Chapter 7
Hyde
Waking up the next morning, I adhere to my routine of slow stretches. Starting from my toes and moving upwards, I assess my aches and pains.
Considering how close I came to eating dirt yesterday, I decide that I’m luckier than I have any right to be. The only thing that bothers me more than my side, is my conscience.
Falling asleep when I was supposed to be guarding Leslee, seems like a small infraction when compared to how many times I’ve thought about her in the last eighteen hours.
While Alex has a full selection of board games tucked away in a cabinet, I decide that it’s probably best if we go out for a hike or down to the stream to fish for our dinner. That plan has the added benefit of keeping Leslee’s mind off of her troubles and tiring her out before tonight.
“I’m glad you’re up,” Leslee says the moment I open the door to my room. “I wanted to go outside to see if there were berries I could gather, or any fruit trees, to add something fresh to our breakfast, but I need to know where the perimeter thingies are before I go out there by myself.”
I blink in her direction. Then I take in what she’s wearing and exhale. It isn’t the shorts that perfectly show off her long legs, so much as the fact she’s not wearing a bra and her headlights are pointed in my direction as she stands with a hand on one hip, waiting for me to respond.
Turning, I walk into the guest bathroom to relieve myself and splash some water on my face. Her eyes are above her chin, I coach myself, staring at my reflection in the mirror. Fuck me. Her eyes are… dammit, Gunner’s gonna snap my neck.
Opening the door, I see her open her mouth and I hold up my hand to stop her.
“Is there coffee?” I ask her.
Her eyebrows are pulled close enough together to deepen the line between them and her lips remain pinched together when she finally shakes her head.
“Get dressed. We’re going to town.”
I’m not thinking clearly. I know that, but since Vector’s men aren’t coming with supplies, it’s up to me to handle that.
At least, she’s quick, I’ll give her that. By the time I’ve dressed, deactivated the alarm system, and located the keys for the old truck that Alex keeps in the barn, Leslee is ready to go.
“Get your hoodie, and keep your hair covered,” I instruct her, after giving her a once over. Remembering it from last night, I know it’s loose enough to keep her figure hidden also.
Leslee stays remarkably silent during the fifteen-minute ride to town, merely pointing out a parking space that I hadn’t seen across the street from the market. Twisting my head between her, the diner, and the store, I make a quick decision.
“Do you drink coffee?” I ask her.
“Nope.”
“Okay, you go and start shopping. Plan on a couple of weeks of food, say for three people, just in case anyone shows up in the next few days. Keep your head down, and don’t do anything to stand out. I’m going to get a cup of coffee and I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Alrighty, see ya in a few,” she responds, reaching for the handle of the door.
I lay a hand on her shoulder just before she hops out. “Are we okay?” I check, worried about how quiet she’s being.
“Yeah, Dad doesn’t like talking much before coffee, so I figure you’re the same,” she responds looking nonplussed.
I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth in agreement, surprised at how relieved I am that she didn’t take my surliness the wrong way.
Remaining in the truck as she enters the store, I keep her in my sight long enough to make sure she’s keeping her hood up. Once I’m sure that she’s good, I head inside the town’s diner, which thankfully has surprisingly solid coffee.
Catching up with Leslee a short time later, I find my eyes focusing on her long legs but shake my head when I get to the long hem of her sweatshirt.
“Feel better?” she asks me, eyeing my to-go cup and I nod. “Good, go grab a bottle of vodka and whatever beer you want, from that section over there.”
The area she indicates has a doorway to a separate liquor store, with signs warning of severe consequences for minors.
“You that big of a drinker?” I ask, raising an eyebrow as I look down at her.
“My parents are fine with me drinking, within reason, of course, but I need the vodka for my pasta sauce. I’m going to make a big batch that we can just reheat as we go,” she explains, and I’ve had her mom’s lasagna enough times that I immediately turn to fulfill her order.
While I’m in there, I pick up one other item that catches my eye. Better safe than sorry.
It might be too much to hope for, but I think we made it to town and back without catching any unwanted attention.
*
Considering we’re in hiding and Leslee’s life is in danger, I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a day as much as today.
After the run into town, she spent the rest of the morning cooking—even chasing me away when I offered to help. I sat on the couch until I nodded off, but this time she was ready with coffee when she woke me up from my nap.
“Refill?” she asks, sitting across from me as she sips on a Diet Coke.
“Nah, I’m good. What time is it?”
“I think it’s time to go on that hike you mentioned,” she responds, stretching her legs out in front of her. “I’m getting a little stir crazy.”
“You haven’t stopped moving all day, I’d say it was your turn for a nap.”
“I’ll nap after our walk, when the lasagna is baking,” she responds, giving me a little grin when a moan escapes me. “In all your travels, you must have found a version to rival Mom’s?”
“Never. I gave up ordering it after the first year on the road,” I tell her, standing up and stretching before reaching a hand down to pull her out of her seat. The sooner we get moving, the sooner I’ll be eating lasagna.
Winding down one of the overgrown trails, I smile at how sure-footed she is in the woods and appreciate how she sometimes pauses to point out an animal watching us, or whatever catches her attention. And the woman doesn’t miss much.
“You ever change your mind about fishing?” I ask her, risking one of her glares. It’s impossible to keep the grin off of my face, remembering the trouble she’d get into because she thought fishing was too boring and gross.
“No, but if it means a boat ride, I just bring a book with me nowadays,” Leslee responds, her strawberry blonde hair falling over her shoulder when she turns to look back at me. “Is there a lake on the property?”
“Nah, just a couple of spots along the river that make for so-so fishing and decent swim holes this time of year,” I answer her and immediately want to kick myself.
Shit. It’s not like she would have packed a suit, so I close my eyes against the image of what she’d probably want to swim in.
“Crap,” I growl out when my boot hits a tree root.
“How was your trip?” she asks me, only hiding her smile when she sees me carefully pat my side. I shrug, letting her know I’ll live, but it’s honestly too painful to do anything except exhale. “Good. I’ll see you next fall.”
“Get your own material, brat,” I counter after I catch my breath, knowing damn well where she learned those lines. “Wait, if you take that trail up on the left, we’ll eventually end up back at the cabin.”
“I want to see the swimming holes, are they very far?”
“One was back on the right, the other is about a half mile up. I’m not really in the mood for swimming today though,” I warn her.
“No swimming today.” She crosses her finger over her breast. Shit, her heart. “But let’s turn back to see the one we passed, then I want to get dinner started.”
“Deal,” I answer with a nod. “Follow me.”
Thankfully, she keeps her word—and her clothes on, even though I can see how tempted she is when we break from the trees to the sight of the sun shining down on the water.
“Why doesn’t Alex live here? This place is incredible,” Leslee asks me, her vibrant eyes meeting mine.
“Besides being too far away from her husband’s job, her father was murdered here,” I inform her, leaving out the part about her mother being killed here also. Barely more than a handful of people know that last bit, and I only do because I overheard Jasper and Silver talking years ago.
“Oh.” She lets out the word on a sigh and nods her head more to herself, than me, in understanding.
Without another word, we head back to fulfill our afternoon plans.
After four years without eating Riley’s cooking, I think it might be the time and distance, but during my second piece of lasagna, I can’t help thinking that Leslee’s tastes better than what I remember. I compliment her profusely, even though I can’t bring myself to tell her that last part. It feels too disloyal.
I take the hint and handle the dishes when we’re finished eating, but I’m already thinking about having more lasagna as a midnight snack.
“What do you want to do now?” I ask her, lifting my bottle of beer up for a swig.
Which I promptly spit out when Leslee pats the seat cushion on the couch next to her and raises an eyebrow at me in invitation.
“No.” I firmly shut her down.
Letting out an overdramatic sigh, she tucks her feet in near her ass and glares at me. “Okay, if you don’t want to kiss me tonight, how about we go and check out the escape tunnel?”
“I have zero interest in walking bent over for a hundred yards after eating three pieces of lasagna,” I tell her, sitting in the chair across from her and patting my stomach, not even attempting to muffle my belch.
My refusal to rise to the first part of her statement has her narrowing her eyes at me and I grin to myself, wondering if I’d be safer with the Navaja.
“Fine. Let’s play twenty questions,” she retorts, and I shrug considering that to be her most harmless request. “You first.”
“What are you going to study at college?” I ask, assuming that she plans to start in the fall. At least until she squeezes her eyes shut.
“Ugh. I’m going to get my real estate license and work with Amy for a while. I did promise Mom I would take some business courses though.”
I raise an eyebrow at that bit of news, always figuring she’d get some crazy advanced degree. The last I heard, Connal, Jake, and Charlie’s daughter was in pre-med and trying to decide between neurosurgery or something else extremely specialized.
“Where was your favorite place you visited?” she asks me, seemingly eager to change the subject.
“Alaska, hands down.” I don’t have to think about that answer. “How about you?”
“Italy. Not to live, but we went there a couple of years ago and it was just awe inspiring.” The little smile on her face, tells me she’s picturing it; at least until it turns and she looks somewhat sad. “What happened to the charm I gave you?”
“The chain broke during a fight,” I answer her, and see the disappointment flash across her face. “I know how important it is to you, so I stayed after they cleared the bar out and swept the floor until I found it.”
Leaning to my side, I pull my wallet out of my back pocket. Inside, I open a little pouch and I drop the charm out onto my palm.
The look on Leslee’s face makes my heart skip a beat. And try as I may to picture the adorable little waif she was, all I see is the woman in front of me.
“Do you want it back?” The words escape me before I realize that counts as my question.
“Not now. You can keep it safe for me. My question: how many times have you been in love?”
And here we go. I take my time putting her charm back into its rightful place. “I don’t know that I have been.”
“Not even Trinity?”
“Wait your turn,” I playfully reprimand her, eager to get a read on her personal life, but dreading the moment she asks about her postcards. “How many boyfriends have you had?”
She bursts out laughing and when she opens her mouth to answer, the only word that I’m able to make out is ‘Dad’.
Leslee finally stands up, crossing to the sink to get some water. “Dad said I couldn’t date, Mom said I could when I turned sixteen, but since Dad had basically threatened everyone’s life, no one’s manned up to ask me out.”
I grunt, knowing damn well she’s clever enough to sneak around if she had any interest in doing so.
“Not even Trinity?” she probes me about the last answer I gave her.
“At the time, I thought I was. Looking back, I know she was never honest with me about who she was or what she wanted. If you don’t truly know someone, you can’t possibly love them.”
“Only the idea of them,” she whispers and I look into her eyes, slowly nodding my head.
She tilts her head and I wonder if she’s considering what I just laid out for her. That it’s entirely possible she only loves the idea of me, one that she created as a child and has hung onto all of these years.
“I think I’m going to go check out the tunnel,” Leslee tells me, and I turn away from her to check how much light is left today.
“Let me get you a walkie talkie, and I’ll meet you at the far end,” I concede, happy she’s willing to stop this game and not opposed to getting to stretch my legs a bit.
I pop open the entrance to it and hit the light switch; hanging from a hook on the wall are some wind-up flashlights. I grab one for her, making sure it works before I turn to see she’s got her hiking boots back on, the walkie talkie clipped to her waistband, and her water bottle in one hand. She’s going to be severely disappointed with the length of the tunnel if she thinks she needs water, but that’s not worth bringing up.
“I want you to pop the panel back into place behind you, so you’ll know how to do it if need be. Any cave-ins or rumblings that make you nervous, you call me on that,” I instruct her, pointing to the radio. “Then make your way back here. Otherwise, I’ll try to get to the other side before you.”
“You know where it is?” she asks a very important question.
“It’s been a while, but I think I do. If I’m not there, just stay at the exit and call me, so we can walk back together.”
With that, she disappears into the tunnel.
I shake my head in amusement, her curiosity will always win out when it comes to things like a secret passageway. Christ, when she read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, she spent months checking out people’s closets. Granted, she was about eight at the time.
Leslee
I felt completely childish, asking to play twenty questions, but I knew he had been dodging some conversation topics during the day and I wanted to know more about his life. Just as much as I wanted to hear what parts of my life he was curious about.
Although, from what Joe had said earlier, it seems my guy friends have been in touch with him over the years and have updated him from time to time.
Brushing my shoulder against one of the dirt walls, I slightly tilt my head to make sure there aren’t any insects in the area ahead of me. Since there’s only an inch or so above my head, I understand that he would have been uncomfortable as hell walking through this tunnel. I still can’t get over the details that Alex considered when she rebuilt the cabin. Most of all, I love that she kept the outside the same as it was.
Now, what to do about Joe?
I’ve felt his eyes studying me when he thinks I’m not paying attention, but short of getting him drunk and jumping him, I don’t know how to get him to touch me. And I’ll be damned if I’ll squander this opportunity—it would be way too hard to seduce him once we’re back home.
Continuing through the tunnel, I occasionally see or hear little animals scurrying around and I’m happy that there’s a string of lights. Being solely dependent on the flashlight would have me running through here, terrified of some of the noises. I’ve lost track of time and suddenly hear my radio crackle.
“Le-Lee?” Joe’s voice sounds metallic as he checks in on me. “I’m here, are you close?”
“There’s a bend up ahead, so I don’t know,” I answer him.
“The hatch is right beyond that,” he tells me.
And in just a few minutes, I’m climbing out into the diminishing light.
“Was it everything you dreamed it would be?”
There’s the sarcastic beast I know and love.
“I hope I get to see Alex while I’m out here,” I tell him, earnestly. “It’s been a while since she’s been to Idaho and I’d love to pick her brain about things she would have done differently.”
“Why do I get the feeling that you’re building your own bunker in that crazy-ass mind of yours?”
“A girl’s gotta have a hobby,” I say, grinning at him with a shrug and turn to start back to the cabin.
“Where ya going?”
I look over my shoulder to see him still planted near the exit to the tunnel. Lifting a hand up, he simply points one finger in the opposite direction from where I was heading.
“Oops,” I more mouth the word, than put any real volume behind it.
Just then, Joe’s phone rings and I freeze, surprised at how foreign the sound is in this environment.
“It’s for you,” he announces, looking at the screen before handing it to me.
I smile, recognizing the area code.
“Hello?”
“Oh, thank God, Leslee,” Mom sounds breathless. “I’ve been so worried.”
“I’m alright, Mom. Hyde had impeccable timing,” I say, trying to keep things light with her.
“We don’t have much time to talk, so knock off the nonsense.” Mom’s voice is a fair imitation of Dad’s right now. “You do what Hyde and the others tell you—are you armed?”
“Not at this moment, but, Mom, it’s just me and Hyde. At least until the others think they aren’t being watched,” I tell her, not missing her sudden intake of breath.
“Your dad is signaling me. I love you. Be strong and careful, baby girl.”
“I love you, too.” I reply, more than a little relieved she doesn’t have time to question me about it just being the two of us.
I stay on the line, hating the thought of disconnecting. Just as I start to pull it away from my ear, I hear my dad’s voice. “I love you, sweet angel.”
The call ends before I can reply and just as I try to hit redial, Joe yanks it out of my hand.
“No! I have to tell Dad…”
“He knows, Le-Lee. And he damn well doesn’t want you taking the chance.”
I know Joe’s right, but it doesn’t help the fear and frustration I feel. Terrified that I’ll never get another opportunity to say it.
Without another word, Joe wraps his arm around my waist and we walk in step back to the cabin.