I scowled, but it didn’t deter him. Offering them both a head tilt, I left and headed for the church. I was going to take Amy away for a few days, and I knew someone who might have an off-the-grid cabin.
Amy
“Are you sure you’re okay, Papa?”
“Pumpkin, I’m fine. Stop fretting. Kid, I drove tanks for a living and a lot worse. Your little car was easy-peasy to control. Although it’s a write-off, sorry to say,” Papa said.
I sighed. “Guess it wasn’t meant to recover from the fire. Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“Amy Wright. Stop worrying. Now, have you packed?”
“Yes, Papa, I can’t tell you where we’re going because I don’t know. Vortex won’t tell anyone. That spa place was so good though, and I was so relaxed after my massage, and it’s all been wasted,” I complained.
“When you get home, I’ll send you and your friend for a weekend,” Papa promised.
“You and Dad will be careful, right?”
“Go away, Amy, and stop parenting. Have some fun with Vortex. Make sure he wraps up,” Papa said loudly. Dad cursed in the background, and I registered a snort of amusement from behind me.
I spun around and saw Vortex, leaning against the doorjamb, looking like sex personified. He’d clearly heard Papa’s words. I blushed and then spluttered out a laugh when Vortex bent, reached into the saddlebag he was carrying and pulled out a huge pack of condoms. He winked as Papa demanded to know what was happening.
“Nothing, Papa. Got to go. Love you and Dad!” I replied and cut the call. “They’ll have heart attacks if they see them.”
“Yeah, but they’d know I’m keeping you safe,” Vortex replied.
“True, but even so, I’m their little girl,” I retorted with a smirk.
“Yeah, and your dads are kinda scary. Are you packed?”
“Yup, you said a couple of days?”
“Yes. Ready then?”
“My bag’s here.” I pointed at the bed, and Vortex grabbed it.
“Come on, babe, let’s hit the road,” he said. I nodded and left the bedroom. Vortex slung the saddlebags over his bike, and we climbed on.
“We’ll be riding a while. I want to throw off any chance of someone following us,” he said, as I pulled on the helmet Nanci had lent me.
“Okay,” I replied and wrapped myself around him. Vortex squeezed my hands and then started his engine.
An hour later, I was glad I’d remembered gloves. My hands would have frozen in the chill air. Nanci had also lent me a heavy biker jacket, but my legs were frozen solid. I hoped wherever we were going had a fire.
Vortex made a sudden turn, and we rode down a bumpy, overgrown road. I squealed several times as branches brushed against me. Then we pulled into a small clearing which held a log cabin. It wasn’t big, but it looked sturdy, which was reassuring.
“Is that Merritt?” I asked as we got off the Harley.
Vortex smiled as I pointed at the lights in the distance. “Yes. We’re literally ten minutes away, but I didn’t want people knowing how close we were. This is Gravey’s place. He’s going to bunk down at the church for a couple of nights. Said there have been prowlers, and he’s not happy with any potential damage that might happen.”
“We’re not kicking him out?”
“No. Gravey is fine with us staying here as it means his home won’t be broken into.”
“Okay. As long as we’ve not booted him out.”
“Gravey would have told me to stick it.” Vortex chuckled. “He’s got no respect for titles.”
“I’ve only met him once.”
