Where Tomorrow Leads (7 page)

What kind of parents would they be, she wondered. Here they had an opportunity to help a kid yet all they wanted to do was drop him off and get to their hotel so they could fall into each others arms. It was because Jake had become a beast of passion. He couldn’t get enough of her and wanting him made everything else take back seat. He was always passionate but this road trip changed them both somehow. His work kept him busy most days and her writing kept her unaware. Maybe they both needed to slow down and enjoy each other more.

Maggie let her head fall back against the seat and lifted her face into the wind. Perhaps wanting marriage and a family was too much. Maybe she wanted that because it was out of her reach at the moment. Perhaps it was good he stalled at asking the question. They were young enough to decide later. After all, it wasn’t like her biological clock ticked away. That was all nonsense, she never did anything by convention.

Maggie dozed off with thoughts of Jake and walking along the beach with him at night. The last time they spent time near a beach, she got drunk on Tequila and passed out. Not this time, she promised. This would be a night to remember.

<><>

“Wake up sunshine.” He nudged her shoulder, picked up her hand and in one gentle swoop, kissed each finger. She cupped his cheek with her hand and gazed at him through sleepy eyes.

“I love you.”

“I love you as well, as I’m sure Danny does too.” Jake nodded towards the back seat.

He watched in amusement as she sat up and twisted her body to find the teenager still in the back seat. “How are you feeling Danny?”

The boy stretched and nodded and as his arm went up in the air, she motioned for Jake to check out those nasty marks. Jake wretched open the car door and stood, then pulled the seat front. “Let’s go Danny, we have to talk.” He didn’t want Maggie involved in the conversation they were about to have.

The teen sat still for a moment and then shrugged before he got out of the car. Jake turned to Maggie. “I’ll be right back. Why don’t you go into the store and get us a cold drink.” She was about to open her mouth and say something, but at Jake’s fierce look, she closed her mouth and left. At least she understood he needed a private moment with the kid.

He couldn’t explain to her right now, but she’d be upset when he told her the teen finagled a free ride from them. Jake grabbed the kids arm. “Let’s talk over here,” he pointed to a palm tree along the street. He wanted the kid out of the way of any traffic in case he tried to run.

“I gotta get going,” Danny said. “My Mom is waiting for me, she’s up the road about a half mile from here. She doesn’t have much time.”

“Bull,” Jake snapped. “Enough lies.” He took the kid by the wrist and turned his arm, the bruises clear as a bell. Except they weren’t bruises from any form of child abuse, but self abuse. “These are track marks and bruises where you didn’t insert a needle right.”

“No, that’s not true. I hurt myself.”

“Save it!”

“Let me go, I did have a problem but I’m fine now. I want to get to my Mom.”

Danny began to pull back, but he didn’t have much strength. The kid was an addict. Jake couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it at the diner on 95. He was angry he neglected to see what was right in front of him. “Don’t try to fool me, kid. I’ve been through this with one of my employees. Those are track marks and they are fresh. You get yourself in to a rehab or head straight to the hospital ER, you hear me?”

Danny glared. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

“That’s true. I can’t get you off drugs and I can’t make you do anything. Let me tell you something, son. One of the best guys in the business of finding people is looking at your photo right now. If you lie to me, he’ll find out who you are and where you belong. I’d say you may as well be honest right now because I can help you.”

Danny relaxed his arm, but the weary look in his eyes told Jake he would flee the moment his arm was free. Even so Jake had to try.

“You can’t help me. I stole from these guys and they don’t care if I’m addicted or not. All they want is their money.”

Jake noticed Maggie returned to the car. She got in and propped her feet on the door like she did when the biker tried to tickle them. He would’ve smiled about that but was too angry at the kid.

“I did come from my Dad’s place in Baltimore but he was on the road and never knew I was there. I took some of his money. Then I fronted some dope from these guys so I could sell it to support my habit. Now I owe them a couple thousand dollars. If I go to rehab or even to the ER they’ll find me, they’ve been following my trail.”

Jake gripped his arm tighter. “They’re trailing us? You put other people in danger because of your addiction? My woman? You little sonofabitch!”

He wanted to jerk the kid up and clean his clock but he couldn’t. Every nerve in Jake’s body screamed to let the kid go. Let him run and hide and let the dealers find him. It wasn’t his problem. But he saw what it did to Mark Lenton, one of the guys who worked for him. The guy turned himself around even though it was tough. There were times Jake thought he’d have to let the guy go, but after three times, Mark won the battle. Now he was one of his best workers who could lead a crew blind folded.

The teen cringed. Jake wasn’t sure Danny was at the point where he wanted help. He looked scared and yet there was something about him that said he’d sell his soul to the devil for another fix. It was the drug talking, not the person. Jake had to remember the words of the counsellor who helped his employee. “Danny, do you want me to help you?”

He shrugged. “I don’t see there’s any getting out of this mess. I don’t have any money or drugs to even sell to get more money.”

“Do you live here? Where’s your Mother?”

He hung his head. “My Mom isn’t dying. She couldn’t care less what I do.”

Jake knelt down and looked Danny in the eye. “I think you’re wrong. I don’t even know what your situation is with these guys, but you can’t do this alone. Danny, I’m going to take you to home and you’re going to tell your Mom so she can get you some help. I’m not giving you a choice. It’s that or I’ll take you to the local police. You’re too young to be out here on your own.”

Tears welled in the kid’s eyes. Jake even choked up a bit seeing him begin to hit rock bottom. He noticed Danny began to shake a bit because his body was telling him he needed a fix. “We have to go now, if you want to get some help. Before your body can’t say no, you need to do this, okay?”

Jake waited for him to nod, because the only way he could help the teen was if he wanted the help. He knew no one could force any kind of rehab if he didn’t agree. After a few minutes of serious contemplation, Danny agreed. “Okay, then let’s get you to your house. Where do you live?”

They got back in the car and he gazed at Maggie, who knew something was wrong. He reassured her with a look that told her he’d fill in the blanks soon. She didn’t question him but sat in the front seat, her gaze straight ahead. Then she turned back to the boy. “It’s all right. I figured out what the problem is when I was in the store. Ready to go home?”

The pink Impala went about thirteen miles out of its way to drop the kid off at home. Jake walked to the front door and waited for his Mom to answer. After several rings, she yanked open the door and tears of joy filled her eyes when she saw her son. Jake spoke with her and then left after handing her one of his cards.

He got back in the Impala and dropped his head to the steering wheel. Maggie was silent beside him but he knew she was there. A gentle hand rested on his shoulder. He breathed deep and let it out slow, then turned to her. “How did you guess?”

“Research. It dawned on me when I was in the store he could be an addict. My mystery romance series had a character involved with drugs and after realizing he could be an addict, I looked out the window. I saw you examining his arm and the look on your face confirmed my suspicions.”

He nodded. “I hated to threaten him with the cops but it was the only way to get him to go home. It looks like his Mom will heed my warning and get him some help today. She said she’s been struggling with his addiction for almost a year.”

“Do you think he’ll make it through? He’s a nice kid otherwise.” Maggie ran a hand up and down his arm.

“I don’t know. He said there are guys after him wanting money. Josh is doing what he does best so we’ll see if it’s true. If so I’ll pay them off if he agrees to go to rehab.”

Maggie’s eyes widened. “Jake, you can’t pay off drug dealers. Let them get their what for with the police. Even Danny has to serve time for his stealing or whatever he’s being chased for.”

It was obvious she never dealt with this type of stuff before. “I know they’re drug dealers Maggie. The problem is these guys are after him and they won’t stop at much to get their money back. His life could be in danger. It’s why he ran. They’ll get their money back and think it was from him. The kid can wipe his hands of them and start over.”

He could feel her eyes stare at his profile. He didn’t look over but shifted the car and headed towards the hotel they planned to stay at. “Maggie, I know it sounds bad, but he needs someone to help him. I won’t let him go without paying the money back. He can work for me and get his life back. Think of it as an investment in his future.”

She calmed down after he told her about his employee. “You are one of the kindest and most generous men I’ve ever known. I worry about you, Jake. I want to do something super fantastic for you.” She snuggled closer to him, even though they were in bucket seats. “I wish this console wasn’t here.”

Jake laughed. “Baby you’ve given me the best time of my life. I’ve worked non stop for the last thirteen years of my life. Since I was twenty years old, I built this company without taking a second breath. I’m glad you insisted on this vacation. I need you.”

Maggie picked up his hand from the gear shift and pressed her mouth to his skin. She held it there for a moment while a tear slipped down her cheek. It landed on his hand.

“Maggie, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“It’s happy tears. That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“I know you want more. I will someday, I promise.”

“I know Jake.”

“I guess maybe it’s time I talked about why I have a hard time with some things. You deserve an explanation.”

She reached over and placed her finger over his mouth. “Shh, not now. How about tonight, under the stars. This hotel is the perfect place to spend the evening talking.”

Jake nodded, then growled. “I don’t plan to talk much baby, if you know what I mean.”

She giggled. “I don’t plan to do much talking then, either.”

<><>

The Driftwood Resort sat along the Atlantic Ocean, it’s original beach house made of board and antique exterior walls with wood shingled gable ends and some of the most elaborate decorative truss work ever. Jake made his way around the property, intrigued with the rustic balcony railings and drift wood.

Maggie laughed as she tried to keep up. “It’s said the driftwood comes from old ships of days gone by. There was even a story of using old barn wood to build some of the walls.” She double checked the notes tucked in her pocket. “Yep, that is what its made of.”

“Nice touch,” Jake mentioned as he walked through a stone wall in to the courtyard. Two rustic cannons, embedded on each side of the walls, were most likely from the days of the civil war. A breeze way stood at the end of the ceramic tiled courtyard.

She followed Jake up a set of steps with rustic wooden railings. A few different types of old bells hung on the walls in various areas, giving off a rustic, beachcomber ambience. Maggie loved the old wooden rockers in front of their room on the balcony. They could sit out and watch as the sun went down this evening. That’s if they weren’t busy with other things.

After a great dinner at the bar and grill adjacent to the breeze way, Maggie suggested they take a long walk along the private beach. It was a quiet night along the water as the sun set. They strolled through the sand, their arms wrapped around each other. Amber lights from the resort lit up the area, giving off a serene old world charm. “Are you glad we stopped here?” she asked him.

“This is a great piece of history that intrigues me. I’m glad we’re here baby.” He stopped and kissed her, a long, sensual kiss that promised more before the night was over. “I’m so in love with you Maggie. I need you to understand what’s going on inside of me,” Jake admitted.

Maggie gazed at him. The night was perfect. A clear sky with the moon gazing down on the water as wave after wave rippled across the ocean. She snuggled in his arms. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“It isn’t you. You’re not the reason I can’t say the words you want to hear.”

Maggie held her fingertips over his mouth. “You don’t have to tell me.” Why did she say those words? Of course she wanted to know!

“I can’t help thinking that if I marry you then I will jinx things and I’ll lose-”

Jake stumbled over the last word, unable to finish. The desperate look in his eyes told her to tread light or he would close up.

It dawned on Maggie why he was so afraid. He thought if they got married sooner or later she would die too, like his Mother. “Oh my love, you can’t have those kinds of thoughts!”