Faith: Biker Romance (The Virtues Book 2) (14 page)

“I know. I know,” I said as the sun began to fade into the Diablo Range of mountains to the west. Almost three weeks after Eddie and I skipped town, I still hadn’t talked to them. My anger and fear were still very present, and I thought that may have stopped me from calling earlier. Esther was right. They were still my parents; they had a right to hear from me.

“We’ll be out of your hair as soon as one of us lands a job, sis. I know it’s been a pain having us here, but it won’t be for much longer. I promise.”

She smiled. “Hey, you stay as long as you need to.” She meant well, but her words fell flat. I couldn't blame her.

I stared at the phone for a long time before dialing. I was in the master bedroom with the door closed. I knew I was going to get an earful, and the last thing I wanted was someone to come in while I tearfully tried to explain myself. That was my thought going in, but then I decided there would be no tears.

I made a choice; a choice I intended to stick with. Eddie and I weren’t going back, and if my parents decided to come to Bakersfield for me, I think my man would have no problem firing up the Harley and taking off. Bonnie and Clyde; Faith and Eddie.

With that thought keeping my soul warm, I prepared to deal once again with Colorado Springs. I dialed my parents’ number and waited.

“Hello? Vincini residence,” my mother answered, the same scripted cheer in her voice every time she picked up the phone. I thought it might trigger something, some kind of pain, but it didn't.

“Hi, Mom.” I held my breath, waiting for tears or anger.

It was the former. A clank came, and I pulled the receiver away from my ear. As I put it back, I could hear sobbing.

After a strong effort to cover the crying, she said, “Sorry, dear. I dropped the phone. Your father and I were worried sick.”

“I know you were, Mom, and I’m really sorry,” My voice got lower, “But you know why I left, don’t you?” I listened carefully before speaking. If my dad was in the room with her, she’d ignore the question. There was no way she didn’t know what he was really like. I feared for her safety, but something told me that he paid her no attention. It had always been his daughters that caused him “demons.”

She let out another choked breath. “I know, dear. I know. We just want to know that you are all right.”

I guess the code was understood by all the women in the family. Our mother did the best she could to keep the peace. I had to admire her for that. The lump in my throat finally decided to show itself.

Fighting to keep my voice under control, I assured her, “We’re all safe and well, Mom. I came with Eddie, but you probably know that. I’m... I’m not coming back, but you probably know that, too.”

She sobbed again. “I know, dear. Just go be happy for me. When I get the chance, I’ll send you all your paperwork. Will your sister be able to get it to you?”

I knew my mother was really asking if I was in California. She could be trusted, but I didn’t want to put any strain on her. If my father suspected something, who knew what he might do? It was far better to keep my mother distanced.

“Yes. Esther will be able to get me all my papers. Thank you, Mom. I’ll talk to you soon.” It sounded more like a question than I meant it to.

Through more sobs. “I hope so. I love you, Faith.”

“I love you, too, Mom.” I hung up.

I couldn’t hold the emotion back any longer. I began to weep, my face down in the bed. I didn’t hear the door open, but I felt Eddie’s hand at my shoulders. He didn’t speak, but he rubbed my tired body and stayed with me until I could look up at him.

“Was this all a mistake?” I asked, no longer sure of anything. “Did we make a huge mistake?”

“Faith, there’s no mistakes, just different paths. The dangerous path is sometimes the safest in the end.”

His words resonated with me hard. We had chosen the dangerous path, but it was to escape another danger—a greater one, maybe. I listened as he kept speaking, telling me that we were in the land of opportunity.

“
Up ahead, they's a thousan' lives we might live, but when it comes, it'll on'y be one,” he said, mimicking the Okie accents of the characters in
The Grapes of Wrath.

I smiled at him. My heart ached with the feelings of those thousan’ lives. “I love you, Eddie. I love you for everything you’ve done for me.”

I threw my arms around him, and I felt him laugh and hug me tightly to his broad chest. He whispered with a delicate tongue into my ear, “I love you, Faith.”

The restlessness didn’t subside. It seemed to be making me sick. I hadn't been feeling well for almost a week. I chalked it up to the stress of crashing my sister’s house with no defined plan about leaving. The memory of my father’s speeches didn't help any, either.

Eddie was the one good thing in my life, but that restlessness remained. Since revealing our love for each other, it only seemed to grow larger and follow closer than our shadows. I found myself casing stores as we walked past them. It was an itch only growing more obtrusive.

We once walked past a dry cleaners, and a man pulled up in a shiny new BMW. He ran in to pick something up, and he left the car running as he did. I squeezed Eddie’s hand, and he laughed when he realized why. It looked like he had more control than me, but it turned out I was wrong.

A few days later, just before one month in Bakersfield, he woke me up before the dawn. As I stirred, he began to tell me about a plan, speaking barely above a whisper. I listened, the thrill and adrenaline waking me up faster and harder than any cup of coffee.

Eddie had spent two weeks putting it together, and it sounded solid. It would be enough money for us to move out of Esther and Matt’s house, giving them the peace they deserved from two vagrants from east of the Rockies.

I smiled when he apologized for keeping the heist a secret. I told him it was no problem. In my mind, though, I thought of the new secret I was keeping from Eddie.

Later that day, after another morning trip to the bathroom, I pulled Esther outside and told her.

Her eyes lit up in pure excitement, but then she pulled it in. “Oh my goodness, is this planned?” I knew she was trying to read my face.
Good luck,
I thought.

“Esther, do we seem like the type to plan?” Outside of the upcoming heist, anyway. “Of course it’s not planned. I don’t know how to tell Eddie, though.”

She smiled. “You’ll find the right time. I will call and schedule you an appointment with my lady doctor. We’re going to make sure this baby is healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

There was no mention of terminating the pregnancy. I knew there wouldn't be. She was part of the Vincini family, after all. Esther was almost as devout as my mother and father. I had considered termination, but enough of the church ran through me to wipe that idea away quick.

The more I thought about it, though, the more I became enamored with the idea of having a child. I knew Eddie was a nomad, but I thought he would make a great father. I’d wait until the time was right and explain my case to him, just like he had explained the robbery.

Esther had given me a profound sense of the future. I used to think,
what is going to happen?
It would keep me up at nights. Even in Bakersfield, we didn't know what was going to happen. My pregnancy was a constant. It was something I could hold onto and say, “This is going to happen.”

I didn’t know when to tell Eddie. For days I hid the morning sickness from him. I told him it was something I had eaten. It appeared to satisfy his worry. I planned to tell him the day of the heist, once we were in the clear. The money wouldn’t be ours for a week, but if Eddie was in a good mood, I thought it would be the best time to tell him.

The plan was simple enough. Eddie was going to pose as a repairman from the security company. He’d be behind the counter messing with the power system when I’d walk in to set up a new account. I’d be the one to pull the gun this time, and Eddie would then be in a perfect position to grab the money quickly.

We’d leave the Harley at home for this one. The getaway would take us to Lake Isabella, where we’d stash the money for a week.

Eddie had located a uniform store, and using the last of our money, he rented one that would pass. I hoped his charm would be enough to get him behind the counters. I knew it would, but I was still looking for any reason to panic.

A few days before the robbery, he went out without me. When he came back, Eddie gave me a slight nod. Esther and Matt either didn’t see it, or assumed it was part of our relationship language that no one else could decipher.

It was, in a way. I knew he was out looking for the getaway car. Something fast, but also something that would blend in with every other car on the road. Something we could ditch in Lake Isabella and it would sit for weeks before anyone would notice. By the time they did, the evidence would be gone, the scent would be cold, and Bonnie and Clyde would be looking at cribs for their new arrival.

The rest of the plan was straightforward. I’d have the gun in my purse, take the associate hostage while Eddie cleared the drawers. He’d go out first to grab the car, I’d meet him two blocks over, minus my pantsuit, my wig, and the fake scar we’d glue to one of my cheeks.

By the time we were on the run, Eddie and I would just be two respectable young adults out for a ride to the Fox Theater. The money would be stored in the trunk, and if it came down to it, I’d fake a pain and blame it on the pregnancy. Eddie would be more surprised than the cop, but it could all be proven true once we got to the hospital. It was my ace in the hole.

The plan was solid, and I was ready for that rush again. The money would certainly help, but that wasn’t why we were doing it. Both of us knew it. It was in the smile on Eddie’s face when he told me the plan. It was in the way he nodded. It was
fun
for us.

The day of, we were ready for fun. My adrenaline was surging from the second I woke up. It was running through me as we took the Harley to Lake Isabella to stash it for the return trip.

Unlike the Mesquite job, this one was not easy. It did not go according to plan.