for? How far are we running?”
“Dunno yet, how far do you think they’d chase you?” He asks, looking for an indication of how deep I’m in it. “That’s what I thought, if they’re prepared you need a fall back plan and right now, that’s get some space and distance. Out run them until they can’t run or follow you any longer.”
Suddenly Jake swerves left and heads into the forest, making his point that a car couldn’t follow me in here. We both fall into a steady pace and my brain starts to feel comfortable enough to tick over and spin through things.
“Why do you do that?”
“Do what?” I ask puzzled.
“Narrate.”
I then realize that I’ve been counting out loud and committing the directional route to memory. Shit, I don’t even know I’m doing it. “Um, it’s just me, it’s my thing.”
“Your thing could get you killed. Your breathing was loud but not half as loud as you talkin’. You might as well give them a map or leave breadcrumbs to follow.”
“Sorry, I don’t know I’m doing it.”
Jake shakes his head and pushes on deeper into the forest, taking the lead, pushing the pace up ever so slightly. After an hour we burst through the trees and are in a part of town I very rarely visit. Surprisingly the trail path has brought us to the rear of a gas station. “Your original plan will only work if you can get your car out of the lot. The main problem you have is that you could be running to the exact place they’re parked and waitin’ at.”
“Shit,” I shout and stop immediately, shocked that I didn’t even think about that.
“I know, but right now this is all about givin’ you alternatives. Drink,” he says shoving the water bottle he’s been carrying at me. No sooner have I taken a few gulps, does he take off back in the same direction, but veering off slightly.
Even though his pace is now a little bit quicker, I find I’m motivated to keep up and I’m close enough to study him. He’s perspiring and it’s disgustingly sexy, his khaki colored T shirt is sticking to his back and I can see rivulets of sweat dripping from the bottom of his hair line onto his neck. The sight makes me lick my lips and hum in appreciation.
“Stop it. You’re getting’ distracted again. I think you’re fucked if your bad guys are handsome motherfuckers like me.” He stops without warning and spins round, catching me unawares and making me stumble on the ground scrub. “Damn it Cara, pull it together. There will come a time when you need to be doing the distractin’ not gettin ’ distracted.”
I can’t help but look into his eyes, they’re deep and alluring. I manage to move my gaze as far as his throat where I can see his adam’s apple bob up and down. He’s got to be as affected as me, it’s just not possible that I’m so highly strung up about not having any intimacy that I’m the only one feeling the tension. Quickly he turns back around and runs off again, indicating our awkward moment is definitely over and it’s time to get back on task.
“Stop countin’,” he says, more than once, over the rest of the run before we run out of the tree line only a short distance from my cabin.
“Wow, that is cool,” I’m genuinely impressed for the first time in ages. Jake throws me the water bottle again and ambles up to the cabin where he dunks his hands in a bucket of collected rain water and proceeds to freshen up his face.
“The plan is, if your car escape is cut off, you run out of the hillside using this trail and head to the gas station. There you’ll make a collect call to a couple of numbers I give you. When I give you those numbers get in the habit of havin’ them with you. They are a lifeline so tuck them somewhere in a pocket everyday.”
“Tell me the numbers I’ll remember them.”
He laughs at me, “Yeah whatever, listen, just write them down when I give them to you later.”
“OK,” I answer
“Dunno yet, how far do you think they’d chase you?” He asks, looking for an indication of how deep I’m in it. “That’s what I thought, if they’re prepared you need a fall back plan and right now, that’s get some space and distance. Out run them until they can’t run or follow you any longer.”
Suddenly Jake swerves left and heads into the forest, making his point that a car couldn’t follow me in here. We both fall into a steady pace and my brain starts to feel comfortable enough to tick over and spin through things.
“Why do you do that?”
“Do what?” I ask puzzled.
“Narrate.”
I then realize that I’ve been counting out loud and committing the directional route to memory. Shit, I don’t even know I’m doing it. “Um, it’s just me, it’s my thing.”
“Your thing could get you killed. Your breathing was loud but not half as loud as you talkin’. You might as well give them a map or leave breadcrumbs to follow.”
“Sorry, I don’t know I’m doing it.”
Jake shakes his head and pushes on deeper into the forest, taking the lead, pushing the pace up ever so slightly. After an hour we burst through the trees and are in a part of town I very rarely visit. Surprisingly the trail path has brought us to the rear of a gas station. “Your original plan will only work if you can get your car out of the lot. The main problem you have is that you could be running to the exact place they’re parked and waitin’ at.”
“Shit,” I shout and stop immediately, shocked that I didn’t even think about that.
“I know, but right now this is all about givin’ you alternatives. Drink,” he says shoving the water bottle he’s been carrying at me. No sooner have I taken a few gulps, does he take off back in the same direction, but veering off slightly.
Even though his pace is now a little bit quicker, I find I’m motivated to keep up and I’m close enough to study him. He’s perspiring and it’s disgustingly sexy, his khaki colored T shirt is sticking to his back and I can see rivulets of sweat dripping from the bottom of his hair line onto his neck. The sight makes me lick my lips and hum in appreciation.
“Stop it. You’re getting’ distracted again. I think you’re fucked if your bad guys are handsome motherfuckers like me.” He stops without warning and spins round, catching me unawares and making me stumble on the ground scrub. “Damn it Cara, pull it together. There will come a time when you need to be doing the distractin’ not gettin ’ distracted.”
I can’t help but look into his eyes, they’re deep and alluring. I manage to move my gaze as far as his throat where I can see his adam’s apple bob up and down. He’s got to be as affected as me, it’s just not possible that I’m so highly strung up about not having any intimacy that I’m the only one feeling the tension. Quickly he turns back around and runs off again, indicating our awkward moment is definitely over and it’s time to get back on task.
“Stop countin’,” he says, more than once, over the rest of the run before we run out of the tree line only a short distance from my cabin.
“Wow, that is cool,” I’m genuinely impressed for the first time in ages. Jake throws me the water bottle again and ambles up to the cabin where he dunks his hands in a bucket of collected rain water and proceeds to freshen up his face.
“The plan is, if your car escape is cut off, you run out of the hillside using this trail and head to the gas station. There you’ll make a collect call to a couple of numbers I give you. When I give you those numbers get in the habit of havin’ them with you. They are a lifeline so tuck them somewhere in a pocket everyday.”
“Tell me the numbers I’ll remember them.”
He laughs at me, “Yeah whatever, listen, just write them down when I give them to you later.”
“OK,” I answer
Similar Books
