Page 8 of Reckless

“It has a lot to answer for when my backyard is full of sand,” I point out, referring to the infamous Santa Ana winds that send dust storms down the coast.

“I’m sure there are far worse things to worry about in LA.”

She’s not wrong. Although my house is sheltered away from everything. It’s like a damn fortress, to be honest. You need secret service level clearance to get in. Or you might as well.

It’s a far cry from this.

We’ve sat here for the last hour in this quiet wilderness. I’m not worrying about people coming over to interrupt me, to try and grab hold of me, take my picture or intrude on my life. It’s peaceful.

Krista eyes me over her mug and then sets it down. “I have to get going soon.”

“Oh, right.” I’ve never felt disappointed like this before.

The thought of her driving away forever is messing with my head. I don’t want her to. But how do I stop her? She has her life. I have mine. This is a momentary reprieve from the shit storm. An eye opening one at that. An hour in her company has got me thinking way more positively than I have the last year.

We get up and start clearing away the dishes. I pause by the steps to the RV. The sink is right by the door where she sets everything down, then comes back out.

“What are you going to do? You’ve got about ten minutes to decide before I leave.”

“Are you offering me a ride?”

“To the next rest stop,” she makes a point of saying. “If it’s what you want?”

“Should I be worried about the weaponry inside?”

“Yep," she laughs.

Looking back down the road in the direction of the hotel, I come to a decision. Fuck knows where I go from here, but Krista’s right. I don’t have to conform to what anyone else wants of me. I can get myself back to civilization and then disappear. In a more controlled manner. Or something. Part of me knows if I go back to Cody, that won’t happen, even if I want it to.

“I’m really sorry to ask,” I rub the back of my neck.

“What?” she asks in concern.

“I’ve drunk a lot of coffee…”

“Oh, God,” she laughs. “Right. Okay, well, I guess you’re coming aboard. There is a bathroom past the kitchen.”

“Are you sure? I could go in the woods.”

“I don’t want to be responsible for a bear eating you or getting poison oak on your butt.”

“Neither one of those sound appealing.”

“No, they’re really not.”

She steps into the RV. And I follow her. I’m still a tiny bit worried she is really good at hiding she’s a rabid Reckless fan.

That would be my damn luck.

Chapter 3

While Jude goes into the bathroom, I wander away from the RV. It’s another gorgeous day today. I had to stop at the layover because I am behind schedule due to a traffic accident further back on the Interstate. I hadn’t been asleep long when my sensors went off, alerting me to movement outside.

It’s an upgrade I added after I bought it. There is a security camera inside too. I watched the man down by the water long before he turned his attention to the RV.

Watching him attempt to drink the water had me laughing. This isn’t a guy who’s been out in the wilderness a lot. It took him a while to focus on the RV. I decided then he wasn’t someone I need to worry about.

Be wary of, sure, I’ve learnt that over the years, but if he was going to kill me, he would have done it before the sun got any higher. When there was less chance of witnesses passing by. I just couldn't figure out why he was here.

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