Page 242 of Sin With Me

My stomach rolls at the thought of my mother, my sweet mother, being subjected to Isaac’s words, to his depravity. I wipe roughly at my face before taking a deep breath.

Later.

I’ll deal with everything later.

Not in front of Kon. Not when I’m about to drive.

I glance at him, finding him carefully watching me. “Gearshift,” I rasp, resting my hand on it. He clears his throat as he nods, scooting slightly closer.

“Here are the keys. Do you know how to start it?”

“Put the key in and turn?” His lips twitch under his full beard.

“Right foot on the break, left on the clutch.” He tips his chin toward the pedals at my feet, and my stomach twists with newfound anxiety.

Scooting to the edge of the seat, I press my feet on the pedals, watching him from the corner of my eye. He nods a few times, moving closer. “Now, put the key in.”

My phone rings, and he lets out a frustrated breath. I glance at it, seeing it’s Isaac again, and press ignore.

“Sorry,” I breathe, but he shakes his head.

“It’s fine.” But it doesn’t sound fine. His accent is thicker, and his body is coiled tighter.

“Keys?” I mutter, and he bobs his head, holding them out. My hand shakes as I reach for them, and it takes me three tries before I can get the metal to slide into the hole. “Good. Now move to first gear.” I look at him like he’s crazy, and he cracks an almost-smile.

“Like this.” He grabs my hand, resting it on the gearshift before placing his over mine. He shifts our hands, and the truck shakes slightly. I inhale sharply, giving him a frantic look. “It’s okay. Ease off the break and move to the gas.”

“But—”

“You’ve got it,” he says, his tone leaving no room for argument. And, for some stupid reason, if Kon believes I’ve got it, I’ve got it.

I do as he instructed, my hands tight around the wheel and gearshift. “Good, Eve. Good. Now, ease off the clutch as you press down on the gas.”

With a deep breath, I do it. There’s the tiniest bit of friction, then the car begins rolling forward. “Oh my God!” I cry, and he finally lets out a soft chuckle, his hand tightening on mine.

“You’re doing it,” he laughs. “See? I knew you could.”

“I’m driving,” I breathe, shaking my head. My eyes burn as the car coasts slowly from the parking lot and onto an empty side road.

“We’re going to shift into second,” he says. “Ready?” I nod, not taking my eyes off the road. We’re barely going fifteen-miles-per-hour, but it feels like I’m flying.

Free.

“You’re going to do the opposite,” he instructs. “Ease off the gas, press on the clutch.” I concentrate as I do as he said, and he shifts our hands, the black knob digging into my palm. “Good. Good. Now, press on the gas, off the clutch.”

“How do you remember all this?” I whisper, mostly to myself.

“Once you learn, it’ll be like breathing,” he says. “So easy you can do it in your sleep.” I grin at his words.

One day, it’ll be so easy, driving will be like breathing. It’ll be just a part of who I am. It’ll be just another thing I can do.

And that spurs me on.

My phone rings again, and Kon snatches it off the seat. “Eyes on the road,” he barks. His commands startles me enough that I snap my attention to the road. “Fucker keeps calling. Can’t take no for an answer. Should’ve beat the shit out of him when I had the chance.” All the words are muttered under his breath, his accent growing thicker with each one. “He won’t bother us anymore.”

Setting my phone back on the seat, his hand finds mine over the gearshift once more, and he takes a deep breath. “We need to shift again,” he mutters, his voice still tight. But I do as he told me earlier, and he shifts for us. “Next time, you’ll shift on your own.”

“Did you text him? You didn’t say anything, did you?” I ask, worried he might’ve told him where I am.

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