Paroled

Chapter 2

"She ain't kidding, Nurse Ratched has a goddamn lead foot."

Sticking her tongue out at him for a split second, Eva turned and moved quickly for the exit. "Come on, let's get moving."

—

Eva drove to Honey's, a route she knew well, but her mind was on other things and she was basically on autopilot which meant she was speeding. The podcast she had playing, a few bills she had to pay and what she wanted to grab at the grocery store later that day distracted her.

"Hey," a male voice startled her at a stop sign. They were in a more rural area and the man had popped out of a long row of bushes.

"Yeah?" She asked, alarmed but still polite. Checking her mirror for Opie she cursed herself silently for not waiting for him at the few yellow lights she's sped through.

"Can I catch a ride?" He asked her earnestly.

With a frown, Eva shook her head, feeling slightly safer once she heard Opie's bike coming up behind her. "Sorry, man, I can't. You should just go."

"I know where you're going, you're gonna take me and get me in." The man pulled a gun as Opie rounded the corner, knowing his chance was almost gone and went to open her door.

"I will blow your goddamn head off." Opie bellowed over his engine, one hand on his bike while the other wines his gun at the carjacker.

The man stepped back slowly, hands up, before making a mad dash back into the bushes and to the trees. Opie let him go, not keen on killing him in front of Eva or involving the cops, and went quickly to check on her.

"Christ," Eva said shakily. "Fucking hell."

"You alright?" Opie asked.

Eva looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah. Uh yeah. Just uhh, freaked out." She got out of the car and hugged him, not asking him first or hesitating. Her arms barely made it around him but that didn't matter. "Thank you, Opie."

After some uncomfortable seconds, he hugged her back and reveled in the closeness. It was something he lacked for so long that the human connection almost brought him to tears.

"Next time don't speed off," he chastised softly. "Another minute and-"

"I know," she said sadly as she stepped back. "I think I'd like to take the rest of the ride with you. If you're okay with that?"

Opie's lips turned into a crooked smile. "Yeah. Sure. Lemme move my bike."

Eva watched as he hid his bike, not hard with the trees and brush, and made his way back to her. "I'm gonna have Sack and Juice swing up here and get it. I can take the ride back with you too."

"God," she whined, "Thank you. I'm sorry I'm just really freaked the hell out."

"You're welcome," he said casually as they got back in her car.

"I'm so glad Bobby said something, I thought I would be fine coming up by myself."

Opie sat, slightly uncomfortable, and listened carefully as she spoke. "You shouldn't come up here alone, there are too many asshole crackheads up here. You make the trip enough they recognize you."

"He said he knew where I was going," she said, agreeing with his theory.

"Saw you alone this time and went for it," Opie added.

Eva took her right hand off the wheel and reached over, grabbing his. "I only had two guns pulled on me, ever. First time I knew I had the upper hand, I was terrified but Tig and Kozik needed my help with that banger. Besides, they were cool, like right after they were nice, apologetic and I didn't feel as scared anymore but just now, I did not have the upper hand. He didn't care."