“When I find you both, I’ll slit your throat in front of her, then fuck her in your blood.”
Bile burns the back of my throat.
“Kinky,” Fox says. “Honestly, Gideon, it’s not me you need to watch. Your meek wife left the building the second she got the courage to run from you and emerged as a fucking warrior when she shot the guy you sent to retrieve her.”
I can practically hear the wheels in Gideon’s head turning down the phone. “The report said your grandmother did it.”
“Enough,” I mutter and stab the end call button.
“Why did you do that?”
“He’s running in circles. Can’t he track your phone if you stay on too long?”
“If he is stupid enough to follow the trace on that call, he will have a real nice time in Canada.”
Duke puts his head on my shoulder and licks my ear. “Hey, big guy. You enjoying the road trip?” I give him some scratches as I try to calm my nerves after hearing from Gideon—again.
“He’s a real piece of work,” Fox grumbles. “I’m going to enjoy making him suffer.” I close my eyes and drag in a centering breath. “Hey, don’t check out on me again.”
“I’m not. It’s just a lot to handle. I’d resigned myself to running and hiding for the rest of my life.”
“That’s not a life.”
“I know, but it’s still better than the one I was living with him.”
His fingers curl around my hand and squeeze as he places it onhis thigh. “Keep your hand on me. I need to remind myself you are still here.”
We drive for another hour before the red light blinks on the dash, reminding us we need to stop for gas.
“Duke needs a toilet break anyway,” I tell him.
Fox jerks his head. “There’s a gas station up ahead. You grab snacks as discussed, and I’ll take Duke and get the gas.”
“Okay.”
He pulls into the large and busy station. Fox scans the area as he pulls up to a pump. “Quick as you can, firecracker,” he mutters, passing me his wallet.
I kiss him on the lips before jumping out of the car and winding my way between the other travelers. I take a basket and grab some of my favorite snacks, things I’ve still not eaten since leaving Gideon. How apt that I’m on the run again and buying the very things he forbade me from consuming. Dog food and a travel pet water bottle get tossed in for Duke. Huh, they make everything. I pay the cashier just as my bladder twitches. “Restroom?” I ask. Don’t know how long it will be before we stop again, and I’d rather pee in a toilet than a bush.
The young man across from me eyes me from head to foot, assessing if I want the sacred key to the shitty restroom for nefarious reasons, or if I just genuinely need to pee. Lucky for me, he decides the latter and hands me the key with a massive wooden tag.
“Thanks,” I utter before darting to the back of the store and unlocking the door. I turn and flip the tiny catch before pulling my jeans and underwear down. After finishing, I wash my hands and move the lock. A split second later, the door flies open and a huge guy dressed in black combat pants and a dark T-shirt herds me back inside the tiny toilet.
My mouth opens to scream and he slaps a hand over it. No, not a hand, a cloth.
“There you go, no struggling now, the boss wants you alive and well. I’m not as stupid as my colleague.” A nasty chemical smell rushes up my nose and gets sucked into my lungs and bloodstream. My eyes roll into the back of my head as darkness rears up to claim me.
CHAPTER 45
FOX
River deep, mountain high—I will always find you.
Duke gives me an unimpressed look.Yeah, yeah, I’m asking you to shit at the edge of a gas station with a million folks watching.Who would have thought a dog would have performance anxiety?
Duke squats and overcomes his displeasure at being made to go to the toilet in public, while I keep an eye on the store, watching as Honor grabs a basket and moves through the aisles. My nose wrinkles at the stench wafting from the steaming present Duke’s gifted me.
“Fuck, what have you been eating?” I grumble. “That’s big enough to make a horse jealous.” I grab a poop bag from my pocket and lean over to scoop it up.
