Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
With the weather deteriorating, the wind had become brutal.
Cree checked the odometer. Seeing they still had two hundred miles before reaching Red Lake Reservation, he twisted the throttle.
With not knowing how far into the interior of the reservation they’d have to ride before arriving at the house, he wanted to push it for fifty more miles before stopping for fuel.
Coming up on an exit, he noticed a sign for gas and food. With that nagging voice telling him not to chance finding a gas station fifty miles up, he decided to gas up now.
Pulling up to a gas pump, Cree looked around the parking lot, taking in the cars and people lingering around.
Could I have found a seedier place to stop?
Tapping Kennedy’s leg, he motioned for her to get off the bike.
He didn’t like how slow she was moving. When she stumbled into the pump, Cree didn’t laugh.
He was just as tired. Climbing off the bike, he opened the tank to pump the gas as Kennedy tugged off her helmet. “I’m gonna go pee.”
“Not here.”
“What? Why?”
“It’s not safe. I’ll stop somewhere else for you.”
Kennedy was too tired to argue with him. Standing next to the bike, she held onto the helmet by the face opening. Her eyes caught motion behind Cree and nodded for him to pay attention.
Cree turned around, staring down a doper. Pulling back his jacket, he showed the gun at his waist. “You need something?”
“Nah, man, it’s good.”
The guy held up his hands and walked back the way he had come. “Kennedy, get on the bike, please.”
Kennedy pulled the helmet back on and climbed onto the bike while Cree finished fuelling up. She saw what he did. The guy who had approached stood with two other men, talking and pointing toward them. The click of the pump made her jump.
She kept her eyes on the three men until Cree got on the bike, blocking her view. Without warning, he fired up the bike and took off out of the parking lot. Kennedy desperately grabbed his waist, trying to keep from falling off. Something told her Cree had seen something she had missed.
As they blasted down the road, she looked back to make sure no one was following them. The bike shifted, causing her head to bounce forward. Her helmet bumped Cree’s, jolting her neck. The damn thing was freaking heavy, and her neck already hurt from wearing it.
Half an hour later, she finally felt him relax into her. She had gotten used to him resting back against her body. If he needed her to be a back rest, Kennedy would do her best.
They’d gone one hundred miles since the last stop. Determined to make the reservation, Cree tried shaking himself to stay awake. He was tired, and his awareness was diminishing fast. By the number of times Kennedy’s helmet had knocked into his, she was toast.
As the road banked, he felt Kennedy slip.
Reaching back, he slapped her thigh, trying to wake her up.
She jerked awake, grabbing Cree in a desperate attempt to stay on the bike.
The sudden movement had his hands jerking the handlebars, and the bike came up too fast, almost sending them off the highway.
At the last second, he managed to lean deep into the curve and not dump the bike.
Coming out of the curve, he saw in the distance the neon light of a hotel sign.
Tapping Kennedy’s leg again, he pointed in the direction of the hotel.
She tapped his shoulder, letting him know she agreed with stopping.
Cree putted into the hotel parking lot and parked in front of the entrance. Peeling himself off the bike, he wrapped an arm around Kennedy’s shoulders, keeping her upright as they walked inside to grab a room.
“Hi, can I help you folks?” a young girl asked from behind the counter.
“I’m hoping you have a room,” Cree told her with a wink.
“Um, yes, we have quite a few. Not much going on around here in the winter. Any preferences?”
“First floor with a window view of the parking lot.”
“I have one by the side entrance.”
“That would be perfect.” Cree was digging out his wallet when he noticed Kennedy fidgeting. “Is there a bathroom in the lobby?”
The girl looked from him to Kennedy before answering. “Yeah, right around the corner.”
“Thanks,” Kennedy said before taking off quickly for the restroom.
“We’ve been on the bike for a while,” he commented as he handed the girl his credit card. “I know it’s late, but is anywhere open for food?”
“We have a twenty-four-hour pub that delivers.” The girl handed Cree a small paper menu for a place called The Pub. Not much went into naming the place, he thought. “Thanks. I didn’t catch your name.”
“Elaine.”
“Thanks, Elaine.”
Elaine handed the credit card back along with two room keys. “In the morning, we do a decent breakfast buffet. It starts at six and ends at eleven.”
Cree looked to the side as Kennedy eased back up to him. “Better?”
“Yes.”
Handing her a key, he told Kennedy to go to the room while he brought the bike around.
Thanking the counter girl for the help, he headed for the bike as Kennedy went in search of their room.
Now, if they could get something to eat and a few hours of shut-eye, it would go a long way to make the rest of their run a better one.
Kennedy paced the room, waiting for Cree to get there.
It felt like it had been at least thirty minutes since she left him in the lobby.
Maybe he’s chatting up the cute blonde behind the counter.
Maybe the guys from that gas station followed them.
Shit, did Dino and Chuckie catch up to them somehow?
Kennedy had her hand on the doorknob when she heard the bike outside the window.
Rushing for the window, she pulled back the curtain to see Cree backing the bike into the spot right outside.
Dropping the curtain, she stepped over to the bed and sat down. Tears flooded her eyes. Her mind was not functioning on a level of rationality, but she knew if anything happened to Cree, she would be done for.
Sounds in the hallway had her running across the room to look through the peephole. Seeing Cree, she opened the door and stepped back so he could come in with their bags.
“Thanks,” he said as he moved past her. Closing the door, she followed behind him farther into the room.
“Damn, this is fancy for a dinky little motel.” The room was split into two sections by a wall that was solid at the bottom with open geometric shapes at the top.
In the sitting area, there was a sofa and coffee table along with a large flat-screen TV.
The bedroom had a king bed and side tables with lamps along with a set of chairs and a table.
“Does the bathroom have a tub?” he asked. “It would do you good to soak in some hot water.”
“What about you?”
“You want me to soak in a tub with you?”
“I’m so tired, I’d let you just so I wouldn’t drown.”
“That sounds like you want to use me.”
“Every chance you’ll give me.” What was she doing? Flirting? It was the exhaustion making her act that way. Wasn’t it?
“Why don’t you check on the tub? If there is one, go ahead and run a bath for yourself.
” Any other time, any other girl, he’d be stripping his clothes off as he moved her toward the tub or shower.
But this wasn’t the time, and she was his brother’s sister.
There might as well be a big, bright, blinking light over Kennedy’s head that said ‘off limits’.
“There’s a tub,” she shouted from the bathroom. “Before you get naked, take a look at this menu.”
Kennedy stuck her head out of the bathroom. “Menu?”
“Yeah, Elaine gave it to me. There’s a place that’s open all night and delivers.”
“Elaine?”
“The blonde who checked us in.”
Kennedy didn’t mean to saunter toward him, but her hips had a mind of their own. She blamed it on being tired. Glancing over the menu, she asked for a medium deep-dish Hawaiian pizza with a few extra toppings. Thanking Cree, she sauntered back to the bathroom and closed the door.
“Down, boy. That minos is off-limits,” Cree said out loud as he adjusted his cock.