AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"He saved me too, Sam. Emmanuel took me in and brought me to the new world. He gave me a place in his home. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for him."
"Likewise," Sam stated, and they clicked their whiskey glasses and took a long sip.
"I'm glad you still prefer the best when it comes to your liquor," Judah remarked with obvious appreciation and then finished his drink.
"I'm glad you're back, Judah."
"I'm glad to be back." They sat together, working out Judah's schedule as he got familiar with his new duties and the men he would be leading.
Sam had suggested Judah to his Uncle and had pushed for his return. He wanted his friend back home again, and his Uncle saw the value in having someone of Judah's skill and dedication guarding the Coven and winery. He'd been a valuable asset in the field, seeing to the Master's interests, but he agreed, it was time for him to come home.
"Where are you headed? I thought you were on duty this evening." Sam asked Koa, who was putting on his jacket and walking to the elevators. He and Judah were on their way to Pino's for dinner. Sam introduced Koa to Judah, and there was an obvious sizing up of both parties.
Judah sensed the man’s internal animal and also his potency and intensity. Sam was correct in the fact the pack was fierce if Koa was an apt representative of their security force.
"I was, but there's some kind of tent show or revival or something odd pitching up in the park that borders our lands, so Henrik is doubling up on patrols. We don't know who they are or what they're selling, but regardless, Henrik wants to be prepared." Koa stated and hit the button for the elevator.
"Tent show? That's rather old-fashioned." Judah commented.
“Henrik’s getting a bad vibe from the group, but it might just be a bunch of grifters selling their wares and no threat to us.”
"Let me know how it turns out," Sam asked.
"Will do," Koa stated and hit the button for the garage level, and the doors slid closed. Judah had the thought of some old-timey tent show in his mind as he and Sam walked over to Pino's restaurant. It seemed very out of place.
It was getting late, and no one had found him yet. The show was to start at seven, but the crowd would be gathering by six, everyone angling for a front-row seat. The fliers went up late, but Arthur was confident that he had flooded the right areas. Arthur knew their audience and where to promote. They appealed to the old, sad, and downtrodden people looking for understanding and a cure.
Arthur was running a scam on them, but Nash never lied to anyone. He told them what he saw, and he performed to the best of his abilities. He never gave anyone less than his best and tried to be honest and decent to those who sought him out. Arthur, on the other hand, made it all unseemly and tainted with his lies and exaggerations, but he had no control over Arthur.
He heard them beyond the wall of the barn talking together, Arthur and a man he hired locally to help with setup. "If we don't find him, we have no tent show." Arthur barked and began yelling for Nash and spouting more threats.
"I've been watching the kid, and I could fake it if you want to go ahead rather than cancel." The guy sounded confident, and at first, Arthur said nothing, and then he began to get behind the idea.
"Show me what you got." He pressed, and his mood began to shift to a more positive tone. The guy did a pretty good imitation of Nash and that pleased Arthur.
"Keep looking, but if we don't find him, then you're up." Arthur and the guy walked away, and Nash settled intent on remaining hidden till after seven o'clock. They would all be at the tent, and he could get away. This was going to work. He was going to escape clean this time.
He heard the vehicles pull away, and still, he sat and waited just to make sure it wasn't a trap. After thirty minutes, he began to move out from the hole he'd dug beneath the massive straw pile. The fresh, cool air hit his face, and it was such a relief. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs full, and then listened, making sure there was no one about.
There were still no sounds or movement, so he made his way to the large doorway, which stood open, revealing the dusty parking area and the long driveway. The rental was in the sticks, but Nash didn't care. He would walk any distance necessary to be rid of these people.
He made it to the roadway and headed east. Since the tent show was west, he wanted to go in the opposite direction. Wherever this road took him would be good enough as long as it was far away from this terrible life. Nash took a thin, black knit cap from his pocket and pulled it on. He wrapped up his long hair and stuffed it underneath to cover his coal-black hair with the distinctive white streak that traveled from his hairline over his left eye to the very ends and was about two inches in width.
It made him stand out in a crowd, and anonymity was his goal, so the cap was vital, as were the dark glasses. His eyes were a striking light blue that looked to be glowing in some light and usually garnered attention, like his hair. Nash just wanted to fade into the background unnoticed until all the vicious parasites in his life gave up and went away.
The sun was beginning to set, and traffic started to pick up on this stretch of dirt road. The cars were making him nervous, so he moved to the trees, walking just inside so as to keep an eye on the road and where he was going. He'd gone a few miles, and the dirt road was now the black pavement, so he knew he was getting close to civilization. He had no plans but hoped to figure something out. Maybe he would simply stay in the woods. It had worked for him before.
His attention was brought to the road when a van slammed on its brakes and pulled to the shoulder. Nash's heart dropped when he saw his stepfather jump out of the vehicle and start running in his direction. This could not be happening, but Nash wasted no time running deeper into the woods as fast as his feet would carry him. He would not be taken back. No, again, never again.
"Stop, you're not getting away; you will never escape. We have eyes and ears everywhere. There is nowhere for you to hide." He kept yelling, and Nash kept running until he saw the river coming up in front of him.
It wasn't wide but too wide for him to cross, so he ducked in behind a large tree root and hunkered down. It was nearly full-on dark, and seeing in the forest was not easy. He figured that he had a fifty-fifty chance of success as long as they didn't start searching the banks of the river. Arthur stopped at the edge of the river, and the man with him, whom Nash did not recognize, stood by his side.
“Is that him?” The guy asked excitedly. Nash wasn’t sure what they were looking at, but they weren’t looking in his direction. “He’s trying to swim to the other side.” There was something or someone in the water.
"Yes, that's got to be him," Arthur shouted. "Stop, you idiot, you'll never make it." He shouted at whoever was in the water. "Come on, we'll catch him on the other side. Hurry." They headed back to where they'd parked, intending to drive around to the other side. Nash assumed there was a bridge nearby, considering how confident they were of catching him.
Nash knew he had to act fast before they discovered their mistake and returned, but fear was taking hold, and he didn't know where to run. He stepped out of hiding and looked around, and to his right, beyond the thickest of the trees, was a flashing light.
