The Walls of Levi Read online

  What?

  I’m a jerk. I know it. It’s nothing new.

  I’m on the rich side of Martinsville. I have money, but I never blow it on this side of town. These places are for doctors, lawyers, financial executives, investors, and such. Those type of people, people like my sponsors, are different from me.

  They came from money. They know what to do with it. They even have more than they know what to do with. That’s not me. I came from nothing. I moved down here because I was running from something. I didn’t have a pot to piss in. I think Zant, Micah’s husband and one of my best friends, gave me a couple hundred dollars. That’s all I had to my name.

  Once Ron got here and we found Dale, everything started to change. I still acted the same, though. I still thought the same. I never needed money to live. I do that just fine on my own.

  I notice the traffic starts to slow down once I get closer to the restaurant that’s ahead. A dark sedan is park across it’s lane and partly in the other one. What are they doing?

  I look around to see where the driver could be. Not that I know who is driving it, but someone has to be coming back for it. I throw the Demon in park. It looks like I’m going to be here a minute anyway.

  As I sit there, looking around, something catches my eye.

  A big guy, because no girl can be this big unless she is abnormal, walks up behind a woman and wraps his arms around her. I watch her face. The only reason it is catching my attention is because the guy is dressed in all black, and not the suit and tie type all black. His jacket is black leather and he has gloves on. It is way too hot here tonight to wear gloves.

  I watch as terror crosses her face. Her mouth is open, but I can’t tell if any sound is coming out. Before I know what, I’m doing, I’m getting out of the Demon. I leave the door open as I make my way towards them. As I come around the end of the car parked in the street, they step off the sidewalk and walk towards me. Right then, she sees the car and lets out an ear-piercing scream.

  If I didn’t know she was in trouble before, I do now.

  The guy loses his grip on her a bit but doesn’t drop her. I go around him, so I can come up from behind. My adrenaline is pumping so hard, I don’t even know what I’m doing. I have no plan. I’m just going with my gut.

  I raise my arm and punch him as hard as I can in the back of the neck.

  It’s my best idea.

  He drops the girl and before he even knows what’s going on, I pick her up.

  “Hold on,” I tell her. I run around to the driver side of the Demon and drop her. “Get in, quick. I’ll get you to safety.” She quickly climbs in and to the passenger side. I lay on my horn and back up enough to turn around. I almost get hit three times, but somehow, the Demon gets out without a scratch. I don’t let up off the gas until I get as far away from the restaurant as possible.

  I check the rearview mirror several times to make sure I’m not followed. After several miles, I let up off the gas and think about what I’m doing and where I’m going.

  I haven’t even looked at the girl. She is probably freaking out again. I just took her from a possible kidnapper, but she probably thinks I’m one too.

  I don’t know what to say to her, though. Looking at her to make sure she’s ok could be a good start. Once we get to a well-lit part, I turn to her.

  I hear her quiet intake of breath. “You’re Levi James,” she whispers. Well, there goes that. I pull over on the side of the road under a street light.

  “Yea. Do you want to get out?” She nods her head and reaches for the handle. The door doesn’t open, and she looks back at me with eyes that are about to fall out of their sockets.

  I quickly hit the unlock button. “Sorry. Go ahead.”

  We both get out, and I walk around to her side of the car.

  “Obviously you know me. Who are you?”

  “I’m Katie...” Before she can say anything else, a phone starts ringing. “That’s me,” she says as she reaches into my car for her phone.

  She quickly answers, and I stand there like a creeper listening to her side of the conversation.

  “Hey daddy. Yea, I’m ok. Something happened. I’m safe now, but I was almost kidnapped.” I hear a booming voice come out of her phone, and she pulls it away from her ear. She looks at me and I try to read her expression.

  “Dad, listen. I’m ok now. I was rescued before he could take me. Listen. I think Wilson was involved somehow. I heard him on the phone right after I talked to you.”

  She paces as her dad talks. Or screams. I can still hear him.

  She stops pacing and puts her palm to her forehead. I see her fingers shaking. “I’m ok, Dad.” She looks up at me. “I have a way home.” Her eyes are questioning, so I give her a slight nod. I’ll take her home. Anywhere she wants to go. As she keeps talking, I look at her.

  She is beautiful. Dark, silky hair. She’s wearing black, tight jeans with a loose red blouse and red high heels. She couldn’t get away from any attacker in those things. Just like I checked her out from head to toe, my eyes travel just as slowly back up. Once I get to her eyes, I’m caught. She saw me checking her out.

  If I cared, I would be embarrassed. I don’t care.

  I watch her cheeks turn a beautiful pink, and she spins around, giving her back to me. She finishes her phone call and waits before turning back around.

  “Will you take me home?”

  “Just give me the address. You have my word.”

  As she gives me her address, she turns back around. We stand on the sidewalk and just look at each other. Some sort of recognition flashes through my mind and it feels like I’ve seen this girl before. But where?

  I don’t go anywhere, but to the track, the office, and to the food joints next to my house. Looking at her and judging by her leaving that restaurant, I can pretty much say that she isn’t a racing fan and wouldn’t be caught eating at the places I do.

  She looks familiar, but I can’t for the life of me think of where I would have seen her before. She knows me, but that doesn’t mean she’s a race fan. My face has been plastered all over this town. It’s no surprise that anyone knows me here and as far as two counties around.

  “I can’t believe you’re Levi James.”

  I give her my panty melting smile. “That’s me.”

  She shakes her head and gets in the Demon. I walk around to my side and do the same.

  Once we pull out and head to her house, my phone goes off with a text. I look down to see who it’s from.

  Unknown number: This is the last time you screw me boy. I’m going to get that girl.

  I look at Katie. Her eyes are about to pop out of her head again. “Who is that?”

  I pull over again and look out at the dark night. My mind is running a million miles an hour.

  I like speed, but this is giving me a headache.

  “Tell me everything you know.”

  Chapter 8

  Kathleen

  The adrenaline is just now settling down and reality is starting to sink in.

  I was almost kidnapped, and God knows what would have happened to me. Then I was taken from the kidnapper by another guy I only know of.

  Levi James.

  That in itself shocks me even more and on a totally different level. Where did he come from? What is he going to do with me?

  I know what I would like for him to do with me.

  I quickly shake those thoughts from my mind. That will never happen. He doesn’t date girls like me. As a matter of fact, I’ve never heard of him dating anyone. Ever. Period.

  But then he gets that text. What is all that about? How does he connect to my kidnap attempt? He asked me to tell him everything, but I know nothing. He should be the one explaining things.

  “I’m not the only one threatened in that text. You have some explaining to do also.”

  He slowly blows out a breath and turns toward me. “The man that text me bet against me on a race yesterday. He lost. I won his money. He isn’t h
appy about it. I don’t know how he is connected to you, so again, explain.”

  I believe him. I don’t know why or how, but I know I can trust him. I saw the race; I know who he’s talking about.

  “My dad set me up on a date. I was in the restaurant with him, he was a jerk, so I left. I called my dad to send someone to pick me up. I saw Wilson come outside, and he was on the phone with someone. He told them to find me and sounded angry. When he walked off towards his car, I got up to go inside. That’s when the guy grabbed me.”

  We both sit there in silence for a few minutes. I’m looking at my hands in my lap, then I slowly look up to make eye contact with him.

  “Thank you for being there. I can’t stop thinking about what could have happened, and what would have happened if you weren’t.”

  “To be honest, I didn’t think. I just knew something was wrong and I went into action.”

  “So, what now? It looks like we are both in trouble with the same person and I don’t even know why.”

  “I don’t know. Let’s get you to your house. We will decide what to do then.”

  Levi pulls away from the curb again and we ride in silence all the way to my house. My mind is gone into overdrive, but I can’t think straight about any one particular thing. How did my day go from not really wanting to do something to almost getting taken?

  On top of that, I knew Wilson gave me the creeps, but I think he initiated this whole thing. What did I ever do to him? Why would he want me taken? What would he get out of it?

  Too many questions and not enough answers.

  Levi pulls into my driveway and kills his car. By the way, this car… It’s everything. Complete black interior with orange lights on everything. It feels like a racers car. It looks like a superhero vehicle. I wonder how fast it will go? Now is not the time to talk about it with him, though.

  I get out and before I know it, Levi is pushing me back into the car. I am too shocked to move as he runs around to the other side and gets back in.

  “What’s going on?”

  I look at him and back towards my house. That’s when I see it. A person in all black, coming around the corner of my house. Levi quickly puts it in reverse and backs out into the street. He puts it in drive and all I can hear are the tires squealing and the engine roaring.

  Looks like I’m about to see what this Demon can do.

  “Where are we going?” I yell over the roar of the motor.

  “Let me get farther away and we will talk,” he says as he keeps his eyes on the road. We fly out of my neighborhood and towards the interstate. Once we reach the exit for the interstate, Levi flies onto it, heading north.

  After about a mile, he finally slows down. We ride in silence for a while. I have no idea where he is taking me, but I need to ask. I also need to call my dad to tell him what’s going on. He is going to flip out. I usually don’t do too well in silence. I’m a talker. I’m a listener. The silence is about to kill me.

  “Can you tell me where we are going?”

  “I’m going to take the next exit, and we will talk when we get there.”

  I watch the darkness outside my window. The next exit is two miles ahead, so we stay silent until then. Levi takes the exit and pulls into a gas station on the right. After he puts it in park and kills the engine, I wait.

  At this moment, there could be a million things going through his mind. Like why did he intervene and save me? Or like what he is going to do with me? Or maybe why he doesn’t put me out right here and go on his merry way? Any of those things would be appropriate. He doesn’t owe me anything. I just hope he doesn’t do the last thing. I have no idea how I’ll get home. I’ll have to wait forever for Dad’s driver to come for me.

  “So, Katie. Tell me who you are.” I whip my head toward him. He hasn’t spoken until now.

  The timbre of his voice is sexy, but there is an undertone of sarcasm to this statement.

  “I’m going to assume your sarcasm is part of your personality and go with it.”

  “Assume away.” He doesn’t look at me. I roll my eyes and lean my head back against the seat. Here goes nothing.

  “My name is Kathleen Roberts. I work for my dad part time at his management firm in downtown Martinsville. That’s all I can tell you, because that is all there is to know about me.”

  “Is your dad Danny Roberts?”

  “The one and the same.”

  “Did you know he sponsors me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is this a ploy of some sort to get close to me?”

  I jump up and glare at him. “No!” I calm down a little because he still isn’t looking at me.

  “Look. I know who you are. In all honesty, I am a fan. A huge fan. Have you ever seen me before?”

  “I can’t say that I have, no. You do look familiar, but I don’t know from where.”

  “That’s right. I’ve never came up to you. I’ve been to several of your races and I’ve never approached you. I never…”

  He is looking at me now. My tongue is tied. I was going to say that I never had any interest in doing so, but that would be a lie.

  “You never what?”

  “Never mind. I have no ulterior motive towards you. I have no part in what happened earlier. I was minding my own business. How we got here, you and me, is complete coincidence. I think.” I give him a look. He could be the one with an ulterior motive. I really don’t believe he is, but he accused me, so…

  He chuckles. “I have no idea how we got here. I was driving on the wrong side of town. I was in the wrong place at the right time.”

  We sit there looking at each other for several minutes. His eyes are starting to draw me in. His beard looks soft, and I ball my hands up in fist to keep from reaching for it and running my fingers through it.

  “Why did you tell me your name was Katie?”

  “What?” I’m confused for a second. “Oh. My name is Kathleen. Everyone calls me Katie.”

  “I’m not. Your name is Kathleen. It fits you better.”

  “Oooookay.”

  Chapter 9

  Levi

  “So, Kathleen. Tell me more. What do you do in your spare time?”

  “Why are you so curious about me, Levi James?”

  “Well, it looks like we are stuck together until we figure out who is trying to take you and what they are planning, if they get you.”

  “If?”

  “Yes, if. I have no intentions of letting anyone take you if you don’t intend for them to.”

  “Why do you care so much?”

  “I’m not sure yet.” And I’d be damned if that wasn’t the truth. I should just put this girl out, but I can’t. And I don’t know why. I don’t know her. She’s been to my races; her dad is a sponsor of mine. I’ve seen her somewhere before, I know I have, but I can’t place where. It could be from a picture in her dad’s office or something. I know Danny pretty well. I’ve worked with him for a long time. He was one of my first sponsors. I’m not sure why. He showed up to my office one day and told me he was going to sponsor me. There was no preamble. There were no questions. He just said he was going to. I agreed to the contract he set before me and we’ve been doing this ever since. He’s never been to a race that I know of, so I don’t know why he wanted to sponsor me. I wasn’t going to turn down anyone when I was desperately in need of them then.

  But there is something about her too. Something I can’t quite put my finger on. I know that she doesn’t have any ulterior motives, but I can’t be too careful.

  I need to make sure before I make the suggestion that I’m about to make, though.

  “You need to call your dad and tell him what’s going on. I know him, and I know how he is. Just tell him you’re safe and with me. Don’t tell him where you are. He knows I’ll keep you safe. Can you do that?”

  I didn’t know my plan until I got here so I’m glad I stopped at this gas station before we decided to use her phone. I don’t know if she is being tracked, but I’
m not taking any chances.

  She pulls out her phone to call Danny; I get out of the car to make a call also.

  It rings a couple times before a groggy voice answers. “Hello?”

  “Ron? Wake up a little and listen.”

  “I’m hearing you, boy.”

  “Something has happened. Deep pockets is after me. I have Danny Rogers’ daughter. My original plan is still intact. No more details. The less the better. Do you understand me?”

  “I got you, boy. Be careful. Burn me later.”

  “Will do. Tell Dale. See you soon.”

  “You got it, buddy. Later.”

  No more information is needed. Ron may not know all the details, but he doesn’t need to. He will go talk to Danny and they will compare notes to figure everything out. I know Ron. He will cover my ass during anything. I trust few people. He is one of them.

  I get back in the car and hear Kathleen talking again.

  “I was told not to tell you where I’m at Dad. I’m with Levi and I’m safe.”

  I hold my hand out to her for her to give me her phone. She does so without a single word or hesitation. I like this girl.

  “Danny.”

  “Levi? What the hell is going on? Why can’t Katie tell me anything?”

  “I’ll give you what I can. I don’t know who is listening, so we can’t chance a lot of details being said. Your daughter was being kidnapped earlier. I happen to be driving by, so I helped her. I went to take her home, and someone was at her house. I got a text from a shark that I did business with yesterday. He said he was still going to get her. He isn’t. She is with me and we are going to hide until we figure out the next step.”

  “You’re not going to tell me where you’re taking my little girl?”

  “No sir. Not at this time.”

  “I better be able to trust you, boy. You know who I am. She’s my baby. I will do unspeakable things in her name.”