Stranded with My Stepbrother Chapter 123

McKenzie

I didn’t even know where we were going, and I don’t think Will did, either. But we had to go somewhere, so we just ran.

Will kept a hold of my hand, tugging me behind a gas truck and crouching down with me behind its back wheels.

“What are we going to—?” I whispered.

“Shh.” He shielded me with his body and put a hand over my mouth.

I heard the scrape of boots on concrete, and I was sure it was Hoot. We didn’t have guns anymore—we’d left them in the minivan. I wondered if that was all part of Hoot’s master plan.

“Hey, lady, is this guy bothering you?” a thin man with a scruffy red beard and a baseball cap asked, coming around the side of the truck. He glared daggers at Will.

“He’s coming,” Will responded in a hiss. “Please, just go away.”

The man took a step forward, rolling up his sleeves. “I’m gonna need you to take your hands off the lady.”

“No, it’s true,” I insisted, waving at the man to keep his voice down. “There’s someone after us….”

That made the man frown. Another scrape of boots made him turn around.

Hoot was standing there with a gun in his hand, pointed directly at the man’s chest. “I suggest you git, and forget everythin’ you just heard.”

We’re dead. We are so dead! my brain screamed.

Then I heard the deep cocking sound of a shotgun.

Hoot turned just in time to stare down the double-barrel hanging out the side window of the gas truck. A wiry woman with frizzy gray hair was just visible, leaning out of the window to point the gun at Hoot’s head.

“I think you meant to wish my son a good day and back the fuck off,” she sneered. Her hands were steady. I got the impression she’d have no trouble giving Hoot both barrels if he didn’t do exactly what she said.

“You’re right, missus. That was exactly what I was goin’ to do,” Hoot replied, raising his hands.

“And you were gonna give him a brand new gun,” she said flatly.

Hoot handed his gun over to the red-bearded man.

“And the one you got strapped behind your back,” the woman continued.

Hoot grimaced but did as he was told.

“And that ankle piece,” she said.

With a growl of frustration, Hoot divested himself of a small revolver that was strapped to his boot.

Her son, meanwhile, was pointing Hoot’s first gun at him, his hand just as steady as his mother’s. “Man, you fucked with the wrong people today. Driving a gas rig is serious business. You know how much trouble we get?”

“I’ll be on my way now,” Hoot replied, backing away. “Y’all have a good day.”

“Kneecap,” the woman barked.

The red-bearded man didn’t hesitate. He took aim at Hoot’s kneecap and fired.

I’m not sure anyone but Will and I were expecting his leg to be blown clean off.

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, what kind of ammo you packing in this thing?!” the red-bearded man shouted.

Hoot hit the ground and groaned, blood spreading beneath him instantly.

“Shep, get in the truck,” his mother ordered him. “You bring those two young things with you. We’ll sort the rest out later, but right now, we’ve gotta be gone before the cops get here.”

She said it so calmly, I wondered how many times she’d ended up in a situation like this.

“We can just be on our way.” Will stood and grabbed for my hand again when I stood as well. “Thank you for—”

“That wasn’t a question. Get in the damn cab,” the woman snarled.

“Yes, ma’am.” Will guided me up into the truck and into the cab behind the driver’s and passenger seats, where there was a small space with a mattress.

Shep got in after us and fired up the truck. “Good thing we were done here anyway. Wouldn’t want to lose this commission.”

As the gas truck pulled out of the station, I wondered how everyone could be so calm. I was freaking out.

“You really can drop us just anywhere, ma’am,” Will said. His voice was tight.

The woman turned around in her seat. “My name’s Dolly. This is my son, Shep. Who might you two be?”

I swallowed hard and looked at Will.

“Oh, we’re just—” He began spinning a lie.

“And don’t lie to me. I’ve got a nose for it,” Dolly warned.

“I’m McKenzie,” I blurted while Will groaned. “This is Will. We’re on the run from… well, the guy you just shot, but also a lot of other people. We didn’t do anything wrong, I swear. In fact, we were trying to do the right thing. Well, Will and my parents were. I didn’t even know about all of this until like a week ago. Has it been a week? I can’t even keep track of time anymore—”

Dolly shook her head. “You, stop talking. You need to take some deep breaths and reduce whatever caffeine you’re drinking by half.” She turned to Will. “You. Explain.”

Will squeezed his eyes shut. I was pretty sure he was angry with me, but these people had all the guns. This didn’t seem like the best time to lie. “All right,” he finally said. “This is a long story….” He calmly explained what had happened to bring us to this point.

“Human trafficking.” Shep muttered it like a curse. “Mama, did you hear that?”

“I sure did.” Dolly looked utterly disgusted. “And the arms dealing. And the drugs. And a whole host of other things. You’re trying to testify against your grandpa?”

“Yes,” Will sighed. “But everywhere I turn, I just run into more people who want to ransom us instead. No one seems to be interested in justice.”

“Five-hundred-million dollars is a lot of money,” Dolly said.

I felt the blood drain from my face. “Will didn’t say anything about that.”

“Of course he didn’t. It’s common knowledge. Everyone who’s anyone from cops to cab drivers knows about the ransom. I didn’t expect you’d fall into our laps, but, here you are.” Dolly eyed us both. “Good-looking couple.”

“Look, I don’t have a lot of money right now, but I’m going to inherit…” Will began desperately.

“Son, we aren’t going to turn you in,” Shep said. “Are we, Mama?”

“Of course not. I can’t stand human trafficking. Gives truckers a bad name, aside from the fact that it’s morally reprehensible.” Dolly sniffed. “I think there’d be less people willing to offer you up on a silver platter if they heard why there’s a price on your heads.”

Shep nodded. “Should I put it over the radio?”

“Nah. We need to spread it around more quietly. I don’t want any more of those gun-toting sons of bitches on our tail,” she said.

“We thought Hoot was a good guy,” I explained softly.

“We don’t have any idea who we can trust,” Will sighed. “Even you, pardon me for saying so.”

She shrugged. “I don’t blame you one bit.”

“How are we gonna get them to a good cop, Mama?” Shep asked. “It’s not like we know many, and even fewer of them who couldn’t be turned by that kind of money.” There seemed to be extra weight behind his words.

Dolly made a sour face. “I am not calling your father.”

“I don’t know if we have a choice this time, Mama,” Shep responded gravely. “I know you don’t like him, and you like his wife even less….”

“What I like even less about his wife is that he didn’t tell me he had one,” she spat. Then she took a deep, bracing breath. “Fine. I’ll call your father. You drive. We need to drop off the rig and get the truck if we’re heading that far.”

“Um… I hate to sound stupid, but I have no idea where we are or where we’re headed,” Will said.

“We’re in South Carolina,” Shep replied. “Dad’s in Washington DC.”

“And we’re heading to him because…?” Will prompted.

Shep and Dolly looked at each other. Dolly grunted and folded her arms. “He’s a judge. Some circuit or another. I’m sure he still has his eyes on the Supreme Court, but he’s not there yet.”

“You don’t think he’ll be tempted by the money?” I asked anxiously.

“He won’t. That bleached-blonde bubble head he lives with wouldn’t hesitate to get her talons into it, but Xavier’s a good man. Except for the philandering,” she grumbled.

“So… not exactly a safe choice,” Will concluded.

She looked back at him. “You have any better ideas?”

Will sighed and shook his head. “No. I don’t.” He wrapped his arms around me and dropped his chin onto my shoulder.

Dolly raised an eyebrow at us. “Isn’t he a bit old for you?”

I blushed but put my arms over Will’s possessively. “It works for us.”

She shrugged. “I guess that’s what matters,” she said dubiously. “But don’t end up like me. I dated an older man once, too, and the only good thing that came out of it was Shep.” She patted her son on the shoulder.

Shep grinned.

“I would never do that to her,” Will protested.

“Uh-huh.” She eyed him. “Well, I suppose we can only hope at this point. You’ve got her hook, line, and sinker.”

My face must have gone scarlet because Shep chuckled, and Dolly sighed. “Boy, have you got it bad,” she said.

“I… uh… um…” I stuttered.

Will’s lips brushed over my temple. “It’s okay, honeybee. It’s still too soon.”

I sagged with relief. “Right.”

“‘Honeybee,’” Shep chortled. “That’s a new one.”

“Here’s to hoping. For the both of you,” Dolly said. She faced front once more. “You’d best get some sleep back there. There’s nothing much else to do while we go to get the truck.”

“I’m not sleeping,” Will insisted. “No offense, but I’m making sure we don’t end up in my grandfather’s clutches.”

She nodded. “None taken. After what happened with that Hoot person, I’d be hesitant to trust anyone else, too.”

“I can stay up,” I said.

The other three frowned at me. “Go to sleep,” they responded together.

With a frown, I opened my mouth to argue, but Will shook his head. “You can take second watch,” he promised.

Something told me there wouldn’t be a second watch, but I gave in with a sigh. “Fine, fine.” I readjusted myself so I was lying with my head in Will’s lap.

But I didn’t sleep.