Page 58 of Ride Hard
Turning my gaze back onto the water, I wiped my forearm across mybrow.
“C’mon,” Chaser said before climbing over therocks.
Following him, we made our way down to the lake, clambering over the scrappy shoreline until our boots hit the sandy bank. Sitting on a rock, I listened to the water lapping on the shore, allowing my mind to wander in the calmness. Nothing stirred apart from us and the current coursing through thelake.
“Do you think there’s fish in there?” I asked, my voice sounding loud in thesilence.
“Sure.” Chaser glanced at me, perplexed at where my thoughts had takenme.
“Catfish,” I went on. “Definitelycatfish.”
“I think the sun is getting toyou.”
“There are lots of things getting to me,” I mused. “I need to write a list to remember themall.”
Staring into the lake was like staring into a void, and I felt a surge of adrenaline hit me square in thechest.
“Give me the car keys,” I demanded, holding out myhand.
Chaser narrowed his eyes and didn’tmove.
“I’m not going to drive away or anything. I just want something out of my bag.” I wiggled myfingers.
He sighed and leaned forward so he could take the keys from his pocket. Handing them to me, he gave me a pointedlook.
“Whatever.” I snatched them from him and sauntered back up therocks.
Something had definitely changed between us if he was giving me access to a bona fide escape route and trusting I would come back. I didn’t believe him when he said he cared—I just thought he was telling me what I wanted to hear to get me to shut up—but what if he were telling the truth? What if Chaser actually cared? As in,feelingskind ofcared.
Shivering as I opened the trunk, I kept a tight grip on my heart. That shit was dangerous. Falling in love with a Fortitude man? That was bad news. Bad, bad, bad. Bad was the headline on today’s edition of theSloane Herald News. I was already suckered into falling forChaser.
In a perfect world, we would run awaytogether.
In a perfect world, I would be able to finish my collegedegree.
Taking out my Political Science textbook, I stared at the cover, running my finger over the colored Post-it notes I’d stuck in the pages. They marked important things I was supposed to remember. Quotes, facts, ideologies. The scientific study of government and their politics and policies. Otherwise known as, the subtle art of crapping your way to a position ofpower.
Why the fuck was I carrying this shit around the country for? The moment Chaser turned up at Teasers was the moment the life I was trying to make for myself dissolved into a steaming pile ofshit.
Slamming the trunk closed, I locked the car and clambered down the rocks, my boots scraping all the way to the water’sedge.
When I came back into view, Chaser straightened up, watching me withinterest.
Staring out across the lake, I clutched the textbook against my chest. This felt like one of those pivotal moments in aChoose Your Own Adventurestory. One path would lead me to certain death, one would be fraught with danger, and another would transport me right to the happy ending. I didn’t know which fork I was about to take, but I knew I couldn’t go back. Notanymore.
Twisting to the side, I swung with all the strength I could muster and hurled the book into the air. It cannonballed into the lake, hitting the surface with a slap, the impact sending watereverywhere.
“What did you do that for?” Chaser asked, raising an eyebrow. “I thought college was important toyou?”
“I’ve been fooling myself,” I said, watching the water rise and fall in miniature tsunamis around the impact zone. “Thinking I could have this amazing life if only I believed. It’s a lie. No one’s going to give me a medal for participation in the human race. It’s time to wake up and smell theshit.”
Sitting beside him, I sighed, not in the least surprised when he had nothing to add to my heartfelt declaration ofdespair.
“Can we pretend?” I asked, my cheeks heating with embarrassment. “Just fortoday?”
Chaser frowned, his brow creasing. Reaching up, I caressed his stubbled jaw, my heart aching. In a way, it felt like goodbye. I was giving up my dreams and resigning to a fate I wasn’t able to escape. Betty was making a comeback, and Sloane was crawling into hercoffin.
“Just for a few hours…” I whispered, my lips brushing againsthis.
