Survivor (The Soul Mates Series Book 1) (5 page)

We didn’t speak the rest of the way down, as soon as I get through the junkyard gates I peeled off in the direction of the trailer.  I didn’t trust myself to mumble anything, not even thanks or goodbye.  The range of emotions I had felt since this guy had arrived had been all too diverse. Jake is big enough to scare me and my whole life I have associated muscle with fear.  Maybe that inbuilt preconception is false because there are times when I know I have caught a glimpse of something different.  Despite his rough façade there is a gentleness in his eyes.

He’s right though, I haven’t got time for distractions and he’s proved that point tonight, he must think I’m like a bitch in heat.  It’s time to get some rest because this whole experience has taught me that I need to up my game.

“Cara,” I hear from outside the trailer door, “Wake up, let’s go.”  I roll over in my sleep shorts and tank top, groaning.  It can’t possibly be morning it feels like I’ve had my eyes shut for five minutes.

“Sneakers on, we leave in five minutes.”

“What!” I shout back.

“OK, two minutes seeing as you’re feelin’ so friendly.  You think the bad motherfuckers will warn you and wait for you to get your shit together?”

“Alright, alright,” I snap back as I begin to stumble round the trailer like a drunk.  By the time the impatient banging starts again, I’ve got my sneakers on and am hunting for a top suitable.

The door bursts open, “Too late.  Move,” he commands and throws a water bottle at me, grabbing my arm he finishes with, “you can run like that.”

“Wait I need a top to cover my sports bra.”

“No you don’t. Get over yourself, they’re the same as any other females.  Until you can hold your own in a fight, runnin’ is your best course of action and you need to be ready to run in anythin’.  Besides, a t-shirt wouldn’t cover that much more.”

Feeling angry and frustrated, I take a mouthful of water, tie my hair back and then follow him.  He’s already jogging up front.  The base ball cap stops his thick head of hair flopping in his eyes and all his muscles move in unison.  He’s just beautiful, in a
work of art
kind of way.

“Stop checkin’ out my ass Cara and get up here.”

“I’m not!”

“Then you must be slackin’ off.  Get up front, I want you to set the pace. I need to know what I’m workin’ with.”  Doing as he asks, I let the morning sun and calm of the outdoors put me in my rhythm and annoyingly Jake’s breathing evens out before mine, even though he’s the size of a house  “You’re not usin’ your lungs fully.  Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.  Your mouth won’t dry out as fast and you’ll also be quieter, pantin’ like a dog will give your location away for sure.”

The tone he uses to correct my faults grates on all of my senses and I have to work hard to push down the instinctual bitchy comments I want to hurl back.  Clearly he’s observant, so right now I’m hoping he can sense my mood and pick up that I think he’s also a huge ass hole at times.

“How long have you been runnin’?”

“Ten months and twelve days.” I spit back immediately.

“I meant joggin’ Cara.”

“So did I,
Jake.”
He catches on quickly and understands that I’ve only been at this for as long as I’ve been on the run.  I’d never even stepped foot in a gym before, my last experience of true exercise was high school.

“Ok then, let’s just keep goin’.”

“How long for?  How far are we running?”

“Dunno yet, how far do you think they’d chase you?” He asks, looking for an indication of how deep I’m in it.  “That’s what I thought, if they’re prepared you need a fall back plan and right now, that’s get some space and distance.  Out run them until they can’t run or follow you any longer.” 

Suddenly Jake swerves left and heads into the forest, making his point that a car couldn’t follow me in here. We both fall into a steady pace and my brain starts to feel comfortable enough to tick over and spin through things.

“Why do you do that?”

“Do what?” I ask puzzled.

“Narrate.”

I then realize that I’ve been counting out loud and committing the directional route to memory.  Shit, I don’t even know I’m doing it.  “Um, it’s just me, it’s my thing.”

“Your
thing
could get you killed.  Your breathing was loud but not half as loud as you talkin’.  You might as well give them a map or leave breadcrumbs to follow.”

“Sorry, I don’t know I’m doing it.”

Jake shakes his head and pushes on deeper into the forest, taking the lead, pushing the pace up ever so slightly.  After an hour we burst through the trees and are in a part of town I very rarely visit.  Surprisingly the trail path has brought us to the rear of a gas station.  “Your original plan will only work if you can get your car out of the lot.  The main problem you have is that you could be running to the exact place they’re parked and waitin’ at.”

“Shit,” I shout and stop immediately, shocked that I didn’t even think about that.

“I know, but right now this is all about givin’ you alternatives.  Drink,” he says shoving the water bottle he’s been carrying at me.  No sooner have I taken a few gulps, does he take off back in the same direction, but veering off slightly.

Even though his pace is now a little bit quicker, I find I’m motivated to keep up and I’m close enough to study him.  He’s perspiring and it’s disgustingly sexy, his khaki colored T shirt is sticking to his back and I can see rivulets of sweat dripping from the bottom of his hair line onto his neck.  The sight makes me lick my lips and hum in appreciation.

“Stop it.  You’re getting’ distracted again.  I think you’re fucked if your bad guys are handsome motherfuckers like me.”  He stops without warning and spins round, catching me unawares and making me stumble on the ground scrub.  “Damn it Cara, pull it together.  There will come a time when you need to be doing the distractin’ not
gettin
’ distracted.”

I can’t help but look into his eyes, they’re deep and alluring.  I manage to move my gaze as far as his throat where I can see his adam’s apple bob up and down.  He’s got to be as affected as me, it’s just not possible that I’m so highly strung up about not having any intimacy that I’m the only one feeling the tension.  Quickly he turns back around and runs off again, indicating our awkward moment is definitely over and it’s time to get back on task.

“Stop countin’,” he says, more than once, over the rest of the run before we run out of the tree line only a short distance from my cabin.

“Wow, that is cool,” I’m genuinely impressed for the first time in ages.  Jake throws me the water bottle again and ambles up to the cabin where he dunks his hands in a bucket of collected rain water and proceeds to freshen up his face.

“The plan is, if your car escape is cut off, you run out of the hillside using this trail and head to the gas station.  There you’ll make a collect call to a couple of numbers I give you.  When I give you those numbers get in the habit of havin’ them with you. They are a lifeline so tuck them somewhere in a pocket everyday.”

“Tell me the numbers I’ll remember them.”

He laughs at me, “Yeah whatever, listen, just write them down when I give them to you later.”

“OK,” I answer a little put out that he doubted me, but also a bit relieved that he didn’t get the chance to see my gift up front.  My safety depends on me keeping that under wraps for as long as possible.

“Then you basically just wait it out, using the trees or the bushes until we come and get you.”

“We?”

“More details for later.    Wait here, I’m gonna head back down to the house and bring some supplies back, just in case you need to leave from here,” he then turns and runs away from me again in the direction of the Junk yard.

*****

Jake

Jesus fucking Christ.  Just five minutes, I need just five or ten, no thirty minutes on my own to collect myself.  My plan was to follow her on the run this morning and see how adept she was at working through the trees, but that was a no go.  As soon as I made that crazy ass snap decision to make her run in that sports bra, I knew I was done for.  My atypical male imagination kept thinking about her bouncing tits, then it progressed quickly to visualizing them bouncing out of that bra, sitting high and jiggling around as she was straddling my cock, riding me.

Her initial panting for breath did not help matters, it just made it worse, although the cute step counting thing did remind me to focus on my task in hand.

When she tripped and I looked down at her face, I couldn’t really see anything apart from her tits moving rapidly with her need to get more oxygen into her lungs.  That then made me notice the sweat running in the crevice between them and then I wanted nothing more than to let my tongue follow it, to lead me to the rest of the package.  Her fucking nipples, I could actually see them getting harder, just like I am now.  I need to stop thinking about this.

I’m a red blooded male and it’s proving a challenge not to dominate this one, her neediness is making her so enticing.  The times when she just submits to my way of thinking, tells me what I need to know, but the times when she gets all bitchy, well, that makes me just as fucking hard.

I’m a fucking ass hole for riding her about being distracted. 

Fuck! Don’t think about riding her again!

And this is what happens, once it starts I can’t switch it off and I need some time out.

I need to figure out who the fuck she is before I get in too deep, much more of this and my cock will absolutely overrule the logic my head is trying to enforce.

It was mesmerizing watching him run down the hill and I kept my body still and eyes locked, until I could no longer make out his shape and features with ease.  I have no idea where he’s going but I’m feeling hot and sweaty and it’s definitely not just from the exercise.  My damp clothes are starting to stick to me, so I decide on a quick shower, I could do with a few minutes to breathe and catch up.  Stepping under the tepid water is bliss, shutting my eyes helps me reboot my internal systems and let the water wash away the exertion of the morning. 

I can’t ignore the sensation of the water hitting my body or my wild imagination when my hands wash over my breasts.  I’d normally wash over myself with as little fuss as possible, but today I’d describe my hands as roaming which is just bizarre.  My nipples tingle, I’d even go as far as to say, they are heavy with desire.  I let my hands wander down my torso, purposely avoiding
that
area.  I’m daring myself to avoid it, because I don’t want to be that person.  I can’t be turned on by someone I know I can’t have.  The problem is, the more I wash everywhere but that area, the more it screams out for attention.

“Fuck it,” I let my fingers teeter dangerously close to the centre.  I need this, I need to release some of the tension in my body before he gets back.  Hell, I’ll do it just to shut that part of my brain up so I can concentrate on more important things, like surviving.  Mimicking his pose from the other day, I place one hand on the wall to steady myself and begin to play in that sensitive place, breathing heavier as my legs wobble dangerously.  

“Cara!” shit, I wasn’t finished, I was so close to falling over that ledge, when I heard his voice penetrate my brain.

“Coming,” I shot back at him, shaking my head at my own humor because I seriously wish I was.

After I’ve dried off and thrown on some fresh clothes, I turn to head out.  Remembering I have company, I grab for my cheap and cheerful plastic comb and am dragging it through my damp hair when I join him on the cabin porch.  Jake is sitting down with a bag of supplies, “Ready?”

“I guess,” even though I have no idea what I should be ready for and as I’m still a bubbling pot of sexual energy, my mind strays to think thoughts it shouldn’t.

“This bag is full of broken glass bottle bits and metal, if you lay it out and cover it with a few pebbles, enough to cover the surface, you’ll hear the crunch of it when someone is approachin’.”

“Oh, good idea. Simple but effective.”

Jake smiles at me and points to three different places, “If you put them, there, there and there, you should have enough warning to get up, get out and get moving.” 

“OK.”

Next he produces a huge knife, “This here is a serious huntin’ knife.  I’ll teach you how to use it soon, but for now, I want you to practice runnin’ with it strapped to your thigh.”  He hands it to me and it weighs more than I expected, it makes that sliding steel type noise when I unsheathe it and it’s so pristine I can see my own reflection gleaming back at me.  Immediately and like a good student, I stand up in front of him and begin to adjust the straps, “come here, let me” he says quietly.  Agreeing with his request I move to stand in front of him, he positions it just right, running his fingers around the strap, against my thigh.  The sensation makes me shudder and gasp, “I’m just makin’ sure you have enough room for your muscles to contract whilst you’re running.”  I can tell he’s trying to put me at ease with the voice he’s using, he thinks I’m scared of being touched.  Swallowing nervously, I immediately step back, aware that I don’t like feeling the loss of his finger tips against my skin.

“These are energy gels, over the next few runs we’re going to secure them in hidden places along the route.  I want you to remember to grab them anyway, even if you manage to make it to your car or the gas station, they’ll keep you and your body fuelled up.”

I flip the little liquid pouches over in my palm, “Thank you for this.”

“They’re just gels.”

“I didn’t mean the gels, I meant everything.  You get your kind spirit from your dad.”

“And my stubbornness and my bad moods, be warned,” he tells me laughing.

I feel obliged to replay his kindness, “Fancy a beer before we head back down?”

“Sure,” he nods and I head back to my refrigerator for a couple of bottles.  Handing one over he asks, “What’s your story Cara?”

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s safer if we don’t talk and I don’t know anything about you.”

“OK, a friend taught me a game, think of it as an information game.  Very simple rules, we ask each other a question and have to answer truthfully.  If you pass, you pass on the understanding that the question will need to be answered at some point or you can nominate the other person to answer for you.  Understand?”

“Totally, I’ll start,” I tell him.  “Why did Sam not tell me he had a son?”

“Privacy or safety or both,” he replies.

“But I don’t understand that.”

“Unfortunately, you’ve also asked your question, my turn.  On a scale of one to ten, ten being deadly, how bad are these bad guys you’re runnin’ from?”

“Um, about three thousand.”  Jake looks at me sharply, that got his attention.

Now it’s my turn, “How do you know all this stuff?” I indicate towards the hills, the knife and the bag of broken bottle bits.

“Survival and simple life skills in my line of work.  If I didn’t I’d be sporting a toe tag by now.”  He smiles at me as he finishes in an effort to make light of it all, but I can tell he’s serious.  After all, if he’s playing by his rules he’ll be answering truthfully.  “My question, when you’re ready do you promise to tell me everythin’?”

My heart starts to beat rapidly and my throat dries up instantly, I don’t know whether I’ll be able to trust anyone ever again.  “I’ll defer that question.”

“OK, that’s allowed.”

We carry on knocking back the beer and just existing in the solitude of nature and easy company.  It’s my turn to ask a question, but I know if I ask one, he’ll also keep asking them in an effort to unravel my mystery.   I make a decision to bring the game to an end, “I’ll just nip to the bathroom and then we can head back.”

“No problem, I’ll pop these in the trash.”  By the time I return the bottles have been disposed of and he’s wearing the back pack, ready to leave.  “When we get back, I’ll take a quick shower and we can pop into town for a bite to eat.”

“I told you, I don’t really eat out,” I say politely declining.

“I know you don’t, but think of it as trainin’.”

I can’t turn that down and find myself offering a begrudging nod.

When we get back we peel off in our different directions, him to the main house and me to the trailer and I take the time to do my daily internet trawls.  On my second google search, a page appears with my photo on it and I struggle to not throw my tablet against the wall.  The picture in the article is one of me at a charity event with one of my dad’s friends, Uncle Sal.  I’m dressed like a fairy princess and the script in the article portrays a loving family that is scared for my safety.  They’re claiming that I’ve had a breakdown after some bad family news and are offering a reward for my safe return, or information leading to it.

It stood to reason this would be the line they’d take.  If they report me missing officially, the authorities will take an interest and then it would become a real live man hunt.

The Fed’s would want me for my inside knowledge and testimony and that would get me killed.  The family would want me back because of my inside knowledge and then they’d kill me.

Closing the tablet down, I sink onto the bed and cry, why the hell am I crying so much these days?  I try and ignore the reasoning that I immediately hit upon.  It’s because there can be no good outcome for me. I knew this when I got involved, too involved and there is no way in hell the Fed’s can ever keep me safe, too many are on our family payroll.

“Cara, you ready?” I hear from the other side of the door.

“No,” I don’t want him to see me like this and I certainly can’t go out in public now, absolutely not.  “I’m not feeling well.”

Jake doesn’t answer and a moment later the door swings open, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, things just get on top of me sometimes,” I’m scrabbling round for an answer and the only one I can come up with makes me feel stupid and look weak.

“Normally I’d force you out, but this time I’ll leave you be.  Take the time to get your head straight, but shit doesn’t wait until you’re feeling better.  It just fuckin’ comes at you Cara.  Whatever is causing this meltdown, use it.  Make it your motivation to keep going.”

He is totally right, but just for now I need time to contemplate the confirmation that my family are still looking for me.  The silly girl living inside me hoped they’d back off and forget about me when they’d seen I’d not been to the police.  There are two possible reasons for this, they want to punish me for running and by punish, I mean silence me by stopping my heart from beating and my lungs from breathing.  The other equally terrifying reason is that they want me to resume my position, control me and continue feeding their greed and obsession to have more money.  Whichever it is, I don’t doubt now that they will continue this ruthless quest.

“Just head over when you get hungry later, there’s enough stuff in for sub’s or a salad, but you need to eat.  We’ve got to get you stronger and the only way to do that is to keep fuelled up and hydrated.”

I nod my reply meekly and wait until I hear the trailer door closing before I undress and climb in bed.  I just want the day to be over, I’d started to feel so positive about things, almost like I could beat them.  Having someone believe that I am worth investing some time in and knowledge had given me hope. 

But I should stop kidding myself, it really is ridiculous to hope that I can win this fight and I’ve been used to dealing with the impossible since I could form words and communicate.

*****

Jake

“Hey dad, you OK?”

“Of course, I’m ten fuckin’ grand up son.”  He’s on his annual card game reunion, only it’s not so much annual anymore, as whenever the old cronies feel like it.  “How’s the mouse?”

“Still a mystery, but I’m working on gettin’ somethin’ concrete in a day or two though.”

“Right oh, you helpin’ her?”

“Tryin’, it’s been a while since I did this shit.”

“I know that son, ‘preciate it.”  I believe he does too, my dad never asks for a lot and my job means I can’t be around as much as I’d like to be.   “She know who you are yet?”

“Nah, I haven’t found the right time to tell her.”

“What’s goin’ on boy? That’s not like you.”

“Dunno, just a feelin’ in my gut.  I’m gonna see what her story is first.  She’s scared, but until I know why, I’m stayin’ under the radar.”

“Well, you’re there, I’m not.  I’ll leave it up to your judgment, but say hi to her for me.”

“Will do.  Talk soon,” and I hang up the call.  I can’t put my finger on my reluctance to come clean but I know if I don’t do it soon, I could blow the trust we’ve already built between us.

“Time to expedite this shit,” I mumble to myself and dial a different number.  A number I didn’t think I’d have to call for a while. 

After a few rings the other end is answered, “This had better be good, even though I know it won’t be.  You’re not exactly the type to call for a chat.”

“Hey man, how’s the family?”

“I’m sure they’re better if they’re not in the same town as you.  You equals trouble.  What do you want?”

“I’ve stumbled across a project.  I need two things, discretion and information.”

“Well that goes without saying if you’re askin’ me.”

“I’m gonna courier you a beer bottle, could do with a print check and a DNA analysis from it.”

“Fuck,” he grumbles, “Why aren’t you running your own checks?”

“Hunch.  There’s a reason she isn’t trustin’ the law and she has no idea who or what I am.”

“OK, you owe me though.  She?  You tappin’ it?”  My buddy asks as perceptive as ever.

“None of your fuckin’ business.”

A bark of laughter is the immediate response, followed by, “Not yet then.”

“I’m outta here, buzz me when you’ve got somethin’”

“Will do, later Ross.”

“Later Jonas and give my regards to Dolly and the girls.”

“You stirring bastard,” he replies and hangs up.

Hopping in my truck I take the sealed and wrapped beer bottle I took from Cara’s cabin, along with some hair from her hair brush to the postal depot before they close.  I need to solve the identity issue, it’s about time I knew what the fuck I was dealing with. 

It’s essential that I know who she is before I can drop Jake’s cover and be the real me.