Page 108 of Lady Sings the Blues

Swiping the wetness from my eyes, I agree. “I’ll go.”

Houdini, because I can’t call him Logan anymore. He’s fallen so far from Logan Hollister ormyLogan Hollister, that man, well, he’s as dead as the town thinks he is. Houdini blindfolded me again, along with replacing the binds around my wrists before leading me out of the cabin. “Safer if you don’t know just yet.”

I assume this means he doesn’t want me to know which way we’re heading. After he’d shoved me inside the car again, he ran back inside the cabin muttering something about another clip. I’ll further assume he’s not talking about something to keep my hair pulled back.

Suddenly and very unexpectedly my door opens to a whispered, “Elise.”

Tears sting my eyes again, even as my heartrate kicks into overdrive. I know that voice. I know it. “Levi?” I whisper back.

“No time, gotta get you out sweetheart.” And he yanks me from the car at the same time removing the blindfold. “Bend low, keep quiet and run,” he orders, as he pulls me by my bound hands along next to him.

So many questions swirl through my brain, number one being where’s Beau? But I’m not stupid enough to open my mouth. Levi says keep quiet, he’ll get quiet.

We run.

In the distance we both hear an angry, “Fuuuk!” to which Levi responds by dragging me faster, and I must admit, with my being barefoot, he’s much more agile running over rocks, twigs, tree roots and other forest debris. My feet feel shredded. But if he can get me back to my Beau, then my lips will stay zipped without one word of complaint.

His words come at me ragged. “Taking the river. There’s a ferry not too far, get us Ohio side. Hidden. Sit,” he orders then.

Levi says sit, I sit.

Beau would be shocked to see how well I take orders. Along with his proficiency in the rescue arts, badass biker prospect Levi apparently already developed that badass biker ability to read minds as well, since he says exactly that to me.

“Boss always said you’re shit for taking direction.” He tells me this as we’re sliding down the craggy embankment landing our feet at the squishy mud shoreline of the Ohio River. A shoreline smelling of rotten plant life, which kicks in my pregnant woman gag-reflex and paranoia, as I’m sure at this very moment, the rotten seeps into the open cuts on my feet infecting me with some crazy E.coli or salmonella or tapeworm larvae in every step.

I refuse to freak out about what I might already have contracted and instead, roll my eyes and mutter an annoyed, “Whatever,” back at him. An annoyed whatever we both know I don’t mean.

And it’s not until we begin to slow from a run to quick paced walk that I realize my feet have gone completely numb. I’m not sure when it happened, when I stopped feeling the pain from my shredded feet. The cold mud put a stop to that.

Numb feet infested with E.coli, only I could use them as a means to calm myself down. It’s what’s on my mind when I look over at Levi pulling his cell from his pocket. Being right on the river, there’s enough open space for a connection. I could cry when I see the name, the number he connects with.

“Got her,” he speaks into the receiver. “On the river. Heading north. A cabin off route eight. She’s right here.” Then he thrusts the phone in my hand. “Make it quick,” he once again orders.

“Beau?” How I prayed to hear his voice one more time. His name, I whimper. Not that I want to cry, I’m just not sure I can help it. “Beau,” I repeat stronger, as I bend my head to use the fabric at my shoulder to wipe my eyes.

“Elise, god darlin’ it’s fuckin’ good to hear your voice. We’re comin’ for ya. Stick close to Levi. Shit! Christ!Shit!” Beau’s voice breaks. “I… if you…shit!” he says again.

I know what his sentiment means. I won’t make him say it.

“I’m okay Beau.” I stare out over the river, while I try to reassure him. “Guess I owe you a wedding night?” There, my first gift to him, to lighten the mood. We can’t have him breaking down in front of his brothers.

“Woman, when we’re done I’m takin’ you away for a month where you’ll do nothin’ but lay in bed naked, givin’ me my weddin’ night.”

Levi tugs my arm and spins his finger in the universal gesture for “Wrap it up.”

“I’m being ordered to wrap this up. But Beau, you gotta know Houdini—it’s, he’s—he’sLogan.” The line goes silent at the same time Levi jerks us to a stop.

“He can’t be baby girl. Lo—”

“He is,” I demand, cutting him off. “He kidnapped me. Took me to the family cabin on route eight. He escaped death.”

“Houdini,” that’s all Beau clips back.

“Yes, just like Houdini.”

“Put Levi back on.”

“Okay, love you Beau.”

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