Page 14 of Unconditional

He’d also already eaten by the time I’d woken, and when I mentioned I was hungry, he’d tossed me a bag filled with random gas station crap.Flavorless tortilla chips and a mild beef stick?I dropped the bag to the floor of the car and muttered something along the lines of, ‘I’ll just wait for our next stop’, making him grunt and double check the GPS.

Hours had passed, and my stomach was growling.Loudly.And my leg was bouncing rapidly, a sensation like ants crawling under my jeans making me anxious.Ihatedroad trips.My body needed to move or I’d become restless, and hours spent in a car without any wiggle room did not allow for ample movement.When I had asked, Talon refused to tell me why we were driving instead of flying.With nothing else to do but let my thoughts wander, I imagined it probably had something to do with not wanting to tip off the federal agents protecting Birdie and Milo.

I cleared my throat but Talon’s eyes did not waiver from straight ahead.We were still in Iowa according to the GPS that was unnecessarily loud in the silent vehicle, and like any other Midwestern state, the weather was unpredictable.The weatherman could tell you to expect a clear and sunny day, but it’d downpour.You could be prepared for a blizzard but have highs in the fifties.

Today, it had settled on intermittent flurries, but from the way Talon drove—his speed steady but his eyes never leaving the road—you’d think it was coming down hard enough to warrant a road closure.Finally, fed up and bored senseless, I groaned.

“Can we please stop for food?We’ve been on the road for forever and I’m starving.”

He snorted but didn’t say answer me.

“Are you a dog?Do you not know how to use your words?I asked a question.”

His nostrils flared and his brows narrowed, indicating my barb had hit its mark.“Just because you ask a question, that does not mean you are entitled to an answer.”

My palms landed in my lap with an audible smack.“Well, I’m hungry.”

Again, he became fixated on the road as if I hadn’t spoken at all.Irritation boiled to the surface, making me twist in my seat to face him fully.“Did youhearme?I said I’m hungry.We’ve been driving forever, and I haven’t eaten anything today.It’s bad enough that you have me crammed in this shitty car with no music or podcasts or anything to entertain me.

“Not to mention the very reason you’ve got me crammed in this car is completely fucked up to begin with.Theleastyou could do is pull over and let me get something edible to eat.Unless you’re looking for me to starve to death so you can dump my body and be done with it.I listen to a lot of true crime, it wouldn’t be too far off.You’re already halfway through the standard serial killer to-do—”

Talon’s gruff voice cut me off, his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel.“We’ve been on the road for exactly an hour and a half, I’d hardly call that forever.Yourentertainmentis not my problem.If you don’t shut the hell up, I’m going to duct tape your mouth.”

“We’ve been over this, dickhead.”My head cocked to the side with a smug grin.“You don’t have any duct tape.”

“Whatever, there are plenty of other ways to shut you up.”

“Oh yeah?Like what?”

For the first time, Talon’s eyes drifted from the road to look at me.They roved over my body from head to foot, lingering on any exposed skin, before climbing back up and settling on my face.His eyes were hooded when they reached mine, and I mentally cursed myself for challenging him, a flush pinking my cheeks.

My breath stuttered silently when his lips parted to answer, the restlessness in my bones suddenly at a fever pitch.And then they stretched broadly across his face, the heat vanishing from his eyes.

“I’m sure if we toss out all that bullshit you packed, you’d fit nicely in the trunk.”

nine

Misely

Despiterefusingtoimmediatelystop for food, Talon did pull into a rest stop roughly a half an hour later.We’d just crossed the Iowa-Nebraska border into Omaha, and the gas light on the car’s dash had lit up.

He forbade me from going inside by myself, saying he couldn’t trust me as far as he could throw me.When I mentioned that if his backhand was anything to go by, then he could probably throw me pretty far, his expression had darkened to murderous proportions.That look did not abate when I laughed.Well,Ihad thought it was funny at least.

My sense of humor could only go so far, not appeasing the dread within me in the slightest.I had hoped he’d overlook thisonething, and let me go inside without his intense supervision.With any luck, there’d be a pay phone I could use to call Birdie and warn her that this wasn’t a social visit.It wasn’t a fool proof plan by any means, but if we got to their place and they were nowhere to be found, maybe I could convince Talon that I wasn’t the right hostage to have.

And to leave my family alone while he was at it.

Alas, he was right by my side the entire time, going so far as to wait directly outside the bathroom door for me.He warned me that we wouldn’t be stopping again for a good long while and that I should prepare for that when I picked out snacks to eat.I rolled my eyes and flipped him the bird, but he didn’t react, ignoring me to grab a couple bottles of water from a cooler.

There would be no ducking around aisles and sneaking away because the shelves barely reached my shoulders, and the rest stop itself was tiny.Talon would be on me before I made it to the door.And the cashier, whose music blasted through their headphones loud enough to be heard from across the store, would be useless.I sighed, resigning myself to another stretch of highway with the brute, and loaded my arms up with goodies.

“What the hell is all that?”Talon’s voice was steeped in mild horror when he observed my hoard splayed out on the front counter.

I glanced down at my selections and then back at him.“What?”

Sure, it was ninety percent sweets, but I’d grabbed a bag ofgoodchips, yogurt and a turkey sandwich too.A perfectly balanced meal.

“You can’t be serious.”

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