“Shit, Wren! Are you okay?!” Pete’s out of his bed and at my side before I can finish moving.
“Yeah, but my foot’s stuck.” I tug at it, but it seems to be held in something that feels much tighter than a blanket.
Jagger, now at my side, helps me sit up on the floor as Pete stands and leans over to look at my foot. I watch as his eyes widen, then he raises his head to look at Dex.
“Dude, what did you do?” he asks with a laugh.
“I wanted to keep her safe,” Dex says in defense. Pete raises an eyebrow and looks down at me on the floor, then back at Dex, as if to say,I don’t think that worked.
“I told you it was a bad idea,” Sly grumbles. “Pete, untie her.”
“You did not!” Dex fires back. “If I didn’t do it, you probably would have… sooner or later.”
“What’s going on? What did you do, Dex?” I ask, annoyed, I still don’t know what they’re talking about. Jagger scoops me up in his arms and sits on the end of the bed with me in his lap. I look down at my foot, and instead of seeing it twisted in the sheet, as I expected, I see a light purple fuzzy cuff strapped around my ankle. Attached to it is a matching rope that extends two feet, right to a matching cuff on Dex’s ankle.
My eyes widen in surprise. “You cuffed me?”
“This way I’d know if you left the bed,” Dex says, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish look on his face. “I couldn’t sleep thinking of you being taken again.”
Instantly, my heart softens. He was worried about me. I climb out of Jagger’s lap and crawl on my hands and knees right up to Dex, wrapping my arms around his neck in a tighthug. Instantly, he pulls me against his chest, hugging me back.
“You’re not mad at me?” he whispers into my neck.
“I could never be mad at you. If wearing this at night helps you to sleep, then I’ll wear it every night.”
“Really?” he asks, pulling back, his face full of surprise.
I shrug. “Sure, why not? I don’t want to be taken again either.”
He cups my cheeks and pulls my face to his, kissing me hard. It only lasts a few seconds, but it’s enough to stir up those butterflies in my belly, which reminds me of something else.
“Can you uncuff me now? I really need to pee.” He laughs and unstraps my ankle. I make a beeline for the bathroom as I hear them chattering behind me.
“I can’t believe you got away with that,” Pete says with a laugh.
“Apparently, she loves his caveman antics,” Sly replies dryly.
Just as I go to close the bathroom door, I hear Dex’s reply. “Yeah… She’s perfect.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
SLY
Gripping the steering wheel tight, I try to act casual as a police cruiser drives past in the opposite direction.
Nothing to see here, just four escaped convicts and the woman who stole their hearts.
When it’s long gone out of the rearview mirror, I let out a measured breath. We’d switched into a champagne-colored minivan. It was hideous, the kind of thing I’d normally despise. But anonymity mattered more than taste. A soccer-mom van with tinted windows was the best way for the five of us to disappear.
We left the cell phone wedged deep into the back seat of the SUV, hoping it wouldn't get found for a while. If someone was tracking us through either the vehicle or the phone, that should keep them off our backs, at least for now.
“Can we stop for a bathroom break soon?” Wren asks from the seat behind me.
“I think there was a sign for a rest stop coming up in about fifteen minutes. Can you wait that long?”
“Yeah, that’s fine, thanks, Sly.” She reaches forward and gives my shoulder a squeeze of thanks.
I didn’t expect us to be heading back to Arizona so soon. If it were entirely up to me, I’d drive us up into the Canadian wilderness to hide out in a remote cabin off the grid. Not that I had any ideahowto live like that, but I’m sure we could figure it out.
