Page 23 of Moved
Sighing, I stood. Racer looked at me with another frown.
“Sorry. I can’t do this.”
I walked out of his apartment and to the shed. I cranked the radio to drown out my own thoughts and sat on the mat, trying to think of nothing and failing. I wanted to go home. I wanted to talk to my friends. I wanted to go back to school. I flopped back onto the mat and spread my arms wide. I hated the mind-numbing boredom here. The steel rafters above didn’t give me any answers.
Racer left me alone for the rest of the night. He didn’t even come out to the shed to check on me or open his door when I walked back to my apartment.
When the phone rang, I checked the number then let it ring twice more while I tried to put myself into a better frame of mind.
“Hey, Dad,” I said, putting on my chipper voice.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing really. My mind is turning to pudding from extreme seclusion. I may not be able to articulate in a social situation when...if...I ever return to society.”
“Gillian—”
“I know. It’s to keep me safe.” A moment of silence reigned. “Let’s just go to the police,” I said, thinking of Chuck following him. I only had one parent left.
“Honey, there are things you don’t understand. We just can’t risk it.”
“Because of your job?”
He laughed. “In a way. It’s the questions the authorities would start asking that we can’t risk.”
It wasn’t about his job, then. What other secrets did we have? I thought of my mother’s letter and remained quiet. He was somehow worried the questions might lead back to her and her secrets. Even after losing her all those years ago, I treasured her trust in me. I wouldn’t break it. Not for my safety or for his.
“Fine. I’ll be fine. I’ll buy some books online or something.”
“Love you, hun.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
Chapter 7
I was up before Racer knocked on my door. In yoga pants and a tank top, I stood in my living room stretching. The last few sessions with Racer left me sore and bruised. Well, mostly sore. I hoped stretching would help with that.
When he knocked, I opened the door with a smile. He didn’t offer one in return. His eyes slid from my gaze and slowly traveled down, stopping at my shoes. All the while, a faint blush crept into his cheeks.
“We’ll do a lesson later.” He turned and tromped down the steps without another word. I frowned after him. He came up here just to tell me never mind? I closed the door slowly. What the hell was I supposed to do now? Why couldn’t we do a lesson this morning? It’s not like he actuallydidanything else.
With a scowl, I yanked open my door went downstairs. His apartment door stood ajar. I didn’t bother calling his name, though. The faint thump of music reached my ears.
I walked out to the shed. The door there wasn’t latched either. I eased it open and saw Racer hitting the bag with deadly force. Mounted floor to steel beam on the ceiling, the bag couldn’t swing away from his brutal beating. Muscles rolled and coiled under his shirt with each strike. He shifted his weight from foot to foot in rhythm with his punches. I didn’t move. I watched his beautiful dance, not missing a thing. A tiny seed of heat sprouted in my stomach and slowly spread outward, filling me. I wanted to stay there forever and just stare, to take in everything.
Sweat started to dampen his shirt. He paused for half a second, grabbed the hem, and pulled it off. The muscles over his ribs rippled as he reached to toss it aside. He started pummeling the bag again. Skin glistened. I forgot everything.
When he finally stopped and turned to pick up his shirt, I had no idea how much time had passed. My feet hurt, though, so I figured I’d been standing awhile. He paused when he caught sight of me. I had the grace to blush but kept my eyes on his.
“Why no lesson this morning?” A dry rasp coated my words. I just couldn’t help it.
He narrowed his eyes on me as he stalked forward. “I’m not here to entertain you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Are we seriously back to this? I’m not here to be a prisoner.”
“Fine.” He tossed his shirt aside, and my eyes widened as he came at me.
I ducked under his arm and half rolled out of the way, coming up to my feet with a quick bounce.
