Page 46 of Take a Hike
“What are you doing?” she yelled, running back toward him. No sense in being quiet anymore. After all, that flash-bang probably woke even Gabrielle up. The two gate guards were still incapacitated, but there were reinforcements coming—a whole crowd of them by the sound of it.
“Locking them in,” he snapped, finishing fiddling with the chain and padlock and sprinting toward her. When he caught up with Charlie, he reached out to grab her hand, pulling her along as ifshewere the cause of the delay.
“They have the key, doofus,” she said, her legs working faster than when Fifi promised judgment-free ice cream to whichever sister finished their run the fastest during training.
“It’ll take them a minute to get it open. We can use that time to, you know,get away.”
She spared him a quick, envious scowl before she focused on the dark road. Now was not the time to trip and go sprawling face down on the rural mountain road. She’d watched enough horror movies to know that. “You’re not breathing hard at all.”
That huff was definitely a laugh. “Firefighter training is brutal. I’m just glad I’m not hauling a hundred pounds of gear right now.”
“Don’t…tell Fifi.” Unlike Kieran, Charlie was definitely sucking air. Her body urged her to slow, but the shouts and rattling of the gate—did that mean they’d unlocked it already, or was that just one of the guys shaking the fence in frustration?—kept her moving as fast as she could go.
“Tell her what?” He turned his head to look at her without slowing his pace.
“Watch where you’re running!” she yelled at him, then had to pause to suck in some hard breaths to replace the oxygen she’d just wasted. “Don’t…you watch…horror movies? Focus!”
“Fine.” Although it was too dark to see his expression, sheknew he was smirking. She could justfeelit. “So what am I supposed to keep from your sister?”
“Fire…fighting…training.” She just had to make it around the next curve and then up the tiniest hill to get to where they’d left his truck. “No details. Fifi…doesn’t…need to know.”
“Okay.” Despite his response, his tone told her he didn’t understand why she wanted him to hit the mute button about that. He hadn’t been tortured by her training sessions on a daily basis for years, so of course he didn’t get it. As long as he kept his mouth shut about practicing running while carrying a hundred pounds of gear, they wouldn’t have a problem.
As they rounded the turn, there was the truck, the scarce moonlight reflecting off its shiny bits. Charlie had never been so glad to see an inanimate object in her life.
“Your truck…is…beautiful,” she gasped out with the very last of the air in her lungs.
“I know.”
She sprinted up the slope—which somehow didn’t feel like the “tiniest hill” she remembered from when they’d arrived—and headed for the passenger side of the truck, not even arguing about who was going to drive. Oxygen was too precious. She yanked open the door and dove inside, grabbing the far side of the seat to haul herself up.
The engine rumbled, warning her she’d better get secured before they took off or she’d end up on the floor. Twisting around so she was actually sitting in the seat, rather than sprawled across it, she braced herself on the dash just as Kieran stomped on the accelerator.
“Seat belt!” she ordered, clicking her own into place.
Keeping one hand on the wheel as they charged down the road, he reached for his seat belt with his other. A sharp curve was coming up fast, and Charlie decided she’d rather the driver have the use of both hands. She leaned over, grabbed the seat belt from him, and snapped it into place.
“You could…probably turn…your lights on,” she said pragmatically, still puffing a little. “They already know…we’re heading to Moose Peak Road…since we don’t have any other choice. Plus, lights might help us…not die.” Settling back in her seat, Charlie affected a look of relaxed unconcern, hiding the fact that her right quad and calf muscles were clenching as she pushed on a phantom accelerator.
Without saying a word, he followed her suggestion, and the road lit up in front of them. It made the drive both less and—oddly—moreterrifying, since everything they could possibly smash themselves into—rocks, trees, even small cliff faces—was brightly illuminated. From Kieran’s expression—his standard scowl, which Charlie decided was his relaxed face—and his easy grip on the steering wheel, he wasn’t too stressed about hurtling down a mountain on a dirt road that was barely more than two strips on the rocky ground.
Since he wasn’t outwardly concerned, Charlie relaxed back in her seat and enjoyed the ride. After all, sitting in Kieran’s cushy truck was a thousand times better than running, even if she wasn’t driving. Her leg twitched again in co-driving solidarity as he barely slowed before twisting the wheel, sending the truck rocketing around the hairpin turn.
“Very nice.”
“Thank you.”
Pulling out her phone, Charlie texted Fifi an update.
Only seconds later, her sister’s response popped up on Charlie’s screen.Glad you’re out. Any tail?
Briefly thinking about all the jokes she could make and discarding them all, Charlie just sent a shrug emoji and then added,Not one we can see yet.
Let me know if that changes. We’ll head to the HS—meet us there.
Charlie frowned at her phone.High school?
Honeymoon suite!
