by J. L. Beck
Reed doesn’t protest and does as he’s told. I speed walk down the hallway, glancing around and listening for anybody trying to sneak up on us. When we pass the nurses station, I reach under the desk to grab my purse and then head for the exit. Reed is walking a few feet behind me, apparently struggling to keep up. We are almost at the door when someone grabs me from behind and swings me to the side into a doorway. Before I can even think about panicking, I am pushed flush to the wall. Strong hands grip my arms firmly and a large hard body covers mine completely.
"Someone is coming," Reed whispers in my ear. His head is dipped and his face is right next to mine. His breath makes strands of my long brown hair move and tickle my cheek. I am painfully aware of how his groin is pushed up to my ass and a jolt of excitement ignites in my core. I can't believe I am thinking about sex right now when I could possibly die in the next few minutes.
Footsteps running past us and the flicker of a shadow drags me back to reality. Lucky for us, whoever it was didn't see us and went on. Once the hallway returned to its quiet state, I feel Reed stepping away from me. I feel cold as soon as he does, his body heat replaced by a wetness on my back. His blood I realize. He nods towards the door when I turn to face him and I nod in agreement.
We step out into the brisk March mountain air and I start to shiver immediately. I didn't grab my jacket and my clothes are wet now, which only adds to my discomfort. I look over to Reed thinking he must be freezing since he is not wearing a shirt at all, but he doesn't seem to mind the cold. I lead him to my car, and unlock the doors swiftly. He gets into the passenger side without saying anything. As soon as we are in the car I start the engine and speed off.
“Slow down, we don’t want to get pulled over for speeding,” He mumbles.
I do as he says and slow down to the speed limit.
As I am leisurely driving down the road trying to figure out where I am driving to, realization sets in of what I have just done.
Fuck, fuck, fuckedy fuck. What the fuck did I just get into? What was I thinking? I left my job in the middle of the night, I fought a prison guard, bashed another one’s heads in, helped a prisoner escape and now I am driving the said prisoner around in my car, making sure that I don’t get pulled over for speeding? I'm not an expert on law, but I am sure I committed a bunch of crimes tonight. Probably a felony or something. I need a plan. I need to get away from this guy that I know nothing about, other than his first name and that he is a criminal.
"I need to go home and feed my cat," I yell out loudly. Apparently, my nervousness makes it hard to come up with a plausible excuse or control the volume of my voice.
“What?” Reed snickers tilting his head to the side.
“Beef Stew!” I yell, still unable to find an appropriate volume.
“What?” He repeats looking at me like I have gone insane.
"My cat, his name is Beef Stew, I need to go home and feed him,” I clarify, and to my surprise, I sound a little more normal now.
"Ah, of course," He says and nods his head like he understands. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to go home today and I also would appreciate it if you could sew me up before we part ways." He says this casually and without a threat, but I am too chicken to see what he would do if I refuse. I keep driving in silence for a few minutes and watch the passing trees fly by. I feel like my car is smaller today than on any other day, probably because Reed is occupying so much space. Then something dawns on me.
“My family has a little hunting cabin up the mountain. It’s completely off the map. You can’t even get there by car. I could totally take you there.” The words come out fast and with a little bit too much excitement, but he doesn’t seem to notice or care.
“Sure,” He replies and leans back in his seat looking like he is trying to relax.
Sure. I repeat in my mind. Maybe it’s not the best plan, but it’s still a plan. Take him to the cabin. Sew him up. Leave him at the cabin. Go to the cops.
25
“So, are you going to tell me what really happened? How you got all these stab wounds?” I ask when the silence in the car becomes too much.
“It’s better if you don’t know anything about that.” He shifts in his seat and a pained groan escapes his mouth. I sigh at his very unsatisfying answer.
"Can you at least explain what exactly happened at the clinic? Why did the guard attack me?"
“It really doesn’t matter what happened. They are going to spin the story anyway. What matters is what that story is going to be."
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shifts in his seat again before going on. “There are two ways this can go. They are either going to say that I escaped and took you as a hostage or that we knew each other and we planned this escape together. Either way, they are going to try to get to us before we can leave the area.”
I’m dazed by his statement and I want to ask what they are going to do to us, but I am certain I know the answer to that.
It only takes us twenty minutes of back-road driving until I turn onto the dirt road that leads us to the trail. Neither one of us says a word for the rest of the drive. I don’t say anything else, mostly because I am still trying to digest everything that has occurred in the last two hours. I conclude that it would still be better to get away from Reed and go to the police as fast as I can. I am pretty sure that Reed hasn’t said another word because he is either passed out, or about to pass out. When I park next to a large oak tree at the end of the dirt road I turn to Reed.
“It’s about a half a mile hike up to the cabin. Are you going to be good?”
"Yeah, I am fine."
I grab my purse and pull on a sweatshirt that I had in the back seat of my car before I lead him into the dark woods. I don't have an actual flashlight with me, so I use my phone as one. The light it gives us is barely enough to make out the unmarked trail, but I have walked this path so many times that I could probably find my way without any light at all. A thought crosses my mind. I could lead him a little deeper into the woods, turn off the light, and run back to my car. I know this area like the back of my hand. He wouldn't have a chance of catching me here if he attempts to chase me. I let go of that idea quickly. Even in this situation, I don't have it in me to leave someone injured and alone out in the middle of nowhere. Not to mention that it is freezing cold out and he is not wearing a shirt.
I look back to glance at him. He is walking so closely behind me that even in the dim light I can see his muscles flex with every movement. I am once again reminded of a warrior, stalking through the forest, as he is returning home from a long and bloody battle. The only thing he is missing is an ax in his hand.
In the back of my mind a voice is telling me that I should be afraid of him. Maybe even terrified, considering the situation that I am in. But somehow, I don't feel terribly threatened by him. Now that I think about it, he really hasn’t done anything that would make me think he is a danger to me at all.
I stop abruptly, realizing we are in front of the cabin now. Reed walks right into me and knocks me over. Before my face can hit the moss-covered forest floor, one strong arm loops around my torso pulling me back into his embrace. Once again, I am pressed against his body. To my surprise, he is not freezing like I thought. Even through the thick layer of my clothing I can feel his body heat seeping into me. His arm is slung around me right under my breasts and when he releases me, he slightly brushes against my nipples. The brief touch sends jolts of pleasure through my body and I am grateful for the darkness hiding my undoubtedly flushed face.
"We are here," I say, my voice a tad breathless.
I take the key out of my purse to unlock the deadbolt on the door. We step in the small but cozy one-room cabin. The familiar smell of pine hits me, making me feel right at home. I go straight to the cabinet under the window to grab a flashlight and two lanterns. I set one lantern on top of the cabinet and the other one on the kitchen table. The cabin is now illuminated with light, revealing a
small kitchenette, a table with four chairs, a desk surrounded by boxes, a fireplace, and one full-size bed in the corner.
"Go lay down on the bed," I tell Reed and he does as I asked. I turn on the flashlight and set it on the nightstand next to a framed picture of me, Jason, and Brandon. We were still kids in the pictures, happy and worry-free. I wish that I could only remember the good times. But as always, looking at the picture fills me with a mixture of grief, loss, and longing.
I sit down on the side of the bed and prepare the suture kit. As I re-clean the wounds on Reed's torso, I realize that I didn’t bring gloves and that like my earlier fantasy, I am now touching him without. It feels good, this skin to skin contact and I find myself lingering, touching him more than I actually need to. He must notice, because when I peek up at his face, he is looking at me with hooded eyes and a sensual smile.
Embarrassed, I drop my hands.
"I'm going to sew the cut on your abdomen first and then the one on your face," I say and try my best to keep my voice casual sounding.
He nods and I start injecting lidocaine around the areas that I am about to work on. When I am halfway done with the first wound Reed points at the picture and asks,
“Is that you?”
“Yeah, me and my brothers. We used to spend a lot of time up here when we were kids.”
“You don’t anymore?”
"No," I say and leave it at that. Reed must have caught the sad undertone in my voice because he doesn’t question me any further on the subject.
While I work on his face, I am again flustered by how close we are in this position. I’m laying half on top of him and our faces are only a few inches apart. I am trying my best to concentrate on the task, while I am going back and forth between wanting to get away and wanting to get even closer. Only when I am done and get up, do I feel like I can breathe again.
My movement reminds me of my bloodied shirt, which is now starting to uncomfortably get stuck to my back. What would I give for a shower right about now? I walk over to the kitchen area and take my sweater off. Then I grab the hem of my shirt and start to pull it up absentmindedly. My movement comes to a sudden halt just when the shirt is over my head and I realize that I am only wearing a bra underneath. Oh well, too late now, I think to myself and pull the shirt off all the way. I have never been particularly shy or self-conscious about my body, but stripping in front of a stranger is not normally on my to-do list. I walk over to the dresser and take out an old worn shirt to sleep in.
"You have blood on your back," Reed tells me from the bed, just when I am about to pull on the shirt. I go back to the cabinets where we stash supplies and get some wet wipes. When I awkwardly twist my arm to wipe my back, I hear a low chuckle coming from the bed. I look over to see Reed stretched out on the bed, with one arm under his head. He looks like he is thoroughly amused by my little show.
“I can help you with that if you want,” he lures.
My legs are moving before my mind can decide if this is a good idea or not. I hand him the wipes and sit down on the edge of the bed, this time with my back turned to him. I jump slightly when the cool wipe touches my skin. I am already cold in here without a shirt on and this only adds to my chilliness. A second later though, he presses the wipe harder to my skin and the warmth of his hand soaks through the wipe and into me. As he moves, I can feel his fingertips on my skin and the sensation gives me pleasurable little shivers.
“Are you cold?” He asks me in a low voice.
"A little," I admit.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see that he drops the used wipe on the floor and I am about to get up to grab it but then I feel his hand on my back again. This time it is only his warm hand, his fingers stretched out on my back. He starts gently stroking my lower back in slow circular motion. I didn’t realize how stiff my muscles had been until now. I can feel my whole back loosening up and relaxing. Unintentionally, I let out a quiet moan and close my eyes indulging in this pleasurable little back rub.
My eyes fly open when I feel his hand wandering around to my stomach and he pulls me down on the bed next to him.
“What are you doing?” I gasp. He covers us both with the blanket.
“I thought you were cold,” He says all matter of fact.
I want to protest and get up but the comfort and warmth is keeping me glued to the bed. Reed is like a radiator next to me. A heat source that will keep me nice and toasty all night. Now that I am lying down, a wave of sleepiness washes over me. I am too exhausted to care that I am lying in bed, half naked, with an equally naked guy whom I only met a few hours ago. Also, there is really nowhere else for me to sleep.
When I use to come up here with my family, we would bring cots or air mattresses to sleep on. There is no way I would be able to snooze on the cold hardwood floor. Just the thought makes me shudder. Reed must take my shudder as a cue of me needing more warmth and he responds by pulling me an inch closer to him.
We are both on our backs, but his arm is still underneath me and his hand is cradling my elbow. I clutch the blanket to me and pull it up to my chin. We lie there like this for a few minutes before I can feel my eyelids grow impossibly heavy and a deep sleep finds me.
26
First, I become aware of the smell. It smells like the outdoors, which will forever remind me of safety, happiness, and peace. Pine needles, moss and fresh mountain air, oddly mixed with the familiar odor of the hospital’s antiseptic, as well as some unfamiliar masculine scent. My eyes are still closed while my hand is moving on autopilot over a smooth warm surface. I push my face into the same warm cushiony smoothness and take a deep breath wanting more of this smell and sensation.
Someone clearing his throat drags me back to wakefulness slowly but surely. I open one eye first, peeking into the cabin I have woken up in so many times before. Bright sunlight is coming from the windows and fills the entire room. I open my other eye and glance up at the head that is attached to the body pillow I have been cuddling up to like a cat in heat. Reed is looking down at me with something that looks a lot like embarrassment. I am the one who should be embarrassed, and I am. Then to my further humiliation, I realize that my leg is also slung over his body and Reed’s hand is on my knee whilst pushing it away from his groin.
My cheeks are on fire and I immediately scramble away from him, almost falling off the bed in the process. As soon as I am out of the bed, the cold cabin air hits my flushed skin, reminding me that I am only wearing a bra. I frantically go for the shirt that I carelessly dropped on the floor last night and put it on. Now that I am fully clothed my awkwardness subsides slightly. That is until I see the sizable tent the flannel blanket is making. Reed is trying his best to hide it by shifting his legs but he is unsuccessful.
"I am so sorry," I say, even though I am not sure what I am apologizing for since he obviously enjoyed me rubbing against him. “Breakfast?” I ask in hopes to distract from this situation.
“Sure.”
I find a hair tie in the drawer and pull my long brown hair that probably looks like a bird has nested in it into a high ponytail. Then I quickly prepare some canned pork and beans on the camping stove. Not the traditional breakfast, but it will do. I don’t look over to where Reed is still lying on the bed, but I can feel his eyes on me the whole time. When I’m done, I set two plates and two water bottles on the table. I hear Reed getting up behind me. I can feel the air shift in the room and goosebumps spread across my skin as his large body moves closer to me.
We both take a seat at the table across from each other and start eating. When we are halfway done, and I have composed myself enough to talk, I start asking him questions.
“So, what’s next? Do you have a plan? Somewhere to go?”
He looks up at me and I just now realize the warm light green color of his eyes. Yesterday at the hospital, his eyes were too irritated to make it out. Now sitting next to the window, I can see the many variations of green in his iris.
“We need to get to a TV
or computer to figure out what story they are telling.”
“I can go online from here.”
He looks at me puzzled, then he looks around the room. “From here?”
I push my plate away, get up and walk over to the boxes by the desk. I open the first box and start unpacking the computer equipment. I set the laptop on the desk where my dad used to sit and work through the night.
“We have to get the generator going before I can turn any of this on, but this stuff should still work. It’s older now but when my dad got it, it was all cutting edge,” I say while hooking up numerous cables.
“Is your dad some kind of computer whiz?” Reed says, coming up behind me.
“He was,” I correct him, “He died when I was sixteen. He used to take me and my brothers up here, but he still needed to work so he set this up. Satellite internet and all.”
“Sorry about your dad.”
I glance up at Reed. He is looking at the wall where more pictures of me and my brothers are displayed.
“So, this is how you became a ninja.” He points out while looking at a picture of me during a Tae kwon-do tournament.
“Yup, I’ve got mad ninja skills. Hey, by the way, there are some clothes you can wear in that dresser.” I say, pointing to it.
I watch him walk over and take a shirt and some pants out. Then he starts undoing his belt and dropping what’s left of the prison jumpsuit on the floor. I stop breathing. He is turned away from me and I feel like a stalker, but I can’t bring myself to look away. All he is wearing now is some boxer briefs, and I think if he would lose those he would complete the look of a Greek stone statue. My eyes are glued to his ass, moving under the thin material of those boxers. Then the butt stills and I look up Reed’s body only to find that he is looking over his shoulder right at me. His eyebrows are raised in a questionable expression.
“I…, I…, ah, I was just…” I start stuttering, unable to form a coherent sentence after being caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
