Sinners & Gin - Top Shelf

We sat in silence with the only noise being the hum of the motor and the tires grinding along the dirt road that he had found off the main highway. There was snow and ice, and I knew there was no way we were going to get far on the motorcycle, but seeing a truck parked in the distance, illuminated by the lights of the motorcycle, I could see that this stranger had every detail of tonight orchestrated.

He pulled up to the truck and hopped from the bike, helping me off as any gentleman would do.

“Now what?” I asked, looking up at him as I crossed my arms against my chest, still clinging to my jewelry box with my life. I only wore a robe and was barefoot against the snow-covered ground.

The man took off his suit jacket—the first item of clothing that had been removed of his all evening— and draped it over my shoulders. He took the jewelry box from my hands and placed it in the pocket of the jacket for safe keeping and to show me he wouldn’t make me get rid of it. He then swooped me up and carried me to the passenger side of the truck and placed me inside.

“So, you just expect me to sit here and ride off to God knows where with an insane man who has a serious death wish and not try to fight or run away?” The absurdity of my situation really kicked in at that point.

“Well, the way I see it, you don’t have much of a choice.”

“So what? I’m your captive?”

“Call it what you will.”

My spine stiffened at his words.

“Fuck this,” I said as I considered jumping out of the truck and making a run for it.

“You have a dirty mouth, princess.”

“Call it what you will,” I retorted. “And stop calling me princess.”

The man surprised me with a small chuckle mixed with a huff. I couldn’t quite tell if he found humor or annoyance in my response.

“Where are we going?”

He took his time responding. “Somewhere safe.”

I snorted. “Safe?” Although as long as bullets weren’t flying by my head, I was safer than before. But was I safe with this man? And the bigger question was if I was safe with myself and all the emotions that caused me to feel dizzy in the mountain air. “I haven’t been safe since the minute you came into my life.”

I could see how he stiffened, as if I had insulted him. And maybe I had. But at this point I didn’t feel like being polite, nice or even bearable. My thighs ached, my ass throbbed, I was freezing, scared, and I really wanted a shower to rid me of the smells of leftover arousal. Riding off into the sunset with my father’s enemy wasn’t as romantic as a romance novel could make it seem. And yet still… I had no desire to escape my captor. Not yet, anyway.

Matthew

“Safer, then,” I growled. I didn’t like admitting that she was right about my inability to truly keep her safe. At least not until I got her to my safe house.

Ditching the motorcycle, I hopped into the truck to start phase two of my plan. We began to drive into the mountain range and the air was cool, both with the cloak of night and the elevation. Small flecks of snow hit the windshield and I was happy we were off that bike. It hadn’t been a long ride, but any longer would have put Aria at risk of getting sick or simply freezing her ass off. We had a long drive ahead of us to get to our final destination and by glancing over at Aria who was sitting against the passenger door with her arms across her chest, a scowl on her face, and an aura that screamed to leave her the fuck alone, I felt it was going to be even longer for her.

Just before sunrise, I stopped the truck, pulling up to a one room cabin where I knew hunters would sometimes crash while hunting in the area. I got out of the truck, walked around to the passenger side and reached to assist Aria off the seat. She surprised me when she didn’t resist me lifting her out of the truck. I expected a good punch to the face, a claw of the eyes, or a jab in the gut. Something.

“What do you plan on doing with me out here?” she asked as she took in the small shack before us.

With my own fatigue coming on fast, I didn’t have the time or energy to have that discussion now. I needed to hurry and assure Aria’s comfort, as well as securing her, as best as I could. I removed a bag from the back of the truck, throwing the strap over my shoulder with her still in my arms. The juggling act was fairly easy since she held on to my neck to assist. Again… this surprised me.