Page 61 of Ride With Me

Damn.

He had actually been looking forward to the sex, but that probably wasn’t on the table now.

After all, it would be a bit difficult since Bishop was going to be dead soon.

“They got a kid on the security cameras leavin’ the truck stop bathroom. Got a real nice shot of the back of his dome, but that was all they got. Yessir, this kid is smart. He kept his head down and was wearin’ a hooded jacket. Blue, they say. Isn’t that funny? Your name is Blue. Huh. And your lil’ jacket over there sure looks blue too.”

“Huh.” Blue scooted down so only his head was above the water. “So it is.”

“It’s good. Real discreet. No logos or nothin’ fancy for nobody to ’member. You probably suit up in a raincoat or somethin’ to keep the blood off ya paws. But you don’t wear gloves, do ya?” Bishop grinned. “You use a knife. That’s real personal like. You like to get all up close and shit, huh? Like gettin’ it on your hands too, right?”

Blue refused to panic, instead saying, “Look, I think I’m just gonna get my clothes and leave because what you’re saying?—”

“Because what I’m sayin’ is crazy?” Bishop laughed and slapped his knee. “Boy howdy, don’t I know it! But here’s the thing, my good buddy.” He leaned forward, his eyes dark as he teased, “You can wear all the raincoats ya want and scrub them pretty little hands, but it just don’t do nothin’ for thesmell.”

Blue hadn’t moved yet, trying to calculate his next course of action.

He was going to have to kill Bishop. That much was clear. He was planning to kill him anyway, but he had originally planned to at least wait until after they fucked. He could have dealt with the annoying thud of his pulse until then, but he couldn’t risk Bishop talking to the cops and telling them he murdered that man at the truck stop. They might actually try to arrest him.

Especially since Blue was guilty of this particular crime, that would make things difficult for him.

Blue was curious, however, how Bishop had figured it out.

“The smell?” he asked.

“The blood, boy.” Bishop chuckled. “Oh, you youngin’. You think you’re so fuckin’ smart and you done thought of everything, but oops! There were two lil’ ol’ things you just didn’t count on happenin’ because in your sweet arrogance, you forgot to count for the impossible!” He paused to sip his beer. “Like how I could smell the blood on you the second you got in my car. Even under that cheap soap you tried to scrub it off with, I could smell it. Oh, yes sir. It gets in your hair, in your skin, and it’s just the sweetest fuckin’ perfume there is.”

Blue shivered in agreement. “Is it now?”

“It surely is.” Bishop slurped at his beer. “Mm, I’d know it anywhere, I tell ya?—”

Blue leapt out of the water and dove at Bishop, tackling him to the bed. He snatched the beer bottle away and then smashed it against the bedside table. He pinned Bishop down with a handful of his thick beard and the broken bottle against his throat.

Bishop laughed heartily, and he didn’t even try to push Blue away. “Now, come on! You done got me all wet?—”

“Shut up,” Blue warned, pressing the broken glass in until blood bubbled up around it.

“Now, now, slow down!” Bishop grinned. “I still ain’t told you ’bout the second thing!”

Blue was wondering what else had given him away, but he couldn’t risk wasting another second. He could hear Bishop’s heart pounding away up in his head like it was his own, and he had to kill Bishop and get the fuck out of there fast. He had to make the noise stop. He had to make it stop right fucking now.

But wait—why was Bishop’s pulse so calm?

Most people’s were pattering away like scared little rabbits by now, a terrified flutter that Blue despised and longed to snuff out as quickly as he could, and yet Bishop’s remained a low, slow thud, like the rumbles of thunder outside.

Huh, how…

Odd.

That single moment of hesitation was all it took for Bishop to grab Blue’s wrists and flip them, tackling him against the bed in a single fluid motion. Bishop had gone for the hand holding the beer bottle first and easily dislodged it, tossing the makeshift weapon away before pinning Blue into the mattress.

It was over in seconds, and Blue was now disarmed and trapped.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Blue kicked wildly and swung, but Bishop dropped his entire weight down on Blue’s chest and knocked the air right out of him. “Oof…! You… asshole!”

“Simmer down,” Bishop scolded. “Lord, look at you right now. All puffed up and madder than a wet settin’ hen!”

---