Reckless

Chapter 12

It takes longer than planned to get back to the campsite, because it’s harder going. The tension has been growing between us, and where he’s been able, Jude has kept hold of my hand. We didn’t pause to take anymore pictures.

When we get back on flat ground and start walking to the RV, Jude’s phone bursts to life in his pocket. He groans, taking it out and looking at the screen. He pauses for a moment and turns to me.

I hide the disappointment. Maybe the universe is trying to tell us something.

“Reception here is patchy, so it might cut out. I’m surprised the call even got through.”

“I’m sure it’s not important,” he says, pushing it back in his pocket and snatching up my hand again.

He walks along the gravel path towards the RV. I guess Jude isn’t listening to whatever the universe is trying to say.

My hands fumble with the keys as he stands behind me. One of his hands is on my hip, that one touch has my body burning up. Damn these keys.

Jude’s phone rings again. He curses as I get the door unlocked. I pull it open and step inside. He crowds in behind me, taking out the phone and frowning.

“I’ll get rid of her.”

Her? He must see something on my face because he leans in and kisses me on the lips. I press my fingers to where there was barely even a touch of his mouth and watch him walk away from the RV.

It’s wrong to stand here and listen. I toss my stuff on the couch. Suddenly, I’m conscious of the state I’m in. We’ve been walking for hours. I’m a sweaty mess. God, I can’t let him strip me naked looking like this.

Glancing through the window, I see him with one hand on his hip as he talks, looking out over the fields behind the RV. I’m torn between going to freshen up and wanting to know who he is talking to. Or maybe we need to cool it. The burning fire from out in the valley has banked a lot.

It doesn’t mean I don’t want to feel him all over me. That urgent desire to be with him isn’t as strong now. I haven’t moved, while I’ve been debating with myself over what to do, or whether reality has come knocking on the door and slammed right through it.

Jude is still talking. It doesn’t look like a good conversation. He pulls the phone away, looks at the screen, then puts it back to his ear. He shakes his head, then drops his hand to his side. When he turns to come back to the RV, I move away from the window and head to the fridge, opening it so it doesn’t look like I was watching him.

When he comes inside, his frown is deep.

“Everything okay?”

“Not really. I haven’t got the full story because you were right. Service around here is shit, and it kept cutting out.”

I close the fridge and turn to lean against it. I try not to be too disappointed. The mood has changed, but something is wrong, so I will not complain.

“That was Solene. Cody was arrested last night.”

“Cody? Your manager?”

He nods, still distracted. Shit this is important.

“If we drive out a little, the service should pick up,” I suggest.

Jude looks conflicted as he stares at the floor. “Yeah, do you mind? Just so I can get the full story.”

“Of course.” I walk over and touch his arm. When he looks up, I give him an encouraging smile.

“Knew I hated that fucker,” he shakes his head again, but takes my hand. His thumb rubs slow circles over mine. “I’m sorry, Krista.”

“Don’t be. Come on, the sooner we get to a place where there is service…”

I don’t finish because I’m not sure how to end it. Either we continue what we started, or something serious has happened and Jude may need to leave.

That thought leaves a cold spot in my stomach and I draw my hand away, heading to the driver’s seat. Jude doesn’t say anything either. Guess we’re both thinking the same thing.

We drive into the small town of Wall before he gets some bars on his phone. I spot a drug store and tell him I’ll get a few things while he makes his call. I grab a quick change of t-shirt and pull on a light-weight windbreaker, then head out across the street to the drug store.

The town has a whole wild west theme to it. And when I step inside the building, it turns out this isn’t a drug store at all, it’s a small mall.

There are restaurants and a cowboy themed store, a gift shop, and plenty of wood carved sculptures. If I wasn’t so concerned about Jude, I’d be enchanted by the place. I even see a sign for an 80-foot brontosaurus dinosaur and a museum.

This place is insane and quirky. Jude would love it, but it’s another tourist trap. Shit, I hope he doesn’t follow me in here.

Turns out there is an actual drug store, so I head inside. Even in here there are a ton of people, but I’ve never been one to be self-conscious, so I head to the sexual health aisle and grab a couple of boxes of condoms. I don’t travel with them, and it was only when I saw the sign, I figured one of us needs to be responsible.

It’s taking away the magic of the moment somewhat, but I’m not about to get caught out in what is likely to be a short-term fling. I throw a few more items into the basket, including candy and bottles of watermelon popping Boba, because I got a taste for that when I was last in Oregon. It’s rare I see it on my travels. At least now it doesn’t look like I’ve only called in for condoms.

After checking out, I walk back into the main shopping area. I’m almost to the door when I glance into the cowboy shop again. There are racks of hats of all different types.

I bite my lip. Should I? Would he find it funny? Before I can change my mind, I duck inside and peruse the hats on offer, then grab a black leather looking cowboy hat with metal studs for a hatband. It’s kind of rock and roll. For a moment, I lose myself thinking of him wearing this and nothing else.

With my purchases all bagged up, I head out when a lady with a huge smile offers me a bumper sticker.

“It’s free,” she says with a bright smile. “Tell your friends all about Wall Drug and come back soon.”

“Thank you,” I smile back and take it, reading the slogan ‘ Where the Hell Is Wall Drug?’ “This is great,” I laugh, and she gives me an exaggerated wink.

I have got to come back here.

A loud roar startles me, and I almost drop my bags.

“Oh, don’t worry honey, that’s just the motorcycle enthusiasts. They’re not a gang, they’re a bunch of guys who get together and ride around the state. They’re all fun.”

“It’s so loud.”

“Like I said, sweetheart, they’re all fun. ”

“I’ll take your word for it,” I grin back.

As I leave the store, the motorcycles assault my ears even more, circling the small main street and coming to a stop outside the Drug Store building. I’m not so sure my friend inside is right. There are motorcycle club waistcoats with patches on the riders.

When I pause to cross the street, Jude is standing at the front of the RV. He’s watching the motorcycles too with a worried frown. When he spots me, his posture relaxes. I cross over and stop in front of him.

“You need to see that place. It’s so awesome.”

“It’s a little crowded for me.”

Yeah, right. “And noisy. Let’s go inside.”

We head back in, and I drop the bags on the dining table, then show Jude the bumper sticker. His expression is bemused. He doesn’t look stressed or like something terrible has happened, but I haven’t known him long enough to read him.

“Did you figure out what happened with Cody?”

“Yeah,” he scratches his head and drops into the chair by the table.

He goes to look in the bag, but I pull it back. I might have gone over there for condoms, I’d rather he doesn’t know that or about the hat. I take out the candy and lay it on the table, then go to the fridge with the drinks, tossing the bag through the bedroom doorway while he’s checking out the options.

He settles on a Snickers bar and bites into it as I walk back and sit down opposite him. The noise in here is muted, but we can still hear the roar of all the bikes outside.

“It turns out Cody has been stealing from the record label.”

“What?”

“Solene isn’t sure of the ins and outs, but he’s been pocketing money from ticket sales for the last year. And when I say the record label, I mean us.”

“Oh my God, that’s terrible.”

“He was found out when the label brought in investigators this last couple of days. Solene was at the recording studio with a friend of hers when the cops showed up and arrested Cody. The label isn’t telling her everything, but the gist is that a lot of the ticket sales from our European tour weren’t priced the way we thought.

“When we cancelled the gigs, and the refunds were being put through, it came to light that the fans somehow charged extra, but the money was unaccounted for. Its been traced back to Cody. He pocketed the extra.”

“What a little shit.”

“Couldn’t have put it better myself. It’s why he’s been working us to the goddamn bone. Booking all those shows. Because he was making a fortune off the extra prices.”

He bites off a huge piece of his candy bar and leans back in the seat.

Realization dawns. Not only has Cody stolen from them, he’s also responsible for the way Jude is feeling now, why the band is on an extended break. He was forcing them to tour incessantly so he could make more money off ticket sales.

I didn’t like the guy from the moment I met him, even less when we ran into him at the rest stop, and he was rude as hell. I never would have imagined something like this happening.

“Are you okay?” I reach over and touch the back of his hand where it rests on the tabletop.

“Not sure to be honest,” he says, blowing out a heavy sigh. “They’re still trying to figure out how much money he stole.”

“I don’t mean the money.”

His eyes come up to me. He made it clear he doesn’t particularly care for Cody, but he is in a position of trust, and he broke that. I’m not sure there are an awful lot of people around Jude and his band they can trust. Their manager shouldn’t be one they can’t.

“It’s a lot to take in.”

“What happens now?”

“The feds are investigating,” he shrugs. “I guess while that goes on, we wait and see.”

“Do you need to go back?” I ask cautiously, trying not to sound like it might bother me if he has to.

I’m not sure I succeed, especially when he gives me a look that says I didn’t. He moves his hand, turning it palm up and holding my fingers between his.

“Solene wants me to. She thinks we need to all be together, to work out what this means for us.”

“What do you want to do?” I ask.

It’s not that I fault his band mate and I understand where she is coming from wanting them all to be there. But if I know anything about police investigations, which I do, given how much research I do for my books, then it’s going to take a long time to figure out.

The likelihood of getting their money back is slim to none because they will have to pay the fans back out of pocket.

This is the reason they were worked into the ground. It isn’t up to me to help him make any choices about his mental wellbeing.

He’s quiet for so long, he’s got to be about to let me down. Instead, he picks up the bumper sticker and reads it again.

“I want to see this on the back of the RV.”

I huff out a laugh. “No chance.”

“Ah, come on, it’ll look great.”

“I don’t want it on my RV, Jude.”

“Why, are you an RV decor snob?”

“Put it on your car when you get home.”

“I’m gonna make it my mission for the rest of this trip to get a new bumper sticker wherever we go. Then convince you to put them all on the back of the RV.”

I’d argue, but he’s letting me know he’s staying. “And how do you plan on convincing me?”

“That gigantic box of condoms you bought might help.”

My face burns and Jude laughs.

“The bag was practically transparent. All the motorcycle guys out there saw them.”

I grab a Reese’s bar and throw it at him. It hits his chest and makes him laugh harder.

“I should throw you out there with all those motorcycle guys, see how you deal with that.”

Jude leans back and looks through the window. His eyes widen. “Jeez, is there a convention here or something?”

I’d shut out the sound of the motorcycles, but now that I’m not focused on Jude, I can hear how loud they are, as well as the chatter and laughter. I stand beside Jude’s seat and look out the window. The entire street is now full of parked motorcycles.

“Yeah, I’m definitely throwing you out there with them.”

“No, you’re not.”

He spins in the seat and wraps his arms around the back of my thighs. I stumble and almost fall, but he holds me up, tilting his head back so he can look up at me.

“Hey,” he says, before I can give him shit for that move. “I’m sorry this mess with Cody screwed everything up.”

My eyes flick to the bedroom, to where the bag is now lying on the floor. His hands move down the back of my thighs and back up again. They stop short of the curve of my ass. I grip his shoulders and look down at him, willing him to move them higher.

When another raucous burst of laughter breaks the silence, he shakes his head and lets me go.

“We gotta get out of here.”

“Uh,” I try to shake myself out of the lust. Again.

Jude stands and puts his hands on my hips. “I want you somewhere quiet, where I can focus on you with no distractions. I checked the schedule. Chamberlain isn’t that far away. That’s where we’re staying tonight, right?”

I nod, unable to form words. Still stuck on him saying he wants me somewhere quiet.

“It’s a straight drive down the I-90. I should be good to take over driving.”

“No,” I push back on his chest.

“Come on,” he grabs my waist.

“Jude, it’s not that easy to drive.”

“I’ve been watching you. I can do it.”

“On the interstate?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Nope.”

“You haven’t written anything today. You can focus on that while I drive.”

“No, you can stay alive while I drive.”

“That’s not fair.”

“No, Jude. But,” I cut him off before he interrupts again. “I’ll give you some lessons tomorrow before we leave.”

“Promise,” he waggles his brows.

“I promise… I’ll give you some lessons.”

His eyes narrow. Before he argues, I pull out of his grip and walk to the bedroom.

“I’m gonna wash up, then we should eat before we set off. We can have a proper meal when we get to the campground, but I’m hungry.”

“Me too.” His eyes rake me up and down. “I’m starving.”

It takes great effort, but I pull the sliding door shut, cutting off anything else he is about to say.