirted with every waitress in the entire fucking town? She slumped in her seat, crossed her arms and frowned at the window.

The waitress returned with their drinks, taking her time to lean over and set Will’s water on the table in front of him. Will gave her a sly smile and Emma rolled her eyes.