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Abandoned

Chapter 5

Escape to Sioux Falls

Early the next morning a man showed up in front of Emma's counter. He was a middle-aged, soft spoken Alpha who looked like something had crushed the life out of his eyes. His hair was prematurely grey and his hands were covered in burn scars. He offered to shake hands with Emma and when she touched his skin she almost shuddered at the alien feel of his flesh.

"Hi, I'm Ron Edelman," he had said, extending his marred hand. "Bobby Singer sent me here to take care of a pickup truck and make a delivery run on a couple of packages for Bobby's yard."

Emma looked over the man who might be taking her son away from her. The man radiated sadness. Whatever had happened to him was almost too much for him to bear.

"I'm Emma Starling," she returned the gesture of trust. "Let me show you the truck first. Maybe later I'll tell you where to find those packages for Bobby. I'm warning you right now though; those packages are worth everything to me. If I think you're dangerous I'll just hide them away."

"I understand, more than you can even imagine," the man answered in a whisper. "I had one of those packages once," he glanced at his hands then continued, "I lost it and my world almost ended." He was carrying a leather shoulder bag and as Emma came around the counter he shifted it higher.

"Come on", Emma said. "I'll show you the pickup."

She locked the front door behind her and walked the man around the back of the motel to where Dean's stolen pickup truck was parked. Ron knelt down and dropped his bag on the ground. He dipped in and brought out a screw driver and a license plate. Working quickly he removed and replaced the plate. Shoving the plate in the bag he got up and walked to the front of the truck and took care of the front plate too.

"That should keep the cops away for a bit. This truck shouldn't leave the lot until I'm ready to drive it to Bobby's place. Do you think you can see to it, Emma?" Ron looked up at her, still kneeling.

"It won't go anywhere, I promise." She answered. "When will you be back?"

He stood and handed her a plain white business card. "You tell me, Emma. Talk it over and if you just want me to get the truck out of here, I'll do that. If there is a delivery to make up at Bobby's I'll do that too. It's important to me that we agree on what's to be done. Call me after you decide and I'll come back with traveling gear. No pressure. I just want to help." The man reached over and patted her on the shoulder. "I know it's hard for you but just decided what's best. I'll do only what you want and I want you to trust me to do the right thing. Call me."

Ron picked up his bag again and walked away. Emma stood flicking the card against her fingers and watched him until he went around the corner of the building. Only when she was sure he couldn't see where she was going did she go to the door of the room that the boys were sharing.

Once in the room she sat at the table with a boy on each side. "Well, Bobby's friend Ron was just here. He seems like a genuinely nice guy." She rubbed her finger tips on the table, unable to hold still. She felt twisted inside and stared into Carey's face, tracing with her eyes each feature like she was drinking him in.

"He changed the plates on the truck to keep the cops away." She finally broke and reached out her had to stroke Carey's face. "Do you know what you want to do? Do you want him to take you up to Bobby's in South Dakota?' In her heart she knew this could be the last time she would spend with her son.

She looked at them both; so young, so broken, both of them. Both had been hunted and abused. Her heart was breaking but this could not be about what she wanted. It had to be Carey's decision. Her life was ending and it was past time for his to begin.

Emma made the call for them, telling Ron to come back and take the truck and the "packages" to Bobby. She had seen Carey smile; really smile for the first time in forever. As she had left the room she heard the murmur of Dean's voice and then Carey had laughed. The laugh was what did it. She couldn't remember Carey laughing since his rape.

Early the next morning she helped them pack up. She had duffels they could use and she loaded them with clothes and blankets and everything else she could think of. Emma also packaged up food and snacks and went out and bought drinks for the drive and a cell phone for Carey. She tried to fill every moment of time so that she couldn't stop and think about what was happening. Her son was leaving and she would be alone. She didn't want to start crying in front of him.

She looked at her son as he stood beside the truck, arranging her packages so that they wouldn't slide during the trip. He was tall and thin and pale from spending almost a year inside away from the sun. His dark hair and brown eyes stood out in contrast to that pale skin. He had been a blessing, an unexpected gift to a woman who never expected to have a child. She also had never expected to marry either so she could count two miracles late in her lonely life. Now she had lost them both but the memories would stay with her until the end of her days.

The other boy, Dean, was also out in the sun but he painted an entirely different picture. His blonde hair and green eyes brightened his golden, sun kissed skin. He was as tall as Carey but there was a lot more meat on those bones. She wondered how and why he was going through this whole thing alone. At least Carey had her. Dean seemed to have no one. He knew Bobby and there was a relationship there that allowed Bobby to throw him a life line but she didn't think they were actual relatives. She had no idea what they meant to each other and she wasn't going to pry. She heard a vehicle drive up and she turned back to the office.

Just then Ron Edelman drove around the corner of the building and pulled up his own pickup truck next to Dean's. Ron stayed in the truck for a few heart beats before opening the door. He seemed to focus on Carey's face and then strode forward with his scarred hand extended.

"Hi," he said, "I'm Bobby's friend Ron Edelman. I think we're riding together for the next couple of days. What's your name?'

Carey's lips parted and he spoke to a stranger for the first time in more than twelve months. "I'm Carey," he said taking Ron's hand, "and this is Dean."

Ron retained Carey's hand and put the other one on Carey's shoulder. "Hello Dean. You're the one that Bobby sent me here for. I think you surprised him with Carey here."

Dean smiled back at the Hunter. Bobby had told him that Ron was that rarity, a retired Hunter. Few Hunters ever reached a point where they could get out of the game. They usually got killed first. Death was a Hunter's usual retirement and Dean thought that Ron might have more injuries than just his hands. Something had happened to this man; something that made the Hunt unimportant.

"Bobby was a little surprised that I had a friend that needed help also but Bobby's a good guy. He said Carey could join the party too." Dean said to Ron.

Ron seemed to realize he was still holding on to Carey when Carey shifted his shoulder out of Ron's hand and let go of the handshake. Then Carey went to stand at Dean's side, signifying that the two Omegas would support each other. Carey figured that the two Omegas could take the Alpha down if he made a bad move. Carey's strength would be fueled by fear and remembrance while Dean's would be fueled by anger.

Ron glanced into the truck bed then went to his own truck and retrieved his stuff. "We better get on the road." He said. "It's almost 600 miles into Sioux Falls and a solid eight hours of driving at speed and straight through. I don't think we have a deadline, do we?" he looked to Dean for an answer.

"No, no deadline," Dean said. "I'd like to get there as soon as we can but there's no reason to kill ourselves doing it. Besides, we don't want to attract any attention to this truck. The plates are really going to help but a closer look, like in an impound lot, would cause a whole lot of trouble."

"Ok," Ron said. "I think our first stop will be up in Madison, Wisconsin. " Here," he handed each boy an engraved metal collar. "You guys should wear these Omega collars. They have my name and I.D. on them. I don't want any bastard along the way to get any nasty ideas that you two are running around loose. They're for your own protection on the road."

Dean held the collar in his hand and glared at Ron. "You got leads for these dog collars too? That'll complete the picture."

"Dean," Ron replied. "Of course I have leads. If you want to go into a restaurant to eat you know we have to do this. It's going to interest every Alpha that sees the two of you that you only have a single Alpha. They either try to steal you or entice you away. It's an elementary safety measure. Please be reasonable. You can't change the world overnight."

"Fine, but I don't like it at all." Dean muttered as he fastened the collar around his neck.

"No one expects you to like it." Ron said. "What they expect is for you to have one. Now, can we get on the road? All loaded up?"

Ron held the passenger door open and waved Carey in then continued to hold it open for Dean. Once the boys were settled Ron got into the driver's seat and they pulled out of the motel, leaving Emma waving good bye to her son. Carey turned in the seat to wave back and kept his mother in sight as long as possible. Once Emma was sure they couldn't see her she allowed herself to fall to the gravel and cry.

This first hour on the road was pretty much silent. Ron didn't want to push the omegas to speak and the only thing Dean could think of asking Ron was about his hands. Everyone was pretty uncomfortable and limited themselves to scenery and map instructions.

When they reached the outskirts of Madison Ron spoke up. "Ok, we're going to find a restaurant for lunch. Eat up because it's going to be a long time to dinner. When we get out of the truck I'm going to put the leads on the collars. Stick close to me. Don't talk to anyone else and if someone tries to talk to you for any reason, make a point of getting next to me or behind me. Keep in mind, most of these Alphas will want one of two things no matter what line they feed you.. Either they think they can score with you simply because you're omegas or they will want to grab you and sell you." Ron laughed. "Just so you know, you both are walking gold mines and these guys all will know it. Be cautious."

They got out of the truck and stretched. Ron brought their leads around and clipped the leather straps to the collar buckles. He then led them into the restaurant. As they entered a hostess appeared to seat them and with the usual 'I own the world' attitude of Alphas, cupped Dean's chin in her hand and turned his head from side to side.

"Aren't they both such pretty , young things," she said to Ron. "You are one lucky guy."

Dean felt like biting her hand but Ron saw it in the blonde's eyes and muttered "Dean, no." making Dean feel even more like an untrained puppy. She led them to a table in the middle of the dining area.

Smiling, she turned to Ron and said. "Might as well let everybody have something pretty to look at while they eat. There's no way to hide these beauties so it'll save trouble just to put you where everyone can look. Does everybody get a menu or just you?"

Ron growled, "Give them menus; they can pick their own food."

No one bothered them while they were eating. Of course, they were stared at but there wasn't much to be done about that. When they were done and Ron and Dean ordered coffee, an Alpha crossed the room and came up behind Ron.

"Excuse me," he said. "Are you possibly looking to sell the blonde? I would be very interested if you are."

The man circled the table and came close to Dean. Again Dean's face was grabbed and the man tilted the boy's face up to look in his eyes. "I would be very, very interested, indeed."

"Let him go," Ron growled. "Nobody is for sale here so just let him go." Ron rose from the table and threw some money down as a tip. "Come on, boys," he said and gathered their leashes. They left as smoothly as possible, getting into the truck and locking the doors.

As Ron backed up and pulled out of the lot he said, "Keep watching for trouble. That guy looked like trouble. I wouldn't be surprised if we picked up a follower. What do you think, Dean?"

"I agree," said Dean. "Let's go. I'll watch out this window or maybe I should ride in the truck bed. I might be able to watch better and it would be more comfortable than twisting around in this seat for the next five hundred miles."

Ron pulled over. Before Dean got out Ron said. "Be careful. It would be possible for one of these assholes to think he could pull you out of there. Are you going to be warm enough?

"Don't worry about me, Ron," Dean smiled. "Not only do I have some warm blankets that Emma packed. I also have a gun on me. You just worry about Carey here. Keep him safe and I'll keep myself safe."