Hawk (A Stepbrother Romance #3)(52)

It feels like an hour crawling along, though we can't have gone very far. Finally a road appears ahead, and the odd machine turns off, heading south again. After a minute or so of driving, I realize where we are, another country road that tangles its way north from town. Alexis sits up as we pull off yet again, turning across the oncoming lane and into a gas station parking lot. The black machine slips around the back and pulls right into a work bay, and the engine cuts off. The top slides back and the driver vaults out, landing lightly on her feet, though I see a twinge in her face and she still has a bit of a limp.

I kill the Honda's motor and step out.

"What the hell were you doing?" Jennifer demands.

"What are you doing?" Alexis snaps back.

"I thought you were a teacher," I say, eyeing her.

She's wearing tactical gear, and not wanna-be mall ninja crap. A thin, light Kevlar vest, expensive looking boots, a neoprene breathable suit that covers her from head to toe, and a web vest full of gear. There's a pistol on her left hip and another one tucked on her right shoulder, and she's wearing a sleek backpack I presume to be filled with other gear. She sighs and leans on the back of the… car.

"What the hell is that?" I nod at the vehicle.

"Oh, this? It's my car."

"That's not a car."

She rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Come inside."

After opening the door with a key, we step inside what was, at some point, an old school gas station with a service bay and a little store inside; now it looks more like some kind of safehouse. There's a couple of cots, a medicine cabinet, some first aid gear, and what I am pretty sure is a gun safe standing in the corner. Jennifer winces as she strips out of her vest and pack, and sits down on one of the cots. Then she flinches as she spots Alexis' arm, and grabs a first aid kit from the cabinet.

"Let me look at that."

Sighing wearily, Alexis sits down as the older woman leans over her arm and tugs her sleeve up.

"You won't need stitches, but I should clean this."

"We can't stay long," Alex insists. "If Tom gets back and sees we're missing…"

"Hush," Jennifer says.

Alexis yelps as the disinfectant touches her wound. Jennifer gives her a look, glances at me and dabs the wound clean while Alexis chews her lip, then spreads a bandage over it.

"You'll live."

"Mind if I ask what you're doing out here?" I ask.

"What are you doing out here?" she shoots back.

I scrub my fingers through my hair. "We followed my father out here to find out what he was doing."

"What did you find?"

"A meth lab in some Amish guy's barn. Unless this is a really f*cked up dream."

"It's not a dream," she sighs, and pats Alexis' shoulder.

Alexis stands up and moves next to me. "We need to go."

"Not yet," Jennifer says. "What were you two doing following him? Why didn't you call me?"

Alexis sighs. "You're my little sister's English teacher. When you said you'd help, I thought you meant, like, moral support or something. Or your husband could put us up in a hotel. Everybody knows he's got money."

She glances towards the open door and the black monstrosity sitting in the garage beyond.

"Or maybe," Alexis went on, "You'd take whatever I found and go to the police. I didn't expect… this."

"The police aren't going to do anything," Jennifer sighs, rising. "Not any connected to this town. Not unless something changes. No, we’ll expose your father-"

"He's not my father," Alexis snaps.

"We’ll expose Tom to the authorities, but we need solid evidence. Solid evidence you may have just ruined by tipping them off that someone’s looking into it. You've also put yourselves in danger. He's going to be watching both of you closely now, Alexis. He'll suspect you."

"You talk about him like you know him," I say.

She looks at me. "Know your enemy as you know yourself."

"What's your involvement in this?"

"He's tied into other people," Jennifer says, calmly. "A man once told me that if we took him down, the machine would keep turning and another one just like him would take his place. That's Tom. Whatever he told you," she glances at Alexis, "he's just another piece in the machine and it's his turn to sit in the chair."

"So what's the point?" Alexis says, softly. "Maybe we should just run."

"I'll back you if that's your decision," Jennifer nods. "We can keep you safe for a while."

"I don't want to do that," Alexis says, so softly. "I want to help you stop him. I don't want him to be mayor. I don't want this town to be like it was when your father-in-law ran everything."

"She's right," I say, taking her hand. "This is my responsibility, not yours. He's my father. He killed my mother."

She looks at me, at Alexis, back to me.

"If that's how it is, but this isn't amateur hour. I know what I'm doing, you don't."

"Excuse me, lady, I-"

She cuts me off. "No. You're good, but you're not that good. I was following you most of the time you were out there. I wasn't going to let them hurt you. I've been watching that farm for three days, though. I was going to get photographs of Tom Richardson meeting with that Eli and get images of their production facility. I had to drop that to keep you two from getting killed. You want to help, fine, but you're working for me, not with me. You do what I say, when I say."