Amy and Tammy both found it hard to hide their laughter when Kevin saw Lenny walk in the room. His hair almost stood on end with rage and he glared at her through narrowed eyes. Lenny did as they'd planned and completely ignored him, apart from handing him a beer which he took and stared at as though it was poisoned. She went and sat on the opposite side of the room and said hello to Mark and Glenn, having already met him before.
Mark pulled Amy down onto his lap and raised his eyebrows. "Something going on?" he asked quietly, nodding towards Kevin who was still glaring at the other girl.
"No," she said innocently, leaning against him and smiling when his arms closed tightly around her.
"Hmm, why don't I believe you?" he murmured, grinning at her when she flushed guiltily.
"Lenny's staying for dinner, that's all," she said, her voice loud enough for Kevin to hear.
"What?" the other man said, his voice so loud that everyone turned to look at him. He cleared his throat and sank back against the sofa, turning his attention to the baseball game and trying to ignore the amused glances he was getting from his friends.
It was a tense atmosphere in the room for the next couple of hours, and it was a relief when Amy finally got up and announced that dinner should be cooked, so they could all go to the dining room. Kevin was the first to leave the room and Lenny gave a triumphant smile as she watched him stomp off to the other room. She made sure she seated herself next to him, hoping she could take anything he dished out. Any insults he heaped on her head would be worth it just to see him feeling so uncomfortable.
Kevin shot Amy a look as she put dinner on the table and he decided he couldn't act on what he was feeling. What he really wanted to do was push Charlene's head in the huge casserole, but he bottled up his anger and remained polite and cordial throughout the meal, finding it easier to ignore her.
Mark smiled, knowing what the other man was doing. They were alike in some ways and this was exactly the way he would react in this situation. Kevin looked up and caught the smile, shooting Mark a deadly look and then finding himself looking next to him at Charlene. It was unfortunate that Lenny had chosen that moment to look at him, too, and she gave him a sweet smile, narrowing her eyes. The look almost made him explode with rage and he gripped the edge of the table so hard he nearly snapped it off. What was it about her that made him lose control so easily, he wondered, hurriedly looking away.
Lenny watched his jaw clench and looked away, frowning. Maybe she should leave well enough alone, she thought, because it was bad enough when he just got a bit angry. God knows what he would do if really lost his temper. She stayed silent for the rest of the meal, only talking when someone spoke directly to her, and only quietly. She didn't want to draw attention to herself anymore. After what seemed a decent amount of time had passed she made her excuses and got up from the table, thanking Amy and Mark for the meal.
Amy walked her out. "Kevin seemed very tense. Looks like giving him the silent treatment worked," she said, smiling at the other girl as they reached the front door.
"I know, but maybe it worked too well. He'll just be even nastier at the barbecue now," she said, looking unsure of herself. "Perhaps I should just stay at home where he can't get me."
"No! Don't do that. I haven't got many female friends, only Tammy really. I'd like us to be friends too," Amy said.
"I think we will be," the other girl said and gave a genuine smile.
"I tell you what, how would you like to come round tomorrow morning for coffee and chat? Mark's got to work, so the company would be nice. Don't worry," she said quickly when she saw the other girl frown hesitantly, "Kevin's going to be at work too!"
Lenny relaxed instantly. "Then yes, I'd love to. I'll come round after breakfast, if that's okay?"
"That's fine. See you then," Amy said, watching the other girl walk off and give a wave before she closed the door. She really liked her and she thought it would be nice to have a friend close by while she was staying here, because Tammy would be gone soon and Stephanie was only staying a week.
Kevin walked out of the dining room, looking towards the door and narrowing his eyes. "Is she gone?"
"Yeah," Amy said, walking past him. "Nice of you to make her feel so welcome though," she murmured, tongue in cheek.
He glowered, looking bad tempered and sulky. "She should have stayed away if she didn't like my company."
"She came here to see me, not you. Kevin, you will be nice at the barbecue won't you?" she asked worriedly and he looked down at her, rolling his eyes.
"Okay, I'll be nice, for you," he said, giving her a cheeky grin that made her laugh. "If she does anything stupid though, I can't make any promises about my reaction, okay?"
Amy nodded. "Okay, fair enough. But she won't."
"We'll see," Kevin said under his breath as she walked away.
The next morning Lenny knocked on the back door just after 8.30, and Amy let her in, handing her a cup of coffee she had already been pouring out. "You're early!"
"Yeah, I know. But I've been up since seven, and I hate waiting around. Have...er...have they gone yet?" she asked, not having seen the driveway, so she didn't know whether Kevin's car was there or not.
Amy shook her head. "Not yet. They're just getting ready."
"But they'll be gone soon, right?" she asked again, glancing towards the door as if Kevin was going to appear there any second.
"Yes, they will, don't panic!"
"Sorry. So, what did you want to do today? I thought, if it's okay with you, that we could go shopping? I really need to get something more feminine to wear to your barbecue," Lenny said, looking faintly excited about a possible shopping trip.
"Yes, I'd like that. I haven't been to the shops here, so it'll be nice to find my way around," Amy said, pleased to have something to do while Mark was out.
As soon as she'd said those words the two big men walked into the kitchen, Mark bending to lift Amy in a hug, and Kevin sending Lenny a glare. She lifted her chin and glared right back, wondering if she had a death wish, because he instantly took a step towards her, checking himself with a self control she didn't think she would have been able to manage.
Mark dropped a kiss on Amy's lips, lingering for a few seconds and then kissing his way down her neck to bite her shoulder with a growl. She giggled and tried pushing his head away from her, managing it with some difficulty and smiling into his crystal clear green eyes.
"It's a shame you have to work," Amy murmured, stroking her fingers through his hair as he carried her to the front door.
"I'll only be gone a few hours," he pointed out, rubbing his cheek on hers. "Use the time to explore the place okay?"
"Okay. I thought I might go shopping with Lenny..."
"Hell, no you don't!" he said quickly, staring at her with rapidly narrowing eyes.
"Why not?" she asked, curious.
"You ain't taking a cab, that's why. Lenny hasn't got a car, and it's too dangerous for women on their own, and I ain't got time right now to take you myself. Wait until I get back and we can go together," he said.
"Mark, women takes cabs all the time..." she began, but he cut her off again.
"Yeah, maybe they do. But you're special, honey, and I ain't gonna take any chances with you. Surely you can wait a few hours?"
Amy looked at him and bit her lip. She had really wanted to go and get some more steak for him, knowing it was his favourite food. He saw her indecision and the way she hesitated to answer him, but still waited. "Okay, I'll wait," she said, nodding her head.
Mark's eyes missed very little and he cocked his head. "Tell me you're gonna stay right here," he demanded.
"I will," she agreed readily, raising her eyebrows.
"Okay. One thing though," he said, suddenly looking deadly serious. "I don't want you going out there on your own, and I know good and well that Vince wouldn't want you to either. So you are going to stay here, no arguments. And I don't expect you to disobey me on this, okay?"
"O...okay," she stammered, looking at him warily.
"Promise me that you will not take a cab anywhere," he continued, not trusting her.
Surely he couldn't read her mind could he? She carefully plastered an innocent expression on her face, or as close to one as she could manage. "I promise."
He nodded, seemingly satisfied. He gave her a quick kiss and lowered her to the floor. "Right, We'd better go." He gestured for Kevin and the other man walked over to them, shooting another dirty look behind him at Lenny. "I'll ring you in a while, to make sure everything's all right. You can answer the phone, it'll only be me or Vince, maybe Glenn or Kevin. See ya, darlin'," he said, winking at her and walking out of the house. She watched out of the window as the two men went straight into the garage, leaving Kevin's truck in the driveway. Lenny came up behind her and she turned away from the window, smiling. She waited until she heard the sound of an engine and then went upstairs to get ready for her shopping trip, telling Lenny she wouldn't be a second. It was only a small fib, she told herself, and what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Mind you, her mind helpfully supplied, he'll know when he sees what you've got for dinner. Ah, but he'll be so pleased with it that he'll forget that I went against what he told me to do, she reasoned and happily got herself ready.
A few minutes later she was standing in the hallway, ready to go. Lenny grinned at her. "I haven't been shopping for ages, I'm looking forward to this. Are we calling a cab?"
Amy bit her lip and gave a groan. "Damn, I promised Mark I wouldn't take a cab anywhere!"
"And my brothers gone out, so I can't borrow his car. Couldn't we just get a cab? Mark wouldn't have to know," the other girl asked.
"Yeah, but I'm really bad at lying, and he would definitely ask. I guess we'll have to cancel for today," she said glumly, dropping her purse on the hall seat.
Lenny glanced out of the window and her eyes lit up. "Maybe not," she murmured, twisting her lips thoughtfully. "Are the keys to that monster in here anywhere?"
"Kevin's truck? I'm not sure, but....Lenny! We can't take that, Kevin would kill us."
"He won't even know, we'll have it back here before he gets back. Come on, it's the only way we'll get to go shopping, and I'm a good driver," she pleaded.
Amy stared at her and waged a silent battle in her head. What harm could it do? Lenny was right, they would never know.
"Okay, let's find out if the keys are around anywhere," she said, and the two girls started searching for them. It took a while to locate them, but Amy eventually found them in Mark's desk and grabbed her bag, crossing her fingers to make sure everything went okay. It was quite exciting for her really, never having broken any rules before. Lenny started the big vehicle once they were inside and carefully pulled out of the gates, making her way to the nearest shops, parking as near to the clothes shops as she could get. When she leapt out to the ground she gave the truck a satisfied look, pleased at how well she had parked it and that she had found it fairly easy to handle, as it was bigger than most things she had driven. Amy smiled and thought if only she could tell Mark about this little trip, but she knew he would be furious if he found out. That thought made her stand still for a second, swallowing briefly and then shrugging. How would he ever know?
Unfortunately for the two girls, Glenn had been on his way to the Arena when he had spotted Kevin's truck. He hadn't been able to see who was driving it but he recognised the license plate, and frowned, making a mental note to ask the other man about it when he saw him.
Mark was sitting at a table in front of a big queue of autograph hunters, and he glanced up briefly when Glenn settled himself in the seat next to him, wearing his mask.
"Bit late aren't you?" he muttered, giving a slight smile to the young girl he was handing a photo to.
"Yeah, I overslept. Traffic was pretty heavy on the way over too. Which reminds me," Glenn said as he started signing pictures of himself, turning to glance at Kevin who was sitting on the other side of Mark. "I saw your truck."
"My truck?" Kevin said, frowning.
"Yeah, your truck, you do remember it right? Well, I just saw it."
"It must have been someone else's ride," Kevin said, shrugging. "Mine's in Mark's driveway."
"Are you sure? I happened to check out the license plate, it was definitely yours. Someone could have stolen it," Glenn said, frowning behind his face covering.
Kevin sat and thought for a second. He remembered locking the truck before he left and anyway, Amy and Lenny were there.
Mark looked at him and then went still as a thought occurred to him. "Oh, hell, no, she wouldn't," he mumbled, scratching at his beard.
"What?" Kevin asked, shaking hands with another fan.
"Lenny...and Amy. They wouldn't have taken the truck," Mark said, trying to convince himself.
"She can't drive can she?" Glenn asked, not looking at Mark as he continued signing autographs.
"Amy can't, but Lenny can. She mentioned she wanted to go shopping, but I made her promise not to leave the house." His frown got deeper as he thought about that. No, he hadn't made her promise that, he had made her promise not to get a cab. But surely she wouldn't be that sneaky....he closed his eyes and rubbed a hand over his face as sudden comprehension dawned. Vince had said she used to be sneaky. "I am going to strangle her," he said grimly and Glenn laughed, watching the emotions raging in him. Mark's eyes narrowed and swung in his direction. "You got your cell phone handy?"
Glenn pursed his lips at the question. "What do you want it for?"
"To make a call of course," Mark replied calmly.
"Okay, as long as you ain't using it to shout at that little girl, you may use it," he said, handing the phone over to Mark with a shit eating grin.
"Don't worry. Shouting isn't what I had in mind at all," he replied, punching his home number into the phone and waiting. No answer, he hissed out a breath and redialled, just in case. Still nothing. Grimly he tried her cell.
Amy had just finished putting her bags of food in the truck, Lenny helping carry the abundance of stuff she had purchased, when her phone rang and she scrabbled to find it in her bag, not even bothering to look at the caller i.d before she answered. "Hello?"
"Where are you?" Mark's deep voice asked her in a deadly tone, making her jump and her breath catch, something he must have heard.
"I'm...er...I'm in the garden," she improvised, glad that it was quiet here and that he wouldn't hear anyone else, her eyes shooting to Lenny's with faint panic.
"Really? Are you far from the house?" he drawled out slowly, continuing on once he had her negative response. "In that case, perhaps you can do me a little favour?"
"Er...sure, what's up? Is everything alright?"
"I hope so. Could you check that Kevin's truck is still out front? Glenn said he thought he saw it a little while ago," he asked her, and she grimaced.
"S...sure, I'll just...er...would you like me to call you back?" she asked nervously, thinking that maybe she could get home, then call him after they had put the truck back.
"Why would I want that? It's only a short way to the house, I can wait," he said, sounding strange.
"Okay," Amy said, walking along the street and back until she judged she had walked roughly the same distance as it would be between the garden and the house. "Yes, his truck is here," she said, trying to keep her voice neutral and hating herself for lying to him.
"That's good, sweetheart. Just as a matter of interest, did he leave it unlocked?" he asked, knowing full well Kevin never did that.
"Hang on a sec. Er...yes, it's unlocked," she said, starting to relax a little bit.
"Are you sure?" he prompted and she bit her lip, wondering if he knew it had been locked. She couldn't take it back now without letting him know she was lying.
"Yeah."
"Certain?" he asked, his voice sounding odd again and she frowned, wondering why he kept asking.
"Er...yes. What's wrong?"
He was silent for a while and she could hear his breathing get slightly heavier. "Nothing much. You see, darlin', this is one of those things that Kevin's really anally retentive about. He never leaves his truck unlocked. Not ever."
"But, I thought..." she blurted out before she thought about it.
"Actually, I have a feeling you didn't think at all," he said, his voice low. "You want to tell me again where the hell you are?" he was sounding angry now and Amy swallowed, wondering how she could possibly get out of this.
"No," she said in a small voice, wanting to just end the conversation and get home, before he came after her.
"I can't believe this," he muttered. "I ain't gonna ask again. Where the hell are you?" he snapped, his voice louder than he thought.
Amy jumped so violently when he yelled that she dropped the phone and fumbled to pick it up again, her fingers inadvertently switching it off in the process.
Glenn tried not to grin when he saw Mark pull the phone away from his ear and stare at it in shock. "I don't believe this," he mumbled, punching in her number again, his face grim.
"What's up buddy?" Glenn asked him, pausing briefly in his autograph signing.
"She cut me off," he said, his quiet tone conveying how angry he was.
"So would I if you yelled at me like that," Glenn said reasonably.
"If she thinks that was yelling then she's got a lesson coming to her, I haven't even started yet!"
"She ain't the only one with a lesson coming. That little brat stole my truck!" Kevin muttered, trying not to be too loud because the fans were still queuing to see him.
Mark had to dial twice more before Amy finally answered, having only just turned the phone back on.
"Tell me where you are, right now," he said, trying to keep his voice moderately quiet because of the gawping fans standing on the other side of the table.
"I...er..." Amy stammered, not wanting to tell him.
"Don't try my patience," he warned her, his words holding just enough menace to make her answer him.
"At the...the shops," she confessed and her shoulders slumped.
"In town?" he queried.
She looked over at Lenny and grimaced. "Yes."
"In Kevin's truck?" he asked, his tone incredulous.
"Mark, listen, we'll take it right back..."
"You will do nothing of the sort! You wait right there and I'll have someone come and get you both, understand?"
Amy closed her eyes and firmed her jaw. "No," she said quietly, feeling like a sullen child.
"Good," he began, obviously thinking she would be wise and give him the right reply. Then she heard his breath hiss out angrily. "Did you just say no?" he said harshly and the connection went dead, leaving him staring at the phone again. If it hadn't belonged to Glenn he would probably have smashed it to pieces. Mark looked like someone had wired him up to electrodes. "Goddammit, she did it again! That's it, she's gonna pay," he grumbled, punching in another number and waiting.
Amy looked at Lenny as she shut the phone off, her eyes darkening with worry. "They know we took the truck, Glenn saw us," she told her quietly.
"Oh no," Lenny said, her voice a whisper as she thought of what Kevin would likely do to her when they got back. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "Well, there's no point in going back right away, we may as well get on with our shopping."
Amy looked at her like she'd gone mad. "But what if they come back early and we aren't there?"
"I don't think it will make much difference really. Whatever we do they'll probably kill us. You're lucky, you only have one person who'll skin you alive, I have my brother as well. Come on, let's go shopping and try and forget them all."
She grabbed Amy's arm and walked briskly back towards the shops, heading straight into a clothing store. Amy couldn't relax, but she did give her comments on various dresses and they eventually found one that looked great on the other girl, making her eyes look almost violet rather than grey. They didn't notice the large man following behind them, not until he tapped Amy on the shoulder.
She turned and stared up at him, frowning in confusion when Lenny gasped. Then the man put a hand out and motioned for them to hold on while he spoke into his cell phone.
He chuckled as he looked down at the two girls, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Lenny. "Yeah, right here. Mmm-hmm. Oh yeah, you are dead right about that. What do you want me to do?" He listened for a while and nodded, his eyes briefly lifting and staring at Amy, which made her feel uncomfortable for some reason.
"Okay, no problem, I'll give Mike a call, he'll be off duty soon and he can handle the...er...package."
He disconnected from whoever he had been speaking to and held up one finger to them, indicating he wouldn't be long, then he dialled a number and had a brief conversation with someone. Amy looked at Lenny and wondered why she looked so pale. "Who is he?"
Lenny shook her head. "You don't want to know, believe me."
When he had finished he grabbed Amy's wrist, making her start to panic, and then he snapped a pair of handcuffs on her, attaching the other end to Lenny's wrist. Amy's wide eyes shot up to the big mans, seeing him smile kindly at her.
"What....what are you doing?" she asked, tugging experimentally at the metal cuffs but finding them immovable.
"Just doing what my cousin asked ma'am, sorry about this," he replied and shrugged. He grabbed the chain between the cuffs and started tugging the two girls towards a hardware store, taking them inside despite their attempts to pull away from him.
Amy's mouth fell open as she watched him attach another set of cuffs to a long metal bar running the length of the counter, effectively trapping them there, and she suddenly realised who he was. Well, Mark had said he had family who lived in town, he just hadn't said who. She couldn't believe her bad luck.
"You let me out of these, right now!" she demanded as stridently as she could when he had walked behind the counter, but all she got was a set of arched eyebrows and a grin.
"Can't do that ma'am. You just cool your heels there for a while, then Mike will take you home," he said, as if this was an everyday occurrence. "And you should know better Lenny!"
Lenny looked down at her feet, but she didn't say a word.
"Who's Mike?" Amy asked, looking from Lenny to the big man again.
"He's my brother, and he's a cop, so I'd behave when he gets here if I was you," he told her, starting to go about his business again as if she weren't there.
She tapped her fingers on the counter and chewed on her lip. Great. Mark was going to murder her, and his cousins were going to help him do it. She slumped against the counter as she thought about it, any false bravado she had leaving her and a shudder running through her.
"Hey, now, ma'am, don't you worry. Mark's bark is far worse than his bite," the owner said, watching her worried expression. She looked up at him and frowned in confusion.
"What's your name?"
"I'm Charlie Calloway, ma'am, but everyone hereabouts calls me CC. Pleased to meet you," he said, smiling and grabbing her free hand to shake it enthusiastically. "And you must be Amy. Mark told me a bit about you when we last spoke." His eyes lifted from hers when he heard the door open and a uniformed police officer walked in, similar in size and looks to himself.
"Hey Charlie, this her?" he asked, nodding to Amy, and sending a narrow eyed look to Lenny, who was starting to feel like a parcel that had been left behind.
"Yeah, this is her. Mark's description didn't do her justice did it?"
The two men stood looking down at her and she found herself blushing at the intensity of their gazes, embarrassed that she was being examined by them.
"Not at all. Pretty as a picture," the one called Mike murmured, smiling. "But also a law breaker?"
Amy's mouth fell open at his words. Oh God, he was going to arrest her.
"Yeah, these two pretty much stole his friend's truck," Charlie told him, sounding highly amused.
"Theft?" Mike asked, staring at her with a frown. "You know I'm legally obliged to write this up?" he asked them, folding his arms over his chest and looking just like Mark did in that position. Amy swallowed nervously and nodded, dropping her eyes. "Since I'm officially off duty and you are a good friend of my cousin's, I guess I can overlook it this once," he said, surprising her into looking up again. "But if you don't behave yourself while we're waiting for Mark, then I will arrest you. Understand?"
She nodded again and watched as he unlocked the handcuffs, freeing her wrist. He stood back and watched her for a few seconds, as if waiting to see if she'd run away or not, nodding when she didn't. "Come on, ma'am, and I'll see you back home. Got the keys Lenny?" he took them out of the other girls nerveless fingers as she held them out to him. "Pick me up in a couple of hours okay?" he said to his brother, grinning.
"No problem, bro, see ya later. Lenny, ma'am," he said politely, nodding as Mike dragged them both out of the store with one big hand under each elbow. Amy found herself easily bundled into the passenger seat of the truck with Lenny whilst Mike started the engine and drove them silently back to Mark's home.
Mark had ended the call and gone back to signing autographs, sitting there for the best part of two hours, his mind going over all the inventive things he could do to teach her a lesson. He stood up and stretched as the long line of people finally ended and Glenn stood up next to him, grinning.
"Guess you're going to have fun when you get home, right?" he asked.
"I don't think Amy will think so," Mark replied, still feeling furious that not only had she gone out, but she had actually stolen Kevin's truck. "It's about time I showed her who's boss."
"And how are you going to do that, exactly?" Glenn asked, pursing his lips as they walked away from the signing tables finally.
"Do you really need to ask?" Kevin muttered, his face a study of fury.
"What would you do in my place?" Mark asked, raising one eyebrow as he stared at the man who had become a good friend over the years.
"I'd beat her rear end until it was scarlet," Glenn replied, chuckling at Mark's angry expression. "Oh I see. Poor Amy."
"Poor Amy, my ass. Stealing his goddamn truck, lying to me, cutting me off...she used to be so sweet..." Mark was still muttering when he grabbed his coat and raced out to his bike, Kevin close on his heels, both of them eager to get home and confront the two girls. He could hear Glenn laughing behind him as he revved the engine and roared away from the arena.
Amy nervously fiddled with the gold chain hanging around her neck as she sat opposite Mike, Mark's cousin. They had arrived home 20 minutes ago and she hadn't known whether or not to move from the room. He had made coffee for them both and had tried to converse with her, but she was so worried about what would happen when Mark got back that she couldn't talk. Lenny had been dropped at her house with strict instructions to stay there, and she had apologised to Amy before she scurried indoors.
"Didn't you think that Mark might get mad if he found out about your little escapade?" he asked her, sitting back comfortably in his chair.
She shrugged jerkily. "I wanted to surprise him," she said absently.
"Well, I think you sure as hell managed to surprise him, but maybe not in the way you were intending to. I brought all your stuff indoors, was that the surprise?"
"I was going to make his favourite dinner for him," she said, trying to still the overwhelming need to run away.
"I see," Mike said, twisting his lips thoughtfully. "That's nice, I guess. But what possessed you to take Kevin's truck? No-one ever drives his truck but him anyway."
That just made her feel worse. "I promised I wouldn't take a cab," she said, as if that explained everything.
He seemed to understand her. "So by taking Kevin's truck, you weren't breaking any promises? Didn't it occur to you that you'd be breaking Mark's trust instead? He ain't happy with you, and I can't say that I blame him."
"I know," she said, her voice a whisper where her mouth had gone dry. She took a quick sip of the rapidly cooling coffee and set her mug down. "Do you mind if I go upstairs?" she asked.
He raised an eyebrow and nodded. "I don't mind at all. As long as you don't try and run off somewhere?"
"I won't," she said and left the room. She couldn't keep her mind off what he would be like when he got home and she decided that, despite the fact that she was going to get shouted at, she may as well keep her mind occupied and sort out his closet for him, having noticed previously that it was in a complete state. The mind numbing monotony of the job did just what she had hoped and she started to lose some of her trepidation. After an hour she had completely sorted through his clothes, everything in order and neatly put away. She glanced at the bedside clock and realised how much time had passed....and how soon Mark could be home. Her heart starting thumping in her chest again in fear. He wouldn't hurt her, she kept repeating to herself, he hadn't before. But people change and she hadn't made him this mad before. All of a sudden the house felt confining and she had to get outside. She flew silently down the stairs and made her way out to the kitchen, intending to go out the back door and take a walk around the land, just to help clear her mind.
"Where do you think you're going?" Mike asked, standing just inside the kitchen with a magazine in his hands.
"I...just...I just wanted to walk for a while," she said, one hand on the door handle, ready to go outside.
"Okay, well, judging from what you told me earlier, you don't break promises. So promise me you won't leave the grounds," he said, waiting for her to answer.
"I promise," she said dutifully and rushed out of the door at his nod, running down to what she knew would become a favourite place of hers, a spot next to the lake underneath the branches of a huge tree. She sank down to the ground with her back against the bark and watched the fish rising to catch any errant bugs that landed on the water's surface.
She had no idea how long she had been sitting there when she became aware of the sound of an engine approaching from the distance, finally recognising it as that of a motorbike. She only wished she had asked Mark if she could go with him today, then she wouldn't be in her current predicament. The bike slowed and then stopped, and she knew it was the two men come back.
