Betrayals of the Heart by Melissa Ohnoutka Page B

air.
    He’d stick to the plan, all right. After he found his family, he’d kill Steven without a second thought.
    Shuddering at his barbaric thoughts, he reached for his phone and dialed Makayla’s cell phone. This had gone on long enough. He wanted to assure her of his love in person, but time was running out. She needed to know his feelings for her hadn’t changed. That he still wanted to spend his forever with her.
    Dammit. No answer. She either didn’t have it with her or refused to suffer through anymore of his insensitive conversations.
    Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a motorcycle flying down a wrong way street. The strangest part about the image wasn’t the improper direction, but the long dark hair flapping out the back and sides of the helmet.
    “Makayla?”
    Ryan’s mouth dropped in disbelief. She’d escaped under the watch of four highly trained law men, not to mention McCoy, walked all the way to the storage unit on the edge of town, and if that didn’t ice the cake, had managed to start the motorcycle without any help from him. This proved the strength of a mother’s maternal instincts. It also scared the shit out of him. What else would she do to protect her sons?
    With one smooth move, he turned the truck around and sped after her.
    Horrible thoughts haunted his soul. Steven wouldn’t hesitate to run her down on sight. He didn’t want to talk, didn’t want to negotiate. He wanted Makayla. Her physical condition didn’t matter. Ryan swallowed hard, imagining the torture Steven had in store for her. The unmentionable things he might be doing to Nicholas. Those were the worst. Nick was only a child. And once he had Makayla in his possession , there would be little use for Nicholas at all. Steven had no ties to him.
    Another possibility turned his blood to ice. Steven might use Nicholas to punish Ryan for his relationship with Makayla, for his aiding her escape all those years ago. What better way to make Ryan suffer than torment his only son?
    Ryan pushed away the pictures of what Nicholas might be going through. He needed his senses to be sharp. Couldn’t let emotions get in the way. This would be the hardest thing he’d ever done in his entire career.
    Eyes focused, he watched the tiny dot in front of him. The closer he came, the clearer he could see Makayla. She was traveling in excessive speeds. Speeds unsafe for an inexperienced motorcyclist. If she didn’t kill herself, he’d ream her good for her carelessness when he caught up with her. That is after he made sure she was safe.
    The moment the golden arches appeared over the horizon, Ryan knew exactly where Makayla was headed. How could she put herself in danger like this? She had to know Steven would have people watching for her.
    That proved it. She wasn’t thinking at all. She was making careless mistakes, further confirmation that she was indeed still the victim and not a part of Steven’s sick plan.
     
    ***
    Makayla’s heart raced in her chest as the ground zipped by beneath her feet. She’d never ridden the motorcycle so fast alone. Ryan was always right behind her egging her on, but she’d stayed to speeds she felt comfortable with. Too dangerous . Her common sense protested over and over. Slow down , you’ll be worthless to them if you have an accident.
    But the minute the McDuffs cleared the horizon, she silenced all the voices. Her thoughts were busy trying to devise a plan to rescue both her sons. Michael would be easy to spot. His newly crew cut hair spiked with blonde tips were still a sore subject. What kids did nowa-days to show their unity in sports drove her crazy.
    Slowing down next to the curb, she braced herself for the weight of the machine. If she wasn’t careful, the minute the momentum ceased, it would overpower her small frame. She’d go down fast, the heavy weight trapping her beneath the metal.
    One, two, three, stop.
    A quick move of her leg and she caught the curb with her foot,