16. Pecker
Chapter 16
Pecker
“Hey, beautiful,” I smile as I answer Sophia’s call. I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to her since I dropped her off at Colt’s before work this morning and it’s killing me. Especially after sleeping with her in my arms last night.
“Pecker,” Sophia whimpers. “We need you and Colton. He’s not answering his phone.”
“Colt’s right here. His phone died, what’s going on?” I’m instantly on high alert. Something is wrong and I need to figure out what. I promised I’d protect her and I refuse to break that promise.
“What happened?” Colt motions for me to put the call on speaker and I quickly connect to the car’s speakers.
“We went to Leslie’s house to get some things. When we were packing up the car, a man was walking towards the house. When he realized we noticed him, he started hurrying towards us.”
“Are you in the car or the house?” Colt asks.
“The car. I'm driving down Beech Tree Road,” Leslie says with a shaky voice.
“Shit, the roads out that way are horrible. How much are you sliding, babe?” Colt asks.
“It has to be a lot, these roads are shit, Colt,” I murmur so the girls can't hear me. “If they hit one patch of bad ice, they’re in trouble.”
“I know,” he whispers.
“A lot,” Leslie says softly.
“Is anyone following you?”
“Yes. Someone’s been behind me since soon after we left the house.”
“Can you tell what kind of car?”
“No, but I passed a black Ford Explorer parked on the side of my street.”
“Motherfucker!” Colt roars.
“We’re on our way to you, Leslie. I want you to keep driving until you get to the Farmer’s Market. Right before you get to the parking lot, I want you to slow down and pull over on the side of the road.”
I take the lead on this, knowing I need to keep Sophia and Leslie safe. Colt isn't thinking rationally right now. I can tell he’s seconds away from losing it.
“Pretend you’re having trouble with your car. Put on your hazards. Put the car in neutral and rev the engine like you got stuck in the snow.”
I’m already pulling away from the accident scene we were responding to before I finish telling them what to do. The guy who crashed into the parked car throws his hands up in the air and stares at us like we’re crazy. I'm sure he’s pissed we’re leaving without giving him a reason why, but I don’t care. My sole focus is on my girl.
“Why would we do that?” Sophia shrieks. “He probably wants to kill us.”
“Because we’ll be waiting and we’ll protect you,” I say softly. “Trust me, Soph.”
“Zoey?” Colt’s voice is full of emotion. I glance over at him and find tears in his eyes.
“Yeah?”
“I love you, baby. Be careful. We’ll stop at nothing to protect you from him.”
“I love you too,” She chokes out.
They’re quiet on the other side of the line. I need to do something to keep their minds off of him and focused on the end goal of getting to us.
“How far away are you?” I ask after a few seconds.
“About two miles. He’s not leaving any space between our cars. He’s riding my bumper.”
“Tap your brakes. Begin to slow down a little.”
“Uncle Mason’s calling you,” Sophia murmurs. She sounds like she’s fumbling with her phone before she says anything else. “Hello?”
“Soph, where’s Zoey and Colt?” Mason’s voice comes through the speaker.
“Right here. You’re on speaker.”
I pull over on the side of the road and park. I made sure to stay on a side street so hopefully Jimmy won't see the police car. The last thing I want is for him to see us and flee.
“If he’s not in Maple Springs already, he’s on his way,” he growls.
“You’re a little late, Uncle Mason. He’s following us in the middle of this blizzard. Riding our ass too,” Sophia whimpers.
“Shit. Colt, keep my girls safe,” Mason growls.
“I'm trying, but I'm not with them. We’re in position. As long as they can get to us, they’ll be ok.”
Colt’s trying to keep the panic out of his voice, but I can hear it the slightest bit. He’s scared and that’s never good.
“Zoey, remember what I taught you. If you hit ice, don’t try to over-correct it. Let the car slide and make small corrections. Slow down and hopefully he will too. If you speed, you’re all going to get hurt. Let’s only make the asshole hurt. Sophia, remember what we taught you before you left. You might need that training.”
“Do you think he has a gun on him?” Colt asks.
“I’d be surprised if he didn’t,” Mason sighs. “I knew I should’ve come to Maple Springs.”
“No. I don’t need more family members in the line of danger because of me. It’s bad enough that Sophia’s here,” Leslie says with more strength than I’d expect from her.
I know she loves Sophia and doesn’t want anything to happen to her. I’m sure she feels the same way about the rest of her family. I can only imagine how difficult it’s been to stay away from everyone, but she did it to keep herself and all of them safe.
“We’re almost to you guys. I’m going to start slowing down and pretending we’re having trouble.”
Leslie’s SUV comes into view and I watch her hazard lights blink in the distance. She continues to slow down and stops in the perfect position for us.
The car behind her is still riding her tail. He’s way too close for comfort, especially with how horrible the road conditions are. If he slides, he could take both of them off the road.
Leslie revs the engine a few times like she’s having trouble and the man quickly takes the opportunity to hop out of his car.
My gaze flickers to the passenger’s seat and even though I'm a dozen yards away, I can see the fear on Sophia’s face.
“He’s getting out,” Leslie whispers.
“Good. Let him come to you,” Colt says softly.
“Don’t let him see the phones, Sophia. We want him to be surprised,” I add.
“If he knocks on your window, roll it down an inch or two. Just enough for you to talk, but not enough for him to reach in,” Colt continues.
I take a deep breath and try to calm my racing nerves. I’ve been in situations similar to this before, but I’ve never had to protect someone I love. They’ve always been strangers. Having Sophia in that car is bringing this to a whole new level, one I'm not prepared for.
The man marches right up to the window and knocks loudly. Sophia lets out a blood curdling scream and my heart begins to race a little faster. I made sure to mute our side of the phone so he doesn’t hear us.
“Nice hiding place, Zoey. Or should I say Leslie Jameson?” His sleazy voice floats through the line and makes anger spread through my body.
“Let’s go,” Colt whispers, motioning for me to follow him. I creep out of our hiding place and stay low.
“Get out of the car,” the man growls. “I'm going to kill your cousin, then I'm taking you to my hotel. After you’re tied up, I’ll go after the sheriff for touching what’s mine.”
A soft whimper falls from Sophia’s lips and it pushes me to move faster. I swore I’d protect her. I won't let him touch a single hair on her head as long as I'm breathing.
“You get to Sophia’s side and have your gun ready. I'm sneaking up behind this asshole and taking him out,” Colt growls.
I nod my head, trying to make as little noise as possible. Any sound could tip him off we’re coming and make this situation turn deadly in seconds.
“You’re not touching her. If you want me, fine, but you can't do anything to her,” Leslie hisses.
“And why would I agree to that? Your family has worked hard to keep you hidden. I’ve spent years looking for you.”
I just get into position on Sophia’s side of the car when Colt slams his body into Jimmy’s. He pushes him against the glass and I witness the anger and darkness in Jimmy’s gaze. If he gets the opportunity, he’s going to make all of us pay for this.
My gun is in my hands and I'm ready to take a shot if I need to. I just need to hope I can take him down before he can injure any of the people I care about.
I knock softly on the window and scare Sophia. Her hand is over her heart and I'm sure it’s beating wildly. I motion for her to lower her window. I need to be able to hear clearly and see what’s going on, but the windows are fogged.
“Don’t move a fucking muscle, asshole,” Colt growls. “Thanks for saying you’d go after me, that will really help me put you away. Oh, plus the plan to murder an innocent woman and tie up another. I think you’ll be put away for a long time.”
“You’ve got nothing on me,” Jimmy hisses.
“Nah, Jimmy. I’ve been tracking you for years. I have so many things on you. I was willing to leave you alone, as long as you didn’t go near Zoey again,” Mason’s voice is loud enough for Jimmy to hear it even with the window only cracked open. His eyes widen before narrowing into slits. “You made a big mistake by going after her. You’ll never see the outside of a prison again if I have it my way.”
“Put your hands behind your back,” Colt commands as he grabs one wrist and secures it in a handcuff. He gets the other one attached, then grabs the back of Jimmy’s jacket and tears him away from the car.
My co-worker, Jared, pulls my squad car up next to Leslie’s and they lock him in the backseat. I’m so glad I thought about calling dispatch and having them get a hold of him. He’s the other deputy in Maple Springs and I knew he’d be happy to come in on his day off to help us lock up Jimmy. I’ll happily cover a shift for him in the future as a thank you and I think Colt would too.
As soon as I know Jimmy is no longer a threat, I holster my gun and reach my hand inside the window. I unlock Sophia’s door and she leaps into my body. Her arms are wrapped around my neck and her legs are around my waist. I’m fairly certain if I wasn’t holding onto her, she still wouldn’t move an inch with how tightly she’s holding onto me.
“I’ve got you, beautiful. I told you I wouldn’t let anything happen to you,” I murmur in her ear.