by Kelly Moore
She walks back over and throws a set of sheets at me. “I’ll take the couch.”
“I don’t mind sharing the bed.” I smile at her.
“I’m sure you don’t.” She laughs. I boldly watch her as she removes her clothes, all of them, and climbs into the bed and covers up with the sheet. “Good night, John.” She hits her pillow and settles in.
Now it’s going to be a damn long, hard night.
Chapter Five
John
Even with as exhausted as I am, sleep doesn’t find me. My mind is muddled and won’t shut off. I mentally try to plan an escape route for us to take in the morning. We need to get to Brook’s apartment in Washington and get that vaccine. Chicago to Washington is going to be a long bike ride. A plane would’ve been so much easier.
I need to get to my brother too. I need to know he’s safe and out of harm’s way. I have to be there for him, make sure he gets the medical attention he needs.
After tossing and turning, I get up and get another beer from the fridge. I pull my phone from my pocket and power it on. I know I don’t have long before they will be able to track it, but I have to see if he’s made it yet.
I dial his number, and he answers after only two rings.
“Hello?”
“Have you made it to the rendezvous yet?”
“Not yet. I ran into a bit of trouble.”
Every hair on my body stands at attention. “What kind of trouble?”
“Some men with guns. Don’t worry, I escaped and lost them a few miles back.”
“First thing in the morning, get that burner phone, and I’ll do the same. I have to go before they track the call.”
“Alright. Be careful, John.”
“You too.” I hang up the phone and pull the battery so it can’t be tracked.
“What’s going on?” Brooklyn asks as she comes into the room. She’s wearing my T-shirt, and her mess of wild red curls are framing her face. Her dark eyes meet mine before she leans against the counter and takes my beer, taking a long drink.
I run my hand over my dark hair. “They’ve found my brother.”
“Is he okay?”
“For now. But we need to get that vaccine as soon as possible.”
“We better get some sleep then.” She places the beer bottle back on the counter and starts toward the bed. I automatically zero in on the cheeks of her ass that are peeking out from under my shirt.
I take a deep breath, stifling a groan, and turn out the light before heading back into the living room for my bed.
It feels like my eyes have just closed when a noise breaks me from my sleep.
My eyes pop open, and I listen closely. I can hear the crunching of gravel: the gravel that surrounds the foundation of the hangar. Just from listening, I can tell whoever is outside is creeping alongside the wall, trying to remain hidden.
I put my hand over Brook’s mouth, and her eyes pop open before she tries to take a swing at me.
We’re nose to nose as I raise my finger to my lips to tell her to be quiet.
“What’s going on?”
“Someone’s outside looking for us. Get dressed.”
I pull my T-shirt and jacket on and make sure I have my bag of supplies. I peek out of the window and see a man slowly walking up the back steps to the loft.
“He’s right outside the door,” I whisper to her.
“What do you want me to do?” she asks while pulling her jacket on.
“Nothing. Just make sure he sees you.” I pull my gun and hide behind the door.
I can hear quiet footsteps just outside the door before the knob slowly turns.
The next thing I know, a loud gunshot fills the room, and the door flies open. The man steps in and sees Brooklyn. Her eyes are wide with fear, and I can tell she’s resisting the urge to run.
The man raises his gun and takes aim, but he doesn’t have time to fire off a shot because I take my shot instead. The bullet flies through the air and hits him in the temple. He falls lifeless to the floor.
“Come on,” I say, reaching for her hand.
She takes it automatically, picking up her bag on the way out the door. We race down the stairs and around the corner to get on our bikes.
“How did they find us?” she asks before pulling on her helmet.
“I called my brother last night.” I jump on my bike and kick it to life. “Follow me.” I rev the engine before peeling out of the parking lot.
I get on the highway and head east with Brooklyn on my tail. We ride until two p.m. when we stop somewhere in Indiana.
We find a little town and stop at the first gas station we come to. After we fill up our bikes, we run inside, and I get a burner phone.
She grabs a few bottles of water and a bag of chips to snack on while I activate the phone and make the call to my brother.
“Hello?”
“I got the phone. Did you get yours?”
He rattles off the number that I put into the new phone, and I give him my new number.
“I’ll be in touch. Let me know if you run into any more trouble.” I hang up the phone and toss it into the trash can. I place the new phone in my jacket pocket and straddle my bike. “You ready?”
She nods and pulls on her helmet before we take off again.
When we stop on the far side of Indiana, the sun has set. We check into a rundown motel and stop for a bite to eat at the local diner.
Neither of us has eaten since the day before, and we waste no time in eating every last bite. I shove my empty plate away while she finishes hers.
“Do you think they know where we are?”
“They know we’re in Indiana that’s for sure.”
Her eyebrow raises before she shoves her last fry into her mouth. “How do you know that?”
“They tracked my phone to that gas station we stopped at. I didn’t turn it off.”
“Why wouldn’t you turn it off?”
I watch her as she takes the straw in her milkshake and takes a long drink. God how I wish her lips were wrapped around something else.
“I want to let them know that they can’t track me anymore.” I throw some cash down on the table and stand. “Let’s get a few hours of sleep before we take off again. I want to leave before sunrise.”
We walk across the street to our motel, and I fall into bed.
“I think I’m going to take a shower.” She takes her bag and moves into the bathroom.
I hear the water turn on, and I relax into the bed. I close my eyes and think about the last couple of days. It all started when I met her in the bar. If I hadn’t slept with her, I wouldn’t be here right now. I would’ve done my job, and my brother and I would be safe, but millions of people would still die, my brother included.
Who am I kidding? I never would’ve been able to go through with completing the job. She’s an innocent woman who has singlehandedly found the cure for cancer. Everyone is going to be wanting a piece of her when the news of the cure is released. Is she ready for that? Has she thought about how hard it is going to be for her to live a normal life when the news breaks? That small rundown apartment in Chicago won’t keep anyone away anymore.
On the other hand, she does seem to be able to take care of herself for the most part. The way she took those stairs in her apartment, she’s done that before. Who has she been running from?
I move from the bed and push open the bathroom door. The small room is already filled with steam, and I can almost see her beautiful body behind the shower glass.
I clear my throat and lean against the door.
She turns to look at me through the glass door before opening it, giving me a full view of her tight body. “What are you doing, John?”
I try my hardest to keep my eyes on hers but fail several times. “I have some questions for you.”
She rolls her eyes and shrugs before stepping back. “Would you like to join me before interrogating me?”
I cross my arms over my chest and
grin while I look up and down her gorgeous body. “Oh, there is a whole lot more that I’d like to do, but first, I want answers. I need to know who all I’m up against.”
The look on her face leads me to believe that she is disappointed that I declined her offer, but it isn’t there long. She wipes her face of all emotion and closes the shower door. “What do you want to know?” she asks above the sound of the shower.
“Who have you been running from?”
Suddenly, the shower door rolls open again. “What are you talking about?”
“The way you took those stairs at your apartment building, you’ve done that before. Not to mention, you know how to use a gun, and you ride your bike like if you don’t ride fast enough, your life might actually catch up to you. Now, who have you been running from and how long?”
She laughs. “That’s what you’re basing this on? My ability to ride and shoot?”
I cock my head, waiting for an answer.
Once she sees that I’m not going to budge until I get what I want, she rolls her eyes and says, “My dad used to skeet shoot. That’s how I know how to use a gun. And I used to race bikes back in college. I didn’t like being the president’s daughter. I rebelled. What do you want from me?” She turns off the shower and steps out. She stands there completely bare for me to see. She smiles when she sees me check out her body, and she holds out her hand.
My eyes meet hers. “If you’re not going to take me in the other room and fuck me, hand me a towel so I can dry off.”
I grab a towel off the small shelf that’s hanging beside the door and hand it to her. “And the stairs?”
“I used to be a gymnast.”
I can tell by the way she’s avoiding looking at me that she’s lying.
She tries to step past me, but I take a step to the side and block her. “Tell me the truth. You have no reason to lie to me. I’m not the one trying to kill you.”
I see her shoulders slump before she takes a deep breath. “I’ve been running since I created that vaccine.”
“From who?”
“Everyone that figured out that I had it.”
I study her, and she shifts under my gaze.
“Look. When I stumbled upon the cure, I didn’t immediately take it to the CDC. I wanted to make sure it would work. I told my dad about it, and he found someone who was willing to test it out. The type of cancer he had, he would’ve died anyway. He had nothing to lose.”
“And the vaccine worked?”
She nods. “It did, but I still didn’t trust it. I wanted to make sure, so I had my team go out looking for people who were willing to try it.” Her eyes meet mine again. “It worked every single time.”
“Okay?”
“One of those people I gave it to just happened to work for the company that’s after me. This company has been after me for months.”
“Then why did you act like you had no idea what I was talking about?”
“I didn’t know who you were. You could’ve worked for them for all I knew.”
“If you thought for one second that I worked for them, you never would have gone home with me that night,” I point out.
She shifts from foot to foot and wraps her towel tighter around herself. “I knew who you were. I was wanting to get you on my side in hopes of holding them off until the vaccine is fully tested and approved.”
I open the bathroom door and storm into the room to pace. “You were using me?”
She follows me out and stands in my line of pacing. “You were using me too. Don’t act like I’m in the wrong here. As I recall, you were a willing participant.”
“Yeah, but you knew what I was using you for. You didn’t even consider how this could fuck up my life or my brother’s!”
“I didn’t know anything about him, I swear. I just knew what you did. I knew that if I didn’t get you on my side, they would get you on theirs. I couldn’t have that. I need your help.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me? Why lie about all of this?”
“Would you have believed me before you received that hit?” She smiles. “Plus, we did have fun that night, didn’t we?” She takes a step toward me.
I don’t even know what to think anymore. I close my eyes and quickly think over the whole situation. I have to do this. I have to keep her safe so she can get this cure released, not only for the millions of people who are dying from cancer but for my brother. He needs to live. He doesn’t deserve to be brought down by my decisions.
When I open my eyes, she’s standing directly in front of me. Her dark eyes meet mine, and she places her hand on my chest.
“Will you help me?”
“Will you make sure my brother gets that cure?”
She nods without thinking.
“Then I’ll help you.”
Her lips turn up just a bit. “Thank you, John. You won’t only be helping me, but millions of people just like your brother.”
“I’ll do whatever I have to, to end this. I just want my brother healthy and safe.”
“I’ll make sure of it.”
She looks at me, and I can tell she’s telling the truth.
The next morning before the sun rises, we’re back on the road. We stop several times for gas and food, but we don’t stay still long. We opt to keep going, to keep moving closer and closer to the cure. How tired we are doesn’t matter. How sore our backs are from the constant riding doesn’t matter. All that matters is getting that cure and saving the world.
The constant driving is getting tiring. Being on two different bikes keeps us from talking all day. All we can do is think. My mind spins off in every direction. What if Jake’s been caught? What if the cure doesn’t work for him? What if all this is a lie and I’m really being lured into some kind of trap that Miles has set up?
With that last thought, I look over to Brook, who is riding beside me. I can’t see her eyes behind the dark glass of her helmet, but I don’t think she’s lying. I would be able to tell, wouldn’t I? I mean, that’s a part of the job. I read people. But if she is, would I really see it? It’s no secret what I feel for her. She has something on me. A piece of her got under my skin that first night, and I don’t think any vaccine will cure it.
We’re about halfway through Maryland when the sun starts to set. We find another small town and stop for gas and to find a motel for the night. We could make it to her apartment tonight, but I want to be able to set up a firm plan with her and scope out her apartment first.
While I run in to rent the room, Brook peels off her leather jacket and throws it over the gas tank of her bike. She stands and stretches.
I walk out of the office and flash her a room key. “Let’s drop our stuff off, and we will go in search for some food.”
We take our bags into the room and get back on our bikes to find something for dinner. Only a mile down the road is a bar. I park my bike and climb off while Brooklyn does the same.
“They serve food here?”
I shrug. “Guess we’ll find out.”
I walk in first, and she follows behind me. The moment we step foot into the bar, the whole place goes quiet. Everyone watches us as we walk up to the bar. It’s dark inside, so I can only hope nobody recognizes Brook. I notice she is keeping her head low.
“Two beers please,” I order.
The bartender grabs us two beers and places them on the bar in front of us.
“You serve food here?” I ask her.
“Yeah, but the kitchen will be closing soon, so you better order quickly.”
“Just give us two burgers and fries.”
We take our beers and move to sit at a table. I sit with my back to the wall, wanting to make sure I keep my eyes on everyone.
The noise has grown, and hardly anybody pays us any attention anymore. I feel myself go at ease.
We sit back and drink our beer while waiting for our food. When the waitress delivers our burgers, we order another round of drinks to wash it down with.
I pu
sh my empty plate away and ask her if she’s ready to head back to the motel, but she smiles and says, “Let’s stay here for a little while. I need a break from all the running. Let’s have some fun.”
I watch her as she stands from the table and inserts a dollar into the jukebox. The room fills with loud music, and she turns and begins dancing.
Every eye in the place is on her as she wiggles her ass for all to see. Her hair covers her face, hiding who she is. I watch her as she dances and I know this show is only for me.
Her eyes find mine, and she holds up a finger, motioning for me to join her on the dance floor.
I have a decent buzz going, but no way am I dancing. I laugh and shake my head before picking up my bottle and taking a long drink.
I don’t know if the alcohol I’ve consumed is making this easier or harder, but all I want to do is take her back to the motel where I can be back inside her.
When I refuse to get up and dance with her, she walks over to me and sits on my lap, straddling me. Her weight feels so good pressing against me, and I have to refrain from putting my hands on her. This started out as pleasure between me and her, but now, it’s business.
She leans in real close. Her hot breath blows against my face when she says, “What’s the matter, John? You didn’t strike me as the shy type when you were fucking me every way possible back in your apartment.” She runs her tongue across her bottom lip, and it catches the lights of the neon bar signs. They look plump and soft, and I know damn well they will taste sweet. They call to me.
“Nobody is being shy. This is business,” I say flatly. She needs to know that I’m not some toy she can take out of the box whenever she feels like playing. She’s done nothing but lie to me, use me, and give me a hard time since I met her. She may have the body of a goddess, but she doesn’t control me; she can’t tempt me, well, maybe the part of me that has a mind of its own.
Her hands run up my chest, grazing my nipple which immediately hardens with her soft touch, and she rolls her hips against me. I have to fight myself to keep from growing hard with her movements.
