Page 292 of Her Reluctant Hero
She turned back and smiled. “Hey. How’re you doing?”
Damn, her voice was as smooth as if they were going for a Sunday drive. Which, maybe they were. What day was it, anyway? “Where are we going?” he croaked. He smelled ash, tried to lift his head to see out the window but his muscles wouldn’t cooperate. What had she given him?
“Someplace private. Slow down, Kevin, I’m going into the back.”
The jostling slowed and Kim climbed over the seat to sit beside him. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get your clothes. We kind of were in a hurry.”
He looked down at his hospital gown and felt more naked than he had in his life. If he managed to get away from the Crazy Twins, he’d freeze. These mountains got damned cold, even in summer. And between the way she studied him, kind of Little Red Riding Hood gone darkside, and his lack of coordination, he felt damned vulnerable.
“What’s going on here, Kim?” he mumbled, his lips not wanting to cooperate.
“I’m going to show you what real love is. You clearly don’t choose women very well, so I decided to show you.” She twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “I was going to dye my hair blonde, but I didn’t want to remind you of Jen or Peyton. I want you to just see me.” She trailed a finger up his bare thigh.
He wanted to flinch away, but couldn’t. So he shoved at her with words. “You damn near killed me.”
Her eyes hardened. “I didn’t tell you to jump out of the stupid plane for the stupid girl who couldn’t stay with you when you needed her. God, Gabe, you’d think you would have learned your lesson with Jen.”
“And you’re going to teach me.”
She nodded.
“What about Kevin, there?” He inclined his head toward her brother. “Won’t be very cozy with him around.”
“I need him there till you see the light. Can’t have you running away in the middle of the night. Of course, dressed like this, you won’t get far.” She smiled, like it was all one big joke.
Christ. He didn’t have shoes. And even if he was able to overpower Kevin, the kid was little. No way would Gabe fit into any of his clothes.
He was screwed.
*****
Peyton and Devlin met the Bear Claws and the deputies at the crossroads. The road forked in three directions, two paved, one a dirt road, dusty and pitted.
“You were right,” Devlin told Howard. “We saw the video from the Exxon station. They headed this way.”
Howard rolled his eyes. “I’ve worked with Kim a long time. I’d recognize her even with the freaked-out hair.”
“The question is, which way did they go from here?”
“And how long till the road turns off?” Peyton muttered, battling despair and losing. The sun had set, not much longer before full dark, and all Kevin would have to do to avoid detection was to pull off.
“Are any of you familiar with this area?” Devlin asked.
“I grew up around here,” one of the deputies said.
“If you were on the run from the law, which way would you go?”
The deputy, a young man probably mid-twenties, whose name tag read Simpson, scratched his chin. “If I was looking to get out of state, I’d take that one.” He pointed to the road leading south. “But if I wanted to lay low, I’d take this one.” He pointed to the dirt road. “A whole lotta nada out there. A few old hunting cabins scattered around.”
“Maybe that’s something,” Peyton said hopefully.
“Something,” Devlin agreed, shining his light on the road. “A vehicle’s been through here recently. Big tires too.” He glanced back at Simpson. “You say nothing’s down here?”
“No, sir. Not a lot of traffic.”
“The rest of you split up, take the other roads. Simpson, you’re with me.” Devlin turned to Peyton. “Coming?”
Like he could stop her. She climbed into the backseat of his rented sedan and buckled in.
