“Uh,” I gulped, chewing my lip as I considered the rickety conveyance in front of me. “You, ah, want me to go inside? Are we hiding here for awhile?”
“Nope. We’re leaving my truck here and taking this on a road trip. That way, there’s no need for motels and we can blend in more easily.”
“I, ah, see,” I said weakly as I took a step forward, trying to peer inside the darkened interior.
Kade snickered and even the sheriff cracked a grin.
“It’s a surveillance vehicle,” Sonny explained with a laugh. “It’s designed to look like a broken down POS so that people we’re surveilling don’t get suspicious when they see it on the side of the road. I promise it's actually more than roadworthy.”
“Come on in and check it out,” Kade suggested, pulling a flashlight from his pocket and stepping up inside. “Sonny is pretty sure we weren’t followed, but, just in case, we can’t really risk turning the lights on until we’re sure no one is watching, but this will work for a quick look.”
I followed hesitantly, accepting Sonny’s hand up onto the metal step and following the narrow beam of light. I couldn’t really see much – mostly just shadows and shapes – but, honestly, it was an improvement over the root cellar at the hunting lodge.
“Why don’t you sit down,” Kade suggested, guiding me to a surprisingly comfortable captain chair on the passenger side of the cab. “I need to talk to Sonny for a quick minute and then we’re going to hit the road.”
“So fast?” I cursed the shitty luck that had left all of my new clothes in the hunting lodge.
Kade nodded and as if he’d read my mind, he winked at me. “Sonny has a crime scene team searching the lodge right now. Once they’ve bagged all of our personal items, he’ll have someone meet us to return them.”
Some of the tension drained out of me at the realization that we weren’t just running blind, that Kade had a formed a comprehensive plan.
Kade hesitated, laying his hand on my shoulder. “You’re doing okay?”
I nodded. “Surprisingly, I think I am,” I admitted. “I trust you.”
Kade’s smile was blinding, even in the barely-there beam of light. “Good. I’ll be right back.”
True to his word, Kade was back before I even had time to miss him. He slid behind the steering wheel of the camper and cranked the key. Even though Sonny had assured me that the camper wasn’t the death trap it appeared to be, I was surprised when it turned over smoothly, roaring to life before settling into a smooth purr.
“Ready for our next adventure?” Kade asked with a teasing grin.
I nodded, settling back in my seat. “As long as I’m with you,” I admitted, saying more with those words than I’d really intended to.
Kade reached for my hand, squeezing it, before letting go and leaning down to fish for something on the floorboard by his feet. Popping back up, he smirked at me and dropped a brown bag into my lap. “Didn’t want you to think that I’d forgotten it was time for you to eat.”
I stared at the bag for a minute and then the absolute absurdity of our entire situation caught up with me and I burst out laughing.
“Oh, my God!” I gasped, reaching into the bag and pulling out a foil package with two thick roast beef sandwiches. “You seriously stopped to make me sandwiches while you were knee-deep in plans for our escape from the law?”
“Of course not,” Kade scoffed, rolling his eyes as he bit back a smile. “I stopped at the sandwich shop over on Kline street and hadthemmake the sandwiches,” he retorted, sticking his tongue out at me. “Jeez.”
Before I could tease him any further, the scent of the still-warm toasted meat and cheese wafted up to tease my nostrils and my stomach expressed its interest with a resounding growl.
“But since you’re not hungry…” Kade teased me, pretending to reach for the bag.
I gave a teasing growl in response, tearing a bite off the first sandwich and popping it in my mouth. “So good,” I sighed, tearing a second bite off and bringing it to my Alpha’s lips. He accepted it gently, licking the tip of my finger after it disappeared into his mouth.
“Good stuff,” Kade agreed, shifting the camper into gear. “There’s some sliced fruit and cheese and a few other things in there, too. After you eat, try to catch some sleep, yeah? You’ve had a rough night and I want to put some miles behind us before our first real stop.”
“Yes, sir,” I agreed, stifling a grin at the groan those words always coaxed from Kade. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he had a control kink.
That thought made me laugh to myself. Seriously, who was I kidding? Has anyone ever heard of an Alphawithouta control kink?
Tearing off another bite of sandwich, I continued feeding us both until the foil was empty and then leaned my seat back and closed my eyes, but sleep simply wouldn’t come.
Finally, I gave up and let the darkness soothe me as I began to tell Kade the story he deserved to hear.
Chapter Seventeen
