Page 14 of Outlaw

“I don’t know who else has her picture, but if Ruin finds out you’re hiding her, he’s going to haul her in. You know how he is.”

I stare toward my little sister, lobbying over continuing my lie or letting her in. On one hand she’s a little crazy and off the cuff. On the other, she’s trustworthy. “Give me three days.”

“Three days to what? You can’t save her. She’s got too much going on. You’ll get dragged down with it. Look,” she stares up at me as though she can change my mind, “she’s my friend. I like her... a lot. That’s why I set you two up, but this is insane. There’s no escaping this. Her life is over. Don’t go down with her.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Don’t do this.” She folds her arms across her chest.

“I asked you a question. Do you trust me?”

She sighs and nods. “You know I do.”

“Okay then. Three days. Give me three days, and don’t say shit to Ruin. You do, and I’ll know right where it came from.”

“Why would I tell him? She’s your bounty.”

I shrug. “She’s more than a bounty.” The words come out before I’ve fully comprehended what they mean.

“Oh my god!” Carmen gasps. “You have actual feelings for her! You’re making a mistake. You’re too blinded by her to get your head out of your ass.”

“What’s going on with you and Ruin?” I know I’m shifting topics, but I can’t listen to the bullshit anymore.

“I told you for the hundredth time, we’re just friends.”

I’d be stupid to believe those two are just friends, but right now I have more pressing matters. I have three days to get Faith somewhere safe, because turning her in is no longer an option.

Chapter Seven

Faith

Outlaw is quiet the entire ride back to the cabin. I can tell he’s processing through something, but I don’t know what it is. I imagine whatever Carmen said to him outside the truck had something to do with it.

“You want to go for a ride?”

My tone is low as I say, “Didn’t we just get back from a ride?”

“Yeah, on the bike I mean. I need to clear my head.”

I liked riding on his bike yesterday, but this whole thing is making me uneasy. Whatever Carmen just told him, shook him up. So much so that he has to clear his head. I don’t know what to think.

I doubt it was about her seizure because she would’ve said that in front of me.

The only logical conclusion is that Carmen is somehow onto this. She knows who I am, which can’t be good.

Outlaw climbs up onto his bike and starts the engine. I’m not sure how the man looks as good as he does despite the stress and lack of sleep, but he does. He might even look better. He has this rough, rugged look that’s wild and untamed. Turns out, it only gets better with lack of proper rest. Lucky him. I’m sure I look like a train wreck.

I climb onto the bike behind him and hold on tight, leaning into his giant frame as we twist down the winding mountain roads and lean into curves. I have a feeling this might be my last ride, so I close my eyes and enjoy it.

The sun on my face, the wind on my cheeks, the faint smell of pine, cedar, leather, and exhaust. For a last ride, it’s a good one. The mountains in the distance stand white-capped and the pine that dot the valley floor grow lush and green. I always imagined I’d live out in the mountains somewhere. A little cabin with a smokestack in a field of wildflowers. I’m lucky I got it as long as I did.

Outlaw moves his hand from the handle and rests it on my leg. I’m not one hundred percent sure why he does this, but I figure he’s comforting me because the end is near. We are going down the mountain and if we turn left at the stop light, I’ll know we’re headed north. North toward Montana, where he turns me in.

I don’t blame him. A hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money and holding a girl hostage is a lot more work than he probably anticipated, especially if people know who I am. I guess it was only a matter of time before word got out. Though, I’d hoped it would be more than a day.

The bike rumbles at the bottom of the hill and the vibration rattles through me. This is the moment.

Left or right?

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