A Heart's Desire

Chapter 13

Matthew Noszka above practicing stay-at-home!

Kellan finally felt it was safe enough to climb into the front seat with her once they got out of state. He could not stand being cooped up in the trunk a second longer. It was making him claustrophobic. The miles were flying by.

Eva had the stupid thought that with the way she was driving, it would not be long before she drove out from under her mileage warranty on her car. The thought made her laugh, because it certainly would not matter if she was dead.

As the sun sank beneath the western horizon at the end of day, he leaned back against the seat, one hand on the wheel. His gaze drifted to her. She was staring out the window at the blinking red lights on the windmills. He could tell from the small smile on her face that she liked them. They looked a bit demonic to his eyes. She had her feet tucked up under her on the seat, her seatbelt was on, but the way she was wearing it, it would be of little use in a wreck.

For just a second, Kellan let himself forget. He let himself forget that he was a wanted man. He let himself think Eva was his, that they were a normal couple on a road trip. He pictured it, and in his mind's eye, there was nothing more desirable. He focused his attention back on the road, a wave of regret threatening to overwhelm him. Eva had finally agreed to let him drive when it was clear she was about to fall asleep at the wheel. And then she had proceeded to sit staring out the window for the next hour without saying a word.

The radio was turned on, playing softly in the background. When Eva had first turned it on, the first station she had come to that would play clearly without static was a classical music station. Kellan knew he should be scanning the radio to see if he could hear anything about him. To see if they had figured out he had left the state and put out a nation-wide APB. But as the music filtered softly through the air, he couldn't bring himself to burst the bubble that the music had weaved around them. It felt delicate, like any amount of tension would dispel the calm and peace he was feeling. A twinge of anxiety poked the back of his mind, reminding him that reality was not so kind.

They stopped for the night at a small motel. Kellan went inside, keeping his back to the camera above the door as best he could. He paid cash, and registered under a false name before heading back outside to where Eva was waiting. Climbing back in the car, he drove them down the lot until he parked in front of their room.

Inside, it was neat and clean and that's all Eva cared about. There was a small sofa in one corner of the room. She set her small bag on it and sank down beside it, pulling off her shoes with a sigh. She was tired.

Kellan peeked out the windows before pulling the shades closed and pulling his shirt off carefully with his good arm. He grunted, tossing the shirt down on the bed and moving to the sink and mirror. Carefully he pulled the bandage back and took a look at his shoulder wound. It looked better than what he had braced himself for. He was supremely thankful the bullet hadn't hit any bones. If it had, nothing short of months of rehab would have let him shoot again. And he didn't exactly have the time for that. He pressed the tape holding the bandage in place back down again and locked eyes with Eva who was standing behind him, leaning against the wall.

She tilted her head thoughtfully and folded her arms across her chest. Mainly to keep her hands from reaching out to run across the expanse of muscled back presented in front of her. Then, she thought, why not? She might die anyway. She should at least die doing what she wanted to do. She looked up and her eyes caught on his.

Kellan felt awareness ripple through him at her look. Her gaze was wanting, trusting, caring. She wanted him. He yearned to turn and touch her. But something told him that was a bad idea. He needed to step away before any of it got too far. Yet, he could not find the willpower to move as she tentatively took a step toward him.