Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
TARYN
Iwoke up because Beck shifted beside me.
It still felt surreal that he was here. I couldn’t believe it when the meteor shower exposed him—he was too curious for his own good.
I hated to admit it, even to myself, but the company was nice. Ben sprang shit on me all the time, but this was extreme, even for him. I should have known he’d be aware I’d snuck out.
Even though I got caught, I didn’t regret it.
I was now in the clear concerning the bio exam, and I’d gotten to watch Lucas get what he deserved.
I frowned because it seemed that bastard ultimately got the last laugh. Just before he left, Ben told me I should thank Mr. Rowen for the severity of this assignment.
What a dick.
He should’ve taken his punishment. When I got back to town, I’d have to plan something else for him.
The choking incident showed me he was still the same hothead he’d been as a teenager, just better at hiding it.
I couldn’t help but smirk, thinking about how aroused he was by taking control.
I felt the evidence against my thigh — it looked like Mr. Rowan was packing.
Honestly, I didn’t dislike it either. But I’d deal with that tomorrow.
Today, I needed to start making my way home and do damage control with Coach Daniels.
After skipping the game, she was going to be pissed.
Lucky for me, I had a picture on my phone of her kissing Mr. Hook, whom I knew was married.
I hated to go there because Coach Daniels was one of the few people I actually respected.
But needs must and all that jazz. I refused to miss the weekend away from my dad if she punished me by making me sit out a few games.
Beck rolled over in his sleep and put his arm around my waist. He pulled me into him and began nuzzling my head.
I felt my nipples harden and moisture gather between my legs. For an eighteen-year-old virgin, in the last twenty-four hours, I’d experienced more arousal than I was sure was healthy.
Beck snored loudly in my ear, and I smiled. What was I going to do with this man?
I’d been walking for hours before he showed up, so we’d decided to stay the night and get up to leave the next morning. When he offered to haul me back on his bike, I took him up on it.
Not only had Ben taught me survival, but he’d also taught me to take the easier route if possible.
Work smarter, not harder.
I’m sure this wasn’t what he meant, but whatever.
I eased Beck’s arm from around my waist and stood and stretched.
The forest looked the same as it always had—trees standing tall and beautiful, sunlight filtering through the branches in lazy stripes. No sign of the meteor shower from the night before.
If Beck hadn’t witnessed it with me, I might’ve written it off as a trick of exhaustion. It had been one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.
“You okay?” Beck asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
I rolled my shoulders. “Yeah, just a little stiff from my pack.”
He nodded like he’d expected that and pushed to his feet. “You should let me carry it back.”
Some girls in my position might refuse, but I wasn’t a fool. “Can you carry it and those saddlebags too?”
He stared at me as if I’d insulted him. “Yes.”
Boys. I rolled my eyes.
I packed my sleeping bag, fastening it to the top of my pack before handing it to him.
I admired his muscular arms as they flexed while he adjusted my pack and his bags. The man was a beast.
Beck noticed me noticing him, but he just smirked without saying a word.
We moved out with him leading, eyes scanning, and his body naturally angling in front of me, so I followed behind him. He seemed to be a natural protector.
I liked it.
“We have to take our time getting back.” I sighed, “At this distance, it would take me several days to get home if I were walking.”
He grunted, “What’s the deal with your old man? Why the fuck did he drop you off here?”
I shrugged even though he wasn’t looking at me. “He’s been like this for years.”
“My old man is a piece of work, but even he wouldn’t think of doing something like this,” he said in disgust.
“He’s big into survival and wants me to be able to handle my shit if something goes down.” I didn’t know why I was defending him.
Beck snorted, “What the hell does he expect you to have to survive?”
“I don’t know. EMP, Nuclear bomb,” I smirked. “Zombie apocalypse.”
“Well, if anyone could do it, you could.” He laughed.
I smiled at the compliment.
The forest thinned gradually until we reached the road Ben had used to drop me off.
“Where did you park your bike?” I wiped the sweat from my forehead.
The hike out had been nice. We’d talked very little, but it had been a companionable silence. And the view of Beck’s muscular ass had kept my mind off things.
“Not far.”
“Let’s stop for some water before we decide our next course of action,” I suggested.
“Sounds good.” He handed me my pack.
I took out two bottles and handed him one. I only brought three because they were bulky and heavy. I’d brought matches to boil my water, so I wasn’t carrying too heavy a load.
“Why don’t we spend some time sightseeing?” Beck took a long sip, then poured the rest over his head.
This man obviously knew nothing about conservation.
I watched with fascination as he shook off the excess water like a dog shakes off its coat, then pulled his hair back and tied it in a knot with the band around his wrist.
“That was wasteful, asshole,” I said, with my hands on my hips, hoping there wasn’t any drool on my face.
“Don’t get pissy, Fox. I know a place a few miles from here that has a malt that’ll knock your socks off.” He grinned, revealing a dimple in his left cheek.
“I can’t go in anywhere looking like this.” I motioned to my cheerleading uniform and hiking boots.
“You’re so beautiful nobody will notice what you’re wearing.” He looked like he really meant what he said.
I blushed, “You’re full of shit.”
“Not about this.” His face grew serious.
I changed the subject quickly. “I don’t have a phone. Can I use yours to call Lila? I want to see how pissed Coach is that I wasn’t at the game.”
His face grew thunderous. “You mean to tell me that your dad didn’t let you bring your cell in case there was an emergency?”
I sighed in exasperation. “That would defeat the whole survival thing.”
I thought I heard him murmur something about ramming his boot up someone’s ass.
“What?”
“Nothing, here’s my phone.” He grabbed it out of his back pocket.
“Good, you still have battery left.”
I started punching in Lila’s number, then noticed there was no signal.
I handed it back to him. “I’ll have to wait until we’re closer to town.”
He glanced at his phone. “That’s weird. I had a signal last night. I saw several bars when I was checking the time.”
I shrugged, “No big deal. I’ll call her while I’m devouring this amazing malt that you spoke of.”
“Let’s head that way. I don’t want to find out what a hangry Fox is like.” He reached for my pack, and I followed close behind.
“You definitely don’t.” I agreed.
We reached his motorcycle, and Beck signaled for me to hop on.
He adjusted his saddlebags and then strapped my pack onto the seat behind me, tightening the straps until it was snug against my back.
He gave it a shake to ensure it was secure, his fingers brushing my hip casually.
The pack remained still, and for a brief moment, so did he.
I tilted my head back, and we stared into each other’s eyes, as they do in those sappy-as-hell Hallmark movies.
He broke contact first and climbed on, pulling my hands around his waist. “Hold on tight now, Fox. I don’t want you falling off.”
I lay my head against his back and nodded.
This whole thing was out of character for me. I knew that when we got back to school, things would change, but for now, I was just going to enjoy this beautiful man.
We hadn’t been riding for long when I felt Beck slow down. I raised my head. There were several cars stopped. One was empty, but the others had people in them who looked sick.
“What the hell is going on here?” I asked in confusion.
“I have no fucking idea.” Beck sounded just as confused as I was.
“Maybe we should see if anyone needs help?” I knew Ben wouldn’t approve, but this was beyond strange.
Beck grunted, “No, I don’t want you near them if whatever they have is contagious.”
I might have to keep him if he kept this up.
Suddenly, a woman stumbled out from between two cars ahead of us. Her hair was tangled, her face smeared with what looked like blood.
“H—help,” she garbled, sounding as if she was struggling to speak.
Beck dismounted his bike and positioned himself between her and me. I got off the bike, too, and he frowned.
“Get behind me. Something is off with her.”
“No shit,” I whispered. “Look at her eyes.”
Beck stepped forward, “Lady, you need to stay back.”
She didn’t answer. Just lurched closer.
Her movement triggered a tightening in my stomach, accompanied by an unsettling, hard-to-define feeling.
“Ma’am,” Beck said, firmer now. “You need to stop.”
Her movements quickened suddenly, and she slammed into him.
He caught her by the shoulders and shoved her back, more surprised than angry. “Easy, lady!”
She snapped at him—with her fucking teeth!
Everything went quiet in my head.
“Beck!” I shouted.
Her head whipped toward me, mouth opening too wide, a wet sound tearing out of her throat that didn’t sound like pain or fear.
I didn’t think.
I moved.
I pulled the small can of pepper spray from my pack and stepped around Beck, spraying it directly into her eyes. Nothing. She kept coming at me as if I were spraying water at her.
“What the hell?!” I yelled as Beck shoved me back and punched her in the head.
She fell to the ground, stunned for a moment, then started clawing at the ground, trying to stand. I stood there breathing hard, staring down at her in shock. Grown ass men would’ve been knocked out by that punch.
Beck glanced between her and me before yelling, “Let’s get the hell out of here!”
We didn’t talk as we got back on the bike. After several miles, he pulled over.
“What in the actual fuck was that?” he sounded exactly how I felt.
“I don’t know,” I answered him honestly. “Probably drugs.”
I’m not sure either of us believed that.
“Maybe.” He sounded doubtful.
“Should we call someone about the sick people in the cars?” This whole situation was freaking me out more than I was letting on.
“No. They were probably on the same shit as she was.” Beck scanned the road, suddenly alert in a way he hadn’t been before. “I think the sooner we get home, the better.”
“Agreed.”
As we approached the first town on our way home, the road grew increasingly crowded.
Cars crawled forward in uneven clusters. Some pulled off onto shoulders for no reason I could see. A few people stood outside their vehicles, arguing—voices sharp, gestures wild, savage somehow.
Beck slowed as we came to an intersection in a small town. The light was blinking red in all directions.
A woman leaned against a nearby car, cursing into the phone in her hand. A couple stood on the sidewalk with a grocery bag between them, sweating and looking extremely unwell. Someone was vomiting across the street.
“I believe we'll have to put the malt on hold for now. I have a gut feeling that it's not the best time to stop. Let's find something to eat a bit further down the road instead.” Beck rolled forward.
That was when a man broke from the group.
He moved fast—faster than what I thought was normal—grabbing the handlebars with both hands and yanking hard.
“I need this bike to get my girl to the hospital. Get the fuck off!” he snapped. “Now!”
Everything happened at once.
Beck turned off the engine and dismounted the bike in a single fluid move. His fist hit the man’s face before I could even gasp.
The crack echoed.
The man went down hard, skidding across the pavement, his nose broken and blood flying. Someone screamed. The woman with the phone dropped it. Another guy took two steps forward, then stopped, uncertain.
“What the hell?” the woman with the phone started toward us. Her face was flushed, and she looked feverish. “Why did you hit Wade, asshole?”
“I suggest you hold the fuck up unless you want what he got,” Beck said quietly.
The woman stopped just as the guy on the ground started to moan and opened his eyes.
“Get your ass up and walk away. Now.” Beck spoke in a voice that made my hair stand on end.
This was the man I saw outside the trailer park. No emotion, just a stone-cold killer.
The guy scrambled to his feet and bolted down the street, knocking into a parked car as he ran. The woman gave us the finger as she followed behind him, breathing labored.
Beck was already back on the bike.
“You okay?” he asked, glancing back at me.
“Yeah,” I said, surprised that my voice didn’t shake. “What the hell was that?”
“I have no idea.” He was surveying our surroundings, on full alert. “Something is going on. We need to find out what it is.” He started the engine and eased back into the road.
In the mirror, I saw the town shrink as it receded into the distance. What on earth was happening?
I needed to get home to Ben now. He’d know what this was.
For the first time in a long time, I wanted my dad.