Daniel Read online

  Silas snapped his head over to glare his son. “One of these days, I am gonna whip your ass, son.”

  More laughter.

  Silas managed to grin as he offered his arm to his wife. “Well, Mrs. Young, you ready?”

  She nodded then gazed out at the crowd of bikers and their wives. “You hear that? We are THE YOUNGS! So don’t be forgetting it!”

  Laughter again, rose up as they both made their way, arm in arm down the steps.

  Rice was pelted at them.

  “Hey!” Silas griped. “You tryin’ to kill us here?”

  Laughter and cheers assaulted them as they rushed to the General.

  Silas had wanted to take his bike but they were on a honeymoon and he gave in. Couldn’t pack all the stuff his bride wanted to take on the back of his hog. He went to the passenger side and opened the door for his new bride.

  Midge halted and stared at him.

  “Now woman, I am gonna drive the car.” He glared at her.

  Midge opened her mouth to argue. Then she shut it and said softly, “Yes, dear.”

  His brows rose at this, but he took what he could win and shut the door after she was seated.

  The cheering went on as they drove out, metal cans and streamers banging on the road behind them.

  Daniel watched as his grandfather and his new bride drove away from the ranch. Shaking his head, he looked around at his family. Everyone had someone special next to him...except him.

  Even old Silas had found another someone special. He never would have thought that to be possible. Silas was an old man and he and his Rosa had been married forever until she died eight years ago.

  He grabbed a beer from the cooler. They had had the wedding here earlier today. While they’d celebrated the nuptials, Midge had gone in to change from her wedding dress to something more comfortable.

  Now it was just family and soon they would clean up and go back to the compound. Daniel was feeling unsettled. He didn’t know why but he just had a feeling he was supposed to be somewhere else in the near future.

  He sipped the cold beer.

  His dad, Tate came over to him. “How you doing, kiddo?”

  Daniel smiled. “I’m good Dad.”

  “I’m glad to hear that son. But your mom is worried.”

  Daniel smiled. “She is huh?”

  “Yeah, she is.” Tate nodded. “She wants to see all her boys happy and you’re the last one.”

  Daniel sighed. “You tell mom I’ll find my one in my own time and in my own way. Tell her I’m waiting to find a love like you guys got before I settle down.”

  “Like ours?” Tate questioned.

  Daniel nodded. “I want to find someone I can grow old with, not just for the moment. You guys have been married for thirty years and you seem to love her as much today as you ever did.”

  Tate nodded slowly. “That’s because I do, son. I thought I lost her eight years ago and I felt I couldn’t find my own way again without her. Then I found her alive, I fell more in love with her all over again.”

  “That’s what I want to find, just like Creed and Jack and Harry and Kimber did.”

  “Ok son, I’ll let her know, that you are at least open to the idea.” Tate chuckled as he wandered away.

  Daniel knew he needed to clear his head This subject just made him feel frustrated. Yes, he knew his parents were just being themselves, caring about their kids. But sometimes, in life, a person had to handle things on their own.

  Handle? He scoffed. He had nothing to handle. Yeah, he had women. But not a steady girl. Nothing made him feel strongly, or drawn to a female. It was sad, but he could hardly remember their face or their names after he slept with them. They would just get hurt if he gave them any encouragement. No, it was better to just love them and leave them. At least, they knew it up front.

  What he knew upfront was it was only sex. Not that he didn’t want more, because he did.

  He headed over to his bike and swung his leg over the engine. Then he changed his mind. He pocketed his keys and walked to the barn.

  He pushed open the big door and walked inside. He walked down to the other end to pull the tarp off that covered his car. He couldn’t always ride his bike in the city, so he kept a car. And not just any car. This was a 1970, Mustang cherry red with a 351 hemi motor.

  He got into the vehicle and turned the key. The engine roared to life and he hit the gas. He roared out of the barn and drove down the driveway.

  When Daniel hit the highway, he turned right and drove off. It felt good, he felt freer, and he was beginning to feel better.

  Chapter One

  Two hours later, Daniel made a stop in Bryan, Texas. He stopped at a park on the outskirts of the city. He didn’t know why he chose this place, just that he did.

  He got out and stood next to the Mustang, just watching the sun go down.

  Suddenly, the quiet was shattered by the sound of a woman’s scream.

  He looked around as he frowned, then he took off in the direction he thought he heard the scream come from. He rounded the corner and in the late afternoon light, he saw a man standing over a woman with something in his hand. The woman was on the ground trying to get away from him.

  Daniel could see she wasn’t moving quite right. He rushed forward and saw the man was holding a Tazer in his hand and giving her jolt after jolt. Daniel grabbed a branch off the ground and swung it as he got behind the guy.

  The man dropped to ground.

  The woman still laid there. Her eyes were closed and her body stilled twitched from the taser hit.

  Pushing the man off of her, he knelt beside her. She appeared to be a small woman and her hair lay sprawled out like a dark shadow on the ground. Her hair looked pitch black, almost a blue black and it was long, if she were standing instead of laying on the ground, he thought it might even be long enough to reach her ass.

  He plucked out the prongs from her belly and threw them away from her, then gathered her in his arms to carry her back to his car. A short ways away from where he picked her up, he saw a backpack, it was probably hers, so he grabbed it as well. He settled her in the front seat and belted her in. He tossed her backpack in the backseat then got behind the wheel and drove away with her.

  He didn’t know her story but he did know a man should never hurt a woman and the guy he’d laid out didn’t have to hurt her. For one, the guy was bigger and stronger than her and she didn’t seem to even have a weapon.

  After a short drive, he pulled into a wayside outside of town when she began to wake up. The evening was just setting in when he pulled in. “Easy sweetheart. No one here is going to hurt you.”

  She opened her eyes and groaned as she fought to unbuckle her seatbelt. She started crying and fumbling with the belt, as she couldn’t get it undone.

  “Please don’t hurt yourself,” Daniel pleaded with her. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  She finally stopped and turned her head. Then she frowned as she stared at him. “Who are you and where have you taken me? And why do I hurt so much?” she groaned as she hunched over in the seat.

  Daniel let out a frustrated breath. “You hurt because some bastard used a Tazer on you and I stopped him.” He didn’t make a move toward her at all, instead he sat against the driver’s door with his hands in his lap. “My name is Daniel Young and we’re at a wayside just outside the city of Bryan. I couldn’t leave you there at his mercy. I don’t know what reason he had to come after you, but I don’t agree with hurting women.”

  She nodded her head as she pressed her hands to her belly where the Tazer prongs had been. “My name is Rani and I thank you for your help. Although, it may have been wiser to just walk away from me, while you had the chance.” She peeked over at him, “But I can’t say I’m not glad you didn’t.”

  “So who was he?” Daniel finally asked.

  She shrugged. “Don’t know his name.”

  “So why did he hit you with a Tazer?”

  “Damned, if I
know.” She turned her head to look out the window.

  Daniel wanted to growl at her lack of response.

  When she turned her head to look at him she asked, “Were you going somewhere?”

  “I was just out for a ride actually,” Daniel admitted.

  “Then can I ride back with you? I can go on from wherever you live, but can we go now? I’d rather not have that idiot find me again.” She shook her head.

  Daniel started the engine. He drove northwest toward Temple and home. He wasn’t sure if this was a wise move or not. After all, he didn’t know anything about her but he tended to trust his gut feeling. It told him she needed his help.

  They drove in silence and when they got closer to Silas’s farm, he glanced over at her and found her looking pale and sweaty. “Are you all right?” he asked her worriedly.

  “No I don’t think I am,” she whispered nervously. She turned her head and he could see the pain in her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” Daniel exclaimed.

  “The same man found me a week ago and he hurt me then, but I got away. I was running a fever when he found me again tonight. I couldn’t run fast enough and that’s why he caught up with me. I think I have an infection and he tased the same place he’d injured before.”

  “Do you want me to take you to a hospital?” he asked her, trying to keep his eyes on the road.

  “God no, you can’t do that! Please don’t do that,” she begged him. “They will be looking for me in a hospital if they knew I was hurt. That’s why I haven’t been to see a doctor yet. I just need a safe place to rest and heal. I’ll try not to stay too long. Can you see it in your heart to give me that much? Also, if I pass out... I’m allergic to penicillin.”

  Daniel made up his mind. His grandpa’s farm was close, so he would take her there and try to help her. He might not know her story but he would have a few days for her to rest. He knew Silas and Midge would be gone on their honeymoon for the next week and that might be enough time to get her better and to get the truth from her.

  He pulled into the ranch’s driveway and drove his car into the barn. He got out and hurried over to her side of the car. He gathered her into his arms and she groaned in pain even as she curled up against him. He grabbed the back pack and carried her into the house. He knew where Silas kept the spare key in case his family needed to get inside.

  Carrying her down the hall to a bedroom, he carefully laid her down on the bed. She was passed out by this time, so Daniel rolled up his sleeves and got busy. He stripped off her sweatshirt and found a t-shirt underneath. She wasn’t wearing a bra and her breasts were full and high. He had no clue how old she was and right now, that didn’t matter. He avoided looking and just did what he needed to do.

  He pulled up the t-shirt and found a dirty bandage under it. He carefully pulled on the edges of the bandage and peeled it off her. He saw a red gash and it had raw edges. The wound looked sore but he didn’t think it was to the point of no return quite yet.

  He went out to the kitchen and picked up a basin then went and got Silas’s first aid kit. He took a washcloth from the linen closet and filled the basin then went back to the bedroom.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, he studied her carefully. Then he frowned, she looked so familiar to him for some reason, but he just couldn’t place why. He had never met her, this he knew for sure. There were women he couldn’t remember but this one? He would.

  He used the hot water and the cloth to wash the wound as good as he could. He didn’t know how she got it but the slash didn’t look too deep.

  When he laid the hot cloth on her skin, she groaned and tried to pull away but he held her down in place. “Hold on sweet thing, just hold on,” he whispered.

  “Hurts.” She whimpered. “Hurts so bad.”

  “I know but we have to get the wound clean.” He checked the wound again and the edges looked less raw but it was still a worry. Not too far from the wound, itself was another pair of wounds, burns almost and he knew those were from the Tazer tonight.

  He glanced at her face and noted she was unconscious again. This worried him but not as much as the cleaning the wound did. He finished up and then swiped some antibiotic cream on it. Finally, he placed a clean bandage to cover it. He cleaned up the mess and grabbed the bottle of aspirin. Shaking out three, he went to get her some cool water and then he lifted her head. She didn’t want to wake up but she was with it enough to swallow the aspirin. Then he helped her lay down again, and tugged up the covers.

  He brushed her hair away from her face and just looked at her for a moment. Maybe it was the shape of her face or eyes but he knew her from somewhere. He hadn’t really seen the color of her eyes though as it had been dark in the car when they spoke.

  Fussing, she groaned and slipped her arm out from under the blanket. He went to tuck it back under when she turned it and he saw the birthmark on the inside of her wrist. He frowned as he studied it carefully. Lots of people had birthmarks but this one was unique. He’d only seen it one other time. The birthmark was a star shaped mark, darker than the normal color of her skin. The star itself was an off color red/brown. The only other birthmark he’d seen like this was had been a much redder color.

  His gaze went to her eyes and even though they were closed, he knew exactly what their color would be. A stormy grey/blue color with a hint of green around the edges.

  “Holy shit girl. Who and what are you running from? It can’t be your dad. I don’t think he knows about you, not yet he doesn’t.”

  He turned on the bedside table lamp and picked up his supplies. On the way out, he snapped off the overhead light but before he walked out, he paused to take another look at her.

  He went out to the kitchen and stared out the window for a moment then he reached for his phone.

  Tate answered on the first ring, “What’s up Daniel?”

  “Dad, can you come out to the ranch for a minute?” Daniel asked. “There’s something I need to ask you.”

  “Is this something the whole family needs to be in on?” Tate wanted to know.

  “No, I don’t think so, not yet anyway.”

  “Ok son, I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Tate promised.

  Daniel made a pot of coffee while he waited for his dad to arrive. The more he thought about it the more he was convinced that the girl laying in his bedroom down the hall was the daughter of his old boss when he’d lived in Wichita Falls.

  When he heard his dad’s bike coming down the drive, he headed to the front door and then he stood back when his dad entered the house.

  “What’s going on here son?” Tate stared at him while looking troubled.

  Chapter Two

  Daniel ran his hands over his head sighed. “I suddenly have no fucking idea, Dad.” He began to pace, as he went on, “Usually, I do that’s why this is so frustrating. Earlier tonight, I took out the Mustang and went for a ride. I just needed to clear my head. I ended up in a park on the south side of Bryan. I heard the sounds of a struggle and went to check it out. I found a grown man struggling with a small woman. He hit her with a Tazer and she was down on ground. I could tell he was intent on hurting her some more, so I sucker-punched him with a tree limb and got her the hell out of there. I had to carry her because she went out like a light.”

  Tate shook his head as he listened.

  Continuing to pace, he told his dad the rest, “I stopped at a wayside and she woke up enough to tell me this wasn’t the first time he’d come after her. He found her a few days ago and managed to cut her before she got away from him but now, she was afraid the cut was infected. I asked her if she wanted me to take her to a hospital but she said no, he would find her and I think she was afraid of him for a good reason. Only thing is, I thought I knew her from somewhere, like she just seemed so familiar to me for some reason and I couldn’t put it together until I saw a birthmark she has.” He pointed to the inside of his own wrist. “I’ve seen that birthmark before. My old boss, Ivan Antosha has one
just like it. He said it was a birthmark that belongs in his family.”

  “What are you saying, son?” Tate looked perplexed.

  Daniel paused as he thought about the best way to tell his dad his theory, “Ivan told me once that he had a younger stepbrother, Begian wasn’t related to him. In fact, he was his stepmother’s son. But the moment his mother married Ivan’s father, Begian felt he should have been his real son. He had his own father’s family but instead, he began to demand that Ivan’s father treat him as one of his sons.” He shook his head. “You have to understand something about Ivan, he’s one man that doesn’t give anything away, if you get something from him you’ve earned it, mostly with your own blood, sweat, and tears but you’ve earned it. That’s something he said his father taught him and I’ve never doubted that fact. He always said Begian and his dad went round and round and more often than not, Begian was denied what he wanted. Then he told me that he once had a wife, her name was Anya. They had been married for almost a year when he came home one day to find her beaten. He asked her about who and why and she told him Begian attacked her. He thought she would betray her husband with him because he was better looking and he had more money from his real father. He thought she would leave Ivan for him and when she didn’t, he attacked her.”

  Tate raised his brows at this event.

  Daniel shook his head. “He made Begian seem like a real bastard. Ivan’s father dragged Begian back and made him explain his reason for attacking Anya. Begian told him Anya was his first. He loved her before she got together with Ivan and he was just taking his own back. Then in a fit of rage, he stabbed Ivan’s father and ran away.”

  “Holy shit boy,” Tate exclaimed. “That’s insane. What did this Ivan do?”

  “He called the police, then he buried his father.” Daniel shook his head. “The police looked for Begian but couldn’t find him. Then four days later, Begian came back and kidnapped Anya. Ivan said he found evidence they’d escaped Russia completely. He’s been looking for them for twenty two years now. He told me he’d left Russia and settled here because there were too many memories back home.”