Page 68 of Ride Hard
I sensed she was complaining about other things to avoid talking about the skull explosion. Still, I had to make sure she didn’t die of some unknown injury from the accident. She was right about one thing. We were lucky as hell to get out of that with only minor bumps andscratches.
“You killed him to survive. After he killed me, he would’ve come afteryou.”
“I know.” She glanced up at the sky. “But I still took alife.”
A melancholy howl echoed across the vast landscape, and shestiffened.
“What’s that?” she asked, her head twisting toward thenoise.
“Coyote.”
She shivered and looked around warily at the landscape. She wasn’t much of a nature buff, that was forsure.
“Keep walking,” I commanded. “The sooner we find civilization, the sooner we’re back on theroad.”
There was no reply, and we walked in silence as the sun wentdown.
“He called you Gunnar,” she said after a while. “Why?”
Sloane could never leave things unsaid for too long. How much had she heard before she shot that guy? Best to play it by ear and not give too much away. My shit wasn’t her business or her burden to carry. She had enough of her own problems to worryabout.
“Because that’s my name,” I said after apause.
“That’s your realname?”
“You think my mamma called me Chaser?” I asked, raising myeyebrow.
“No.”
“Chaser is a name I took to help conceal myidentity.”
“So why are you telling me thisnow?”
She stopped walking, and I turned, peering at her in the dark. Her long hair was tangled and strewn with dirt, the knees of her jeans were ripped open, the toes of her boots were scuffed, but she was still beautiful. The sight of her tore my dead heart intwo.
“It’s no use hiding shit anymore,” Ireplied.
“Why?”
“You’re full of so many annoying fucking questions.” I rolled myeyes.
“You don’t like talking very much.” And Sloane loved to fill the peaceful silences with boring shit that drove meinsane.
“What gave meaway?”
“I still want to run away with you, youknow.”
I grunted and started walking. A moment later, the sound of her footsteps caught up tome.
“Do you think they were watching us back at the lake?” sheasked.
“Possibly.”
She shivered. “Perverts.”
At least we gave them a show. Maybe they fucked each other up the ass while they watched her suck my dick. Maybe that was why they didn’t put bullets in our heads while I fingered Sloane in thelake.
“Are we going to sleep outhere?”
