ROMANCE: BIKER ROMANCE: Werewolf Rider (MC Shifter Pregnancy Romance) (New Adult Paranormal Romance Short Stories) (79 page)

Tanya was standing at the ring toss booth with Pam, and old acquaintance from the high school swim team. She was, as usual, answering questions about whether Jason was attached and if so, would it be hard to un-attach him. The man did gather attention from the ladies. She had to speak loudly over the carnival ride music.

“Sure Pam, tell him you got food. He will follow you anywhere, like a big puppy,” She joked and they laughed. Tanya won the third ring toss and traded up for the medium stuffed animal, a teal colored teddy bear about two feet tall.

Jason was standing in front of a booth across the way and he was acting weird. He kept leaning forward as if looking between two booths and then would look back and talk to whoever it was next to him. When the lady moved off he smiled and then with a quick step moved between two of the stalls and peaked around the tents booths toward the parking lot. His movements were smooth and screamed training to Tanya so she stepped quickly back between the ring toss and the dart toss. Her instincts told her to trust his. Pam was surprised and followed her in.

'What is wrong Tanya, is everything ok? You are not looking good suddenly,” Pam informed her.

“Look Pam, I am not sure what is going on but I think something is about to be very wrong. Remember what I told you about my ex?” She asked her friend. Tanya noticed that Jason had disappeared. She had been in his line of sight so she stayed put and waited for him. He knew where she was. Before Pam could do more than look confused and shocked, Tanya's new phone rang. She answered it without thinking, like she did when she was in a hurry.

“Yeah.”

“You know darling, this carnival is nowhere near as fun as Cony Island? Do you think?” Jared asked her.

“How the hell did you get this number? Get the hell off of my phone Jared. The cops are already onto your dumb ass,” she told him feeling a rage like she had never felt. First fear and now rage. She looked around, but couldn't see Jason. Pam was watching her eyes wide. Tanya cupped her hand over the phone.

“Get the cops, this is him!” she warned Pam and she ran off to do that.

“Are you really that desperate Jared? Did Cheryl dump you too? You are pathetic you know. Get a fucking life will you and leave me alone!” She told him fiercely. Suddenly Jason was next to her.

“Oh you are my life,” he said harshly. Jason leaned in and listened with her when she gestured him to.

“You are my life and I will prove it Tanya. Cheryl made the mistake of bad mouthing you and she won't be doing that again. Jillian tried to withhold information about where you were. She will not be doing that again either. You will soon see how much you mean to me Tanya. That big guy you are running around with now, he can't help you, we are going to be together.” Jason took the phone from her and shut it off, then handed it back

“He is trying to keep you stationary. He has another person with him, I saw them. The longer you stay still the easier it will be for him to find you. Come on. I have to get you out of here,” He ordered and took her hand leading her around the back of the carnival booths. Stealthily and carefully. Tanya was not feeling so tough anymore. Jared had sounded nuts, more than usual nuts. Jason led her to a display on a round stage, with a tarp skirt around the base. The parking lot and his truck was less than fifty yards away. As much as she loved teasing him about country boys and their trucks, she was very relieved to see the beast.

“Get under here. They know me, so I am going to lead the guys away from my truck,” he told her. Pointing to his truck across the way.

“Please Tanya do not leave here unless I come back for you. I am not positive I saw everyone he brought. So stay put, ok?” He was almost pleading and she nodded her head fully terrified now.

“Just come back for me please,” She asked him. He squeezed her hand.

“I don't leave anyone behind,” He lowered the flap once she was inside and she sat hunched in the dark. Tanya scooted closer to the flap and was able to peek out. She wanted to see his truck, it was like a home base in hide and seek. She saw him run from the other direction past his truck and several people were running after him. Tanya waited, trying to convince herself it was all part of his plan. She had an urge to go to his truck now that he led them away, but he had asked her to stay. She remembered all the movies where the damsel does the exact opposite of the advice she was given and it never went well. So she waited, trembling under a display, hiding for her life.

A few minutes later she saw a shadow move by his truck and it was Jason. A shadow came at him and there was a quick flurry of movements and only Jason was left standing. He looked around and then stared back at her hiding place. She lifted the tarp so he could see her and he did. Jason spread his arms as if to say, what the hell, then he gestured her over. She moved like she was shot out of a cannon and he had the door open for her. As she jumped in he leaped into the bed and off the other side, getting in almost as quick a she did. He started it up and began backing out.

“What were you doing?”  He asked roughly, yet calmly.

“What you told me too,” Tanya answered him. He put the car in first gear and in the headlights she saw a man moving slowly on the ground. They shot off across the parking lot and Tanya huddled in her seat.

“Why were you doing that?” He asked her. She looked at him startled. He glanced at her from time to time and they began laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.

“I hardly expected you to do what I told you to you know. You surprised me.” We laughed some more but he kept looking in his mirror and I could see in the one on my side we had lights follow us out of the parking lot.

“Now let’s see what kind of vehicles they have,” He said softly. He kept shifting upward and when he was in fourth gear we were flying down the road and the lights got smaller behind us.

'That is what I thought,” he commented. Then he looked at Tanya.

“I have an idea I want to float passed you. My family has a cabin by Lake Duppree. It is about an hour and a half away. I think that is the best way to keep you safe. This nut bag has been chased out of town twice that I know of and keeps coming back. Disappearing and letting the cops nail him down sound good about now,” he told her. She nodded. It sounded good to her. She called the Sheriff and let him know what she was doing. The whole town was alight with the news of a psycho in town. Pam apparently had been hysterical when she reported to them. Figures, Tanya thought to herself. Talking to Sheriff Major calmed Tanya enough for her to make the other calls she needed to.

When she hung up after the second call, she sighed.  Jason had remained silent during her communication. He had heard her side and knew it wasn't good. She felt herself trembling and had to let it out.

“Jillian is going to live. He used a knife. I guess she never told him, he found out from a note in her desk I left her weeks before coming home. She is in ICU but expected to recover. The girl he cheated on me with is injured too. Because she spoke badly of me!” She heard her voice tremble and he reached over and squeezed her shoulder as he pulled off the road and stopped. He turned in his seat to face her.

“Listen to me Tanya Adams. They were not hurt because of you. They were hurt by the son of a bitch who did it. No one else. Believe that and remember it. Do not let him get into your head that way or he will never get out. Got me?” He asked by the light of the dash board. His green eyes were darker yet still sparkled for her and she slowly nodded, knowing he was right. As they drove off towards her cabin he reached for her hand in the dark.

Chapter Five- The Cabin In the Woods

Tanya watched the sun come up from the kitchen window of the cabin. Coffee was brewing and she was confused and upset. They were stuck here without communication, in the middle of nowhere and she did not know if they were safe. Jason said they were but he was not acting like it. He had done several perimeter sweeps before they crashed the night before and he was out on another as she watched the sun come up. She knew he was worried about Jared's perseverance despite angering a whole town in the sticks where everyone has a gun.

The coffee finished and she went back to the window and opened it a crack. Enjoying the breeze and scent of pine and fir. It was cool mountain breeze off of the lake and it felt peaceful. She could hear birds chirping and that too was soothing. She did not like being helpless or scared and was trying to get herself out of it. If things went as planned Jared would be busted and never even know where they went. She had not even told the Sheriff, other than Jason knew a place. He trusted a fellow marine and let it go at that. They should be completely safe. So why did she feel like they weren't? She rummaged into her big purse and pulled out her emergency pack of cigarettes. She hadn't smoked in months but she had kept an unopened pack for times of stress. Well she thought, here we are.

Tanya lit one and sipped her coffee. She knew why she didn't feel safe. Because Jason was acting like they weren't. Unfortunately she knew why he was acting that way. He was falling in love with her. She had seen it before and knew, with his training and loving her, nothing would be left to chance. Another unfortunate thing was, she was falling for him. He was an egotistical smart ass who loved to remark on her body yet had the tenderest heart when it came to important things. A man who could put up with her wild side and comfort her softer side. Jared had not been able to deal with her wildness, and he had damped it down. Jason knew how to deal with it and to all appearances enjoyed it. Jared thought her softer side was weakness and Jason understood it. Tanya took a deep drag of her smoke and exhaled. She was going to stand strong on her pledge to not date. If for no other reason than when Jillian got out for the hospital and found out she had broken the pledge she would complain she had never got a chance to. That made Tanya smile.

              She finished her smoke and put it out in a paper cup with water in it and set that on the table. She saw Jason coming up the path. He gave her a thumbs up. The signal they had decided on. He came in and put down a little pack he had carried as well as the forty five automatic handgun. He made a beeline for the coffee.

“We are safe Tanya, nothing out there,” he told her. She stared at him while he poured coffee.

“Why don't I completely believe you? Can I go swimming then Jason? He turned to her and hesitated. She did not wait for a response.

“I can't and won't because you are still worried he can get here. Why do you think that? There should be no way for him to know where we are, is there a way?” Tanya asked. He sighed.

“I don't know, honestly. What is bothering me is he was chased out of town but was not caught. He came back into town and was not caught. He seems to know everything he has to do to not get caught. He knew you were at the swimming hole and knew you were at the carnival. How does he know these things? Is he good at doing his homework?” he asked finally.

“What do you mean?” Tanya returned.

“I mean would he study your town before coming in after you. Think about it. It is a small town with a small town mentality. Everyone in town knows you. Everyone in town, or most anyway, own firearms. Small town are notorious for circling the wagons around one of their own. I wouldn't have come after you in your home town. I would have waited until you came back to school. Greater population, better places to hide. All of that.”

“Then of course there is me. Did he notice me that day at the swimming whole and ask around? It would not be hard for him to look me up in the online Marine website. I am listed as well as most of my postings. If he would do these things then he knows far too much. If he asked around in the right places he could know my family has this place. It is hardly a secret. Not to mention I do not trust who he has with them,” he stopped there in thought. Then he reached for the cigarettes she had left out.

“Mind?” He asked. Tanya shook her head and took another for herself.

“What do you mean his friends? Probable buddies from the city,” Was Tanya's thought as he lit her smoke.

“At the swimming hole yeah I agree. But there were several guys with him at the carnival I did not like the looks of. They moved like I do. They have training. It makes me think he did his homework and asked around before he got too hot to be seen. If that is the case then he may have called in a few people whom he believes might be able to take me,” he stopped again.