Page 18 of Pretty Monsters

Both of them ignore me, and Sin continues around to the driver's side. Lucien is already near the passenger door, and gets in immediately, clearly forgetting I need to sit in the middle of the bench seat.

Sin holds the driver's side door open, and wordlessly waits for me to go around the front of the truck and jump in on his side. I reach for the handle on the door frame, but it's missing. Next, I try to pull myself up by the seat, but that doesn't work either. The truck is slightly lifted just enough that my five-foot-four self struggles to get in.

He gives up watching me struggle to get in the cab, grabs me around the waist and practically throws me inside. I scoot across the seat and secure the lap belt. Lucien winces when he realizes why I'm getting in on the driver's side.

"Sorry, I'm not used to there being anyone with us."

"Where to then?" Sin asks as he slides behind the wheel.

"Probably someplace remote. What about northern Idaho? Lots of trees, we can probably find an abandoned cabin to squat in for a bit," Lucien suggests.

A small noise escapes me, and Sin looks at me from the corner of his eye. "You don't approve?"

Chewing on the corner of my lip I consider whether or not I should speak up. They both have much different experiences than I've had. To be honest, I have virtually no experiences.

Ultimately, I decide to speak. I'm tired of being the patient and obedient Raven Blackthorne. "No, I don't agree. If we go stay outside of some small town, even if we only go into town a few times for necessities, people are going to be curious about us. We will stand out. We need to go somewhere with a lot of people and blend in. The more people around you, the less people actually look at each other."

Sin nods. "She's got a point. We can hunt, but there's no way we can get everything we need from the land, at least not initially. It might be better to disappear into a crowd."

My brother is quiet for a few long seconds, then he also nods. "Take the interstate west towards Playa Pacifica."

Death as a Babysitter

Sin

We don't stopfor longer than to grab gas and food on the way to the coast. Raven was right, people in the small towns along the route do remember anyone that lingers longer than a pit stop. They aren't your typical tourist stops, and anyone that stays over is noted, especially if you are traveling with a woman who looks like Raven.

I huff out a breath and try to banish all thoughts of her out of my head. Easier said than done with her pressed to my side in sleep. Every breath she takes brushes her breast across my arm. Ignoring her is much harder, with the constant reminder of how perfectly her body molded to mine the night at the motel. Shifting her off proves impossible, and her hand that was trapped between us lands in my lap.

The sudden movement startles me, and I swerve the truck. Lucien's head slips and hits against the passenger window. Once he's fully awake he notices how his sister fell asleep.

"What the fuck!"

"She fell asleep. Move her," I say, my teeth clenched together.

He slides her over, which ends up waking her up. She stretches, straining her thin t-shirt across her chest, and I squeeze the steering wheel.

"Are we there?" she asks groggily.

"Almost," I reply. We need to decide where we are going to stop.

Lucien gives me a suspicious look, but chooses not to say anything further. Instead, he pulls out his new phone. "About that. I think I've got a solution, but it depends on how well your fake ID's are going to hold up."

I glare at him, and he holds his hands up. "Yeah, okay. Stupid comment. I know they're going to hold up."

"Well, out with it then," I snap. "If you've got a solution, let's hear it."

"I found a bar that needs a bouncer and an apartment nearby. The apartment is low rent, and less likely to demand references. I've set up an untraceable email account and reached out to both."

"We can't both be away from Raven at the same time. I'll look for a job in the daytime," I tell him.

"I'm sitting right here," she grumbles.

"And?" My tone is annoyed. I need to go out alone and blow off some steam. Finding a woman so I can release some of the tension created by being around Raven nonstop is essential before Lucien loses his shit with me.

"I don't need a babysitter. Neither of you appear to have noticed, but I'm not a child," she says to both of us.

Oh, I've noticed. That's a large part of my problem. I can't notice her. There were very few lines I haven't crossed in my life. Going after my best friend's sister is one of them, and I wouldn't lose my only friend to satiate hunger any woman could fill.

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