Page 15 of Hell on an Angel
“The ointment and bandages are keeping them from being rubbed. Thank you for helping me last night and this morning.”
“It’s not a problem.
“Here we are.” Opening the door to the second-hand clothing store, she told him he could stay outside. He wasn’t having it since the clothes were for her to wear on the bike.
On entering the store, she was engulfed in the sound of chipmunks singing Christmas songs through the overhead system. Could she not escape the holidays even while running for her life?
Moving through the aisles, she grabbed two pairs of jeans and two long-sleeve tops in her size. Asking for a dressing room, Kennedy made quick work of trying on the clothes. Cree handed her a thicker turtleneck sweater and a third pair of jeans. She tried them on per his request.
Satisfied with the fit, she kept the outfit on and stepped out of the dressing room. Cree handed her a pair of western-style women’s boots to try on, which she did.
Kennedy was amazed at how well they felt and fit. Even with the bandages on her feet, they were comfortable. Walking around the store, she made sure they were indeed something she could and would wear. As she walked, she spotted a well-worn denim jacket that was lined with lamb’s wool. Pulling it on, she found it was a little big but it sufficed.
“That’s a good jacket,” Cree told her as he walked up. “I hate to hurry you along, but the weather isn’t getting any better. We need to get back to the cabin and pack up.”
“I’m done.” At the counter, Kennedy grabbed a pair of mittens and a knit cap. If the weather was worsening, she wanted to be warm on the bike, even if they were only making the hour run to Rapid City. At the last minute, she tossed up a generic phone charger on the counter.
“What’s this?” Cree picked up the charger cord.
“My phone’s dead.”
Cree tossed cash on the counter, paying for her things before she could argue. He reminded her about her credit card being no good. He saw the annoyance in her pretty eyes when she huffed off.
“Sisters.” He laughed when the cashier looked at Kennedy, then at him. Grabbing the paper bag from the counter, he handed it to Kennedy as they left the store.
“Why did you make that woman think I was your sister?”
“Think about it, Kennedy. The two men hunting you are looking for a single female travelling alone, not a female travelling with her brother.”
“Is this the first time you’ve told someone you were travelling with your sister since arriving here?” she asked, curious to know the answer.
“No. I told a woman who tried getting in my pants at the drugstore.” When he saw her shocked expression, he laughed, moving her along the sidewalk to head back to the cabin.
Back at the cabin, Kennedy plugged in her cell phone to charge while she packed. She wanted to see if there were any messages from her boss. She was hoping they’d given up. Rolling all the clothes, she crammed them into a small backpack Cree gave her. She could see him outside on the phone and wondered if he was talking to her brother.
Knowing he needed to have a backup plan, Cree called the Minnesota chapter’s President. If they ran into bad weather on the way to Rochester, Magnus would give them shelter. Listening to the phone ring, he hoped he wasn’t waking the brother.
“Hello?”
“Magnus, it’s Cree from Montreal.”
“It’s been a minute, nomad.”
“No shit.”
“What’s got you calling me?”
“I’m in South Dakota, picking up Player’s little sister. She’s got herself in a jam.”
“Anything we can help with?”
“We’ll be running through your area, heading into Rochester tonight. I was hoping if we run into any problems . . .”
“Say no more. The door’s always open for a brother.”
“It’s appreciated. I’ll call if I’m headed your way.”
“Safe travels.”
