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A slight smile hit the corners of Sydney’s mouth as he led her out of the house and to the truck. Having taken the GPS out, he’d have to go old school and use a map. There had to be an atlas up at the truck stop a few exits up on the interstate. He could top off, get a couple five gallon containers just in case and hit the road. If he could get out of the state he’d feel better. At some point he’d have to send his mother back the license plates he’d swapped out. He doubted she’d even notice before tab renewal.
Backing out of the driveway with Sydney secured he put on a kid’s music channel and hit the interstate. The message was clear if Sassy wanted to see it, he’d put enough of the text message from Mitch into the words he spoke to his mother to let her know he knew it all. Every bit of the damage she’d done.
Running his hand over his hair he tried to not do the guilty drive. The one where you keep just under the speed limit. Any car he saw made him nervous and as much as he wanted to tune into a local radio station he couldn’t risk it. Every bit of his movement could be tracked and if an Amber alert was issued for Sydney, he’d have to rely on the electronic billboards flashing the warning because there wouldn’t be a blaring sound coming from his phone. Strange how those sirens triggered him to be hyper vigilant if he was out and about. Now if one blasted he’d hit the side roads and see how well he could make his way based on the compass on his watch.
Pulling off at the truck stop he knew he couldn’t leave Sydney alone in the truck, but at the same time he feared her unease was going to make people question his motives with her.
“Hey little soldier,” he said, making sure the vacant blue eyes his daughter now sported were at least looking at him in the rearview mirror. Heart pounding he didn’t know how to explain things to her. The shift in her world so sharp it could slice through metal. “You and daddy are going—”
He didn’t want to say they were going to play a game. While he hadn’t read the text messages thoroughly, there were enough good touch bad touch after school specials he knew the grooming words spouted by the freaks.
“You’re never going to see Mitch again,” he stated, the line firm and hard and exactly what his daughter needed to know. “And Syd, we need to go into this place and get a few more things because we have a long drive ahead.”
“To da mountains?” she asked.
“We’re gonna go a little further than that. Daddy’s got a friend I want to—”
Her body shivered and lip trembled, setting off a round of horrors he didn’t want to envision and yet they tumbled in like drunk soldiers after a week of R and R.
“He just had a baby and I’d like to visit him and well, Syd, you know Daddy would never touch you in any way you didn’t—” goddamn it why did every assuring thing he said come out like a manipulation and twisting of words making his daughter fear he’d be doing the same shit Mitch did. “I know some of what Mitch did to you. That will never happen, ever again in your life.”
Her grip on the blankie loosened a bit.
“I know you didn’t want it and if I’d have known sooner I would have taken you then. You’re not going back to mommy or Mitch ever again.”
Tears were streaming down his daughter’s cheeks, reddening them as she used her sleeve to wipe snot from her nose. Shit this could be worse than her being dead eyed as they went into the place.
“I need my soldier now,” he said. “It’s not fair, it’s not right, but I need ten minutes max so we can get a couple things and then you can have your tears. If you want hugs from daddy I’ll give them, but I’m not going to ask for them. Not because I don’t want them, but because from this day forward nothing that makes you feel icky is going to happen to you.”
“K, Daddy,” she said, wiping at her cheeks and swallowing back her pain. “I’s gots to go potty anyway.”
“Alright, that’s first,” he said and as they walked into the truck stop her hand slipped into his. Instead of letting her go alone into the women’s he commandeered the family one, but stood outside so she had the whole place to herself as he stood sentry.
A man passed him heading to the men’s and the two exchanged knowing glances. While he’d served beside the man for at least six years, Connell had retired. There should have been an exchange, more than a quick look telling him his old brother in arms was on a job. One he’d considered stepping into when he left the service in the half assed way SEALs did. SEALs didn’t exactly retire as much as they went inactive. Needing only one text or phone call to pull them out and send them into the shit if truly needed. Serving his country wasn’t a stint, it was a life choice.
Many former Rangers and SEALs and the like got hired on as semi drivers. The kind that didn’t need to stop at weigh stations because what they were hauling didn’t technically exist. A way of hauling sensitive material, weapons and the like with not only stealth, but a fighting force protecting the item. While they needed to fuel up, something told him his copilot wasn’t getting coffee and donuts. The man was fueling up and sitting watch on an item that might need to be going east.
“Connell,” he said as the man exited the restroom and kept walking. “Connell, call is live.”
The man stopped, his shoulders broadening and chin lifting as he turned toward Michael. Obsidian eyes stood out from the tanned skin as the squared jaw man fought against dictate and calling. The words, said only among those in his unit weren’t for mission status. They weren’t what was used when the commander was activating them. Call is live was theirs and theirs alone. It was for the side issues. The silent bell that tolled only for those trained to hear it. One they promised to never ignore.
“Hanover,” he replied.
“I need to get to Creek,” he said as his daughter came out of the restroom and stood by his side. “We, need to get to Creek.”
The man’s eyes cut down to the little girl with her hair pushed back with a headband. Syd’s eyes stared up at the man as she bit her bottom lip, blanket tight to her chest.
“Those baby blues look familiar.”
“Genes make their way,” he said.
“Why would your eyes be searching out Creek for help?” the man asked. “You know we don’t exist on the road.”
“I do,” Mike replied. “And we know what Creek and his friends do.”
“That’s why I’m asking,” he replied. “Because I know no one would be stupid enough—”
“We both know stupidity has no bounds.”
