Strangers in Danger

Chapter 12: Cara

I was angry. Livid. I wanted my life back and I wanted to stop running. These people, whoever they were, had stolen my independence. They forced me to stay locked up inside, hiding, while I feared for my life. Shooting at my car set me on fire.

I kneeled on the back seat, using the tops of the seat to prop up my arms. I closed my eyes. I could feel the sway of the car as Lucas took tight turns down the mountain. I focused on the vehicle directly behind us. I could feel the waves it made as it cut through the air, the vibration of its engine, and the friction of the tires meeting the pavement.

I opened my eyes, lifted my hands, and pushed. The front of the SUV sailed up and backward as though it hit a ramp and crashed down hard on top of the second SUV. The two vehicles slid and rolled, slamming into the guardrail along the side of the mountain. As we put more distance between us and the crash, black smoke began to lift into the air. I watched it in silence until the cars and the smoke disappeared from view.

I turned around and buckled myself into the back seat. I felt mentally and physically exhausted. "Let's get a nice hotel room tonight," I said, as I leaned my forehead against the cool window.

Sometime later I woke up as Lucas was pulling the car into a parking space. A large Marriot sign shown brightly against a darkening sky. It took me a little while to get my bearings. By the time I shuffled my way out of the car, Lucas was waiting for me with our backpacks in hand. I sluggishly put it on my back. I looked up at him and gave him a small smile. He reached for my hand and I let him take it. It left me momentarily breathless. Something changed. The energy around us felt hot, almost electric.

I barely listened as Lucas worked on getting us a room.

Didn't plan on stopping but we're extra tired today.

Yes, it's been a wild trip.

We can pay in cash.

The cheap motels were happy to give a room to a ragged looking couple willing to pay cash. I could tell the clerk thought us a bit suspicious, but Lucas always had the right answers. He made sure of it by digging into their minds and answering the questions they were too polite to ask. It helped that he had a friendly smile, enticing blue eyes, and most service workers we encountered were women.

The clerk gave Lucas two keys and directed us to the elevator. I silently followed him up to our room. While this was clearly a lower-end Marriot, it looked and felt like a damn luxury spa after so many nights in dives. The fresh, laundered bedsheets looked brand new and the towels glowed a crisp white. The heat hummed quietly and the air smelled clean.

"Why don't you hop in the shower," Lucas said as he placed his backpack on a table near the window. "I bet there's enough hot water for a whole shower."

I gave him a weak smile. He was probably right. I dug through my bag, pulling out clean clothing and my toiletries. I so badly wanted to be somewhere safe enough that I didn't have to constantly repack my bag. I looked longingly at the dresser under the TV. The drawers looked so inviting for the few pieces of clothing I rotated through every day.

I washed my hair using the hotel's shampoo and conditioner (saving my own for the next place that didn't provide it) and noticed how clean and silky it felt after the final remnants were washed away. The body soap smelled of citrus and lavender. I shaved my legs and under my arms. For the first time in weeks I felt scrubbed clean.

I sat down in the stain-free bathtub, letting the endless hot water gently tap my skin until it became dark red. I could still hear the sound of the gun firing and hitting the back of my car. This brush with death changed something in me. I realized I had the ability to fight back. I was strong and powerful.

I was done running. I was done laying low.

I turned off the water and toweled off. I took my time finishing up: applying moisturizer, brushing my teeth and drying my hair just enough that it didn't drip and cling to my skin. When I realized I forgot to bring underwear with me, I shrugged and slipped into my lounge pants. I pulled my tank top over my head and adjusted my breasts in the shelf bra. It took about a week of living with Lucas to stop caring if he saw my unsupported breasts or my erect nipples poking through the shirt. We had more pressing issues than my boobs.

I grabbed all of my things and opened the door, feeling a rush of cool air. Lucas had turned on the TV and flipped lazily through the channels. He did this at every place we stayed at. I never asked him why but I think it had become a soothing habit.

Lucas finally came into view when I crossed the room to repack my things into my backpack. He leaned up against the headboard, one arm behind his head. He stared at the TV, the remote in his free hand. At some point, while I was in the shower he had removed his shirt and threw it on top of his backpack. He did this occasionally and I always tried not to stare at his sculpted chest and arms. Or the way his broad shoulders narrowed at his waist. Or every tattoo on his chest and shoulders that he hid under his almost-too-tight t-shirts. He regularly slept in athletic shorts and a muscle shirt and that alone was often too much to handle.

Instead of averting my eyes, I let myself gaze at him. His beard had started to grow in and it no longer looked rough like sandpaper, but soft as it shaped his square jawline.

I felt my chest start to heave with heavy breaths and I bit my lower lip. I felt this unfamiliar primal urge course through me. I wanted to fuck this man immediately.

I walked over to the bed with purpose and climbed into it. Distracted by the TV, Lucas continued to look at the screen. "TV really sucks these days. Do you want to watch..."

I threw one leg over him, straddling his hips causing him to stop mid-sentence. He removed his arm from behind his head and sat up. "Please tell me we're doing this," He said with a coy smile.

I put my hand behind his head and brought his forehead to mine, as I pressed myself down into his groin. I could feel that he was already hard. "I want you in my head, Luke."