Page 94 of Witness Protection

They exited on the lower level, and he led her to a motorcycle. She stared at the beast, black, chrome, and badass. He handed her a helmet.

She shook her head. “I can’t, Cayden. I’ve never been on one of those.”

He smirked, putting the helmet on her head and buckling it up. “We can’t waste time. I need to show you something. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Do I get to know where we’re going yet?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.” He put his own helmet on, then straddled the Harley, bringing it to life. The roar of the motor echoed in the underground garage like an angry dragon. He nodded behind him, and she reluctantly climbed onto the back. She wrapped her arms around his waist, loving the feel of him so close to her.

“Hold on tight, princess.”

Then they were gone, racing through the narrow rows in the garage before bursting out onto the street. He hit the highway, the sky still dark and a chill in the air as it chased through her hair and up her pant legs.

She slid her fingers under his leather jacket, feeling his bare skin and the hard grill of his abs. Sophia dared to reach lower, cupping his crotch and giving him a squeeze. He hit the gas in response, making her squeal and wrap her arms around him again in fear of flying off the back.

They kept driving, mile after mile. As her nerves subsided, she savored the freedom, the speed. She’d wonder where they were heading on occasion, but she mostly stayed content resting her head against his back and holding on.

“Sophia, look,” he said a while later.

She peeked around him at the sky ahead. The sun was making its debut, a brilliant red sphere appearing on the horizon. Like magic, the sky began to transform into a canvas of pink, orange, and red. She was awestruck, staring as the world continued to shift from night to day in a spectacular display of color. Even the clouds became things of beauty.

If only she had a canvas and full set of acrylic paints. She’d try to capture the beauty forever.

Cayden turned off the next exit, taking a sharp right onto a rough dirt road. He knew precisely where he was going. Her body jostled as he navigated down the uneven trail. He finally came to a stop, his foot coming down to support the bike. Silence settled in once he cut the engine.

“Where are we?” she asked. There was a dilapidated cabin of sorts, but it was on the edge of a narrow river where she could still get a clear view of the sunrise. It was stunning. “Another one of your hideouts?”

He helped her off the bike, and they removed their helmets. Cayden took her hand and led her toward the river. “I used to come here when I was younger.”

They carefully stepped over the loose stones. She held onto his arm for balance. “To fish?”

“To escape.”

She swallowed hard. Sophia knew he’d had a hard upbringing, but they never talked too much about it.

“When things got too hard, I’d come here to get away. To think. It was my therapy. Sometimes I’d sleep in that cabin. I’d close my eyes and pretend my life was anything than what it was.”

She touched his face. “Cayden…”

“It’s okay. Now I don’t have to pretend. Because I have you.” He combed both hands into her hair, securing her head as he stared into her eyes.

Her breath caught.

“Please don’t hate me.”

“Trust me, I’ve tried. It’s not so easy.” He stepped back, then squatted down to skip a flat stone across the water. He glanced up at her. “Are you happy, Sophia? Is this the life you want? What’s enough?”

“Are you talking about Hawk?”

He went back to skipping stones, and she couldn’t help but stare at his broad shoulders and his thick hair starting to fall into his eyes. She thought of him as a little boy, here, escaping his living nightmares. Sophia wanted to be the change he needed.

“What if it doesn’t work?”

She squatted down next to him. “It will. I won’t let it fail.”

“Right, you’re used to getting everything you want.” He winked at her but couldn’t hide his pain.

“And I want you, Cayden.”

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