Fugitive (sequel to Becoming Atlantian)

Fugitive - Chapter 6

"Do you have anywhere else you need to go?"

Aubrey who had been looking over her shoulder at the man sprawled over the back seat, quickly turned and slumped back into her seat. She shook her head.

"No," she murmured softly. "He is my best hope."

The pair fell into silence, the red head wrinkling her nose as the scent of stale beer threatened to overwhelm her in the confined space.

"Don't pull that face, it was your idea." Andrew chuckled, a smile lighting his eyes as he watched her shift around in her seat. His eyes quickly shifted back to the road before them.

Folding her arms across her chest, Aubrey tilted her chin up and sniffed haughtily, "It seemed like the best plan. It's a student city. No one would look twice at us carrying an unconscious costumed man through the city centre when he smells like a brewery."

The man just shook his head and laughed, his eyes focused on the road ahead. They lapsed into a comfortable silence for several minutes before Andrew cleared his throat.

"I have somewhere we can go."

The red head looked over at him, staring at the side of his face. "We are not going back to your mother's house. I would not want to bring trouble to her door." She stared out of the front windscreen. "Besides, I think this is the end of the road for you. I can't put you in any more danger than I already have. This is my fight not yours."

There was no immediate response but Aubrey could hear the man grinding his teeth together. Allowing a quick glance at him, she noted his hands had wrapped tightly around the steering wheel and the only way she could describe the emotion on his face was irritation.

"What? I thought you would be glad to get rid of me. Get rid of us." She challenged, waving a hand towards the back seat and the prone form resting there.

"Don't try and put this on me. You dragged me into this mess when you showed up in my mum's shop and now you're trying to get rid of me because I'm inconvenient." Andrew responded, his eyes remaining steadfast on the road before him. "Well it's tough. You're stuck with me. I couldn't live with myself if I left you here and you managed to get yourself into trouble. And I have sneaking suspicion that trouble follows you around."

"Hey!" she protested, her head snapping around to look at the man.

"Are you going to deny it?" Andrew asked. Aubrey jutted her jaw out and turned her own gaze out of the window. "You can't even deny it. I know those men were after you- I heard them talking about you. You're going to tell me exactly who you are and who you are running from. But first I'll take you somewhere - safe."

Aubrey clenched her hands into fists even as Andrew's words chafed against her. She knew that she looked weak and incapable of defending herself but she had been trained by Tiberius. She was a warrior and taking orders off some country policeman would never sit right with her.

Yet, as much as it pained her to admit it, she needed help. Aubrey didn't know where they were and she had nothing on Earth. No money, no home and no family. Her mother was still alive unless that had changed in the intervening weeks since her first death but she couldn't just stroll up to the house and knock on the door. It would surely kill the woman or worse would turn her into a public spectacle.

"What did you have in mind?" She asked finally, her chin lifted up high.

* * *

They drove for what could have been ten minutes or two hours. Aubrey, still wound tight from the close call back in the City Centre, had spent the entire journey with her eyes looking out of the window while her mind was miles and miles away. Already her body was begging for rest, but she could not allow herself to sleep. No, Aubrey corrected, she would not fall asleep.