Page 63 of Tangled Threats on the Nomad Highway
“What? Why? Why would you quit? You loveplaying.” Her shove this time was stronger, enough to move him backa few inches. The expression on Thad’s face broke her heart. Eyesswollen, he twisted his mouth to the side and shook his head. Thetears weren’t a reaction to her arrival, but probably the wholeordeal as her family had suffered here, waiting for word. “Thaddy,why?”
“If I’d been there, I could have kept yousafe. Between me and Lukie, we’d have taken him down.”
Marian’s stomach lurched at the idea of herbrothers put in that kind of danger. “No.”
“Thad, this asshole wasn’t someone who wouldhave gone down without a fight.” Retro’s words from the front seatmade her and Thad look at him. He pushed the door open and stood,wavering slightly before he stepped away and closed it behind him.He reached around the open door and, with one hand to Thad’sshoulder, guided the boy out of the car, giving Einstein a chanceto step in and offer Marian his hand. “Son, it took three men todeal with him, and he still got a shot off and hit me. Man likethat? He would have killed you and Luke without a single thought.Your sister is here and safe, and this kind of thing—” Retrosighed, the sound filled with pain and grief she didn’t understand.“This is a one in a million. You get me? I understand wanting tokeep those we love from getting hurt. Oh man, do I ever get thatfeeling. This one time, though? If you were there, it would havebeen the wrong time, wrong place, and your sister who’s standin’here smilin’ at you would have been cryin’ her eyes out instead.You can’t put that on yourself, brother.”
Thad’s shoulders went back, and hestraightened at Retro’s use of the honorific that meant so much.Thad would know what it meant, Retro calling him that.
“I love you a little bit, Retro.” Mariandidn’t think about her words, and when Einstein’s arm around hershoulders jerked her closer, she looked up. “Not like that, Jim.Retro’s like Gunny.”
“Lord save us, woman. I am not like thatman.” Retro laughed, sweeping his hair away from his face. “But Iunderstand your meaning.” He nodded. “Back atcha. Means thisman”—he swooped an arm around Thad’s shoulders—“is now officiallymy little brother. I’m down with that. In fact, it’s a great idea.Way I see it, a body can’t ever have too much good family.”
Somehow having beaten them home from thescene, Bane waited on the front porch with Myrt, and as the four ofthem walked from the car, Marian looked around for Luke. Thad readher mind, saying with a sigh, “Lukie’s sleepin’ finally. He’s beentore up about everything. He didn’t even wake up when Bane camerippin’ in here a few minutes ago. Hard asleep.”
“No doubt he’s upset. It’s a tough thing tohave happen.” Einstein’s tension was unmistakable through hisconnection to Marian. She looped her arm around his waist as hetold Thad, “Good thing he’s got you to help him through itall.”
Myrt’s tears were flowing fast as Marianslipped into her arms, holding her little sister close. “I’m okay.Promise. Einstein made sure of it.”
“I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.”Myrt’s trembling grew more pronounced, and Marian squeezed hercloser. “I was so scared, Marian.”
“I’m good. I’m here.” She lifted her headfrom Myrt’s shoulder to see Bane hovering close. With a questioningexpression on his face, he raised both hands and made a gesturetowards Myrt. Marian nodded. He immediately moved in, winding themboth into his embrace. She rushed to reassure him, even though he’dbeen at Noah’s house. “Bane, I’m okay.”
“I know. God’s blessing, I know. Justfuckin’ glad to see you back here, little sister. Real fuckin’glad.” He stepped back and unthreaded Myrt’s arms from Marian’sneck. “Come on inside. Let’s get you situated, and then I’ll wakeup Luke, let him see for himself that you’re gonna be just fine.”Bane’s eyes shifted, his gaze moving to the two men with Marian.“Retro, you’re bleedin’ again. It’ll be a minute before Mudd’shere. You’re gonna have to suffer through my nursin’ skills.”
“Or lack thereof.” Retro’s laugh followedMarian through the door.
There was a bustle of activity around herand Einstein for a few minutes, but she felt detached from it all,as if Einstein’s arms were the only things keeping her fromfloating away.
“I feel funny,” she whispered to him. Theywere seated on the couch, Einstein shoved into a corner leaningback, and Marian draped mostly across his lap.
“Gunny said it could be as much as a fullday before the sedative they used was completely out of yoursystem. I’m here, baby. I’ll keep you safe. You feel like you needto sleep it off, then sleep.” A finger looped under her chin, andhe raised her face so they stared at each other. “I’m not goinganywhere, baby. Not sure I could stand being away from you rightnow. You feel like taking a little nap, don’t worry about it. I’llbe here when you wake up.”
“And this isn’t a dream?”
Mortified at the words flying out of hermouth, Marian tried to look away, but his grip on her jaw held herin place. That meant that as Einstein’s features changed, she gotto witness him going from concerned to happy, then a darkerexpression but somehow still pleased. A flush climbed her neck andsettled in her cheeks, blazing hot in an instant.
“No, baby. You might be my dream, but this,what’s going on between us? Definitely our new reality. You and me,we’re going to ride this out, take it as far as it will go. Decadesfrom now, you’ll tell our grandkids about the day your old manfinally pulled his head out of his ass and laugh at the effort ittook. We’re going to live out this dream together.”
She nestled closer, and his hold fell away,arms encircling her tightly.
“Sounds good to me.”
She didn’t know how long she slept likethat, perched across Einstein’s thighs, but the sun was high in thesky outside the windows when she opened her eyes again. Stillupright, Einstein sat with his eyes closed as his head restedagainst the back of the couch. She marveled at him sleeping withher in his lap. Also asleep, Luke was sprawled across the rest ofthe available cushions, one arm outstretched so his fingers linkedwith hers.
Marian tilted her head, gaze moving acrossEinstein’s features. He was all man, as he always had been, butwith him resting, she got to see that the hardness cast on him bylife had fallen away. Marian suddenly realized there were smilelines that curved through his cheeks, tiny crescents around eachcorner of his mouth. His inked arms had stayed curled around hereven though he was unconscious, and she traced a fingertip acrossthe dark images. This was a quiet, intimate moment with him, andshe held it close to her heart.Even better than I could haveimagined.
She’d begun falling for him the firstmorning he’d shown up at the house, working easily alongside her inthe kitchen. Joking and talking—even then it had been as if they’dalways known each other. The way he interacted with Thad and Lukehad always been supportive, and his positive affirmation for theboys had fed into her admiration of the man. Always from adistance, because she might not have known the details of what hadhappened, but Bane had long ago told her that Einstein was damagedby something.
Yesterday seemed like a dream, one of thebest, that had then morphed into a nightmare.
Learning what his lips felt like againsthers, hearing the sweet words directed her way—it hadn’t felt likea gambit or trick, and hadn’t been fake on her side of theequation. She’d spent the afternoon trying to figure out how tocome out the other end of their deal with her heart intact, Whitneyand Noah remarking more than once on her absentmindedness. In theend, Marian had decided to go forwards with Einstein’s proposal,willing to take what he offered.I just never intended for himto know what it would mean to me.
No matter how deeply she dug, herrecollections of leaving work and picking up Luke were thin, wispy.She couldn’t remember where they’d eaten before the movie, and theholes in that period were frightening. Scar, the man who had hurtEinstein so badly in the past, had stolen that from her. A wholeblock of time was simply missing, the memories empty as if time hadbent, skipping an entire section of the day.
Jagged edges of something nagged at her, theimages in her mind as tantalizing as a word on the tip of hertongue. There, close, but not really within reach. The only thingshe was certain of was her deep-seated knowledge and belief thatEinstein would keep her safe. It had been as if he were with herall along, the thoughts of him giving her a sense of peace even inchaos.
Still trying to deconstruct the day, shetracked backwards from this moment to them walking up the steps ofthe porch. Catching at the foggy memories, she pieced them togetheras best she could, to further back, the moment Einstein had put herin the car. The words he’d spoken swam back into focus, and shetucked them away to scrutinize later. Beyond that, the memorieswere broken images and sounds, some terrifying and some not. Then adark hole that led nowhere.
