AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How much time do you think we have?” Bash asked.
“Let’s assume none,” she answered, then grabbed a .45 automatic Smith and Wesson, checked the safety, and stuck it in the back of her jeans.
The phone rang again. This room had been a complete surprise, as was the phone. Now, it had rung twice within minutes. Her heart was ready to leap from her chest. In some weird way, she felt Pops was there orchestrating things. Prompting her to action.
“Bash, would you mind straightening the books and magazines back on the shelves of the bookcase? I’ll answer the call. Whoever is calling wouldn’t have this number unless Pops trusted them.”
“Why take the time to put the books back? Isn’t there something more important we can do, like get the hell out of here?” he asked. The phone continued to ring.
“Unless you want to supply a motorcycle gang with more guns, we need to get this room covered back up,” she calmly explained, then grabbed the phone.
“Hello?”
“Is this Chip?” Morgan froze. It was a woman. How could she know her nickname? Only Pops and Beth called her that.
“Yes,” she said hesitantly.
“My name is Martha. I’m a friend of your Pops. I run the beer and wine store just outside of Topton. Eli and I have been friends for years. Anyway, when he was here last month, he asked me to call this number if I ever saw anyone suspicious in my store who might be trouble. Some men on motorcycles asked if I could give them directions to Eli Skylar’s cabin. I told them I didn’t know him. They showed me an address of sorts, but I lied and told him there wasn’t anything out there. That was a couple of hours ago. They said they were going to get something to eat and find someone who knew where Eli lived. I’ve been calling this number every fifteen minutes ever since. Didn’t know if Eli would answer the phone, but I promised so…”
“Thank you,” Morgan said.
“Is…Is he gone?” she asked with a trembling voice. She knew. She knew he was dying, and he didn’t tell me. Always protecting me. The tears threatened again, but she didn’t have time to wallow in grief.
“A couple of weeks ago,” Morgan choked out.
“I…I loved him…though I never told him,” she whispered. “There was only room in his heart for you. But that was okay. He didn’t want you to know about me. I guess it’s okay now that he’s gone.”
Those words stabbed at Morgan’s heart. What could she say?
“Chip? Are you still there?”
“Y…Yes,” Morgan breathed, clearing her throat. “I’m so glad he had you. Maybe we can meet one day.” Learn more about the man her Pops had been.
“I’d like that,” Martha said. “Be safe.” She hung up.
“Let’s go, Chip!” Bash yelled in the door, startling her back to reality.
She rushed out of the hidden room and slammed the door shut. Her blood boiled. “Don’t call me that!” she screamed. His face fell. She hadn’t meant to hurt him, but he had no right. She was an emotional wreck, and if she didn’t get her head in the game, she was going to get them killed. It usually took 30 minutes to get from Topton to their cabin, and that was if you knew how to get there. Someone unfamiliar with the area and the landmarks would take longer, but she couldn’t count on that. It had already been two hours since they showed up at Martha’s store. Time had run out.
Bash had returned everything to its place on the bookcase. Together, they moved it back against the wall. Morgan searched the floor for scratches or signs it had been moved but found none. Hopefully, if Asa discovered the trap door, he would have no reason to move the heavy bookcase.
“Anything else down here we need,” Bash asked. “I took a quick glance at the leather book. It’s a ledger. I’m pretty sure that’s what he meant by your insurance policy. The deed to this cabin was inside it, too.”
Morgan didn’t know what to say to that. It was all becoming white noise, and that wasn’t a good sign. She still had to get them out of there in one piece.
“Let me go up first. We need to grab our bags. At least we haven’t had time to unpack anything. That call was a warning from a friend of Pops. Some guys on motorcycles were asking for directions to the cabin. They are probably on their way now.”
“Shit! Go!” he said, pushing her up the ladder.
They gathered their stuff and rushed out the front door. Morgan ran around the house and turned off the generator and propane. There was nothing to be done about the groceries on the counter. Not enough time.
Bash started toward the rental. She caught his arm. “We aren’t taking the SUV. There is only one way in and out of here. We’d probably run right into them. If we leave it parked here, they’ll think we went for a hike. I’m hoping we’ll be long gone by the time they figure out we’re not coming back.”
His expression was incredulous. “How are we going to get out of here if we leave our only means of transportation?”
The sound of motors traveled through the air. Panic flashed across Bash’s face. “Shit!”
“This way,” she said, heading toward the backyard at a full run. She knew he was behind her. It was only 40 feet from the back of the house to the forest. A good tracker could find their trail, but she doubted a bunch of biker drug dealers had that particular skill set. It was harder to maneuver through the woods with their bags, but they couldn’t afford to leave any personal items behind.
