The Long Ride Read Online Free Page A
Author: Amy Love
sometime around midnight. Would Tomas hit them before or after El Paso?
A hundred miles outside of El Paso, Elias finally decided that after was the best bet. There would be less traffic coming into El Paso from the West, and the terrain would be better.
At the next gas offering, Elias signaled the group off the highway, even though he was still at half a tank. They cruised into the station, and Elias got off his bike and tried to call Eric. He let the phone ring until voice mail picked up, and then called back. He did this five times before he got a "Hello?"
"Eric, where are you?"
"About one-fifty outside of El Paso. Where are you?"
"Fifty in front of you," Elias told him, and gave him the exit. "I'm smelling an ambush."
"That's because you're riding into one," Eric told him. "I've got fourty men with me, all Guards."
"I really like your style. We're staying put until you arrive."
"You're smarter than I figured. I thought that you would be balls out for Chelsea," Eric said with a grin in his voice.
"I was, but Chelsea is fine. We have her, and she's not going anywhere for at least a week. We have time. I want Tomas. I want this ended," Elias told him.
"Why do I have the feeling that we're going to ride into an ambush on purpose?" Eric asked.
"Because you are a smart man," Elias told him.
"Then balls out is still the way you're riding," Eric laughed. "I was right the first time."
"Yep. See you when you arrive."
They pulled their bikes behind the gas station, and then took up posts in various spots around the exit area on foot, hoping to spot their pursuer if he backtracked to relocate them. Chances were, though, he would just stay in sight of the road up ahead of them, and wait for them to pass again.
"We could just avoid the whole thing," Jeff suggested. "Hell, we could head north, and then take the 40 across, and come down through Arizona. Adds a major stretch to the ride, but why bother with the ambush if we don't have to?"
Elias took this question as a tactical inquiry, because Jeff was not one to shirk a fight if one was available.
"You mean, take the 25 up to Albuquerque," Elias suggested.
"Right, then the 40 into Arizona, and then the 17 down through Phoenix," Jeff agreed.
"We're marked with Duffy's trike with us, and there is no way for us to lose a car on our back trail. He has range—I don't. I swear I'm getting a Heritage as soon as I'm back in Houston," Elias said with a grimace. "But the bottom line is, I want Tomas. I want this over. I don't want Chelsea, or us, to ever have to worry about that horror of a human being again."
"There's a lot easier ways to kill a man," Jeff mulled.
"Any of them include getting me to Chelsea's side as soon as possible?" Elias asked.
The big man thought that over, and after several long moments said, "Not that I can think of, boss. No."
Elias nodded. "Chelsea may not want to come back to Houston. There's a lot of pain for her there. Tomas wasn't the only one who scared her. She mentioned some guy she knew as Papi coming for her on the phone. She was hallucinating, apparently, because she thought she could see the man in her room, but the man scares the crap out of her just as much as Tomas does. If you had that kind of horror in Houston, would you want to go back?"
Jeff shook his head. "No, no I wouldn't."
"That's my answer too. So, she may not want to go back, and I want her to know it's alright not to. I want to be there when she starts making that decision. I want her to know that I'm with her all the way. Besides, maybe it would be best to be in San Diego, or Seattle, or fucking Sydney, Australia." Elias sighed and then continued, "But where ever, whatever, she decides, she'll never stop running until there is nothing to run from. She'll never feel safe with that fucker out there. Not because I couldn't hide her—I could. But because her fears are just
A hundred miles outside of El Paso, Elias finally decided that after was the best bet. There would be less traffic coming into El Paso from the West, and the terrain would be better.
At the next gas offering, Elias signaled the group off the highway, even though he was still at half a tank. They cruised into the station, and Elias got off his bike and tried to call Eric. He let the phone ring until voice mail picked up, and then called back. He did this five times before he got a "Hello?"
"Eric, where are you?"
"About one-fifty outside of El Paso. Where are you?"
"Fifty in front of you," Elias told him, and gave him the exit. "I'm smelling an ambush."
"That's because you're riding into one," Eric told him. "I've got fourty men with me, all Guards."
"I really like your style. We're staying put until you arrive."
"You're smarter than I figured. I thought that you would be balls out for Chelsea," Eric said with a grin in his voice.
"I was, but Chelsea is fine. We have her, and she's not going anywhere for at least a week. We have time. I want Tomas. I want this ended," Elias told him.
"Why do I have the feeling that we're going to ride into an ambush on purpose?" Eric asked.
"Because you are a smart man," Elias told him.
"Then balls out is still the way you're riding," Eric laughed. "I was right the first time."
"Yep. See you when you arrive."
They pulled their bikes behind the gas station, and then took up posts in various spots around the exit area on foot, hoping to spot their pursuer if he backtracked to relocate them. Chances were, though, he would just stay in sight of the road up ahead of them, and wait for them to pass again.
"We could just avoid the whole thing," Jeff suggested. "Hell, we could head north, and then take the 40 across, and come down through Arizona. Adds a major stretch to the ride, but why bother with the ambush if we don't have to?"
Elias took this question as a tactical inquiry, because Jeff was not one to shirk a fight if one was available.
"You mean, take the 25 up to Albuquerque," Elias suggested.
"Right, then the 40 into Arizona, and then the 17 down through Phoenix," Jeff agreed.
"We're marked with Duffy's trike with us, and there is no way for us to lose a car on our back trail. He has range—I don't. I swear I'm getting a Heritage as soon as I'm back in Houston," Elias said with a grimace. "But the bottom line is, I want Tomas. I want this over. I don't want Chelsea, or us, to ever have to worry about that horror of a human being again."
"There's a lot easier ways to kill a man," Jeff mulled.
"Any of them include getting me to Chelsea's side as soon as possible?" Elias asked.
The big man thought that over, and after several long moments said, "Not that I can think of, boss. No."
Elias nodded. "Chelsea may not want to come back to Houston. There's a lot of pain for her there. Tomas wasn't the only one who scared her. She mentioned some guy she knew as Papi coming for her on the phone. She was hallucinating, apparently, because she thought she could see the man in her room, but the man scares the crap out of her just as much as Tomas does. If you had that kind of horror in Houston, would you want to go back?"
Jeff shook his head. "No, no I wouldn't."
"That's my answer too. So, she may not want to go back, and I want her to know it's alright not to. I want to be there when she starts making that decision. I want her to know that I'm with her all the way. Besides, maybe it would be best to be in San Diego, or Seattle, or fucking Sydney, Australia." Elias sighed and then continued, "But where ever, whatever, she decides, she'll never stop running until there is nothing to run from. She'll never feel safe with that fucker out there. Not because I couldn't hide her—I could. But because her fears are just
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