Swallowing hard, I nod before looking down, placing my foot on the pedal and pressing it down, then reaching for the key.
"Turn it."
I do it. The pickup’s engine instantly comes to life, the roar suddenly unnaturally loud in my ears.
Is it normal that the vehicle seems so much bigger to me from the driver’s seat?
With a pain-filled groan, Cole lets go of his arm to hit a button with an exclamation mark and move the gear stick from P to D.
"Take your foot off the left pedal and press down the right one."
Feeling incapable of driving this huge pickup, I hesitate, but when Cole looks ahead and I follow his gaze, my heart immediately wants to jump out of my chest.
Two tall, broad men with bald heads and angry expressions are running toward us and will reach the truck in a few seconds.
"Sophie."
My foot moves on its own and steps on the right pedal, pressing it down all the way.
The tires spin on the gravel, and the vehicle slides a little to the side before finally shooting forward. With wide eyes, I cling to the steering wheel and try not to crash into one of the abandoned buildings.
"That way," Cole says, pointing at a track that will lead us away from the warehouses, before pressing his arm back against his chest. "And take your foot off the gas a little more."
As I obey, the truck slows, and it becomes easier for me to steer it. Still, the old buildings pass by way too fast, and the approaching darkness doesn’t help me feel safe either.
"Next left, then right. Step lightly on the left pedal before you take the turn."
A breathlessokayescapes me even though my heart beats like crazy and I have no idea what I’m doing.
Despite my attempt to slow down enough, the vehicle drifts through the first curve. I cry out while I struggle to steer the pickup back to the center of the road, but thankfully, I succeed.
When Cole tells me to turn right again, I frown. "But then we’re going in circles."
A pained groan escapes him as we speed over a pothole. "Just do it," he presses out.
After we cross the town line and drive down one of the lonely country roads, I dare to glance at Cole. "Who was that? And what happened?"
"Steve and his henchmen," he replies, dropping his head back against the headrest. "We had a disagreement."
"What about your arm?"
"Dislocated." Before I can say anything back, he keeps talking. "Don’t worry about me, darling. I just need a hard yank and a bottle of Jack."
His strange tone worries me. Once again, there’s ignorance and the hatred he had for everything and everyone when I first met him, which feels like ages ago. There’s nothing left of the Cole who slept with me yesterday and said that he didn’t want to lose me this morning.
A thick lump forms in my throat, but I don’t dare ask any more questions. Instead, I follow Cole’s instructions until we eventually turn right and he directs me to a parking lot in front of a U-shaped single-story building. One of the illuminated letters on the large sign greeting us is broken, so onlyMOTLcan be read.
After I bring the pickup to a stop, Cole puts the gearshift back inP, pushes the button again, and reaches for the key to turn it over and pull it out. The engine dies, and I take my foot off the pedal and my hands off the steering wheel.
All at once, my limbs feel like rubber as adrenaline rushes through my body. I just drove a truck. I drove avery bigtruck, and we were obviously on the run.
When I turn to look at Cole, he has his head leaning against the headrest again. His eyes are closed, and he’s breathing shallowly. Still, he seems to feel my gaze on him because beforeI can say anything, he tells me what to do next. "Open the glove compartment and take out the money that’s inside."
I bend over the center console and try not to touch him while doing so, as he seems to be in a lot of pain. When I open the flap, my eyes fall on a stack of dollar bills, which I take with trembling fingers.
"Go to the guy in there," he continues, nodding to the right with his head. "Tell him you need a room for one night. Two people. If he asks for your name, you make one up. You got that?"
I nod. "Yes."
