Page 18 of Along for the Ride

He grabs my backpack from the bathroom and tosses it onto the bed. I stuff my spare clothes inside and throw in the half-empty water bottle for good measure. I need to keep my strength up, and the first step will be hydrating my drug-hungry body.

He pulls his cell from his pocket, reads something, types a reply, and looks at me. “We need to get on the road, so do whatever you need to do in the bathroom and let’s get out of here.”

He’s flipped a switch and he’s back to being Mister Serious again. Joy.

“Where are we going, anyway?” I ask.

“Me and Karson are headed to California. You won’t have to stick with us for the whole ride, though.”

“Because you’ll kill me before then?”

I’m not stupid. I’ve seen faces. I know at least one name. Now I know where they’re going. I don’t know what these men are up to, but it’s probably illegal. I’m a risk to their operation.

He walks out the door without answering me, but that’s all the answer I need.

ChapterNine

Gentry

The calm we had in the hotel disappears the moment we meet Karson in the lobby. His scoff rubs us both the wrong way. My patience for Karson’s antics wane by the day. Hell, by the minute.

My cock isn’t hard anymore, but my balls still ache. I wanted to fuck the ever-loving hell out of her back at the hotel. Istilldo. But it would take more than a beautiful face and a nice pair of tits to get me to break my abstinence streak. The day I found my brother balls deep in my wife was the day I vowed to keep away from lying women.

My fucking hand is faithful, at least.

But I was tempted by her—amtempted—and the side-eyed glare she keeps throwing my way as we reach the SUV isn’t helping. She’s curious about me. I saw that lustful look in her eyes back in the room, and I see it again now. But let’s not complicate things.

Karson tosses the keys to Leana, and she looks at me.

“Ass in seat, little thief,” Karson says before I can respond.

As she gets in the driver’s seat and pulls onto the road, I regret allowing her behind the wheel. My stomach knots up because of how she rides the damn shoulder, and it doesn’t help that I chose to sit in the back seat. My eyes remain locked on my brother, though. Every time he gives her a side glance, I prepare to get between them. He wouldn’t try to kill her while she’s driving, though. He’s not that stupid. Maybe it’s a good thing her ass is behind the wheel.

Karson pulls his pistol from his waistband and starts flipping it in the air, catching it by the barrel or the grip as it somersaults into his palm. Leana eyes him, and every time her throat bobs when she swallows, I know she wants to say something. She shouldn’t worry so much. In all the years Karson has played “catch” with his pistols, they’ve only gone off twice.

We were teens the first time it happened, and the bullet went throughmyfucking foot. Not the twerp spinning the damn thing. Mine. The second time he was playing his solo game of catch while we waited for my wife to finish dinner. He shattered the kitchen window. Even though she witnessed his regular displays of dumbassery, she still slept with him. I don’t choose women very wisely, I guess.

Poor judgment on my part for forgiving him for all of his bullshit, too.

Forgiving him for fucking my wife was hard. I’m still not sure I believe he planned to kill her, but it makes more sense than the alternative. And I’ve had a long time to sit and think about it. I’ve also never known Karson tolikeanyone, including me.

“Can you stop?” Leana screeches, breaking me from my thoughts. She flinches as the pistol twists in the air and the barrel gets a bit too close for comfort.

“Nope.” He sends it into the air again.

The smug satisfaction on his face pisses me off, so I lean over and snatch it away before it reaches his hands again. Unfortunately, this brings the barrel close to Leana’s head again. She jerks the wheel with a squeal and sends the SUV bumping along the shoulder before straightening it out again.

“We’re done playing around!” I yell, leaving no room for either of them to argue.

“Did your father not play catch with a ball like a normal person?” she says toward Karson, and I fight back a smirk.

I shake my head and meet her gaze in the rearview mirror. “No,ourfather didn’t.”

Her eyes dart between us as realization washes over her. “You’re brothers?”

“Blood,” Karson quips, tugging another pistol from his waistband and beginning his game again. A deep laugh rumbles from his chest and erupts from his mouth as he grabs the grip on his last throw and turns the barrel toward Leana. His finger glides to the trigger and pulls it back before I can stop him.

Click.

---