33. Travis
33
TRAVIS
T ravis parked at Anna’s house beside a black truck. Anna’s call for extra security was the only thing that allowed him to go to work without worrying about Bella.
Nathan Fox stood from where he’d been sitting in a rocking chair on the porch. His tall, broad build said he wasn’t a man anyone wanted to mess with. It would be tough for Travis not to like the guy. He took his job seriously and never slacked.
Nathan’s company, Field, Inc., was based in Cleveland, Ohio, but he had some friends in Blackwater and visited often. Travis had heard plenty about him before Anna hired him.
Travis extended a hand to Nathan as he stepped onto the porch. “Everything okay?”
“Quiet as a mouse,” Nathan said as he shook Travis’s hand.
“Thanks, man. I’ll take over from here. Any update on the security system?”
“Everything I need was delivered an hour ago. I’m headed to the new location to install it.”
“Good. We’ll be on our way as soon as we finish packing up here.”
“You need a hand?” Nathan asked.
“No, but thanks for the offer. She doesn’t have any furniture yet, so we’ll just be moving clothes and small stuff.”
Nathan tipped his chin. “See you soon.”
“Take care.”
Travis knocked gently on the front door and stepped inside. Anna stood in front of a mirror in the living area, applying lipstick.
“Good morning,” she sang.
“Morning.”
“I’m in here!” Bella shouted from the kitchen.
“Has Nathan already left?” Anna asked.
Travis hung his coat by the door. “Just drove off.”
“Good. I’ll call as soon as I get off work to see if you still need some help.”
Bella walked into the room wearing a bright smile. Her sandy-blonde hair was pulled back into a bouncy ponytail, and she wore a loose-fitting sweater and jeans. “Thanks, but this really shouldn’t take long.”
Bella was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on, hands down. She didn’t have high cheekbones or manicured nails, but she had a radiance about her that stopped him in his tracks every time he saw her.
She met him in the center of the room and practically jumped into his arms. He bent to kiss her, and his plans to greet her with a smooth, slow kiss vanished when their lips met.
The forty-eight hours he spent away from Bella were the toughest.
“That’s my cue. Bye!” Anna said as she slipped out the door.
Bella giggled. “I think we ran her off.”
“I make no apologies,” Travis said before pressing another kiss to her forehead. “How did you sleep?”
“Great. I’m almost finished packing up the last of it. Will you get the biscuits out of the oven when the timer goes off?”
“Sure.”
They started walking their separate ways, but Bella grabbed his hand, turning his attention back to her.
“Hey. I missed you. A lot,” she said with a smile.
Man, he could get used to this. He’d thought about her every minute they were apart. Thankfully, the feelings weren’t one-sided. “I missed you too.”
She practically skipped off to her bedroom, and Travis headed to the kitchen to investigate the breakfast situation. He pulled the biscuits out of the oven and slathered a couple of them with butter since that was how Bella preferred hers.
When everything was ready, he gently knocked on Bella’s bedroom door. “Breakfast is served.”
She zipped her toothbrush into a bag and tossed it into a suitcase. “Good. That’s the last of it.”
Travis followed her back to the kitchen. “It shouldn’t take us long to drop this off, and we can run to Blackwater Restoration to get a bedframe and a mattress.”
“And a couch,” Bella added.
They sat at the table and prayed. Even though Bella’s trouble with morning sickness had slacked off, he still watched to make sure she could keep her breakfast down.
Bella let out a satisfied hum. “Wow. I didn’t realize how badly I wanted bacon.”
“Still no sausage?” Sausage was the one thing she’d been craving, but every time she tried it, her body rejected it.
“No sausage, but maybe bacon will do the trick.”
A notebook lay open on the side of the table, and a quick glance confirmed it was Bella’s handwriting. “Did you remember anything else?” She’d been writing down everything she could think of since her memories started returning, and she’d filled up a good chunk of the notebook.
“Actually, I remembered something about how I escaped. I still don’t know why I left, but I know a man named Bill helped me. He lived close to the clubhouse, and he was the only person I was allowed to see. He used to walk down the street every morning, and we would wave to each other. Sometimes, he’d stop and ask how I was doing.”
“Did he know about what went on there?” Travis asked.
“I must have told him at least something because he drove me out of town.” She propped her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands. “I don’t know if I’ve put all of the pieces together yet.”
“You think he could have been the one who ran into you?”
She lifted her head. “No. I trusted him. He was a good man. He was probably in his late fifties or early sixties. I remember riding in a car with him and it was dark. I was… terrified. I don’t really know why, but I guess because I was finally making a getaway.”
“Could someone have followed you out of Omaha?” It was an option he didn’t want to believe, but he had to be prepared for the worst.
“I don’t know, but I’m worried about him. If he helped me get out, they could have found him.” She took a deep breath and rubbed her hands down her thighs. “I don’t want to think about what they would do to him. I called Camille to ask if she’d look for him. He might be able to help me fill in some of the gaps in my memories.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” He reached for the notebook but didn’t move it. “Do you mind if I read some of it?”
“Go ahead. I need to make some copies for Camille later today too.”
Travis read the last few pages as he ate, and the food sat in his stomach like a heavy rock. Some of the things she wrote about were gruesome and violent. Her daily life was filled with fear and shame.
How had she survived five years of the abuse? Before that, it had been her dad doing the abusing. Even now, the words she wrote about the past held no hope for peace or rescue.
“I’m so glad you’re out of there,” Travis said.
“I just hope it doesn’t come back to find me. The men in that club have resources you wouldn’t believe. Law enforcement gets paid to leave them alone, they hire mercenaries, and nothing is off-limits to them. Laws are nothing more than empty words.”
“I know how to play by the rules, but I also know when to go off script. This isn’t my first run-in with the lawless.”
Bella squirmed in her seat. “What do you mean?”
“Did you know Gage killed a man earlier this year? The guy kidnapped Hadley.”
Bella dropped her fork, and it clattered against the plate. “Are you serious?”
“I was there. He did what he had to do, and I would have done the same. I don’t condone murder, but when someone you love is in danger, nothing is off the table.”
She took a deep breath and rested a hand on her belly. Her pregnancy was just starting to show, and her hand drifted to the protective spot often. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Me either, but I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to make sure you’re safe. Do you understand?”
Bella nodded slowly. “Yeah. I do.”
She rested back in her chair, slumping her shoulders. “I don’t think I could eat another bite.”
Travis picked up her plate and quickly whisked it away. Sometimes, the smell of food made her sick. “Are you ready to pack up?”
“Sure. It’s not much.”
Travis arranged the boxes and bags in the bed of his truck, and Bella locked the cottage door as she stepped out.
“I know I was only here a few months, but I’m going to miss this place and living with Anna.”
“I’m sure your friends will visit you.”
Bella smiled up at him as he opened the passenger door for her. “I know they will. Plus, I’ll have you, Matt, and Tammy all the time.”
“True. Nathan is installing your new security system at the cabin now.”
When he slid into his seat behind the wheel, Bella was quiet.
“You okay?” Travis asked.
“Yeah, but I want to call Camille. I want to ask her if she found anything about Bill.”
Bella placed the call and Travis listened to her side of the conversation until she lowered the phone back to her lap.
“She hasn’t found him. She said she couldn’t find an obituary or death notice for him, so that’s good at least. She said it’s as if he disappeared like I did.” Bella sighed. “That doesn’t ease my worries. Most people the club kills are never found.”
Bella talking about murder was something that always choked the breath out of him. “Did she find anything about him being missing?”
“No, but I don’t know if he had any family. Maybe there wasn’t anyone to report him missing. She did say she sent an investigator to his house, and it looked like no one lives there.”
“Do you think he decided to disappear like you did?”
“Camille did say it looks like he might have gotten into the witness protection program. When people don’t leave a trace, that’s usually what happened. She considered that when they were looking for me too.”
Travis would keep praying Bill skipped town. Bella was worried about the older man, and she couldn’t handle much more bad news.
When they turned into the ranch entrance, Bella released her seatbelt and scooted forward on her seat.
“Does it feel like home?” Travis asked.
She gave him a gorgeous smile that lit up her whole face. “It does.”
The small path wound through the forest past the main house, and the cabins were nestled into the trees. The area had been undisturbed for decades, and a peace settled over him as they parked beside three trucks.
“Who else is here besides Nathan and Matt?” Bella asked.
“That’s Dawson’s truck. He said he might be able to come help today.”
“Did you tell them everything I own fits into five boxes?”
“I did, but I might need his help with the furniture.”
They stepped inside carrying the first round of boxes, and the warmth from the fireplace greeted them.
Matt was busy installing a hanging rack in the coat closet, and Dawson and Olivia were pulling grocery items out of bags.
“The syrup goes in the pantry,” Dawson said.
“No, it’s stored in the refrigerator after you open it,” Olivia countered.
“Who wants cold syrup on warm pancakes?”
Olivia stood and propped her hands on her hips. “Who wants food poisoning?”
Bella chuckled. “Kids, stop your bickering.”
Olivia ran over to grab the suitcase Bella wheeled behind her. “Welcome home! Have a seat on your new couch.”
Bella gasped. “Where did this come from?”
Dawson wrapped an arm around Bella to give her a side hug and pointed his thumb at Travis. “The boss bought it yesterday. I’m just the delivery guy.”
Olivia clasped her hands to her chest. “Oh! And we got you a refrigerator!”
Dawson hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Yeah, we got Olivia a new one, and they gave us a deal on the second one.”
Bella’s shoulders relaxed. “Guys, you shouldn’t have.”
“Oh yes we should have,” Olivia said. “And we stocked it.”
Dawson leaned over to whisper, “Your syrup is in the pantry.”
“And you have sheets, blankets, and pillows for the bed and couch,” Olivia added.
Bella’s lips pressed together, and her breaths came deeper. Their friends had thought of everything.
Travis wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Thanks, guys. We really appreciate your help.”
Matt headed toward the door. “I’ll bring in a load.”
“Me too,” Dawson said, following Matt out.
Olivia stepped up to Bella and grabbed her shoulders. “If you need anything, just call me.”
Bella nodded and blinked through tears. “Thank you,” she whispered softly.
Matt and Dawson returned and put the boxes on the floor.
“What’s next?” Dawson asked with his hands on his hips.
“That’s all. Thanks for the help,” Travis said as he extended a hand to the two men.
“I think that’s our cue to leave and let them get settled in,” Dawson said.
Olivia settled the strap of her purse on her shoulder. “There are eggs on the counter. Don’t put them in the refrigerator. They’re fresh and will last three weeks.”
“And the syrup is in the pantry,” Dawson repeated.
Olivia swatted his chest. “We heard you the first time. Forget about the syrup.”
“This has been a major revelation in our relationship. We’ll need to stock two bottles of syrup.”
Olivia rolled her eyes and pushed Dawson out the door. “Call me if you need anything.”
“I will,” Bella said as she cuddled up to Travis’s side.
The day was turning out perfectly. Their friends were helping out, Bella was happy, and now she could get settled into her new home.
When the door closed behind them, Travis hooked the arm that rested around Bella’s waist and pulled her to his chest. He’d waited long enough, and the secret spilled out. “I have another surprise for you.”
“Another one? Travis, you can’t keep doing this.”
“Yes, I can.” He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before pulling away. “It’s in my truck. I’ll be right back.”
He jogged out to his truck and grabbed the book he’d hidden under the seat. Back inside, Bella held scissors poised to cut open the boxes.
Travis held out the book. “It’s a two-part surprise.”
Bella took the book and read the cover. “Driving Manual.”
He pulled the key from his pocket and held it up between them. “You need to study for the test so you can drive your new car.”