Page 90 of Primal Urges

People didn’t question things or verify accusations for themselves. They just simply believed whatever popular rumor was being spread and jumped on the social media bandwagon, participating in the latest trend or vilifying or canceling people without using their brains to discover the truth for themselves. Nobody thought about the consequences of their posts.

If only he had seen the warning signs. But when you are being emotionally and psychologically abused, you don’t even realize it is happening. You somehow convince yourself that it is your fault and that you are overreacting. It isn’t until your first black eye or accidental broken jaw that you realize perhaps Prince Charming isn’t really so charming.

And now, here he was. Voluntarily getting into a car with his ex. A man he had spent months running from. Willingly sticking his head in the lion’s mouth and praying that the beast didn’t bite down.

But this time, it was different.

Knowing that Caden and Lizzy’s lives were in danger, an inner monster awoke inside of him. He was no longer driven by fear. He was now driven by the need to protect those he loved. Yes, he loved his beefy biker dude and his kindhearted little munchkin. He hoped that perhaps they could have a future one day. If only he were able to survive this ordeal.

Well, he wasn’t going to get ahead of himself.

One way or another, this nightmare was going to end.

They had been driving for about two hours west, most likely on their way back to Los Angeles. Darryl had come to collect him, after all. If he had wanted to kill him, Darryl would have done it long ago.

No. With Darryl, it was all about control and possession. He needed to remind Lucas who was in charge. He needed to make sure that Lucas felt fear and understood that there was no escaping him. Abusive men were narcissistic assholes who needed to maintain their power in order to feel good about themselves.

“It’s getting late. We should probably stop at a hotel for the night,” Lucas suggested. It was a fifteen-hour drive from New Mexico to LA, and he doubted Darryl was planning on driving all the way back in one night.

Darryl snorted. “Like hell I’m checking us into a hotel for the night. Think I’m stupid? The minute we check in, you’ll be planning your escape.”

Lucas rolled his eyes. “So your plan is to drive straight through until we get home?”

Pitch-black eyes landed on Lucas. Once, he had found those eyes so mesmerizing and charming. Now, they were just a reminder of the monster that waited to devour him.

“Since when did you get such a smart mouth?”

There was an underlying tone to his voice that warned Lucas to choose his words carefully. Darryl didn’t have an issue cracking him one against the jaw if it put him back in line.

Lucas watched as Darryl’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.

“We’re spending the night camping in the desert,” Darryl snarled. He appeared irritated that Lucas had questioned his actions. It might have been a few months since they’d seen each other, but Darryl was expecting him to fall back in line immediately.

Eventually, they left the interstate and followed a long dirt road that appeared to lead to nowhere.

Fifteen minutes later, they came to a large clearing, perfect for camping.

“Get your ass out of the car and help,” Darryl ordered, throwing the car in park before adjusting the ballcap on his head that hid his handsome features.

How could a man who had such gorgeous features be nothing but rotten on the inside?

Huffing, Lucas exited and began unloading the car as ordered. In the trunk, he found a cooler and two sleeping bags. It appeared that Darryl had planned this little excursion beforehand.

Made sense. Cops were always thinking ahead. That’s how they survived gang takedowns and homicidal men with machetes.

While Darryl was temporarily distracted trying to collect usable wood to start a fire, Lucas pulled out the knapsack he had bought from the house and carefully placed it next to the other items he had unpacked from the car.

He then walked over to where his ex was crouched down, attempting to light a fire.

It had been forever since they last camped together, and Darryl still sucked at lighting campfires. But there was no way he was going to remind Darryl of that fact.

“Need me to grab anything?” Lucas offered, trying to remain on Darryl’s good side.

“Yeah, there are some sandwiches in the cooler, and you can grab me a beer as well.”

Lucas did as he was told, ever the good listener.

Once the fire was roaring, Darryl sat down next to Lucas and offered him a bite from his sandwich. Lucas shook his head.

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