Page 49 of Stolen Goods
He stuffed the name and the emotions and that whole tangled web deep inside and slammed the trunk with it. Then he pasted a grin to his face and took the bottle Addison was holding out, the promise of a truce in her understanding eyes, a reminder that for the next few hours, they could still be just two people who needed to get away. No past. No future. Only now.
“Ready.”
- 18 -
Addison
The closer and closer they drove to the Grand Canyon, the more her heart started to race, a wild thing inside her chest demanding release. It wasn’t just anticipation of the view, or the thrill of adventure, or the fact that she was finally—finally, after so many years of wishing and dreaming—checking a location off her list. There was something else too. A little countdown in the back of her mind, leading to what, she wasn’t sure, but something big. Something monumental. As they turned off the highway, and the mileage on the signs dropped and dropped, a little part of Addy couldn’t help but wonder if this was how Cinderella felt before the ball. Excited and nervous and aware on some level that by the time midnight struck her life would be different, changed in a way she never would’ve expected.
“Hey, Addison?”
“Yeah?” She turned from the window, jolting a little when she saw Thad. She’d forgotten that he’d put on a disguise before they left the last gas station—a sandy-blonde wig under a backward baseball cap, sunglasses with reflective blue lenses that were almost obnoxious they were so metallic, and a bright pink polo with the collar popped, of course. Addy was in a striped sundress they’d found at the gas station for ten bucks. According to Thad, one of the easiest ways to blend in with a crowd was to actively stand out. It was unexpected. And the more someone wanted to stare, the less they actually would, because the desire made the act inherently embarrassing. Something like that anyway. Addy was just happy to be in a dress again—the grimy athletic clothes had grown old, fast.
“Can you put your seat back and lie down? Pretend to be sleeping? Just until we get through the entrance gate. You don’t have a wig or anything, and I want to keep your face off the cameras, just in case.”
“Oh, right. Sure.”
She swallowed and pulled the handle on the side of her chair, pushing the seat back until it was almost flat. Then she curled on her side and turned away, trying to keep her breath even as the car slowed.
“Good afternoon,” a pleasant voice announced.
“Afternoon,” Thad whispered, a twinge to his voice that was a little pompous, clearly an act. “My wife is sleeping. I told her not to have all that wine last night, but, well, you know. If she wants to be hung over for her first trip to the Grand Canyon, what can I do?”
Addy rolled her eyes.
“Right, sir,” the man answered, clearly bored and ready to move on to the next. “It’s thirty-five dollars per car.”
“Of course, of course,” Thad murmured back. Theswishof bills filled the silence. “Here you go.”
“Thank you. Here’s a map and your park permit. There’s more information in the visitor’s center. Enjoy the Grand Canyon.”
“Thanks, man.”
They rolled away. As soon as Thad put a hand on her shoulder, Addy sprang up like a prairie dog from its den, gaze fastened on the horizon. There was nothing but dense trees. Thick, evergreen and gorgeous, but not the sight she wanted to see.
“Where is it?”
Thad snorted. “I think we’ll know when we see.”
“I know, but aren’t you excited?” Addy was practically bouncing in her seat. In the distance, she saw a row of parked cars, a small clearing in the trees, a stretch of expansive blue sky. “Oh my gosh! I think that’s the first lookout! Can’t you drive any faster,grandpa?”
He slowed down.
Addy glared across the seats.
Thad didn’t bother to try to hide the dimples digging into his cheeks. But as he crawled into a parking spot and she caught her first view of the canyons, her annoyance vanished. Addy didn’t stop to think—her brain short-circuited. Instead, she jumped out of the car, ran down the path to the main viewing area, and barreled into the rail, gripping the cool metal in both palms like a lifeline. It was just as breathtaking as she’d always imagined.
There were no words.
No thoughts.
As though a vacuum had attached to her lips, the air rushed out of her lungs, leaving her light-headed and in awe. The earth had fallen away and in its place was pure magic. Rich reds and ochres, bright against the sapphire sky, were staggered and tiered like a thousand-layer cake. Everywhere she looked the vista stretched, as deep as her eyes could see, as wide, as far. Space and time melted away as she fought and failed to take everything in. Addy jumped her gaze from one spot to another, overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude, the sheer glory.
Thad stepped up beside her and put his hands on the rail so the sides of their palms touched, electric. His voice was husky as he whispered, “Wow.”
The word was entirely insufficient, and yet, she couldn’t think of anything else to say. Because, well… “Wow.”
And that was enough.
