Brody (2 page)

The guy could only grunt, rolling to his side while Hank went back in. He slammed the door behind him and the guttural moans of the guy rang in the air. He attempted to get up and I suddenly went tense. I didn’t want a round two with this guy, but I would if he came at the girl.

“Can I go with you?”

Her voice came out of nowhere. I turned. A set of brown eyes stared at me, pleading. If I hadn’t heard her not two seconds ago, I would have thought I imagined her voice. It was light, vulnerable, and her expression was just the same. She needed help. She wanted
me
to help her.

Her eyes flashed to the guy. He was getting to his feet, but he wasn’t getting any closer than that.

I made a step toward her, only one, and her eyes went back to me. I waved toward my eighteen-wheeler parked in the wide lot. “Of course. Come on.”

Lowering her head, she went with me. I kept to the side of her, but kind of behind. I ended up being close enough to shield her, but far enough away to give her space. She started picking up, moving double time as she gazed behind her sporadically at the groaning man in the back of the diner. 

I stiffened. If she was keeping a visual on this guy, perhaps he was more dangerous than I thought.

I was the one moving quickly now. I got to the passenger side of my green rig, opening the door for her. She hopped inside with quick steps. By the time I closed the door behind her and turned back to the diner, I lost a visual on the guy. It was like he vanished. Gone completely.

Shit.

I got going, moving quickly to the driver’s side of my rig. I opened the door and the girl jumped, shaking on the passenger side of my truck.

Since I had no idea what I was dealing with, I knew what I had to get before we even took off.

“Hey,” I said to the girl, strapping myself in, then getting my truck fired up. “I need you to buckle up, then grab the box underneath your seat.”

My order seemed to fluster her, but she acted quickly, handing me what I asked for after she got herself strapped in. She watched me open the box with wide eyes. They’d only get wider when she saw what was inside.

Chapter Three

Alexa

He had a gun. A real gun. I not only got in a truck with another stranger, but this time, the stranger was armed.

I think I’m going to be sick.

I slowly maneuvered my hand to the truck’s door handle while he got the thing out of the box. I gripped the handle like a vise. The truck wasn’t in motion yet. I could still get out…

He cocked the handgun and I jolted. Letting go of the handle, I suddenly felt faint.

“Who’s that guy back there to you?” he asked, lifting his shirt to slip the gun into his waistband.

My mind whirled by the situation, the potential danger of this man with his gun, and then he inched his shirt up, my head spinning more at his cut abs. The tight skin stretched over them…

My mouth dried and I blinked when he lowered the hem. Cocking his head, he found my eyes, that grin from the diner on his face. The expression brought my anxiety levels down, but that didn’t make sense. I didn’t know this man. How could he calm me so easily?

“You gotta give me something, darlin’,” he said, a strand of blond hair moving over his blue eyes. Some of it had fallen from his hat. “I need to know what I’m up against. Is that guy dangerous to you? Do I need to worry about him?”

He’d gotten his gun out to… protect me? Not hurt me? I couldn’t help but question why. Why did he step in at the diner? Let me go with him now? Call me… darlin’ in such a nice way?

“Would it be okay to hear your voice again?” he asked, his own quiet. It was almost as if he feared being too loud around me. “A yes or no if he’ll follow us or not? I would just like to be prepared if I have to pop a cap in someone tonight.”

He said this so light-heartedly, that grin strong, and I let a smile escape my lips. I found myself liking his humor… as well as his voice. He had an accent. It drawled lightly on every syllable he made, the tone so deep.

I shook my head, pulling my bag to my chest. “No. No, he won’t follow us. I just met him not too long ago.” The man had scared me was all, the way he cornered me, but now, I didn’t find myself so scared.

Brody grinned wider. He faced the road, getting his truck into gear. “Well, all right then.”

*

Brody didn’t say much after that, though he’d yet to tell me his name. I had a feeling he might have been too scared to carry on a conversation with me considering how the night started with my hesitance. He remained silent, his large hand massaging over his steering wheel, and the bill of his hat covered his eyes in the darkness.

Words tickled my mouth so many times. I wanted him to talk to me. I liked his voice…

“Um,” I said lightly. He didn’t even turn. I had to speak louder. “I, um, need to go to California.”

He panned my way, those eyes of his shining. He faced the road with a nod. “I can get you as far as El Paso. That’s where I’m from. It’s my last stop.”

El Paso… Texas? That was a step closer. I could do that. And now, I knew the origin of his accent—Texas. He was from Texas.

That silence hit us again, lingering like a large elephant in the truck.

“I’m Brody, by the way,” he said, his words so sudden they caused me to jump. They also made my heart flip flop in the large seat of this truck.

He glanced my way, but didn’t linger like he was expecting a response. He simply glanced, then his gaze went back to the road.

It wasn’t good to give up too much information about myself, but a name might be okay. I swallowed, dampening my mouth. “Alexa. Some people call me Alex, though.”

What friends I still had. Family… Why did I tell him that?

“Can I call you Alex then?” he asked, again, not staring expectantly.

As of now, he seemed to be an ally. I wouldn’t use the word friend, though. He glanced at me again and I nodded awkwardly under his gaze.

I looked away quickly, staring out the window and listening to the eighteen-wheeler’s hum. Sleep dragged down on my eyes, days of uneasiness and my body on edge for so many reasons, but I wouldn’t succumb to it. I knew better than to sleep in front of strangers. Men in particular. I knew better.

Pushing my hands under my arms, I curled up against the door, trying to stay warm. Tonight had been chilly.

My lashes fanned when heat from the truck’s vents suddenly warmed my face. I turned slightly, catching Brody pull his hand away from the truck’s heating and cooling buttons. I didn’t think he intended on being caught. He didn’t acknowledge what he did at all, simply adjusted the bill on his hat before placing his hand back on the wheel.

I lay my head against the window again. This stranger was sure surprising me.

Brody

The heat helped. She finally allowed her eyes to close, her head of wavy hair lying against the door. I’d been watching her for a while. Not directly, but with stealth. She’d been fighting sleep for miles. I was glad she finally allowed herself to give in to it.

I didn’t judge folks. It wasn’t my way, but I was ninety percent sure this girl was a prostitute. All the signs were there—on the outside anyway. There was the way she dressed and presented herself with her physical appearance, then of course, the incident at the diner. That ten percent that she might not be was really buggin’ me, though. She didn’t…
act
like a prostitute, if that made sense. She completely back-pedaled from that guy and looked absolutely mortified on that bathroom floor by what was happening. Sex workers didn’t do that. “Lot lizards” as some of the guys in the other rigs called them. Was she a first timer? I didn’t know. All I did know was that her name was Alex and Alex was trying to get to California.

A couple hours later, I learned something else about the girl riding with me. She wore a watch and its alarm went off like a shot clock at a basketball game.

The beeping pulled Alex instantly out of sleep, startling me as well. Again, another odd thing about her. Who made their watch go off at random times like that? It was well after midnight. And if someone needed to do, it they usually set their cellphone. Did she not have a cellphone? The whole thing all seemed off to me.

Alex shut the sound off immediately. After she did, she gazed around frantically, her fingers clutching her chest. Her other hand pushed into her hair and she had a far off look in her eyes like she was lost or something. Shit, maybe she was. She seemed so disoriented.

“Alex?” I asked, trying to make solid eye contact with her.

Her eyes flashed my way, body breathy and shaking.

I raised my hand, patting the air gently, soothingly. “It’s okay. It’s okay, you’re safe. It’s me, Brody. We’re just driving, traveling together.”

At my words, she seemed to come out of it. Relief swept her face. Pushing the bright hair away that matted to her sweaty brow, she swallowed hard. I’d managed to calm her and bring her down a bit. I was glad.

“I’m sorry,” she said, letting out a breath. She let her head fall back against the seat, crossing her arms. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I guess I forgot where I was for a second.”

I wondered where this woman had been and if she woke up in a new place every night. I wanted to know her story, but I didn’t want to push her or risk overstepping my boundaries. In the end, I smiled at her. “I figured you might be disoriented. And you can sleep. It’s all right.”

Though, she did turn her head to look at me, I lost her gaze just as easy. She stared upon the road before us and I knew she didn’t feel sleeping was all right. She was so closed off. She had a large seat in this truck, but she curled herself up into a tight pocket of it.

She raised her wrist, studying her watch for a moment as if she had some place to be. But saying it was late was an understatement and the girl was clearly a wanderer. Her needing to be somewhere at a certain time didn’t make sense.

She lowered her wrist, biting her lip, and I quickly gazed away, back to the dark world ahead.

“Will we be stopping at a motel soon? You know, to rest?”

She really was nervous to let herself sleep. I had a feeling people before me messed that up for her. I glanced over at her, tapping the steering wheel. “I don’t usually do motels. The company doesn’t pay from them. I have a bed in the back. I usually sleep in my truck.”

She gnawed her lip at that and I quickly said, “You know what? Never mind. I can look for one. No big deal. I haven’t seen anything in a decent amount of miles. We’re bound to come up on one soon.”

Dishing out funds I knew I wouldn’t get back didn’t sound ideal. Especially, after I pretty much cleaned myself out of cash with that guy at the diner. But I would so she could be comfortable. I wanted her to trust me. We had a lot of miles together and I didn’t want her uneasy during them.

“I… I can’t ask you to do that. Spend more money after what you…” She bit her lip. “Do you usually stop at a truck stop or something? I’m sure I can find a bench to lie on and stretch out. I don’t want to be a bother to you.”

She’d actually rather sleep on a bench than in my truck? Again, seemed odd. She had been so hesitant to sleep around just me, but had no problems doing so publically. Was it because more people would be around or something else? “Yeah, I usually stay at a truck stop, but you wouldn’t be inconveniencing me. I can stop if that’s what you need and don’t worry about before. I was happy to step in. It’s just money, and well, that could have been your life.”

My words sent a light shining behind her eyes, another sparkle, except this time it wasn’t because of tears. A full smile graced her face, one that sent my heart soaring that I put it there.

She reached into her shirt and when she pulled out several twenty dollar bills, I raised my hand in protest.

“Keep it,” I said. She needed it more than I did.

Nodding, she slipped the money back into her shirt. Setting her hands on her lap, she turned my way. “I want you to stop at the truck stop. I can sleep there.”

“How about I do, but you sleep in the truck. I’ll pull some blankets and stay up here, and you can use my bed.”

Her mouth parted and I realized exactly how forward that sounded. I’d broken ground, and now, I was stomping all over my work. I lifted my hands. “Nothing funny, I swear. You’ll have complete privacy. There’s a curtain separating here from the back and everything. You’ll know if someone tries to open it, too. The hooks creak like a bitch on the bar. Hell, I have a padlock too to keep it closed if you feel that’s necessary—”

She laughed and the sound reminded me of wind chimes. She shook her head. “I think it’s okay to do without that last part and thank you.”

In a few miles, I got us to a truck stop I’d frequented before. It was one of the nicer ones and actually had a nice little restaurant there. Perhaps Alex would like to get breakfast in the morning. Maybe I could get to know her a little better. She’d checked her watch several times during the drive, and the minute I parked, she was unbuckling herself.

“I’m just going to go use the bathroom,” she said, opening the door.

I unbuckled mine. “You actually don’t have to do that. I got a small one in the rig. I recommend it anyway. You never know the conditions of their bathroom and I always keep up on mine.”

I was convincing her more for myself at this point. Images of earlier sent flashes in my mind. Her in the bathroom… on the floor and crying. I wanted to be able to keep an eye on her. She seemed like she needed me.

Her gaze left me and went to the door handle in her hand and my heart thumped, bouncing around with unease.

Please stay.

The anxiety left instantly the moment she dropped her hand from the door. She nodded, standing when I did. I tried not to look too relieved that she decided not to go. I didn’t want her thinking I was weird for wanting her to stay.

I led her back the few steps to the back of the rig. The bed was collapsible to make room for seating at my small table. I ate there and played cards sometimes. I lowered the bed for her, getting out fresh blankets from the above cubbyholes.