The sun blearily peered over the edge of the landscape when Tyler packed up the rental car. The blue stain of night still clung to the air. From the porch of the cabin, Miranda rubbed her eyes and yawned, grasping at the piping hot cup of coffee she had made twenty minutes earlier.
Beside her, Naomi inquired, “You sure you want to go?”
“Yeah,” she turned a smile toward her friend. She hadn't had a chance to do her morning routine. It was a rare moment when Naomi stepped outside without the slightest bit of makeup or hairstyle tweaking. Then again, the cabin was in the middle of the forest. Who was going to gossip? Miranda nodded to Naomi’s stomach, her smile growing into a teasing grin, “Besides, I'd be a third…fourth wheel in your happy little family.”
Naomi scoffed and rolled her eyes. Her hands went to her stomach, though. “Yeah, it's every modern woman's dream to live in a cabin in the woods while pregnant.”
“Oh, hush. The next town over isn't that far,” scolded Miranda, though a smile curled at her tired lips.
The words didn't alleviate the blonde's pout. The women fell silent as the men packed up the car. Birds sang to the early morning, trying to coax the sun over the horizon's edge. Miranda stared out over the forest. What would be in store for her tomorrow? They were heading to San Marta. It would take days. Hopefully, though, Pete's men were none the wiser. She still didn't know if any of the bikers had found the tunnel.
“You sure you want her to come with?”
“I can't stop her,” sighed Tyler, shaking his head as he shoved the backpack into a corner of the trunk. He tried not to think of their long journey to Texas. Cars were cramped, especially after the freedom of roaring down the highway perched on a motorcycle.
Jack chuckled and muttered, conspiratorially, “I could call her into the cabin and you could take off.”
“If I didn't know better, I would think you were trying to get both of the ladies to yourself, Jackie boy.” Tyler slammed the trunk shut, eyeballing Jack from the corner of his eye.
“I have my hands full with Naomi,” Jack laughed, holding his hands up. A mischievous glint flickered in his eye. “After what I heard last night, I think doubling up would be the death of me.”
Tyler let out a bark of laughter, startling some early-morning birds from their branches. He shook his head, the grin refusing to leave his lips. He and Jack locked gazes across the distance. A slight coldness nicked the air. It was the first time in the last three weeks they were at ease. In the forest, away from Pete and the world, and with their lovely ladies yards away.
It was almost too perfect to give up.
Tyler shook the thought from his head. Lloyd needed help. Pete needed to be taken down. There was no sense in dragging Jack and Naomi down with him. Miranda would be enough of a weight on his conscience.
“Well, we better hit the road,” Tyler mumbled, his feet scuffing at the dirt. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to go back to looking over his shoulder every time he turned a corner. Glancing up at Jack, he saw a glimpse of sympathy in the man's eyes.
“Be safe, man.” Jack clapped Tyler on the shoulder with a big, beefy hand. He knew talking him out of leaving wouldn't work. There were promises to uphold. Even if Miranda were tailing along at his heels.
As Tyler called out her name, Miranda started. Her heart pounded in her chest as she turned to Naomi, who looked up at her, a weak smile on her lips and tears brimming in her lashes. “Come back, Miranda. Please.”
She nodded, blinking back her own tears as she caught Naomi in a hug. The blonde dug her fingers into her back, as if she were afraid to let go. A tear trickled down Miranda's cheek. This could be the last time she ever saw Naomi. As she pulled away and stepped back, she hastily swiped the tear away. Placing the mug of coffee down on the cabin's railing, she smiled teasingly at Naomi and motioned to her stomach, “Don't pop until I come back.”
Miranda didn't catch Naomi's parting words as she clumped off the porch. She couldn't bring herself to look back. A heaviness hung between them. Miranda would have never guessed ever walking away from Naomi, not knowing whether or not she'd see her again. The thought brought a lump to Miranda's throat, realizing just how precious of a friend she was.
And that was another reason to leave with Tyler. If Pete found out they had survived, if the bikers chased after them, it'd keep the heat off Jack and Naomi. Miranda clenched her fists, conviction pushing the sadness to the back of her head.
Miranda and Tyler climbed into the burgundy rental car. Neither one dared to look back as Tyler pulled them out onto the road. The car trundled on, in silence, as the two of them headed for San Marta.
Tyler's voice roused her from numbing thoughts, “You all right, Mir?”
“I'll be fine,” she croaked, shifting in her seat. She glanced up at Tyler, offering him a small smile. He tossed back a weak grin of his own, though he wasn't sure how true her words were. His grip on the steering wheel tightened as the trees gave way to rolling plains. He suddenly felt vulnerable under the open, blue sky of morning.
A warmth descended onto his thigh and he realized, a microsecond later, it was Miranda's hand. “I'm not going to leave you, Tyler.”
He jerked his attention to Miranda, catching her smile, before turning his gaze back to the road. He pressed his lips together in a thin line. What she said was exactly the opposite of what he worried about. She should leave him; she should turn her back and run as soon as danger descended. Hell, she shouldn't even be in the car with him.
Those words soon died in his thoughts, though. As much as Tyler fretted over her well being, he knew how much her presence helped him. His selfishness worried him more than anything else. Silence firmly wiggled its butt down into the cushions of the car as Tyler and Miranda sped toward San Marta.