Authors: Violet Walker
E
van had been waiting for Sally to come out of the bathroom when his phone had rung. He picked it up and Tom Brooks was on the other line.
“Sherriff Cole, I know you’re still on medical leave but I thought you might want to know that Teddy Cruz escaped yesterday during a prison riot. We have reason to believe he might try to come after Ms. Andrews.”
Evan’s shoulders had stiffened and he could hear his own pulse in his ears. He heard Sally coming down the short hall and turned to face her. She looked like she wanted to tell him something but one look at his face had changed her mind.
“What do you mean he escaped from prison,” she nearly shouted at him. “Isn’t it maximum security?”
“Yes. Far as I’ve been told there was a riot and he made his play then. Most likely, he set the riot up to cover his escape,” Evan told her. “The marshal’s service believes he’ll come after you. Since you didn’t go back into WitSec and change your name again, you’d be pretty easy to find. We need to get going.”
He grabbed the Sally’s bags and they locked up the apartment. Evan followed Sally to the property management office to turn in her keys and terminate her lease before going to the airport to drop off his rental car. While he waited for her, Evan called Walker back home to apprise him of the situation. Walker informed him he would make sure the deputies all kept an eye out and promised to personally ride by the ranch. Evan then called Cody, his ranch manager, and gave him a head’s up to be extra vigilant while on the property. With everything in place as far as he could manage it from here, he and Sally began the drive back home.
Though they were both disappointed, they decided to scrap the scenic travel plans in favor of getting home where they were on familiar ground and surrounded by the support and help they may need if Teddy Cruz was suicidal enough to come looking for Sally.
They drove the first few hours in relative silence. Sally told him that she’d had a feeling she was being watched when she was at the drugstore earlier but that she’d dismissed it. Now, every few miles, Evan checked the rearview mirror to make sure they weren’t being followed. Sally had grown sullen and quiet, her arms folded over herself, staring out the window.
“Hey,” Evan said to her, “it’s going to be ok. The marshals and local PD’s are all on the lookout and will mostly likely catch him before he even leaves Chicago.” Evan was trying to reassure her but his instincts were telling him something different. Teddy Cruz was coming for Sally and he was ready to go to battle. Again.
“You’re probably right,” she said quietly. “I guess you just can’t outrun your past though. No matter what I do to put that life behind me, it keeps finding me.”
Evan wasn’t quite sure what to say, he could offer her all of the reassurances he had but they both knew she was right. Their plan was simple for now, drive until they got too tired then find a well-lit hotel and sleep for a few hours before getting back on the road. In total, the drive should only take around twenty hours but considering they’d gotten minimal sleep the night before, they could not drive straight through.
Somewhere around hour nine of the drive, Evan started to feel extremely tired. He glanced over at Sally who was already asleep, looking so small and fragile huddled against the passenger door. He reached over and brushed aside a strand of hair that had fallen across her face. God he loved this woman. He couldn’t wait to put all of this bullshit behind them and finally focus on building a life with Sally. As soon as they were free of Teddy Cruz, Evan would put a ring on her finger.
Evan started looking for a hotel as the miles passed, knowing he needed sleep before they could continue the journey. There were few cars on the road and Evan felt confident that they hadn’t been followed. He spotted a brightly lit hotel next to an even brighter truck stop and pulled off the highway. Sally was opening her eyes as he pulled up in front of the lobby doors.
“Stay here and lock the doors,” Evan told her. “I’m going to go get us a room.”
Evan waited for Sally to lock the car doors and went into the hotel lobby. He paid for a room on the second floor near the front of the building where he could keep an eye on the parking lot. He came back out and parked under a light post, then grabbed their bags and led Sally to their room. Once inside, Evan wanted to take a hot shower before climbing into bed for a few hours of much needed sleep. Looking road weary and beaten down, Sally had crawled under the covers and fallen asleep almost immediately. Evan undressed and put his gun on the nightstand next to the bed before turning the shower on as hot as he could stand and climbing in.
He stood for a few moments letting the hard spray pelt his back and neck, loosening the tension from stress and driving. He lathered up his hair and body, enjoying the way the hot water kneaded the knots from his muscles. After about fifteen minutes, the extreme fatigue Evan had felt on the road began to settle over him. He couldn’t wait to climb into bed next to Sally and fall asleep with her wrapped safely in his arms. He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel around his waist. Evan was about to reach for the doorknob when muffled voices and a loud crash came from the beyond the door. At first he thought the neighbors had the television up too loud but then the sound of Sally’s terrified scream filled his ears.
S
ally had fallen asleep the moment her head had hit the pillow on the hotel bed. She was sleeping hard and deep and so when she became aware of the voice and movement in the room, she thought at first that she was dreaming. As she began to come to fully conscience, Sally realized that she was neither dreaming, nor was she alone.
“Evan,” she said sleepily, rolling onto her back.
“Guess again,” came a deeply accented voice.
Sally sat bolt upright in bed, clutching the covers to her. Sitting on the end of the bed was Teddy Cruz, a gun pointed at her. Most people went their entire lives without ever seeing a gun up close but this was the second time in the span of six weeks that she’d had one trained on her. Before, with Teddy’s brother, she’d been scared but now, thinking of the life inside of her, she was utterly terrified. She had so much more to lose now and Evan still wasn’t completely healed from the last ordeal. She glanced over and noticed his gun on the nightstand.
“Don’t try to be a hero sweetheart,” Teddy said to her, following her eyes. “You’ll be dead before you reach it. Actually now that I think about it, go ahead and try. It might be more fun than just putting you down like the bitch you are.”
Not sure what to do, Sally sat stock still, looking Teddy right in the eyes.
“Where do you think you’re going to go Teddy,” she asked, trying to play cool. “Everyone is looking for you. If you shoot me, you’ll never get out of here alive. Surrender to Evan and they’ll come take you back. At least you’ll still be alive.”
In a quick flash, Teddy was up and grabbing a fistful of Sally’s hair and pulling her up from the bed.
“Is that the same bullshit your little boyfriend told my brother before he killed him,” he shouted at her. He jerked her head back harder and Sally screamed in pain. A split second later, Evan came barreling out of the bathroom and threw his shoulder into Teddy’s jaw, causing him to fling Sally away from him and back onto the bed. Evan and Teddy struggled, fairly evenly matched size wise, for Teddy’s gun. Their arms locked together, Evan head butted Teddy in the face breaking his nose and causing blood to pour down his chin. Teddy retaliated with a knee to Evan’s injured side, causing Evan to lose his grip and fall to his knees on the floor. Teddy, having the advantage now, swung the butt of his gun across Evan’s face. Sally watched, frozen in horror as Evan slumped to the floor unconscious. Teddy gave him a kick in the ribs to make sure he was out before raising his eyes back to Sally perched on the bed. He had a funny look on his face and it wasn’t until Sally felt the weight of the gun in her hand that she knew why.
Sometime during Teddy and Evan’s scuffle, Sally had grabbed Evan’s gun from the nightstand though she had no recollection of doing it. Now, she knelt in the middle of the bed with the barrel of the gun pointed squarely at Teddy’s chest.
“You’re not going to shoot me,” Teddy said, the confidence in his voice not entirely reaching his eyes. He stepped away from Evan and raised his own gun, aiming at Sally’s head. “You’re just a scared little girl who needs a man to tell you what to do. What now? Your man appears to be indisposed.” Teddy was slowly circling around the bed toward the door.
“Shut up Teddy,” Sally said. “I’m not that same pathetic girl that followed Joey around like a damn puppy. I killed him and I can kill you too.”
“Well then I guess we’ll just have to see who’s faster on the draw,” Teddy said, pulling the trigger.
Sally felt herself jerk backward and waited for the pain to hit her. She looked down at herself, searching for the wound but finding none. Instead, she raised her eyes to Teddy standing before her with dark red blood spurting from a hole in his throat. His arm was limp at his side and his mouth was working open and closed, reminding Sally of a fish out of water. He seemed to stand there staring at her for several minutes before crumpling to the floor. She dropped the gun and scrambled off the bed and onto the floor next to Evan, who was starting to come around.
“Evan? Can you hear me,” she asked, cradling his head in her lap.
“Sally? What happened? Are you ok?” he asked, struggling to sit up.
“I’m ok,” she said, gently pushing him back down on the floor. “Teddy’s dead,” she said. “I shot him. It’s over, it’s finally over.” As she said it, tears began to stream down her face. Tears of relief, sadness, joy, stress, and love. She could finally begin again.
Evan
Evan tried to stay calm while the local police were questioning Sally in the hallway. The coroner and crime scene guys were busy in the room with Teddy’s body. He held an ice pack to his throbbing jaw and wrapped his other arm around his side. He suddenly felt eighty years old. All he wanted to do was take several aspirin, pull Sally into his arms, and sleep for three solid days.
One of the detectives came into the room and told them that a tracking device had been found on Sally’s car which was how Cruz had found them. Most likely, Sally’s feeling of being watched back in Florida had been right. When asked how Cruz could’ve gotten to Florida so quickly after the escape, as he would be on a watch list at the airport, the detective told him that a former friend of Cruz’s who lived in Florida and owed him a favor had planted the device in order to repay his debt to Cruz. He’d been picked up on a parole violation. The guy would not be a problem for them again as he’d been stabbed in lock up by a guy he’d ratted out to the police.
Sally and Evan gave all of their information to the detectives in case any follow up questioning was needed but the local PD was writing this up as self-defense and Sally was free to go. The hotel staff offered them a new room, which they appreciatively accepted. After getting settled in, they fell into bed and slept until the following evening.
When Evan woke up around seven o’clock, he found Sally sitting in the chair, legs tucked up under her, staring out the window.
“Hey,” he said to her.
“Hey yourself,” she replied, smiling back at him. “I found a local pizza place in the phone book and ordered some,” she said.
“Good, I’m starving,” Evan said, rolling onto his back. “How long until they get here?”
“About half-an-hour,” she said, getting up and walking back over to the bed.
Evan drew her down next to him. “That’s plenty of time,” he said, kissing her shoulder.
They undressed quickly and Evan knelt between Sally’s legs.
“You are so damn beautiful,” he said, looking down at her. “I love you so much Sally.”
“I love you too Evan,” she replied, smiling up at him. “Forever.”
Evan raised Sally’s hips and entered her, groaning as he slid deep inside. She placed a foot on either of Evan’s shoulders, opening herself up fully to him. He took advantage of her offer and drove himself as deep as he could into her slick tightness. Nothing had ever felt as good to him as making love to this woman. He stroked long and slow, then short and quick, varying his rhythm in an attempt to prolong their pleasure. Sally writhed and moaned beneath him, shifting subtly to encourage him to thrust deeper still.
“Evan,” she moaned breathily. “Please, Evan, please,” she pled as he slowed his strokes. Finally he could deny himself no longer and he quickened his pace, thrusting long and hard until her body pulsed around him and he emptied himself deep inside of her. Before rolling off of her, Evan peppered Sally’s face with kisses and told her again how much he loved her. He was so incredibly happy.
They sat in bed and ate their pizza, talking about what they would do once they got back to Oklahoma. She would move in with him, Evan insisted, and she could get her job back at Buck’s if she wanted or she could stay home and do nothing if she wanted that. Evan had more money than they really needed so it would be her choice.
“Of course, I’ll have to make an honest woman of you,” he teased. He noted the surprised expression on her face. “Seriously Sally, I don’t want to waste any more time. Marry me.”
He watched as tears sprang into her eyes. “Of course I’ll marry you Evan.”
“Good, now the little old ladies in town won’t break down the church doors praying for our sinner’s souls,” he laughed.
“Trust me, they’ll have plenty to pray about soon enough,” Sally said, smiling at him from across the pizza box. “Unless they’re really bad at math.”
Evan looked at her with a puzzled expression. Sally reached over and took his hand, placing it low on her abdomen and covering it with her own. Sudden realization lit his eyes and a broad smile broke over his face.
“Are you serious,” he asked.
“Yes. I haven’t been feeling myself lately and I thought it was just because of everything that had happened. But something clicked yesterday morning and I went and bought a test.” She got up and went to her duffle bag, retrieving the positive pregnancy test. “I was going to tell you right away but then all hell broke loose. I wanted to wait for the right time.”
Evan stood from the bed, pulling her into his arms and swinging her in a circle.
“You’ve just made me the happiest man on earth,” he said. He put her down on her feet and kissed her slow and deep. “Let’s go home.”
THE END