by BJ Harvey
“Not a problem, I’ll pop over now. Give me half an hour” he says. “And B? Stay on your game.”
“Will do. I won’t let anything happen to her, you know that. I’ll keep in touch. Keep your ear to the ground and maybe find out a bit more about what’s going on. Just a hunch, but quietly look into how the boss man and Brimstone know each other. There may be a connection we don’t know about,” I suggest before saying goodbye and hanging up. Shay is the only one I can trust with my suspicions.
Elle walks in with a duffle bag of clothes, all packed and ready to go just as I end the call. She looks relaxed and happy, the sparkle in her eye shining as bright as the sun. I just hope that nothing I do will put it out.
“Hey, gorgeous. Let’s grab some breakfast before we head off,” I suggest, knowing that we’ve got at least half an hour to kill while Shay knocks out my car’s GPS.
“Good idea,” she agrees, putting her bags down and turning towards the kitchen.
I follow her, hoping like hell I’m doing the right thing with this road trip.
An hour later the car is packed and we’re heading south. Elle squealed when she saw my car. I’ve had it garaged since I’ve been in town, borrowing Shay’s Toyota if I needed to drive anywhere, but there’s nothing like a road trip to bring a car out of its temporary retirement. I’ve had it for four years now, since my adoptive father Roger died and left it to me. It was his pride and joy. He sanded her right back to steel and fixed her up from scratch. It took him five years by the time he had finished but he was damn proud of her. ‘Blue Beauty’ is what he used to call her, and now she is all mine.
We head down the interstate towards Pennsylvania, taking our time to enjoy the sights on the way since Elle has never been on this side of the country before. The scenery is beautiful. Every now and then I glance over, seeing her eyes wide open and taking everything in. She looks so carefree and relaxed. I’m so glad I suggested this trip now, it seems like it is exactly what we needed.
Knowing that it will soon be dark and that we still need to find a place to stay overnight, we stop at a rest stop for a bathroom break and I use the internet on my phone to find a nice hotel. I make a reservation at one in Harrisburg, right along the river. I’ve worked out that if we drive to Virginia tomorrow then we should make Atlanta the day after, all going well.
I see that I’ve missed a call from Gibbons. I decide to give him a quick call while Elle is in the bathroom.
“Hey, G, what’s up?” I say when he answers.
“Brax, where are you? Shay says you’ve gone off duty for a few days.” He sounds pissed off.
“I’m okay, Gibbs. The job is still going as planned. Elle’s with me right now, as a matter of fact. We’re just getting out of town for a few days. It solves the problem of having to explain to her why we had to go to a safe house.” I hear him growl down the phone in frustration.
“Brax, this is taking it a bit far, don’t you think? I can’t even track your GPS right now.” That makes me smile because that’s exactly what I wanted. It means Shay must have worked his magic on the GPS tracker.
“I’m fine. Shay knows where I am and where I’m going. Nothing to worry about.”
“Don’t get smart, boy. You work for us remember, not the other way around. I don’t like you going rogue like this,” he says angrily.
I scoff at him. “I’m not going rogue, what the hell? Just relax and I’ll be back online in a week. Elle is with me and she’s safe and that is all that matters, right?” I state, knowing that it’s going to rile him up.
“Hmmm. Yes, just don’t get any funny ideas, Brax. We have to stick to the plan” he reminds me.
“If I remember correctly, the plan was to see if Elle knew anything and see if she was in danger then pull out. That is not going to happen now.” I spit out. I see Elle heading back towards the car and I know I have to end the call.
“Anyway, I have to go.” I hang up on him just as she opens the car door. He’s going to be pissed at me for that, but I’d rather have him annoyed than be forced to lie to Elle any more that than I have to.
“Was that Shay, babe?” she asks, looking at me with those bright green eyes of hers.
“Uh, yeah. He just wanted to see how far we’d gone today. He’s annoyed he couldn’t come along, but to be honest,” I say, inching towards her, “I’m glad I have you all to myself. My hot girl, in my hot car, it’s kinda hot, don’t you think?”
Hearing Brax say the word hot so many times in one sentence has my blood racing.
“Mmm hmm,” I say, darting my tongue out to slowly lick my lips. His gaze drops to my mouth and when he sees what I’m doing, a small growl rumbles in his chest.
“I see. Like that, is it?” he whispers, moving in closer so that our lips are barely touching.
He mimics my action, licking his own lips while gently grazing mine. It’s like the fire that we’ve been stoking all afternoon has been well and truly lit. Suddenly his hand is around the back of my head and he is pulling me towards him, plundering my mouth the moment I open my lips in shock. I grab his shirt, holding on for dear life as we struggle to control ourselves. Our tongues entwine as we pour all of the pent up sexual tension from the last few hours into this one kiss. It’s hard, it's raw, and totally uninhibited.
Brax has to pull away first, resting his forehead against mine as we struggle to catch our breath. I can’t help but give him a sly grin—I’m getting better as this little game of ours.
“You, my little minx, are gonna be the death of me if you keep that up,” he teases. “But if you can wait just another hour, you can have me as much as you’d like. It’ll just be in a nice clean hotel room, instead of being parked up at a highway rest stop. We can even get room service,” he says, giving me a cheeky wink before starting the car up.
The next hour can’t go fast enough.
Chapter Twelve
After a long night in Harrisburg where I made true on my promise to finish what we started in the car, we wake up refreshed for a big day of driving ahead of us. I’ve decided to take a detour and take Elle to Charleston, South Carolina. It’s so beautiful there and knowing that she’s never been there before makes it ever better. I love the idea of taking her to new places and being with her when she tries new things. I want to help her start a new, happier life, and maybe help erase some of her painful past.
We’re heading towards Richmond for our next overnight stop. We’ve got about 190 miles to travel today but we don’t have to rush. I’ve decided to let Elle drive for a bit, if only so that I have the opportunity to tease and tempt her like she subjected me to yesterday when I drove. All the little touches, flirty looks, and slight flashes of skin were driving me wild. She’s turning into a little firecracker and I love her even more for it, so now it’s going to be my turn to return the favor. Here’s hoping she doesn’t crash my car!
She jumps up and down when I ask her if she wants to drive my car today. All day yesterday she kept asking and I just couldn’t do it. This car is my other baby and I’m rather protective of her, but I finally decide I want to share her with Elle. I can see how much she loves the car, almost as much as I do. I want to show her how much I trust her, though it is nothing compared to the trust she has shown in me thus far.
It is tearing me up inside that I have to live a lie with her. She is my life now and I have told her more than once that I can’t live without her and to be honest, I don’t think either of us would ever be the same again if we had to be apart. I can’t live in a world where she is not in my life, it’s not even an option. She told me that she doesn’t want to go back to how she was before we met, alone and shut off from the world. She likes how alive and free she feels now that she’s with me.
Sitting down in the driver’s seat, the smile on Elle’s face is priceless. She’s glowing, her smile big enough to light up the world. She lets out a contented sigh when she turns the key and the car roars to life. I hear her giggle when she revs the engine a
nd I can help but grin at her. She eases the car into gear and slowly pulls out of the hotel parking garage. Before too long, we’re on the highway heading south again.
By 2 p.m. we’re starving, so we follow some signs off the interstate to a roadside diner. We park up and just stare at the decrepit building in front of us. Elle looks over at me.
“You sure about this?” she asks me anxiously.
“Not really, but there isn’t much choice out here,” I reply with a laugh. “It’ll be fine darlin’.” I open my door and Elle soon follows. After locking up the car, we make our way inside.
It’s a typical roadside diner. A faded pink neon ‘open’ sign in the window, peeling red paint on the outside, and a front wall full of smeared windows and red leather booths that have seen better days. As we walk inside, there is noticeable lack of heating, but the aroma of coffee and fried food permeates the air and we’re so hungry that we don’t care. After taking our seats, we each order a turkey sandwich and a root beer from a waitress who does not seem happy to see us.
I look across the booth at Elle. “So, what do you think of our road trip so far?”
“It’s awesome,” she says with a grin. “Thank you so much for doing this. I think it’s just what we need.”
“Definitely. What could be better than spending time with my girl and going back to my home town?” I reply.
I’m continuing to battle my conscience as I shift unevenly between guilt and relief. Guilt that I’m still lying to her about how I came into her life and relief that she has no idea the danger she is in so can lead a relatively normal carefree life right now.
“Here you go, enjoy your meal,” the waitress grunts, putting our food on the table before stomping off.
“Thanks,” Elle says, smiling at the waitress who just nods in response before turning back towards the kitchen.
“Cheerful folk round here,” I muse, earning a giggle from Elle. I’d gladly spend a lifetime making her giggle like that.
After a surprisingly good lunch at the diner, Brax stands up from the booth, holding out his hand for mine before leading me towards the door and outside to the car. I look around and spot a black Honda parked over on the far side of the parking lot and feel myself tense up immediately. I look up at Brax and can tell that he’s seen the car too.
I remember a few months ago when I asked him about the black car hanging around my street. I didn’t tell him that I thought it was a rogue journalist because at that time, I still hadn’t told him about my parents or Brightlight. But now, considering we’re out in the middle of ‘Nowhereville’ Virginia and nobody is supposed to know where we are except Shay, I’m officially spooked.
I feel Brax’s hand move to the small of my back as he speeds up and directs me to the passenger side of the car.
“Get in the car and lock the doors, sweetheart,” he says sternly, the look on his face telling me that now is not the time to argue.
“Okay,” I say tentatively. I’ve never seen Brax act like this. It’s kinda hot, but scary too. He hasn’t taken his eyes off the black car and not once has he turned his back to it. He closes my door, waiting until he hears the locks click before heading in the direction of the Honda. He gets within thirty feet of the car before it revs up and takes off, leaving Brax standing in a cloud of dust. He tries to run after it, but has to turn back when the car disappears from sight. As he walks back towards me, he pulls his phone out of his pocket and starts texting. This whole situation is very strange to me. When he gets back in the car I’m going to find out what the hell is going on.
I unlock the doors when Brax reaches the car and as soon as he hops in, I hound him.
“What’s going on, Brax? Who was that?”
“I don’t know, hon, I really don’t. I’ve seen a similar car hanging around a couple of times since I moved in. Have you seen it recently?” Looking at his face, I can tell he’s genuinely concerned about this.
“Remember I told you that there had been a black car hanging around a bit and I thought it was strange?”
“Yeah” he says slowly, urging me to go on.
“Well, I’ve noticed it a couple more times in the past few weeks and once on Christmas Day when you were out getting beer.” I wince as he suddenly hits the steering wheel with both hands in frustration.
“Shit, Elle! You should’ve told me.” Why do I suddenly feel like I’ve done something wrong?
“Why, Brax? Why would I tell you? I don’t know who it is or what they want. It could just be a huge coincidence, don’t you think? I mean, no one knows where we are, right?” I’m starting to panic now, I can feel that old lump in my throat returning and fear closing in around me. Brax can see on my face that I’m losing it and puts his hand on my arm, keeping my gaze as he tries to calm me down
“Hon, it’s okay,” he says softly. “I’m sorry I got angry, you’re right, this could just be a big coincidence. But because of your money and your past, we can never be too careful. I’ve sent Shay a text and asked him to get his security contacts to check the number plate. He’ll let us know if we need to be worried, okay?” he looks really worried about me now.
He pulls me in for a hug and I wrap my arms around him, moving as close as I can, which is rather difficult given we’re in a Mustang with a stick shift in the way.
“I’ll always look after you darlin’, I’ll never let anyone hurt you,” he murmurs in my ear. What? Why would anyone hurt me? The only person in the world that has the power to hurt me right now is Brax. This is all bit weird. He’s just told me that he doesn’t know about this and I know he wouldn’t hold out on me, I’m sure he wouldn’t.
“I know you won’t. I just wish I knew what that man wants.” I’m exasperated now and I wish this person would just leave us alone.
Brax holding me has a calming effect. Once he’s assured that I’m okay, Brax starts the car and we start driving again.
After another couple of hours we finally reach Richmond, Virginia. Apart from the Coldplay CD playing in the background, we’ve both been quiet since we left the diner. I’m still reeling that we were followed from home and Brax has gone back to being very distracted and contemplative.
“I’ve never been to Richmond before,” he says, breaking the silence.
“Me either,” I reply. He knows I’ve never been to the East Coast before.
“I’m glad I get to come here with you first, then,” he says with a wink, slowing the car down before pulling over and parking. “We’re here.”
I look out the car window and see the most beautiful bed and breakfast I’ve ever seen. It’s a two-storied old house, painted a dark slate grey with the entire front full of windows. It looks romantic and homely, exactly what you’d imagine a traditional B&B to look like. I turn around and grin at Brax.
“It’s perfect,” I say excitedly, earning a huge smile from Brax.
“Glad you like it, baby, now let me get our bags and we’ll get checked in.” He turns the car off and opens his door. I’m glad we’ve finally stopped for the day. As much as I love Brax’s car, it is definitely nice to be able to walk around and stretch our legs.
I’ve never been one for road trips. Until now, the longest road trip I ever had was with my parents and Paige when I was thirteen and Paige was eight. Mum and Dad took us to the Grand Canyon—it took almost eight hours to get there, which we did all in one day. It was our last family holiday together before they died. I’m hoping that this trip with Brax will give me new holiday memories to replace the now painful ones from my past.
Once we’re settled in our room, I head into the bathroom to have a shower before we head out and find somewhere to eat. Brax is lying on the bed, playing with his phone and I wonder if he has heard anything back from Shay about that car. It has been bothering me ever since we saw it and the fact that someone may have followed us is unsettling. I’ll have to ask him after my shower.
I get a text from Shay confirming what I suspect, the number plate for the car a
t the diner was another stolen plate. I almost throw my phone against the wall when I read it.
Brax: What should our next move be? This is too much of a coincidence.
Shay: I’m with ya there. What do you want to do?
Brax: I’m not sure, if he found us there he can find us anywhere on this trip. I didn’t even tell Gibbons where I was going, and you’ve blocked my GPS.
Shay: Haha. Yup, he called me asking to look into it too. I just gave him some bullshit about not being able to do anything without the tracking device in front of me. He bought it, I think.
Brax: Good one. He sounded a bit suspicious on the phone yesterday. He doesn’t like not knowing where we are.
Shay: He asked me and I plead the fifth. He sounded pissed.
Brax: Any word on Brimstone or Evans?
Shay: Actually, yeah. Brimstone is stuck in LA and hasn’t moved for the last few weeks. Evans has been hanging around the New York area and the big boss man is still in ATL but did fly out to New York last week for a quick day trip.
Brax: Any idea why? He doesn’t go to New York unless it’s for business.
Shay: Yeah, well without raising any eyebrows I don’t know how to find out.
Brax: I can’t see the boss and Evans working together, Evans hates us all.
Shay: Yeah, but stranger things have happened.
From what I know of Evans, anything is possible.
Elle comes out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a lacy pink bra and matching panties. My breathing stops when I see her. Goddamn that is a fine sight to see! Putting my phone down, I shuffle down the bed and move towards her, the smile on my face and the growing hardness in my pants giving away my intentions. She giggles and tries to move past me to get to her bag, but I’m too quick and grab her around her waist, bringing her square between my legs. She leans into my arms, a soft moan escaping her lips as I touch my lips to hers. She’s the perfect distraction to take my mind off of everything running through my head.