4-REAGAN
“Miles, let’s go!” I give him a quick beep as he locks the front door behind him. The plan was to pull into town right at check-in, go out for dinner, per Miles’ request, and then do face masks and a movie.
I had packed one single bottle of wine. I had no need to get drunk, and Miles wasn’t really the type to drink too much either. Tate would have packed a twelve-pack and then needed to stop at the liquor store the second day. My mother drank, but she was a fun drunk and knew her limits.
The back passenger door of my sedan popped open. Miles’ suitcase dropped into the seat along with a tote. Switching doors, he slid into the passenger seat, disgusted. “Do not honk at me—ever. Okay?”
The car rolled forward before he could shut his door all the way. “You needed to hurry. It’s practically time to check in.”
“We will be fine. You constantly drive like you’re running from the cops anyway.”
“I do not.” I maneuvered the car out of the neighborhood. “I’ve never gotten a ticket.”
“It’s those low tops and big green eyes, honey.”
I puffed my cheeks with an exhale, nerves finally getting to me.
Skin blanching over my knuckles as my mind rolled through the checklist for the night.
All my items? Check. First stop, Airbnb.
Then dinner. I would have really wanted to leave earlier so we could beat the dinner rush after five, but that was looking unlikely.
“Where do you want to go for dinner?” I asked.
Miles looked up from his phone. “Hm, there was a Greek place not too far from the place we are staying at.”
“That sounds good.” I was just glad he didn’t say sushi or some other expensive restaurant that he would try to milk out of my bank account.
“Good, I already know what I want.”
“Let me guess—Saganaki, Souvlaki, and Baklava?”
“You know it.”
My brother was a Greek food fiend. He could pass as a Greek man if he wanted to. He was probably Greek in a past life, and I’m surprised my mother hasn’t dived into that spiritual rabbit hole yet.
?
After dropping our stuff off at the rental, we sat across from each other at the Greek restaurant of Miles’ choosing. My phone sat face down on the table, listening to the chatter and noise from nearby tables. Miles was glued to his phone.
“So, are we going to talk or what?”
“Hm?” His eyes popped up from his phone. “Oh, sorry.” His screen locked as it found the table across from mine. “What did you want to talk about?”
“I don’t know, the weather, Tate, or the fact I am going to get kidnapped tomorrow.”
“Boring. No, thank you, and wait, you’re getting kidnapped tomorrow? For like, the thing?”
“Yes, it was in their last package they sent me, and I thought it was common knowledge since The Forewarning is in its fourth year.”
“So, you gave them the Airbnb address? And what? Are they just going to barge in and take you? What if they take me by mistake?”
“They won’t take you. You’re a man.”
“I can put a wig on. People say we look alike.”
“I doubt it’ll work.”
“Rude.” His lips pursed, Miles’ eyes flicked from the side menu filled with alcoholic beverages to my face. “Mom would love that.”
“She would. She’s gotten wild since Dad remarried. Should we be worried?”
“No, she’s fine. She’s not hurting anyone. Besides, she has her totally not witch friends.”
A laugh slips through. My nerves made it hard to hold everything together. Like there weren’t forty women before me and this hadn’t been done before. I had to remind myself that this was safe, the men were trained, and if anything went wrong, I had my safe word. Wildflower.
“So, what are you going to let the guy with the gas mask do to you? I still think you should have chosen the other guy—maybe it’s not too late.”
I stare at my nosey brother over our shared appetizer, Saganki.
“You know, finally break in your new body of yours? Let someone appreciate it? That would really get Tate going. I can’t believe he still thinks he has a chance to get back together with you.”
“I know. I wish he would take the hint.”
“Okay, so, what if the guy has a hot body. Are you going to let him in-in?”
“Miles...”
“Hot body, huge dong?”
My expression didn’t falter.
“Gross body, tiny wein?”
My face scrunched up. This wasn’t new for Miles, but I was still not comfortable hearing my brother talk about men and dicks like he was one of my girlfriends. “I really don’t know. It all depends on how the night goes. You know, chemistry, the vibes.”
“Oh, my god. What if he smells bad? Or has body hair?”
“I don’t mind body hair.”
Miles hid his gender preference for so long because of the town we grew up in.
He even had a girlfriend in high school.
Our community was conservative and didn't take that lightly.
After the initial shock from friends, family, and everyone who thought he would try to steal their husbands, Miles was mostly welcomed, shunned by a few.
Following my parents’ divorce, Miles confessed.
Mom and I accepted him, but Dad—not so much.
Hence why none of us are on speaking terms with him.
The last decent memory was my wedding when he walked me down the aisle.
Even then, it was awkward, and he didn’t stay long enough to do the father-daughter dance.
He was always so thoughtful.
“Tate’s going to flip the fuck out when he finds out that you did this.”
“It’s none of his business. I stopped caring about what he thought about me when he didn’t inform me before he got that tattoo of the Coors can with angel wings on his upper arm, where it could “flex every time I reached for another drink”.
” I mocked my ex with my best masculine voice as two plates clattered against the table.
Miles adjusted his silverware, eyes still on me. “It was at least a decent tattoo. It could have looked like he got it in someone’s basement during a frat party.”
Gyro meat still steaming, I continued, “Why does it feel like he regressed since we married? And of course, after I put in the papers, why did he start trying again?”
“He sure matured quickly in the last six months.” Miles’ fork hit the plate, stabbing the vegetable side dish. “Tate’s definitely one of those guys who didn’t see the divorce coming. The whole “it came out of nowhere” type of guy.”
“Yeah, because he was too busy with his Red Dead Redemption and Call of Duty to notice.” The soft shell of the pita wrapped nicely into my hands as I held it to my mouth.
Miles took a cleansing drink. “Why do men think they can marry someone and stop pursuing them? Like, they stop doing all the little things that matter and yet question why the woman becomes a bitch?”
I tucked my food into my cheek before responding. “Pffft. You tell me.”
?
As the television played quietly in the living room, Miles and I sat after finishing our leftovers from last night for lunch.
The front door opened swiftly with a crack against the wall.
Miles let out a shriek, pulling his blanket higher to his face.
I pushed myself off the couch, finding my feet on the ground as two men in black attire entered my space.
“Are you Daisy?” One asked as he approached me.
I nodded briefly, and their hands circled my upper arms. Grip tight on both sides, and I practically floated out of the place.
“Ahh!” Miles screamed in excitement as I headed for the door. He shot out a hand in my direction. “Love you, Egg!”
“Keys?” The man asked.
I shook my head and swallowed. “No, this is a rental. We have access by PIN pad only.”
Without another word, he grabbed the knob behind us, swinging the door shut.
A black SUV waited next to my car, and in a moment, I was inside. One of the two men cuffed my hands, tethering them to the vehicle, and threw a mask over my eyes.
My world went black, and the vehicle rocked out of the driveway and down the road. “What music do you want to listen to?”
“Um,” I thought about what was currently on repeat, and like a bad first date, I didn’t know how to answer for a moment. “Top forty, I guess.”
Pop music trickled through the speakers, and I could track that we were heading towards the freeway. My gut twisted with nerves, and every fiber of my being raced with adrenaline. Was I really doing this?
I was, and it was so nice to do something for myself for once. A normal person would spend the day at the spa or go to the beach. Me? I signed up and won a chance to run through the woods from masked men. There was still some pampering involved, so I wasn’t that far off.
The weight of my body moved with the turn, proving my instinct was right as the vehicle sped up. The hum of the tires against the road, we were headed south on the interstate.
Minutes rolled by, and my head was filled with questions and possibilities.
Miles’ question entered my mind again. Would I be interested in sleeping with whoever this was?
I hadn’t been with anyone since Tate and someone different than Tate since I was twenty-three.
I had a slutty college streak, but I was more reserved now.
And what if I didn’t find him attractive? What if he did smell bad? I couldn’t imagine the brand would allow that. But I would just say my safeword and be on my way then—I guess?
The song changed in the background, and the two men quietly talked to themselves, low enough that I couldn’t hear them, but I did pick up on bits and pieces. It was just about their day-to-day life as far as I could tell.
What’s going to happen when Tate finds out about this?
Or if anyone in the town finds out about this?
My interlaced fingers squeezed tighter on my lap.
I assumed some people’s reactions would not be approving.
Maybe even disgust. A social media post on a community page already showed me how many people disapproved of the event itself.
C’est la vie.
I deflated my lungs until my chest was empty, and adjusted my legs, which had stuck to the leather behind my knees. This was just what I needed to shake the last bit of Tate from my system. This was the final chapter and the start of something new. I reminded myself.
After heading south for what couldn’t have been less than fifteen minutes, the SUV shifted lanes again, taking its exit. We turned west. Not that I knew exactly where we were or that it even mattered. I guess if something happened, I would know approximately where I was or how to get back to Miles.
A few turns later, as the incline increased, the mood in the vehicle changed. I could tell we were getting close. Tension built inside the SUV, and I was ready to get out. I was ready to run. I was ready to start my new life after a final cleanse.
The tire noise sounded different when we changed pavements. I knew we had arrived before the wheels stopped and the doors unlocked from being put into park.
The two front doors unlatched, then thudded. The pressure of the vehicle and air changed as the door next to me opened. Spilling fresh air into the SUV.