Out of the Shadows (15 page)

Sarah seemed to hesitate but after
a slight nudge gave in. Devon flinched. Lark’s warm hand wrapped around his
forearm. He saw her bottom lip tremble and a tear slide down her face.

Lark slipped into his embrace on
her own, somehow worming her way against him. Her head rested against his
shoulder. Eyes focused outside the window. Hesitantly, Devon put a hand on the
small of her back. Lark’s back shook as she sobbed quietly against him. Without
thinking, his hand began to rub soothing circles into her back.

The car backed out of the parking
spot and turned onto the main road. Her grip tightened on his arm. She turned
her head in, hiding her face against his shoulder.

“We have to wait until we get out
of the city to head them off. They need to be far enough away they can’t easily
call for help and so we are away from prying eyes.” Devon explained, his hand
continued to move against her back as she cried. “We will leave in about five
minutes. Preston will give us updates via text of where they’re heading.”

“There is nothing we can do for
Emily?” Lark asked her voice muffled against his shoulder.

“There’s too many of them.” Devon’s
eyes drifted to the hotel door that Sarah had come out of. Emily was in there. So
close, but so far. Emmett would keep coming for Emily. When they got her back
they would need to make sure there was no one left to follow after them. They
had a few weeks to compose their army. Hopefully it would be enough time.

The Jeep was quiet. The only noise
that filtered in was the hum of the engine
and the occasional whoosh of
a passing car. They’d been on the road for close to an hour now and had passed
out of the last town awhile ago.

The anxiety overwhelmed Lark. She
blew out a breath and leaned back on the headrest, eyes shut tight. She wanted
to vomit and curl up in a ball on her bed.

Lark kept waiting to wake up from
this nightmare. Yet, every time she awoke she was thrust back into hell.
Watching Sarah being taken away was the hardest thing she’d ever done.

Devon’s phone whistled. Her eyes
popped open, body alert. This was it, she could feel it.

Devon dug his phone from his pocket
and opened the text.

“They’re getting ready to head them
off now.” He looked at the side of the road as they passed a mile marker. “We’re
about a mile or so behind them. When we get there, I want you to stay in the
car, Lark.” His brow crinkled as he turned to look at her. “These are Emmett’s
best trained men,” he warned.

Lark nodded. The last thing she
wanted was to get in the way and hinder Sarah’s rescue. Her hand went to her
purse where the gun Gene had given her was. She didn’t want to use it, but
would, if she needed to.

“Be careful,” her voice cracked. Lark reached out and
touched Devon’s arm.

The engine roared as Devon punched
the gas. Lark grasped his arm and the door handle with her other hand. The
silver SUV swerved into the left lane in front of them, a white compact car in
front of it.

Lark cringed as the SUV pulled
ahead, cutting the white car off. A sickening crunch filled the air as metal
clashed against metal. Tires squealed as both cars came to an abrupt stop.

She sucked in a deep breath as they
pulled up to the white Ford Focus and silver SUV. Smoke simmered from the white
compact car where the older vehicle had struck the front drivers side.

Devon slammed on the brakes, threw
the car in park, and jetted out. Lark balled her hands into fists as Devon ran
to assist Preston, who was helping Sarah from the back seat. The three guys who
had ridden with Preston had already engaged the two male occupants of the white
car. Both of Emmett’s men were burly. One was shorter and looked like a body
builder, the other taller and leaner.

Shouting erupted, followed by a
thud as the taller man was slammed into the side of the SUV. Sarah’s blonde
hair blew in the wind as she exited the white vehicle. Preston said something
to Sarah and pointed toward Lark.

Sarah nodded. Tears streaked her
pale face as she sprinted towards Lark’s car.

Lark’s pulse roared in her ears.
Tears stung her eyes. Sarah opened the back door, jumped in, and slammed the
door shut. Lark turned in her seat embracing her sister. The hug was awkward
with the angle of the seat, but she didn’t care. She had her sister back. They
squeezed each other tight. Sarah gripped the back of Lark’s tank top.

“Are you okay?” Lark cried into
Sarah’s hair.

“Yeah,” Sarah sobbed her whole body
shaking. “I was so scared, Lark.”

“It’s okay, you’re safe now,” Lark
tried to keep her voice even, but it was thick with emotion.

“Where’s Preston?” Sarah whimpered.
“He said he’d be right behind me.”

Lark pulled away, turning back to
the fight. Preston and Devon were taking on one the short guy. They had him
pinned on his stomach, face pressed against the blacktop. Devon wrung the man’s
hands behind his back then pulled zip ties from his pocket and zip tied them
together with ease, as if he did it on a daily basis. The other three guys
tackled the taller man, slamming his forehead against the pavement repeatedly
until he no longer moved
.
A
gob of thick blood oozed
from his temple to his throat.

A cold chill zipped down Lark’s
spine when they tied the taller man up. They drug his bloody limp body
haphazardly toward the SUV. The short muscular man was put in the trunk of the
white car.

Lark watched Devon’s mouth move as he spoke to the four
other men pointing to the vehicles. After a moment, they all nodded. Preston
and Devon raced toward their car. The other three men divided up between the
Focus and SUV.

Preston climbed into the back seat, gripping onto Sarah.
Devon got in the driver’s seat. He threw the car in drive as he shut the door.
The tires shrieked in protest from the sudden movement as they sped off down
the highway.

They drove in silence for several miles. Lark wiped at her
eyes before turning in her seat to look at Sarah. She’d latched onto Preston
knuckles white where she gripped his forearms. Her back heaved from silent
sobs. Preston smoothed her mussed hair in an attempt to calm her.

“We’re going a little out of our way, then taking an
alternate route to the ranch.” Devon broke the silence as they passed a spot
where they could turn around.

“Whatever we have to do to get home safe,” Lark whispered
hoarsely.

“Where’s Emily?” Sarah sniffled, pulling her head away from
Preston’s chest.

“We couldn’t get to her,” Devon said quietly.

Sarah’s face crumpled while she gasped, tears cascading down
her pale face.

“They were bragging about killing
Rick, is that true?”

Lark’s lower lip quivered. She turned and took Sarah’s hand.
“I’m sorry, Sarah,” she whispered, swallowing down the thick lump in her
throat.

“No,” Sarah protested her head shaking back and forth. “No.”

Preston pulled Sarah to his shoulder. Sarah gripped Lark’s
hand tightly, her fingernails digging into the palm of Lark’s hand.

“Oh god, Preston, I’m so sorry,”
Sarah whimpered burying her face in his chest.

Preston chewed on the inside of his cheek. Tears swam in his
bluish-green eyes. “Me too,” he murmured.

***

Devon stifled a yawn as they passed the Texas border. It had
been a long day of driving. The cool evening air blew in through the open car
window, helping to keep him alert.

The car ride had been quiet for the most part. Each of them
in their own thoughts. The past twenty four hours had been a whirlwind and it was
finally starting to crash down on him.

Instead of despair, it brought him strength. For too long he
had stayed in the shadows. Obeying laws he didn’t believe in and following
orders that should never be uttered. Not anymore. It was time that he stepped
up and reclaimed what belonged to him. He was ready.

He’d been too angry and hadn’t taken the time to think
things through the last time he’d challenged Emmett. It was a mistake he would
not make again.

Lark’s melodic ring tone went off, bringing Devon out of his
thoughts. He blinked, watching while she dug through her purse. She found her
phone and sighed, eyes on the caller ID.

“Hello,” she whispered. The seat creaked beneath her as she
turned to the back seat gazing at Sarah and Preston, both slept soundly cuddled
together.

Devon tried to focus on the road ahead, but with sensitive
hearing, his thoughts drifted to the conversation Lark was having. He gritted
his teeth, recognizing the voice on the other end instantly.

“Everything’s fine, Grant,” Lark murmured into the phone.

What does he want?
A pang of
jealousy washed over him. The man had been all over Lark at The Cookie Jar the
other night and he’d been even more over the top at her house. He couldn’t help
but wonder if there was something more going on. They had a past, but was there
a present? He shouldn’t care, he reminded himself. The two kisses had done
little to douse the fire he felt for her, in fact, they had ignited it more.

“Yes, I plan on opening the bakery tomorrow.” Lark bit her
lip, sucking in a deep breath. “I’m fine, really,” she said annoyed.

Devon squelched the urge to reach through the phone and
strangle the other guy. Instead, he forced even, calm, breaths in and out of
his nostrils. He didn’t understand the reaction he had to Lark, or Grant. He’d
had lovers, but hadn’t cared one way or another about them on a personal level.
Sure he liked them okay, but they were just passing fancies, nothing serious.

“Alright. Yeah, sure, we can do that. Okay, I’ll see you
tomorrow,” Lark grumbled as she hung up. She tossed her phone back into her
purse and massaged her temples.

“Problems?” Devon asked unable to hide the bitter edge to
his voice.

“He’s just really worried,” she paused and let out a long
sigh. “We’ve known each other a long time.”

“You’re going out with him?”

“For lunch,” Lark defended.

Devon shrugged, it shouldn’t bother him. “Right, for lunch.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Devon snapped. Anger rolled through him. He hated
that he was acting jealous, but couldn’t stop himself.

“Okay,” Lark drawled out the word.

“Okay,” Devon repeated evenly.

***

Lark shivered, the gravel crunched beneath the car, tiny
pebbles flew up from the drive pelting the vehicle as they neared the ranch.
The moonlit night did little to shake the images she had from the other
morning. She could still see the carnage and blood. The ranch would never be
the same for her again without Rick there. Yet, it was still home.

Devon parked the car in front of the main house and turned
the ignition off. Lark stretched and turned to the back seat. Devon opened his
door causing the dome light to pop on. Sarah yelped, jolting awake and looked
frantically around the car for a moment.

“You okay?” Lark asked concerned. She hoped that Sarah
wasn’t too disturbed by the kidnapping.

“Yeah,” Sarah nodded eyes wide.

“Come on, let’s get you inside.” Preston opened his door and
slid out. Turning back, he grasped Sarah’s hand and helped her out.

Lark closed her door and rocked up on the balls of her feet
stretching. A piping hot shower would hopefully allow her to relax enough to
fall asleep. Tomorrow it was back to normal.

Headlights rounded down the driveway, the SUV and Focus
coming into view. She leaned on the blue car, her eyes on Devon. His stance
ridged, hands balled into tight fists.

The screen door slammed shut, Preston and Sarah already
inside. Gene stood on the front porch. Devon nodded at Gene as he shuffled down
the steps greeting them.

“Take them to the cellar around back,” Gene instructed hands
tucked behind his back.

“What are you going to do with them?” Lark asked as the
guy’s drug their hostages from the trunks and shoved them toward the back of
the house.

“Get as much information from them as we can,” Gene responded.
He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze. “Why don’t
you go inside and get some rest, Lark? You too, Dev. I’ll have you accompany
Lark to the bakery tomorrow, since you two seem to get along well enough,” Gene
said a sly grin forming on his lips.

“I can help,” Devon offered.

“It’s okay, Dev. I got this. It’s too personal for you. I’ll
get everything I can and pass the info along,” Gene said staring at Devon, his
brown eyes almost pleading.

Devon let out a long sigh and ran a hand through his already
ruffled hair. Lark held her breath; he looked like he was going to fight Gene
on this.

“Fine, let me know what you find out. Wake me if you have to,”
Devon replied reluctantly.

“I will,” Gene promised.

Devon and Lark stood watching as the two men were drug off.

“I’m sure he’ll find out everything he can,” Lark offered.

“I hope so,” Devon growled. “We should get inside early
morning tomorrow.”

Lark wanted to say more to him, but he was being an ass
again. With a sigh, she shook her head and walked to the house. Devon’s
footsteps crunched on the gravel as he followed behind her.

“I, um, usually get to the shop around six in the morning.
That way everything is baked and stocked by seven. We should leave here around
five-forty-five or so.” Lark chewed on her lip, waiting for his reply.

“Yeah, that sounds fantastic,” he said sarcastically.

“You like the blueberry muffins, right? I’ll make extra of
those.” Lark offered wanting to thank him in his own way, even if he wasn’t
keen on the idea to begin with.

“Sounds great,” Devon clipped.

“Maybe tomorrow night we can practice those self defense
moves?” She questioned feeling a nervous flutter in her belly. The thought of
Devon’s hands on her in any regard sent tingles through her.
Maybe
this isn’t such a good idea after all.

“Sure.” Devon opened the screen door for her.

“Okay, so I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Bright and early,” he clipped.

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Lark,” his voice softened slightly.

Lark stared at him a moment longer before turning on her
heel and heading up the stairs. She had no idea what was going on between her
and Devon, but it was complicated. There was an attraction that was undeniable,
but she wondered if it would ever be anything more?