Page 6 of Tangled Threats on the Nomad Highway
The tears started bubbling over before shehad the phone next to her head, so her voice was unsteady when sheasked, “Myrtle?”
“Oh, Marian. Yes, it’s me.” Her sister’svoice held a tiny hitch as she responded.Joy, not sorrow.Marian had become adept at telling the difference and was surprisedto hear joy from her sister. After the years Myrtle had spent atSallabrook’s beck and call, true sorrow had often suffused herwords. This was a change, and a welcome one. “The man with youright now is Bane. He’s good, Marian, so good. True blue, just likewe always talked about.”
“Really?” True blue would have been the bestof the best, according to their moonlit giggling conversations,before the world had begun collapsing in on Marian in all the worstways. “You trust him?” Swiping at her nose with the back of herhand, Marian sniffled. “He’s good?”
“So good, Marian. More than I knew a mancould be. He and his friends have been everything I needed, allalong the way. I’ve got Luke and Thad here, and I’m taking themaway with me. I won’t leave them for Ian. I can’t believe our daddycould do that to these boys. Won’t let it keep happening.” Steellaced Myrtle’s voice, a trembling rage that sounded barely banked.“I want you with us. Want you to come back with us. Leave ourdaddy. I miss you, sister. Will you come with us?”
Marian stared at her knees pressed to thebare floor. A floor she’d scrubbed with harsh soap and a handheldbrush every week since she gained double digits.Decades.She didn’t have to see it to reflect on the room around her, wallsfilled with cheap dime-store plaster quotes about a good life mixedwith the mounted heads of dead deer. Taxidermied deer and fish heldpride of place. Not a picture of her or her siblings existed inthis space, nothing to say they were valued or treasured. Nothingto say the lives of their mothers had been noteworthy.
Tears ran down her face freely, pattering onthe fabric of her dress, dampening the cheap weave. The week-oldbruises across her back ached, and she knew if she didn’t make achange, more of the same awaited her this week or the next. Thefact her father would use his feet and fists on her was inevitable.What if it wasn’t?
That was what Myrtle offered. A chance tochange the course of her life.
“Yes.” With a broken sob, Marian accepted,praying it was the right choice.
She lifted her gaze to see the man Banestaring at her, understanding and a reflected pain visible on hisfeatures. Myrtle was crying as Marian handed him back the phone.She watched as he curled around the device as if he couldphysically comfort her sister, like it killed him a little not tobe able to right whatever was wrong in her world.
Marian pulled in a hard breath, waking thepain of her spine and ribs more acutely, and embraced the knowledgethat this was the last time she’d bear bruises from a man.Neveragain.
“You ready, Marian?” Bane tucked the phoneback into the pocket of his pants, then climbed to his feet.Towering over her, he held out a hand, and Marian knew it wassymbolic, but she clasped her palm to his anyway. He pulled herupright. “Let’s get your shit.” Glancing around the room, hepointed over his shoulder at the hallway leading towards the backof the house. “Your room back there somewhere?”
She began walking, listening to the echoingfootfalls following her. He stopped in the open doorway without anactual door as Marian scooped her small selection of clothing outof the cardboard box shoved against the wall. A few shopping bagshung on a hook near the door, and she took them down, ignoring howher fingers shook. It only took a few minutes before everything shetreasured was bagged and ready to go outside.
Bane took it all from her, not letting hercarry anything. He steered her through the house and out the frontdoor, placing her belongings near the threshold. His hand wasgentle on her arm as he angled them past where her father stoodnear the front porch, shouting garbled words at the sky. Gunnystood close beside him, massive hand clamping her father’s wrist ina tight twist up against the middle of his back.
Bane didn’t move from her side as he said,“Her shit’s inside, brother. Get it, yeah?”
Gunny did something to pull a pained cryfrom her father before shoving him to one side. Gunny turnedtowards the house as Bane opened the side door of the van, his handout to steady her as she stepped up into the vehicle. His voice wassoft when he told her, “Don’t look, honey. Not anything you want tosee, promise.”
Marian stared at him as he pulled the doorclosed between them, then angled to look out the windows oppositewhere the house stood. She kept that position as the back doorsopened, plastic rustled and rustled again, and the doors slammedshut. Gunny climbed in the front seat and positioned himself tofill the space, reducing her field of vision even further.
“Good girl. Don’t look, Maid Marian. There’snothing left for you here, and you don’t have to give an ounce ofyourself to that asshole ever again.” Gunny’s words swelled involume as he continued talking, filling up the passenger cabinuntil no sounds from outside could penetrate.He’s making sure Idon’t hear whatever Bane’s doing to Daddy.“Sharon, my wife?She’s down in Florida with our friends who are also helping Myrt. Ican call her if you need a woman’s voice, honey. Breathe easy. Justbreathe easy. There’s nothing to fear with me and Bane, promiseyou. Stop shakin’, honey. You’re safe.” Marian folded her fingerstogether, pressing tightly to hide the trembling.
“I’m safe.” She mouthed the words as shekept her eyes aimed out the windows she’d already chosen, holdingherself tightly until Bane opened the driver door and leveredhimself inside.
“Yeah, honey. You’re safe now. Fuckin’promise you’re safe. Only gonna have good from here on out. You’regonna love Sharon. Vanna and her old man Truck, too. Myrt lovesthem already.” Gunny spoke about people using strange terms andnames, as if she’d known them her entire life. The way henormalized Marian needing rescue from her own family loosened thenoose around her neck, letting each breath come a little easier.“Vanna stumbled on Myrt when the gal was sleeping rough in a park,similar to how I met the woman. Her trail name is Peepers—Vanna,not Myrt. That woman’s a gem, and she’s got a thousand storiesabout her hikes. You’ll have to ask her about them, MaidMarian.”
“Old maid, maybe.” Marian spoke her truth.“Thank you both.”
“Maid to me, and there’s nothing to thank usfor. We’re just doin’ the right thing. The human thing. Takin’ careof someone who’s got a need. It’s how I was raised. Plus Vanna,she’d have my hide if I did anything but. We’re not blood, butshe’s like a grandma to my kids. Me and Sharon have three so far.”Gunny kept talking, still loud, still leaning back into her spaceas if she might float away if he wasn’t there to keep her focused.“Vanna rescued my Shar, too. You should know that. Woman is toogood for this world.”
Marian smiled and nodded but stayed silent,still looking out the window. She kept to the same as they droveaway. Looking ahead, never back.
About time.
***
Einstein
“When’ll you be back?” As he asked thequestion, Einstein glanced over the bags Retro and Mudd had slungagainst the wall near the front door. “You got any idea, or is thisan open-ended run?”
It wasn’t typical for their president and VPto head out together, not since they’d made the run to bring himhome.Almost a year ago.Not that he was aware of, anyway.At least not in the three months since he’d moved into theclubhouse. They’d both been around a lot, seemingly working theiragenda of keeping Einstein busy.
Einstein hadn’t been idle since moving in.Far from it.
He’d thrown himself into helping any oftheir brothers with any stated need and had forced himself on a fewwho hadn’t wanted to acknowledge what they had going on. Bikerepairs, general home maintenance, bodyguard work—anything wasbetter than sitting in the upstairs suite alone with hismemories.
“Need a third?” He took a backwards steptowards the stairs. “I can be ready in two minutes.”
