Page 56 of A Broody Mate for the Human
“That’s the same. Bottom line is: you have nothing better to do, anyway.” I raise my brows. “Or, have you?”
He furrows his brows, grumbling into his beard, but then he nods. “Hungry,” he mutters.
“Alright, I’ll fetch us more snacks. You can wait by my car.” I roll my eyes. Great, now I have two huge puppies to deal with, and both probably have an endless pit for their stomach. Sugar still has enough food, but for the axe murderer, I better buy some stuff.
I return to the gas station shop, ignoring the curious glances of the cashier, and stock up on chips, cookies, sandwiches, and peanuts. I pay and return to my car, raising my brows when I see the killer guy sitting in the driver’s seat.
So, I guess he wants to drive. Does he have a driver’s license?
“How did you even get in the car?” I ask, opening the door to the passenger’s seat.
“Broke into it,” he mutters.
Fantastic! I’ve hired him for five minutes, and he already broke into my car! “And you have a license?” I ask.
He stares at me. “I can drive.”
I sigh. “Well, then let’s go.” I hand him a chocolate bar and Sugar some treats, which they both swallow instantly before whatever-his-name-is drives off. He looks hilarious in my car. The car is tiny, and he is bulky and tall, basically squeezed behind the wheel. He carefully moves the car towards the exit of the gas station, looking left and right and using the indicator before slowly making it onto the road.
Wow! It’s in the middle of the night, and there is literally no one on the street! He drives like a grandpa. I wonder if I should tease him for it, but then I figure I don’t even know his name, and calling him axe murder to his face won’t do it.
“Do you have a name?” I ask.
“I guess so,” he grumbles.
Goodness gracious! “And what is it?”
“Forgot it.”
I stare at him. “You forgot your name?”
He shrugs but looks a bit flustered. “I forgot everything.”
My mouth drops open. “You don’t know who you are? Where you come from? Where you’re going to? Your past?”
He nods.
A man without a past. I feel my heart ache a bit. To forget everything about your life, even your name, has to be such a devastating situation. I furrow my brows, looking at him thoughtfully. I wonder what’s hidden beneath his messy hair and beard. What kind of man would I find beneath it? “We’ll start with a name,” I say.
“Huh?”
I tilt my head. He doesn’t talk much; he is broody and only grumbles. Maybe Sully for sullen. Or Raffy for rough. I beam. “I like Raffy.”
His confusion grows. “Who’s Raffy?”
“You’re Raffy now!” I smile.
“Raffy…” he mutters, tilting his head. He sounds pleased.
Chapter twenty
Mr. Ford
*DAVE*
GrandpaRaffytrulydrivesby the textbook. No worse than that… we’ll never reach our destination or save Finn if we go so slowly. Half an hour into it and I’ve had it. No way, José. This is my mission, and I’ll definitely not have it hijacked by an axe murderer slash rogue who drives like a grandpa.
I furrow my brows, wondering what to do when I decide to just go all out. “STOP!” I yell. “Just stop the car!”
