Free Road to Darkness by Tim Miller Page B

He hated to buy a gun at a store and leave a paper trail. But time was a factor, and he didn’t exactly know any gun dealers on the street he could call. Within a few minutes the clerk printed out a form and had Tony sign it.
         “How will you be paying sir?”
         “Um, cash.” Tony said as he dug four hundreds out of his pocket and handed them over. He kept looking around. There was no way Slade or any of his guys could know where he was, yet he kept looking around, expecting one of them to appear out of nowhere and put one in the back of his head. The clerk took the box containing the gun and walked with Tony to the main entrance. From there Tony walked back to the car and placed the shotgun and the ammo into the trunk before getting back into the car.
         “Did you buy a gun?” Kim asked.
         “Yes. I got a shotgun. In case they come for us or something.”
         “How would they know where to find us?”
         “They don’t. But I want to be safe. No one will hurt you. I promise.” Tony said.
         “Daddy, I’m hungry!” Taylor said from the backseat.
         “I know honey, we’ll eat once we get to the hotel.” Tony said.
         “But I’m hungry now!”
         Kim dug in her purse and found a candy bar. She handed it to Taylor who started on it right away. That should hold her over for a little bit. Everyone was quiet the rest of the drive to Austin. It was dark once they reached the city, they got fast food at the drive through and found a hotel near downtown. It was a local chain called Austin Extended Stay. He went to the desk and paid for a week in advance.
         They got into the room and got settled. There were two beds, a TV and a kitchenette.
         “So now what do we do?” Kim asked.
         “We stay hidden for a few days, then start moving again.”
         “Shouldn’t we go to the police? I mean can’t they put us in witness protection or something?”
         “No! We can’t trust them. These guys have eyes everywhere.”
          As they spoke, Kim placed Taylor in her bed and tucked her in. Taylor was half asleep already. Once she was down, Kim sat on the edge of the other bed and cried.
         “What did you get us into Tony? Everything was fine. We were fine. We were happy ,” she said.
         “No we weren’t. I was miserable. Your dad thinks I’m a loser. I can’t imagine what you must think since you hear it from him all the time.”
         “I never said you were a loser!”
         “You didn’t have to say it! Its how you talk to me, how you treat me. When I do something good you practically pat me on the head. I’m a grown man. I’m supposed to be able to take care of my family! Not the other way around!”
         “Tony? Is that what you think? You’re wrong. Family takes care of each other. That’s what a family is. It’s not one person pulling all the weight. I know you work hard. I know how much you hated your job at United. Yet you did it. You did it for us. That’s all that matters.”
         He sat in the chair and placed his head in his hands.
         “I really fucked up. But I’m going to fix it ,” he said.
         “How?”
         “I’ll find a way. There is always a way. You should try and get some sleep.”
         “What about you?”
         “I’ll stay up and keep watch. No one is going to sneak up on us.”
         As Kim got ready for bed, Tony positioned the chair near the window with the curtains drawn. They were open just enough he could see out into the parking lot and on the catwalk. He placed the shotgun across his lap and stared at the parking lot. He didn’t even hear Kim get into bed. He couldn’t sleep if he wanted to.
         As the hours passed, his eyes grew heavier and heavier. His paranoia was still at its peak. Every single car that came or went, he was sure one of Slade’s men would be coming for them. After a