Chapter Six
Kevan held on as Brody accelerated around another curve in the road, passing a sign, Cedar Rd. Ahead. She couldn’t believe they were in Mission already. When they had left Crescent Beach, she wanted to throw out her arms and scream at the top of her lungs, but the speed at which Brody was flying down the road wasn’t exactly conducive to that action. Brody had taken them past Sanctuary, just to see if there was any crime tape wrapped around the building. There wasn’t even a scrap of litter against the door. All of Front Street was quiet, no one in the dumpster, and no traffic.
When they finally got out of Maple Ridge, Brody was able to fly down Lougheed Highway to Ruskin, and a fast pull past the pub had taken them north to Dewdney Trunk Road. Brody hadn’t slowed much, racing through the forest-lined curves that lead to Mission. Brody eased back to a moderate pace to get through the neighbourhoods until they passed the hospital in Mission, and back to the highway, picking up speed at the Mission Bridge.
Shifting gears was subconscious as he wove his Ducati through traffic, giving his brain the time to notice the same dark SUV that he had seen for the last few miles, following them about four cars back.
Kevan heard Brody yell, “Hang on!” She tightened her grip around Brody’s waist, as she felt the bike rev and surge through more traffic.
Brody loved how the Ducati jumped to his command, as he attempted to increase the distance between him and the ones that seemed to be following them. Checking once again in the mirror, he smiled to himself as the SUV got stuck behind an old beater and a commercial truck. Abbotsford became a blur in his rush to get to Highway 1 and back into the city. He didn’t see the SUV on the freeway, but decided at the last minute to cut across the lanes and leave the number 1 at the 264th exit. Within minutes, they were out of sight in a quiet residential area. They kept moving, only at a much more reasonable speed.
Finally, he came to a stop in front of a small park. Kevan bounced off the back of the bike, twirling around as the adrenaline surged through her.
She looked at Brody, “Raven always talks about what a rush it is to drive a motorcycle, but I’ve never been on one before.” Brody laughed as he watched her reaction. “Oh gods, if I had known what it was like, I’d have learned to drive one long before now.”
“You had better watch out, they can be addicting,” he warned her. “I’m just glad to see a smile on your face. Are you feeling better?”
“I feel on top of the world, but what’s with the daredevil stuff? Not that I didn’t enjoy the rush, but you must have pissed off at least a dozen drivers by shooting across the freeway the way you did. Why not wait for the next exit?”
“That would defeat the purpose.” Brody loved keeping people guessing, but Kevan was getting a little pissed-off.
“What are you talking about? What the hell aren’t you telling me?”
“Well Dude, by taking the exit at the last minute, I was trying to prevent our tail from being able to follow us.” He smiled as he watched Kevan’s fist clench and unclench, as she decided when she was going to punch him if he didn’t get to the point. “Hey, it’s what they would have done in the movies.”
Kevan let out a howl of frustration, “I hate to burst your bubble, Brody, but we ain’t in the movies, and who the hell would be following us? By the way, it’s Dudette, not Dude for women, but know that you take your life in your hands if my sisters or cousins hear you calling them Dudette!”
Brody laughed. “I’ll try to remember that. Now for the problem at hand, I don’t know who was in the SUV, but we picked them up about a mile after we left Mission, and they’ve been on our tail ever since,” he told her.
“What?” she gasped, looking over her shoulder, not seeing anyone, “Are you sure they were following us? Why would someone follow us?”
“You got me there. I could have asked, but I didn’t really think you’d want me to stop,” Brody shrugged. “If you do we could always go back and find them.”
“Smart ass! Now focus, why would somebody be following us? It’s not like this was planned, we didn’t exactly have a destination in mind, and there doesn’t seem to be any fallout from last night. This doesn’t make any sense. Until last night, my family hasn’t interacted with any of the races except in minor ways for a very long time, so it’s not as if they would be looking for us. Something about this doesn’t feel right,” she babbled at him, confusion and anger reigning.
“Yeah dude, excuse me, dudette, you might be onto something,” Brody said. He wished he had gotten a better look at the license plate, but he had other things, like losing their tail and not crashing, on his mind. Man, now he was going to have to explain that to Caleb.
“What could you have that they would want?” Kevan pushed him.
“That’s just it, I have nothing, I doubt they’re after me,” Brody told her.
“What are you saying that they are after me? Oh please, I have nothing that anyone would want, so thinking they’re after me is ridiculous,” Kevan laughed, “It’s not like we have money.”
“I wish it was something as simple as money,” Brody reached out and touched Kevan’s pendant, “but I don’t think it is.”
“Brody, you’re crazy,” she told him. “Why would they want some stupid stone?”
“I didn’t say they were after your pendant, just that it’s a possibility. Now, I have to call Caleb.” He groaned at the thought.
Kevan reached out, gripping Brody’s arm, her eyes wide with alarm as thoughts flashed through her brain. “Cripes, my brain is firing on half its normal power! If it is the pendant they’re after, then my family could be in danger; we all have them.” She gripped his arm even tighter, making him wince.
“Kevan, don’t worry, this whole thing could be nothing. Besides, the guys will protect them.” Brody attempted to reassure her.
“I don’t know what to think anymore. After last night, the little we’ve learned about the necklace, it could be something someone might want.” She rubbed her arms, “I don’t know how to deal with this stuff. It all just seems like a story, and we’re waiting to catch a glimpse of the ending. How do you deal with all the other races?” she said, as she rubbed the pendant.
Brody pulled out his cell phone hitting a speed dial number, and waited while it rang. “You make the other races sound like a disease ....” he stopped and held up his finger when the voice answered. “Hey Caleb, how’s it going ... really, that’s great... what ...? Look, I really don’t want you to get mad, but we may have a problem here.” He paused, listening to Caleb on the other end of the phone. His face told Kevan the whole story. “We ... oh, Kevan is with me … No I didn’t have an accident … Yes we’re both fine … Someone was following us … No I lost them … Yes she’s fine … Yes I’m sure … We’re in Aldergrove … We’re heading back ASAP ….Where …. Okay … I will … No detours … Yes Caleb, I promise … I promise … I promise … Caleb … We’ll see you soon.” Kevan grabbed his arm and mouthed my family to him. “Caleb, Kevan’s worried that her family might be targeted ... Thanks, I’ll tell her … Thanks again, Caleb, see you soon.” He closed his phone, feeling a little green. “He’s so pissed ....” came out in a whimper.
“I take it that he’s a little upset?” Kevan questioned him, slightly amused.
“Oh, I’d say that’s an understatement,” Brody half joked. “Come on, we had better get moving. Caleb wants you safe, ASAP.”
“What about my family?” she questioned.
“He’s sending someone to check on them. Now we need to get moving, get you someplace safe.”
“And where, pray tell, would that be?” Kevan asked him.
“Caleb’s,” Brody informed her as he got back on the bike, handing her the helmet he had loaned her. “Come on, let’s move.”
“What if I don’t want to go to Caleb’s?” she asked, crossing her arms.
“Kevan, please, Caleb is so pissed. He accused me of being rec
kless with your life, so just get on so we can get moving. He is expecting us.”
“Brody, I don’t understand why you are so worried? He’s not my husband or even my boyfriend, and even if he was, I don’t take orders from him,” she told him defiantly.
“You might not, but I do; remember, I work for him.”
“I thought you worked with him? Roderic said something about you being an investigator?”
“I’m a bit of everything, investigator, computer tech, and general guy Friday. They need it, and I make it happen. I’m the magic man,” he stated, acting like a big goof, sliding his hands out to his sides, shaking them, making Kevan laugh, shaking her head.
“Oh really, well tell me Mr. Magic man, why are you jumping to his bark? You’re acting like a trained seal,” Kevan threw at him.
“Because they pay my salary for one thing, and beyond that, they’re my family, so when Caleb tells me that he wants you at his place, that is exactly where we are going. Stop arguing, get on the bike, and quit being such a baby.” He waited for her to get on the bike.
“One, I’m not a baby, and calling me one is a definite way to ensure that you end up singing soprano,” she threatened him, “and two, what did the vehicle look like that was following us?”
“Why...?” he asked.
“Was it a dark blue or black SUV?” she asked him, as she pulled on the helmet.
“What the f..., it’s not possible!” he exclaimed, twisting to look over his shoulder, “How the hell..!” Hitting the starter, the bike belched to life, Kevan sliding on the back. “Shit! Shit! Shit!” he yelled, slamming it into gear, taking off like a rocket. Kevan held on tight. A glance behind them showed the SUV barreling its way towards them at a high rate of speed.
Brody swerved in and out of traffic, attempting to stay ahead. He tried everything he could to lose the SUV, but they seemed to have a horseshoe up their ass, because no sooner had he thought they were in the clear, the dark SUV would show up again. Kevan thought for sure she was going to die, as Brody raced down 8th towards Langley at insane speeds, passing traffic in a blur, and then turning the bike down 208th.
“How the hell are they finding us?” Brody hollered, his words echoing Kevan’s thoughts, as he flew around another corner, just barely avoiding a delivery truck parked illegally. Pulling around the truck, Brody stopped in front of the casino. Waiting to see if they had finally lost them, he handed his phone to Kevan.
“Call Caleb, tell him we’re leaving Langley, and coming in fast with company. We should be at his house, in Point Grey, in about 45 minutes, have the gates open.” Just then, the SUV came squealing around the corner. “Dammit, these guys are really starting to piss me off, nobody’s that good! I know roads in this city that most don’t; how the hell are they finding us?” Kevan grabbed the phone, holding tight with one arm, hitting the redial button for Caleb’s number, barely hearing it ring, and then the boom of Caleb’s voice.
“Where the hell are you?” he roared. “Brody ...?” he questioned, when he didn’t hear anything.
“Just listen,” Kevan yelled into the phone, trying to hear him over the roar of the wind coming in the open face shield of her helmet, the phone’s earpiece just fitting inside the helmet.
“Kevan,” his heart clenched at the tone of her voice. “What’s wrong?”
“Listen,” she yelled again, “Brody said to tell you we’re leaving Langley and coming in fast with company, have the gates open.”
“Where are …” Caleb yelled.
Kevan had snapped the phone closed, shoving it into her pocket so she didn’t lose it.
Caleb growled with frustration at being cut off, “I’m going to kill Brody, I swear, first his bike, then him.” Punching a button on the security panel, opening a video conference connection to the security gate, “Be ready to open the gate on my command,” he told Kayne. “They’re coming in fast with company, so have everyone at the ready.”
“They?” Kayne questioned his cousin, hearing the controlled anger in his voice.
“Yes they. Brody has Kevan Cameron with him, and it would seem that they’ve picked up an unwelcome follower.”
“Brody hasn’t lost them?” Kayne was surprised.
“Not yet,” Caleb growled.
“Hey, you know that he wouldn’t have put her in danger deliberately.”
“I don’t care at this moment, he has her on the back of that bloody bike of his, and they are both in danger. That bike’s toast the first chance I get,” Caleb roared.
“Caleb, do you know how often you have threatened that? He’s young and cocky, but he’s one hell of a rider, and he’ll get her here in one piece, you know that.” Kayne smiled.
“I know he will, but he shouldn’t have taken her out in the first place,” Caleb argued.
“Caleb, you need to stop.”
“Stop what?”
“Stop acting like she’s your personal property,” Kayne warned him.
“Don’t lecture me! If he had used that brain in his head, she would still be at Roderic’s, safe, not on the back of his bike in a god damn car chase.”
“Brody wouldn’t have taken her out, if he thought it wasn’t safe. Hell, I wouldn’t have even given it a second thought, would you?” Caleb didn’t like it when Kayne was right.
“Be ready to open the gate when I say so,” Caleb ordered. “Have one of the guys check on Kevan’s family, she’s worried that they could be in danger.” Kayne threw him a roman salute with a smirk, while closing the connection. Caleb rubbed his face; a million things raced through his head as to what could go wrong.