Old Man's Ride(13)

I found her standing above the prone figure of the bearded man. Anchor was on his knees, binding the guy's hands.

"We're not killing anybody!" he insisted.

I never got to find out if she was arguing for or against killing the guy. She spotted me and cried out "Lily!" Then crushed me in a big hug. "What on earth are you doing out here? Did you seriously ride down that guy?"

I laughed. "I did. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I thought I was done for, but they shot John here in the knee." She sighed. "Guess I'm heading home. I never got very far."

I mumbled, "I haven't yet, either."

Nomad wheeled his bike over, grimacing the whole way. Oh, no, I've hurt the bike.

"Is it okay?" I asked timidly. He glared. His green eyes were cold. They held none of the passion we'd shared anymore, none of the affection I'd come to crave. An icy feeling washed over me. The fear I hadn't felt when I'd rushed into action came flooding back now, and I shivered and rubbed my arms. He's really angry.

I may have saved the day, but I'd destroyed whatever had grown between us.



---



The sun was rising when I rode to the motel on the back of Anchor's bike. Whitney rode with Nomad. He made me wait outside while he gathered our things from the room - it wouldn't be wise to stay in town any longer.

I shifted in uncomfortably on the seat. My ass still stung something fierce. It felt like such a long time ago now, it seemed like it should have healed, but in reality it had been less than a day since he'd bent me over his knee. Less than a day to totally fall for him, surrender to him, and then fuck it up completely.

It was a long drive back home. It had seemed so much shorter when I’d ridden out with Nomad - we left my apartment in the late afternoon and stopped just after sundown. We couldn't have been in the road for more than four or five hours, and the time flew by. But I was full of excitement then - fear, yes, but I was embarking on a new journey, freeing myself from my old life, and riding with a handsome older man who maybe, just maybe, might think I was pretty.

Now, I was filled with dread.

I'll pack a few more of my things and catch a bus instead. There was no way Nomad would want me to ride with him now. Not after I'd driven and damaged his bike. It was an act of blasphemy. Men got stabbed for less.

When we were finally home, we went straight to Bill's house. He lived on a quiet street, not at all like the busy commercial district where my mom's apartment was. I stashed my gun in Anchor’s pack before following them up the driveway. I didn’t want it. In fact, I hoped I’d never see it again.

Bill ushered us all inside as if he'd been expecting us.

"You two, go sit in the kitchen," he said to Whitney and I. Then they disappeared into his office and shut the door.

"Shit," I said with a sigh. We leaned against the kitchen counter, still stretching our legs after the long ride.

"What's wrong?" Whitney asked.

"I think I'm in trouble."

She made a face. "You saved our asses. I didn't see what happened after you hit that guy, but it distracted John long enough for Anchor to put a bullet in his leg and take his gun. And I'll tell them that."

"What happened to you?" I asked, "I thought you had plans to head to San Diego, last I heard."

She snorted with derision. "Northern Eagle territory was as far as I got. I met a guy who I thought was nice." She looked at her feet. "He wasn't. It took a long time to convince my parents I was actually in trouble. They thought I was being dramatic because I couldn't make it on my own. Once they realized I was serious, though..." She shrugged.

"They sent Anchor and Nomad."

"Yeah. My dad wanted to go, but he hurt his back kind of recently." She sniffled. "I just hope they're happy to see me, and they're not in a rush to kick me back out."

"Of course they'll be happy."

She wiped her eyes. "What the heck were you doing out there?"

"Bill ran me out of town. I hitched a ride with Nomad." I chuckled. "Guess I didn't get very far, either. I'm gonna just catch a bus going wherever, if they don't kill me first."

"Well, they'll have to go through me."

We raided their refrigerator. If they couldn't be bothered to have the manners to offer us a drink, then we weren't going to sit around and wait politely.

We were sitting at the table sipping coffee when they finally emerged. Their faces were grim.

"Your family is coming to pick you up," Bill told Whitney, "Go wait outside."

She looked at me with concern. "Lily really saved our butts out there, Bill, she didn't -"

"I know," he cut her off. "She's not in trouble. Go."