Part 16 (1/2)

”I guess the lightning strike fried more than the electronics.”

”Sure did.” His beautiful face contorted with anger. ”The d.a.m.n mechanic should have checked the whole car over!”

I put a hand on his arm. ”It's fine, Riley. I'm fine.”

”No, you're not. I should get you to a hospital.”

”Honestly, it looks worse than it is. It's the shock, that's all.” I could feel the skin on my forehead, tightening, itching, as it healed. Within a few days, the cut would be almost invisible, just the white line of a scar remaining. I wasn't sure how I would explain that to Riley, but if the whole h.e.l.l cycle thing happened, I imagined it would be the least of my worries.

”Please, Riley. I don't want to go to the police, hospital, or anywhere else that involves the authorities. No one was hurt, thank G.o.d. Can we just go home?”

Except, I didn't know where home was for me. Not anymore.

Chapter.

18.

Riley stared at me intently, his normally full mouth a serious line, before nodding. ”Okay,” he relented, ”but I'm not taking you back to your dorm to be on your own, and I can't sneak in with you at this time of day. You're coming back with me.”

My heart rate stepped up a notch at the idea of being back on the midway. ”No.” I shook my head. ”I don't want anyone to see me.”

”They won't. I'll sneak you in the back. Most people won't be around this time of day anyway. We tend to be night owls.”

My stomach churned with nerves at the thought of being so close to the people who I believed wanted me dead, but my desire to be with Riley was stronger than my fear.

”You promise you can get me in without being seen?”

He lifted his hand, his little finger c.o.c.ked in front of my face. ”Pinky promise,” he said with a grin.

I reached out and hooked my little finger around his. Even such a tiny contact sent s.h.i.+vers of desire racing through me. I wanted to take off his skin and climb inside his body with him, immerse myself fully, blend until we were like one being.

We grinned at each other, our pinkies locked, and I completely forgot the pains in my body and the fact someone wanted to kill me.

Riley leaned forward and kissed the top of my head. The hand our fingers had been joined at moved into a fuller grip, and he helped me stand from the car. His other arm slipped around my waist, supporting me. I figured I could probably walk just fine on my own, but I wasn't going to give him an excuse to move away.

We stepped back from the car, and I gasped. My head spun. The whole of the hood was crumpled like an accordion. A spider web of cracks ran through the windscreen, the wing mirror completely knocked off on the driver's side. The seriousness of what had happened hit me. I was lucky to be alive. I was lucky I hadn't crashed into another car, or hit a pedestrian.

”My G.o.d,” I breathed.

”See why I was so worried?”

I nodded. I couldn't deal with the car right now. I'd need to call a tow truck again, even go to the police and tell them I'd had an accident-someone was bound to spot the wreckage at some point and report it-but I didn't have the head s.p.a.ce. The cops would almost certainly come looking for me at school again. At least at Riley's I would be safe from the police asking me more questions.

”Let's just get out of here.”

With our bodies slotted together, we stepped out of the forest, and back onto the road. Riley's bike sat parked on the curb. His helmet hung from the handle bar. I'd never seen him wear it before. I wondered why he'd brought it this time.

”Here,” he said, taking the helmet off the handlebar and handing it to me.

”What about you?”

He shrugged. ”I don't need it. You're the one with the head injury.”

”But-” I started to protest, but he silenced me with a lift of his hand.

”Wear it, Icy, or you're not coming on the bike.”

I sighed, but lifted the helmet and carefully slid it over my face, wincing as it made contact with my sore forehead. Riley had already climbed on the bike, so I swung my leg over the back of the seat and climbed on behind him. Automatically, I wrapped my hands around his waist, no longer worrying about the s.p.a.ce between us or if I should hold onto the seat.

The bike roared beneath me, and Riley pulled away from the curb, heading in the same direction my car had been going. He crossed town, staying on the outskirts so he didn't head right through Main Street. We got a few glances from people, but no one knew who I was with the helmet on.

Riley stayed on the coastal road until he was past the carnival, still and silent, and under investigation, then he doubled back on himself. He took a small road that led to the beach, and cut back up so he was at the back of the carnival where the carnies' trailers were parked. As he'd predicted, there didn't seem to be many people around.

Still some distance from his trailer, he cut the power from the bike. ”Keep the helmet on,” he told me. ”Just in case someone is being nosy.”

He dragged the bike toward his trailer, and I hurried alongside him. He left the bike at the back of his home, and quickly ran up the steps to unlock the trailer. I noticed this time he'd locked the front door.

I was relieved to be inside Riley's home again. Carefully, I pulled the helmet off and shook out my hair. Riley stepped in front of me, took the helmet from my hands and set it down on the small, fold out table. He straightened and reached out to me with both hands. His fingers lightly touched my temples, and he tilted my head slightly. His thumb brushed the cut as he inspected it.

”It really does seem better,” he noted.

”It's fine.” I thought of something. ”How did you find me, anyway?”

”I happened to be riding out on that road. It's good for bikes. I spotted your car from the road.”

”Really? But it seemed almost hidden by the bushes.”

”Nah, I'm observant, that's all.”

”Riding on a motorbike at G.o.d-knows how many miles per hour?”

He laughed and lowered his forehead to mine. ”What are you saying, Icy? Are you worried I'm stalking you?”

I hadn't been, until then. ”And yesterday?” I dared to say. ”What about when you found me? How did you know then?”

”I told you, I overheard the guys talking after they got back here. They gave a vague direction. I just followed it and got lucky.”

I wasn't sure you could call finding me with a dead body and covered in blood lucky, but I didn't know what other explanation he could give.

”Don't doubt me, Icy,” he said, but his voice was low, intense. ”I've given you no reason to think I'm anything but helpful.”