The Four Stages of Loving Dutch Owen - Debra Kayn Page 0,12
to the back of the trailer. Lining the rear wheel up to the aluminum track, he put the bike in neutral and rolled it back.
Toeing the kickstand, he planted his boot on the ground and got off the bike. The need to ride vibrated through his body. Four days, staying in one place and off the asphalt had him cooped up. He needed to feel the wind and the vibrations under him. He needed to get on the road.
"Marla!"
His sister's scream stopped him. He spotted Rachel running away from the clubhouse. Stepping toward his sister, he understood what had happened and gazed around, trying to find the girl.
"Somebody, help me," screamed Rachel.
Skull ran out of the building, following Rachel. Already near his motorcycle, Dutch hopped on the bike and rode in front of his sister.
"I'll get her," he yelled toward Rachel and roared away.
Scanning each side of the road for Marla Marie, he kept the Harley in second gear. He had no fear of her making it back to Moses Lake on her own.
He needed to stop her from talking to anyone outside WAKOM.
With two miles until she hit the edge of the city limits, he had enough time to find her. The only problem was there were woods on each side of the road until Marla Marie reached the outside world.
She could be anywhere in the woods.
There were hundreds of fir and alder trees and an overpopulation of underbrush. A dense enough area for a kid to hide in. The area worked for the clubhouse. They were far enough away from the town of Bellevue to keep their activities hidden from the local police and keep the gawkers away.
But, not a prime spot to locate a child.
Pulling over to the side of the road, he cut the engine. He let his hearing adjust to the silence and strained to hear a crack of a branch, a ruffle of a dry leaf, or heavy breathing as Marla Marie ran to get away from a family that would eventually love her if she gave them a chance.
He caught a flash of light blue moving slowly through the woods before he heard the snap of a twig. Eyeing the area, he got off the motorcycle. It would be faster to catch her on foot than find somewhere to cut her off with his Harley.
He jumped over the ditch and trudged through the overgrown weeds lining the road until he met the curtain of trees. Dodging left and right, he made a beeline toward her, making good progress with his longer legs.
In her frantic need to escape, she had yet to glance behind her and see him. He hoped he'd get within reach of grabbing her before she took off running.
His luck held out. A dozen paces behind Marla Marie, he plunged forward, not worrying about making extra noise.
Marla Marie stopped, looking around her. Then hurried in the opposite direction, fighting the branches that swung out and grabbed her hair, her clothes. She tripped on a stick and fell to her hands and knees. Dutch caught up with her and lifted her to her feet, taking a sweep of her bare knees to make sure she was okay.
"Don't touch me." She shrank away from him.
He let her go. "Don't run, and I won't touch you."
She sank down on her ass, hugging her middle. He exhaled loudly, running out of patience. All she'd caused him was trouble since he found her. His life was the open road, not babysitting a child that hadn't the sense to see what was right in front of her.
Grabbing her arm, he ignored her screams and dragged her back to the road. By the time he reached the bike, she'd shut up.
He swung her around to face him, and he found out why she'd stopped fighting him. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her mouth gulped for air.
"Knock it off." He set her up on the Harley and glared at her. "You're young, but even a baby knows when someone is willing to take care of them."
Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. It took him a few seconds to read her lips. In a litany of pleas, she silently called out for her mom.
"Do you know where your mom is at right now?" he asked.
She looked up at him. "She's coming back."
"No, she's not."
Her chin quivered. "She always comes back."
"Does she normally leave you this long?"
Tears sped up and coated her cheeks. "She'll come back."