Page 33 of Desperate Justice

“You can’t do anything, Rafe. Lou’s solid. He’ll pull through, and Darla has plenty of support.”

“Yeah, she does. And we all need this ride.” Keith hugged his wife back. “Let’s do it. For Lou.”

Rafe nodded. Their little group was down to four now. “We can hit the road now, make it to the first stop by noon for lunch. I’ve got reservations for all of us in the same motel in south Georgia where we stayed last year, off the interstate.”

Comet barked. He petted him. “Yeah, it’s pet friendly, bud. All the hotels on the way take dogs.”

“What about the newbies?” Sam asked. “The ones Casey was bringing?”

“Casey gave them directions to the restaurant. They should be here soon,” Debbie said.

Frowning, Rafe glanced at his cell. “If they’re not here in ten minutes, we’re leaving. No time for stragglers.”

Though the day was warm and sunny, perfect for riding, the air carried a hint of a cool breeze. Rafe glanced to the west. Storm might be rolling in after noon. Best they hit the road now.

As he was about to give orders to roll out, two motorcycles pulled into the parking lot.

His heart skipped a beat or two as he recognized one of the women as she pulled up to a stop and pulled off her helmet.

Al was Allison.

* * *

This was not going well. Though she’d planned for a lukewarm welcome, this frosty silence from Rafe warned her they weren’t welcome.

She threw Rafe a pleading look as he narrowed his eyes. His Harley was a big touring bike, dark blue and gleaming chrome with a sizeable wind screen, saddlebags and even a luggage rack, where he’d strapped down a large backpack. It looked perfect for long road trips.

A burst of jealousy shot through her as she imagined the road trips he took with girlfriends, long rides through the country, maybe making love under the stars...

Everyone kept staring at her. Embarrassed, she recovered. “Casey said we could ride with you.” She lifted a hand to the other bikers. “I’m Allison Lexington and this is my sister, Diana.”

They introduced themselves. Sam was a deputy US Marshal and Keith was a retired police officer. Only Debbie wasn’t law enforcement. At least she had something in common with Debbie.

Diana looked wary. “You’re all cops?”

She was quick to add, for Diana’s sake, “Di, you remember Rafe? My friend who owns the landscape company?”

Diana frowned. “Of course I do. I thought you guys broke up.”

Heat suffused her cheeks. Sam said nothing, to her relief. Surely the others knew Rafe did undercover work.

Rafe did not look overjoyed to see her.

Sam looked interested as he studied Allison. “How do you know Case?”

“We go back a couple of years. She got wounded on the job and I treated her.”

“Wow,” Sam murmured. “You’re that nurse. The one who treated all those cops at the shoot-out on Bird Road.”

Rafe scowled. “If you’re done socializing, we need to get on the road before that storm rolls in.” He gave Allison a level look. “First stop is Arbor Beach at the cultural center. They’ll have snacks and a cash bar. But no drinking alcohol on this trip until we reach the hotel for the night.”

Allison couldn’t resist. “Yes, sir. I downloaded the map of all the planned stops on my cell.”

“We’ll take a break about three hours from here for lunch.”

The guy named Sam with the gorgeous brown curls squinted. “Rafe, I thought you wanted to get to only the planned stops in order to make time.”

“Well, I changed my mind,” he snapped.