Chapter 16
STONE
Aria and I have walked for well over two days before we finally reach the edge of the thick bushland, stepping out of the woods and to the outskirts of an old, run-down small town.
“Oh, thank God,” Aria groans beside me, already trying to take a step closer toward the town, but I catch her upper arm, bringing her to a stop.
“Hold your fucking horses, Menace. You can’t just storm in without a plan.”
“But I need to eat,” she snaps, getting even grouchier than she had been during the past twenty-four hours.
“I’m exhausted. I need a proper shower. My clothes are destroyed.
My feet hurt. And as for my guts . . . You don’t even want to know what’s going on there, but two days of straight hiking, no food, and way too much of that lake water, and it ain’t pretty. ”
Jesus fucking Christ.
“Okay, we’ll find somewhere for you to .
. . figure out your guts and shower. All I’m saying is that we have to be cautious.
We can’t just race into the first place we see.
Not to mention, cops will be searching every fucking town within a hundred-mile radius of Hartley Creek.
We have to keep our eyes open. You don’t survive this shit by being reckless. ”
She scoffs. “Says the reckless moron who escaped prison with a hostage.”
I roll my eyes and resist biting back. It was easy to subdue her attitude at the beginning, but forty-eight hours in, and it’s not so easy anymore.
She’s on the edge of a mental breakdown, and until she gets a proper meal and gets to feel somewhat human again, I need to keep her calm.
Aria is like a momma bear ready to strike, and whether she’s ready to admit it or not, that’s Riley Maddox all over.
One wrong turn, and she’ll sacrifice my ass for a juicy burger.
At least she’ll give it a good try, but I’m not about to let that happen.
We cautiously walk around the town’s perimeter, sticking to the bushes and bypassing the busier streets filled with people going about their usual Friday morning, having no clue that the most wanted man on the planet is about to break into one of their precious little homes.
It’s another twenty minutes before we come to the residential area, and I focus on the three properties closest to the woods. They’re all newer homes, but more secluded from the rest of the town.
The home on the left has two cars in the driveway, and an array of toys scattered across the front lawn, along with a small dog that I have no doubt is probably the yappiest little thing I’ll ever come by.
I immediately strike that property out. There’s a good chance there’s a young mother inside that house with her babies, and I’m not about to fuck with that.
The house on the right looks promising. There’s a car in the driveway and an old, beat-up caravan parked down the side, but there are security cameras fastened to every inch of the property.
As for the property right in the center, it’s quiet. The blinds are drawn, no cars in the driveway, and a few packages piling up on the front porch. It looks as though whoever lives here might be away on vacation.
“There,” I tell Aria, pointing out the property. “We get in, do what you gotta do, and get out. We’re not hanging around. Understood?”
She nods, and after a quick check of the street, I grab her hand and take off. “Go!”
We dart out of the bushes and race across the road as I keep an eye on the small dog in the neighboring yard, making sure the little fucker doesn’t decide to cause a scene.
I lead Aria to the left, making sure to keep out of sight of any of the security cameras the third property has, and in the blink of an eye, we’re sailing down the driveway to the porch.
“What now?” Aria says as we approach the door, frantically looking around as though she’s nervous. The girl I knew wouldn’t dream of being nervous about this shit. Breaking and entering was her favorite thing to do.
I don’t respond, just simply stride up to the door and grab the handle, twisting it so hard that I break the locking mechanism inside the door. As I push it open, a smug grin stretches across my lips. Breaking into this home was a shitload easier than breaking out of my last one.
“After you, Menace.”
She scoffs, pretending she’s not impressed, but I’ve been watching her closely, especially since we were in that lake together, and this woman is more than just impressed.
She’s starved for my attention, but she’s too fucking stubborn to ask for it.
Not that I intend to give it. While shacking up with her certainly sounds appealing, it’s not my focus right now.
It can’t be. There’s no denying it, though, her hands on my body .
. . fuck. I’m bricking up just thinking about it.
The way I would fuck her raw, claiming every goddamn inch of her sweet body.
We’ve never crossed that line before. She was barely seventeen when I saw her last, and I was twenty. I told myself that she was nothing more than a kid sister. But now she’s grown, and she’s fucking gorgeous. Keeping my hands off her has been a challenge, especially in that fucking lake.
Making our way into the home, we quickly start searching it, making sure we’re well and truly alone, and the moment Aria realizes she’s safe, she lets loose like a rabid animal, scrounging her way through the kitchen, scavenging for food.
Not knowing how long the owners have been away, she steers clear of the fridge, heading for the pantry, and fuck me, I’ve never seen anybody inhale food the way she does.
Taking myself deeper into the home, I find the main bedroom and search through the owner’s clothes. It must be an older married couple if the photos on the nightstand are anything to go by. I find a change of clothes. A white shirt and a pair of black pants. Casual. Easy. Forgettable.
They’re not going to fit well, but at least I won’t need to wear a bright orange prison jumpsuit.
I’m six-seven and packed with muscle. I already stand out like a fucking warship closing in on enemy shores.
People notice me whether I’m trying or not, and the jumpsuit isn’t going to make that any easier.
Knowing Aria isn’t going to go anywhere while busy shoving packaged foods down her throat, I take my chance to shower and clean myself up. I keep it quick. While I’m sure she’s fine in the kitchen, I also don’t fully trust her.
After my shower, I pull my new clothes on. They’re tight, but until I can find something better, they’ll have to do. The fabric of the white shirt is straining over my arms, but it sure as fuck beats the jumpsuit I’ve worn for the past seven years.
Stepping out of the bathroom, I run into Aria in the hallway. “You good?”
She pauses, her gaze sailing up and down my body, taking in the way the fabric of my new shirt stretches around my arms. “Tight,” she murmurs, pursing her lips and nodding. “You got enough blood flow heading to that pea-brain of yours?”
I clench my jaw and blow out a breath, trying to calm the frustration burning through my veins. And instead of taking the bait and losing my shit like she knows I so easily could, I simply lean toward her and audibly inhale. “What’s that smell?”
Aria glares at me. “Fuck you,” she spits, shoving past me into the bathroom, only to slam the door closed behind her.
I laugh as I continue down the hallway, making my way into the kitchen and finishing off everything that Aria didn’t touch. The second I’m done, I start figuring out a game plan.
Heading back to the main bedroom, I search through the closet and find an old backpack, and just like I’ve done a million times before, I fill it with shit we need to survive.
Riley, my brother, and I have left more than our fair share of temporary homes in the middle of the night, so I start packing on autopilot, knowing exactly what we need.
As the oldest, I always felt responsible for Riley and Ash.
It was my job to keep them safe, to be the one who made the call on when it was time to leave, to be the one who made sure we survived.
Once Ash was older and fell in with a rough group of friends, we clashed.
He didn’t like following my lead, and I didn’t appreciate being questioned.
My say was final, until he decided it wasn’t.
He was closer to Riley, but he couldn’t care for her the way I could, couldn’t ensure her safety, and he sure as fuck wouldn’t have laid down his life just to see her shine.
I would. And deep down, she knew that; she could feel it in her bones.
He left, and when Aria refused to go with him, Ash resented me, right up until his final moments.
Searching through the closet, I grab some spare clothes and a jacket for each of us before moving to the linen closet for a few small blankets.
Who knows if or when we’ll have to spend another night under the stars.
While I don’t mind the way Aria gravitates toward me in her sleep, the idea of her shivering through another night guts me.
With that sorted, I search deeper, putting together the perfect survival kit.
A lighter, lighter fluid, a new first aid kit, a couple flashlights, and I even get lucky when I find the owner’s fishing gear and an array of knives.
Shoving as much as I can into the backpack, I start searching the kitchen and find a few empty water bottles before filling them to the brim and putting them down next to the overflowing backpack.
Peering out the kitchen window, I notice an old shed out back, and my brow arches.
Bingo.
Making my way to the back laundry room door, I peer out the small window, making sure none of the neighbors are out or happen to have a bird’s-eye view into the yard before unlocking the door. I slip outside, feeling too exposed.