17. Mercy

"How many timesare we going to drive around town before you think it's safe to stop?"

Chase's lips quirked up in a smile. "As many times as it takes until I'm satisfied."

"Don't you think if someone was following us, they would have tried something already?"

"Do I go into your surgery and tell you where to cut?"

I sighed and stared out the window at the passing stores. It wasn't my fault I was so bitchy. I was wearing old clothes and my feet still hurt. Not to mention, I was about to walk into a clothing store dressed like a hobo.

Scratch that. Hobos were dressed nicer than me. At least they had pants on.

"Alright," Chase said, finally pulling into a parking lot and stopping at the end. "Here's the plan. We get in and get out. No trying on clothes or shoes. We grab what we need and leave."

"What if you go in by yourself?"

"Why?"

My eyebrows shot up and then I looked down at myself. "I'm pretty sure the no shoes, no shirt, no entrance applies when a person is only wearing men's underwear."

"I think you look cute," he grinned.

"Well, you don't count. You're sleeping with me."

"So…would it make it better if I put a For Sale sign on your back?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, but it didn't affect him at all. "I'll go shopping for you, but you keep your head down."

"I will."

He hesitated, but after a moment, shoved his door open. "If anything happens, you scream as loud as you can and you run."

I gave a tight nod, then ducked down and waited. And then I waited some more. Five minutes passed, but it felt more like an hour. I wasn't normally so twitchy when I had nothing to do, but without access to the rest of the world, I couldn't sit still. I just wanted some small scrap of news to tell me what was going on.

I pretended to be asleep when I heard footsteps walking up to the car beside me. It was a woman about my age, her arms filled with things as she juggled her bags to find her keys. An idea hit me and I shoved open the door, jumping out to help.

"Here, let me get that."

"Thank you," she smiled, finally grabbing her keys. "I almost dropped that."

"It's heavy."

"A vase for my mother. It's her birthday."

"I'm sure she'll love it," I smiled as I handed it back over. It was then she saw how I was dressed and tried to hide the concern on her face.

"Are you okay?"

"Actually, I broke down and…it's a long story. Do you think I could borrow your phone? I just need to call a friend."

"Of course," she smiled, handing over her phone immediately.

I took it greedily, dialing Lucy's number. Chase said it would be a problem if I stayed on for a few minutes, but I could get a quick message to Lucy without staying on more than thirty seconds. Then it wouldn't be suspicious. And if I called now, she would be at work, which meant it would go to voicemail. Even better.

I dialed, grinning when I was sent straight to voicemail. "Lucy, it's me. Don't worry. I'm okay. I'll get ahold of you when I can."

I hung up, satisfied that I had taken care of that quickly. If anyone checked, it would look like nothing more than a telemarketer had called. I handed the phone back and thanked her profusely before getting back in the car as if nothing had happened. I held my breath until she drove off, worried she would see Chase and ask if we needed help. Then, it would come out what I had done and Chase would be pissed at me.

Thankfully, she pulled out before he reached the car. Setting everything in the back seat, he glanced over at me. "Everything okay?"

"Still in one piece," I grinned.

"Good. You can change on the road."

While most women would argue, I was just grateful to have new things. I grabbed the bags, tore off the tags, and changed after we got back onto the highway.

"So, where are we headed now? You said something about a safe house."

"A friend of my boss has a place not far from here."

"Oh, that's good. So, we should be there in a little bit?"

He winced. "End of the day. Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow or end of the day tomorrow?"

"The second."

"That's not not far from here."

"I know."

"Then why did you say it?"

"Because it sounded better than we'll be driving for two days."

Well, that sucked, but at least we weren't going halfway around the world. "So, what are we going to do to entertain ourselves for a two day drive?"

"You could talk to me," he suggested.

Right. Talk. That was fine when we were just hanging out, but now we were sitting in a car and the pressure was on. Because if we didn't talk, there was just silence. And if there was just silence, that meant we didn't have anything to discuss. And if we didn't have anything to discuss, then something was seriously wrong with our relationship. That meant it was built on the danger of the situation. What did that leave for the rest of the time?

I sat there twiddling my thumbs, trying to come up with decent conversation, but in the end, I waited for him to comment. The problem was, he seemed perfectly content to say nothing at all. Didn't that bother him? We didn't know each other that well. Surely he had questions.

"What's your favorite color?"

I internally chastised myself. Were we in high school again? Who cared what his favorite color was? I doubted he even had one!

"I'm particular to black."

"No kidding," I said sarcastically. Everything I'd ever seen him in was black.

"Nope, not kidding. A favorite color says a lot about your personality."

"If you believe in that sort of thing."

His gaze slid my way. "If you don't believe in it, why did you ask?"

"Because I was worried."

"About what color I liked? Seems an odd thing to get that twisted up about."

"No," I said in exasperation. "Doesn't this bother you?"

"My favorite color?"

I could have smacked him, even though I knew he was teasing me. "The fact that we have nothing to say to each other."

"We're talking right now," he pointed out.

"Yes, about your favorite color."

"It's stimulating conversation," he grinned. "I can't recall a time I've ever had so much fun."

I huffed in annoyance, crossing my arms over my chest. "I just think we should be able to converse in a normal way, but that's not happening."

"And that makes you upset."

"It should make you upset also, when you really think about it."

"Maybe that's your problem. You're more focused on whether or not we're having good conversation than actually having a conversation."

"But that's the problem! I was straining my brain to think of something to discuss with you, and I couldn't think of a thing!"

"Because you were trying to force it."

"Seriously? We're two intelligent people. I mean, I am. You have your muscles," I grumbled.

"Thanks," he chuckled.

"We should be able to find something that interests us both."

"And we will."

"And in the meantime, we just sit back and wait for it to happen? Aren't you…itchy just sitting in silence?"

"I've actually always preferred silence." Then he turned to face me. "Until you came around. I find that a lot has changed since you came into my life."

Now, this was interesting. "Such as?"

"Such as my general demeanor. I'm usually very cranky and serious."

"That can't be right," I mumbled. "I haven't seen you cranky even once."

He shrugged lightly. "Like I said, things are different with you."

"But why?"

"You can't guess?"

"Uh…not really."

"Well, probably because things feel so simple with you. Aside from this conversation."

I glanced around, sure he was talking about something else. "You remember that we're on the run, right? Bad guys shooting at us, buildings collapsing, people chasing us through the woods…"

"I don't think anyone has shot at us yet. I guess there's more fun to come."

"But nothing about this is simple."

"It's about how easy I am in your company, not whether or not someone is trying to kill us. That just makes it more interesting," he grinned.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was all so strange to me. I was that girl who went with the flow when it came to relationships, but with Chase, I didn't want things to turn out as they had in the past. I wanted to make sure what we had would last.

He shot me a handsome smile, taking my hand in his. "Relax. I've got you."

So, I settled into my seat and closed my eyes, trying my best to relax. Because above everything else, I did trust Chase—to keep me safe and with my heart.

The gentle rockingof the car and the warm sun made it impossible to stay awake. I'd never actually been on a road trip before, so I tried to remember this was a new adventure, and not to freak out about how little I had in common with the man sitting beside me.

We stopped a few times along the way for pee breaks, but other than that, I mostly slept. I liked to think of it as forced sleep. Without a phone, there wasn't much to do. The radio wasn't working on the old beater, and after a while, I got used to the silence.

By the time we stopped for dinner, I was exhausted, letting out a loud yawn. "Man, I'm tired."

"Yeah, all that sleeping really wore you out," Chase teased.

"I won't be able to sleep tonight," I grumbled.

"I'll make sure you do. But first, let's get some food."

Chase pulled up outside a train car diner, leaving me feeling nostalgic. "My parents took me to one of these as a kid. I thought they were so cool."

"I bet the food sucks," Chase grumbled. "But the next exit is fifty miles away, and I'm starving."

I wasn't as downcast as he was. The thought of sitting in the old leather seats and listening to oldies play on the radio brought back the best memories for me. I practically ran into the diner, excited to check it all out. However, it wasn't like I remembered. Not that every diner would look the same anyway, but this one had definitely seen better days. The leather on the seats was all cracked, showing signs of rot. The once pristine white and black checkered floor could only be spotted where one of the booths had recently been moved. A dull gray covered the white on the rest of the tiles. As for the counter…rust had taken over, giving the diner a dingy rather rustic feeling.

"Maybe the food is still good," I winced.

"Do we brave the possibility of food poisoning?"

"I don't think it's worth it. I can wait fifty miles."

He didn't even respond, grabbing me by the arm to pull me out of the diner, but before we could exit, an older woman walked out of the back with a huge grin on her face.

"Well, hello! Please, sit!"

"We were actually leaving," Chase said, shooting her a disarming smile.

"Nonsense. There's not another decent place to eat for miles." She tugged on my arm, pulling me over to a booth. I shot a pleading look over my shoulder to Chase, but in the end, sat down when she smiled expectantly at me.

"Nowadays, I hardly ever get more than a few customers a day. When I was younger, we used to be busy from dawn until dusk," she said, reminiscing. "My best friend used to be the cook around here, but she died fifteen years ago this fall. Why, when we opened up this diner, it was nothing more than a pitstop on the side of the road. When the town expanded, we had to open at four just to allow factory workers to get a hot meal before they headed in for their shifts."

"Did we already pass the town?"

She waved me off, shaking her head. "No, it's all around you. Most of the houses were torn down in the past ten years. See, the factory was the heart of this town, but the owner's son died and he couldn't handle it anymore. He took his own life two months later. The money dried up and the factory closed." She sighed heavily. "Oh, the people in town stayed for as long as they could. We were all such good friends, but without jobs, people were forced to move on."

"Except you," I hedged.

Her smile brightened again. "I could never leave this diner. It's been my home all my life. Besides, Mary's buried out back."

I took it that was her best friend.

"Besides, I haven't got anywhere to move. I never married, though there was a man," she smiled. "Oh, he was a charmer. Frank was his name. He was a lawman and the most handsome man in town, but he was transferred when the town shut down."

"And you didn't go with him?"

"It was a different time," she said pointedly, glancing at my left hand, which I promptly tried to hide. "Back then, it would have been improper to move with a man anywhere without first being married. Though, I do wish at times I would have been brave and gone with him."

She sighed sadly, then seemed to remember herself and waved off the old memories. "Listen to me chatter on. You two came for food. Sit, sit," she said to Chase. "I'll grab some drinks and be back in a moment."

As she hurried off, I shot a pleading look to Chase. He reluctantly joined me at the table. As much as I wanted to leave, the woman seemed so happy to have us. I just couldn't leave her right now. Chase slid in across from me, wiping off the table, even though it was clean.

"If we get food poisoning, I'm not taking you to the hospital."

"I don't buy that for a minute," I grinned. "I'm sure it's fine. She seems nice."

"Yeah," he whispered. "My mom is nice but can't cook worth a damn. Should we pay her a visit?"

"Are you saying you want to introduce me to your parents?" I asked, feigning shock. "I wouldn't say no, but this might not be the visit for it."

"Probably not. She's a lot like that old woman. She'd be horrified at the things I've done to you."

"I wouldn't recommend divulging that information to her. Besides, we're nowhere near the meet-the-parents stage of this relationship."

"Yeah? When does that come into play?"

"About the time you propose," I said carelessly, hoping to throw him off his game.

"So, another week or two," he nodded. "I'll remember that."

I stuck out my tongue at him just as the woman arrived with coffee for both of us, though neither of us asked for it. She pulled out two menus and set them down in front of us. "Now, the special tonight is parmesan chicken. It has been for the past twenty years—every Friday night, but I would recommend the Shepherd's Pie. It really is the best, if I do say so myself."

"That sounds great," I smiled. "And a water with lemon."

"Of course. And you?" she turned to Chase.

"The same, but a coke."

"I'll make yours a double serving. You look like you can eat a lot."

"Oh, I'm really not that hungry—" Chase tried to argue, but she brushed him off, refusing to let him off so easily.

He sighed as she hurried off to the back. "I don't suppose anything I say really matters here."

"It could be great food."

"It could land us in the hospital," he said slowly.

"You choose to believe what you want," I shrugged.

He glanced out the window, his eyes straying out into the dark night.

"Have you ever had Shepherd's Pie?"

"No," he answered shortly.

"Well, if it's anything like my grandmother used to make, I'm sure it'll be fantastic."

"We should go."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm telling you, the food will be fine. I promise you won't end up in the hospital."

He slid out of the booth and grabbed my hand. "Now," he snapped, pulling a hundred dollar bill from his pocket and tossing it on the table.

"What—"

But I didn't get a chance to ask any more questions as he pulled me out of the diner and took off for the car. I didn't know why we were in such a rush, but it had to be important if he was running this fast.

"Chase, talk to me," I shouted as I shut my door and turned to him.

"Seatbelt," he barked, turning the key and shifting immediately. He spun in his seat as he hit the gas, driving so fast that I nearly fell into the dash before I could get my seatbelt on.

When he hit the brakes, I quickly buckled, not wanting to be thrown around any more than I had to. As he spun the wheel, bright lights shone in my eyes and I had to shield my face.

"Who are they?"

"If I knew that, I would end this thing," he muttered, hitting the gas once again.

This time, we shot forward, peeling out onto the road as the other vehicle swerved out of the way. I turned in my seat, eagerly watching for what the other vehicle would do. My heart hammered in my chest with every mile we put between us and the diner. This far away from town, we were in complete darkness. There were no streetlights to illuminate the curves in the road—just the car quickly gaining speed behind us.

"Chase—"

"I'm on it," he muttered, pushing us even faster.

"I don't get it. How did they find us?"

He didn't say anything for a moment. "I don't know. It doesn't make any sense. We're completely off the grid."

"But this isn't your car. Could they have somehow tracked us?"

"Anything's possible," he muttered, turning off the road at the last minute and taking a gravel road that went deep into the forest. All moonlight was blocked by the thick canopy overhead. Chase didn't slow down, not even for the bumps and dips in the ground.

I grabbed onto the handlebar, terrified we were going to lose a wheel at best. "Chase, this does not feel safe."

His eyes flashed in the rearview mirror. "Nothing about this is safe."

The car bounced as we hit a tree root that had snaked up through the road. I screamed as I was thrown against the door. Then Chase jerked the wheel, taking us completely off the road and into a thicket of trees.

"Out now!"

I didn't hesitate flinging the door open and racing out into the night. We only made it a few hundred feet when he grabbed my arm and swung me over to a tree. "Climb up!"

I used his hand for leverage, then swung myself up into the branches, thinking he would be right behind me, but when I finally reached a safe height and looked down, he was gone.

Panic ripped through me when I couldn't see him. What if he was in danger? How was I supposed to help him when I didn't even know if he was safe?

"Chase!" I hissed, hoping he would hear me, but I got no response. I was about to call out again when I heard voices filtering through the night. I snapped my lips shut and slipped back against the branch, praying the shadows kept me hidden. A dizzying feeling washed over me, making me realize I was holding my breath.

"Bet he's hiding out here like a little bitch," one of the voices said.

"As soon as we get the money, I'm shooting him. I don't care what Jeremy said.

"Just as long as?—"

I strained to hear as the voice suddenly cut off. I thought I heard a squeak, but then it went deadly silent. Minutes crawled by, leaving me feeling lost and alone. I thought about going down, but then considered that Chase told me to come up here for a reason, probably because I was more of a liability down there.

Soon, the minutes turned into what felt like an hour. I couldn't take the not knowing. If Chase was injured, I could help him. Decision made, I climbed down the tree as best I could, jumping when I was only a few feet off the ground. As soon as I landed, hands grabbed me, spinning me around. I screamed in surprise, slashing out at the person who dared to sneak up on me.

"Mercy!" Chase shouted, grabbing my attention. "It's only me. It's only me."

My chest heaved as my heart continued to run a marathon in my chest. Then I lashed out and smacked him several times for scaring me, for leaving me, but mostly for making me feel something so strongly for him that I would actually cry. Because there were tears running down my face and I didn't ever get so scared that I cried.

"Why would you do that?" I shouted, beating my fists against his chest.

"Do what?"

"You left me! You didn't even tell me what your plan was!"

"Because they were right on our tail, Mercy. I had to keep you safe."

"Then next time, fill me in before you shove me up a tree and leave me to wonder what the hell happened to you!"

At my growing hysterics, he pulled me into his arms and ran his hand up and down my back. My fists were trapped between our bodies, but after a moment of him holding me tight, I broke down and stopped fighting him, instead trying to wrap my body around his. Sobs broke free in my chest as I finally squirmed out of his tight grip and fisted his shirt in my hands.

It took forever for the shaking to stop, for me to finally get my feet underneath me and realize that he was alive and well in front of me. I buried my face in his shirt and forced myself to calm down. He was okay.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you would act this way."

That pissed me off. I shoved back from him and pushed him again for good measure. "You didn't think I'd be upset that I thought you were dead? You didn't think it would bother me to have you next to me one minute and gone the next? You said you loved me!"

"Yeah, but you didn't say it back," he quipped. "For all I know, you might have been happy I was gone."

"You're such an ass!" I shouted, balling up my fists and slamming them into his very thick, muscular arm. "Of course, I was worried about you! We're in the middle of nowhere! If you were injured, how would I help you?"

"I have no doubt in your skills," he said calmly. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you what was going on. I was in a bit of a hurry. Do you forgive me?"

Well, when he said it so sweetly—and I had finally calmed down a little—I realized that I was more scared of losing him than anything else. "I guess. But don't do it again."

"I'll try not to," he smiled.

Sighing, I rubbed a hand across my forehead. "So, where are they?"

"That's why it took me so long. I was getting rid of the bodies."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "The bodies?"

"Well…they were trying to kill us."

He was right about that. As much as I was curious about the whole thing, I decided it was best not to ask for too many details. "So…what now?"

"Now we get back on the road. Their car isn't going to be found anytime soon, and there's nothing leading anyone to us."

"Except, we still don't know how they found us to begin with."

He nodded. "Except that. Let's take the blows one at a time."

I rubbed my stomach as I looked up at him. "Any chance we can go back for that Shepherd's Pie?"