Page 1 of A Biker for Noelle
CHAPTER ONE
Noelle
As I check the rearview mirror for the millionth time since leaving Texas, my gut churns as I look for signs of him or the police. I’ve never gotten so much as a parking ticket, but two days ago, I did something that could land me in prison.
I turn my head and look at my brother sitting in the passenger seat. His battered face stares back at me, and it takes all the strength I have not to break down again. I have to hold it together for him. Zack and I both knew when his dad was on a bender, it would be days before he sobered up enough to remember he even had a kid. I also knew the chances of him calling the cops were slim.
Rob wouldn’t want the police nosing around in his business when it comes to his kid because then they would find out he’s an abusive drunk. But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t call them out of spite just to hurt me. Rob hates the bond Zack and I have.
Since the day our mother brought him home from the hospital, I was more of a mom to him than a half-sister. I prettymuch had no choice. I was thrust into the role the first week he was home when our mom and Rob disappeared for three days to get drunk and party with their low-life friends. I didn’t know how to care for an infant at fourteen, but I learned quickly. It helped that Zack was a good baby. He hardly fussed and never got sick. And though my mom and stepdad treated me like a live-in nanny, I adored my baby brother so much that I didn’t mind.
Things changed drastically when Zack turned three. That was when our mother left us. She woke up one morning while Rob was at work. She said she was going to the store for a pack of cigarettes, but she never returned. Rob had always been a jerk, but our mother leaving had flipped a switch in him.
When Zack was five, the abuse started. Zack had been sitting in the living room at the coffee table coloring while I did my homework in the kitchen, and he accidentally knocked over a cup of juice. Rob, who was sitting on the sofa watching television, snapped. Before I could reach Zack, Rob jumped up and backhanded Zack across the face. I’ll never forget the way my little brother clung to me after I scooped him up and rushed him to my bedroom, where I locked the door. I cried silent tears as my brother buried his little face in the crook of my neck and sobbed.
The problem was Rob blamed Zack for our mother leaving. He also hated the fact he was left with not one but two kids. Rob wasn’t even my dad. I don’t know my real father. I never met him, and Mom never mentioned him. I know the only reason Rob kept me was to care for Zack. I often wondered why he didn’t just give us to the state because he most certainly did not want us.
“Where are we?” Zack asks, bringing me out of my wandering thoughts.
“Montana,” I tell him. There was no real plan when I grabbed Zack and left Texas. All I knew was I wanted to get as far away from that god-forsaken place as possible.
“Look, Nelly!” Zack sits up straighter in his seat and points out the window. We drive past a sign that reads Ember Falls, lit with colorful Christmas lights. Then, we are transported into a town that can only be described as a winter wonderland. We make our way down Main Street, and I watch my brother’s face light up. My sweet baby brother has grown fast and is mature beyond his years, and I hate it. I hate how he was robbed of a decent childhood. He could never express excitement about Christmas lights in front of his dad. The one comfort I have in this messed up situation is knowing I am his safe space. With me, he gets to be the kid he’s supposed to be.
I gasp. “Look over there, Zack.” I slow the car and point toward a park lit up with what looks like a hundred different Christmas trees, each uniquely decorated.
“Cool,” Zack breathes. He goes quiet for a moment, then asks, “Think we can stop here for a few nights to see the lights?”
My stomach twists in knots. I do a mental calculation in my head, but I already know we are pretty much screwed when it comes to being able to afford another hotel for the night. I have precisely twenty-eight dollars and sixty-two cents in my purse.
When I took off with Zack, I wasn’t thinking too far ahead. The only thing on my mind was getting him as far away from that monster as possible. My job at the local grocery store back home paid little. I’d had the same job since I was sixteen, and when Rob kicked me out on the day I turned eighteen, I’d couch-surfed with friends until I saved up enough money for a deposit on a crappy apartment. Then, it took me a year to save up enough to buy my car. My car isn’t much to look at, and the heat barely works, but she is mine, and she’s gotten me where I need to go.
I had always planned to take Zack away from Rob when he was older. I’d imagined us moving away to a small town like this one. My brother deserves to grow up in a safe, stable home where he is free to be a happy kid.
“What’s wrong?”
I snap my gaze over to Zack, who is eyeing me wearily. I plaster a fake smile on my face. “Nothing is wrong.”
He frowns. “You’re doing that fake smile thing.”
Damn, the kid is too perceptive.
I decide to change the subject. “Why don’t you eat? There’s still another cheeseburger and a bag of chips from lunch.” At the mention of food, Zack abandons his question and reaches into the back seat for the leftover food. I’ve been cautious about ensuring he has enough to eat, which means I’ve been going without.
“Do you want to share the hamburger?” Zack asks.
“No thanks, buddy. You eat it.”
“But you haven’t eaten in a long time.” His tone is laced with worry.
I smile. “Sure, I did. I had some crackers earlier while you were sleeping,” I lie.
Zack continues to eye me while chewing his bottom lip.
“Eat,” I tell him softly.
Finally, he gives up the fight and scarfs down the burger.
While Zack eats, I roll through Ember Falls and take in all the sights. This little town sure does know how to do Christmas. The chilly air and the little bit of snow on the ground add to the seasonal spirit. The more I drive around, the more I want this to be where Zack and I stay.
