Beyond the towering hemlock, streamers of afternoon sun highlighted the Renshaws’ partially constructed cabin. Parked out of sight behind a nearby stand of dense cedar trees, Luke and Kolt waited in the cab of the Bronco. The two men listened intently to the sound of the encroaching forest.
“We’ll go ‘round back, that way we can fall back to the woods if there’s trouble,” Luke explained. “Got it?”
“Yup,” Kolt said with a nod.
Luke slipped on his racing jacket and matching ball cap while Kolt zipped up the front of his frayed dark olive-green coat. After they silently exited the truck, the boy grabbed a small black-and-gray travel bag from the seat before slamming the passenger door.
“Quiet, you idiot!” Luke exclaimed.
Five minutes later they stood outside the Renshaws’ workshop facing a white metal door while Kolt jiggled the doorknob.
“Quit messing around and bust it down,” Luke demanded.
“I don’t wanna break nothing of Mr. Renshaw’s. He’s alright.”
“Don’t be a chicken-shit. Kick it in already,” Luke snapped. “You ain’t no good to me if I gotta explain everything to your pea brain.” Maybe it ain’t such a good idea getting Kolt to help out while Chad’s locked up… thought a little extra cash might do the kid some good. Instead, he’s turning out more trouble than he’s worth.
Stepping back, Kolt turned his 240-pound frame sideways and clumsily gave the steel door a kick. The entire workshop frame rattled but the door held.
“Must be barred inside,” Luke said, lighting a cigarette. “Let’s try the front.”
The two men walked around the north end of the building and faced the two large swinging wooden doors. Retrieving his father’s rusty hammer from Kolt’s bag, Luke used the claw to pry at the door’s center seam; a wrenching noise sounded from within. Peering through the crack, he spied a 2-by-4 crossbeam barring the doors from the inside.
“Fetch me the crowbar,” Luke said.
Kolt lumbered over and handed him the slim iron lever.
“Hold the hammer while I see if I can pop the beam off.”
Taking hold of the hammer, Kolt maintained pressure while Luke forced the flat end of the crowbar between the two sides of the seam. Rocking the tool higher, Luke pressed his weight behind one final upward jolt. A wooden clatter came from inside and the double doors were free. Open says me. With a smile, Luke swung the large doors wide open.
“See that?” Luke asked. “You just seen a pro in action.” Strutting like a fox in a hen house, he entered the workshop and looked around. “Shit! The prick cleared the place out.”
After taking the last puff from his cigarette, Luke stubbed out the butt on the countertop before flicking it into the shelving. “Make it fast. Take anything looks like we can flip it.” Luke squatted down to rummage through the shelves. Heavy wires dangled from where a battery bank, now removed, was once installed.
Plodding further inside, Kolt checked the side door that he had tried to kick in earlier. “Ain’t no bar here.”
“What the hell you doing?” Luke asked. “Grab some stuff and let’s get out a here.”
The two men began looting the cabinets. Minutes later, Luke rose to his feet with a curse. “There ain’t jack worth taking. Guess it don’t matter long as that prick thinks twice about keeping the place.”
“Let’s check upstairs.”
At the top, Luke peered into the dim loft. A small kerosene lamp sat on a side table next to an old wrought iron bed. Nothing! Angrily backing down the stairs, he froze halfway.
“Shut up!” Luke said, as a shot of adrenaline coursed through his blood. “I hear something.”
“What is it?” Kolt asked with eyes wide from fear.
“Gig’s up,” Luke said with a grin of excitement as the sound became louder. A vehicle was approaching.
Must be time for another lesson.
-- : --
Kendra gripped the steering wheel of the gold Buick as the car crept toward the workshop. Warner’s going to be impressed when he finds out I checked on the property after all. He’s been so sweet since finding out about the baby. This will show him I’m doing my part. Having a baby might be the best thing for us after all. When the car jolted through a pothole and startled her, she felt a tickle of her usual angst return. I should have brought Bella.
“Quit being a scaredy-cat,” she said aloud to break the silence.
Turning the curve in the drive and gaining a clear view of the workshop, she stomped on the brakes. The large wooden doors on the end of the shop stood open. She clenched the soft leather wrapping the steering wheel and her breathing became heavy; her bra suddenly felt two sizes too small. Darting her eyes from the open doors… to the rear of the workshop… to the cabin… and then back again, she searched for any sign of movement. Sweat dampened her brow and the skin beneath her breasts became clammy.
As the minutes passed, her right ear began to itch and she became aware of her procrastination. Knock it off! If anyone was still here I’d see a car. Just close the place up and leave. She took a deep breath. Why did I think this was a good idea?
Allowing the Buick to crawl forward, she maintained a safe distance from the workshop. How close is safe? Putting the car in park, she left the engine running and slowly opened the door to stand behind its meager protection. She cocked her head to listen.
What does danger sound like anyway? It’s quiet—that’s good, right?
-- : --
Crammed between the bed and the small window in the loft, Kolt peeked out the glass pane to watch the pretty, dark-haired woman walk around the car door.
“She’s coming!” he whispered.
“Shhh,” Luke hissed.
The floor creaked as Luke lowered his powerful build to a prone position on the floor near the top edge of the stairwell. In the low light, he took a deep breath to slow his racing heart and crouched like a cougar with its prey in sight.
-- : --
Leaving the Buick door open, Kendra crept in a wide arc around the front of the workshop to get a clear view inside. The bright sunlight cast ominous shadows in the interior and she waited for her eyes to adjust. Seeing no movement within, she edged closer as if tiptoeing along a dangerous high wire—the farther she went the more convinced she became that a fall was imminent. The muscles in her cheeks tightened and the tension in her neck throbbed. Ten feet from the opening, she felt the beginning of a migraine—this one is going to be painful. Rubbing her forehead, she surveyed the damage from the break-in. Why didn’t they make a bigger mess?
-- : --
Like a cat watching a mouse, Luke shifted to the head of the stairs and settled into a better position in the event of discovery. Hearing the woman approach, he froze and almost quivered with controlled tension. He grinned and the corner of his eyes creased with a mounting thrill.
Must be the prick’s wife. Wonder what she’d be like in the sack?
Behind Luke, Kolt panicked and shoved his bulk further between the bed’s headboard and the wall.
-- : --
Reaching the edge of the double doors, Kendra noticed a few items inside had been pulled onto the rough concrete floor. The majority of things remained organized on shelves, where her husband had placed them. She smiled, thinking about her husband, and felt reassured. He wouldn’t have allowed me to come out here if it was dangerous. He’d never let anything happen to me. Then she reminded herself: He didn’t want me to come—and I didn’t tell him.
Taking a deep breath, she marched into the workshop. I can take care of myself. Picking up a small tin canister, she set it on the countertop and looked in the corner under the stairs. Finding nothing dangerous lurking in the dim shadows, Kendra moved to the bottom of the stairway leading to the loft; soft light streamed through the small window near the top.
Do I have to check out the loft? What if Warner asks about it? Then he’d know I’m a big chicken and I hate when he says I’m being ‘paranoid.’
She placed a foot on the first step. Well, I can be tough too.
-- : --
Luke’s eyes narrowed and his breathing caught up with his pounding heart. His senses heightened with the familiar arousal at the threat of discovery and confrontation. He could smell her—clean, sweet, slightly salty. Shifting his weight to relieve his cramped knees, the boards beneath him creaked.
-- : --
Kendra’s eyes widened. What was that? Is the floor settling like houses do after they’re built? Or was it something else?
Chased by worry, her over-active imagination made a run for it, and she began to tremble. Could be mice, or maybe a wild animal wandered in.
“Quit acting like there’s a bogey-man. It’s broad daylight.” She tried to revive her bravery. Close the place up and get out of here before something happens.
Removing her foot from the step, she turned and made her way to the front of the workshop. She felt a chill rise up her spine. I can’t believe criminals stood right here. Before stepping outside, she noticed a rusty hammer on the counter near the door. Staring at the unfamiliar tool, she reached over and picked it up.
-- : --
Shifting to the right, Luke carefully stretched out to relieve his aching legs. He turned a questioning expression toward Kolt. Where’d she go? The boy shrugged and shook his head. Frowning, Luke turned back to the stairwell. I’m tired of waiting for this chick to decide what she’s doing.
When Luke eased his head and shoulders over the edge of the floor to spy upside-down into the room below, his ball cap slipped from his head. Scrambling to catch the black hat, he failed, and it fell to the lower steps with a soft thud, flipped in between two treads, and settled into the dusty shadows on the concrete floor. Jerking back into hiding, he clenched his teeth so hard they made a grinding noise.
Shit!
-- : --
With a start, Kendra whirled to face the sound by the stairs and nearly lost her balance. Stumbling back a step, she stared at the rear of the workshop. She was unable to identify the source of the noise over the racket of her thumping heart. The sound did not repeat and she glanced at the hammer in her right hand. Warner’s right, I get spooked too easy. She spotted the small dark lump on the floor in the shadows below the stairs.
Oh God, is that a rat?
Gripping the hammer in both hands, Kendra stepped toward the motionless dark mound. Reaching the foot of the stairs, her hand shook as she leaned forward to stretch out the hammer. So focused on identifying the object that had not been there a moment ago, she ignored the cobwebs brushing her bare forearm. Poking the lump, she was flooded with relief.
Thank goodness, it’s not a rat! I don’t think I could sleep here again if we found a rat inside.
Grasping the black bill, she retrieved the cap and stood up to hold it in the sunlight falling through the window at the top of the stairs. Was this hanging under the stairs? What knocked it loose?
“Goddamn it!” a deep voice yelled from above before a large man crashed down on top of her.