Page 24 of Run Away With Me

‘Good evening,’ the bartender said. ‘Do you have ID?’

‘Yeah, but neither of us want a drink,’ Brooke said easily. ‘We have to get up early in the morning.’

‘Okay. What can I get you?’

I made a point to close my mouth, sure that it was hanging open watching Brooke navigate the awkward situation with an ease and grace I was certain I’d never possess. And she could lie!

Like, oh my God, she could lie.

The bartender put down two little paper napkins and set a glass of Coke on each of them. Brooke handed him a ten-dollar bill with a smile and waved away the change.

The bar wasn’t too busy. It seemed like there was a decent mix of couples, single men in uncomfortable-looking suits, and a group of women who could have been part of a bachelorette party.

I spotted the weirdo before Brooke.Longbefore Brooke.

He was in his early twenties, drinking from a bottle of Bud Light, staring at us as he pretended to watch the game. He was blonde and pale, with a stupid little goatee beard and expensive jeans. The type of guy who paid attention to two teenage girls who looked like they were on their own. And were therefore vulnerable.

I knew his type.

He waited until my glass was empty before sidling over.

‘Can I get you girls another drink?’

‘Oh, thanks!’ Brooke said, beaming at him before I could give him the brush-off. ‘We’re just drinking Coke, though. We have an early start in the morning.’

I resisted –just– the urge to slap my hand over my face.

A few days ago, when Brooke had stopped to pick me up, I’d thought it was because we knew each other, sort of,and she was looking out for me. Now, I was rapidly reassessing that opinion, because it looked like she was maybe just a dumbass with no sense of self-preservation who would stop and pick up a serial killer, given the opportunity.

‘I’m Chris,’ he said, extending his hand in a way that would make it rude to refuse to shake it.

‘Summer,’ Brooke said, and thankGodshe had the common sense not to give him her actual name. ‘And this is my cousin Jenna.’

Jenna?It wasn’t terrible. I could be a Jenna. It was better than Mouse, at least.

‘Hi.’ I gave him a little wave rather than offering a handshake.

‘What brings you to this corner of Utah?’

I could hear the twang of his accent, which gave away that he was local, to the state if not the city, and that was weird, right? Why would he be staying in a motel in Utah if he wasfromUtah?

All my alarm bells were ringing, the red flags waving, Spidey-senses tingling, and Brooke flashed her shiny, happy smile at him. She was just so goddamnfriendly, and something I usually admired about her turned into a trait that was now incredibly frustrating.

‘We’re heading down for our Grandpa Jim’s funeral,’ she said. ‘It’s going to be a big family thing, but Jenna doesn’t like flying, so …’

‘Don’t like heights?’ he said, leaning around Brooke to give me a theatrical wink. ‘Me neither.’

‘I’m not scared of flying. I’m scared of crashing,’ I told him, deadpan.

Brooke gave me a subtle kick on the ankle. I took that as my cue to shut up. She was clearly enjoying herself.

Chris waved over the bartender and ordered two more Cokes, another beer and a basket of fries. I was glad we’d already eaten. I didn’t want him ordering food for us as well as drinks.

I turned my attention back to the TV and sipped my drink while Brooke fell into a deep conversation with Chris. He seemed charming and personable, and was letting Brooke do a lot of the talking. We’d outlined the bare bones of a story about going to Grandpa Jim’s funeral in case we were asked at any point, but Brooke was doing a lot of elaborating. And lying. Whenever I lied, I turned red and started to stutter, which was somewhat of a giveaway.

It took almost forty minutes before I saw him do it.

He was slick, and that scared me. While Brooke was gesticulating wildly and asking something about Rocky Mountain elk, Chris checked his phone, put it back in his pocket, then, while he was shuffling to get comfortable on the barstool again, he reached out and plucked Brooke’s room key from her jacket pocket.

---