“Over at Ginger’s house.”
“Get on,” Hunter said.
Samuel followed the order without hesitation and looked over at Scout’s bike. “Who’s the tied-up chick?”
“She’s one of them. Her name’s Jolanda,” Scout said, getting back onto his Suzuki.
Hunter broke out a grim smile when she tried to scream through her gag. Jolanda’s torment even gave Scout some small amount of pleasure. Samuel scratched underneath his stocking cap without comment.
“How did they find out about Catherine?” Scout asked. “I thought you were watching over her.”
“After they locked up Molly for torching your house-”
“Wait a minute. Molly burned all my stuff? Why?” Scout asked, and then he considered Hunter and added everything together. “You dumped her and she sets fire to my stuff.” He started rubbing a hand over his face, but stopped short because of the scratches from his recent scuffle with Jolanda. Instead, he shook his head in disbelief.
“I’m glad I wasn’t here when she came over,” Hunter said.
“I’m not. Maybe she would have stopped with you, instead of torching the whole place.”
Hunter frowned and closed his eyes. His head pitched forward like he was going to pray for forgiveness. They’d both lost their home, Scout reminded himself. At least Hunter wasn’t smirking about this. Scout didn’t think he could handle it if Hunter played this off with his hotshot attitude.
“So how did Chase and his crew find out about Catherine?” Hunter asked.
“That’s what I was trying to tell you,” Samuel said. “They broke Molly out and she led them right to Catherine. Jimmy and Ginger were there and after Molly whacked Jimmy in the head that kid Patrick beat the hell out of him.”
Hunter sat up and turned back toward his passenger. “Is Jimmy okay?”
Samuel looked at him. “Barely.”
Hunter started his big orange bike, gunned the throttle, and the engine roared. Samuel’s eyes widened as he grasped for Hunter’s waist before Hunter shifted into first and patched out.
Scout waved off the dust cloud that engulfed him from their departure. He gazed at the scorched debris that was now his stuff and grappled with emotions that threatened to turn him into a blubbering mass. The tears returned, rolling down the fresh scratches on his face.
He looked over his shoulder and found Jolanda studying him. A shudder walked through his body. He leaned over his fuel tank until his inner turmoil settled.
“Raven, why does God continue to punish us?” He started his Suzuki and sat. The idling engine rumbled softly. “I’ll tell you what I believe. He isn’t out there to help us. No one is out there. It’s just this messed-up world and us. Soon, it’s just going to be an empty rock ’cuz we’ll all be dead.”
He waved one arm towards his house in a grand gesture. “Welcome to Independents.”
• • •
Scout pulled up to Ginger’s house and slipped off his bike, careful not to kick Jolanda. Hunter was already inside, leaving Samuel by the front porch.
“Looks like you got into some trouble,” Samuel said.
Lightly, Scout touched the scratches and felt his sore nose. “I’m all right.”
Samuel motioned towards Hunter’s orange KTM. “Is that a new motorbike?”
“Yeah, it belonged to one of the dudes that kidnapped us. Hunter crashed his old one so many times that he decided to make a trade. He thinks the bigger bike will make him a better rider.” Scout forced a weak smiled. “Here, help me with Jolanda.”
“Why does she scream like that when you say her name?”
“Because she thinks she deserves some cool name like Cardinal or something, but she’ll always be Jolanda to me.” Scout untangled the diamond hitch that strapped his captive to his bike and tore away the excess duct tape. “I can’t wait ’til Vanessa gets hold of you.”
Jolanda’s eyes bugged out. She rocked on top of the bike like she really needed to get off and go pee. Scout caught her before she landed face first on the ground. He propped her upright with her arms still tied and the gag in her mouth.
“That’s right,” he continued. “I’m giving you over to my big sister. She’s still angry about the time you stole her bike. Let’s see how tough you get when she’s up in your face.”
The front door of Ginger’s house burst open. “Thank you, Lord! David!” Vanessa leaped the steps of the porch and embraced Scout with an emotional rush of love and tears. “First I thought you had burned alive and then I heard you were captured. Then I prayed and you came! You came home to me just like I asked. Thank you, Lord!”
Scout hugged her back with everything he possessed. This time he didn’t care who saw his tears. “I know, ’Nessa, I know. It’s all right. I’m all right. I’m here.”
Vanessa’s hand pressed the back of his head, holding him tightly cheek to cheek. She was there for him like always. She would protect him. He closed his eyes, wanting the hug to continue forever with his sister that had become his mother in this world of children.
“Why is that girl tied up?” Vanessa asked when she finally pulled away, wiping her tears.
Scout reluctantly let her go and introduced his hostage. “She’s one of our captors.”
“She’s not very good at it,” Vanessa said.
“She had unreliable help. Remember when we were little, a girl stole your bike and her big sister said it was hers?” Scout smiled at Jolanda and returned her earlier eyebrow waggle.
Vanessa tilted her head. Her eyes regarded Scout’s captive. “Jolanda Lewis?”
Scout made extravagant hand gestures like a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat. “Here in the flesh. And she’s dying to help us rescue Catherine.”
Vanessa stepped up to face Jolanda while Samuel struggled to hold the frightened girl upright because her knees kept collapsing. “Take her to Catherine’s room,” she said. “And Samuel…”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t play with the dolls.”
Scout chuckled, but could tell there was more to the story by the way his sister bounced with laughter, and how Samuel’s face flared into a bright crimson.
“I can’t believe you’d joke like that now.”
Vanessa shrugged. “It’s been a long night and I needed the laugh or I might have started crying again.”
Samuel walked Jolanda onto the porch and guided her into the house.
Vanessa inspected Scout’s face and brought her palm to his cheek. “Are you okay?”
He nestled in her touch. “I am now.”
Mark hung in the doorway. His face carried that faraway look of someone not ready to believe part of his life was now altered forever. He hid his hands deep in his coat pockets and his chin was ducked below the collar. His eyes were misty from the cold, or sadness. Scout decided not to guess which.