Page 37 of Hyde

“He didn’t seem to care that I wasn’t, so I told him a very abbreviated version of events and asked if there were any places along our path that might take us in for a night. I mean, a random rectory has to be better than a hotel that would have cameras, right?”

“That’s fucking genius, Le-Lee,” I murmur, leaning over to kiss her.

“I thought so,” she agrees, looking proud of herself as she pats my knee. “Anyway, Father Kelly said that Father Thaddeus was a veritable expert on the subject. And that’s when we caught him opening the wine—he didn’t skip a beat, just pulled out two more glasses and filled me in on possible places to stay. I forget who let out the first pun but once that cat was out of the bag, there was wine and more jokes.”

“You are unbelievable.” I can’t help but continue to shake my head at the turn of events. “I shouldn’t be surprised though, you were never shy about talking to anyone.”

Leslee

Five hours later, I wake up when Joe pulls over for gas. Slowly sliding out of the truck, I step into Joe’s embrace.

“Sorry I crashed,” I whisper against his chest. “How are you feeling?”

“Good. I wouldn’t mind a break if you’re good to drive for a while.”

“Of course. Is it alright for me to run in for a pit stop?” I ask, pulling my hood up over my head.

He grabs his wallet, giving me some cash to pay for gas and snacks. I take care of things as quickly as possible and when Joe heads for the bathroom, I start texting Fr. Thaddeus.

Checking the GPS, I work out the best option that the priest has for us.

“What are you doing?” Joe growls, reaching for the phone when he opens the passenger door.

“I needed to coordinate where we could stay, not to mention the GPS,” I snap back, crabby from the crick in my neck and not liking his tone. Until… “Crap. I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”

“It’s okay, I’m going to pop the sim card out, so we don’t slip up again,” he replies, kindly saying ‘we’ instead of pinning the mistake on me.

“It’s a hike, but I want to get closer to home. The place we decided on is in Colorado. I figure, we split the drive time with one more break and we can, hopefully, sit the rest of this shitshow out at this retreat center.”

“Y’know, I keep waiting for you to have a meltdown. For this to be too much for you, but you just keep impressing the fuck out of me. I should have reminded you not to use the cell and I’m sorry for raising my voice to you,” Joe apologizes, leaning across the cab to kiss my cheek.

I turn my head to properly kiss him, letting him know, without words that I know I screwed up and will be more careful.

“I am scared, Joe. I’m worried about my family, and now you, since you’ve been dragged into this. Every time I close my eyes, Ihave to push aside the image of Parks crumbling to the ground,” I whisper my fears against his lips and he tightens his arms around me. “But if I focus on all the things that could go wrong, I’d curl into a ball and be absolutely useless. Anyway, I’d like to reserve the right to have a breakdown when everyone is safe again, deal?”

“Deal.” He smiles like he wants to say something else, but he stays silent for another moment. “You sure you’re okay to drive?”

“Yeah, why don’t you get some sleep?”

“You need to keep an eye…”

“I know, watch for tails and drones, and lions and tigers and bears,” I cut him off.

“Brat.”

*

Waking up in the small dark room, I immediately freeze—until I remember where we are, and why I’m alone. Then I hear the scratching that must have woken me up.

Arriving at the retreat center after a long day on the road, we were informed that we could have separate rooms. Even Joe was too tired to argue. Then we saw the tiny rooms with single beds and a small sink, before understanding that even if we were married, we would have been given our own rooms.

When my door cracks open and Joe sticks his head inside, I let out a sigh of relief.

“The lock is so damn old, I’ve never picked that kind before,” he whispers, coming over to sit on the side of the bed. “Make room for me?”

I let out a snort. While he’s a few inches shorter, and not as broad as my dad, he’s still a large man.

Moving until my back is against the wall, I watch in amusement as he fits most of his body on the remaining space, then throws a leg over my hip.

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