fact they don’t have many resources and there are only one or
two people involved. If I’m right, it’s much safer to leave.”
“ Right,” I managed, the back of my hand
still pressed tightly into my lips and teeth. “I mean...
fuck.”
“Don’t get scared – get prepared,” he
responded easily.
It sounded like a corny catchphrase, and it
probably was amongst doomsdayers. Yet it had an odd effect on me.
Despite the situation, it stilled me a little, giving me some
much-needed perspective.
“If I leave now, I’m going to be driving all
night long. I’m feeling pretty sick already. I’m not sure if that’s
a good idea.” I dragged my teeth over my bottom lip as I continued
to think. “Plus, I doubt it’s a great idea to travel these roads at
night; from memory, there are way too many woodland creatures
popping out from the trees and trying to make you swerve into the
ditch. Plus, I’m not confident I won’t get lost.”
Denver didn’t say anything; he simply stood
there and watched as I came to my own conclusion.
“I’ll leave in the morning; that’s the
sensible thing to do,” I decided.
As soon as I decided that, I started to feel
a lot better. I let my hand drop from my lips.
I suddenly had a plan. It wasn’t a perfect
one, but it gave me something to hold onto.
Bright and early tomorrow morning, I was
going to pack my luggage, and I was going to get out of here.
“Stay to the major highways and call ahead
to your local police station to let them know what’s going on.”
Denver nodded at me sharply.
“Can’t you call them?” I asked a little
pathetically. “You are the FBI Agent, after all. They’ll probably
just think I’m nuts.”
“Fine, I’ll call. But if Thorne finds out,
you’re going to have to come and find us to break up the fight
again.”
It took me a moment, but I eventually
flashed a smile at that. “I kind of get the impression that things
aren’t going well between you and your brother right now.”
“Things haven’t been going well since I
moved out. When I left Wetlake, he took it as a blow to him and the
family. He thought I was abandoning them, and hey, maybe I was.
I’ve hardly written, called, or visited since. I just packed up,
shifted my life, and put everything behind me. So he is right – I
am a fucking jerk.”
“No you’re not.” I hooked my hair behind my
ears and tried to appear earnest.
This elicited a snort. “You’ve already told
me I’m a jerk. You don’t have to try to make me feel better about
this. I made decisions in my life and they had consequences. That’s
the end of the equation.”
Who would have thought I would ever try to
offer Denver, the world’s-biggest jerk, assurance that he was
actually a nice guy. But I couldn’t help myself. Shifting on the
spot and supporting my elbow with my free hand, I nodded at him.
“So you moved away, big deal. So did I. Not everybody wants to live
in Wetlake; he can’t hold that against you.”
Denver started by looking past me at the
lawn behind the motel, and then he dug his heel hard into the
gravel below him and kicked it around for a second. Looking up, he
cast his gaze quickly over my face and maybe just for a second let
it drop down to my figure too. “Why do I get the feeling you are
attempting to intervene here, Patti? Are you trying to fix me?
Because I’m not the one who’s got a potential murderer on her
tail.”
Wow. That was hardly discreet. If you had to
award Denver emotional-sensitivity points out of ten, he would
score a flat zero along with stones, walls, and the long dead.
I didn’t let him get to me this time. I
realized that his lack of people skills had a lot to do with being
defensive rather than being a class-one asshole.
Denver clearly had his problems, and his
particular method of coping was to ignore them while snapping at
everything that came in range.
In other words, he was a classic guy.
“Fix you, Denver Scott? I’ve only got
two people involved. If I’m right, it’s much safer to leave.”
“ Right,” I managed, the back of my hand
still pressed tightly into my lips and teeth. “I mean...
fuck.”
“Don’t get scared – get prepared,” he
responded easily.
It sounded like a corny catchphrase, and it
probably was amongst doomsdayers. Yet it had an odd effect on me.
Despite the situation, it stilled me a little, giving me some
much-needed perspective.
“If I leave now, I’m going to be driving all
night long. I’m feeling pretty sick already. I’m not sure if that’s
a good idea.” I dragged my teeth over my bottom lip as I continued
to think. “Plus, I doubt it’s a great idea to travel these roads at
night; from memory, there are way too many woodland creatures
popping out from the trees and trying to make you swerve into the
ditch. Plus, I’m not confident I won’t get lost.”
Denver didn’t say anything; he simply stood
there and watched as I came to my own conclusion.
“I’ll leave in the morning; that’s the
sensible thing to do,” I decided.
As soon as I decided that, I started to feel
a lot better. I let my hand drop from my lips.
I suddenly had a plan. It wasn’t a perfect
one, but it gave me something to hold onto.
Bright and early tomorrow morning, I was
going to pack my luggage, and I was going to get out of here.
“Stay to the major highways and call ahead
to your local police station to let them know what’s going on.”
Denver nodded at me sharply.
“Can’t you call them?” I asked a little
pathetically. “You are the FBI Agent, after all. They’ll probably
just think I’m nuts.”
“Fine, I’ll call. But if Thorne finds out,
you’re going to have to come and find us to break up the fight
again.”
It took me a moment, but I eventually
flashed a smile at that. “I kind of get the impression that things
aren’t going well between you and your brother right now.”
“Things haven’t been going well since I
moved out. When I left Wetlake, he took it as a blow to him and the
family. He thought I was abandoning them, and hey, maybe I was.
I’ve hardly written, called, or visited since. I just packed up,
shifted my life, and put everything behind me. So he is right – I
am a fucking jerk.”
“No you’re not.” I hooked my hair behind my
ears and tried to appear earnest.
This elicited a snort. “You’ve already told
me I’m a jerk. You don’t have to try to make me feel better about
this. I made decisions in my life and they had consequences. That’s
the end of the equation.”
Who would have thought I would ever try to
offer Denver, the world’s-biggest jerk, assurance that he was
actually a nice guy. But I couldn’t help myself. Shifting on the
spot and supporting my elbow with my free hand, I nodded at him.
“So you moved away, big deal. So did I. Not everybody wants to live
in Wetlake; he can’t hold that against you.”
Denver started by looking past me at the
lawn behind the motel, and then he dug his heel hard into the
gravel below him and kicked it around for a second. Looking up, he
cast his gaze quickly over my face and maybe just for a second let
it drop down to my figure too. “Why do I get the feeling you are
attempting to intervene here, Patti? Are you trying to fix me?
Because I’m not the one who’s got a potential murderer on her
tail.”
Wow. That was hardly discreet. If you had to
award Denver emotional-sensitivity points out of ten, he would
score a flat zero along with stones, walls, and the long dead.
I didn’t let him get to me this time. I
realized that his lack of people skills had a lot to do with being
defensive rather than being a class-one asshole.
Denver clearly had his problems, and his
particular method of coping was to ignore them while snapping at
everything that came in range.
In other words, he was a classic guy.
“Fix you, Denver Scott? I’ve only got
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