The Promise (A Supernatural Renegades Novella)

  The Promise

  By

  Carly Fall

  ©2014 by Westward Publishing

  All Rights Reserved

  Smashwords Edition

  “The Promise” is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used FICTITIOUSLY. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental.

  Three years ago, Gabby watched her lover and best friend, Lucas Tate, walk out of her life. Despite his promise that they’d be reunited after her high school graduation, a few months later, Lucas’ correspondence ceased and she never heard from him again.

  She encounters him once more on a snowy New Year’s Eve—when he walks into the convenience store where she’s working. With the bad weather closing all highways, the two end up stranded together for the night, trapped with each other, along with their past. Will Lucas’ reasons for abandoning Gabby be enough for her to forgive him and move into the future he so desperately wants with her?

  Chapter One

  The back of his rented Honda fishtailed to the snowy shoulder of the road, and Lucas Tate cursed as he lifted his foot from the gas and tried to right the car back onto the highway. Instead, it skidded and came to a stop in a two-foot snowdrift. When he hit the gas, the tires spun and the car refused to budge. He tried again, and quickly realized he wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Dammit!” he yelled, slamming his fist against the steering wheel. Sighing, he leaned back and closed his eyes. The trip home to Butte, Montana, for New Year’s Eve had been anything but easy. Two flights with a four-hour layover in Dallas and a delayed plane had tried his patience. Getting this piece of crap Honda at the rental agency instead of the SUV he’d requested made him want to take out his Glock and put a few holes in the desk clerk. He had no patience left.

  He opened his eyes and gazed at the thick flakes falling from the dark sky. When he pushed open the door, his boots sunk into the snow as he made his way around to the back of the car to assess just how stuck he’d become.

  “Nowhere,” he mumbled. “You’re going absolutely nowhere.”

  Retrieving his cell phone from his pocket, he noted he had one bar of battery left and called 9-1-1. He sure as hell wasn’t going to sit out here and wait for someone to find him. At the rate the snow fell, he could be buried and he wouldn’t be discovered until spring.

  He climbed back in the car and gave the operator a guess of the closest mile marker in Interstate 90, assured her he was alive and well, sat back, and waited.

  He’d left home three years ago to join the military, and his relationship with his parents had been more than strained. As bohemians—or hippies, as he liked to call them—they didn’t believe in the military or war, but lived on peace, love, and organic vegetables. Not that there was anything wrong with any of those things, but at age twenty-one, he’d been ready to break away from the commune and see the world. His parents lacked the money to fund his wanderlust, so he decided to join the military—the Marines, to be exact.

  To his parent’s extreme disappointment, he thrived under the strict rules and regulations of military life and eventually relocated to North Carolina where he found his home in his Platoon. After 9/11, he let his parents know he would be shipping out to Afghanistan. They told him if he went, he was no longer their son. He did go, and they refused to accept his phone calls and never answered his letters. Despite their hatred of war and the military, he never imagined they would disown him.

  A few moments later, blue and red lights flashed in his rearview mirror, and Lucas stepped out of the car, thankful for the fast response. A tall man dressed in a bulky black snowsuit walked toward him, a large hat with earflaps covering his head, making it difficult for Lucas to make out his features.

  “Looks like you’re stuck there,” the cop called as he approached. An inkling of recognition niggled at Lucas. He’d heard that voice before.

  “Yeah,” he said, clamping his jaw shut to avoid a sarcastic comeback at the cop’s observation.

  The cop stopped behind the car, and Lucas took a few steps to stand next to him. “Think we can get it out?”

  “Sure do.” The cop turned and glanced at him, and a jolt of recognition passed through Lucas as he was finally able to put a face to the voice. Even the thick, black beard couldn’t hide the wide smile of Jerry Franks.

  “Well, I’ll be damned!” the cop exclaimed. “Lucas Tate!”

  “Jerry!”

  Jerry had been a friend who’d lived outside the commune where Lucas grew up.

  “Long time, no see, my man!” Jerry said, wrapping Lucas in a big bear hug. “How’ve you been?”

  “I’m good, Jerry. What about you?”

  “Ah, you know. Same old, same old. Cows getting loose, kids drag racing, drunks fighting. Same shit, different year.”

  Lucas laughed. “Except we used to be the ones letting out the cows, drag racing, and getting drunk.”

  “Yeah. Now that I’m the law, my past sins are all coming back to bite me in the ass.”

  “From what I understand, that’s the way it’s supposed to work.”

  The radio in the patrol vehicle crackled, and Jerry looked over his shoulder. “Probably someone else stuck on the freeway,” he mumbled. “Let’s get you out of this and I’ll move on to the next moron who’s driving in this crap. What’re you doing here, anyway? We haven’t seen you around these parts in what…three years or so?”

  “That’s about right. I just came to see my parents. See if they want to have a relationship or something.”

  “Yeah, them disowning you was cold. We were all talking about it back then.”

  “Have you seen them lately?”

  Jerry shook his head. “Nope. The people living in the commune are the only ones who don’t cause any trouble. Never have any reason to go up there.”

  His parents believed in the meaning of Christmas, but not the consumerism that came along with it, so Christmas was usually celebrated serving others in the community in soup kitchens or retirement homes. However, they did celebrate New Year’s and were big fans of renewals, rebirths, and starting over. Jerry was right; they were too calm and pure to cause any issues.

  Lucas had called them when his flight landed in Billings, and they said that as long as he remained with the military, they wanted nothing to do with him. It hurt, and frankly he was almost ready to give up on them. He loved the military, the guys in his unit had become his family, and he didn’t foresee ever leaving unless he retired or died. But he had come this far to try to make his parents understand him and his life one last time.

  “Well, I’m kind of hoping to talk to them, make them see I’m not the big warmongering bastard they think I am.”

  Jerry nodded absently as the radio crackled again, the muffled voice carrying on the wind. “I’d love to catch up, Lucas, but I’ve got to run. I’ll give you a tow.”

  Lucas got behind the wheel as Jerry backed up the big Ford truck in front of the Honda. He latched the chain onto the front of the car, and freed the rental car a moment later.

  Taking the chain off, he yelled, “Be careful out there, Lucas! This is a bad storm. Good to see you!”

  Jerry threw the chain in the bed of the pick-up and took off down the road in the opposite direction of where Lucas was headed.

  The wipers cut through the thick flakes, and memories of his childhood came flooding back as Hotel California by the Eagles played on the radio. He sang along softly as he contemplated the one person from his adolescence he’d been thinking of a lot lately: Gabrielle Morgan. They had grown up in the commune together, and as kids they were friends. When the hormones of youth hit, they stuck to each other like glue. She had been his first kiss, his first sexual encounter, and frankly, his best friend. When he left for the military, he made a promise to her, one he hadn’t kept, and he assumed she had moved on with her life and found someone else.

  He, on the other hand, hadn’t. Sure, he’d indulged in a few flings here and there, but no one ever interested him the way his Gabby had with her gorgeous auburn hair, sky blue eyes and fair skin, not to mention her quick intelligence and her mischievous streak. The girl was the whole package for him, and he’d yet to meet anyone who even came close to her. She never strayed far from his thoughts, and he appreciated the memories, but hated the longing, guilt and disappointment they caused within him.

  A half-hour later, a large neon sign blazed in the distance, and he realized a new gas station had been built since the last time he’d been home. He still had about fifteen miles to go until he reached the turnout for the commune. Exhaustion tugged at him, and he yawned while his eyelids grew heavy.

  “Time for some caffeine and sugar,” he muttered.

  Pulling into the parking lot, he let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He’d served in Afghanistan and Iraq, lived in Colorado and North Carolina for the past three years, but driving in the snow unnerved him tonight. He could handle a bullet whizzing by, but tensed at Mother Nature. Go figure.

  Opening the car door, his military boots sunk into a good eight inches of white powder. He trudged to the front door and opened it, his gaze honing in on where he could get his caffeine fix.

  Chapter Two

  Gabby Morgan kneeled behind the counter shoving money into the safe. Her shift would end in an hour, but she decided to close up early
, as she hadn’t seen a customer in four hours.

  The weather did that; people stayed indoors during an epic storm like this, as they should. Tonight, even the truckers listened to the forecaster’s advice and stayed off the road.

  On New Year’s Eve, she should have been excited to go to a party or meet up with some friends in a bar in Butte or Billings, but the damn snow had shut everything down. Instead, she’d just be heading home to her apartment about twenty minutes down the road in Butte.

  “Happy New Year,” she mumbled as she shut the safe and spun the dial, locking it.

  The speaker above the register crackled, and then went silent. Her boss loved sixties music and always had the radio tuned to the local station that played all the oldies. Unfortunately, the sound system in the store needed some work and cut in and out all day long. It used to drive her crazy, but now she barely noticed it.

  She stood just as the mechanical bell let her know someone else had entered the store. Gasping, she grasped the counter as she recognized the man in boots, fatigues, and a thick blue parka leaving small pockets of snow on the floor.

  Lucas Tate.

  The only man to whom she’d ever whispered the words, “I love you.” She’d given her heart to him before he left her in the commune to go explore the world through the military. He’d broken it when he stopped writing and calling, leaving her to wonder where he was, what he was doing, and who he was doing it with.

  He strode in with grace, his thick, stocky frame looking better than ever. He rubbed the bristle on the top of his head as he looked over the coffee choices, and a ripple of anger along with a surge of excitement coursed through her. He’d always done that to her; she could be seething mad at him, but just his presence excited her because Lucas was an adventurer. He’d been that way throughout their childhood, always getting into trouble and wanting to explore life outside the commune. She had trailed along with him, feeling safe when they were together.

  The commune wasn’t a bad place to grow up. Some of the “town kids,” those who lived outside the commune, accused them of belonging to a cult, which wasn’t true. Gabby and all the kids attended the local schools, and they freely left the commune any time they wanted.

  As Gabby grew older, she realized those who lived in the commune were simply a group of people who wanted to live with other like-minded individuals. They harvested their own crops, believed that the world could live in harmony and peace, and hated the consumerism of traditional holidays such as Christmas, but believed wholly in their meanings.

  Instead of receiving presents for Christmas, Gabby had often worked in soup kitchens and homeless shelters, a tradition she continued to this day because she received an excellent dose of Christmas spirit serving others. At Thanksgiving, the whole commune met for a large feast, and everyone recounted his or her blessings for the year. Considering there were over a hundred people living in the commune, giving thanks often made for a very late night, but Gabby considered it a good tradition.

  As happy as her childhood had been, she still possessed a little wild streak, and Lucas had always been there to feed into it.

  Throughout their younger years, Lucas took her hand and guided her in their exploration of everything together, from the pond on the ten-acre commune to the streets of Butte. He had been her escort, her friend, and her protector.

  While they were together, she had dreams of moving beyond this small, Montana community, but after Lucas left her, and then subsequently dumped her, she didn’t have the gumption to do it.

  Staring at him as he walked across the store to the coffee machines, she hoped he didn’t pick the vanilla-hazelnut blend, as she hadn’t refreshed it in hours. Knowing Lucas loved anything flavored vanilla, she bet it would be his first pick.

  He poured the old coffee into a cardboard cup then put a lid on it. Turning, he whistled softly as he looked over the candy aisle, still not paying any attention to her—the anonymous clerk at the counter.

  She recalled how Lucas’s parents hadn’t allowed him to eat candy while growing up, and he used to sneak out of the commune every now and then to the gas station about a mile out and come back with candy corn. She guessed he’d choose the same tonight.

  What would he say when he saw her? Would he recognize her? Had he forgotten all about her? She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and wished she’d worn a different turtleneck besides the old, ratty blue one she had on. The question that caused her the most pain was, what would she do if he didn’t remember her? Her heart thudded in her chest, and she took a deep breath.

  She’d tried moving on with her life, but she’d secretly been waiting for him since he left three years ago, not believing that the connection they once had could be erased by time. She felt like a loser even admitting that to herself, but sometimes the truth hurt.

  He pulled something off the shelf and walked toward the counter. Her heart beat wildly as a light sheen of sweat broke out on her brow. Pulling her hair off her back, she quickly twisted it up with a clip she kept next to the register, and waiting for him to notice her.

  Lucas glanced up and stopped in his tracks. Their gazes locked, and Gabby’s heart soared as she stared into the familiar, yet different gray eyes. They seemed harder, and she realized it was the gaze of a man, not the boy she had fallen in love with. Yet, she smiled.

  “Gabby?” he asked, slowly approaching the counter.

  “Hi, Lucas,” she said, her nerves making her voice tremble. In his presence, she felt alive and excited; she wanted to launch herself over the counter and throw her arms around him. She wanted to scold him and tell him he was an ass for breaking his promise, yet she wanted to kiss him and wrap her body around his wide frame and feel the hard, thick layers of muscle she remembered so well.

  “Wow,” he whispered as he stared at her. “Just…wow.”

  Chapter Three

  Lucas was stunned speechless at the vision before him. When he left the commune, Gabby had been eighteen. Now twenty-one, she looked the same, but different, if that was possible. He never thought she could look more beautiful than she had the last time he saw her, but here she was, stunning him into silence.

  Her pinned-up auburn hair gave her a regal look, while her blue eyes sparkled under the fluorescent light. Her turtleneck covered her heavy chest, which he remembered and loved so well, and tapered down to her thin waist and into a pair of baggy jeans.

  “How are you?” he asked, setting his coffee and candy corn down on the counter.

  Gabby shrugged. “I’m fine. How are things with you?”

  Lucas couldn’t help but think that based on their past relationship, small talk seemed stupid and trivial, but he smiled. Besides, what else would they say to each other? He had no desire to jump into his past sins. “I’m good.”

  They stared at each other a beat. The silence didn’t have the awkward feel of old lovers who hadn’t seen each other in a long time, but it weighed heavily with unanswered questions.

  “What are you doing here?” Gabby asked.

  “You’re that happy to see me, huh?”

  She smiled, surprise tore through him as he realized that even after not seeing her for three years, her grin still had the same affect on him; it left him breathless.

  “I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, you haven’t been around in three years, and I was wondering, why today?”

  Lucas heard just a hint of accusation in her voice. “I’m here to see my parents. I was hoping I could tap into their love of New Year’s and new beginnings and they’d forgive me for joining the military.”

  Gabby crossed her arms over her chest, and remained quiet.

  “Have you seen them lately?” he asked.

  “Yes, I went to visit my mom last week and your parents were there.”

  Lucas swallowed hard. “How are they?”

  “They’re fine.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief as another stretch of silence overcame them. “So, you don’t live in the commune any longer?”

  She shook her head.

  Did she ever marry? Did she have kids? She obviously lived somewhere nearby. Did he really want to know any of the answers to his questions?