Page 11 of Chrome Poppies

EIGHT

JENSEN

The way Emilie responded when she saw my bike was comparable to a Christmas Day. She giggled and ran over, trying to open the roof to the sidecar. “It’s locked.” Emilie knocked on the roof. “I want in, Jessen.”

Eventually, she’ll call me by the right name, but for now, I will accept‘Jessen’. I granted her wish and unlocked the roof, pulling it back for her. “You have your own helmet.”

Emilie squealed and put the helmet on, which was perfect even over her head full of thick, curly hair. “It’s like my bicycle helmet,” she excitedly said with a smile that lit up her dirty face.

“Yes, just like your bicycle helmet, but a little safer for your little noggin,” I replied as I buckled the helmet on, making some needed adjustments. I patted the top of the helmet. “There, slide into the sidecar with Pink Bunny, so we can head up to the mountains.”

“I got a blanket too?” She asked as she buckled herself into the sidecar.

“Yeah, it’s a chilly ride, especially when we get higher toward Tehachapi.” It was the last exchange of words we had before I jumped on the bike and headed West on Highway 58, toward a nice, warm hotel room for my little witness. This would be the first time in days that she had a proper bath and a comfortable bed to sleep in. Now I wondered if Ezekiel thought to pack clothes for her. Knowing him, I am sure he did.

***

We arrived at the Summit hotel within forty-five minutes and the temperatures dropped a good twenty degrees, which didn’t bother Emilie. She was fast asleep with the blanket swaddled around her and didn’t even stir when I stopped the bike. It wasn’t until I dismounted and called her name that she opened her eyes. “Emilie? We’re here at the hotel.”

As she moved slowly to wake up a bit more, I checked the saddlebags and sure enough, there was an overnight bag full of children’s clothing. In my mind, this was twisted. I’m sure this seemed pretty off to see a strange man with a little girl with a bag packed for her. Yeah, it was a premeditated trip from Southern California to wine valley, only I had nothing to do with it. I was just transporting a valuable package up north and the angels felt I was the right man for the job. Besides, it was no one’s concern why she was in my care; it was something I jokingly called the AWP - the Angel Witness Protection program or something like that.

My goal was to transport Emilie to Sonoma where she’d be safe and maybe kill a bad guy or two if they crossed paths with us. Let’s hope not. I am not prepared and since I am an angel; I couldn’t carry firearms. According to Ezekiel, it would not leave a good impression on the child. Whatever, dude. I needed to protect her and last I checked, I wasn’t skilled in martial arts nor did I have magic abilities.

One stop before we venture on the highway is the armory at the Sheriff’s department. After Emilie falls asleep, I’d be able to leave the hotel room and slide into the armory, unseen, and steal a couple of firearms.

I know Ezekiel and Franklin would be less than pleased with my decision, but they needed to understand that it would be detrimental if I couldn’t protect this child my way. Also, it was highly doubtful this child had a fear of guns in her presence. She seemed like a pretty badass kid. She had to be, after all, she survived on her own for days with barely any food or water and still came out unscathed. Did I admire Emilie Dillon? I didn’t know her yet but admiring her was going to be a simple task.

***

Everything was going as planned. I checked into the room, got the key card, and ordered Emilie to take a bath before she put on clean pajamas. When I offered to run a bath, she insisted on taking a shower instead, since she was a ‘big girl’. I would not argue with her, so long as she was clean, and brushed her teeth. A shower would be the better alternative, or she’d be sitting in her own filth.

While she showered, I called Franklin to report the progress. “Hey, boss. I am at the hotel with Emilie Dillon… yeah, she’s eaten a lion’s share of fast food.” I chuckled to think about how much this child ate. “She’s taking a shower. Hoping to find a child underneath the dirt and chocolate ice cream.”

Franklin asked if I knew the route, and how long it would take to get to Sonoma. I Googled the directions from Tehachapi to Sonoma. “It’s only a six-hour ride, give or take an hour for lunch and potty breaks.” There was silence on the other end, and she hummed.

“I should warn you; you may not be alone on this trip,”Franklin told me with a hint of alarm in her voice.

“What do you mean?”

“There were two men who watched your every move at the eating place,”Franklin whispered into the phone, and I heard a man’s voice in the back. “Oh, Ezekiel wants me to pass this along to you. He saw something bad is going to happen in the future.”

“Yeah?” Sour bile pooled at the back of my throat, sensing this may have been something I didn’t want to hear.

“Levi Shields will be tenacious at getting the girl.”

And with that bit of bad news, Franklin hung up on me. Now, my idea to steal firearms wasn’t a bad one after all. Emilie was going to need a full-on guardian who could do more than give her a ride to Northern California, I would definitely be able to effectively protect her. I knew Levi, and he would stop at nothing to ensure the only surviving witness to the Dillon slaughter was dead.

Emilie tore out of the bathroom with soaking wet hair dripping down her new pajamas with monkeys all over them. “All clean, Jessen.” She took a running start and jumped on the extra double bed. “This bed is comfy,” she squealed while bouncing on her knees.

I grinned at her and rushed to the bathroom to get a towel to properly dry her hair. The bathroom was a disaster, with towels thrown on the floor, next to the packaging her pajamas were in. I am sure her mother taught her better manners, but she had been independent of adult supervision for days. It was natural for her to have a jaded attitude. When I looked inside the tub, as I predicted there were remnants of dirt on the floor, so yes, taking a shower had been the better alternative.

I pulled out a fresh towel and made my way to the beds to notice Emilie had found the remote control and was now flipping through channels. “Let’s dry off your hair a bit more, child,” I said as I sat on the edge of the bed. “You smell ten times better.”

“Nuh-uh,” the towel over her head muffled her voice. When I removed the towel, Emilie grinned at me. “A hundred times better, Jessen.”

I tossed the towel aside and jumped off the bed to pull the bedding back. “It’s late, Emilie.” I patted the pillow. “You need your sleep.” She was compliant and hopped on her knees to the pillow, before burrowing between the sheets. “I know you will sleep well.”

“Good night, Jessen,” she yawned with heavy eyelids. Immediately, she was asleep.

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