Never Say Goodbye (Rebel Walking #6) (28 page)

Chapter Eleven

Lilly

 I hear the sound of footsteps in the street behind me.  I hold my stomach and pray.  Please don't let him find me.  I should've known the authorities couldn't keep me safe.  If he wants to find me, he will.  He has connections beyond my comprehension and I don't dare challenge him.  

His words aren't threats, they're promises.  

The sound of the footsteps begins to fade and I feel an ounce of relief as I let out the deep breath I've been holding.

He killed the officer that was staying with me in cold blood.  I heard the gunshot and rushed to the monitor, seeing the hole in the middle of his forehead before I ran.  He wants me.  He can't have me until I make sure this baby is safe.  That can't happen until my due date, which isn't for at least six weeks.

I tried to call Luke tonight, but as soon as he picked up the phone, I could see him walking toward me on the street.  It's hard to find a payphone anymore, but I had to run.  I'm in a tiny town and the locals will tell him if they've seen me.  I need to get the hell out of here.    

I could go to the police, but I know it won’t help.  He'd have me within an hour.  I need to find a phone and try to reach Luke again.  I swore I'd never put them in danger, but I need his help to get the baby to safety.  

My hand slides over my heart and I feel the scar from the last time I was with Luke.  My heart aches for him and what I'm about to put him through, but I'm left with no option.    

I look for a car that I can take.  I'm desperate.  I see an old Ford truck and decide to attempt the chance that the owner left it unlocked.  Walking with the eerie feeling that I'm being watched, I look everywhere for any sign that he's here.  I start to run to get to the truck faster and sling the door open as soon as I approach it.  The keys are in it and I fumble around until I've got the truck started and in gear.  Speeding off like I'm on fire, I race out of town, watching my rear view mirror the whole time.  Headlights get closer the further out of town I get.  I know it's him.  

Refusing to give up, I floor this gas pedal and only gain about five miles per hour.  The lights get so close, I feel like they're going to hit the back end of the truck, but they never do.  

He just follows very close, letting me know he's here.  My heart is one constant beat and I'm so fucking terrified.  He can't have me until this baby is safe.

Luke

This flight is taking forever and I can't stand having to sit still.  I need to release my energy and I have no outlet.  I'd take fighting someone right now.  I'll even do it to the death.  I just need to see her.  I need to know she's really alive and that she's safe.

Kimber is sitting quietly beside me and Holden is working his connections, trying to find out some information.

"She's been in protective custody.  The officer in charge of her case was killed this morning in the house she was living in.  They haven't been able to locate her since."  I grab my forehead and yell in frustration.  

"How in the fuck has this happened?"  How did we not know anything about this shit?  Who the fuck is she hiding from?"

"Her father."

"What does he want with her?"

"Apparently, she's inherited a very large amount of money from her grandparents."

"I didn't even know she had grandparents that were alive."

"It's her father's parents.  She was the only one listed in the will and he's pissed off.  He runs a drug cartel and shit has not gone his way.  He's in desperate need of the money."  I stand.  I don't care if I'm in an airplane.  I need to fucking move.  

"When she went to the hospital for the accident, the authorities entered her name and she had been put on the list that day to be brought in for protection.  There had been information released that showed she was in danger.  They helped her fake her death, hoping he'd be tricked into leaving her alone."

"Well, where is he now?"

"He was the shooter in the house."  

"FUCKKK.  Can we please hurry the fuck up?"

"Luke.  They're getting us there as fast as they can.  I already have allies working to find her.  I will pull out all fucking stops to get to her before he does.  Remember, she's fucking strong minded and won't just let him take her."

"That's what I'm worried about.  She's carrying my baby."

"I know."

"You mean to tell me she did all of this for money?"

"It looks that way."

"I can't fucking believe this.  She didn't need any god damned money."

"It doesn't make sense.  I'm sorry I didn't look into anything sooner.  I had no reason to question things.  Shit, if I hadn't started this business we'd be fucked right now.  My connections have made all of this information possible."

"I'm trying to be thankful, but right now I don't feel grateful for anything.  How can I even take a breath until I know she's safe?"

"Get focused, so you can help her.  Put your mind in a place that you can be helpful to me if I need you.  This may be one hell of a battle and I can't be worried about you when I'm going against the worst criminal I've ever attempted."

"What happened to the money?"

"There was a clause in the will that if she died, the money became frozen into the estate for seventy years."

"How the fuck do you know all of this in such a short time?"

"I talked to the head of the group protecting her.  It's their job to know every detail about her case.  He only shared with me because Cowboy's father pulled a favor."  

"How much money are we talking?"

"The grandparents owned a diamond mine.  The amount of money we are talking about is absurd.  They've written off their only son and refused to let him have any of it.  It's been heavily protected and Lilly is his only chance at this money.  He needs her alive to get it.  That's one good thing for us to hold on to."

"But he won’t want the baby in the picture."

"Right."  

"FUCKKKK.  I need off this plane.  NOW."  

"We're approaching for landing now.  It'll be just a few minutes, but Luke.  We don't have a location on her.  She's somewhere in this tiny fucking town in the middle of Montana."

"It can't be too hard to locate a tattooed rocker then."

"She's changed her look.  They're sending me a current photo of her now.  I'll show you as soon as it comes through."  How can she be different?  She's Lilly.  The way she looked made her who she is.  

I sit back down and try to gather the insanity inside me.  I'm all over the fucking place and it doesn't help that I'm trying to compose myself in front of Kimber.  This is not fair to her, but I can't help that I need to go find Lilly.  There's no question that this is what I need to be doing.  I'm just glad Kimber agreed.  

We're immediately escorted to a makeshift headquarters in a room at the local police station.  I can tell by the amount of badges in this room that this is a big case for them.  It helps me to know they all want her father in custody and maybe with so many divisions searching, we'll find him.  

We've been told they're going to show film of Lilly soon.  I'm trying to prepare myself for this, but I don't think there's anything in the world that can.  

The projector comes on and I see her.  Her hair is dark brown and long.  Her walk is the same.  A few minutes pass before she walks directly in front of the camera, allowing an up close shot of her.  My skin crawls with goose bumps.  She's alive.

Her stomach is huge and I melt when I see her walking with her hand on it.  I should be enjoying this with her.  This should be a time for us to be happy and preparing to bring a new life into this world, instead I'm trying to figure out how to save two.

"This is the last footage we have of her.  She is seen leaving the house out a back window after her father shot our officer."  One of the captains is going over everything like it's some sort of routine case.

"We have officers landing in the next few hours to put more eyes in the field.  I'll need everyone to cooperate and send all leads through the proper chain of command.  He's considered dangerous and should not be approached without backup.  This is a matter of national interest that he's apprehended so we can use him to take down countless drug organizations bringing illegal substances into our borders.  And lastly, I need Alex Kroker alive.  He also goes by Joseph Stone, so familiarize yourself with his pictures before you leave."

We break from the briefing and I watch Holden go to work.  He's working his way into the most information possible.  

"Do we know where her father lives?"

"We already have officers in his house.  He hasn't shown any signs of being in the California area for weeks."

Holden walks over to me and I want to lose my shit.  "So we have zero leads on where she's at."

"Luke.  We have to go find her.  They'll send out every available resource for this.  Her father is a very high profile criminal that they need to apprehend.  Getting to him is of utmost important to them too."

"Yeah, well what if it's too late?"

"We can't think like that, we just have to do our job and have faith that he will make a mistake."

"What if she tries to call me again?"

"Answer your phone then, I had it forwarded to your cell phone."

"Shit, is there anything you miss?"

"I try to not miss anything."

Stepping out into the morning air, I reel in all of my anger about this situation and try to channel Lilly.  What would she do?  Where would she go if she was running for her life?  I'd like to think she'd be running to me, but I can't be so sure of that.     

Chapter Twelve

Lilly

He followed me until he ran me off the road and into a field.  The truck bounced around so much, I couldn't control it and he had me stopped before I could get away.  Running from him isn't an option because I can see him with a gun aimed right at me.

I hold my arms up in surrender.  I'm going to have to get away from him some other way.  

"What do you want from me?"

"You know what I want."

"Fine.  I'll sign it all over to you.  Just leave me alone."

"You know I can't do that before I get the money."

"I didn't ask for this."

"I know.  It's my father's twisted way of fucking with me even from the grave."

"Just tell me what to do and I'll do it, but if you hurt my baby, you'll die broke."

"Well, aren't you a feisty one?"

"No.  I'm a mother.  If you hurt my child, I'll have no reason for living and then you lose out."

"Get in.  You're driving."  He points to his truck and I notice the dark black windows immediately.  My hopes for being rescued are getting slimmer by the second.

"Where are we going?"

"Just drive.  I'll let you know where to go as we drive."  He doesn't put away his gun and I know not to ask him to.  He's desperate and I don't know what he'll do to get us out of here, I just hope I can manage to make it out alive with a healthy baby.

Kimber

We've been looking for twenty four hours with no clue whatsoever.  I can't fucking stand seeing Luke like this.  I told him I was going to stay at the hotel this morning and clean up a bit.  He hasn't stepped foot into our room, but I made sure he had a key just in case he needs one.  

I don't want to do this, but I have no choice.  It's obvious this Alex is a low, disgusting human being, so chances are my father knows him.  The gambling ring tends to be filled with those exact types of people.  My father is in prison, but Lou can get in to see him until he's convicted of all the charges pending.  Lou had no intentions of going to see him, but I know he will since I asked him.  

"I just need an address.  And I'm not talking about the one in California.  Ask him if he knows of any other place he may be hiding out.  If he won’t help you, tell him it's for me.  Tell him to be a father for once in his fucking life."  I know it's a long shot, but I have to try.  

"The lawyer has a meeting with him this morning.  I'll have him ask the questions, that way it's protected."

"Lou.  Have I ever told you how important you are to me?"

"You have a time or two."

"Well, I mean it."

"Alright, before you get all mushy on me, let me call this lawyer and get the ball rolling on this for you."

"Thank you, Lou."

"You're welcome, Honey.  Stay safe, I'll talk to you soon."  I ask the hotel for a ride to the nearest airport.  It's hours away, so they have to get me to a rental car.  I'm going to have faith that I'll be flying somewhere today.  I may as well get a head start on my trip.

I take everything I brought with me on this trip, which isn't much.  The drive to the middle of nowhere is so different than I'm used to, living in California.

I get the call from Lou before I make it to the airport.   

"Kimmie, he has a place in Nevada.  I'm texting you the address because it's hidden.  Do you have muscle going in with you?"  

"Yeah, I've got an army with me.  Thanks, Lou."  I should call in the muscle, but I don't want to pull them away from the last location she was seen.  What are the chances that he's taking her there?  I can't  gamble and pull Luke away from the chance to find her.

Luke

Where the fuck is she?  Going through her things in the house she's been staying at was hard.  I just keep saying, 'She's Alive', knowing that it'll have to settle in one of these times.  

I see a picture frame on her bed with my picture in one slot and the baby image in the other.  It's engraved with the words ‘My Daddy’.  I hold it against my chest, imagining how many times she's touched it.  

Has she missed me and does she regret this insanity?  I'd really love to know.  

Holden yells at me from the first floor, so I grab the frame and take the steps two at a time in hopes that he has some information about her.

“We just got word that he has a small house in Nevada.  We’re sending a group there to look.”  

“How soon will we know.”  

“It'll be a few hours.  They can't go in until they're assembled and ready for the kind of battle he will give.”

“How certain are we that he’ll go there?”

“All Information leads to it being a very strong possibility, but we don't know.  He's a master at hiding from the authorities and has been for years.”

“How did we get this info?”

“It was leaked in a prison interview this morning.”

“Shit.  Are we going?”

“It looks like the best lead we’ve had.  Montana is a fuckin’ bust.”

“Let's go then!  They'll still be looking for her here, so I say we at least try to find her father.”

He reaches for his phone and begins to dial.  I know he's making flight arrangements and planning everything.  I need to call Kimber and tell her to hurry.  

I walk around the house looking at Lilly’s things while the phone is ringing, never getting an answer.  I remember the hotel room she got us, so I tell Holden we need to make a stop there on the way.  

He has a ride lined up and we’re moving out before I can even think straight.  

Pulling into the hotel parking lot, I begin to feel overwhelmed with anxiety and worry.  What if we don't get there in time and he’s hurt her.  She's stubborn enough to fight him for the simple purpose of it all.  

Opening the door to the hotel room I notice my bag and that's it.  Kimber’s stuff is gone and I fucking can't stand knowing she's walked out on me during this mess.  I know it had to be tough on her and I wish I would've protected her from that, but I needed to go help Lilly.  I thought she’d understand that.

I grab my bag and toss the key card on the table, walking out to Holden who's ready to rush us to the airplane.  

I open the door to a confused Holden. “Where’s Kimber?”

“I guess she's gone.”

“Are we going to wait for her?”

“I'm going to try to get her to answer.”  I pick up my phone and dial her once again, only to go straight to voicemail. I decide to send her a text hoping she will respond before we take off.