Page 2 of Adam's Fugitive

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Sunlight peeks through the dark drapes, causing my eyes to pop open as the recent events fill my mind. My nose picks up the scent of roses, and I smile a little as I pull Cora closer. After a while, I realize my sleeping beauty isn’t going to be waking up any time soon. I silently drag my ass out of bed and head for the bathroom to shower and shave before I spend the day wooing my girl.

My plans for the day come to a screeching halt when I walk out of the bathroom to find an empty fucking room. Just to be sure, my dumb ass looks under the bed and on the back balcony before I finally admit Cora ditched me.

The entire ride back to Houston, I tell myself I got lucky and avoided a mess. Surely, the curvy little doll wasn’t as perfect as my slightly inebriated mind made her out to be.

By graduation week, I’m forced to admit that I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life. Instead of heading home, I should’ve torn South Padre Island apart looking for my soulmate. Now, I’m left with nothing but a few memories and regret.

CHAPTERONE

CORA

SEVEN YEARS LATER

The phone rings and I glance down to see my best friend’s face flash across the screen. “Hello,” I answer, already knowing why she’s calling.

“I don’t think you should take Aunt Ophelia to Houston for a shopping day alone,” Scarlett tells me. “You know my aunt tends to find trouble wherever she goes.”

Boy is that an understatement. Aunt Ophelia is known as the master of chaos in this small Texas town.

“Don’t worry.” I cross my fingers behind my back as I lie to my best friend. “I know how to keep your aunt under control.” What a joke. No one can keep her in line. Most won’t even try. Everyone in Silver Spoon Falls knows that trouble is Auntie O’s middle name.

There’s no doubt in my mind I’m going to have a hard time keeping the eighty-two-year-old spitfire out of trouble. “It will all be fine,” I attempt to reassure my friend. “We’ll hit the malls and be back by Sunday night.”

“Uh,” Scarlett sighs over the phone. “If you say so.”

“I have a bad feeling about this.” I glance over at Auntie O and cringe. How in the world did I allow her to convince me to take part in this nutty adventure?

I met Scarlett and Aunt Ophelia soon after I moved to Silver Spoon Falls. The first time the elderly woman came in for her dialysis treatment, she bowled me over with her quick wit and tendency to create chaos in her path. No one in the small Texas town has been spared her wrath, and her exploits are legendary.

Scarlett, her lovely niece, moved to town shortly after me, and we immediately bonded over our love of dirty books. In a short amount of time, they’ve become the family I never had, and Aunt Ophelia even insists I call her “Auntie O.”

In her own words, “Us rebels need to stick together. It can be our call signs. You call me Auntie O and I’ll call you ‘Little Spring.’ It’s the perfect name for you.” She went on to explain, “The name Cora refers to Persephone, the Goddess of Spring. And you are the absolute definition of spring. Warm, beautiful, and a joy to behold.” My heart melted at her kind words, and the elderly woman and her niece became my family in that instant.

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Iglance down at my hand handcuffed to the rusty iron fence and wince, pretty sure Auntie O has gotten us into more than a tiny bit of trouble this time. We’re currently handcuffed together to the front gates of the old Livingston Library, waiting to be arrested and thrown in jail while several news crews tape the entire hullabaloo.

“I didn’t know we’d be the only ones protesting,” I hiss out the side of my mouth.

“It only takes one person to get a point across,” Auntie O huffs before patting my hand. “Don’t worry, deary. We have them right where we want them.”

I wish I possessed her positive attitude. “Are you sure we’re doing the right thing?” I ask, hoping she agrees to rethink our plan. I know it’s freaking late in the game to change strategy, but I’m desperate.

“I won’t back down from this fight.” She points her cane at the nearest policeman. “We aren’t leaving until you listen to our demands.” Her words echo around us and reach the policeman and news crews.

The officer takes a deep breath before informing us, “You have sixty seconds to remove yourselves from the premises or we will be forced to arrest you both for trespassing.”

“Maybe we should listen to him,” I whisper to my elderly partner-in-crime.

“Don’t worry, deary.” Auntie O smiles and pats my arm. “I’ve been protesting for years, and nothing bad has ever happened.” Famous last words.

After the sixty-second deadline passes, three policemen advance on us. I’m not really sure how it happens, but all hell breaks loose, and things go downhill real fast. Like snowball in hell fast. When a burly, kinda ticked-off-looking officer advances on me, Auntie O attempts to step between us but ends up tripping since her hand is connected to mine. In an effort to remain standing, the elderly woman smacks him in the chest with her cane.

Another policeman tries to jump into the melee, and I accidentally assault him. And possibly end his ability to procreate. My clumsiness steps up to the plate, and before I know it, I slip backward, taking the much larger man with me. At the last second, I bend my knee to catch myself, but all I end up catching is his groin. Hard. With my knee. His very colorful words fill the air as all hell breaks loose around us.

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