Runaway Road

by Devney Perry

  Maybe the reason I’d felt trapped in Boston wasn’t because I’d stayed in one place, but because that one place hadn’t been the right place.

  That goddamn Pottery Barn picnic basket flashed in my mind. Another woman didn’t get to use that basket. It was mine.

  So was Brooks.

  “Turn the car around, Londyn,” she said. “I’d give it all up—the company, the money, the power—to just feel something.”

  Feelings for other people wasn’t my problem. Sure, I ran from those feelings, but they were there, right on the surface. Not Gemma. As far as I knew, she’d never been in love.

  “Don’t waste it,” she whispered.

  I was throwing it away. I was driving away from a man who just might turn out to be the love of my life. I was driving away from a home.

  “I kept having this feeling when I was walking around Summers—that’s the town where I was. I felt . . . settled. Like things were calm in my soul. Do you think that’s what it feels like to be home?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt at home. But if I had to guess, I’d say yes.”

  Yes. Summers was home.

  Brooks was home.

  “I need to go.”

  Gemma laughed. “Is this a real number now? Can I call you?”

  “Yeah.” I smiled. “This is my number.”

  “Bye.”

  “Wait,” I called before she could hang up. “Thanks.”

  “I miss you. Maybe I’ll come visit you in—where are you?”

  “West Virginia.”

  “West Virginia,” she repeated. “Call me later.”

  “I will.” I tossed the phone aside, sitting straighter in my seat. With both hands on the wheel, I eased off the gas pedal, searching the road ahead for a place to turn around. Of course, when I needed to flip a U-turn, there was nothing but a steep ditch and trees lining the road.

  My eyes were on the shoulder when the car lurched. I gasped, snapping my gaze to the road. What the hell? Had I hit something?

  I looked in the rearview mirror, jerking when my eyes landed on a large truck riding my bumper.

  While I’d been on the phone with Gemma, I hadn’t noticed it creep up on me.

  “What the hell?” I muttered to the mirror, alternating my eyes on the road and the truck behind me.

  Had he bumped me? Why would he hit my car? I was going ten miles an hour under the speed limit. Ten. Was contact necessary? Why not just pass me and be done with it?

  I lifted my arm, waving him around, but as I watched through the mirror, the grill of the truck inched closer. My arms tensed and my grip on the wheel hardened. I braced for another bump.

  It was no bump.

  “Ah!” I screamed as he rammed me. The Cadillac lurched again, twice as hard as the first time.

  The wheels veered on their own, from one edge of the lane to the other.

  “Leave me alone!” I screamed.

  He hit me again.

  The Cadillac’s tires screeched on the road, swerving from one white line to the next. Had there been an oncoming car, I would have crashed head-on.

  I touched the brake.

  The second I did, the truck’s engine revved and he sped into the opposite lane.

  I held my breath, thinking he’d race past me and probably give me the finger. Instead, he hovered in my blind spot.

  “What?!” I glanced over my shoulder. I waved him around once more. The moment I lifted my hand off the wheel, he zoomed forward until he was right next to me. Still he didn’t pass. He stayed in that lane, his passenger door so close I could have reached up and touched the handle.

  The truck was too tall for me to see the driver this close. I pressed the brake to slow. The truck stayed in place, hovering at my same speed. My eyes scanned the edges of the road, hoping for a place where I could turn off and get away from this crazy asshole. There was nothing.

  An oncoming car appeared.

  “You crazy son of a bitch.” I slowed more. The oncoming car’s horn filled the air. “Go around!”

  The truck didn’t move.

  Was this some kind of sick West Virginia version of chicken?

  I slammed on the brake, my tires squealing on the blacktop, just as the truck sped up and swerved into my lane. I shimmied between the center lane and the ditch, the car heavy and sluggish to respond.

  The oncoming car’s horn blared as it flew past and I yanked the wheel to the safe side.

  The correction was too much. Instead of staying between the lines, my front forward tire sank into the soft shoulder. When the front corner of the Cadillac dipped, I knew there was no saving me from a wreck.

  The Cadillac dove off the side of the road. The vehicle rattled and bounced as it came to a punishing stop. My side of the car was tipped up at least three feet above the passenger side.

  “Oh my God.” I shook as I looked around, my entire body trembling. The truck was gone. From the ditch, I couldn’t see it race away, but the engine’s roar faded in the distance.

  I pushed the hair away from my face, taking stock of my body. I wasn’t hurt, or if I was, I couldn’t feel it yet. My fingers barely had the strength to turn the key and shut off the engine. I fumbled with the seat belt.

  My purse was on the floor on the other side. I shoved myself out of the driver’s seat, the angle requiring me to stand on the passenger-side door to keep my balance. Clutching the handle of my purse, I crawled out of the car into the ditch and took stock of the situation.

  “No.” My heart broke. My poor car. It was so much worse than it had looked from the seat. The front corner was crumpled. The whole thing was propped sideways against the ditch. The driver’s-side tires were still digging into the loose asphalt of the road. Had the ditch been any steeper or the car’s center any higher, I would have rolled.

  My head spun and my hands shook. I fisted them, forcing the fear away for a moment to deal with this. I fought the urge to cry, focusing on the anger instead. “That fucking asshole!”

  I climbed my way up the ditch on my hands and knees, wiping the dirt from my palms as I stood on the side of the road. I looked both ways.

  I was alone.

  But unlike my first flat tire, I wasn’t helpless. I took the phone from my purse and called the one and only number saved in the contacts.

  “Londyn?” Brooks answered. “You okay?”

  “No.” My voice shook. “I need you to come and get me.”

  “Where are you?” The sound of his boots echoed in the distance. “What the hell’s going on? I’m worried.”

  “Don’t worry.” I blew out a breath and collected myself. “Just head out of town on the highway and you’ll see me. And Brooks?”

  “Yeah?”

  I looked at my car. “Bring the tow truck.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Brooks

  “Are you okay?” Londyn asked, leaning into my side.

  “Me?” I gaped at her. “Someone tried to run you off the fucking road. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She blew out a long breath, resting her cheek against my arm. “I won’t be later, but at the moment, I’m okay and that’s all that matters.”

  I clutched her hand, holding it tight like I had over the past hour. She was keeping it together at the moment, a credit to her incredible strength. But every five or ten minutes, a tremor would run through her body. Her grip on my fingers would tighten. If and when she fell apart later, it would be in the safety of my arms.

  Whoever had done this to her would pay dearly.

  We were standing on the side of the highway, waiting for the sheriff’s deputy on the scene to finish taking photos of her car. He’d already taken her statement.

  I’d listened with silent fury as Londyn had recapped the details of the accident. I should have thrown her keys in the damn lake and refused to let her leave town.

  It seemed like days since she’d left me standing on the sidewalk outside the motel, not hours. For a mom
ent, when I’d caught her looking at me in the rearview mirror, I’d thought maybe she’d turn back.

  Maybe she’d prove us both wrong—maybe she’d make my life—and stay.

  But she’d kept on driving. When her car had disappeared around a bend in the highway, it had been over. I sure hadn’t expected her name to flash on my phone’s screen so soon after she’d left—if ever.

  The fear in her voice had had me racing through town in the tow truck. I’d been a goddamn scared mess when I’d shown up to find her car toppled sideways in the ditch. I’d pulled her in for a hug and hadn’t let go, even when the cop had shown up. But the time to worry had passed and now I was fucking pissed.

  This was attempted murder in my book and that meant years in prison. It didn’t seem like enough.

  “Brooks.” The deputy waved me over. I refused to let go of Londyn’s hand, so together, we met him by the hood of his cruiser, the lights still flashing on top. “I’m done here. You can load it up and take it back to town.”

  “Can I get going on repairs? Or do we need to leave it as is?”

  “Hold for now. Let me confirm we don’t need anything else for the investigation.”

  “There’s no hurry,” Londyn said. “Thanks for your help.”

  “Ma’am.” He tipped his hat, then walked to his car, his notepad in hand. He stayed parked, slowing traffic, until I had the Cadillac winched out of the ditch and loaded on the flatbed.

  It took me over an hour and I hated leaving Londyn alone in the truck, but I didn’t want her standing on the road. Finally, as the afternoon faded to evening, I waved goodbye to the deputy and drove us down the road to Summers.

  The time outside hadn’t cooled my anger in the slightest. While I snarled over the steering wheel, Londyn kept her eerie calm in the passenger seat.

  “I’m going to drop you off, then take the Cadillac to the shop.”

  “Okay.” She sagged against the door. “Feels like we’ve been here before.”

  “Yeah.” I barked a dry laugh as the motel came into view.

  Londyn could sit at the motel with Meggie for an hour while I dropped off her car. There was no way in hell I was leaving her anywhere alone until we found the sick bastard who could have killed her today.

  “I’m going to leave you with Meggie while I take the car to the shop. You can get settled at the motel. She’ll be glad to have you back.” We’d all be glad to have her back in Summers.

  “The motel?” She sat up straight, then slapped a hand over her forehead. “Oh. Oh my God. I’m an idiot.”

  “Huh?”

  “Nothing.” She turned to the window. “Never mind.”

  I wasn’t in the mood for never minds. “What did you mean, you’re an idiot?”

  “It’s nothing.” She waved it off.

  “Londyn.” My jaw clenched tight. “I’m hanging on by a thread here. Talk to me.”

  She hesitated, then looked my way. “You asked me to stay.”

  “And you said no.” I remembered that word quite clearly from our conversation.

  “You didn’t ask again, and I thought you were just being understanding. I’m an idiot because I didn’t even consider you might want me to go. That you were just in this for the short-term.” Her voice cracked and she dropped her gaze to her lap.

  “What the fuck are you talking about? How hard did you hit your head?” I studied her face. It was too pale. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

  How could she think I didn’t want her to stay? Watching her drive away had been ten times harder than I’d expected.

  “I don’t need to go to the hospital.”

  “If you think I wanted you to leave, then you’re not thinking straight.”

  “You want me to stay?”

  I nodded. “Very much so.”

  “Then why didn’t you ask me again?”

  “Because you said no.” I tossed a hand into the air, the hold on my temper nearly a thread. “I got the message. Over and over. You’re leaving Summers and not looking back. I’m not the type of guy who asks a question when I already know the answer.”

  “Oh.” She lifted a hand to cover a smile.

  I reached across the truck and pulled that hand away. “You’re not leaving?”

  “I’m not leaving. I was looking for a place to turn around when that truck tried to run me off the road.”

  But she’d been so set on going. “For how long?”

  “I haven’t really put a time limit on this. Would you mind if I stayed?” She paused. “With you?”

  Would I mind? Fuck no, I wouldn’t mind. She could stay with me for as long as she wanted. Forever, if that suited her fancy. With Londyn, each day was brighter. I didn’t want to live the rest of my life alone. But I didn’t want just any woman to share my life.

  I wanted Londyn.

  Something I wanted to talk about, but not while I was driving a goddamn tow truck.

  “Hold that question for me, honey. I need to see your face.”

  She nodded, folding her hands in her lap. Damn it. Had that come out as a rejection? Because that’s not what I’d meant.

  Son of a bitch. I was pissed about the asshole who’d run her off the road and things weren’t coming out right. I hit the edge of Summers and pulled the rig to the side of the road. Then I hopped out, jogging around to the other side to open Londyn’s door. “Climb down.”

  She nodded, undoing her seat belt. Then she stepped on the running board before jumping to the road.

  “Start over for me. You’re staying?” I needed to hear it again.

  Londyn nodded. “I’d like to stay.”

  “And I’d like you to stay. With me.”

  “Yes, please.” She giggled.

  I wrapped her up, pulling her into my chest. Then I laughed with her, long and loud.

  She was staying.

  “What made you change your mind?” I asked, dropping my cheek to the top of her head.

  “The truth? I’m scared.”

  I let her go, taking her chin under my finger to tip up her face. “Why?”

  “I’ve always been the one to leave.”

  One sentence, and it all made sense. Running away was how Londyn stayed in control. It was her protection mechanism. “I get it.”

  “What if you leave me?” Sheer vulnerability washed over her face. She stripped away all the guards, making her even more beautiful. “I’ve never stuck around to see the pieces fall apart. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to take it.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, honey. If you stay, we’re going to make a real thing out of this. Mark my words.”

  “How do you know?”

  I took her hand and placed it over my heart, then I covered it with my own. “I feel it. Deep.”

  Londyn wasn’t in the place to hear three little words, not yet. Hell, I wasn’t ready to say them. But there wasn’t a rush. We had time.

  Because she was staying.

  I took her mouth in a kiss, sweeping my tongue against hers for the taste I’d crave for the rest of my life. This was a big risk on her part, and I’d make sure she never regretted it. She’d never second-guess a life in Summers.

  I broke the kiss and dropped my forehead to hers. “This is a better end to the day than I’d expected.”

  “Me too. Except for the whacko who ran me off the road.”

  I muttered a curse. “Let’s get home.”

  She nodded and let me help her up into the truck.

  “Want to come along with me to the shop?” I asked, easing onto the road. “Or sit at the motel with Meggie? I don’t care either way, I just don’t want you alone.”

  “I’d like to stay with you.” She shivered, reaching over for my hand. The fear she’d been hiding was leeching through her calm exterior.

  “This has gone too far. The vandalism was one thing, but you could have been hurt.”

  “Who would do this to me?” she whispered. “I don’t know anyone in Summers.”
<
br />   “I don’t think this is about you. It’s got to be about me.”

  “Well, it’s not Moira. So what other enemies do you have in town?”

  “Hell if I know.” Up until today, I would have said I was a fairly well-liked guy. I got along with most folks in town. My entire family was well liked too. I couldn’t think of the last time I’d had an unhappy customer at the shop.

  It didn’t take us long to get to the shop, but unloading the car took some time. When it was in its regular stall, we both walked around the Cadillac, taking in all the damage. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t a quick fix either.

  “Mack’s going to be able to send his kids to college on all the money he’s making to fix this Cadillac.”

  Londyn laughed, leaning against me. “It’s only seven o’clock but I’m so ready for bed.”

  “Dinner first. What would you like?”

  “Pizza.”

  “Pizza it is.” I nodded. “I’ll call Wyatt and have him bring one over for us.”

  “He’s not at Moira’s tonight?”

  “He is, but if I tell him you’re staying indefinitely, he’ll come with an extra-large meat supreme.”

  She smiled up at me. “With the veggies.”

  “With the veggies.”

  “It looks so sad.” Her eyes raked over the car, the scratches and the dents. It would take considerably longer at the body shop to repair this wreck. It might even require some new parts.

  “I’ll fix it,” I vowed. “Then . . .” I’d gotten so used to saying that she’d be on her way.

  “Then I’ll drive it around Summers.”

  “What about returning it to Karson? What about taking it to California?”

  She lifted a shoulder. “Someday, I’d like to track him down. I’d like to give him this car and let him have it for a while. But maybe when that time comes, you’ll come with me.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “We could wait until Wyatt is in college. If we pick a time when you can be away from the garage, maybe that wish I made might actually come true.”

  “You’re sure?” I put my hands on her shoulders. “You’ll wait? You’ll stay in Summers until then?”

  “I’m staying. Would you come with me to California?”