The Chase by Amber Riel (books to read for self improvement TXT) 📖

think that stopping at hotels or rest stops might be a bad idea especially after the scene with that driver last night.  I figured it’s the only way we could know that we’re safe and Lainie knows the person as well so that works out for her as well.”  I sighed because the words I was preparing to say next were going to be a lot.  “I’m sorry for yelling at you last night…. That was my fault as well as yours…. I knew better than to leave the two of you alone but I did it and I feel horrible for it….”

          “And I’m sorry for yelling as well,” Sam interrupted.

          “No you had a right…. I was giving you all the credit for the trouble knowing that it happened because of me as well.”

          I didn’t look at Sam but I felt her eyes lock onto me with surprise.

          “We were both to blame.”

          “Do we need to call the police or something?” she asked.

          “No…. I did my job last night….” Before I could finish my thought she interrupted again.

          “You’re a cop?”

          “Not exactly…. Look my job is top secret like I told you before…. You’ll probably find out sooner or later but for now it’s nothing that concerns you…. Got it?” I wasn’t trying to sound rude if I had I just didn’t know how else to explain my career choice.

          Sam just nodded and then looked around, including staring out of the window.  

          I continued to keep my eyes on the road as I drove.  It was later on in the day but it wasn’t exactly evening yet so I had a few hours to go which wasn’t bad considering the fact that it would be a few hours before arriving at my sister’s house anyways.

 

          Eight o’clock rolled around and the dark blue sky had hid the road but I placed the headlights and taillights on as I continued to drive.  I drove past the streets and houses until I arrived at the dirt road which was kind of hidden as I turned my blinker on and took the left onto the road.

          Lainie was sleeping in the back seat and Sam was looking around to figure out where we were heading or admiring the view.

          Eventually I pulled up to the small wooden cabin and placed my new car into park.  Once I turned the engine off, Sam and I climbed out.  I opened the back door and unbuckled Lainie as I wrapped my arms under her little fragile body to carry her as I closed the doors then made my way up the steps.

          Sam followed as she continued to look around.

          I knocked on the door as I waited.

          When the door finally opened, Carmen my one and only sister stepped outside.  “Louis?  What are you doing here at this hour?” she asked, confused.

          “Long story, Carmen,” I answered.

          “You have Lainie with you for the night?” she asked as her gaze moved down to the sleeping child.

          “Something like that,” I replied.

          Her eyes moved over toward Sam which seem to confuse her even more.  “Who’s that?”

          “You know Ron’s wife Annastia?”

          “Yea.”

          “That’s her sister Samantha.”

          “Oh.  Hello, I’m Carmen, Louis’s older sister.”

          “Hello,” Sam replied.

          “Look, Carmen, we need a place to stay…. The mansion was broken into…. Ron and Annastia have to go into witness protection because they were the only two there and the men who broke in are most likely after them…. I told Ron that I was going to keep an eye on Lainie and Annastia’s sister.  I was wondering if for the night we could stay here?”

          “Of course…. You can always stay here, you know that, Lou.”

          Sam kind of laughed as I cringed at the name.  It was the worse name in the world.

          “You know I hate that,” I told Carmen, working my way into the house.

          Carmen just laughed.  I heard her whisper something to Sam but I didn’t know what it was about although I had a good feeling it was about me.

          Sam just laughed at whatever Carmen had told her.

Staying Up With Sam

          I kept Lainie in my arms as I looked around the hallway which always appeared to be the same boring thing every time with all of the same damn pictures hanging up in the same places.  “You and Eric need to do some rearranging.  This place always looks the same can’t you two fix it up some?” I asked as I continued looking down the hallway.

          “I like it the way it is,” Carmen answered as she kind of laughed.

          I kind of snorted out a laugh as well.  “Where is your dare ol’ hubby anyways?”

          “He went fishing for the weekend with our brothers.  Can you believe that?  They ask Eric to go fishing with them all of the time but they never ask me to do anything.”  Carmen let a small smile grow on her face.

          “Well, I hate to say it sis but that’s because you’re boring,” I replied as a joke.

          “If you weren’t carrying that child, I would smack you upside the head right now.”

          I couldn’t hold in the laughter.  “Where can we sleep?”

          Carmen thought for a moment as she surveyed the area.  “Well, right now I only have two rooms that are opened at the moment and I’m not going to aloud an unmarried couple to sleep together.”

          “I figured that,” I agreed as I looked around as well.

          “That’s okay,” Sam threw in.  “I could sleep with Lainie…. I don’t mind.”

          Carmen smiled.  “That’s great.”  She started up the staircase.  “Follow me.”

          We followed Carmen as we worked our way along the steps and followed her into the hallway of the second floor.  She made her first stop at a closed door and opened it.  As she entered the room she hit the light switch.

“Samantha, you and Lainie can have this room,” she told Sam.

“Okay.  This is a nice little room,” Sam replied as she took the room in.

          “Thank you.  And Louis, you have the room you always stay in while you’re here.  Okay?”

          “That works for me.”  I walked over to the bed and laid Lainie down.  I went ahead and covered her up seeing that her shoes where missing from the night before.  I made sure that I placed her head on a pillow as well.  “Night, kiddo.”  I leaned down and kissed the child’s small little forehead and then turned my attention toward the two women.  “You don’t have to go to bed yet, I just figured that she needs to sleep.  I’m going to be downstairs in the kitchen.”  I walked out of the room, leaving Sam and Carmen alone.

 

          I took a glass from a cabinet and filled it up with water.  Once the glass was full I walked over and sat down as I drank a little bit.

          Carmen walked into the kitchen followed by Sam.

          “Hello, there girls,” I told them.

          “So tell me is there anything that I need to worry about as far as those masked men finding us?” Carmen asked as she moved over to the table and sat down then offered a chair to Sam.

          “I’m pretty sure that you’re fine.  I had to leave my car at the hotel last night because of this who Sam had informed me about seeming off to her.  He had followed us and when I was out of the girls’ room he snuck in….”

          “Oh my,” the concern in Carmen’s voice revealed itself as she spoke.  She moved her attention toward Sam with worried eyes.  “That must have been scary.

          Sam nodded.

          “Before he could actually get away with doing anything I rushed into the room and wound up fighting him while I had Sam and Lainie leave the room to go into the main office.  It was a long night, Carmen.”

          “I’ll bet…. Did you have a chance to grab your things?”

          “Nope…. We hurried out of there just in case.”

          Carmen rolled her shoulders as if something touched her spine in a creepy fashion.  “Why don’t you guys stay here for a couple of more days?”

          I really didn’t like the suggestion.  I made a face which revealed my thoughts.  “I don’t know.”

          “Why not?”

          “Because I promised Ron that I was going to bring Sam and Lainie---”

          “Look I’m sure Ron will understand…. He knows me well enough that unless he wants me to find him and kick his butt I will…. He would want to know that Lainie’s safe right?”

          I nodded.

          “Okay well stay here for a couple of days and if I have to I’ll call Eric to come home early to help you keep an eye on Lainie…. Besides you three can go and get new clothes to bring for the trip wherever you’re heading and besides I’m bored without anyone to talk to seeing that Eric’s out of the house…. It’s just me, the dog, and the cat…. Although the cat’s pregnant….”

          “Again?”

          “Yea,” Carmen replied.  “We need to bring her to get fixed and I keep telling Eric that he needs to do it but he won’t because he feels that a cat is a woman’s pet and needs to be taken care of by a woman….”

          “He kind of has a point,” I spoke the words before I had a chance to think.

          “You agree with him?”

          My eyes grew because I knew I was in trouble by Carmen’s question.  “I mean…. You’re right…. A cat’s a cat…. It can belong…. I’ll be right back.”  I stood up and hurried out of the room before I said anything else that would throw me into a dog house.

 

          I placed a new tank top on to finish changing as I looked around my dim lit room which Carmen had let me fix up for myself after Christy had past.  She wouldn’t exactly let me leave while I was in mourning because she didn’t want to worry about me.  I didn’t understand why.  I wasn’t the kind of person who would try to comment suicide.  Those thoughts weren’t in my mind.  I walked over and sat down on my bed and looked over at the picture of Christy I had sitting on my nightstand.  She was lovely…. One of the most beautiful women I had ever met.  Christy, how come out of all of the people in the world I had to protect, you were the one I couldn’t help?  I feel like I could have done something to at least try to save you but I couldn’t.  I should have done something or have tried to save you in some way…. I let you down.  The one person who meant everything to me and I lost you to the one enemy I can’t protect anyone from.  I’m so sorry.

          I stood up and walked over to the window and looked out at the dark velvet almost black starry sky.  It was peaceful and then the thought popped into my