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  Jake said a silent thank you to Johan for buying long lines. They would reach the bottom safely, except for a few bumps and bruises. Once down, they quickly unclipped and ran for the car. They jumped in and Jake gunned the engine. The wheels spun for a moment and then he sped off.

  Chapter 34

  The harness cut uncomfortably into his legs and groin, but Jake pushed the discomfort out of his mind. He had to catch up to that black SUV. He couldn’t believe how close he’d been to his dad—and he was not about to miss him now. This would be his last chance.

  “Johan, where are you? Over.” Shelley clutched her radio tightly in her hands, partly to keep them from shaking and partly because she didn’t want to drop the radio.

  “I’m in position on the south road, blocking the main road so any car will have to divert to the lookout parking strip.” As they had agreed, figuring south had been the most logical route from the compound.

  “They’re headed your way, so hide. They must not find you there!” Shelley cried into the radio as she saw the SUV’s taillights disappear south. She was scared Johan might get hurt. She didn’t care about herself or Jake at that point; they had a job to do, but Johan was just an innocent bystander.

  Jake gritted his teeth. He gripped the wheel and pressed his foot down on the accelerator.

  Shelley held on to the door and kept her legs braced against the floor. She was shaking from both the physical exertion of the night and the encounter with the young soldier. Would he really have raped her? She felt sick at the thought. Thank God Jake had been there to knock the guy out.

  She didn’t get a chance to think about it further as Jake was making some wild maneuvers to turn onto the highway, fishtailing around the corner, nearly ending up in the ditch. Shelley suppressed a scream as a highway sign filled the windshield, only to disappear as the car lurched sideways. Jake was having trouble controlling the powerful engine of the Pontiac on the patches of black ice, but by some superhuman feat he managed.

  “There,” Shelley cried and pointed up ahead to the black shape in the distance. The SUV appeared to be going very fast.

  Jake pressed the gas pedal down harder, exceeding the speed limit well beyond the law.

  “Slow down!” Shelley cried.

  “Why?”

  “It’s too slick.”

  “No it’s not. Hold on.”

  Desperate to find a way to calm her nerves, Shelley pulled a packet of gummy bears from the bag still by her feet from the day before. She stuffed a handful in her mouth and chewed. The sugar made her feel a little better. At least her hands stopped shaking.

  Without asking she stuffed a few into Jake’s mouth. He was not even aware of them as he automatically chewed on the candy. The sugar seemed to sharpen his mind and he held out his hand for more.

  With steely determination Jake closed in on the black SUV. He held the car in check, feeling the raw power surging through the machine and his body. This was the moment.

  Shelley felt the tension rising and pressed the charm under her clothes against her skin. She took a couple of deep breaths and prepared herself for what might come. She’d only ever had to hit a man once, and she knew how to inflict pain when she needed to (and if her arms and legs weren’t pinned down). Melvin had taught her. He’d shown her in a very playful way when she’d been quite young, maybe only eight or nine, but when it came right down to it, she could fight. She felt Melvin close and it gave her strength. Jake’s father was worth fighting for. She truly believed that. Jake was worth it, too. He meant more to her than she would have been willing to admit even twelve hours ago.

  Jake could see the bend in the road coming up. The road curved around a tall rock face; there was a parking area.

  “Showtime,” he said through clenched teeth.

  Jake gunned it and pulled past the SUV, then swung in front of it at an angle, narrowly missing the semi straddling the lanes and blocking an escape from the rest stop. He slammed on the brakes.

  Jake shoved the car into park, leaving the engine running. He jumped out of the car, ready to fight, as did Shelley. He pulled the pistol from his waistband and ran forward, aware of danger as the driver’s side of the SUV opened and a man with a pistol tried to climb out.

  Jake leaped forward and slammed the door against the man, causing him to slump into the vehicle. For good measure Jake hit him over the head with the pistol, then pulled open the back door. For a moment he was stunned when he saw Paul Thomson, but he recovered quickly.

  “OUT!” he yelled, and dragged Paul out by his sleeve.

  Paul had the nerve to stand there grinning at Jake.

  “Well, tough guy, now what? Not much left of your old man. You can have him, if you think he’s still worth it.” He dragged a bloody and beaten-looking Kevin out of the back seat. The man could barely stand up. His left eye was swollen so badly it was shut, and the other didn’t look a whole lot better.

  “You win this round, kid, but don’t think we’re beaten. We’ll be back for him. Make no mistake, we’ll be back before he’s able to talk to anyone about what he knows. You won’t be able to hide from me. Your mind’s not strong enough.” He leaned in close to Jake’s face, but instead of pulling back or being scared, Jake closed his mind. He knew how to do it and how to keep Paul out now. Instead of wincing as Paul wanted him to with the images he was trying to send, Jake raised the hand holding the pistol and smacked Paul across the face with all the force of his anger and hatred of the man who had done this to his family.

  Then he put his arm around his father’s waist. Shelley came up on the other side. Noticing his awkwardly bent arm, trying to support him without hurting it further, she helped Jake lead his father to the Pontiac.

  Paul watched, holding a handkerchief to his bleeding forehead. In his arrogance he had underestimated Jake’s skill and talent…and his connection to his father.

  Before gently lowering his father into the passenger seat, Jake turned around and shot out two of the SUV’s tires and the front windshield. He gave a satisfied grin when he saw Paul cowering behind the rear passenger door.

  Shelley climbed in the back and offered supporting hands as Kevin carefully lay back. She suspected he had several broken ribs and a badly broken arm. Despite his condition, tears slowly ran down his face…tears of joy. He was free.

  Chapter 35

  As agreed they all met up at Louise’s house again. Johan had left the semi on the road and hitched a ride with Louise after she had placed an obstruction on the road heading north. It was just an old car from her garage; it wouldn’t matter if it got towed and she never saw it again. Jake had taken a circuitous road back to Louise’s, despite desperately wanting to get his father settled and patched up. They couldn’t take a chance that any of Paul’s cronies might try to follow them.

  Louise set about making coffee as if she’d just come in from a night out at the bingo parlor. She was cool as a cucumber, completely unruffled.

  “I’m much obliged to you, ma’am, for helping Jake out,” Kevin said. Shelley had told him how Johan and Louise had set up roadblocks to make sure Jake could stop the SUV. Kevin’s voice sounded hoarse and strained. His larynx was bruised, as well as almost everything else on his body.

  “Don’t mention it. I owed those scumbags a payback,” Louise said, smiling briefly before turning her attention to the coffee pot. “You’ll find a good first aid kit over in that closet, Jake.”

  Shelley beat him to the door and pulled the kit from the top shelf. It was huge and complete.

  Johan came into the kitchen and gently palpated Kevin’s limp arm. “What did they do to it?” he asked, a worried frown on his face. “It feels like it’s broken clean through.”

  “That’s what they did to it two days ago. I tried to set it, but without a sling it doesn’t stay set. I’m afraid the arm will be useless now.”

  “That’s defeatist talk.” Louise came over and pulled some bandages and other things from the first aid kit. “As a mo
rtician I sometimes have to set things right so an accident victim will look good in the coffin. I think I can set and wrap your arm so it can start to heal mostly right, at least until we can get you to a doctor.” Without waiting for Kevin to answer, she tore his sleeve, revealing a black-and-blue arm with odd lumps where the broken bone pushed against the skin.

  Shelley quickly turned away and pressed her face into Jake’s shoulder. He clung to her, feeling suddenly small and helpless at the sight of his father’s injuries. His knees felt weak and his stomach churned ominously, but he refused to look away as Louise set the bones and his father tried hard not cry out in pain.

  Johan had poured warm water into a bowl and found a clean, soft towel. As soon as Louise had wrapped the arm and put a sling around it, he started to very gently wash the blood off Kevin’s face and hands. The tenderness with which he did this was too much for Jake, and he had to blink back his tears. All the tension of the past week flowed from him as he watched his father and held Shelley in his arms.

  “It’s going to be all right, Jakey. I’m going to be fine.” His father tried to comfort him, but the pain and misery of the last few months had been too much. The beatings had only started a few weeks ago, but there had been plenty of psychological torment before that.

  “Let me tape those ribs for you,” Louise said. She was very professional and Jake felt grateful to her. “There, now let’s see about some breakfast. The sun will be up soon and you need food to rebuild.”

  Jake had managed to calm himself and sat down at the table. Shelley sat next to him and held his hand. She smiled at him and kissed him on the lips.

  “You’re Melvin’s little girl, aren’t you?” Kevin said, looking at Shelley. He tried to smile, but his bruised face only managed a grimace.

  “Yes.” She felt close to Melvin again and to this man she’d never met.

  “Jake could do a lot worse than a girl like you. You’re as beautiful as your mother and you have all the talents Melvin had plus a good head on your shoulders. Thank you.”

  Shelley nodded again. She didn’t want to tell him she and Jake weren’t really together. Jake squeezed her hand and kissed her. But maybe they were together after all.

  “Guess we’d better call your mom,” Kevin said, breaking the moment, “and tell her you sprang the old man from the clutches of the devil out in the dark. What do you say, Jake? Tell her we’ll be home in a couple of days.” Jake looked at his father, wondering if he should tell him about the Coach, but thought better of it. Somehow he figured his father knew already.

  “Sure, Dad.” Jake reluctantly let go of Shelley’s hand and pulled out his phone.